Speaking of trailblazing 80s alternative bands that went on to achieve greater notoriety and success in the 90s (see yesterday’s Manic Monday), was there really a more innovative, singular, and well-respected band on that front than the Meat Puppets?
Indeed, the pride and joy of Phoenix truly broke the punk rock mold on their now classic Meat Puppets II and Up on The Sun records released back-to-back in the mid-80s, two albums that feature an eclectic mix of sunbaked, psych-tinged cowpunk that manages to sound quirky, pristine, transcendent, and infectious all at the same time. Simply put, those albums are a state-of-mind, sounding like the aural equivalent of wandering through the vast beautiful emptiness of the American Southwest, “lost on the freeway”, “climbing” “plateaus”, finding “swimming grounds”, stargazing…on acid. It’s a beautiful thing, and although the Pups would go on to have a brief flirtation with the mainstream in the 90s (thanks in large part to their appearance on MTV’s Unplugged with Nirvana), most people agree that the band reached their pinnacle on those two records in the mid-80s (with apologies to the underrated Forbidden Places). Judging from this delightfully tight performance from LA in 1986, it’s hard to argue against that sentiment:
