Album: Meat Puppets, Meat Puppets, 1982 (reissue)
Best Track: "Blue-Green God"
Lasting Memory: I bought this debut EP from Meat Puppets in February 1992 after I had read the eleventy billionth interview in which Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain cited the Meat Puppets as an influence.
In truth, the Meat Puppets were a template for Nirvana. Every riff and lyrical conceit of Nirvana was lifted wholesale from the Meat Puppets, right down to the angular A chord that served as the base of each chorus.
I won't swear to the A chord, but I would go to the Supreme Court to defend the proposition that Nirvana stole their shtick from the Meat Puppets. I'd also have to concede the fact that Nirvana did the Meat Puppets much better than did the original puppeteers.
Comparing the Meat Puppets' "Blue-Green God" to Nirvana's "Negative Creep" is as informative as it it is unfair. It's like wondering why Hank Aaron topped Babe Ruth in total homers. Aaron would never have been swinging for the fences if he he hadn't followed Ruth, but Aaron threw his lumber with much more style and grace.
I don't dislike the Meat Puppets, and I definitely like Nirvana, but seeing the strings that connect both bands definitely reduces the "wow" factor whenever I hear either group's songs.
It's also the case that the student should surpass the master. Only if Led Zeppelin reworks "When the Levee Breaks" from Kansas Joe McCoy will rock 'n' roll magic happen.
Since Nirvana found the pop hook in the sonic sludge that the Meat Puppets created, more power to Nirvana. Fair play, after all, has to allow imitation and, sometimes, outright theft.
Maybe you can find it in your heart (or ears) to be blown away by "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" and excuse/laud Nirvana for "Heart Shaped Box." (Work with me, here. The songs sound totally similar, even though the lyrics are different.)
Up Next: The Mighty Lemon Drops, World Without End, 1988
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