Small Minds
1995 studio album by Austin Lounge Lizards
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Small Minds is a studio album by Austin-based bluegrass band Austin Lounge Lizards.[1][5][6] It continues the Lizards' tradition of social and political satire.
| Small Minds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Bluegrass, Newgrass, satire | |||
| Length | 40:27 | |||
| Label | Watermelon[1] | |||
| Producer | Conrad Deisler | |||
| Austin Lounge Lizards chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
Critical reception
The Austin Chronicle called the opening track a "drunk, horn-seasoned version of Emily Kaitz's Kerrville fave 'Shallow End of the Gene Pool.'"[3]
AllMusic called Small Minds "a finely played and sung album that's a pleasure to listen to and gets a definite recommendation."[2] "Gingrich the Newt" postulates politician Newt Gingrich has given "the humble newt species a bad name) to the intelligentsia of the art world."[2] The song begins: "We'd like to set the record straight by singing of the newt." It then implies Gingrich has none of these values. Instead, "Gingrich the Newt is puffed up like a toad / So full of himself that he's bound to explode."[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocal | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shallow End of the Gene Pool" | Emily Kaitz | Kirk Williams | 4:43 |
| 2. | "Half a Man" | Hank Card, Conrad Deisler | Hank Card | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Old Blevins" | Conrad Deisler, Hank Card | Conrad Deisler | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Big Tex's Girl" | Hank Card, Kristen Nelson | Hank Card | 5:33 |
| 5. | "Do Not Go to Tennessee" | Hank Card | Hank Card | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Truckload of Art" | Terry Allen | Richard Bowden | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Gingrich the Newt" | Hank Card | Hank Card | 1:56 |
| 8. | "Irving" | Hank Card | Hank Card | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Life Is Hard, But Life Is Hardest When You're Dumb" | Hank Card | Tom Pittman | 3:01 |
| 10. | "Bonfire of the Inanities" | Hank Card | Hank Card | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Mourning Edition" (excerpts the Morning Edition Theme by B. J. Leiderman) | Hank Card | Hank Card | 3:30 |
| Total length: | 40:27 | |||
Personnel
- Richard Bowden: fiddle, trumpet, Perot, livestock, violin vocals
- Hank Card: rhythm guitar, vocals
- Conrad Deisler: acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, Blevins, livestock, vocals
- Tom Pittman: steel guitar, banjo, vocals
- Kirk Williams: bass, livestock, vocals
Additional Personnel
- Ray Benson: vocals, lead Blevins (on 3)
- John Mills: tenor and baritone saxophone
- Paul Pearcy: drums, percussion, marching snare, bongos
- Boo Resnick: vocals, Blevins (on 3)