Saturday, October 13, 2007

THE JESUS LIZARD – SHOW (COLLISION ARTS/GIANT RECORDS)


THE JESUS LIZARD – SHOW (COLLISION ARTS/GIANT RECORDS)

Recorded at the legendary CBGBs in New York in December 1993 this is actually a surprisingly solid and well recorded live set captured at a time when the band were not necessarily quite at the height of their powers or most in demand. Indeed on this night in question they weren’t even the headline band playing support to The Damned of all people.

This live recording represents one of those prized and rare moments of the live album ilk as it actually manages to capture the intensity of both the performance and the atmosphere in general. As the set carries on you can hear in the voice of Yow just how much he starts to lose patience with the crowd, often scolding them for their moronic behaviour.

“Glamorous” opens proceedings with its thunder punch blows and steady entry into the set. With each strum Duane Denison fires out a message of arrival to all the squashed New Yorkers in the toilet castle of punk.

“Please hold your apples to the end of the set.”

Even though it is only half of the Yow live experience on show his between song banter and apparent behaviour really exudes and makes this recording. As the incendiary version of “Dancing Naked Ladies” begins to pummel all in sight as the lumbering bass runs over ears like a harvester mowing a field Yow tops it all by screaming “I think I’m gonna fucking throw up.” That is how you introduce a song!

The man really is an Uncle Touchy as he later explodes at the audience in a hyper aggressive manner asking them why they are so violent (“Killer McHann”). This is the prettiest pot calling the crappiest kettle black.

The aural harassment and abuse is spread over a very strong fifteen song selection. The set really hits its stride as the dizzying magnificence of “Fly On The Wall” kicks off an unforgiving barrage of The Jesus Lizard “hits” as “Boilermaker” couples with “Puss” tears into proceedings full on even if the band don’t quite nail the latter (in my opinion live they never did or could).

Wheelchair Epidemic” beckons towards the end as “Monkey Trick” teases an ending out of the night and gets a final few licks in on the crowd (and vice versa).

This set will have blown The Damned off the stage.

I believe that there is a live video recording of this set also named “Show” but being pre-internet days there is very little information to be found although I do believe once reading about a guy saying how he used to rent it from his local video store and I am positive that I once saw one of the tracks from the video on an episode of Beavis And Butthead while they waxed lyrical over the bare-chested shenanigans of Mr Yow.

The world would be a better place if this were available on DVD.

Thesaurus moment: lost.

The Jesus Lizard

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