# The Flying Lizards

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This article is about the band. For other uses, see [Flying lizard (disambiguation)](/source/Flying_lizard_(disambiguation)).

**The Flying Lizards** were an experimental English [new wave](/source/New_wave_music) band, formed in 1976. They are best known for their eccentric [cover version](/source/Cover_version) of [Barrett Strong](/source/Barrett_Strong)'s "[Money](/source/Money_(That's_What_I_Want))", featuring Deborah Evans-Stickland on lead vocals, which reached the UK and North American [record charts](/source/Record_chart) in 1979.[2] They followed this with their [self-titled album](/source/The_Flying_Lizards_(album)) that year, which reached number 60 on the [UK Albums Chart](/source/UK_Albums_Chart).[4]

## Career

Formed and led by record producer [David Cunningham](/source/David_Cunningham_(musician)), the group were a loose collective of [avant-garde](/source/Avant-garde) and freely [improvising](/source/Improvisation) musicians, including [David Toop](/source/David_Toop) and [Steve Beresford](/source/Steve_Beresford) as instrumentalists, with Deborah Evans-Stickland, [Patti Palladin](/source/Patti_Palladin) and [Vivien Goldman](/source/Vivien_Goldman) as main vocalists.

In August 1979 the Flying Lizards appeared twice on the BBC's *[Top of the Pops](/source/Top_of_the_Pops)* performing their hit single "[Money (That's What I Want)](/source/Money_(That's_What_I_Want))". They also appeared in February 1980, performing the follow-up single "TV". [Virgin Records](/source/Virgin_Records) extended the band's recording contract after the success of "Money".[2] The group released their début album *[The Flying Lizards](/source/The_Flying_Lizards_(album))* in 1979. The album included two songs – "Her Story" and "The Window" – written and sung by Goldman.[5] Their single issues included their [postmodern](/source/Postmodern) [cover versions](/source/Cover_version) of songs such as [Eddie Cochran](/source/Eddie_Cochran)'s "[Summertime Blues](/source/Summertime_Blues)" and "Money".[4]

The 1981 album *Fourth Wall* received praise from critics but did not sell well.[2] *Top Ten* (1984), with vocalist Sally Peterson, released by Statik records, consisted entirely of covers, done in a similarly deliberately emotionless, and robotic, style (described by the *[NME](/source/NME)* at the time as "[Sloane](/source/Sloane_Ranger) Rap"), including two singles, [James Brown](/source/James_Brown)'s "[Sex Machine](/source/Get_Up_(I_Feel_Like_Being_A)_Sex_Machine)" and "[Dizzy, Miss Lizzy](/source/Dizzy,_Miss_Lizzy)", as well as an album track of [Leonard Cohen](/source/Leonard_Cohen)'s "[Suzanne](/source/Suzanne_(Leonard_Cohen_song))". Cunningham and Peterson worked together on music production for film and advertising after *Top Ten* was released,[2] including a re-recording of "Money".

The Flying Lizards' version of Barrett Strong's "Money" remained popular, and was used in the film soundtracks for *[The Wedding Singer](/source/The_Wedding_Singer)*, *[Empire Records](/source/Empire_Records)*, *[Charlie's Angels](/source/Charlie's_Angels_(2000_film))* and *[Lord of War](/source/Lord_of_War)*, as well as in the [Emmy](/source/Emmy) and [Golden Globe](/source/Golden_Globe) award-winning American television medical drama *[Nip/Tuck](/source/Nip/Tuck)*, documentary series *[People's Century](/source/People's_Century)*, and in *[Ashes to Ashes](/source/Ashes_to_Ashes_(British_TV_series))*, the follow-up to the UK TV drama *[Life on Mars](/source/Life_on_Mars_(British_TV_series))*. It was also used in the episode "Venus Rising" of *[WKRP in Cincinnati](/source/WKRP_in_Cincinnati)*, the episode "Follow the Money" of *[Family Guy](/source/Family_Guy)*, and in a commercial for [Taco Bell](/source/Taco_Bell) in 2011.

An album of [dub](/source/Dub_music) [instrumentals](/source/Instrumental), *The Secret Dub Life of the Flying Lizards*, recorded by David Cunningham mostly in 1978, was finally released in 1995.[2] The first two albums, *The Flying Lizards* and *Fourth Wall*, were re-released by RPM in 2010, with the catalogue number RETROD883.[citation needed]

"Money" was the band's only single to reach the UK [top 40](/source/Top_40).[6]

## Band members

- [David Toop](/source/David_Toop)
- [Steve Beresford](/source/Steve_Beresford)
- Michael Upton
- [Julian Marshall](/source/Marshall_Hain)
- [Michael Nyman](/source/Michael_Nyman)[citation needed]
- [David Cunningham](/source/David_Cunningham_(musician))
- [Vivien Goldman](/source/Vivien_Goldman)
- [Robert Fripp](/source/Robert_Fripp)[7]
- Bob Black
- Deborah Evans-Stickland
- [Patti Palladin](/source/Patti_Palladin)
- [Peter Laurence Gordon](/source/Peter_Laurence_Gordon)
- Sally Peterson
- Rory Allam

## Discography

### Albums

Year Album Chart positions Label UK [6][8] AUS [9] CAN [10] US [11] 1979 The Flying Lizards 60 37 80 99 Virgin 1981 Fourth Wall — — — — 1984 Top Ten — — — — Statik 1996 The Secret Dub Life of the Flying Lizards — — — — Piano Records "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

[4]

### Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications UK [6][8] AUS [9] CAN [12] US [11] 1978 "Summertime Blues" ― 75 ― ― 1979 "Money" 5 11 7 50 BPI: Silver[13] 1980 "TV" 43 ― ― ― "The Laughing Policeman" (as The Suspicions) ― ― ― ― "Move On Up" ― ― ― ― 1981 "Hands 2 Take" (with Michael Nyman) ― ― ― ― "Lovers and Other Strangers" ― ― ― ― 1984 "Sex Machine" ― ― ― ― "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" ― ― ― ― "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

## See also

- [List of new wave artists](/source/List_of_new_wave_artists)
- [List of performers on Top of the Pops](/source/List_of_performers_on_Top_of_the_Pops)
- [List of post-punk bands](/source/List_of_post-punk_bands)

## References

1. Greene, Doyle (2014). *The Rock Cover Song: Culture, History, Politics*. [McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company). p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-7809-5.

1. Deming, Mark. ["The Flying Lizards – Artist Biography"](http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-flying-lizards-mn0000057636/biography). [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic). Retrieved 6 October 2009.

1. Cheal, David (25 September 2015). ["The Life of a Song: 'Money (That's What I Want)'"](https://www.ft.com/content/76ed718a-6058-11e5-a28b-50226830d644). *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*. Retrieved 20 January 2020.

1. Strong, Martin C. (2003). *The Great Indie Discography*. Canongate. ISBN 1-84195-335-0.

1. Allen, Mark (April 2001). ["The Flying Lizards: A Pop Band Arranged According to the Laws of Chance"](http://www.markallencam.com/soundcollector2001.html). *No. 6*. Sound Collector. Retrieved 18 November 2008.

1. Roberts, David (2006). *British Hit Singles & Albums*. 19th ed. London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 206. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

1. ["The Flying Lizards – Fourth Wall"](https://allnightflightrecords.com/products/the-flying-lizards-fourth-wall-1). Retrieved 7 June 2024.

1. ["FLYING LIZARDS – full Official Chart History"](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17920/flying-lizards/). [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved 8 September 2022.

1. Kent, David (1993). *Australian Chart Book 1970–1992*. illustrated ed. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 114. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

1. ["RPM Top 100 Albums – April 12, 1980"](http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0131b.pdf)

1. ["The Flying Lizards – Awards"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-flying-lizards-mn0000057636/awards). AllMusic. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121130053513/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-flying-lizards-mn0000057636/awards) 30 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 September 2022.

1. ["RPM Top 100 Singles – April 19, 1980"](http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0141a.pdf)

1. ["Flying Lizards – Money"](https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/4335-1505-1). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 September 2022.

## External links

- [David Cunningham website](http://www.stalk.net/piano/index.htm)
- [The Secret Dub Life of The Flying Lizards](http://www.stalk.net/piano/piano501.htm)
- [The Flying Lizards biography](http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=flying_lizards)
- [RPM Records](https://web.archive.org/web/20090831082545/http://www.rpmrecords.co.uk/)
- [The Flying Lizards](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3058544/) at IMDb
- [Staubgold](http://www.staubgold.com/)
- [TRY Mini](http://trymini.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Flying Lizards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Lizards) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Lizards?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.