Meat Puppets (album)
Encyclopedia
Meat Puppets is the first LP by the Meat Puppets
, released in 1982. The album is unlike their later, more well-known releases due to its hardcore punk
sound.
The album was recorded in a matter of days, there are very few overdubs and many of the tracks are first takes. Like other early SST
albums the sound quality is rather spotty; there is noticeable fuzz in the background of the music. The band opted for this because they felt more comfortable recording live with only a few microphones rather than employing conventional studio separation techniques. In 1999, Curt Kirkwood stated "The first [album] was our LSD record. We were three days in the studio, and we tripped the whole time. And it was really cool, and really trying, too, because we went insane."
The 1999 Rykodisc
reissue features the entire In a Car
EP as well as 13 other bonus tracks, many of them studio jams or outtakes, and a video clip of the band performing "Walking Boss" live. The booklet also has liner notes by Gregg Turkington
and recording notes by drummer Derrick Bostrom
.
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
, released in 1982. The album is unlike their later, more well-known releases due to its hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
sound.
The album was recorded in a matter of days, there are very few overdubs and many of the tracks are first takes. Like other early SST
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
albums the sound quality is rather spotty; there is noticeable fuzz in the background of the music. The band opted for this because they felt more comfortable recording live with only a few microphones rather than employing conventional studio separation techniques. In 1999, Curt Kirkwood stated "The first [album] was our LSD record. We were three days in the studio, and we tripped the whole time. And it was really cool, and really trying, too, because we went insane."
The 1999 Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
reissue features the entire In a Car
In A Car
In a Car is the Meat Puppets' first recording and was originally issued on L.A. art collective/record label World Imitation records as a 5 track 7" EP. It was recorded in Silver Lake studio in Los Angeles on the June 4, 1981 with Ed Barger...
EP as well as 13 other bonus tracks, many of them studio jams or outtakes, and a video clip of the band performing "Walking Boss" live. The booklet also has liner notes by Gregg Turkington
Gregg Turkington
Gregg Turkington is an Australian-born U.S. comedian, best known for his stand-up comedy character, Neil Hamburger. He has also participated in a number of avant-garde and post punk bands...
and recording notes by drummer Derrick Bostrom
Derrick Bostrom
Derrick Bostrom is an American musician. He was the original drummer of the band Meat Puppets, which he founded together with the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, in 1980....
.
Original album
- "Reward" – 1:11
- "Love Offering" – 1:28
- "Blue-Green God" – 1:22
- "Walking Boss" (Traditional) – 2:52
- "Melons Rising" – 0:53
- "Saturday Morning" – 1:30
- "Our Friends" – 2:11
- "Tumbling TumbleweedsTumbling Tumbleweeds"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is a song composed by Bob Nolan, one of the founding members of the Sons of the Pioneers. Although one of the most famous songs associated with cowboys, the song was composed by Nolan back in the 1930s while he was working as a caddy and living in Los Angeles...
" (Bob NolanBob NolanBob Nolan was a Canadian-born American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers, and composer of numerous Country music and Western music songs, including the standards "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." He is generally regarded as one of the...
) – 2:02 - "Milo, Sorghum, and Maize" – 2:15
- "Meat Puppets" – 1:38
- "Playing Dead" – 1:28
- "Litterbox" – 0:50
- "Electromud" – 0:47
- "The Gold Mine" – 1:02
1999 CD bonus tracks
- "In a Car" - 1:21
- "Big House" - 1:07
- "Dolphin Field" - 1:09
- "Out in the Gardener" - 1:04
- "Foreign Lawns" - 0:37
- "Meat Puppets" - 1:33
- "Everybody's Talking" (Fred NeilFred NeilFred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
) - 2:42
- "H-Elenore" (Curt Kirkwood) - 1:39
- "Hair" (Monitor) - 1:26
- "I Got a Right" (Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
) - 2:40
- "I Am a Child" (Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
) - 2:14
- "Franklin's Tower" (Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
/Robert HunterRobert Hunter (lyricist)Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
/Bill KreutzmannBill KreutzmannBill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
) - 4:52
- "Milo Sorghum & Maize" - 1:32
- "Electromud" - 0:45
- "Love Offering" - 1:03
- "Saturday Morning" - 1:11
- "Magic Toy Missing" (Curt Kirkwood) - 1:28
- "Unpleasant" (Curt Kirkwood/Derrick Bostrom) - 1:02
- Tracks 15-19 are from the In a CarIn A CarIn a Car is the Meat Puppets' first recording and was originally issued on L.A. art collective/record label World Imitation records as a 5 track 7" EP. It was recorded in Silver Lake studio in Los Angeles on the June 4, 1981 with Ed Barger...
EP.
Recording
All the songs on the original album are recorded in November 1981. Engineered by SPOT at Unicorn Studio 24 November 1981. Mixed by SPOT at Music Lab 10 May 1982 except "The Gold Mine" mixed by Laurie O'Connell & Ed Barger.Personnel
- Derrick BostromDerrick BostromDerrick Bostrom is an American musician. He was the original drummer of the band Meat Puppets, which he founded together with the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, in 1980....
- Drums - Cris KirkwoodCris KirkwoodChristopher "Cris" Kirkwood is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative punk rock band.-Biography:...
- Bass - Curt KirkwoodCurt KirkwoodCurtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
- Guitar, Vocals - Steve Thompson - Keyboards on “Hair”
Production and Other Credits
- Engineer - SpotSpot (producer)SPOT, , was the house producer and engineer for the influential independent punk record label SST Records. He recorded, mixed, produced or co-produced for most of SST's pivotal acts between 1979 and 1985...
- Mixing - Spot, except Laurie O'Connell & Ed Barger ("The Gold Mine")
- Cover art - Curt KirkwoodCurt KirkwoodCurtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
and Damon Bostrom