Disco de Meat Puppets: “Out My Way”

The stuff added onto the reissue is very cool -- makes you want to fire up your own jam session -- but the original six tracks still constitute a terrific EP in their own right. Basically, this EP bridges the subtlety of "Up On The Sun" and the punch of "Huevos" (overlooking "Mirage", where despite some fine tracks the muse felt a little forced). And its best tracks have a certain "magical" quality that is impossible to describe, but instantly recognizable. Agree w/ previous reviewer re "Out My Way" -- simply an amazing, hypnotic spin on so-called "classic rock". "Down in its cave/My heart lays/Its own sun/Lights the day". Incredible stuff. Also superb is "Not Swimming Ground", with a wondrous solo and joyous bass, seriously threatening to get you a speeding ticket. These two alone are among the very best stuff by the band, probably among the most transcendent hundred-odd rock songs I know of (from "Rubber Soul" up through the present -- I admit I kind of lost track of most stuff after "Too High To Die" or so. Maybe because I turned 30 around then or something). "Other Kinds of Love" is the other standout, a psychedelic gem, and the rest range from solid to fun, with nary a dog in the bunch.

The Meat Puppets released Out My Way in 1986 as a six-song EP stopgap release between the albums Up On The Sun and Mirage. As on their previous albums, they continued to expand their horizons by adding funk and more traditional classic rock to their cowpunk roots. Cris Kirkwood's bass lines were also becoming very creative at this point which not only complemented his brother Curt's guitar work but also made them sound even more distinctive than they already were.

Out My Way starts off with "She's Hot" and the title track which are both catchy and very funky proving the band could pretty much pull off any genre they try. "Other Kinds Of Love" is another great track with its mood swings sounding reminiscent of the material on Up On The Sun. "Not Swimming Ground" is an awesome song and arguably the best example of the musical interplay between the Kirkwood brothers. "Mountain Line" is a return to their cowpunk roots, possessing the fire that comprised their previous work but not sounding as rough. And speaking of rough, we get the loose and heavy version of "Good Golly Miss Holly" which is actually the weakest track of the original six that comprised the album. As with all of their earlier albums, several tracks have been added to the remastered version. However, the extra songs included here actually add to the release. "Burn The Honky Tonk Down" and "Boyhood Home" continue the band's country leanings while "Background Drums" shows the experimentation that would comprise their next album Mirage. "On The Move" is also another strong track. However, the best of the new tracks, and one of the best on the album period, is the 8 1/2-minute instrumental "Everything Is Green" which shows that the Meat Puppets can also be an awesome jam band if they so choose. Also included is another rough cover tune, this time it's "I Just Want To Make Love To You." The truth is, it's the rough cover versions of this and "Good Golly Miss Molly" which prevent this from being one of their classic albums. Still, it's a great release and definitely worth picking up.

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