Big Lizard in My Backyard | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:14 | |||
Label | Restless | |||
Producer | The Dead Milkmen, John Wicks | |||
The Dead Milkmen chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | A−[2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [4] |
Big Lizard in My Backyard is the debut album by the Dead Milkmen, released by Restless Records in 1985.[5][6]
Although the album yielded no singles, it achieved enough notoriety to create a fan base for the band. Five of the album's tracks appear on the 1997 compilation Death Rides a Pale Cow: The Ultimate Collection; four tracks appear on the 1998 compilation Cream of the Crop.
Production
Big Lizard in My Backyard was produced by John Wicks and the band.[4] The introduction to "Bitchin' Camaro" was improvised.[7]
Cover artwork
The album's cover artwork was designed by the band's drummer, Dean Clean.[8]
Critical reception
Big Lizard in My Backyard received strong reviews, with critics singling out "Bitchin' Camaro", calling it "hilarious" and "career-making."[6][9] Maximum Rocknroll wrote that "these 20 satire-laced songs are real crack-ups, and backed up by tight playing that incorporates funk, country, and lots of other styles into their punk approach."[10] Spin called the album "frenetic goof pop," writing that it's "full of the kind of scruff-and-tumble guitar and funtime lyrics that made 1977 punk such a refreshing blast."[11]
Track listing
All tracks written by the Dead Milkmen
- "Tiny Town" - 1:45
- "Beach Song" - 2:00
- "Plum Dumb" - 1:56
- "Swordfish" - 1:31
- "V.F.W. (Veterans of a Fucked Up World)" - 1:48
- "Rastabilly" - 1:07
- "Serrated Edge" - 1:59
- "Lucky" - 2:10
- "Big Lizard in My Backyard" - 1:59
- "Gorilla Girl" - 1:33
- "Bitchin' Camaro" - 3:01
- "Filet of Sole" - 1:57
- "Spit Sink" - 2:01 (Produced By Mike Ace & Jonny Earthshoe)
- "Violent School" - 1:58
- "Takin’ Retards to the Zoo" - 0:48 (Produced By Mike Ace & Jonny Earthshoe)
- "Junkie" - 0:52
- "Right Wing Pigeons" - 2:21
- "Dean’s Dream" - 1:49
- "Laundromat Song" - 1:47
- "Nutrition" - 2:17
- "Tugena" - 5:27 (instrumental)
"Gorilla Girl" was not included on the original U.S. Enigma/Fever LP release. "Tugena" was present on the original release (as the last track) but was unidentified and not labeled until later pressings.
Personnel
- The Dead Milkmen
- Dave Blood – bass guitar
- Joe Jack Talcum – guitar, vocals
- Rodney Anonymous – vocals
- Dean Clean – drums
References
- ↑ AllMusic
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Album: The Dead Milkmen: Big Lizard in My Backyard". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 803.
- 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 319.
- ↑ "Dead Milkmen | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- 1 2 "CMJ Silver Salute". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. November 10, 2003 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Weidman, Rich (2022). Punk: The Definitive Guide to the Blank Generation and Beyond. Backbeat Books. p. 149.
- ↑ "Portfolio | Music Industry". DeanSabatino.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ↑ "TrouserPress.com :: Dead Milkmen". www.trouserpress.com.
- ↑ "Big Lizard in My Backyard LP".
- ↑ "Underground". Spin. 1 (6): 37. Oct 1985.