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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the "devo" of england, June 28, 2002
the flying lizards' first album remains one of the most timely records of the new wave era. their playful wacky style reminds me of early "art of noise" tracks before they started making mtv videos and became pretentious. while they are only remembered for their deadpan version of money with banjo accompanyment, there are many fun tracks on this disc. i really would like to hear the 3 bonus tracks too. other standout cuts include an electronic instrumental that would fit right in a fripp/eno record, the danceable funky "russia" the so bad it's funny opera "der song von mandelay" or the cheesy organ ballad "tv" that ends with the band playing "nose flutes". i can clearly hear this album's influence in solex's second album "pick up". if you like flying lizards, you might like her too. she kind of sounds like a cross between lizards and portishead if it was fronted by cyndi lauper. if amazon has an audio file, check her out. it's really a shame that they don't have files for this lizards' album as it is an essential new wave classic of the same caliber as early devo or talkingheads. i like the album so much, i've bought it THREE TIMES! really. i lost my first copy, wore out my second, and bought my third as an import at an auction for a clean copy and because of the full color inner sleeve. if you like silly experimental music that makes you tap your foot, you can't go wrong with flying lizards' 1st album and the two album on one cd "daft" by the art of noise. solex sounds a little more detached and serious, but her off kilter vocal rhythms and cutesy voice are infectious. i also have the flying lizards "secret dub life" which sounds nothing at all like "lizards it truly is a dub album. an instrumental dub album devoid of "lizards'" tongue in cheek playfulness. i've been looking everywhere for fourth wall, but it seems to have sold out a long time ago. i've heard that it's even better than "lizards". finally, they realeased another album i believe that was never recorded to cd whose name eludes me and i can't find my trouser press guide. flying lizards and daft are two of the best cds to listen to when you need a laugh, but they're so much fun to listen to, that it's easy to wear out their fun factor. play either cd for a friend... and you're likely to get the "you're crazy" look as most sheep... i mean people refuse to listen to any music... i mean corporate sludge that the radio doesn't cram down their throats 20 times a day. flying lizards is truly music for the adventerous!
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