Dead Milkmen: Big Lizard in My Backyard

Dead Milkmen: Big Lizard in My Backyard

1985

Restless Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Tiny Town  2. Beach Song  3. Plum Dumb  4. Swordfish  5. V.F.W. (Veterans of a Fucked up World)  6. Rastabilly  7. Serrated Edge  8. Lucky  9. Big Lizard in my Backyard  10. Gorilla Girl  11. Bitchin' Camaro  12. Filet of Sole   13. Spit Sink  14. Violent School  15. Takin’ Retards to the Zoo  16. Junkie  17. Right Wing Pigeons  18. Dean’s Dream  19. Laundromat Song  20. Nutrition  21. Tugena



I think the Dead Milkmen have never been as appreciated as they should be. Tight-assed critics always drag their name out whenever they need to make the point that comedy in music doesn't age well, so they can champion the latest stone-faced album by pretentious whiteys like the tet-step....

 "Ah, yes.."Dayglow Chap-Book" by the tet step...A double-album (and two accompanying digital-only Ep's and a hardcover book) where the band re-casts Judas' betrayal of Christ in modern day suburbia, every bit as powerful as 2009's "Epimetheus Rex"...

...which boldly posited the question, "What if the 2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Ancient Greece?" and ended up with wickedly humorous results, proving that dry wit and pitch-black satire have their place in music and doesn't have to take the shape of poorly-dated Barenaked Ladies/Dead Milkmen "comedy" rock...

********* 1/2- Spun Magazine Online App Wedge

The names and events have been altered to protect the innocent, but you know the pissy attitude I'm talking about...I fucking love the Dead Milkmen from the bottom of my cold, black heart...I can't imagine going through High School without them and I still listen to them at least once a week...I can't help it! I love everything about it...The clean, jangly, jumbled guitars...The botched chords...The tone-deaf vocals...I even love the lame jokes (See most of "Rastabilly" for example)...Aged poorly, my fat ass! The polished, precise, robot-like nature of modern music just makes these Dead Milkmen albums sound better and better...

"Big Lizard in My Backyard" is a little more raw than the albums that would follow ("Spit Sink, "Gorilla Girl,"and "Takin' Retards to the Zoo" are particularly distant and boxy sounding) but it's just as enjoyable...Most people refer to this simply as "the album with 'Bitchin' Camaro' on it," but to me, that song doesn't hold a candle to the life of Reilly (Charles Nelson to be exact) story "Serrated Edge" or the catchy "Plum Dumb" (which as far as I can tell is about a plum with a roofie in it?!?! Is that what kids are doing these days?)...

Although if I had to pick one favorite, I think I'm going to go with the surrealist pop  of "Dean's Dream," which is the only track on the album where Joe Jack Talcum takes lead vocals. I think the song is so refreshing since most of the album leans towards the punkier side than the pop side...I also enjoy his nasally, flakier style, which contrasts well with Rodney Anonymous' talkier approach...Joe's actually a top-notch pop-songwriter in my opinion, and knows his way around a melody (no matter how rough the going may get sometimes) and this is one of his best...

They really nailed it on their first try...Sure, there's a weak track or two ("Tugena," "Gorilla Girl") but even the lesser stuff adds to the goofy fun...There's a legitimate sense of a band having a blast doing what they're doing and...Shit!  I just looked at my watch!

 It's 2 a.m. and I haven't posted anything in three day...I wasted all my blogging time on those made up album covers at the beginning of the post, so I think I'm going to cut this one short...Dead Milkmen...Big Lizard...Tangly, jangly punk...Funny lyrics...Catchy songs...Rushed, typo-heavy blog post...Nighty night everyone!

Here's "Dean's Dream" by the Dead Milkmen...Enjoy...

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