ARTIST: The Meat Puppets
TITLE: Up on the Sun
YEAR RELEASED: 1985
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: Swimming Ground
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Probably not
LINEUP: Curt Kirkwood, Cris Kirkwood, Derrick Bostrom
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: The Meat Puppets’ release a laid-back, country-tinged record that’s psychedelic and weird while being normal at the same time.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: This album is bifurcated, in that the guitar and the playing are pretty darn straight up – tight and impressive with Curt Kirkwood’s guitar’s sounding very clean and interacting well with his brother Cris’ bass and Derrick Bostrom’s drums. Everything is solid and clean.
Then, the songs, and the lyrics. Curt’s vocals are mellow and still trying to find a note or five, and at times “Up on the Sun” sounded like the record was warped as he was singing. There’s a lazy vibe – like they’re baked out in the sun (and I don’t mean they’re sunbathing). Here’s also where Curt and Cris start singing together (at times here), which can smooth out the ‘oddities’.
This is a more stylistically together album, so there’s not an element of surprise. It’s a good, kinda mellow record with some excellent playing.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: Curt Kirkwood did the cover painting, and Bostrom did the sleeve art.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Yes, a few outtakes
GRADE A-: A fine, mellow-ish, trip.