This article details the complete work of an Australian-born composer and music producer JG Thirlwell, from his beginnings in 1980 to the present. It covers his output under multiple pseudonyms as well as his work as a collaborating artist and soundtrack composer.
As a solo artist As Foetus
Studio albums Title Album details UK Indie Deaf Released: September 1981 (UK) Label: Self Immolation Formats: LP — Ache Released: August 1982 (UK) Label: Self Immolation Formats: LP — Hole Released: September 1984 (UK) Label: PVC, Self Immolation, ZE Formats: CD, CS, LP 3 Nail Released: October 1985 (UK) Label: Homestead, Rough Trade, Self Immolation Formats: CD, CS, LP 1 Thaw Released: September 1988 (UK) Label: Rough Trade, Self Immolation Formats: CD, LP 3 Gash Released: 15 April 1995 (US) Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS — Flow Released: 8 May 2001 (US) Label: Thirsty Ear Formats: CD — Love Released: 14 July 2005 (US) Label: Birdman, Ectopic Ents Formats: CD — Hide Released: 29 September 2010 (US) Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD — Soak Released: 15 October 2013 (US) Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD — Halt Released: 25 December 2025 (US) Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD, LP — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Live albums Title Album details Rife Released: 1988 Formats: CD, LP Male Released: 1992 Label: Thirsty Ear Formats: CD, CS Boil Released: 20 August 1996 Label: Cleopatra Formats: CD York (First Exit to Brooklyn) Released: 11 March 1997 Label: Thirsty Ear Formats: CD
Compilation albums Title Album details Sink Released: October 1989 Label: Self Immolation, Some Bizzare, Wax Trax! Formats: CD, CS, LP Damp Released: November 2006 Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD Limb Released: May 2009 Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD
Remix albums Title Album details Blow Released: 18 September 2001 Label: Thirsty Ear Formats: CD Vein Released: October 2007 Label: Ectopic Ents Formats: CD
EPs Title Album details UK Indie Custom Built for Capitalism Released: 1982 Label: Self Immolation Formats: LP — Bedrock Released: April 1987 Label: Self Immolation, Some Bizzare, Wax Trax! Formats: CS, LP 2 Ramrod Released: 1988 Label: Self Immolation, Some Bizzare Formats: LP 5 Butterfly Potion Released: 1990 Label: Big Cat Formats: CD, LP — Vice Squad Dick Released: 1994 Label: PCP Entertainment Formats: CD, LP — Null Released: 1995 Label: Big Cat, Columbia Formats: CD — (not adam) Released: 2004 Label: Birdman, Ectopic Ents Formats: CD — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Singles Title Year UK Indie Album "Spite Your Face"/"O.K.F.M." 1981 — Non-album singles "Wash It All Off!"/"333" — "Tell Me, What Is the Bane of Your Life" 1982 30 "Calamity Crush"/"Catastrophe Crunch" 1984 4 "Wash"/"Slog" 5 "Finely Honed Machine"/"Sick Minutes" 5 "Somnambulumdrum" 1990 — "Verklemmt" 1995 — Gash "Überschall" 1996 — Non-album single "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Music videos "Need Machine" "Verklemmt" (1995) "Here Comes the Rain" (2010)
As Steroid Maximus
ReleasedTitleYearMonth 1991 – ¡Quilombo! 1992 – Gondwanaland 2002 May Ectopia
As Manorexia
ReleasedTitleYearMonth 2001 Jun Volvox Turbo 2002 Oct The Radiolarian Ooze 2010 Mar The Mesopelagic Waters 2011 May Dinoflagellate Blooms
As JG Thirlwell ReleasedTitleYearMonth 2009 Mar The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell 2013 Oct The Blue Eyes 2016 Jun The Music of The Venture Bros: Volume Two
Collaborative albums With Wiseblood
Studio albums Title Album details UK Indie Dirtdish Released: 1987 Label: K.422 Formats: CD, CS, LP 1 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Singles Title Year UK Indie Album "Motorslug"/"Death Rape 2000" 1985 3 Non-album singles "Stumbo"/"Someone Drowned in My Pool" 1986 4 "P T T M" 1991 — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
With Flesh Volcano
Title Album details UK Indie Slut Released: 1987 Label: Some Bizzare Formats: LP 12 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
With Lydia Lunch Title Album details UK Indie Stinkfist Released: 1988 Label: Widowspeak Formats: LP 18 Don't Fear the Reaper Released: 1991 Label: Big Cat Formats: CD, LP — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Credits Performance credits {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! width="33"| Year ! width="250"| Artist ! width="260"| Release ! width="170"| Role(s) ! width="480"| Song(s) |- | 1981 | Nurse with Wound | Insect and Individual Silenced | align="center"| Bass amp, jack plugs | align="center"| "Alvin's Funeral (The Milk Was Delivered in Black Bottles)" |- | rowspan="3"| 1983 | rowspan="2"| Marc and the Mambas | rowspan="2"| Torment and Toreros | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "A Million Manias" |- | align="center"| Drums | align="center"| "Beat out that Rhythm on a Drum" |- | The The | Soul Mining | align="center"| Percussion | align="center"| "Giant" |- | rowspan="5"| 1984 | Coil | Scatology | align="center"| Sampler | align="center"| "Panic" |- | Nurse with Wound | Brained by Falling Masonry | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Brained by Falling Masonry" |- | Nurse with Wound/Current 93 | ''Nylon Coverin' Body Smotherin| align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Brained by Falling Masonry" |- | Orange Juice | The Orange Juice | align="center"| Piano | align="center"| "Salmon Fishing in New York" |- | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | From Her to Eternity | align="center"| unknown instruments during early recording sessions, uncreditedDaniel Dylan Wray (2014) If This Is Heaven I'm Bailing Out: The Death Of The Birthday Party, The Quietus, accessed 5 January 2017 | align="center"| |- | rowspan="2"| 1985 | Annie Hogan | Plays Kickabye | align="center"| Percussion | align="center"| "Burning Boats" |- | Nurse with Wound | The Sylvie and Babs Hi-Fi Companion | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| — |- | rowspan="2"| 1986 | Coil | Horse Rotorvator | align="center"| Sampler | align="center"| "Circles of Mania" |- | Virgin Prunes | The Moon Looked Down and Laughed | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| — |- | rowspan="2"| 1987 | Coil | Gold Is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "The Broken Wheel", "The Wheal" |- | Lydia Lunch | Honeymoon in Red | align="center"| Treatments | align="center"| "Still Burning", "Fields of Fire", "Three Kings" |- | 1988 | rowspan="2"| PIG | A Poke in the Eye... with a Sharp Stick | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "Peoria" |- | 1989 | Sick City | align="center"| Instruments, additional vocals | align="center"| "Sick City" |- | rowspan="2"| 1990 | Gumball | Gumball | align="center"| Backing vocals | align="center"| "Yellow Pants" |- | Nurse with Wound | Psilotripitaka | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "Duelling Banjos", "Registered Nurse Second Coming" |- | rowspan="3"| 1991 | Boss Hog | Action Box | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Black Throat" |- | Jarboe | Thirteen Masks | align="center"| Sampler, programming | align="center"| "Red" |- | Lydia Lunch | Twisted/Past Glas | align="center"| Instruments, tapes | align="center"| — |- | rowspan="3"| 1992 | Of Cabbages and Kings | Hunter's Moon | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Faucet" |- | Silverfish | Organ Fan | align="center"| Brass, additional vocals | align="center"| "Fucking Strange Way to Get Attention" |- | Sovetskoe Foto | The Humidity | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Forget" |- | rowspan="2"| 1993 | Boss Hog | Girl + | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Not Guilty" |- | Workdogs | Workdogs in Hell | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "Eulogy Regrets", "*" |- | 1994 | PIG & Sow | Je M'Aime | align="center"| Instruments | align="center"| "Blood Sucking Bitch" |- | rowspan="3"| 1995 | Argyle Park | Misguided | align="center"| Spoken word | align="center"| "Refuge" |- | Ann Magnuson | The Luv Show | align="center"| Spoken word | align="center"| "Sex With the Devil" |- | Voivod | Negatron | align="center"| Sampler | align="center"| "D.N.A. (Don't No Anything)" |- | 2000 | Melvins | The Crybaby | align="center"| Vocals, sampler | align="center"| "Mine Is No Disgrace" |- | 2003 | Rotoskop | Revolution: Lost | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Mary Magdalene", "Paging Dr. Strong" |- | 2004 | Atsushi Sakurai | Ai no Wakusei | align="center"| All instruments and backing vocals | align="center"| "I Hate You All" |- | 2005 | Jarboe | The Men Album | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Bass Force/Angel Jim" (Low Rider mix) |- | 2007 | Strings of Consciousness | Our Moon Is Full | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Asphodel" |- | rowspan="2"| 2011 | Hypnoz | A Score for Iron Blues | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Night on Earth" |- | International Moods | Frequent Traveller | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Landing Time", "Don't Leave Home Without It" |- | 2012 | Cisfinitum & First Human Ferro | Alchemicals | align="center"| Voice | align="center"| "New Cleansed Order" |- | 2013 | Melvins | Everybody Loves Sausages | align="center"| Vocals | align="center"| "Station to Station" |- | 2014 | Elysian Fields | For House Cats And Sea Fans | align="center"| Sampler | align="center"| "Escape From New York" |- | align="center" colspan="5" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a credit for the entire release.
Production and mixing credits