Meat Puppets - Huevos

By their fourth album (1987), the Phoenix trio had turned into a full-fledged roots-rock band, leaving their old hard-core peers far behind and instead occupying the territory more commonly associated with the full-on boogie of ZZ Top or the Grateful Dead's wanton self-indulgence. Of course, you still had Curt Kirkwood's innate feel for the desert coming through on songs such as the rollicking "Look at the Rain" and the plangent "Crazy." Listening to the heat-evocative "Sexy Music," you can hear the Meat Puppets' influence on 1998's generation of alt-country rockers, from Mike Ireland and Holler to the Pernice Brothers and upwards. Only occasionally do the trio degenerate into their old warped style (the bonus track "I Can't Be Counted On"); mostly they play it straight. Includes five unreleased bonus tracks. --Everett True Amazon.com essential recording

An album for the ages - great, masterful work by the Puppets.

Both musically and lyrically this album just makes my hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. While the casual fan might say MPII, Up on the Sun and Too High To Die are the quintessential Meat Puppets albums, I have to say that you cannot consider the Meat Puppets without looking at what they did in the latter part of the 80s. Huevos has the kinds of song that put a smile on your face with the kind of whimsical, otherwordly lyrics that the Puppets are known for, coupled with the sounds that evoke the Arizona desert. At least that's what I think you'll hear!

Among the lyrical gems: "Hot as the sun, the red rubber fountain of ecstasy flows from the palms of my hands like the wind..." -Sexy Music

"It seemed like it was real Felt like water to my skin But I stepped through the rainbow And saw the desert deep within..." - Dry Rain

You get songs like "Fruit", one of my favorites, that is just a fun listen and "I Can't Be Counted On" which elicits a chuckle.

That this is a ZZ Top tribute aside, this album is sped up compared to earlier Puppets stuff and Curt Kirkwood's lyrics are elevated from the wobbly, sometimes (albeit purposefully) monotone-esque of earlier songs (cf "Hot Pink", "Up on the Sun") to being louder, passionate and expressive. The music is upbeat, the solos energetic - but without losing any of that punk/country characteristic.

It's really those combination of things that make this such a great album - one that I will never get bored of listening to. November 23, 2007

My Favorite Pups Album

I find that this album and "up on the sun" are cut from the same cloth. To me the only difference is that "huevos" is a more concise and consistent collection of what's great about the band ("up on the sun" is a little too meandering for me but still well worth owning). And while I love other albums of theirs - "forbidden places", "monsters", "too high" - it is with "huevos" and "up on the sun" where the production matches the music perfectly - spare, unaffected, intimate. Both albums put you right in the band's backyard.

Catchy, quirky, groovy, country, guitarsy, and different without being too weird. Even if you don't love this album, I think you'll like it.

October 3, 2007

The one I keep going back to

I'm a huge fan of all things Meat Puppet-y. Huevos was the most difficult one to warm up to. The vocals are WAY out front, most obviously with the song "Look at the Rain".

Having said that, this is the album I put on most frequently. "Fruit" and "Sexy Music" are my two favorite MP songs. The rhythm section takes a ZZ Top-ish "southern boogie" tack that the Puppets really used to their advantage to propel the songs along. They used the same technique in the subsequent "Monsters" (which contains the fabulous "Light"...)

I kinda like that they got a little Billy Gibbons in my Meat Puppets...both bands have a similar fried from the desert sun sensibility and it gives you a reason to go back and rediscover ZZ Top.
August 17, 2006

Oh yeah, Party Rock, Wow...snore.

This is the one I could never, ever warm up to. The album sounds like it was written AND recorded in four days, by ZZ Top's little brothers no less. Buncha dumb, more-generic-than-Bad Company rock tunes written for the band to play live and, I imagine, live out their adolescent Rock God fantasies on stage. Sorry, but I'm a pass on this one. August 15, 2006

Their power-trio album

On Huevos, the Meat Puppets continued to expand their musical palette. While their previous release Mirage was a more diverse but less focused affair, Huevos saw the band concentrating on blues-based hard rock. While many have called Huevos the band's ode to ZZ Top, the band makes the sound truly their own as the spirited performances show a sense of urgency lost on their previous album.

Every track here is very solid. The tracks "Paradise", "Bad Love", "Dry Rain", and "Automatic Mojo" are great hard rockers driven by Curt Kirkwood's meaty riffs and his loud and occassionally off-key lead vocals. His solos do sound similar to ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons on many songs, getting more feeling out of a few notes than most bands do out of their 100 mph excursions. The songs "Fruit", "Look At The Rain", and "Crazy" are more rooted in melody and are very good as well. "I Can't Be Counted On" is another great track featuring a catchy melody and chorus. Ironically, the best track here is the only one that's not a hard rocker. "Sexy Music" is one of their best tracks featuring great work from bassist Cris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom, great vocals and lyrics from Curt, and a simple keyboard line which adds to the moodiness of the song. The bonus tracks includes four instrumental versions of the album's original tracks. The tracks "Paradise", "Sexy Music", and "Automatic Mojo" are a little heavier than the vocal versions with "Automatic Mojo" actually being stronger than the original. The final track "Fruit" is a showcase for Curt as he solos nearly the entire track, proving he could also play 100 mph if he so chooses. A fine album, it's probably their least diverse release as they stick to hard rock for the most part. If you like great power-trio hard rock, it's an essential purchase. Newcomers may want to check out Too High To Die, Meat Puppets II, or Up On The Sun first. April 10, 2005

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