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- Date Released: October 1, 1994
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: Touch And Go
The legendary noise-rock mutants begin their slow crawl into the '90s alterna-rock light
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We Say...
Noise-rock mutants Jesus Lizard were at the peak of their cult status and in very high demand after a sharing double A-side single with Nirvana in 1993. The hopelessly underground band was ready to take their small step up into the big leagues — major label records, big studio productions, Lollapalooza appearances. You can hear the beginning of that on 1994's Down, their final record for Touch & Go and their last featuring the brittle production of Steve Albini. Lead spazz David Yow hasn't lost any of his manic desperation, nail-bitten exhaustion, blood-curdling screams or even his nauseating fluids (he hocks up a wet loogie in "The Associate"). But his band slows down to a moderate-rock crawl and even makes room for some soaring radio-ready moments like "Countless Backs of Sad Losers" or "Queen For A Day." Guitarist Duane Denison is at his most spacious and reflective in the catchier songs, jazz-blues romps like "The Associate" and muted bummers like "Elegy." But the weirder ones are the real treat, especially how they make room for his spastic Marc Ribot-styled skronk solo in "Mistletoe," the tricky freako-wheedle in "Destroy Before Reading" or the furious jazzbo-riffing in of "50 Cents."
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They Say...
While it was regarded as something of a disappointment when it was first released in 1994, in retrospect, Down stands as the last really vital album from the Jesus Lizard. It lacks the same degree of bone-crushing force and sweaty psychosis that made Goat and Liar instant classics (the band seems to be aiming for a slightly more subtle approach this time out), and most of the songs take a bit longer to sink in. But bassist David Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly were still capable of connecting like Mike Tyson against a speed bag on the heavy tunes, Duane Denison's sheets of chrome-plated guitar are as gloriously fragmented as ever, and there's never been a rock vocalist before or since quite like David Yow. It was also the last Jesus Lizard album to benefit from Steve Albini's spare, dry recording; if ever there was a band that didn't take to a more "hands-on," "user-friendly" production, it was the Jesus Lizard, and between Albini's decision not to work with the group again after they signed to Capitol Records and the departure of drummer McNeilly, this group was never the same in the studio again. Liar was the greatest recorded moment for the Jesus Lizard, but Down captured one of the most powerful American bands of the 1990s in their last gasp of twisted glory.
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| 01. |  |
Fly on the Wall |
3:06 |
|
| 02. | |
Mistletoe |
1:53 |
|
| 03. | |
Countless Backs of Sad Losers |
3:00 |
|
| 04. | |
Queen for a Day |
2:25 |
|
| 05. | |
The Associate |
5:01 |
|
| 06. | |
Destroy Before Reading |
3:14 |
|
| 07. | |
Low Rider |
3:37 |
|
| 08. | |
50 ¢ |
2:50 |
|
| 09. | |
American BB |
2:18 |
|
| 10. | |
Horse |
3:10 |
|
| 11. | |
Din |
3:19 |
|
| 12. | |
Elegy |
3:50 |
|
| 13. | |
The Best Parts |
2:54 |
|
| 14. | |
White Hole (Bonus Track - Single Version) |
3:21 |
|
| 15. | |
Glamorous (Bonus Track - Single Version) |
3:07 |
|
| 16. | |
Deaf As A Bat (Bonus Track - Single Version) |
1:39 |
|
| 17. | |
Panic In Cicero (Bonus Track - from /Clerks/ Soundtrack) |
3:28 |
|
17 Total Tracks, 52:12 Total Length
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Credits
- The Jesus Lizard - Main Performer // Duane Denison - Guitar // John Loder - Mastering // Mac McNeilly - Drums // David Wm. Sims - Bass // David Yow - Vocals
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