Off to See the Lizard is the seventeenth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. Initially to be called Stranger than Fishing,[2] it was released in June 1989 as MCA 6314 and was produced by Elliot Scheiner and Buffett. The album is the first to feature much of the Coral Reefer Band. Following the release of this album, Buffett paused his normal output of one album every year or two and did not release another album until 1994's Fruitcakes.
| Off to See the Lizard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 19, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:06 | |||
| Label | MCA MCA-42093 (US, CD) | |||
| Producer | Elliot Scheiner | |||
| Jimmy Buffett chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Songs
editAll but one of the album's songs were written or co-written by Buffett. "Mermaid in the Night" was written by Coral Reefer Band members Roger Guth and Jay Oliver. "Boomerang Love" also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1989 movie Always. Buffett recorded a live version of "The Pascagoula Run" for his 2003 greatest hits collection Meet Me in Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection. Most of the songs are related to Jimmy's first book of stories, Tales from Margaritaville, released the same year. A music video for 'Take Another Road' was filmed at the abandoned Islander Drive-In Theater on Stock Island, just outside of Key West, Florida.
Chart performance
editOff to See the Lizard reached No. 57 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The song "Take Another Road" hit No. 18 Adult Contemporary.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carnival World" |
| 3:56 |
| 2. | "Take Another Road" |
| 3:40 |
| 3. | "That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It" |
| 4:23 |
| 4. | "Why the Things We Do" |
| 3:57 |
| 5. | "Gravity Storm" |
| 2:49 |
| 6. | "Off to See the Lizard" |
| 4:12 |
| 7. | "Boomerang Love" | Buffett | 5:18 |
| 8. | "Strange Bird" |
| 4:19 |
| 9. | "I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever" |
| 5:18 |
| 10. | "The Pascagoula Run" |
| 3:18 |
| 11. | "Mermaid in the Night" |
| 2:27 |
| 12. | "Changing Channels" |
| 3:29 |
Personnel
editThe Coral Reefer Band:
- Jimmy Buffett – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jay Oliver – keyboards, percussion
- Peter Mayer – backing vocals, guitars
- Jim Mayer – bass
- Roger Guth – drums
- Robert Greenidge – steel drums
- Michael Utley – organ
- Greg "Fingers" Taylor – harmonica
- Ralph MacDonald – percussion
- "The Nuff Brothers" – Alan Rubin, Birch Johnson, Lou Marini – horns
- Diana Canova, Sheryl Crow, Frank Floyd, Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals
Singles
edit- "Take Another Road" b/w "Off To See The Lizard" (7" single released on MCA 53675 in May 1989)
- "Carnival World" b/w ? (cassette single released on MCA ?)
Tour
edit1989 brought yet another summer tour, with all the usual stops, but this time Jimmy had brought back the Neville Brothers for an opening act. In April, Jimmy played Jazz Fest for the first time, while December brought the mini "Buffett Does Ballads" Tour with Mac McAnally and Larry Knight in support of the new book Tales from Margaritaville.[3]
Tour dates
edit1989 Coral Reefer Band
edit- Jimmy Buffett: Vocals and guitar
- Peter Mayer: Guitar
- Jim Mayer: Bass
- Roger Guth: Drums
- Michael Utley: Piano
- Greg “Fingers” Taylor – Harmonica, Background Vocals
- Robert Greenidge: Steel Drums
- Jay Oliver: Keyboards
- Dena Iverson: Vocals
Set list
editEvery night "Carnival World" was the opener and "Volcano" was the set closer. "Gravity Storm" and "A Pirate Looks at Forty" were played during the encore, with the latter closing the show. More often than not, "Changing Channels" would be added to the set after "Pirate" and would end the show. The Randy Newman cover "Louisiana 1927" was added to the set after "Pirate" for the Austin, TX show, its only appearance of the tour.
Average set list:[4]
- "Carnival World"
- "Jolly Mon Sing"
- "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit
- "Boat Drinks"
- "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
- "Off to See the Lizard"
- "That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It"
- "Come Monday"
- "Son of a Son of a Sailor"
- "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
- "Why Don't We Get Drunk"
- "Twelve Volt Man"
- "He Went to Paris"
- "Take Another Road"
- "Boomerang Love"
- "Margaritaville"
- "Pencil Thin Mustache"
- "Fins"
- "Some White People Can Dance"
- "Volcano"
Encore: - "Gravity Storm"
- "A Pirate Looks at Forty"
- "Changing Channels" (played about 4/7 of the time)
Notes
edit- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r2937
- ^ Steve Eng. Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1997. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-312-16875-9. The line "truth is stranger than fishing it seems" appears in the song "Why the Things We Do" from the album.
- ^ BuffettWorld—1989 Off to See the Lizard… Tour Dates
- ^ Jimmy Buffett average set list, Year: Off to See the Lizard | setlist.fm