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Big Lizard in My Backyard
Studio album by
the Dead Milkmen
Released1985
Recorded1985
Genre
Length42:14
LabelRestless
ProducerThe Dead Milkmen, John Wicks
The Dead Milkmen chronology
Big Lizard in My Backyard
(1985) 		Eat Your Paisley!
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauA−[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

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Big Lizard in My Backyard was produced by John Wicks and the band.[4] The introduction to "Bitchin' Camaro" was improvised.[7]

Cover artwork

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The album's cover artwork was designed by the band's drummer, Dean Clean.[8][non-primary source needed]

Critical reception

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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

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All tracks written by the Dead Milkmen

  1. "Tiny Town" - 1:45
  2. "Beach Song" - 2:00
  3. "Plum Dumb" - 1:56
  4. "Swordfish" - 1:31
  5. "V.F.W. (Veterans of a Fucked Up World)" - 1:48
  6. "Rastabilly" - 1:07
  7. "Serrated Edge" - 1:59
  8. "Lucky" - 2:10
  9. "Big Lizard in My Backyard" - 1:59
  10. "Gorilla Girl" - 1:33
  11. "Bitchin' Camaro" - 3:01
  12. "Filet of Sole" - 1:57
  13. "Spit Sink" - 2:01 (Produced By Mike Ace & Jonny Earthshoe)
  14. "Violent School" - 1:58
  15. "Takin’ Retards to the Zoo" - 0:48 (Produced By Mike Ace & Jonny Earthshoe)
  16. "Junkie" - 0:52
  17. "Right Wing Pigeons" - 2:21
  18. "Dean’s Dream" - 1:49
  19. "Laundromat Song" - 1:47
  20. "Nutrition" - 2:17
  21. "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

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The Dead Milkmen

References

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  1. ^ AllMusic
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Album: The Dead Milkmen: Big Lizard in My Backyard". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 803.
  4. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 319.
  5. ^ "Dead Milkmen | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  6. ^ a b "CMJ Silver Salute". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. November 10, 2003 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Weidman, Rich (2022). Punk: The Definitive Guide to the Blank Generation and Beyond. Backbeat Books. p. 149.
  8. ^ "Portfolio | Music Industry". DeanSabatino.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "TrouserPress.com :: Dead Milkmen". www.trouserpress.com.
  10. ^ "Big Lizard in My Backyard LP".
  11. ^ "Underground". Spin. 1 (6): 37. Oct 1985.
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