Friday, May 28, 2010

Arizona Audioblogging: Meat Puppets Live at the Mason Jar, Phoenix, June 8, 1985

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Compared to the last Meat Puppets performance I posted, which was nearly a year earlier, this one is much better sounding, but I still recorded it on a ghetto blaster, so, you know, don't expect King Biscuit quality. This was at the Mason Jar in Phoenix, a place I remember being small and unremarkable. I believe this was the last show of theirs that I saw in Arizona before returning to college in San Diego full-time.

But what a difference a year makes! Like the earlier tape, the MPs are again mostly doing songs from Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun, but what were new songs then are now very practiced, extremely tight, executed almost perfectly. To be honest, I can't say this is an improvement; I kind of prefer the chaotic qualities of the earlier show. Still, though, their skill is hair-raising here, and it's sometimes hard to believe it's a three-piece. Things get looser towards the end as the band plays ridiculous/awesome versions of "CC Rider" and "Country Road" as well as a superb "Not Fade Away." Halfway through a stodgy cover of "Tennessee Waltz," Curt says, "I hate this song!" and stops playing it. Fun show!

It's in two pieces, and it's over 80-minutes-long! Get the 120mg zipped files here.

PS: I was thrilled that drummer Derrick Bostrom, always the nicest guy, left a comment on the last post. Derrick: several years ago, I offered to send you these tapes. I was too poor at the time, though, and never got around to it. If you still want them, you should email me, because I'd love for you to have them.

7 comments:

dinthebeast said...

Thank you for this. It reminds me of the first time I saw them at the Berkeley Square. Also, having Derrick Bostrom advise you to post these here does elevate you into rarefied space as far as I can tell. Just sayin'...

-Doug in Oakland

Peteykins said...

I wouldn't say that Derrick advised me to post these here.

dbostrom said...

I do advise it.

Peteykins said...

Excellent! More coming up.

Anonymous said...

I wish _I_ had seen the Meat Puppets...sigh. I saw everyone else.

Anonymous said...

Here's an imperfect list... I first saw them a little more than a month later: July 28, 1985 at The Dream Palace in New Orleans.

The Meat Puppets
at The Mason Jar
Phoenix, AZ
June 8, 1985
-"Puppet Party"


Part One (47:09)

1. Creator
2. Maiden’s Milk
3. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
4. Two Rivers
5. Up On The Sun
6. Swimming Ground
7. Away
8. Enchanted Pork Fist
9. Too Real
10. Buckethead
11. Lake Of Fire
12. Lost
13. Oh, Me
14. Animal Kingdom [at 40:11]
15. Hot Pink
16. Magic Toy Missing [instr.]

Part Two (35:38)

17. Paralyzed [minus beginning]
18. CC Rider
19. Country Roads
20. Child Of The Moon
21. Good Golly Miss Molly {…into}
22. Not Fade Away
23. The Ballad Of The Green Beret [at 18:11]
24. Tennessee Waltz [stopped]
25. Please Help Me, I’m Falling
26. Trouble
27. Split Myself In Two [at 26:18]

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the live Pups, and please don't take them down soon so I have time to get 'em all!

I first saw the Pups at the Berkeley Square in Jan '85--life-changing evening for a rabid music freak.