Meat Puppets - II / 2 1984 Original SST 019 plays mostly Mint-

$

25

Meat Puppets
II
1984 original 1st pressing
SST Records - SST 019
VINYL GRADE : EX++ (9/12)
Vinyl looks EX++ to Mint- : light, superficial, faint marks.
Vinyl plays EX++ to Mint-, mostly Mint- : light background crackle / clicks faint and low in some quiet passages. Vinyl has a easily-playable quick-rise micro-warp that plays through perfect and is likely to not even be noticed.
Labels are EX+ / EX++
Cover is EX : intact seams; various imperfections.
Lyric inner-sleeve has intact seams.
Includes a HQ inner-sleeve (pictured) which the vinyl is stored in after being professionally machine-cleaned and graded.
Out of print original ~

A year and a half separated the Meat Puppets' first and second albums, and that time made all the difference in the world; sounding uncertain and fidgety on their debut, they had clearly found their groove, and 1984's Meat Puppets II was not just a quantum leap over their earlier recordings, it defined the parameters of their sonic landscape and is still justly regarded as their finest work. The Meat Puppets' earliest material found them trying to reconcile their obvious love of country and psychedelic rock while bashing away at hardcore tempos, but on Meat Puppets II they relaxed a bit and learned to let each song follow its own lead, and the jolly irony was that as they became more comfortable with their eclecticism, they also created a more unified approach that flattered the instrumental skills of guitarist Curt Kirkwood, bassist Cris Kirkwood, and drummer Derrick Bostrom, as well as the group's songwriting. The speedy chicken picking on "Magic Toy Missing," the punky roar of "Split Myself in Two," the languid noise of "Lake of Fire," and the relaxed, spaced-out groove of "Aurora Borealis" may not have had much in common on the surface, but the group's sense of stoned, sunny wonder permeated them all, and Curt's stellar guitar work and spaced-out vocals were a massive improvement over the blunt yet mushy attack of the first album. And though Meat Puppets II was a long way from slick, Spot's slightly more precise production and engineering gave the album a roomier, more approachable sound, and Curt's judicious palette of guitar overdubs allowed this to stumble gracefully in between vintage hard rock and neo-Grateful Dead influences. It would take Kurt Cobain's endorsement of the album almost ten years after the fact to alert the mainstream to the importance of Meat Puppets II (Nirvana covered three songs from the LP in their MTV Unplugged concert), but the album's playful trippiness was a welcome blow against the hegemony of the nascent indie rock scene, and decades later its energetic charm and resinous insights remain a delight.

-allmusic

RECORD GRADING SYSTEM for the 21st Century

Both scales below are the same showing the values of the vinyl condition.

VG is replaced with EX (some listings may have the right scale).

There is also a point scale 1 thru 12 ~

Half points & grades; (example: example EX++ to M-, mostly M- is a 10.5/12)
Please email with any questions ~

12 Point GRADING SCALE : 
12  MINT                                   aka  MINT 11  MINT-                                         MINT- 10  EX++ to MINT-                          VG++ to MINT- 9    EX++                                           VG++ 8    EX+ to EX++                               VG+ to VG++ 7    EX+                                              VG+ 6    EX to EX+                                    VG to VG+ 5    EX                                                 VG 4    EX- to EX                                     VG- to VG 3    EX-                                                VG- 2    Poor/Worst to EX-                         Poor/G to VG- 1    Poor/Worst                                     Poor/G

Note : possible camera-glare on the cover and other surfaces.

Packaged protectively for safe and secure shipping with USPS tracking.

Thank you ~ all the best to your vinyl endeavors ~