Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Huevos as a late bid for ZZ-Top worship in the Meat Puppet's canon


OK...this is understandably weird. If (Bay Area) Mac hadn't made the off-hand comment long ago that this blog needs "more Meat Puppets", after he retrospectively sorted through our drunken commentary of the Rockies' 2007 HIGHS and lows since KTH's mid-summer inception, I wouldn't be blogging about the 6th record from the Pups.
I assume (selfishly) that there was no Rocky Mountain sports other than the Rox that was relevant during that Sept/Oct timeframe.
After the current hot stove action, I hope the Rockies aren't left in some horrible basement crashpad with the lowly Giants - the Pads, Dodgers, and D-Backs made very bold moves over the past couple weeks, the Rockies have not. The wealthy, free-spending NL West contingent can bite me. So can anyone who doesn't like the Meat Puppets.
That said, Huevos is an awesome name for an album. It fucking means "Eggs"...is that brilliant or what? I say brilliant. My 2 year old daughter has a Huevos T-shirt I made for her. It looks rad.
My brief comments on the record itself:
If Huevos isn't a total ZZ-Top tribute filtered through post-punk psychedelia ("Paradise" "Dry Rain", or "Fruit") it's a logical harder-rockin' move forward after Mirage...("Bad Love") or it's just plain simpleton-rock ("Automatic Mojo") Whatever angle...it's a great record that got much play on my personal stereo back in '88 and on the Streetlight Records 24th St. system in SF back in the day when me and Ms. Winder and Tiberculosis had influence on that record store's playlist.
To deviate from the ZZ-Top angle that has been rock journalized pretty much to death since Huevos came out....please check out "Angel From the Coast" from Thin Lizzy on the Jailbreak record. It sounds like a goddam Huevos outtake with Phil Lynott singing for the Pups.
"...fruit on the vine. ice water fountain" that sounds mighty nice.
Oh yeah, to make this Denver sports relevant....
the Av's got a point but lost in OT to Anaheim tonight. The NW division is fucking tough.
So long Saueroid. Welcome back (i guess???) Ernster.

8 comments:

TroutDog said...

The glue for this whole record is Derrick Bostrom's 16th-not high hat work. Without that undercurrent through the record, there is no ZZ-Top Eliminator magic!!

I know I could use a remastered Huevos cd. My copy is an ipod nightmare in a shuffle. Almost as bad as a Dischord record as far as shitty mastering and low volume.....Oh crazy, got myself a job. Oh crazy, one more bank to rob!

Mac said...

The Huevos album cover is like a stripped down tribute of sorts to the Tex-Mex food spread on the inner sleeve of "Tres Hombres".

Sonic Tooth said...

yeah most SST label CD's are (like the aforementioned Dischord) iPod shuffle volume chaos-makers.
whoo boy, just hope a Scholastic Deth song doesn't come on next, or you'll blow your speakers. (or jarringly wake up a napping child in the backseat on the way home from Steamboat...you'll have to believe me on that one. I've got experience)

Mac said...

Speaking of SST (and Warners), where are the Husker Du remasters?

I'm looking at you, Candy Apple Grey.

TroutDog said...

I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention those crappy Replacements mastering jobs (both Sire and Twin-Tone era). Nothing like "cranking down" some Dope Smoking Moron. Maybe they've been remastered?

Mac said...

Awhile back it was announced that Ryko would do the Twin-Tone re-ishes, and Rhino would do the Warners'...but that was a long time ago. Can't hardly wait...

Sonic Tooth said...

I think the Twin/Tone records were re-ished and remastered 5 years ago or so (in my waning rekkid store buyer days) by Restless Records.
I don't think any of the major label stuff ever got remastered though. There was some best of that came out a year or so ago on Rhino, maybe those tracks got spiffed up?

Mac said...

did some digging around - there was some Rhino box set that was supposed to come out this year, but hain't...'Mats in '08!