The start of The Jesus Lizard was rather inauspicious. With debut EP Pure, the Jesus Lizard took the lead of mentor Steve Albini’s Big Black, which meant more lethargic vocals for David Yow and a drum machine in place of a competent drummer. It’s still a difficult listen today, but one that shows signs of a band that was more than just a Big Black imitator. As soon as Yow unleashes his first wail on “Bloody Mary,” you immediately sense the raucous musical vision and sense of danger that caused a young Kurt Cobain to fall in love with Scratch Acid, Yow and David William Sims' previous band, years earlier.
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The Pure EP was reissued alongside the other Jesus Lizard albums put out by Touch & Go. Click here for reviews of Head, originally released in 1990; Goat, 1991; Liar, 1992; and Down, 1994.
The Jesus Lizard »
