Puss / Oh, the Guilt

Last updated

"Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt"
NirvanaGuilt.jpg
UK picture sleeve
Single by The Jesus Lizard and Nirvana
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1993 (1993-02-22) [1]
Recorded1992
Genre
Length6:43
Label Touch and Go Records
Songwriter(s) The Jesus Lizard/Kurt Cobain
Producer(s) Steve Albini ("Puss")/
Barrett Jones ("Oh, the Guilt")
The Jesus Lizard singles chronology
"Mouth Breather"
(1990)		"Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt"
(1993)
Nirvana singles chronology
"In Bloom"
(1992)		"Oh, the Guilt"
(1993)		"Heart-Shaped Box"
(1993)

"Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt" is a split single, released as a double a-side, [2] from the American rock bands The Jesus Lizard and Nirvana, released via Touch and Go Records. [3]

Contents

Recording and release

Background

It was released on February 15, 1993, and includes the songs "Puss" by the Jesus Lizard and "Oh, the Guilt" by Nirvana. The cover art for the single is a painting by Malcolm Bucknall called "Old Indian and White Poodle". [4] "Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt" peaked at number 12 on the UK singles chart; it was The Jesus Lizard's first and only hit single in the UK, and Nirvana's sixth.

"Puss" first appeared on the 1992 album Liar and was recorded by Steve Albini, who would later record Nirvana's third and final album, In Utero . The video for "Puss" showed a man being welded in a chair, so it was banned from some television stations.

"Oh, the Guilt" was recorded by Barrett Jones on April 7, 1992 in Seattle, Washington. The song was re-released in 2004 on the Nirvana rarities box set With the Lights Out and in 2005 on the compilation album Sliver: The Best of the Box , although on these latter releases the song was remixed by Adam Kasper, and does not include the sound of lighter clicks present on the original mix.

Reception

A review in British music magazine, Music Week , described "Oh, the Guilt" as a "rougher, underproduced example of their pop-metal" and "Puss" as "a fiercer, messier hardcore thang". [5]

In an August 1993 Billboard article about the Touch and Go record label, the "Puss / Oh, the Guilt" split single is described as having "sold in great numbers". [6]

Readers of CMJ voted it the fifth best 7 inch single of 1993. [7]

David Yow, vocalist of The Jesus Lizard, later said of the release "And we had to figure out, well, do we want to do this and look like we're riding on Nirvana's coattails, or we could just do it and not worry about it, which is what we ended up doing". [1]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Puss"3:19
2."Oh, the Guilt"3:24

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
Australian Top 20 Alternative Singles (ARIA) [8] 3
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media) [9] 36
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 12
UK Network Singles (MRIB) [11] [12] [13] 9
UK Indie Singles ( Melody Maker ) [12] 2
UK Indie Singles ( Music Week ) [14] 3
UK Indie Singles ( NME ) [13] 2
UK Rock & Metal Singles (CIN) [15] 3

Unreleased versions

Nirvana recorded an instrumental demo version of "Oh, the Guilt" on January 1, 1991, at The Music Source studios in Seattle, Washington, but it remains officially unreleased. At the same studio session the band also recorded demo versions of songs "Aneurysm", "Even In His Youth", "All Apologies", "On a Plain", "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter", and "Token Eastern Song". All of these also remain officially unreleased except for "Aneurysm" and "Even In His Youth" which featured as B-sides to the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single, and "All Apologies" which was released on the 20th anniversary deluxe and super-deluxe versions of the In Utero album in 2013. [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bleach</i> (Nirvana album) 1989 studio album by Nirvana

Bleach is the debut studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop. After the release of their debut single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop in November 1988, Nirvana rehearsed for two to three weeks in preparation for recording a full-length album. The main recording sessions for Bleach took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989. It is the only Nirvana album released on the Sub Pop label and their only studio album to feature drummer Chad Channing.

<i>Hormoaning</i> 1992 EP by Nirvana

Hormoaning is an extended play (EP) by the American rock band Nirvana. It was released on January 27, 1992, through DGC Records and Geffen Records. It was released in Australia and Japan only, during the band's tour there.

<i>In Utero</i> 1993 studio album by Nirvana

In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound that was reminiscent of their work prior to Nevermind. Although frontman and primary songwriter Kurt Cobain claimed that the album was "very impersonal", many of its songs contain heavy allusions to his personal life and struggles, expressing feelings of angst that were common on the band's previous album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jesus Lizard</span> American alternative rock band

The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial noise, all of which received positive reviews in underground music publications and heavy college-radio play."

<i>With the Lights Out</i> 2004 compilation box set by Nirvana

With the Lights Out is a box set by the American rock band Nirvana, released on November 23, 2004. It contains three CDs and one DVD of previously rare or unreleased material, including B-sides, demos, and rehearsal and live recordings. The title comes from the lyrics of Nirvana's 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart-Shaped Box</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. It was one of two songs on In Utero remixed by Scott Litt prior to the album's release, due to the band's dissatisfaction with the original mixing by producer Steve Albini. The Litt remix also featured additional vocal harmonies and guitar by Cobain, which were the only elements on the album's 12 main tracks not recorded during the original sessions with Albini in February 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Bloom</span> 1992 single by Nirvana

"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape Me</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Rape Me" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithium (Nirvana song)</span> 1992 single by Nirvana

"Lithium" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the fifth track on the band's second album Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sliver (song)</span> 1990 single by Nirvana

"Sliver" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennyroyal Tea</span> Song by Nirvana

"Pennyroyal Tea" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the ninth track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

<i>Blew</i> 1989 EP by Nirvana

"Blew" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the first song on the band's debut album Bleach, released in June 1989 by Sub Pop.

"Dumb" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Apologies</span> Song by Nirvana

"All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the final track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song closes the American version of the album, while non-US versions of In Utero feature an additional song, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip," which begins after approximately 20 minutes of silence on the same track.

"Sappy" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It was first released as a hidden track on the AIDS-benefit compilation album, No Alternative, in October 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirvana discography</span>

The discography of Nirvana, an American rock band, consists of three studio albums, twenty-one singles, five live albums, two extended plays, four compilation albums, and three box sets.

The Commercial Radio Chart Show is a radio programme that was broadcast across commercial adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations across the United Kingdom, from 30 September 1984 to 30 December 2018. It had many different names over the years, beginning with The Network Chart Show, before securing sponsorship with Pepsi between 1993 and 2003, which led to the birth of The Pepsi Chart. Since then, it has been known as Hit40UK, The Big Top 40 Show, The Vodafone Freebees Big Top 40, The Vodafone Big Top 40 and, finally, The Official Vodafone Big Top 40 between October 2017 and December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Hate Myself and Want to Die</span> Nirvana song

"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It was first released in November 1993 as the first track on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience compilation album which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200.

The Media Research Information Bureau (MRIB) was a music chart research company that operated in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 2008. It was best known for compiling the chart data for The Network Chart Show which was broadcast by many TV and radio shows, as well as being published in many music newspapers and magazines. MRIB also compiled other genre charts for the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 Gaar, Gillian (September 21, 2023). "11 Reasons Why 1993 Was Nirvana's Big Year". GRAMMY.com . Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Chart Newcomers" (PDF). Music Week . March 6, 1993. p. 7. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gaar, Gillian G (1997). Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana. Goldmine.
  4. ↑ "Dberman gallery". Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Market Preview" (PDF). Music Week . February 27, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  6. ↑ Verna, Paul (August 21, 1993). "Touch and Go Thrives by Keeping Punk Ethic" (PDF). Billboard . p. 76. Retrieved September 17, 2019. Continued from page 1
  7. ↑ "CMJ 1993 Readers Poll" (PDF). CMJ . February 7, 1994. p. 63. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ "ARIA Top 20 Alternative Singles – Week Ending: 21st March, 1993 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 163}". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . March 13, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Nirvana: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . March 13, 1993. p. 24. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Charts". Melody Maker. MRIB and Independent: From sales supplied from Chain With No Name. March 6, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Charts". NME . MRIB. March 6, 1993. p. 52. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Specialist Charts: Independent Singles". Music Week . CIN, Gallup. March 13, 1993. p. 16. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Heavy Rock Singles 20" (PDF). Hit Music . CIN, Gallup. March 6, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  16. ↑ "January 1, 1991, Studio A - The Music Source, Seattle, WA, US". livenirvana.com. Retrieved June 25, 2022.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.