Sunday, September 13, 2009

the jesus lizard - shot


released 1996

going back to what i'd said about the melvins...these guys get a lot of mention around these parts and have showed up in live form all over the place...but haven't really had an actual album put on the blog (well...except this one time)

so i give you this...the band's first (of 2) major label albums

they had finally managed to get out of the hole steve albini was keeping them in down in his basement (they formed a human ladder) and went onto record this album...and it seems as if they were afraid to go off into the ragers they had been known for on previous albums (maybe it had something to do with cattle prods..i've read things about steve albini having an arsenal of them laying around his studio and he's not afraid to use them) and they come off a little subdued and cleaner sounding (not necessarily a bad thing...i mean...this is a major label album...and they prefer their artists to be showered and wearing collars...but this is still a jesus lizard album)

rumor has it that this angered mr. albini so much that he cut all ties with the band and made voodoo dolls out of spare clothing and hair david yow had left behind

and you can't talk about this album and not address the song "mailman"...he wants to know if he can run his fingers through my hair/he also wants to know if he can hop around my hole...david yow takes on the role of a woman (which is scary enough as it is...and might make you want to start looking for adam's apples the next time you're trolling in dive bars) that's being stalked by an unknown man...and i'm thinking that the song may be a little metaphor to represent the torching of the jesus lizard/steve albini relationship...and they felt a little more comfortable talking back now that they had capitol records tucking them into bed at night (and now you can picture a creepy steve albini standing outside the lizard's window...cattle prod and duct tape at the ready)

or maybe i'm just looking into it a little too much

either way...it's obvious that the band weezer really liked the song (go and listen to their song "hash pipe"...go on...i'll wait)

see what i mean?

DL: shot
at

16 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2009 at 9:52 PM

    Too bad about the fire

    The fucking toilet won't flush
    It's filled with paper and mush
    The plumber's ass is his face

    Yow takes on a new role as a poet here... the kiiler's now a soap box preacher all bobdylan up in that shit.

    Look at that with the head like the arse on it

    ReplyDelete
  2. ipecacSeptember 13, 2009 at 11:03 PM

    i'm quite sure that david yow is a shape shifter

    ReplyDelete
  3. Arthur RamboSeptember 13, 2009 at 11:43 PM

    I can't believe I never noticed the Hash Pipe similarity before, that's just as blatant a rip off as STP did to Danzig

    ReplyDelete
  4. EmployeeSeptember 14, 2009 at 1:56 PM

    got my hot little tickets to see Mr. Yow and company in Philly in Nov. First time seeing them since '96 when this bad-boy rolled on out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. David Wm. SimsSeptember 15, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    I can't actually tell if you like the album or not here, but thanks for mentioning it, I guess. It's still my favorite album that I've ever made with any band, period. If seems like you want to come out with a thumbs-up, but are afraid your cool Chicago friends will get mad. It's amazing how much I see of this now, people kind of tentatively dipping their toe into "Shot" while anxiously looking around to see who's going to flame them for it.

    I feel like I do have to address the legend of the rift that arose between the band and Albini around this time. Steve Albini did not part ways with the Jesus Lizard because we signed to a major label. This explanation has been repeated a lot on the interwebs, despite its obvious implausibility. Albini has recorded many records for major labels, including Helmet, Bush, and Nirvana. The deal with Capitol was not the reason for the rift between him and the band. We decided even before the completion of "Down" that we would use another producer on the next record. There were several reasons, some having to do with the quality of the recordings, some personal. At the time, we had not yet decided to look into another record label; we would have recorded our next record with another producer even if we had stayed on Touch & Go. I have to admit, I have always been impressed with the way he was able to spin being fired by the band into a brave stand for the indie kids, but that's just not how it went down.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MarsSeptember 15, 2009 at 5:10 PM

    I didn't like this record at all upon release Dave, mostly due to the lack of rabies in the production (for the record, I'm not an Albini groupie). Is there a clarity like never before? Absolutely, and unlike most at the time, I didn't hate Yow's up front Johnny Rotten-ish delivery. But over all it sounded... reserved at best, flat at worst.

    It's funny how things can change over time. I got 'Shot' a few months back and listened to it for the material rather than the visceral, and while I still think 'Goat' is your best, 'Shot' is not the shitty record I remember it being. But I'm an old fart now!

    And there it is, I think the main 'problem' with 'Shot' is it's a mature record by what could be construed as a fairly juvenile band. But hey, how juvenile can a band that references Miles Davis 'Great Expectations' actually be?

    Didn't know (or care about) the Albini thing. Let's see how your explanation get's cancer and metastasizes as it spreads, shall we? That'll be fun!

    I'll be at the Atlanta show - bought a bunch of tix for my buddies, too - see you there!

    Captcha: 'blaccu'
    As in Japanese for 'Blaccu Sabisu'!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:30 PM

    Fuck that. SHOT was the first jl record I owned, bought on cassette with my own earned money through bmg fuckin mailorder fer chrismas one year, and after that I got SHOT. Went from there. Loves it all buddy. But SHOTs my favourite of the lot. And the first comment to this was mine; words of praise, believe me.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:32 PM

    GGGarth for the win by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2009 at 10:41 PM

    ps:
    Travelling west to the Phoenix in TO come November; whos opening?

    Before GOAT, listen to DOWN. Actually, LASH,then DOWN.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    By the way, mista Sims, did you copy/paste half that response?

    ReplyDelete
  11. MarsSeptember 16, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    Good for you, Clintellectual.

    ReplyDelete
  12. David Wm. SimsSeptember 17, 2009 at 8:35 AM

    Hell yeah, I did.

    Spoke to Mr. Yow about "Mailman." It's about anonymity, specifically hanging out in internet chat rooms posing as a girl.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2009 at 11:51 AM

    Ha, awesome.

    Clintellectual? Quoi?
    Whats that? Thinking with th' mindset and pastiche of mista Eastwood wit' his steely glare?
    I'm not anyways.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2009 at 11:56 AM

    btw

    I see's what your saying about 'hash pipe', even though its still a fallacious sorto aspersion to be drawing upon there, and I almost hear what buddy was sayin' 'bout Danzig there.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHv3qO_Y8kk

    Only half to with it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownSeptember 18, 2009 at 1:34 AM

    I haven't heard a jesus lizard song that I wasn't just amazed by. Mr. Sims, you are the single most influential bass player in my collection. shot is bad ass,and i can't wait to see you in austin this november. Fucking hell this is going to rule.

    ReplyDelete
  16. MattSeptember 20, 2009 at 11:17 AM

    first JL record i ever heard and still my favorite.

    ReplyDelete