Monsters is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Meat Puppets, released in October 1989. Their last release on SST Records, it was reissued on Rykodisc in 1999 with additional bonus tracks, recording notes by Derrick Bostrom and liner notes by music journalist Mark Kemp. As an added bonus, the reissue includes an "Enhanced CD" partition for play on home computers. Monsters offers the promotional video for "Light". The clip was produced and directed by Bill Taylor and features shots of the Puppets live in concert.
| Monsters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–89 | |||
| Studio | For the Record, Orange, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:01 (Original) 59:46 (Reissue) | |||
| Label | SST (253) | |||
| Producer | Meat Puppets | |||
| Meat Puppets chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editDerrick Bostrom stated in 1999 that the album originated with demos for major labels, but that the band decided to record Monsters with SST anyway because it took too long for majors to take notice. Kirkwood added that the album had been a response to acts like Bon Jovi and that with Monsters he wanted to show that the Meat Puppets could be a mainstream rock band.[2]
Content
editMusical style
editMonsters was described as a "heavy rock attack" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine in an AllMusic biography of the band,[1] while Roaul Hernandez of Austin Chronicle remarked that the record was "metal all the way".[2] Greg Prato stated that the Monsters was best described as a "cross" of the two preceding Meat Puppets albums, Huevos and Mirage.[3]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [4] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| NME | 6/10[6] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[8] |
AllMusic's Greg Prato gave a mixed review of Monsters, commenting that while songs were "hindered" by "synth textures" and individual instrument recording, the record had "several highlights" including a "vicious" album opener in "Attacked By Monsters", and the "tough rocker" "The Void".[3]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Curt Kirkwood.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Attacked by Monsters" | 4:43 |
| 2. | "Light" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Meltdown" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "In Love" | 3:50 |
| 5. | "The Void" | 6:32 |
| 6. | "Touchdown King" | 6:07 |
| 7. | "Party Till the World Obeys" | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Flight of the Fire Weasel" | 3:16 |
| 9. | "Strings on Your Heart" | 5:10 |
| 10. | "Like Being Alive" | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Wish Upon a Storm" | 4:27 |
| 12. | "Flight of the Fire Weasel, Pt. 1" | 4:25 |
| 13. | "Flight of the Fire Weasel, Pt. 2" | 4:44 |
Personnel
edit- Meat Puppets
- Curt Kirkwood - guitar, vocals
- Cris Kirkwood - bass, vocals
- Derrick Bostrom - drums
References
edit- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Meat Puppets | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Hernandez, Raoul (9 April 1999). "What is this? - Music". Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "Monsters - Meat Puppets". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ Kot, Greg (1989-12-21). "Meat Puppets Monsters (SST)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 9780857125958.
- ^ Williams, Simon (18 November 1989). "The Meat Puppets – Monsters". NME.
- ^ "CG: Meat Puppets". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780679755746.
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