Reviews (page 3 of 7)
De vleemarionetten. De oplettende luisteraar kwam ze eerder al tegen bij Nirvana Unplugged. Dat feitje ligt zo voor de hand dat ik vrees dat de jury me er geen bonuspunt voor zal toekennen. En die drie nummers, waarvan je nog nooit de originele versie hebt gehoord, zijn wel een fijne houvast bij dit toch wat gekkige album. De eerste paar tracks klinken een beetje als de South Park intro van Primus. De meeste nummers houden er een aardig tempo op na, de zanger kan amper zingen en doet eigenlijk schijtirritant, maar past vreemd genoeg wel bij het geheel en de gitaren mogen lekker aan de lange lijn rondsnuffelen. De zanger houdt af en toe gepast het snaveltje op elkaar en de band mag dan even het tilwerk verrichten: hulde. Dit album wordt er echt beter van. Af en toe gaat het wel heel erg richting het bijzondere, maar ik probeer er gewoon maar lekker de humor van in te zien. En ook bij de gekkere shit zijn de gitaren (inclusief basgitaar) aardig lekker bezig ('New Gods'). Ik luister hem via de headset en de gitaren hebben op dit album echt een lekkere textuur. Half uurtje, 12 tracks. Ik vermaak me er prima mee. Uiteindelijk haalt ook deze eenvoudig de 4 sterren en mogen we officieel spreken van een streak. Als je dit een 2 zou geven vanwege de zanger geef ik je echter ook gelijk.
Whoah this album is great. How have I never listened to the Meat Puppets before?
I can safely say I didn't not expect Meat Puppets to sound quite so bluegrassy. Not mad about it, just surprised as my only direct reference point for them is Backwater, which is decidedly more straight-and-narrow 90s grunge-alternative in sound. Lost is a solid one that pulls harder than others on that bluegrass vibe. Messy composition, but I think that's sort of the point. Plateau is a standout jam. Thought it sounded familiar -- Nirvana covered this during their unplugged session. Aurora Borealis also sounds extremely familiar and is easy to vibe to with a simple 4/4 drum cadence and layered guitars at varying distortion levels noodling about. Its simple, but I absolutely love this song. We're Here drips in psychedelia spirit and reminds me vaguely of .moe. Oh, Me actually reminds me of It Ain't Easy by David Bowie. Very different songs, but there is something similar in the way it swells during the chorus. Original version of Lake of Fire is much crustier than Nirvana's rendition -- I could see it not being everybody's cup of tea, but I'm over here drinking. Always loved the writing (for some reason the lyrics nest in my head) and the brokenness of the vocals actually serves as a benefit IMO. Raw and wonderfully messy. I really enjoyed this one and could see myself coming back for repeated listens. Solid 4 / 5.
Only know of the Meat Puppets from Nirvana's Unplugged. Looks like a few of the songs they play there are on here so I'm interested to see how they translate. Aurora Borealis has some bomb guitar/bass work. We're Here has some spacey guitar work. Really digging Mindless Idiot too. His voice doesn't ruin songs for me but these just seem like some fun jam types. What a weird mix of punk, noise, folk. Looking at the genres I guess I like cowpunk lololol End this one with the original issue after Whistling Song. Teenagers is crazy.
I fucking love the Meat Puppets so much. Their ability to create a album where every track stands out as distinct is really impressive. Even instrumentals are entertaining and engaging. Vocals are unique and, in my opinion, that’s all that really matters. I’d rather have this Kirkwood’s wandering voice than some plastic Michael Bublé. I can enjoy the Bub, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t see him on this list for a reason. Every song is great and they all fit together like a cohesive album should. The whole project has a sort of futuristic-skateboard-western feel to it that they pull off flawlessly. Instrumentation and production are incredible, especially when matched with the vocals. The melodies are so timelessly catchy. Everything works so well. The lyrics are memorable if you’re able to understand them and don’t fall asleep from the low energy vocals. “Lake of Fire”, for example has some pretty energetic singing. I just wish the rest could be a little more like that. No other complaints, though. Enjoyed the whole thing. 4/5
Yeah, great. Listening to a podcast about these cats recently, so somewhat serendipitous that they popped up on this app. Meat Puppets II: Money Never Sleeps
4.5
Some like beach grunge vibes. Also OG “Lake of Fire” just as good.
It may seem a bit obscure, but these guys were enormously influential to the bands that made it big in the radio a decade later.
II gets out to a rough start but quickly improves from there. Aurora Borealis is very cool. Was familiar with Meat Puppets from the Nirvana covers. (3.7*s)
frickin sweet
Overall: 8/10 I mostly knew Meat Puppets from the Nirvana MTV Unplugged, but the songs from this album that were featured there sound way different than expected. It's a raw, punky album with the type of vocals that I feel I should hate but fits so well with their music. I also like the instrumental tracks. Really interesting album. Fav Song: Lake of Fire Least Fav Song: The Whistling Song
I think this is one you have to be in the right mood for. Fortunately I am! I didn’t know country punk (now officially counk, pronounced cunk) existed, but here it is. And I like it. Also, they’ve been around *how* long?? Dammit, I’ve just found out it’s called cow punk. Keeping this album for a long drive in summer.
Now this is the kind of weird, quasi-punk, quasi-country, grungey weirdness that deserves to be on a list like this - it's definitely not something I would have picked out at the shops, but I'm kind of digging it! Also, getting this less than a week after the Nirvana live album gave me a real whiplash sense of "wait, why do I know this song - oh hang on!" (Plateau was one of my faves from the Nirvana album, and now I see it's because they didn't write it :P )
I faintly remembered the name "Meat Puppets" from researching "Nirvana" when their "MTV Unplugged" album came up on the list earlier. Other than that I don't think I'd ever heard about them before. The tracks that have vocals have pretty clear punk-vocals but the music is more rock/country so that's a bit interesting. All in all I liked it and may return to explore more in the future Standouts Plateau Lake of Fire 4/5
Singular technical ability. Yes country goes well with punk and psychedelia. Their sound is visionary and at first they were the only ones who could see what was going on. But a few repeated listens and you're right there beside them. I would play this in the car with the kids--they loved it (or at least partly). Those trilling guitar runs, the off beat drums, the imitation of my singing style. Everything here is oddly beautiful or beautifully odd.
it's funny how one singer can so distract me from being able to properly enjoy the music (Antony & the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright), while another, objectively worse singer (this guy), won't bother me. I get why people hate this, but I dig it. I'm not sure I find his bad singing charming, but it's part of the whole aesthetic. (I will confess I wish he could hit at least *some* of the notes.) 3.5 Rounding up.
Another band I was interested in but couldn't really access back in 1984. I really enjoyed this. Did they inspire Jeff Tweedy?
A fine album with real artistic approach. The instrumentals really bring a depth to the best songs Nirvana wrote
Ooh. That was good. This is an interesting little album right here. Meat Puppets aren't a super influential band or anything, but I think there's enough popularity to warrant this album being included. There's also enough quality for inclusion, as I think this album is pretty good. The style is pretty unique. I like the blend of various influences like punk, country, and psychedelia. It works pretty well. The singing is certainly interesting, but I think there's a charm to it. The songs are solid. Perhaps the biggest impact of this album was that three of its songs, "Plateau," "Oh, Me," and "Lake of Fire" were part of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged show, where they were joined by the two main members of Meat Puppets for the performance. That's neat! I haven't heard Nirvana's Unplugged album yet (I'm waiting for this generator to give it to me), but it's pretty cool that these guys influenced and got to work with Nirvana. Those songs are great by the way, as are the other ones on the album. Overall, this is a nice album that I enjoyed. 4/5.
Erster Song ist schon etwas hart, aber dann öffnet sich das Album in seiner Breite und inspiriert zum späteren Grunge, grossartig!
Another Great One! They opened for Stone Temple Pilots. Lake of Fire!..Fantastic!
This is a solid album by a great band. Just a year away. From becoming the most underrated band of the 80s
Some catchy tunes
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. This is far more sophisticated and complex. No wonder Cobain was a fan. I don’t love some of the whiny vocals, but they knew how to play. Enjoying the instrumentals very much.
i love it when music is bad <3 highlights: we’re here; new gods; oh, me; lake of fire (dec 10 2023)
The lead singer sounds like he’s constantly on the verge of tears, which is pretty apt because that’s how I was living at Villanova when I first got into the album
Ich mein wenn nirvana drei lieder von dem Album covered kanns nicht schlecht sein
Honestly not bad. I expected the band that inspired Nirvana to sound more like the Butthole Surfers, but I can get behind some of this.
4 - There was a lot of unique stuff on this album, most were good, some were great, some sucked. Cool to learn a few classics were from this too
Favorite Tracks: Lake of Fire Plateau
Pretty great and influential album. I wonder how well known it would have been had they not been highlighted by Nirvana's unplugged concert however. That's how I heard of them, along with most people I would imagine. They were definitely ahead of their time either way, hard to believe this was released in 1984! Sure the singing is a bit rough in places, but the guitar playing and songwriting are brilliant.
Despite the singers' admittedly Unique singing voice, this is still some pretty decent folk-tinged punk. Solid 4 for me.
I’m at a 4. I can see why Kurt Cobain liked these guys. They’re just kind of honest. That is to say, this album isn’t overly produced to hide any flaws – it actively welcomes them at times. There are moments where the vocals are hanging onto the beat by a thread, and to hear something like that in 1984, when everyone is trying to hit on masterpieces to compete with Thriller or any of the other stiff competition of the era, is rather welcomed. It’s also just a really fun blend of genres with a bit of variety – this album kinda bounces back and forth in time and goes all over the place. There’s some 70s rock tropes in here, the punchiness of 80s drums, a bit of garage/grunge influence that would be more present in the 90s, and even an occasional soundscape reminiscent of late-2000s indie rock. It’s not necessarily ahead of its time or anything, or super innovative, but it sounds pretty damn good. I can’t say this ever got into 5 territory for me – it certainly flirts with it a few times, namely on the tracks that are perhaps more well known as part of the MTV Unplugged performance, but it never keeps a consistently high mark on the other songs. There’s not any bad tracks here, though. It’s a fun album, and it’s a rather quick 30 minutes, even with about a quarter of it taken up by instrumentals. Obviously, this album’s influence on Kurt Cobain may be its legacy in the long run, but it’s rather good in its own right. Pretty solid 4.
Enjoyed this album. Kind of like a punky, raw vocal, MJ Lenderman, but back in the 90s.
Really good! First time listening to these guys.
This might be a controversial pick - but I just love alt-country stuff - early Wilco like AM and Summerteeth, Son Volt, Drive-by Truckers. Lots of similarities to those guys in the Puppets, though just alot of more punk on top of it. This was one of Cobain's favorite bands - they played a bunch of their songs on MTV Unplugged. Yeah, some of these songs are pretty annoying at first (and second and third listen), but overall I'm super into it. The instrumental tracks are the highlights for me - Aurora Borealis, Mindless Idiot, 100% of Nothing. Pretty close to a 5 for me.
VERY surprised by the diversity in this album. I really enjoyed it and can see how they could be an influence for a lot of other bands.
Enjoyed it!!!
This is the first time hearing Meat Puppets, and just realized how impactful they were to the scene. Some of the top songs, and due to it inspiring Nirvana, it would be lake of fire and plateau. Such a great and trippy experience
I really enjoyed this. And I've never heard the originals that Nirvana covered.
Lots of people reviewing this record didn't listen to it. Yes his vocals are bad and yes some of the tracks are noisy. But this record has heart. Big time.
I did not listen to them ever, but I get why they were one of Kurt Cobain's favourite bands.
Ik kende een paar nummers - uiteraard via Nirvana - maar best wel een wijs album. Ik snap waarom Kurt Cobain fan was. 3.8
4.0
One of my favourites from the 84 deep dive. 4.5/5
8.3 ★★★★ Could have been higher if I liked his vocals better, but band wise I freakin loved it.
I missed out on the OG release and Mirage is my first entry point into the MP. You can hear some of the future Grateful Dead vibe here, but certainly more "edgy" than later releases.
You're going to recognize so many of these songs as covered by other bands!
Surprised to really enjoy this given my only exposure was Nirvana covers. Like the Pixies, this feels shockingly modern for having been released in 1984, with a twangy, alt-country feel to some songs that strikes me as way ahead of their time - combined with dissonant singing that reminds me of Isaac Brock. While a few songs lean punk, that's not the overwhelming majority of the album - and with the instrumental tracks, it feels like an early, funkier Calexico or something.
Bellino
Not familiar with the history of the different editions of the 1001 albums book, but I suspect that the retrospective inclusion of this album in Dimery's list partly stems from the fact that Nirvana covered three songs from it in their MTV Unplugged concert (backed by members of Meat Puppets themselves). It sure takes the genius ear of Kurt Cobain to spot the potential of those three standout tracks as recorded here. Not to say that the original album is not worthy of indie-rock fans' interest. The psychedelic folk-rock cuts are stellar on this one. Of course, there are "Plateau", "Lake Of Fire" and "Oh Me", of *Unplugged* fame, but also the equally beautiful (and yet strangely ominous, not to mention harmonically unpredictable) "We're Here" and "The Whistling Song". Plus the wonderfully dreamy instrumentals "Aurora Borealis" and "I'm A Mindless Idiot". The guitar work on each and every one of those cuts is truly impressive, with a lot of intricate flourishes that bring a lot of off-kilter and uncanny emotions on the table. The only (somewhat important) issue I have with this record is that its punk-rock / country-rock / cowpunk tracks (take your pick) are pretty underwhelming (and even grating) at times. They're cluttering the start of each of the sides of this original LP, and please, oh please, keep on listening after they're gone, or you will miss the truly great stuff this record has to offer. One last thing, about the vocals: a lot of listeners will notice that Curt Kirkwood is often out of key, but I don't think that's a real problem if you focus on the surreal-yet-evocative lyrics and the emotive performance. Even with its flaws, this album is one-of-a-kind, and has aged pretty well. Evidence enough that during the eighties, you had to look into the underground to find more authentic and heartfelt music. Not sure I will include *Meat Puppets II* in my own list, because if you take its few duds away, its length is more akin to the one of an EP than an album proper. But I'm glad it was on Dimery's list, at least. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 grade for more general purposes (5+3.5). Number of albums left to review: 130 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 376 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 223 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 281
Thought I wouldn't like it, but I listened twice in a row. Not bad. I like the guitars here.
Ótimo e especialmente fudamental pelos músicas do Unplugged do Nirvana.
Dai bellino
Very weird album but I really enjoyed it
When I read about the band's punk roots, I realised why I hated this album on first listen. I've never been able to get past how try-hard it is the way some punk bands will go to the trouble of booking a studio and a professional producer, and then proceed to act like they're too cool to care about recording an album of any quality. That's how I felt about this album: a bunch of insufferably smug, warbling tools trying to hide their neediness behind an affected aloofness. But on second listen I lightened the fuck up and realised that the songs are actually good and I should stop assuming so much about bands who are probably just having fun, which is what music is all about.
not bad
Really really enjoyed this one. I knew the Meat Puppets were a huge influence for Nirvana (Cobain specifically) but had never listened to them. I’m really glad I got to listen to this and see how this album in particular affected one of the most influential bands / live albums of all time. I also realized listening to this that I miss instrumental tracks coming in between songs. The showcase of talent is always great to see and a nice break from focusing on lyrics for a first listen.
I got really nervous with a band name like Meat Puppets. I came in expecting some hardcore metal, but was surprised with what was delivered. Good song variation, some solid jam vibes, and a few standout songs. These are some of the worst vocals I've heard and I love it! You see it a lot in punk music "I may have no talent, but I'm still going to try and jam as hard as those hair bands of the 70's". Just because they're tone deaf doesn't mean they can't learn the guitar and that they don't have something to say. I liked this way more than I was expecting, but I can also absolutely see why someone would give this a 1 star. I can see this being an obscure band that I bond with someone over randomly in the future.
INteressanter MIx aus Folk, Lofi, Psychadelic, rock und härteren hardcore sachen. Dem Album fehlt deswegen so ein bisschen der rote Faden. Gutes Songwriting dem die musikalische QUalität (GEsang,INstrumente) manchmal etwas entgegen steht, was aber wohl auch beabsichtigt ist. Verdient auf jeden Fall einen PLatz auf dieser Liste. 3,7
Kind of dinosaur jry
Crazy Alt rock album way way ahead of its time
This was a pretty fun listen
Of course this album was a big inspiration to the alt-rock acts of the late 80s and early 90s, I mean, just listen to it. Just enough country twang to be subversive. Enough fuzz to rock hard, but still melodic enough to gather a crowd willing to jam. It's its own thing through and through, with only small things you can pick out and go "oh they probably did that because of this act," but otherwise you're listening to the sound of an all new era of entertainment, and while its still ironing out some of the kinks, okay, A LOT of kinks, its otherwise nothing short of revolutionary.
These guys wrote 3 of the songs that Nirvana played on their MTV Unplugged record (Plateau, Oh Me, and Lake of Fire... All of which are on this record). These guys are an odd genre. Sometimes it's straight grunge, other times it's like country mixed with punk or grunge.... Which I've learned has a classification.... It's called cowpunk.... What an awesome name. I don't mind this stuff, as long as you ignore the fact that the singer can't sing... Like at all. I'm Not Here is a good example of that "cowpunk" style. It sounds like Johnny Cash on speed. Favourite songs: Lake of Fire, Plateau, Magic Toy Missing Least favourite songs: Teenager(s) 4/5
I’ve heard of Meat Puppets before, usually in the context of bands who influenced Kurt Cobain, but I’ve never listened to them before. How does one make a meat puppet though? I’m envisioning a sock puppet made of ground beef, but a sausage on a stick would probably be a lot more practical since it would be less messy. Plus, with a sausage, you can make dick jokes. I digress. I can’t believe that this album came out in 1984. I don’t recall having ever heard guitar playing quite like this before. The rhythms on this album may have been in the driver’s seat, but there was still a wide variety of guitar tones, with plenty of distortion and fuzziness to go around. I really loved how this album took some sounds and influences that were clearly from country music, but changed them around to create something so new and different. It’s like taking the parts from a sewing machine and building a microwave. The vocals and lyrics were really quirky, but they fit the overall sound of the album really well. Kurt Cobain’s inspiration comes through loud and clear on this album. The guitar playing and lyrics laid the foundation for Nirvana to build on several years later, but Nirvana still managed to create something completely new from their inspiration on this album. There weren’t any songs that really stood out to me as my favorites, I just enjoyed the album as a whole. Even though I enjoyed listening to this, it’s not the sort of thing I gravitate towards, and it felt a little tedious in some stretches. Still, this album’s importance and influence can’t be understated, and it’s definitely worthy of being on this list.
Blimey you can really tell how this band influenced Kurt Cobain. Great album!
pretty good
Wow. Somehow I never got around to listening to this band. I guess I assumed I wouldn’t like them?? I am learning I’ve done lots of incorrect music assuming through the years, and I’m exciting for the next album that comes along and makes me realize how wrong I was. But I loved this! It did get a bit jammy toward the end, iirc, but the rest of it more than makes up for it.
Thoroughly enjoyed this highly creative album. It includes two of the songs covered on Nirvana's Unplugged album, but I now can't remember which ones as there are so many bangers. Definitely one to keep returning to.
Enjoy one of their albums, the ine with Backwater. Know a few other songs from nirvana unplugged First song a lot punk. Reminds me of suicidal tendencies, 10 years later 2 instrumental wasn’t expecting that 3 this is a little more ‘country’ sounding than expecting. Liking this ‘not punk’ sound 4 nirvana covered it. This singer doesn’t have the strongest voice Going thru, this is more like the album I have, enjoying this Good cymbal Oh Me. Lake of fire could be on Bleach. 1983. The direct influence of this album on Kurt cobain makes this a must-listen, that it’s quite surprisingly musical otherwise is a bonus I’m a mindless idiot - sublime sampled this wow What to do - bass reminds me of Violent Femmes. Couple other times too. Auoura borealis another instrumental. 3? 4? This is a pleasant album minus the couple punk songs 4 stars good influential album. Wow. Couple punk songs hold this back from 5. This should have been bigger. Great album for a list like this.
The Meat Puppets refine their sound and fully settle into their identity. The three songs that the Kirkwood brothers performed with Nirvana during their Unplugged set are probably the best, but every song is worth hearing.
I liked this more than I expected. More country-tinged than I thought going in. It's ok.
Knew the hits and that was it, had no idea they were this good. Great album
Plateau -> Aurora Borealis -> We’re Here is absolutely sublime I really had no idea meat puppets were this good. New favorite.
This is a great record. I didnt know about meat puppets until nirvana unplugged, but 10 years later this record was still good.
At first I wanted to write "I love the fucking Meat Puppets.", then I realized there's no "the" in the name so I typed "I love fucking Meat Puppets." And well, you get the idea. This is an awesome album.
Classic cowpunk, really good stuff. 4 stars.
Kurt steered us right
Prima album, Nirvana heeft wel de pareltjes eruit gepikt. Originele sound
In addition to the excellent Nirvana Unplugged albums there are some really good instrumental jams. Particularly Aurora Borealis and Magic Toy Missing
I, like many other people, were turned onto the Meat Puppets through Nirvana’s unplugged album. I’m a gen Z but was big into Nirvana throughout high school and tried listening to this album back then but I wasn’t quite ready for it. For some reason listening to it now was really fun. I dig the country punk sound on here. Must’ve been really jarring for fans of their first album to hear them go to this. The best part of this album imo is the guitar work. Very intricate riffs and solos that don’t get the credit they deserve.
Pretty good. I dig the country punk vibes.
Another great album! Meat Puppets are a band I forget about, and when I’m reminded I always think, man I should listen to these guys more. Hopefully I’ll remember this time. Great ramshackle indie rock music.
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. It was great. I went back and forth about how I feel about the vocals, but I like them!
4.3 - Having grown up on Nirvana Unplugged, I’ve clearly been sleeping on the Meat Puppets. This record is a cool and casual mashup of country, psychedelic and proto-grunge. The guitar work is stellar — reminds me of J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. In addition to the songs that Kurt Cobain elevated to 90s pantheon status, there are lots of choice instrumental vignettes like “Aurora Borealis.” This is a happy discovery — thanks, Robert Dimery.
4.2 - This was a ride. Some hard listening in parts, but musically so interesting to me. I would definitely come back to them in the future
Having an eponymous album name is a sure sign of self confidence. This band know what they are doing, with 12 songs blasted out in under 30 minutes in an entertaining mix of thrash, proto-rap and country, apparently inventing the genre cowpunk in the process. Good fun!
This was so much better than I remembered, and then my Apple Music just went off playing Nirvana, NIN, and my 90s favorites...
Take the songwriting of country and make it in the style of punk: That's much of Meat Puppets II. They also do some of the most unique alternative rock of their time. Curt Kirkwood has some unfortunate vocals but the rest of the band makes up for it with incredible instrumentation.
Never heard of this before but knew some of the songs from Nirvana covers. Enjoyed it, good combination of different rock subgenres. Fav songs: What to Do, Plateau, Lost
Plateau feels like a Nirvana song. The whole album rides the line of interesting and sonically pleasing in a way that never quite lands. It feels masterful in execution, but just misses my palette.
What a strange album this is. So these guys are most famous for being on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged, where Nirvana covered three songs from this album with Meat Puppets band members supporting ("Plateau", "Oh Me", and "Lake of Fire"). Apparently these guys were pretty obscure before the MTV show, but Kurt Cobain was a huge fan. The MTV show was recorded in 1993 and this came out in 1984, so it wasn't new at the time or anything. This thing is truly all over the board though. It definitely gives punk vibes, but the lyrics are a lot more thoughtful (nice?) than a lot of what you get in punk. This was released by the same label that released "Double Nickels on the Dime" by Minutemen, and that one also came out in 1984. While you can see some similarities if you squint a bit (a bit chaotic, questionably talented singer, short songs), this felt a lot more polished and thoughtful to me. It rocks pretty hard at times, it has this country thing going on, there's a number of acoustic-only songs (some of which are pretty slow, others that vibe nicely), a bit folk-y, it's got it all really. Wikipedia calls the genre cowpunk, and I have no idea what that means but I'll believe it because this is a bit of everything. Speaking of the singer, is he good? Honestly I have no idea. Some songs he sounds kind of awful, some songs it works ("We're Here", "What To Do"). This is one that I feel like is going to have bad reviews on here and I can't really explain what I like about it, but I think I like it. Peak example of the line between genius and the terrible is thin. It's far from perfect but it's really unique sounding and feels somewhat timeless to me. There's some really great songs on here, I like the instrumentals, it's a good vibe. Probably a 3.5, but there's enough good on here I'm rounding up, it's unique. Favorite song: We're Here Other: Split Myself in Two, Lost, Plateau, Aurora Borealis, Oh Me, Lake of Fire, I'm a Mindless Idiot, Lost, What To Do, 100% of Nothing, Aura Borealis 4/3/24
I found this band after the Nirvana Unplugged. While the singer's voice takes some getting used to, this is a really cool album. I enjoy the blending of folk, country, and punk. Both versions of Plateau are great.
I don't know how I would have felt about it if I didn't know that three of the songs from Nirvana's Unplugged album were covers from this album. But since I knew that, I heard it as a thread connecting Zeppelin and the Ramones with Nirvana. Yeah his voice is annoying but I really just wanted to go smoke a cigarette in a bar and hear them live with Kurt and the boys.
3/14/24
Nirvana influence! Okayyy! I liked it very much. I maybe expected a more grungier sound, but I think it's because Kurt covered so many of their songs. What really got me was featuring multiple of the same song titles with different renditions. I've never seen that on a studio album.
3.8/5 Best Track: Plateau
Cowpunk, rock psicodélico, bluegrass, folk, Americana. Me ha hecho gracia. Venga, un 4.
enjoyed it
Pretty sold. I enjoyed the variety of styles but especially the more country tracks. Nothing was really bad I’d say. Light 4.
This is a really good mix of alt-country and punk sounds. Very electric. I liked the instrumentals a lot.
I liked this album more than I expected to. I don’t think I’d put it on again for additional listens, but it had stronger Melodies than I anticipated. It sounds like this must have been massively influential on Wilco (but also in Nirvana and Pixies). Hilarious band name.
Hard to classify the Meat Puppets -- some elements of punk, country, psychedelia to different degrees depending on the track. Super creative, innovative sound -- vocals and instrumentals were adequate but the songwriting really takes the lead here. Prairie, Aurora Borealis (and the reprise, Aura Borealis) and Lake of Fire (covered famously by Nirvana) are my favorite tracks, but I could listen to this album multiple times.
A very fun, genre-bending album. Thrashy folk
It's a new mix of genres to me. It's interesting to listen an album that transitions from metal to prog rock and jazz
Never was able to get into the Meat Puppets too much, but I enjoyed this quite a bit today. Great proto-grunge energy, a good decade ahead of its time. Noisy and ramshackle on the surface with hints of sophisticated songcraft going on underneath. Noodly in places with some excellent guitar playing, and yet somehow most of the songs don't crack the 3 minute mark. The vocal can get rough and deliberately tuneless, but it's not without an off-kilter charm. Fave Songs: Lost; Plateau; Climbing; I'm a Mindless Idiot; The Whistling Song; Oh, Me; Aurora Borealis
One of the Godfathers of Grunge.
Music for the love of making music. So chaotic, and raw, yet has direction and purpose. The unfinished feeling of the album only adds to the wonderfulness of the album.
had only heard of this band through Nirvana, definitely something interesting and caught my ear.
Good!!
I'd heard the name Meat Puppets but had never listened to them. My first thought going into this album was holy crap, why are there 19 tracks? Turns out Tidal just has terrible UX and doesn't always mark the extra tracks (or that the albums are rereleases, for that matter). It was originally 12 tracks, all pretty short. I ended up sticking around for the extras anyway. "Split Myself in Two" — the lyrics are fun, but the music is basically "Blitzkrieg Bop." "Magic Toy Missing" is a Primus meets Grateful Dead-goes-punk jam session? Kind of a bop (ha ^), though. Third song — alright, so rockabilly punk is where we're going. I can dig it. Fourth track — is this where Beck got his inspiration from? Fun post-punk instrumental break in the middle of this song. Sonically, I like the more psychedelic songs like "Aurora Borealis" and "We're Here." But the more country songs like "Climbing" aren't bad. "Lake of Fire" sounds like Neil Young on a bad trip (in a good way). Heading into the extra tracks, you get a sense of their thrashier style on the intro of "Teenagers" before it mellows out into more of a psychedelic jam. I could take or leave the thrash stuff — kind of glad they decided to evolve into the latter sound. I've never seen Nirvana's Unplugged show (aside from a few snippets), but knowing that Meat Puppets were guests and performed several of these songs with them makes sense to me. You can definitely hear the influence this band had on Cobain and grunge. I liked this album way more than I was expecting to. I'm a big fan of The Living End, so rockabilly punk isn't unfamiliar to me. And I don't *love* jam bands, but I can do some Phish in moderation, and I enjoy a lot of The Cure's more psychedelic stuff, so this album was an interesting mix of all of that. Not perfect, but I'd listen to this again. 4/5 stars
I wasn’t sure at all about then when it started - but after the explosion of the start it goes on a pretty lovely journey of styles from punk to country via Americana and indie… all in all a lovely unexpected treat.
Puppet this Meat. So good
Raw noisy cowpunk that inspired Nirvana! These guys have a stripped down fast country-infused punk sound that's incredibly fun to listen to. Lots of variety here, like the ambient "Aurora Borealis" and "I'm a Mindless Idiot", the noise rock "Split Myself" and "New Gods", the jam band "Oh Me", the neo-psychedelia "We're Here", and the Gram Parsons "Cosmic American" style of country in "Climbing". We even have what might be classified as post-hardcore in the bonus track "Teenager(s)". Every song left an impression, and there are some standout hits in here, particularly the ones later covered by Nirvana in their Unplugged. For innovation, resourcefulness, diversity, and great track order, it stands out as a landmark of the decade.
There's a term I hadn't heard before - cow punk! I like it! Fun to unexpectedly hear a couple songs I think of as Nirvana songs from their MTV Unplugged performance, but of course they were Meat Puppets songs first. They sound that lets you know they are not afraid to go for it, not afraid to just play - you can hear mistakes, but it just adds to the personality of the music, and I respect how they're making it work. Did I just become a Meat Puppets fan?
Despite this being a fairly laid back, somewhat twangy, and at times jangly album, you can really hear where Kurt Cobain got some inspiration, particularly in the vocals, even on the songs Nirvana didn't end up covering on Unplugged. I can't help but be won over by the loose and carefree warmth of the whole thing. Just puts a smile on my face. The fact that this came out in '84 makes it all that much more impressive. A humble lo-fi indie affair at the height of the slick production era.
Interesting that Kurt Cobained knew/loved these guys. Not for any bad reason just a lot jammier than I expected. I loved a slowed down jam they had called "up on the sun" but this album is just straight up energy. Reminds me a bit of primus/TPOTUSA. Very good reverbed out jam guitar rock record.
Was about to give up on this one as it’s not on Spotify or Apple Music but I’m glad I didn’t. This was pretty amazing. Additional star for not being unnecessarily long and another for rocking this good and different during the dreadful 80’s
This is kinda cool. The influence on Nirvana was awseome to hear.
I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. A significant chunk of it was instrumental and occasionally got a bit heavy, but overall the mix of tracks was very impressive and makes good use of the album format. I wasn't a huge fan of the vocals though, which is why I won't give 5 stars. Stand-out: New Gods
Damn, Nirvana was hella influenced by this band. And I feel like a dummy for not knowing about the details of their Unplugged performance - wow. I enjoyed this album far more than I expected. It's dusty Western prog/alternative rock. I'm glad this was on the challenge. I'll listen to more of this band.
first listen i have never heard anything like this and i listened to the whole album while assembling cheap utility shelves
I most definitely knew some of these songs, two for obvious reasons. Kurt sure drank heavily from the Meat Puppets fountain when developing his signature vocal sounds. A very worthy inclusion in the list.
Nice this. I’d heard a few tracks before during my teens from my Nirvana obsessed pal, but didnt know anything else about them really other than their influence on Nirvana and plenty of lofi bands. Which is quite clear to see, I think Dinosaur jr, Pavement, etc have a lot to thank these for! Preferred the songs with singing, over the more bluesy/americana type tracks (although I did enjoy the Minutemen-esque drumming to a few of them). Fairly sure Nirvana covered Lake of Fire or at least ripped it off. Great song though. Will be back.
Grew on me, listened to it twice. New Gods was the standout. Cohesive and yet not really. Punk-adjacent.
Cowpunk, rock psicodélico, bluegrass, folk, Americana. Me ha hecho gracia. Venga, un 4.
Great guitar work. This is Garage Psych at its finest. Beutifuly produced, abandoning any lo-fi tendencies and noiserco of thier previous release. A classic album bolstered by some MTV unplugged publicity some years later.
I was going to say that like a lot of people my age I discovered the Meat Puppets because of Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged session, but I realized that’s only partially true. My actual first encounter was hearing Backwater, which was a big alternative hit in 1994, and I liked it so much I taped it off the radio onto a cassette on my boombox. That they were signed to a major label and receiving airplay in the first place can most likely be attributed to Nirvana— record execs were signing all sorts of alternative bands in the post-Nirvana boom, especially bands Kurt approved of. At the time I thought the Meat Puppets were a new band. They sounded like all the other young groups on alternative radio at the time. (I would make the same mistake with Violent Femmes…) I had no idea they’d already been around for over a decade until after I’d heard Unplugged. I think I may have gotten Too High to Die first, though I only liked Backwater and quickly traded it in. I remember being excited when I found a copy of Meat Puppets II in the cutout bin at the CD store at my local mall. I also remember being flummoxed by what I heard when I first put it on. I liked the three songs covered on Unplugged, but what the heck was going on with this album? There were elements of country, there were several instrumentals, the playing and singing were kinda sloppy, the distortion on the guitar sounded flangey (which was definitely not cool in the ‘90s), and the whole thing sounded cheaply recorded— this was definitely not the Butch Vig/Chris Lord-Alge radio-friendly pop punk I was used to. All of those things may have been detractors at the time, though they eventually became the reasons I grew to love the album. (Listening to it now, I wonder how much of it unconsciously influenced me to want to make a country punk album when I played in bands in the 90s and early ‘00s— something none of my band mates ever were interested in, haha. The sound in my head was pretty much what several of the songs on here are, more punk than country, unlike the popular alt-country bands of the era.) Anyway, this is a weird but charming album. It surprises me that I don’t own any other Meat Puppets records. The only other one I remember ever listening to is Too High to Die, and I can only recall Backwater from that one.
there's nothing on top but a bucket and a mop (for this WAP)
Good energy, and a different sound from a lot of this list
If there's a cowpunk album you've got to listen to, it's that one. So much fun.
I didn't think I would like this album, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought. Punk with excellent songwriting and full of emotion.
Super fun. Really busy but I liked it
I think that I should like this more than I do. If I had heard it earlier in life I probably would've loved it. Maybe it's because I've just heard their influence in so many others that hearing them now has less effect. All in all, I'd probably give it a 3 or 3.5 for my enjoyment. I liked the country tinged songs more than the more "psychadelic" stuff. I'm giving it a 4 for being so influential to others.
When this first came on I thought omg because the first track is not for me. Luckily it got better. What a weird album though. And I did keep imagining Kurt Cobain’s voice, which helped tbh. Again wishing this was a 10 point scale. I want to give it 3.5
Really good album of countrified punk, varried and interesting and unique. I was predisposed because I very much like the songs that Nrvana covered on their unplugged album. But all the songs on this sprawling epic had something to offer. Loved it. 4 stars
It's punk i guess. Country punk. With a cool bass solo. Will not listen again but was interesting.
The album was surprisingly good, especially after the opening, hardcore track there were more acoustic and psychedelic rock songs on it, some of them I've known because Nirvana covered them later. I liked it!
Proto-grunge, obviously a huge influence on Nirvana and their peers. Enjoyable and fun, without ever ascending to the heights of some of the bands who followed them. I will be diving into the rest of their stuff (when I get time!)
I actually liked it a great deal I didn’t care AS much for the country-rock type songs, but I really liked a lot of the chill tracks and the hazy noisier distorted guitar songs. In the past I really disliked most songs with any “noise” but now I can oftentimes enjoy it I recognized “Lake of Fire” from that Nirvana cover on their live album
Very good
Tää bändi oli tuttu vain Nirvana-covereista, mutta käy ilmi, että tykkäsin paljon enemmän kuin Nirvanasta! Huikea puolituntinen, pitää tutkia näitä lisää. Vahva 4, melkein tekisi mieli antaa viisi.
A touch long, but pretty good. Not hard to see how much they influenced Nirvana.
Ramshackle yet full of chill gems, the second Meat Puppets album is loaded with the familiar and the waiting-to-be-discovered, ensuring those who become acquainted with this album regardless of its run time (almost 30 minutes in the original release, almost fifty in the repress) that there will be nothing but raw brilliance throughout. No surprise that this was a favorite of Kurt Cobain's. Favorites: Split Myself in Two, Lost, Plateau, Aurora Borealis, We're Here, Oh, Me, Lake of Fire, The Whistling Song, Teenager(s), What to Do, 100% of Nothing.
Rumours swirled when Nirvana said special guests would appear at their acoustic MTV concert. Would this be another “Last Waltz”with rock and roll royalty?Would Scorsese make the film? Confusion and a chorus of “wtf’s” were rampant when the special guests turned out to be The Meat Puppets. The fast pace of the first song reminds me of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died”. Given his high pitched voice I surprised myself by enjoying this. The album them delves into songs influenced by country and other weirdness. It’s reminiscent of the Wilco and perhaps Chilli Peppers. The MPs have enough of the “We don’t care if we’re popular“ attitude that I can see why Nirvana liked them. There’s even a whistling song appropriately called “The Whistling Song” and some fine guitar playing.
A wild ride through nearly every genre out there - sags a bit in the back half, but man is the front loaded with amazing tracks. Manages to dip its fingers into a bunch of musical pies without feeling too scatterbrained but rather just the right amount. One of those out of left field finds that make the whole project worthwhile, would’ve never found this without getting it here.
Aika vekkuli ja viihdyttävä levy. Rockia, punkkia, grungea ja vähän noiseakin. Ei alkanut kyllästyttämään missään vaiheessa.
Really enjoyed how ramshackle this is at times but then some of the guitar playing is sublime
You have to admire the musical diversity of Meat Puppets. Each song has something different to offer, something surprising.
Much better than I expected.
Curt Kirkwood has annoying vocals but the band just has something. 4 stars because the instrumental tracks are great.
Some cool noise rock not sure how I feel about the voice but the songwriting more then makes up for it
I'd never even heard of the Meat Puppets before, so this was a pleasant listening experience. Lots to love here, great guitar, interesting lyrics and delivery. I can see how the vocals might put some people off, but they were a good fit as far as I was concerned. Nowhere near perfect and it petered out a bit towards the end a little. Definitely worth 4 stars though.
On my first listen I was really enjoying the start, but eventually I started losing interest. It turned out I was accidentally listening to the deluxe edition with half a dozen demo tracks at the end sooo problem solved ✅ But on the flipside, the demo version of Aurora Borealis at the end was one of my favourite tracks 🤷♂️ Less flashy than its album counterpart, but just kinda groovy and chill. This was a great discovery! Full of ideas, nice short tracks, lots of energy but also kind of meandering about. Thanks 1001 albums generator ❤️
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Split myself in two
Rock ecléctico. Interesante.
Wait, this came out in 1984? What the hell were they thinking? What the hell were they listening to? This is an absolute mess of a record in the best possible way. Hardcore bluegrass anyone? Tracks seem to alternate from catchy and engaging to annoying and unlistenable and I suspect on my next listen the catchy / annoying alternating will switch around. Bizarre.
This album is a strange one to actually sit down and listen to, since, like most people, I became familiar with the Meat Puppets through Nirvana's Unplugged album, which featured three of the songs on this album. It feels weird to hear those songs in their original context. This album is really cool, though. It's funny how many hardcore punk bands were able to really find their niche after abandoning that fairly limited subgenre (see also: Boys, Beastie). This is a really cool early alternative album with a lot of country elements fused into it, with some psychedelic rock mixed in for good measure. The music is really great and feels innovative for 1984. The vocals are...not great, but that also doesn't feel like their goal. Overall, it's a really cool album 4/5
i actually really liked it
This was pretty great, wish I had given it some attention when it was contemporary. I remember hearing the Meat Puppets for the first time, as many did, when they appeared on Nirvana Unplugged. Their subsequent album didn't do much for me, but I never went back and listened to their older stuff. I love the mix of country and psychedelic and punk. It's funny they are credited with being an early "cow punk" band as some of their tracks remind me of The Cows.
Great album. I feel like the singing holds it back a little, which is a weird thing for me to say. But the Nirvana takes on unplugged that are more melodic are just definitively better versions. The guitars and instrumentation are fire though. 3.75/5
Had a bit of a Meat Puppets phase back in the day, but never really come back to them. They’re good! Like a heavier REM B
Aside from a few duds, this album has quite a bit to offer. It sets itself up as a passable 80s punk album, but a few tracks in, you realize the band has a lot of surprises in store. I really dig the guitar effects scatted throughout that compliment the song structures. Not to mention the killer instrumentals.
This seems to anticipate and frankly transcend a lot of alt/indie/grunge developments to come after it. Definitely at the top of that game.
Very creative
Classic cowpunk.
Surprisingly surprising. Much deeper than I was expecting, and great tunes.
Pleasant and a surprise. A new rabbit hole to lose myself in
Weird album, incoherent and with doubtful vocal performance, but somehow it works. Good pick by Kurt Cobain for his MTV show.
I enjoyed this! I only knew them from the Nirvana unplugged but I enjoyed this album. Little country/bluegrass in there.
Really dug this
Ont-ils influencé Jack White? J’ai pensé à lui à quelques reprises. Eux-mêmes marient de nombreux courants de façon réjouissante. Beaucoup aimé les guitares d’Aurora borealis
Was slightly dreading when I saw the band name but what a high energy killer first opening song. However then goes a bit country - if it had been all like the first song it would have been a 5. There's enough great music in here to make it a really good album, however the country tinge to it impacts the enjoyability by a lot. 3.5
Some songs deserve 3 stars, some deserve 4 stars
bettter than I expected
Really good record that everyone should try once. This band honestly has so much and it deserves the praise it gets
Vivid memories of learning that all my favourite Nirvana songs were actually by some weird band called Meat Puppets
I'm a very casual fan of Cheap Trick but this live album really showcases what made them special. Super high energy and equal parts catchy and noisy. So many bops.
The variety on display here is really intriguing, as is the range of quality. How good would this have been with a decent production team behind it? Giving this 4 slabs of meat, mainly because I really want to come back to this. 🥩🥩🥩🥩
Genuint så heat hu ha ja int hört talas om detta
Raw, jangly, groovy
Jättebra
Definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than I'd thought. I was afraid this would just be unlistenable hardcore noise, but it was certainly more varied and interesting then that. There were a few tracks that were a bit hard to listen to, but then some were also worthy of five stars. Rounding the total up from 3.5 And Kurt Cobain really liked this album I guess, which is also something at least.
Enpä ole tainnut kuunnella näitä koskaan ennen? Tiesin Nirvanan lainanneen Plateaun, mutta oli siellä ainakin pari muutakin. Kovin poukkoileva levy joka taitaa olla tyylille tavanomaista. Ehkä paras levy tähän asti aivan puskista tulleista bändeistä.
This album does not put its best foot forward with the first song, but after that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I like the instrumental interludes.
4.5 nawet za aurora borealis
This was much better than I expected. Sort of loose and raucous but also well crafted and interesting tunes. Will listen again. 4 stars.
Had no idea what to expect from this one but really enjoyed it a lot! Punk light, if that's a thing. Shocked that it was made in the '80s, feels much more recent. Lots of excellent guitar work and melodies on here, I especially loved all the instrumental tracks on the back end. It seems like a few of the track titles repeated for me, but I don't think it was the same song twice. Anyway, plenty to love on here. This is the sort of unknown album that I love to get on this journey! Favorite tracks: Magic Toy Missing, Oh Me, Lake of Fire, I'm a Mindless Idiot, 100% of Nothing, Aurora Borealis. Album art: Abstract, melting colors. Reminds me of that Action Brown Cocodrilo Turbo cover if you left in the sun a few days. Pretty cool. 4/5
Pretty easy to see why Kurt Cobain would be into these guys. They did it better without him. Best track: Lake of Fire
A wild ride. But behind the slight sillyness there is some excellent songwriting, I even enjoyed the songs with country elements. I was surprised to hear some songs Nirvana covered/popularised
- Drunk rock and roll -Cowpunk - Fun project ( will probably grow on me )
The Meat Puppets are one of those hardcore punk bands on SST that evolved to a more mainstream sound, from fast and loud to chill and low key. I have Meat Puppets II on both vinyl and cassette, despite the fact I'm not a huge follower of the band. The first record was too fast and unintelligible, while their albums after II were a bit boring for my taste. On the second album, I compare it to the Replacements, Hootenanny album, their breakthrough record where their sound brought in more musical genres, styles and wrote more accessible songs. For me, this album was my sweet-spot, I still enjoyed the off-key vocals, ragged, sometimes off putting songs and it was punk enough to keep my interest. Though their sound is not for everyone's taste, I really like this album. Love the cover art too!
Haven't heard Lake of Fire in years. I don't recall the vocals being so rough. Ok overall
Split myself in two - fast beat, reminiscent of the clash. I like the clash, but this seems like the clash on 45 instead of 33 1/3. I don’t hate it but surely would never put it on voluntarily. Magic toy missing - it Is not getting any better. Is this really a different song? Lost - ok, now it is like the clash at 37rpm. I guess that is an improvement but I still would not put it on without significant monetary inducement. Plateau - this is like the clash at 16rpm. Oddly, it is getting better. Aurora Borealis - the first song so far that would pique my interest if it was playing in the background. Annoyingly, it now sounds like they are switching the RPM during the song. We’re Here - ok, we seem to have plateaued now. At least we are not going downhill yet… Climbing - They seem to have settled on a single RPM now. But really wondering if I should continue…. New Gods - Mostly didn’t notice this one Oh, me - THIS is GOOD Lake of Fire - OK. Definitely would pique my interest if it was playing in the background. I’m a Mindless Idiot - well, you have to love the title! And there is no singing which is a nice break. It is pretty good - now starting to hear some Lynyrd Skynyrd influences and maybe even Charlie Daniel’s Band. The Whistling Song - extended whistling in the song! Nice touch. I can definitely understand why some people might like this. Maybe I would be convinced if I listened enough. Seems like it takes a while for your ears to get used to it and then it improves dramatically. After The Whistling Song, I went back to the beginning and the unexpected speeds and speed fluctuations no longer bothered me. So maybe you just need to spend time with it before trying to form an opinion. I am going to give it a three (but note it definitely was cruising for a one at first! So force yourself to listen to at least half of it before you give up).
At first, I didn't like it & thought it was going to be a slog to get through, but towards the middle, I found it growing on me. Not sure I'd listen again. It was interesting, and I enjoyed the variety of song styles.
Early cow punk. Sounds best during the punky numbers. The twangier stuff doesn’t really work. The singing is as rough and out of tune as any thrash metal band. How about some Jason and the Scorchers instead?
🎸🦟 🎤🐛 🥁🐝
Scratchy and mean spirited enough to be somewhat enjoyable, yet without the thrust that a similar metal/harder rock project would have to elevate it more for me
👓
These guys had It. The didn't have IT like Nirvana, but they had It. I don't mean musical talent, but more like a state of being. I see them playing live shows and living fast without second thoughts about their future. At least that's what I have envisioned in my mind. Naturally, it's almost entirely speculative coming from the perspective of a 22 year old UCLA grad. I'm more likely just projecting my own dreams of easy, reckless living.
Not really my thing. It was fine, but I don't plan to return to this.
Yeah, pretty ok sometimes. This album isn't amazing. Lake of Fire was good. The instrumentals are fine. I could see myself listening to a song from this album every now and then.
My least favorite part of Nirvana Unplugged was the Meat Puppets songs and yeah still not a Meat Puppets fan; sorry Kurt. Favorite Track - Split Myself in Two Least Favorite Track - Plateau ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This album comes close to many things. Almost country-punk, a hint of neo-psychedelic and beneath the rougher edges melodic songs. Having multiple angles keeps II from getting repetitive and stale, but also makes the record lack cohesion. The group offers interesting versions of these styles, but nothing compelling. The near hardcore of “Split Myself in Two” runs into rapid-fire, but less punk, “Magic Toy Missing.” By the third track, “Lost” the pace slows a bit and the twang comes out in the guitars. This shift sets up one of the album’s famous songs, “Plateau”. Along with “Lake of Fire”, “Plateau” has acoustic guitars that brood over the track creating an updated folk tale of mystery. It makes sense that Kurt Cobain gravitated to these songs at the same time he was discovering Leadbelly. The group shifted gears with the bright sounds of “Aurora Borealis,” which provides a welcome break before they move back to similar sounds as “Plateau” as the album moves towards the end. The vocal skills, production and/or artistic approach give too many songs an uncommitted quality. Not quite demos, but a sense that the band is not throwing themselves 100% behind the material. I suppose this is a deliberate attempt along the lines of some Neil Young records, but he manages to still sound on the edge of some type of catharsis. The Meat Puppets sound similar to Kurt Vile’s slacker style. It allows songs to breathe, but not captivate.
6/10
It's interesting how the guitar solo is at the end, but It still sounds great. The sound of the singer's voice is not my favorite though.
This album wasn't my favorite but it was good. I do recommend.
No private session used for Spotify. I have listened to this album quite few times, I like it. Its fun to hear the starts of excellent 90s rock coming out from a sort of country album. Sort of a country album, as its bit all over the place. Yes, the singer's voice is rough, but the guitar work is awesome.
Album carino ma che ti sa anche fare scuotere la testa. 3 stelle se le merita, non di più.
Honestly wasn't sure what to make of most of it
Was just recently trying to get into Meat Puppets through Up on the Sun so this is good timing. Feels kinda Minutemen-esque, which to me is a good thing. Somewhere between them and maybe X. Some Pavement maybe? Feels very West Coast cause I'm also thinking maybe some grungeness here and there. I like that they haven't kept in one pocket. They feel punk but not just punk. Sometimes folk, sometimes close to Country. Hell, Lost feels closer to Creedence than any other influence. I like how loose the songs feel but yeah, sometimes it does start to fall apart. That can be part of the charm but I think it starts to wear thin sometimes. I'm close to giving this a 4 from some of these big swings that don't always work but leave me appreciating their wonderful mess. But without hits I don't think this quite reaches the highs they could. Highlight: New Gods
It's not for me, messy AF and the dude can't sing, but I can at least appreciate the appeal and influence on Nirvana, Pavement, Wilco, etc.
This was okay. This was in that weird transition era from more traditional rock and roll to the fully bloomed punk & alternative scene of the 90s. I like Nirvanas unplugged covers of them better than the original recordings. By the same token, they were likely one of the influencing groups for what took shape in the 90s. There were definitely some good sounds on here, but my favorite songs were the ones without words.
As most people I am familiar with Meat Puppets because of Cobain covering "Lake of Fire" in Nirvana MTV unplugged live in NYC legendary '94 concert. This is very punkish alternative album, which I've quite enjoyed listening to. One can definitely see how this band was massive influence to Kurt's style. But apart from Lake of Fire and maybe couple of other tracks it's not super memorable, at least 3.5 on RYM and 3 stars here though. Good music
Similar to Pixies. Not sure what everyone else saw in them. I wish I liked it more than I do.
I liked this more than I expected too.
It’s like punk country, Johnny Clash or The Sex Six Shooters. I liked most of it
Saw the name and title and shat it a bit, thought im not in the mood for this But it sounds fairly decent Im a mindless idiot is great I dont know this makes sense, but I really got a good gauge of how much I was enjoying it when the bonus tracks came on and I didnt like them at all
Cool music, not much of a singer though. Good on him for trying. Some great guitar work.
I definitely always thought the Meat Puppets were, like, thrash metal or something. Turns out it’s kinda jangly psychobilly. Not really my thing, but I didn’t hate listening to it! Probably won’t return to it. But I can see the talent.
Great musicians. The singing ruined it for me, is it 'microtonal'? The vocal melodies are similar to what my wife sings when she parodies bad singing.
Possibly my least favorite SST band. It's not terrible. They are obviously talented musicians. Usually I like "punk outside the box" and this certainly qualifies, but something at its base level here just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe it's the country influence? Tough for me to nail down the root of my disinterest, but it's real.
rythme du galop a cheval // 3.5
not a big fan
I didn't think it was great, but I do think that at 19 tracks that are on average around 2.5 minutes long, there was a surprising amount of variety. And if nothing else, that kept things interesting.
The best part of this album is Nirvana's covers of Plateau, Oh Me and Lake of Fire.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many different distinct genres on one album. I’m not talking about influences of punk, or hints of country… they have straight up country songs on here. Along with grunge, punk, acoustic, instrumentals… it’s wild. It’s good but it’s wild. Definitely ahead of its time.
Liked it more than the comments said, not too bad... But not very good
1001 albums to hear before you meet the puppets and stars 117# My meat just gives a punk track with awful sounding mixing and production just to put me on edge that I'm before a cool punk album I never heard of... but no the next song is clearer.. but it is joking with you in some way i can't understand. Am I suffering bullying by this Meat guy? Telling my mum right away. The word that comes to mind is jolly. Looking to the genres.. yeah Cowpunk is not a bad way to describe it's sound. Really sounds that those 'its da first of d month' cows getting a blast hearing this too. Enough chit chat, some of the songs begin to take itself serious and then end up on a careless way, with the vocalist giving the most 'why not?' vocals. I want to understand this. It's interesting to an extent. Lyrics that describe nightmarish surroundings.. with walls becoming waterfalls and it becoming.. thoughts that say things..? Way too abstract. Ok he's really joking. And I'm really suffering bullying, cause im not the one laughing. im afraid. My guy just said 'yeah and this doesn't rhyme'
C'est hyper raw c'est marrant genre on dirait qu'ils sont pas passé par le studio, mais du coup c'est assez intéressant.
They say it was influential, ahead of its time, Cobain. I say it has its moments, more disjointed than cool and eclectic, ehh.
That was...eclectic.
I've taken a couple of cracks at a few Meat Puppets songs and unfortunately I favor the Nirvana covers (feat. the Kirkwood brothers). The album as a whole isn't a bad time, and there's no duds but it definitely doesn't wow me. Sad to say.
Like many I'm only familiar with the Meat Puppets via Nirvana's Unplugged album, so I was interested in hearing this. Unfortunately the strained vocals so low in the mix are pretty unpleasant to listen to at times. The tracks Nirvana covered are the highlights, but Nirvana did them much better.
Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Plateau, Lake of Fire, Aurora Borealis (both of them) Oh man, I love these two Nirvana covers, Plateau and Lake of Fire.... oh wait, this album came out 5 years before Nirvana's debut album, and 9 before Live In New York. AND, Meatpuppets helped perform the two songs during that live set in NY. Whoops :) But seriously, this album is a mixed bag. It's musically all over the place, spanning several genres and although its not too long, it seems long because there's 19 songs to trudge though. There are a couple of genuinely good songs, mixed with some stuff I don't like that veers into the country genre a bit too much for my tastes. This album is apparently a lot softer than their first album, and I would be curious to hear Meatpuppets doing hardcore punk. Maybe its even on the List....
Standard midwest punk sound. Nothing amazing.
Had high hopes for this after the first track but it loses it's way at points.
5/10… cowpunk / 80s alternative / *1984
It was ok
Quirky indie pop. Some of it better than others. Never heard anything by the band before but they seem to have a flavour of Velvet Underground and They Might Be Giants. Quite a pleasant listen. 3
3/5
slightly punky, slightly grungy, lo-fi. Not bad
i was always told to listen to them but i never did. i enjoyed it. mix of punk and country. a couple of these songs became famous through Nirvana's "Unplugged" album.
Never heard of them. Expecting the worse based solely on the group's name but I was pleasantly surprised. This why one should not judge a book by it's cover. Glad i was exposed.
Another surprise. I was expecting the worse but it wasn’t bad
It’s funny, this doesn’t really sound like anything else I’ve ever heard, but it also doesn’t really sound remarkable to me.
AURORA BOREALIS?!? At this time of day, in this part of the country, LOCALIZED ENTIRELY INSIDE OF YOUR KITCHEN?!?!
Its a bit annoying and the singing is shit. They sound completely stoned on every song its so funny. Yeah Nirvana made these guys look cool in their MTV Unplugged but theyr really not lmao. Ok its not that bad its just that its caught me out guard because I only knew them from the awesome covers Nirvana did. Obviously they cant be as good as them but its still decent. Too much drugs guy/5
This guy cannot sing but somehow this album is lowkey awesome
This is alright. The music is pretty interesting. Sort of an eclectic mix with some countryish aspects, some psychedelic aspects, some heavier stuff, etc. Nice guitar work, nice mixing, it all works together pretty well. I'd heard the Nirvana cover of "Lake of Fire" but I didn't realize it was a Meat Puppets song. But I didn't really know anything about Meat Puppets before this. I'd heard of them, that's about the extent of my knowledge. The vocals are less for me. "I'm a Mindless Idiot" is a nice instrumental. Another inoffensive album I'm not disappointed that I listened to, but that probably won't stick with me.
Wild, inspiring to Nirvana
Enjoyed the variety on this. 3.0/5.0: Good
This was okay. A lot of inspiration was taken from this album from Nirvana. Had a mix of folk rock, punk rock?
ok folky music.
Muy para jugar en la pc. Sorprendió. Nota: 3.6
Meat Puppets II was an album that came so close to getting 4 stars but just barely missed the mark. When i first heard this band's name, i thought that these guys would maybe be folk or blues but they are psychedelic rock which was kinda close to what i was thinking. I am very into the rough sound that this album is going for and each song had that fun groovy vibe to it which never really hitched but i still feel like there is a hint of laziness to this album which kinda holds it back for me. This album was paced pretty well though so there was never a point where i was begging for it to end. It is a good album, just not quite great. Best Song: Aurora Borealis Worst Song: What to Do
This feels like a high garage school/college band that isn't quite there yet. Lake of Fire is a good song, but could just be a little more polished. Mindless Idiot was another that I enjoyed. They were mellow rock for a while, then teenagers came in and kind of felt unnecessary moving into a song or two that was just guitar (not bad but just different). And then it goes to this even more mellow almost island music by 100% of Nothing sound by the end. It felt really all over the place and I don't really know who they are as a bad. I don't dislike the album just felt like a teeny bit of polish would have made this a gem that shined.
Today I learned cow punk is a musical genre. I'd say that fits this vibe pretty well! I was familiar with Plateau and Lake of Fire, but I think I only knew the Nirvana versions. So I guess this whole album was technically new to me. It was pretty good. I thought the instrumentals broke up the rest of the album nicely. Sometimes the vocals are a little annoying when he leans into the screamy/whiny thing too much, but I enjoyed it overall.
Forud for sin tid, cool album
Elsker at Nirvana valgte at dedikere 1/4 af deres MTV Unplugged til covers fra den her plade. Den er fed!
Clearly a Curt Cobain inspiration. I like how the vocals didn't match the instruments at all.
I was never much of a Puppets fan, but I sure love the name, and use it often.
While this is often nonsensical and gristly, it's a million times better than the fifth Elvis Costello record being forced on you. I did not know this is where "Plateau" came from, but it made so much sense right away. Can't unhear Kurt Cobains voice, but the guitar passage at the end of the original here made up for it. "Climging" was also a super pleasant road-tripper. Contemplative, sweet, and direct. "Teenagers" was a perfectly timed instrumental, helping to round out this albums dusty atmosphere. Overall jus ta really simple record I enjoyed at face value. 3/5 the right amount of not over-produced
Fine
sure nice al bum
Известна мне по участию в Unplugged Nirvana. Собственно, все 2 кавера, спетые Куртом, находятся на этом альбоме. Неплохой альбом альтернативного рока. Этакий предвестниик гранжа. Но вокал что-то прям не в кассу.
This is ok - eclectic but fine, with a bit of a punk / hardcore sensibility.
Cowboy punk album with a few foot-tappers. Not heard before but has a certain charm.
chill
Nirvana did it better
I enjoyed the music but the singers voice was largely grating. I'm ashamed to say that the songs I enjoyed best were the ones I knew from Nirvana's Unplugged in New York album, and even then I was thinking I would rather be listening to that. Definite creativity with this band, but didn't land for me.
Better than the album title would lead me to believe, bit like The Replacements' Let It Be in terms of being a bit of a hybrid between indie and punk
Too long in parts, but this has some gems--and I think they'd grow on me significantly with more listens. Makes me wish I'd rated other 3s lower, but this also isn't a 4.
repeat?
I thought this would be heavy metal I don't dig but actually this was quite a good listen? You can tell all the influence it had on grunge, so a star for that.
Pretty fun in a loose chaotic way, but ultimately quite throwaway. Which kind of feels like the point
I had forgotten coming across the Meat Puppets many years ago - as a Husker Du, Descendents, Minutemen etc fan I was exploring SST and was, well, thrown by them. This is an out of kilter alternative country that sounds like its going to fall apart at any minute. It even brings to mind Pavement in places. Some of it sounds almost jammed in places... It's a strange beast but I quite like it for that, though not convinced it's something I would want to return to a great deal..
Thought it would be bad, pleasantly surprised
Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets II (1984) On Day 82, I found Meat Puppets II to be decent at best. I have to admire how it blends multiple genres like folk and punk into a single body of work, and the intro actually had me stoked for a high-energy experience. However, that energy quickly faded as I got deeper into the tracklist. The major turn-off was the vocals; they were so lazy that they made the project feel like a struggle to stay awake through, regardless of how speedy or interesting the production was. The long tracklist also made the album feel bloated. The production definitely carried this one, but the lack of vocal presence keeps it at a 3/5.
Would anyone actually care about this if the band weren’t the Nirvana prototype. It’s dull and it gets worse as it goes on. 2.5 rounded up.
I understand why it's important, but I can't get anything from this I don't get from MTV Unplugged.
I've heard of these guys. I do know one track, probably the single off this album.
Singing is atrocious. When it's just music, it's mostly interesting and good, but the vocals are really really bad. I understand why it's on here - they were influential to bands who became very popular, but the 'singing' is really hard to get past.
I guess I expected a little more… excitement? from a country-punk band named the Meat Puppets.
Decent songs but the vocals are just hard to get on board with at the best of times 3*
I'm finding that it's difficult to know what version of an album to listen to. Spotify seems to replace all original recordings with remastered stuff which usually adds an additional couple of bonus tracks, so when I originally listened to this album I thought it was too long and uneven, but I listened to an additional 7 bonus songs, so we're trying it again. You can certainly hear Kurt Cobain here, you can tell why they were such a big influence on him. it's better when it's shorter, it's fine.
It was okay, I recall hearing Cobain's cover of Lake of Fire and liking that, and the instrumental bits are nice. Not big on the vocals, but it does fit the haphazard aesthetic.
Ordentlicher Mix aus Country und Rock.
I see what they're going for. I genuinely like most of the music. That said, while a singer doesn't have to be classically trained or even talented to be good, this is a couple steps too far. In the right mood, this might be a 4, but there are definitely days where this would be a 2.
I actually didn't know that Plateau was originally by Meat Puppets!
3.5
Not bad
I was expecting to hate it off the first song but a couple brought me back, first Plateau is covered by Nirvana on their MTV Unplugged and then Meatputtes covers Lake of Fire. Oveall not bad.
Didn't know this, apart from the tracks Nirvana covered. Great combination of punk, country and proto grunge (did I make that up?) which is way ahead of its time and kind of makes Nirvana sound derivative. But maybe becomes low-fi musical soup towards the end. Not quite sure I can bring myself to give it a four until I've given it more time. So it's a parsimonious 3* from me.
I had to listen to Meat Puppets II two or three times to properly form an opinion. On first listen, I thought it was fairly underwhelming and slightly scrappy, and a bit directionless. But with a second and third listen, it began to open up. What initially felt rough started to sound better. There’s a surprising amount of variety across the record. It shifts from ragged punk to hazy country-tinged ballads and even the odd instrumental detour. There’s always something happening, yet it never feels cluttered. The album flows easily, and despite its rough edges, it’s an easy listen. Nothing jumps out as a huge, “wow” moment, but taken as a whole it’s a consistently solid, slightly offbeat experience. It’s not an album packed with standout anthems, but it has personality and atmosphere in spades. The more time you give it, the more it rewards you. Favourite tracks: What to Do has a gentle, almost twee charm to it, and the instrumental 100% of Nothing is a standout moment of space and mood. Least favourite tracks: There’s nothing here that feels like filler, every track adds something to the overall feel of the album. Album artwork: A cool, distinctive cover that suits the album’s slightly psychedelic, left-of-centre vibe perfectly.
Not the worst thing I have ever listened to.
i think there´s some good tracks in the album overall didm´t really captured me all the way through, but the cover is really fun, i like it
Album is all over the place but overall decent