Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Had some decent moments but generally pretty underwhelming
Really tempted to give it a 4 because there's some very pleasant songs but the voice itself is quite annoying and got tired by the of the album. I don't think I'll play them again except for some songs
I liked the music a decent amount, but found the vocals irritating and something I had to push through to enjoy the music underneath.
Muzycznie nie było najgorzej, ale ten wokal… Gość brzmiał, jak narąbany random pod koniec imprezy. Nie dało się tego słuchać. Instrumentalne kawałki dużo lepsze, ale ratują tego, co wyjec napsuł. 5/10 i niech się cieszą, że nie niżej.
Love, love the album art. I like the get up and go of the first few tracks. The occasional country inflection is fun. Where it reminds me of Violent Femmes or White Stripes I like it. Unfortunately there are some absolutely dreadful songs too. Ultimately it does matter some if the singer can sing. Even where it misses it is still creative and interesting and clearly influential.
Surprisingly solid. I prefer the Nirvana MTV Unplugged covers of Plateau, Oh Me, and Lake of Fire though.
the instrumentation on this album is so rad. aurora borealis is so fucking good. when I looked them up i read they were a big influence on dinosaur jr and you can really tell. vocals can be annoying as fuck
From the name "Meat Puppets" I was expecting this to be a lot heavier than it was, there was a lot more sort of blues inspiration than I was expecting
01) Split Myself in Two - 5,5 02) Magic Toy Missing - 6,5 03) Lost - 6,5 04) Plateau - 6,5 05) Aurora Borealis - 6,0 06) We're Here - 6,0 07) Climbing - 6,0 08) New Gods - 5,5 09) Oh, Me - 6,0 10) Lake of Fire - 6,0 11) I'm a Mindless Idiot - 6,5 12) The Whistling Song - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,08 (61/100) Current ranking:
I really liked Plateau and We're Here. I felt their vocalist didn't put in a lot of effort in on some of the other songs.
This is not a band I’ve listened to before but I was surprised at how much I liked them. Half the songs were really good and sounded like they could’ve been B sides to everything on WSP’s Space Wrangler. Very high 3.
This was a pretty fun listen! Folksy, spirited and a little twisted.
3/5
Most appropriate title on the list?
OK rock with bad vocal and terrible mix.
Fun, sort of upbeat
I think other bands have done this sound better but the ones I'm thinking of came after this came out so got to give respect for that. Still though, only a couple songs I will probably come back to. I didn't really dislike the other tracks but didn't think they were special either. Also cool to hear a band from Arizona, I think that's the first one I know. Rating: 3.3
Had to listen to this one twice because I quite liked the beginning, there was some out of place punk in the middle, then it just fell flat at the end. I was intrigued by the really good songs kin Aurora Borealis and I'm a Mindless Idiot. Unfortunately the good didnt outweigh the bad here and it'll find itself in as a square 3.
It was better than I expected but the songs blended together at the end.
Hmm, fun energy but the vocals were lacking and music at times good, overall mid.
All I can say is this sounded very Phoenix, AZ. It's like country rock, but then also psychedelic in ways, and somehow also grunge and punk-ish too. It's a Florida swamp man buying meth from a Mesa punk who wears cowboy boots everywhere so the fake leather is peeling. It was a little worn out, unformed, and off-putting but you just can't look away. There's some decent highs but the album is really all over the place, very rough. The best takes were later made famous by other musicians so there's some type of foundation to build upon but I'm not sure I like it in this form. I did enjoy the instrumental tracks but other ones cancel 'em out. Don't like the band name but 2.80 for the scuzziness.
This album covers a smattering (of music) and the album cover's a smattering (of paint). I liked the instrumental tracks most and some of the grunge. Could do without the ho downs and noise punk ones. I am most familiar with the Meat Puppets through Nirvana unplugged covers (which are better) and of course "Backwater." I can see the influence as well as a unique band for the early 80s. This got me craving meat pockets and for that 2.95 stars (mom I need the recipe).
OK, and reminded me of early Half Man Half Biscuit stuff which it’s contemporary with. I might occasionally listen again but there’s not a lot here to bring me back regularly.
Not bad
Interesting blend of noise and avant-country. Decent album but not surprised I never go into them the first time around. 3/5
Terrible band name. I enjoyed the album - although thought the lead vocals were awful. Highlights were instrumentals (which were more playful than the rest of the album) and three songs that Nirvana did on unplugged. Had not realised that the Meat Puppets played on the Nirvana versions - hence why they sound pretty similar - with the main (massive) difference being Kurt's vocals were so superior.
Fine, fun, trippy and hooky. What's not to like?
Mellow rock, nice variety of styles across songs. Nothing particularly stood out but I enjoyed it.
An unlikely combination of post punk angularity, country twang, and prog complexity with a vibe that presages much of the 90s slacker alt rock feel.
If you were around in 1994, you knew three of these songs, because Nirvana played them with some of the Meat Puppets on "Unplugged in NYC". The problem is, a number of the other songs sound like... they need more work (i.e. "Lost," "New Gods (too many words)" ) . Maybe it's the singer, I dunno. I get why Cobain was so attracted to the sound of the Meat Puppets. They sound similar in a lot of ways. I like the fact that it's just not punk screaming (not anything wrong with that, btw). They tried a bunch of new things, and I will give them credit. Just... it felt _TOO_ DIY. Top tracks: "Plateau," "Magic Toy Missing," "We're Here," "Oh, Me"
This album is like some sort of demented alt country rock. Arizona always had a different scene and generated some decent rock sounds. This isn't one that I'm familiar with, though I know who the Meat Puppets are given Kurt Cobain's love of them and a couple of their 90's tunes. It actually makes me think of Primus meets Dinosaur Jr between the sometimes frenetic pace & weird lyrics and the alt folk sound & vocals (when not straining). It's not amazing, but if you listen to it a couple times it's not bad. Lost, We're Here, and The Whistling Song are solid. Their instrumentals - Magic Toy Missing, Aurora Borealis, and I'm a Mindless Idiot - are also quite enjoyable. Nirvana covered all of Plateau, Oh Me, and Lake of Fire and the first and last are great tunes, but it's the sound in Split Myself in Two that I think their debut album Bleach really emulated. This album won't be for everyone but I can respect it.
Post-punk/post-rockabilly, proto-grunge - call it what you will, but this is fun. I’ve liked the Meat Puppets for a long time. Not my favorite album (that would be Too High to Die), but a good representation of their varied styles. 3⭐️
Come for the songs they performed with Nirvana on Unplugged, but stay for the distorted guitars and signs of proto-grunge
Perfectly fine. Nothing beyond that. Completely perfectly average.
Kind of a strange mix between rock/punk/chill/experimental. Vocals are pretty good and there are interesting guitar parts. Climbing and The Whistling Song are good songs.
Ingen skönsång direkt men ändå hyggliga låtar.
This album is a bit of a mess, but it was cool to hear the three songs from Nirvana's "Unplugged."
Pretty mixed bag, the vocals were a bit harsh and some of the songs were overly manic, but did enjoy the instrumental songs
Fine but instantly forgettable! 2.5 again!
This is a 3.5 in my book. A little too weird and intentionally awful to earn a higher rating (in my estimation, anyway), but also better crafted and competent than it lets on. It's never going to be my kind of album, it's just too loose and carefree in its purpose and execution. I get what's appealing, but I ain't giving it a 4. Not hard to see why Nirvana covered three tunes from this in their "Unplugged" set.
Hmm. It’s not bad, but I didn’t really like it. It’s weird in a way that failed to win me over. A Nirvana-loving friend introduced me to “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” in middle school; I had never known they were covers. In particular, I remember singing “there’s nothing at the top but a bucket and a mop, and an illustrated book about birds” all the time. I haven’t thought about either song in years, and that little burst of nostalgia prompts me to rate this higher than I might otherwise.
Pretty good
I think I assumed a band named Meat Puppets would sound different? Not sure good or bad different, just different. This was a little uneven, but overall I enjoyed it. I don’t think I’d heard the original versions of “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” before, but they were really good. I think I should have just listened to the original release tracks and not the extra tracks that were added later. They made the album drag near the end. Still, I liked this and understand why it’s on the list.
nur kurz reingehört. langsame akustische tracks gefallen mir, der rest eher nicht so.
Surprised me w being interesting
muy ciclotímico
es extraño y eso no está mal, pero tampoco me vueela. Se nota como influyo a kurco el cantante . Por este punto podria sumar estrella. No es un disco largo y aun asi se me hizo largo
You can see where Nirvana took some inspiration, overall though it was just OK.
A very good album from a band I could never quite get into. The songs kind of blend together and it's all so lethargic and mumbly. Still, some gems in here, just not my go-to band or album.
I love what happens when punk becomes post-modern. I fell hard for their first album and never really dove into the rest of their work so this was a great spin. I took the opportunity to revisit the first MP album and what surprises me is how much twang they throw around throughout the 2 albums. While the vocals are all over the place on the second album, they work within the confines of the universe that MP create. This album isn't as cohesive as their first album but it's got some really memorable songs (ask Kurt Cobain) and it's nice to hear them try new stuff. Psyched to dive into their subsequent material!
Without the Nirvana connection it would be harder to think why this was an important album. But it clearly was. Some great tracks on here, Plateau is even better than the Unplugged version, but also a lot of tracks that should have been clipped. Not one I'll have on rotation but an interesting listening experience.
A weak 3, but I think it would grow on me.
I liked the weirdo-texan punk vibe on this and especially enjoyed the syncopated grooves on the instrumental songs. They have a unique and original sound. Unfortunately the vocals are borderline intolerable to me, so I can't really go any higher than 3.
At least they are having fun.
decent album, variation of styles, but the vocals are not great
I've never even heard of Meat Puppets before. And I find myself not terribly surprised about that while listening. There are some good musical moments with the guitar, but it has some distortion that doesn't agree with me.
Might take another listen but began to appreciate it as it went on. Not the smoothest ride, but quite fun.
3,2
It has a rockabilly sensibility. Does that make me sound arrogant? Maybe, but I like some of the songs and could see some falling into a party playlist alongside the turnpike troubadours or Red clay strays. If a punk rock band made a country album, this is what it would sound like.
The song writing was good. The singing wasn’t.
To be a fly on the wall when these guys found out they were the biggest rock musician in the world's favorite performers
I think this is one of those albums you forget about as soon you finish them. The country elements were pretty cool; I liked the instrumental tracks the most, but nothing really gripped me while I was listening. 3 stars
The instrumentation is quite nice and the vocals are pretty weak, but I vibe with it. Nirvana did these songs better, though.
This is an interesting album. It starts off punk, then goes in all kinds of directions. There are some great instrumentals, particularly Aurora Borealis. As a whole, it’s really solid. The vocals, frequently out of key, leave a bit to be desired however. A lot of this album is closely tied to Nirvana now, thanks to their coverage of three albums off this list, with part of the band, during their MTV Unplugged show. As a result, I have the Nirvana version embedded in my brain. It’s good to hear the originals; the covers are quite faithful, and I generally prefer originals to covers, but I’d rather hear Cobain singing them.
Basically Dinosaur jr without the cool guitar riffs, surprisingly still pretty enjoyable
it's a solid little psych-alt-cowboy fusion
This was enjoyable enough, but wasn’t particularly interesting. Maybe I’ll come back and give it a little more attention at some point. 3/5 Highlights: Split Myself in Two I’m a Mindless Idiot
I can definitely hear how these guys influenced Nirvana (and the whole Grunge thing). It also makes sense how this guy ended up on Nirvana's MTV unplugged show. Pretty good. Extra props for being influential.
No les conocía. No están mal, pero hay muchos lps mejores.
Really cool in parts, but not my prefered musical style. Lake of Fire is fantastic, the rest merely good
3.5
Pretty good. Not thrilled with the vocals though I like them in some later stuff.
High energy, which I like. Nothing too special though.
My first encounter with Meat Puppets was on the Nirvana unplugged live album; it seems Kurt Cobain was a fan. I can see why, this is a whole collection of fun little nuggets of songs from lo-fi indie, folkish in places to angry little punk numbers. I like the pace of it; lots of 1-3 minute head nodders and all very listenable. Not one I can see myself buying but have had a good few days listening to it on and off.
Apart from the times the singer tries to sing in the upper register, it's alright.
What To Do about this one. Oh, Me, oh my. Felt a little Lost at times with this one. But don’t take my word for it, I’m a Mindless Idiot.
Generous 3. 53/100
I was previously only familiar with the artist through Nirvana's covers on the Unplugged album. This album was a bit of a surprise in terms of variety of sounds. There's some country and other influences in addition to the rock sound I was expecting. This was an interesting listen, and I would come back to it and seek out their other material.
interesting to hear the source of the tracks covered by Nirvana - 3.5
Cool
There were some very refreshing mixes on the album. Some tracks rather alienated me. It was interesting to listen to this album. It probably won't happen again so soon. 3/5
This album was sonically all over the place. Transitions between songs were not smooth. I was indifferent about maybe half of the songs on here. There were some I liked and some not so much.
This was really interesting and a unique sound, but had trouble separating it from the Nirvana unplugged songs.
Waffled between a 3 and 4 star with this. I tend to love roughly produced indie punk like this, and there's a lot of this to love in what feels like a mash up of the Pixies and Violent Fems. But even at 48 minutes it feels a little flabby, and they probably could have cut about half the instrumental numbers.
Good I liked it
159/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
Musically this feels all over the place. Some stuff I liked. Mostly the instrumental stuff. Other stuff I actively disliked. But I respect the attempt at being different. 3/5
Yeah ok.. I’m down with the Meat Puppets. Nirvana must’ve been somewhat influenced by these guys, cause I noticed they covered one of their songs. I enjoyed listening, but once again.. not really my “cup of tea”
A mixed bag of great songs, cool instrumentals, and lesser additions. IIRC two of the Meat Puppets joined Nirvana for their Unplugged session which is why three of the songs from this album feature on that album.
Great music, terrible singing
Something completely strange, but not disgusting
Early grunge influences! I liked hearing this album. Indeed I am most familiar with these songs from Nirvana's MTV unplugged set, elsewhere on this list. Lake of Fire and Plateau I listened to twice, the rest of the album passed me by. A 3.5.
Some weird cross between rock and country music with bad vocals but some songs actually work.
I enjoyed this album when it was weird and countryish. Less so when they got thrashy. This didn’t grab me but I didn’t really mind it. I think it was worth hearing.
This was strangely uninspired drivel. I didn't hate it, but maybe it would have been more impactful if I had been of the right age rage when it was originally released back in 1984. I didn't hate it, but I can't see it moving past a 3/5 rating. Nothing stood out to push it past the normal threshold of adequate and/or average.
Love the instrumentals, less so the vocals. I had fun!
My favorite tracks were the ones Nirvana covered on their MTV Unplugged album. The rest of the album was fine
Well, a fun album - but is it a great album? I don't think so.
Strong music that’s not served well by the singer. Interestingly enough, Kurt Cobain’s voice would fit very well on every song here.
I like Magic Toy Missing, I kind of like Plateau, Aurora Borealis
The album Nirvana made famous? It’s not too bad.
Interesting
Am I the only one that think this sounds like Morty from the sci-fi animated show in a garage band?
Meaty
vegan warning: album title refers to meat
What was this? Punk? Rock? Noise? Country? ... wild one not sure how I feel about it.
Cowpunk, countryfolk. Escuchable ... Hay un punteo que me recuerda a Guedeon Della (Just For A Day).
I liked some of it a lot. And hated some of it a lot. Interesting that Nirvana chose to cover the three best songs off this for their unplugged gig. It was a bit all over the place
Not bad... Chilling and wibing tähtialennusäämtö..jonka piti olla 0 toleranssisääntö..mutta muuttuikin alennussäännöksi.. koska ole veraa 1 tähteen.. Aluksi enemmän huutamiats loppuun vähemmån.. näin..
3.5
I'm in two minds about this album because for every good track there's a really boring one. This album still has some really good tracks though
Pretty interesting
An interesting album, main highlight being the two tracks covered by Nirvana in their MTV live session. 7/10
Pretty solid.
This was wild. Just the combination of grunge, punk and folk was insane. It was a little chaotic, and then I would know a few songs from the Nirvana Unplugged concert.
The Meat Puppets covers by Nirvana are up there with my favourite songs ever and listening to this album I might see why they appealed to Kurt. However, I’m not Kurt and while the potential is there, the singing sounded very out of tune and I much preferred Nirvana’s arrangements (except for Plateau which was fine here). Points for creativity, maybe not so much for execution. Going to push up to a 3 for writing one of my favourite songs ever (Oh, Me)
Cowpunk? That sounds about right after listening to this album. Unfortunately, despite its distinctiveness it never really got into my head and made a mark.
Some of this, mostly the instrumental parts, really caught my ear. Some of this seemed like something that I would have been into back in the 90s. Some of this was irritating to my ear, and that 90s self would have probably been even more irritated.
This was a real mixed bag. There were moments I kinda liked. I guess I can say I never really hated it or anything, but it didn’t grab me in any notable ways either.
I wanted to love this but it's just ok. Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, Nirvana's version was better.
Halfway decent mostly, but not a great deal more and not exactly smart or polished. A few cool sonts including “Aurora Borealis” and “We’re Here” and “What to Do."
The music in this is great and I appreciate the range of different genres they can pull off, but the production of this is pretty awful. I'm not sure if the production was done like this one purpose (for vibes/atmosphere) but either way I believe it takes away from the enjoyment.
First few songs were okay, then I got a bit bored tbh
hated half of this but enjoyed the other half
Kurt’s covers were better.
3.5
Kind of sounds like music my friends in high school wrote, except this is by more talented musicians.
Interesting listen.
Quite influential. I can hear how Kurt Cobain was influenced by these guys. But it is a bit herky-jerky and inconsistent. Still decent and kind of cool. Might grow on me with more listens.
Actually enjoyed this
Pretty good but non-transcendent, really, cowpunk never really having developed into much more than an interesting but minor sidebar within the corpus of late 20th-century popular music. Best cuts: “Aurora Borealis” and “We’re Here” both of which are mellow-groovy. “What to Do” raises a wistful sort of smile, but is borderline novelty. The handful of punkier-thrashier cuts are much less interesting. One supposes the pronounced warble of the singing is intentional (something about the unevenness of modern life, perhaps, or maybe just keeping it real) and certainly it seems effortful, but the returns are mostly mixed and ultimately diminishing.
I’ve had the Meat Puppets’ Plateau on rotation since hearing the Nirvana Unplugged cover. Great song, and I like parts of this album, though some points a bit too raw for me. Fave Tracks: Plateau, Aurora Borealis, I’m a Mindless Idiot 3.2/5
I have mixed feelings about this album, but some of the songs were really great.
So much better than I was expecting
3.2
There are some real gems on this record. Meat Puppets rock!
Meh
Interesting
Interessanter Punkrock mit Country-Einschlag.
I was not expecting cowpunk from a band called Meat Puppets. To be honest, I was surprised about cowpunk in general. I kinda dig it. More of a 3.5.
Really really like the instrumentation but I can't get over some of those vocals, some tracks blend together but I really did like some songs here. Short listen. Fav tracks: aurora borealius, lake of fire
overall good album with some nice instrumentation and a few good vocals. best songs: lost, oh me, 100% of nothing
Never listened to this before, and I'm blown away that this sound was around in 84. They would sound perfectly in place a full decade later.
A bit of a bizarre album. I bounced off the start of it hard, but then parts of it were actually enjoyable. The vocals were just too weak for me, for the most part, but it worked on some songs. It's not something I'll revisit, but I'm glad I heard it.
Whoa- some of the songs are just loud noise. But I preserved and enjoyed a few tracks like Lost.
I know this is good because Kurt Cobain liked it.
This is the post punk pre grunge album that could’ve been really big either 10 years earlier or 10 years later. It fell in the middle and I feel the meat puppets don’t get as much credit as they should. Inspiring nirvana is a big deal as they are one of the best and most enjoyable bands for every generation as they age. Also the meat puppets have these guitar interludes that are so jammy and are almost like indie rock nowadays. Pretty funny how cyclical some things can be. This was pretty good overall. Some songs were a stretch but others were very solid. 6.4/10
I’ve listened to the originals from unplugged before but not the rest of the album. Enjoyed
Album Nr. 73 Na ja. Insgesamt mittelmäßig.
Cowpunk. I dig it.
Solid punk rock music
Surprisingly alright, some songs worth listening to again
Better than I was expecting. Not exactly musical, but the boys had a nice fun vibe.
This album has its merits whenever the band strays away from the punk formula and emphasises the groove of their music which is certainly hidden there. Lots of potential but in this form not something I'd put on a list of the greatest albums ever.
Of course there's the Nirvana link. Would anyone have listened to them apart from that? Would they have made the 1001 chart otherwise? I suspect not but this is in fact a really good album and deserves to be listened to all on it own. I found myself dipping into this all day so maybe it's a new discovery?
Not bad! Like pre-90s grunge. I recognized the songs on Nirvana's MTV album, which I got a few months ago. Cool to hear the originals.
I think the 3 tracks Nirvana covered probably are the best ones, but aren’t they weaker without Kurt Cobain’s vocals…? I suppose the Meat Puppets version of Lake of Fire does have an added unhinged edge to it. Regardless, this is a decent listen that sounds pretty unique. Quirky and scratchy and eclectic.
An interesting set of songs of what sounds like country to grunge. Not sure I'll every listen to this album again by choice but happy to have had the opportunity to listen to it once.
I'm significantly split with this one. On one side we have a very good guitar. On the other too much whining without any commitment.
When Plateau came on I was like oh I know this song! So thanks Nirvana for introducing me. I couldn't help but think this sounds a lot like Dinosaur Jr. and I'm not sure if there's a connection there. Anyway, I found myself enjoying more of the bonus tracks. Faves: Plateau, Lost (Demo Version), and Aurora Borealis (Demo Version).
A scuzzy mess, but it has its charm, and you can definitely hear what Nirvana lifted from them. Pretty groundbreaking for 1984! I'd probably go 3.5 if that were an option - can't quite justify rounding to 4 though. Fave track - "Plateau" is fun, and segues into "I'm a Mindless Idiot" quite nicely
i had no idea what to expect when i went into this one. i am actually a bit floored because listening to this album, it sounds like it is from the 90s - contemporaries of bands like pavement or ween, but this album is really ahead of its time. it must have been insanely influential on bands like those. album is a bit rough around the edges, definitely not your easy listening fare, but i enjoyed the way it weaves between a punk-ish sound and a country twang. were it a little bit more coherent, i think i would have more fallen in love the first go around, but i think this is more of a grower to me. definitely can see myself enjoying this more if get more acquainted with it.
honest and straight
Surprisingly varied album. I still don’t like the whiny screams vocals, but I really liked some of the instrumentals. Aura borealis stood out.
Didn't find this album to be super interesting.
Very quick-paced. Fun but not good for restless leg syndrome. A few songs now are almost prog-y. And now we have country?
They sure had interesting ideas. There was a fair bit of range and variety but not all necessarily to my taste with some songs with a good central theme meandering and not building or concluding in meaningful ways.
It was alright. That's the most I will probably ever say about The Meat Puppets.
This album was really interesting. I assume the Meat Puppets inspired some bands with their unique sound and approach to a mix of Jam Band/Psychedelic, Prog Rock, Country, and Punk. There are glimpses of Primus, Grateful Dead, Radiohead, and Violent Femmes. Lake of Fire was cool to hear. I knew the Nirvana version was a cover, but was reminded that it was originally a Meat Puppets song when hearing this album. Plateau and New Gods were also cool.
A little bit of bluegrass and Gnawa, but mostly chaotic rock
POV cours de chant
Yeah this is a good listen, a bunch of rattling melodic short and sharp songs.
Interesting choice to have seemingly talented musicians intentionally play out of tune
1/24/24. A lot of my favorite bands have cited the Meat Puppets as a huge influence, and I can hear a lot of it on this record. However like the Butthole Surfers, it doesn't hit exactly the same, but still a decent listen. Perhaps I needed to be present when this came out to fully appreciate it!
Meh
Interesting...music was not bad. The instrumentals were good. The vocals, however, were terrible.
Some good music here with a lot of bad singing. Love the nirvana unplugged versions so they get a generous extra star.
Vocals are painful at times but solid songwriting... generous 3
Cool music but difficult vocals to listen to a whole album of
It was okay
Listened twice, it was interesting. The lyrics were good, not a fan of the singing, but it was overall enjoyable. No idea they originally wrote Lake of Fire, only had heard Nirvana's cover prior. 3/5!
Get past the first track and it's not a bad album, but that first track is absolutely awful
Cool! Cow punk! Ik kende het niet, maar leuke plaat, heel gevarieerd, Plateau is zalig, gecoverd door Nirvana op Unplugged; Aurora Borealis ook, afwisselend, goeie energie, punk, maar ook goeie songs. Nice, nog eens luisteren!
I’m really torn on this album. Parts of it are objectively bad, but other parts of it are intriguing and oddly beautiful.
Eclectic Fun listen
Reminds me a little of violet femmes.
You really can't mention this record without talking about Nirvana and their unplugged performance, right? It's really the thing that made this band get some notoriety. There's a part of me that loves pop music and loves super over produced music that you see all over the world today, that listens to this record and thinks "man it's so sloppy and loose and at times bland". And then there's the rebellious, anti-pop, younger brother, underdog in me is like "i love this! It's rough around the edges and it's got emotion!". This makes it hard for me to rate. Of course I love tracks that Nirvana covered, "Plateau", "Oh Me", and "Lake of Fire", because I grew up listening to the unplugged album so much. It's like listening to another band cover songs from a band that I love and know really well, I can't help but enjoy them! I'm landing around a 3/5 for this. Could be a 4/5 with more listens but at first try it doesn't blow me away enough to be that high up.
La seva peculiar barreja de rock alternatiu, punk, post punk... és força interessant. Els temes reivindicats per Nirvana ('Oh Me', 'Plateau', 'Lake of Fire') sobresurten com el millor del disc, però la resta té el seu encant, mig lo fi, mig com desmanegat a propòsit, però en tot moment una proposta original
Cowpunk eh. Well I'll be. Darn tootin'. I knew of the one song Nirvana did on the MTV Special, but the rest I was unfamiliar with. A name I know lots of musicians drop as a band that influences them, but I suppose I hear the skeleton they are referencing but it doesn't quite come together for me in a interesting way. It's close though. 3.5 to 3.
Like the majority of people I heard about the meat puppets through the nirvana unplugged album. But this was the first time I have actually got round to listening to them. Good scuzzy punk album. Glad Iv now listened will I come back, maybe time will tell, for now it’s just a 3 out of 5.
Didn't like every song but I solid album as a whole.
I see the influence on Kurt Corbain
A generally fun 28 minutes of varied and quirky rockabilly punk peychadelia. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: The Whistling Song Date listened: 24/12/23
This record isn't bad, it's kind of interesting, certainly quirky, but I suspect it would have never gotten on this list except for the Nirvana covers of their tunes.
It was sometimes punk, sometimes country and always a mix of everything. Enjoyable.
It’s a pretty interesting solid record. I prefer the cover versions of “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” by Nirvana, but the rest of the album was surprisingly enjoyable.
This was a mixed bag, but let's call it a three.
Kind of decent! An interesting combination of country rock and punk and early grunge. A few songs really sound like Beck and a few more were covered by Nirvana so this thing definitely had some influence. 6/10
Not bad, not great
Surprisingly tuneful for a band called Meat Puppets.
19 songs, 48 minutes, you know it's going to be punk... except it wasn't for large parts of it. Very eclectic. Apparently they played on a few songs on nirvana unplugged and the singer did remind me of Kurt in parts. I liked lake of fire and lost and a couple of others stood out but I'm not sure I'd say the whole album was good.
I like the Meat Puppets, but all their best songs are on other albums. Plateau is very good though. Discovered Aurora Borealis though. That's a fun one. The version of Lake Of Fire on their album Too High To Die is way better than the version on this album.
you know who lives and breathes Meat Puppets? SHICK does. SHICK is all about delicious puppets of meat poured all over him while he is in a bath full of chicken Bisto. he feels like the beef flavour is to hearty for him. don't get him started on Bovril.
Meat innit
Cowpunk, countryfolk. Escuchable ... Hay un punteo que me recuerda a Guedeon Della (Just For A Day).
J'ai été extrêmement déçu de constater que Nirvana et son leader Mathis avaient bâti leur carrière en piochant dans le répertoire des Muppets. Ceci explique en partie les différents "Maaaa" qui ponctuaient leurs albums.
Cet album fait figure de mise au point, il nous permet en effet de comprendre pourquoi Mathis, le professeur de guitare de robpecunière, est régulièrement pris de crises de MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Liked some of the songs and the guitar riffs, not a huge fan of the guys voice though.
I know nothing about this band but wasn't expecting the style of this album based on the name alone. Really manic vocals but I kind of enjoy the rockabilly otherwise. It vaguely reminds me of some White Stripes.
Living just outside of the second largest city in my home state, while growing up, we were always catching shade for being behind the times. With that context in mind, my friends and I were allergic to anything remotely country and so this "cow punk" album was mostly avoided. Anyone who has dug through the crates, and maybe listened to some Nirvana, could guess this reaction to this album was prior to 1994 and the airing of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance that spawned a Meat Puppets revival of sorts. Not every song on this record is my thing but I enjoy more of it than I would've ever known if not for Nirvana (and I guess this 1001 Records project...).
Really see the influence they had on nirvana's at least on cobain's singing style.
This album is a little to rough
It starts out strong, with a brutal, almost metal-ish punk track. Then as the album went, it stretches and stretches into the country territory, with nice guitar stuff. Overall it's pretty mid, but it's interesting enough to be worth a listen.
This was cool. Surprised I hadn’t heard of them before since I was in college at that time
Weird. After listening to it 3 times, I'm still not sure if good weird or awful weird.
Hey that's pretty good! This album is like trying to milk a cow on coke and ending up depressed for the rest of the day.
You go to a dive bar that happens to have a band playing. After a few drinks you pick up their CD for sale next to the stage to take a look. You put it back down realizing you’ll never listen to it. That is Meat Puppets II.
some cool instrumentals but those were the best parts. never glaringly bad though so probably a low 3
Prefer the instrumentals clever progressions in Aurora, Mindless Idiot where I think they are at their best. Sonically pleasing and inventive mostly, with some very loose interludes. Not especially keen on the vocals, but lyrically interesting. Forerunners of Nirvana for sure in New Gods and Lake of Fire , and thrashy Teenager
The music made me zone out at a couple different points and I would have to relisten in order to figure out how I felt about a given song. Seems like that could have been partly by design and definitely created a unique listening experience, with many songs growing on me. The instrumental tracks broke up the record nicely and I liked them standalone. Could sense the talent in the guitar riffing but I wasn’t enamored by it, but the high tempo helped make it enjoyable. 5.5/10
6/10. Had its moments
A quick excursion to the intersection of punk and folk. 6/10
Respect
I discovered Meat puppets through Nirvana which makes it really tough to not prefer the cover versus the original. I don't like the singers voice but they have some really great songs.
3.5/5. Not terrible. This was my first time hearing the original version of "Lake of Fire" which was cool. There were parts of this that I was huge about, but the instrumentals are pretty solid.
Surprisingly broad scope of sound and style
Fun album, can't believe I've never listened to it. It's not something I loved but it's neat to hear what influenced Kurt Cobain so much.
Yea pretty good mix of sounds
I mostly knew these guys from the Nirvana covers. I liked some stuff, like the instrumentals, a lot. Particularly Aurora Borealis. Really, the playing and songwriting was good throughout. The main detractor for me is the singer's voice. I get that the style isn't intended to be raw, but the lazy-sounding off-key stuff was a bit much for me at times. I see why Nirvana liked them. But mostly I'd prefer to hear the Nirvana covers, with slightly more competent sounding singing.
Beter als verwacht Proto punk
C'était bon, masi pas toujours facile à écouter. Certaines pièces, les chants sont durs à écouter, clairement c'est volontaire par contre. On voit comment cette musique a évidemment été une fincluence majeure pour le mouvement grunge. Je peux pas dire que j'ai tant aimé, mais un autre album qui valait la peine d'être écouté. 6/10
I recognized the band name from the last track on the Sublime album 40 oz to Freedom, called Thanx, basically a list of people and bands they want to thank. Listening to this album, I can hear how this band influenced Sublime with some of the more punk tracks. This album is all over the place with genres, country, punk, early grunge, basically anything they wanted to play, also similar to Sublimes music. I can definitely hear how this influenced Nirvana, two of the tracks, Plateau and Lake of Fire, were covered on the Nirvana live from NY album.
Prob this is somewhere between 2 and 3 but overall it's interesting enough to make me generous
Scrappy, pre-grunge rock.
First off, this cover looks almost exactly like Since I Left You by the Avalanches in my brain. The actual music I was mostly surprised I didn't hate because I got real offput by the vocals at the start. Fortunately, it grew on me and I liked the variety of genres they went through from song to song. It wasn't anything amazing but I wasn't itching to turn it off by the end. Only other note is that I swear I've heard plateau before but maybe it's because it sorta sounds like nirvana.
Seems unpolished and unfinished. Interesting sound, but more tailored for a garage than a venue.
Not having heard this before, what is most striking is how good Nirvana's covers of the three songs on this album. Kurt takes what is delivered here as a 5 or 6 and makes it a 10. It does highlight the weakness that the lead singer has a relatively uninteresting tone and delivery. An ordinary conversation. With that said, the music is very interesting and intricate. The instrumental pieces are some of the best (Aurora and Idiot), though the Whistling Song is also strong.
Not bad! Kept my interest while driving, even if not all tracks were to my liking.
With a decent vocalist, this could have been a 5-star album for me. Because the music is so often sublime. The three instrumentals are among the real highlights. Nowhere moreso than in Magic Toy Missing, where Curt Kirkwood’s guitar playing flows from country picking to the psychedelic with such ease. Aurora Borealis & I’m A Mindless Idiot are also thoroughly interesting. And, despite the shitty vocals, the songs are well-written, but I just can’t get over that voice. At least someone knows how to whistle.
The cover really gives it away; this was written and recorded quickly, with minimal editing and on drugs. Obviously, the Kirkwood brothers had some country knowledge and chops, and when they let those influences into their punk framework (along with a healthy dose of psychedelia), you get a quite interesting thing. Much more interesting than the bulk of the early 80s SST hardcore thing. Using Spot, the eclectic in-house producer at SST, obviously helped. I can hear the influence on subsequent lo-fi bands like Pavement or Guided by Voices (especially the "no editing" thing) and on psychedelic bands like the Flaming Lips et al. That said, this is pretty sloppy, the singing ain't great, and there is a fair amount of material that probably should have been left on the cutting floor. I saw the Meat Puppets at the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney in 1992 (I think), and my memory is that they were sloppy as all hell, and not in a particularly fun way. I was unimpressed. Would this album have made this list if it wasn't for the three songs that Nirvana covered (with guest appearance by the Kirkwoods) on the Unplugged session? I've never really heard a satisfactory version of why they did those three songs, except for speculation that Kurt Cobain was so disengaged and out of it that they needed the extra material (and musical support) to pad out the session. It's an Ok album, and I happily listened to it three times through, but it is a pretty minor footnote to musical history.
Y'know, this is a tough one. I get how influential these guys are to grunge and, very specifically, to Nirvana. But, it was a tough listen. I do know that the Meat Puppets got more melodic later in their career, so do love them for that. However, the off key singing is a bit off-putting.
I really like the first part of this. And then I really hate it. I'd listen to the start again though.
Tää oli paikoitellen tylsä ja paikoitellen hyvä. Olisin kaivannut kaahailua lisää. 3/5
Muutama riittävän kiinnostava biisi esti ettei olisi kakkoseksi jäänyt. En ehkä ihan saanut kiinni.
Enjoyed it more than I expected from the group name. Especially as it calmed down after a couple of tracks
When we received the Nirvana Unplugged release, I felt the Meat Puppet contributions were a definite plus. Here, I prefer their more country-inspired numbers, as well as some of the instrumentals (or maybe I just don't like Curt Kirkwood's voice?) Fortunately they revisit their hardcore routes infrequently.
Album 146 of 1001 Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : Aurora Borealis Anybody not ran off because of the first track will find that this is a very enjoyable album. Aside from the atrocious vocals, the musicianship is very good. There are some short, catchy tracks that are fun to listen to. But the vocals...not good. Still an overall fine album.
I like the Meat Puppets but I’m less familiar with this album so it was good that it came up today in the rotation here. They are versatile, talented, and, in some ways, a bit ahead of the curve. Good stuff here.
Bunch of different things going on here. Most of it good.
Sucesión de canciones algunas un poco más calmadas, otras con toques más sucios. Alguna canción reconocible gracias al Unplugged de Nirvana. En ocasiones, también con toques country y con predominio de banjo.
Not my taste
Wow I put this off for so long based on how heavy the first track was!!! Then I just decided to finally listen today while I finish some work and wow I'm so amazed by the variation on this album. The funkier tracks I really enjoyed like I'm Not Here and also I found Aurora Borealis really interesting and creative. I just listened to it all (not with great focus mind-you) and I can't actually remember whether there were any vocals at all?? Which is mad to me and not a great sign. Such a strange album though and it kind of makes me like it so much more just for the fact of how surprising it was at every turn haha!
Luke will tell me off for not giving this a 4 but I did only enjoy this so much. I didn't not like it and some songs I did, but I wasn't a blown away as Luke was telling me I should be (awkward!)
This was pretty good. Not amazing, but I did enjoy it. Kind of faded into the background but in a good way. From the style and the date, it must have influenced a lot of stuff I like so can definitely see the appeal.
alt country meets garage rock. sounds like a weird combination, but it kind of works. i’m in for it.
Pretty good edgy 80’s rock that I didn’t know was around when it was around.
It's a decent listen with muddy performances. Whether there is intention or not, I find it's something that holds the enjoyability of these songs back
3.5
I mean... okay? It's... something. There are times when the guitar work or lyrics are really smart but only moments. And man, ol' boy Curt there just can't carry a tune, can he? I don't know. I'm not sure I get the appeal of this one or understand why it's on the list. While I recognize several of these tracks, the album itself is a mess. The only reason I'm scoring this as high as I am is because Spot's production is just really great (as one should expect).
Very uneven album, but I like the sound. The vocals? Not so much.
Was definitely different to what I was expecting. Enjoyed it moderately.
Cobain could have gone with Vedder, Cornell… But he went with Meat Puppets on Unplugged. That alone says a lot. At times they come across as brilliant songwriters on “Oh, Me”, “Lake of Fire” and “Plateau”. At other times the level is not quite there. It’s still a record I would easily recommend.
Sounds like beautiful chaos. I discovered this band when Nirvana did the Unplugged set, which included 3 songs from this album. I can get why Kurt liked them.
sa s'écoute. country/punk/rock. pas mauvais. 6.5/10
Fist time through this one I wasn’t impressed. The more I listen the better I am enjoying it. Favorites: Keeping Pigs Together Others: Some Kind of Kink, Don’t Go Nowhere, The Rough and the Quick 3/5
Enjoyed it. If I listened longer it may go up but a standard 3 is fine for now.
Never heard of the Meat Puppets until Nirvana’s Unplugged album came out. This is my first listen to the album. They have a great sound. Why have I not heard this before? I was 17 in 1984…. This could have been with me my whole life… Right from the start, it rocks. Plateau might be one of the best songs I never heard before! Standouts: Plateau, Oh Me, Lake of Fire, Lost Others: Split Myself in Two, Climbing, I’m a Mindless Idiot, The Whistling Song, What to Do (bonus track) 3.5/5
Cowpunk, countryfolk. Escuchable ... Hay un punteo que me recuerda a Guedeon Della (Just For A Day)
I find much of the guitarwork on this record to be interesting, compelling even, but the cowpunk vocals and trailer park vibes do not work for me.
не, не моё
Quirky and almost child-like. Didn't leave an impression
I didn’t enjoy the opener, found the first couple of songs repetitive in and of themselves. But ended up feeling a little sad the album had ended. Go figure.
I liked it a lot more than I expected to.
Oh cool, cowboy punk! I don't love the vocals on this one, but the instrumentation is good. Also a surprising amount of variety, especially for a punk record. This definitely isn't for everyone, but it's got charm.
As a general rule, the music is alright, but the singer leaves a bit to be desired.
Not too bad and not what I expected
Not unbearable, but forgettable.
Very interesting album with a range of different genres, although ultimately just shy of 4 stars for me personally
This feels like the kind of album where you uncover some hidden depth on repeated listening, but it really didn't do much for me on the first listen. My opinion on first time through is a 2, but I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and add a star.
The sound these guys have is so shitty and awful but in an intentional way that makes it fun to listen to. Just the kind of shitty that comes full circle into becoming good
Leuke stukken, afschuwelijke stukken. Zo wil ik deze plaat graag samenvatten.
A bizarre mix of punk and country, though despite being an oddball kind of album it didn't really stand out to me that much. Might go and listen again eventually just in case it gets better on the second listen. Favourite: Magic Toy Missing
It's fine enough; some good songs. But even though the variety here is fun, it does lead it to be inconsistent, and the vocals... I'm usually all for "unique" vocalists but this was a rough go. Overall it's a good record but there is a lot that I don't seem to get out of it.
Meat Puppets are good or not good not sure I think I like them enough
Some goofy dudes noodling around. At their best they sound like Nirvana, which doesn't surprise me given their influence on Nirvana. At their worst they sound like Some goofy dudes noodling around. Which is what they are.
Debated whether to give this a 3 or a 4 for a while, but ultimately I don't think I liked it enough to listen to repeatedly. It's good though, some very off the beaten path punk music. Might come back to it if I'm in the mood I guess? 3.5 rounded down.
Un bizarre d'album qui va dans tout les sens, mais c,est pas mauvais . 3
Bizarre, genre-bending... somewhere between punk and country, like the country that likes driving in the desert looking for aliens. Obviously I'm familiar with this through Nirvana Unplugged, but I'll admit I like their version of "Plateau" better. Favorite tracks: "Plateau", "Aurora Borealis"
I’d only ever heard of these guys from the lake of fire cover on Nirvana unplugged. Not too bad but nothing special.
Interesting and quite refreshingly diverse album. .swings from genre to genre which makes it a bit uneven but stimulating.
3/5. A unique and one of a kind album. I learned what Cowpunk was so that was cool. Somehow it feels like it is not trying at all but also trying too hard. Still good enough for 3 I think.
Helt okej!
Album was interesting for sure. I would consider this a textbook album. Through you for a loop but still sounded great and something I needed
Proper grungy, who gives a fuck if it sounds shit ROCK. As made famous by Unplugged with Nirvana. Some decent tracks on here. With a classic or two. Sot Plateau Lake of fire Oh me I’m a mindless idiot 3/5
Fairly underwhelming but was likely ahead of its time genre-wise.
Geen enkel nummer bleef hangen. Maar was wel goed voor op de achtergrond
This album should dispel the myth about what a musical genius Kurt Cobain was. He was a damn poser who ripped off others' music even more than Jimmy Page did on the first few Zeppelin albums. Cobain wasn't just influenced by these guys. He didn't have an original idea in his head. As for the Meat Puppets? I like them. This album was pretty good. I wonder if their singer was trying to sound like the guy from the Violent Femmes, or vice versa? Just curious.
The opening tempo feels like an alternate universe where hardcore came from out West. The descent from there never fails, exactly, but the record never peaks. Along with distinction in style, I liked the instrumental back-and-forth of the sequence.
I wish I could tell you what I thought of "Meat Puppets II" without having first heard "Plateau," "Oh, Me," and "Lake of Fire" repeatedly on Nirvana "Unplugged." Hearing the Nirvana versions first just isn't fair. Though I hope they exposed a lot more people to the Meat Puppets? I actually owned the Meat Puppets' "Too High To Die," which came out the year after "Unplugged," though I didn't come to them through the covers. I think it was hearing "Backwater" on the radio. "Backwater" is a pretty stereotypically mid-90s alternative rock song, but the rest of "Too High To Die" is pretty good and holds up well. But the major difference between that album and "Meat Puppets II" is the vocals. Curt Kirkwood simply became a much better singer over those 10 years, and it makes their later work so much better. Their early/mid 80s stuff may have been so underground that they were deliberately going for crappy vocals. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for "Meat Puppets II" (just barely) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for "Too High To Die"
The instrumental songs are great. The lead singers voice is terrible. I don't love Kurt (Cobain)'s voice but it is miles better than Curt (Kirkwood)'s on the MP covers that Nirvana did for Unplugged.