Remembering Nirvana and The Jesus Lizard’s rare split EP ‘Puss / Oh, the Guilt’
The late 1980s produced many influential alternative rock acts, with two of the finest being Nirvana and The Jesus Lizard. Both fused the fury of hardcore and the underground with a unique artistic style, best defined by mentioning their respective names – something that not many acts can claim.
Despite enjoying different amounts of success, what both have done for guitar music and broader alternative culture cannot be doubted. Although Nirvana have been defunct since frontman Kurt Cobain died in 1994, The Jesus Lizard and their surviving contemporaries, such as the eminent Dinosaur Jr. and Pixies, continue to fly the flag of Generation X defiantly. It is partially thanks to bands like these that the guitar is still alive and well today.
Notably, Nirvana and The Jesus Lizard were big fans of each other’s work. This was to such a great extent that one of Nirvana’s most storied shows, their 1993 set at New York’s Roseland Ballroom, featured The Jesus Lizard in support. However, this wasn’t the only concert that the bands shared, and their connection was much more profound, with it resulting in a rare split EP.
In a chat with Songfacts, Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow looked back on the first time they played with Nirvana, the ensuing Roseland show, and their split EP, 1993’s Puss/Oh, the Guilt.
Asked if The Jesus Lizard ever played other shows with Nirvana apart from Roseland, Yow recalled: “Yeah. The first show that we ever played together was at Maxwell’s in Hoboken when Chad Channing was still playing drums. And at that time Nevermind had not come out. But right before that, Sub Pop had put out a single with Sonic Youth, who was not on Sub Pop, and Mudhoney was on Sub Pop.”
He continued: “And after we played with Nirvana at Maxwell’s, Kurt and I were talking about the possibility of doing a split single the way Sub Pop had done. But doing it on Touch and Go. So we decided to do that, and then they signed to Geffen, and Nevermind came out, and everything changed. It took a while, but you probably are aware of that 7-inch, right? Split single?”
The split was eventually released on February 15th, 1993, with ‘Puss’ written by The Jesus Lizard and ‘Oh, the Guilt’ by Nirvana. It also boasted cover art by Malcolm Bucknall called Old Indian and White Poodle, a surreal piece in keeping with the aesthetics both outfits tended to opt for on their releases.
‘Puss’ was recorded by Steve Albini, who would go on to record Nirvana’s third and final album, In Utero. Interestingly, this was not its only appearance; it was first released on the Texan band’s celebrated 1992 album Liar. Arguably, it is one of the band’s finest songs, featuring some of guitarist Duane Denison’s best work, with him customarily frenetic but also strangely melodic at different points.
The EP peaked at number 12 on the UK singles chart, making it The Jesus Lizard’s only hit single in the country. As for Nirvana, it was their sixth hit in Blighty, with more to come.
‘Oh, the Guily’ was recorded by Barret Jones in April 1992 in Nirvana’s adopted city of Seattle, Washington. A favourite of their fans, with one eye on the sludge of their debut Bleach, it was eventually re-released on the rarities boxset With the Lights Out in 2004, and the compilation Sliver: The Best of the Box, the following year.
It may be a lesser-known point in both bands’ careers, but their split EP is certainly a highlight. Get stuck in below.
