Anyone here dig this band/album? Always dug these guys. I'm spinning THE LIZARD for the first time in a while right now and thinking it was kinda unfortunate that this band got lost in the Great Hair Metal Glut of the late 80s/early 90s, cuz they were head and shoulders above a lot of their shaggy contemporaries. Jason Bieler was a killer guitarist and Matt Kramer had one of the more interesting singing voices of the period. You've got a little bit of everything on here - hard rock ("Hostile Youth"), thrash ("Body Bags,"), pop metal ("All I Want"), punk ("My Dog"), alterna-style ("Peppermint Tribe"), and of course the obligatory power ballad ("Love Is On The Way," which was their only hit, albeit a minor one.) With so many styles represented on this album (and their other ones as well), it seems like Saigon Kick may have been just a little too weird for their own good. They were too "alternative" for the hair metallers, but too "hair metal" for the alternative crowd (maybe if their label had figured out which crowd to market them to, it might have helped) so this band and album slipped thru the cracks.
Overall, a good melodic hard rock disc and a band that deserved better than it got. The self titled debut isn't bad either, though the third album ("Water") saw Kramer get the boot, Bieler take over lead vocals, and the sound change to almost full-on alternative (well hell, it was 93 by that time), which was a disappointment.

Thoughts?

I haven't played this one in quite a while as Love Is On The Way still reminds me of an old flame I really loved back during it's heyday. Don't tell the wife that though. I might just drag it out and stroll down memory lane a while.

I have not played that one in quite awhile, either. I'll dig it out and listen to it.

Fantastic cd by a great underappreciated band....

although I must say their s/t debut is a much better offering!!!

Excellent band. I like Water. "One Step Closer" is such a badass song! I don't really hear the alternative thing, at least not anything close to full-on alternative, I should say. Yeah, it had a more modern sound, but it still sounded like a rock band to me, just one experimenting a bit. A few tracks did seem like they belonged on the Scorps's Eye II Eye album, though, and those I can live without.

Anyone heard their Bastards album? I saw a copy tonight for $14.99 used. Too much for me, though.

I pose this question.

Florida - Saigon Kick
\/ /\
Seattle - Alice In Chains


Would music history be different?

Great album. Great band.

Good one. Need to get it out and listen again.

I had this cd for a brief time back in the day, but it never did anything for me. I'm a little more open-minded with my music these days, so I might have a different opinion, but I'm not rushing to pick up any of their music. My want-list is long enough as it is.

Haunting. great album.

http://www.livevideo.com/video/0C7B91C53502475882E13985D04AF07A/saigon-kick-all-i-want.aspx

I love this album! I remember I saw the video for hostile youth on headbangers ball one saturday night and went out and bought the disc the next day. This album is truly underrated, I think the only reason most people bought it was for "love is on the way". Too bad more people didn't listen to the whole album. I see used copies of this in just about every cd store I go to. My favorites on the album are hostile youth, freedom, all alright, and peppermint tribe. Really though, there's not a bad song on it, though I do always skip the two ballads.

Great album although I like the S/T a little better.

Great band I saw them live at one of those free radio concerts, it was after Matt Kramer left and Jason was handling both vocals and guitars, it was a great show. The only reason I can think of they got labeled as a hair band was due to their hit ballad " Love is on the Way". I have both Lizard and Water, prefer "Water" and it has the coolest David Bowie cover I have heard of "Space Oddity", cool band who never got their due and were unfairly labeled.

Think I gave mine to Arttie. Don't even rememer if I listened to it first...

You gave Arttie The Lizard??

This was a great release, lots of catchy tunes! I also enjoyed Devil In Detail as well as Water. The Bieler Bros also had a nice variety of Metal, Rock, Alternative and Punk bands on their label-TJ

It would have been interesting to see them tour with a band like the Galactic Cowboys who also incorporate the beatles type vocal harmonies.

I see they are playing the Rock Gone Wild Fest in Iowa, august of 09-TJ