Blending punk, country, and psychedelic looseness, Arizona’s Meat Puppets were ahead of their time in fusing genres that shouldn’t have fit together. Their cult classic ‘Plateau’ perfectly exemplifies this eccentric, desert-baked sound.
I’ll get flak for recommending this record above Meat Puppets II, the one Kurt Cobain covered in his famous MTV Unplugged concert. The Meat Puppets were the third great SST band, and all three grew by leaps and bounds in the mid-’80s. With Meat Puppets II (1984), the Arizona post-punkers reveal a dizzying range of artistry, from slam-dance hardcore to virtuosic instrumentals to jam-band psychedelia. With Up on the Sun, the band finds its groove, reeling off a stream of melodic, light-psychedelic guitar-boogie classics. Warm guitar riffs anchor most of the songs, and the Kirkwood brothers adorn them with their unique brand of hypnotic, vaguely off-key harmonies: this is college radio’s answer to Disraeli Gears.
Arizona’s Meat Puppets were ahead of their time in fusing genres that shouldn’t have fit together. Their cult classic ‘Plateau’ perfectly exemplifies this eccentric, desert-baked sound.
Nirvana’s legendary MTV Unplugged performance briefly introduced the track to a wider audience, but the Curt and Cris Kirkwood-led band remains criminally underrated. They helped pave the way for alternative rock by fearlessly breaking down barriers.
The Fat Angel Sings 
Yaaay!