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
ReleasedJune 19, 1989
Recorded1988–1989
Studio
Genre
Length47:06
LabelMCA
MCA-42093 (US, CD)
ProducerElliot Scheiner
Jimmy Buffett chronology
Hot Water
(1988)
Off to See the Lizard
(1989)
Fruitcakes
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Songs

edit

All 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

edit

Off 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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Carnival World"
3:56
2."Take Another Road"
  • Buffett
  • Guth
  • Oliver
3:40
3."That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
4:23
4."Why the Things We Do"
  • Buffett
  • Guth
  • Oliver
3:57
5."Gravity Storm"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
2:49
6."Off to See the Lizard"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
4:12
7."Boomerang Love"Buffett5:18
8."Strange Bird"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
4:19
9."I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
5:18
10."The Pascagoula Run"
  • Buffett
  • Oliver
3:18
11."Mermaid in the Night"
  • Guth
  • Oliver
2:27
12."Changing Channels"3:29

Personnel

edit

The Coral Reefer Band:

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

edit

1989 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

edit
North America
Date City Venue
April 30, 1989 New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course
June 14, 1989 San Diego SDSU Open Air Theatre, San Diego State University
June 15, 1989
June 17, 1989 Greenwood Village Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
June 18, 1989
June 20, 1989 Universal City Universal Amphitheatre
June 21, 1989
June 23, 1989 Costa Mesa Pacific Amphitheatre
June 24, 1989
June 25, 1989 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 28, 1989 Concord Concord Pavilion
June 30, 1989 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
July 1, 1989 Hoffman Estates Poplar Creek Music Theater
July 2, 1989 Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheater
July 3, 1989 Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center
July 6, 1989 Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 7, 1989
July 8, 1989 Mansfield Great Woods Amphitheater
July 9, 1989
July 11, 1989 Holmdel Garden State Arts Center
July 12, 1989
July 14, 1989 Wantagh Jones Beach Theater
July 15, 1989 Bristol Lake Compounce
July 16, 1989 Philadelphia Mann Music Center
July 21, 1989 Antioch Starwood Amphitheatre
July 22, 1989 Memphis Mud Island River Park
July 23, 1989 Dallas Coca-Cola Starplex
July 25, 1989 Houston Southern Star Amphitheater
July 27, 1989 Pelham Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 28, 1989 Atlanta Lakewood Amphitheatre
July 29, 1989 Charlotte Memorial Stadium
July 30, 1989 Willamsburg Cary Field
August 1, 1989 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center
August 2, 1989
August 4, 1989 Tampa USF Sun Dome
August 5, 1989 Miami Miami Arena
August 6, 1989 Orlando Orlando Arena
December 5, 1989 Milwaukee Riverside Theater
December 6, 1989
December 7, 1989 Pittsburgh Syria Mosque Theater
December 8, 1989 Columbus Palace Theatre
December 10, 1989 New York City Beacon Theatre

1989 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

edit

Every 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]

  1. "Carnival World"
  2. "Jolly Mon Sing"
  3. "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit
  4. "Boat Drinks"
  5. "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
  6. "Off to See the Lizard"
  7. "That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It"
  8. "Come Monday"
  9. "Son of a Son of a Sailor"
  10. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
  11. "Why Don't We Get Drunk"
  12. "Twelve Volt Man"
  13. "He Went to Paris"
  14. "Take Another Road"
  15. "Boomerang Love"
  16. "Margaritaville"
  17. "Pencil Thin Mustache"
  18. "Fins"
  19. "Some White People Can Dance"
  20. "Volcano"
    Encore:
  21. "Gravity Storm"
  22. "A Pirate Looks at Forty"
  23. "Changing Channels" (played about 4/7 of the time)

Notes

edit
  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r2937
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ BuffettWorld—1989 Off to See the Lizard… Tour Dates
  4. ^ Jimmy Buffett average set list, Year: Off to See the Lizard | setlist.fm