''Off to See the Lizard'' is the seventeenth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

. Initially to be called ''Stranger than Fishing'', it was released in June 1989 as MCA 6314 and was produced by

Elliot Scheiner Elliot Ray Scheiner (born 18 March 1947) is a music producer, mixer and engineer. Scheiner has received 27 Grammy Award nominations, eight of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, two Emmy Awards for his work with the Ea ...

and Buffett. The album is the first to feature much of the

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefer" (slang for marijuana). Origins Current ...

. 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 Fruitcake (or fruit cake or fruit bread) is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are typically served ...

''.

Songs

All but one of the album's songs were written or co-written by Buffett. "Mermaid in the Night" was written by

members Roger Guth and Jay Oliver. "Boomerang Love" also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1989 movie ''

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...

''. Buffett recorded a live version of "The Pascagoula Run" for his 2003

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

collection '' Meet Me in Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection''. Most of the songs are related to Jimmy's first book of stories, ''

Tales from Margaritaville ''Tales from Margaritaville'' is a collection of short stories by singer Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which ...

'', released the same year. A music video for 'Take Another Road' was filmed at the abandoned Islander Drive-In Theater on

Stock Island Stock Island is an island in the lower Florida Keys immediately east of Key West (separated from Key West by Cow Key Channel, which is only about 75 yards (70 m) wide). Immediately northwest is Key Haven (official name ''Raccoon Key''), from whi ...

, just outside of

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

, Florida.

Chart performance

''Off to See the Lizard'' reached No. 57 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. The song "Take Another Road" hit No. 18

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

Track listing

Personnel

The

: *Jimmy Buffett – guitar, vocals *Jay Oliver – keyboards, percussion *Peter Mayer – guitars * Jim Mayer – bass *Roger Guth – drums *

Robert Greenidge Robert Greenidge (born 28 April 1950 in Success Village, Laventille, Trinidad) is a steelpan player. He is a member of popular music singer Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band and the instrumental group Club Trini. Greenidge has also collaborated ...

– steel drums *

Michael Utley Michael Edward Utley is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer for Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. He is the musical director of the band. Born in Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas, he graduated from the Univer ...

– organ *

Greg "Fingers" Taylor Greg "Fingers" Taylor (born June 3, 1952) is an American harmonica player, best known for his work with Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. Career Greg Taylor was born in Wichita, Kansas, June 3, 1952 where he attended Wichita North High School. ...

– harmonica *

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian American, Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist. His compositions ...

– percussion *"The Nuff Brothers" –

Alan Rubin Alan Rubin (February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011), also known as Mr. Fabulous, was an American musician. He played trumpet, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpet. Early life and education Rubin was born in Brooklyn. He began attending Juilliard Sc ...

, Birch Johnson,

Lou Marini Louis William Marini Jr. (born May 13, 1945), known as "Blue Lou" Marini, is an American saxophonist, arranger, and composer. He is best known for his work in jazz, rock, blues, and soul music, as well as his association with The Blues Brothers ...

– horns *

Diana Canova Diana Canova (born June 1, 1953) is an American actress, director, and professor. She is best known for her role as Corinne Tate on ''Soap'' (1977-1980). Early life Canova was born Diane Canova Rivero in West Palm Beach, Florida, to actress an ...

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

, Frank Floyd, Peter Mayer,

Timothy B. Schmit Timothy Bruce Schmit (born October 30, 1947) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He has performed as the bassist and vocalist for Poco and the Eagles (band), Eagles, having replaced bassist and vocalist Randy Meisner in both cases ...

– background singers

Singles

*"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 A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debu ...

released on MCA ?)

Tour

1989 brought yet another summer tour, with all the usual stops, but this time Jimmy had brought back the

Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...

for an opening act. In April, Jimmy played

Jazz Fest The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...

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 ''

''.

Tour dates

1989 Coral Reefer Band

*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

Every night "Carnival World" was the opener and "

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

" was the set closer. "Gravity Storm" and "

A Pirate Looks at Forty "A Pirate Looks at Forty" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1974 album ''A1A'' and "Presents to Send You" is the B-side of the single. Buffett wrote the song about Phillip C ...

" 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 Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

cover "

Louisiana 1927 "Louisiana 1927" is a 1974 song written and recorded by Randy Newman on the album '' Good Old Boys''. It tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 which left 700,000 people homeless in Louisiana and Mississippi. Lyrics Sung from the ...

" was added to the set after "Pirate" for the

Austin, TX Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

show, its only appearance of the tour. Average set list:Jimmy Buffett average set list, Year: Off to See the Lizard , setlist.fm
/ref> #"Carnival World" #" Jolly Mon Sing" #"

Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1973 album ''A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean'' and was his third single from that album. The single rea ...

Boat Drinks "Boat Drinks" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a B-side (b/w "Survive") on MCA Records, MCA in 1979. Despite not being a single, it is one of his most popular songs, frequently pla ...

" #"

Cheeseburger in Paradise "Cheeseburger in Paradise" is a song written and performed by American popular music singer Jimmy Buffett. It appeared on his 1978 album ''Son of a Son of a Sailor'' and was released as a single, reaching No. 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. " ...

" #"Off to See the Lizard" #"That's My Story and I'm Stickin' to It" #"

Come Monday "Come Monday" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1974 album '' Living & Dying in ¾ Time''. Content Buffett wrote the song to his wife while he was on tour. At a live perfo ...

" #"

Son of a Son of a Sailor ''Son of a Son of a Sailor'' is the eighth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was initially released in March 1978 as ABC Dunhill AA-1046 and later re-released on its successor label, MCA. Chart perfor ...

" #"

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes ''Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes'' is the seventh studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. This is his breakthrough 1977 album, which remains the best-selling studio album of Buffett's career, and co ...

" #"

Why Don't We Get Drunk "Why Don't We Get Drunk" is a novelty song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was a B-side to "The Great Filling Station Holdup", the first single from his 1973 album ''A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean'' ...

" #" Twelve Volt Man" #"

He Went to Paris "He Went to Paris" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1973 album ''A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean'' and was his fourth and final single from that album. Although ...

" #"Take Another Road" #"Boomerang Love" #"

Margaritaville "Margaritaville" is a 1977 song by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett from the album ''Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes''. This song was written about a drink Buffett discovered at Lung's Cocina del Sur restaurant ...

" #"

Pencil Thin Mustache "Pencil Thin Mustache" is a song written and performed by American popular-music singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released as a single (with "Brand New Country Star") on Dunhill D-15011 in August 1974. It was first released on his a ...

" #"

Fins A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

" #" Some White People Can Dance" #"Volcano"
Encore: #"Gravity Storm" #"A Pirate Looks at Forty" #"Changing Channels" (played about 4/7 of the time)

Notes

{{Authority control Jimmy Buffett albums 1989 albums MCA Records albums