Lizard Vision

Combine country and bluegrass melodies with the type of irreverent, authority-questioning lyrics you'd expect from a rock & roll or folk act, and you've got the Austin Lounge Lizards, whose sense of humor is impossible to miss on Lizard Vision. Recorded live at the Waterloo Ice House in Austin, TX, in January 1990, this CD illustrates the Lizards' vitality and makes it clear they're far from typical of country and bluegrass acts. The band might sound a bit like the Statler Brothers at times, but lyrically, they're in a class by themselves. "Dan Stepford" has a good laugh at the expense of Dan Quayle (who was the U.S. vice president when this CD was recorded), while the doo-wop-influenced "Jesus Loves Me (But He Can't Stand You)" takes aim at the hypocrisy of religious fanatics. Not all of the songs have sociopolitical references; on "He's Just a Friend" and Roger Waters' "Brain Damage," for example, the Lizards simply enjoy some healthy, good-natured goofiness for the sake of goofiness. Arguably, Lizard Vision is the band's most essential release.