The Flying Lizards (album)

The Flying Lizards
Studio album by
The Flying Lizards
ReleasedFebruary 1980
Recorded1978–1979
StudiosBerry Street Studio and Brixton Academy
additional recordings in
NYC, Munich, Maidstone
and in transit
Length42:07
LabelVirgin
ProducerDavid Cunningham
The Flying Lizards chronology
The Flying Lizards
(1980)		 Fourth Wall
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStarStar[1]
Record MirrorStarStarStar[2]
Smash Hits7½/10[3]

The Flying Lizards is the 1980 debut album[4] by The Flying Lizards and was released on the Virgin Records label.[5]

Preceded by two surprise hit singles, the album reached No. 60 in the UK Albums Chart.[6]

The front cover was designed by Laurie-Rae Chamberlain, Richard Rayner-Canham and David Cunningham. It partially shows the first page of Roland Barthes's essay "Musica Practica", translated by Stephen Heath.

Background

Following the unexpected success of the group's 1979 singles—covers of "Summertime Blues" and "Money"—David Cunningham and Deborah Evans were offered a deal with Virgin Records.[7] New material for the album featured improvisational musicians Steve Beresford and David Toop.[7]

The album encompasses "dub-style audio experiments" and "bent interpretations of pop music constructs."[7] Critic Simon Reynolds called it "an exercise in pop absurdism" which included "a Brecht-Weill cover, Sanskrit chants, found sounds, and unlikely instrumental textures" alongside "Cunningham's penchant for excessive studio processing and daft effects."[8]

Track list

1980 release

All tracks by David Cunningham except as noted

  1. "Der Song von Mandelay" (titled "Mandelay Song" on UK release) (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) - 2:27
  2. "Her Story" (Dave Solomon, David Cunningham, General-Strike, Vivien Goldman) - 4:37
  3. "TV" (David Cunningham, Deborah Evans-Stickland, General-Strike) - 3:51
  4. "Russia" - 6:11
  5. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 3:09
  6. "Money (That's What I Want)" (Berry Gordy, Janie Bradford) - 5:52
  7. "The Flood" - 4:57
  8. "Trouble" - 2:46
  9. "Events During Flood" - 3:25
  10. "The Window" (Vivien Goldman) - 4:52

Bonus tracks on 1995 CD

11. "All Guitars" ("Summertime Blues" single B-side) - 2:41
12. "Tube" (instrumental remix of "TV" - B side of "TV" single) - 5:09
13. "Money (That's What I Want)" (single edit) - 2:32

General Strike are David Toop and Steve Beresford, who also made the album Danger In Paradise with David Cunningham in the years 1979-1982[9]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)37[10]
United Kingdom UK Albums Chart60[6]
New Zealand Official New Zealand Music Chart28[11]
US Billboard 20099

References

  • "The Flying Lizards" album cover
  1. ↑ The Flying Lizards at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Russell, Rosalind (2 February 1980). "Lounge Lizards". Record Mirror. p. 13.
  3. ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (February 7–20): 31.
  4. ↑ "Images for The Flying Lizards - The Flying Lizards". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Flying Lizards - The Flying Lizards". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 "flying lizards | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Deming, Mark. "The Flying Lizards – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  8. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Penguin. p. 188.
  9. ↑ "staubgold - music out of place - Danger In Paradise". Staubgold.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 114. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "australian-charts.com - The Flying Lizards - The Flying Lizards". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
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