**1/2 THE JESUS LIZARD

(Jetset)

Okay, Rock Band Production 101 students: you've got the best live band on the planet. What is the one thing you absolutely, positively don't want to do? How 'bout this for starters -- you sure don't want to strip away any trace of a well-honed industro-sleaze live rock band and replace it with a bunch of sterile art-school knob-twiddling electronics. Which, unfortunately, is exactly what John Cale talked the Jesus Lizard into doing for the second half of this one-off EP (the Lizard's second full-length for Capitol is due in the spring). Even the remix alchemy of Jim (Gastr del Sol) O'Rourke can't save it from sounding like wanky, pointless, hack meddling. The Jesus Lizard ain't June of '44 or Tortoise, and for God's sake, why the hell would they wanna be?

There's hope for the future, though, in the first three tracks, which were produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill (who's also said to be producing the new album). "Cold Water" and "Inflicted by Hounds" are prime Lizard steak: desperate wild-man drowning rant by David Yow, sub-conservatory sizzle by guitarist Duane Denison, volcanic rhythm-section rumble, yadda, yadda, yadda. With the Lizard it oughta be a no-brainer: wind 'em up, let 'em rock. Anything less would be way too civilized.

-- Carly Carioli