Lion is the first official release of the homemade tapes of Memphis musician, Scott Taylor. The earlier songs on this compilation were recorded when Taylor was only eighteen. The songs are most often bitter or ouright angry love songs or simply songs of longing. The songs have many layers of guitar effects, which gives what are somewhat recognizable Southern blues roots a dark psychedelic edge. Some of the homemade recordings on Lion found their way into the hands of David Shouse, who then asked the much younger Taylor to join his new band, which would later become known as The Grifters. Though Taylor was originally reluctant to use his Hot Monkey material in a band format, "Nothin' At All" would be recorded with A Band Called Bud, while "Need You" and "Another Song" would end up on the first two Grifters EPs. It would be another five years before "Arizona" would appear on the Grifters' best-selling album, Crappin' You Negative.

Track listing

1. "Blue Moon" 2:49 (instrumental)
2. "Arizona" 4:01
3. "Another Song" 3:15
4. "For You" 1:29
5. "Bringdown" 3:11 (instrumental)
6. "Dogshit" 2:56
7. "Salt Lick" 4:30
8. "Sew" 4:13
9. "Nothin' At All" 4:28
10. "Green Can O'Peas" 4:09 (instrumental)
11. "Baby Loves On Me" 3:14
12. "Need You" 3:16
13. "X-Ray Spex" 4:33

Album information

Hot Monkey

• Scott Taylor - vocals, guitars, bass, harmonica, drum machine, recorder, percussion, crickets.

Additional credits

• Inside artwork by Johnny Taylor (no relation)
• The tail end of the fifth track features dialogue from the 1933 film, The Son of Kong, spoken by Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack as well as some unintelligible dialogue running backwards:

• 'Helen Mack as Hilda': ...Tony? Tony?
• 'Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham': You'll never catch a monkey that way.
• 'Helen Mack as Hilda': Did you ever catch a monkey?
• 'Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham': Did I ever catch...? - Lady, you'd be surprised.