Classic Rock Cliff Notes Episode 159

Despite earning deep cult respect, mainstream radio recognition eluded them until late 1993.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Can you guess which artist or song Matt Witzel is talking about? It's Classic Rock Cliff Notes on the Goad Rocks PA. On today's episode of Classic Rock Cliff Notes, we take a look at a band that formed in Phoenix, Arizona back in January 1980. The original lineup came together when two brothers teamed up with a local drummer after relocating there in the late 70s. The trio initially honed their sound while practicing in a vacant shed in nearby Sun City. Taking their moniker from an original song composed by the front man in June of 1979, the group merged raw punk noise with unusual passion for country, blues, and psychedelic rock. In June 1982, the group issued their self-titled debut album through a legendary California independent label. Rather than staying in a safe groove, they shocked critics in April 1984 by releasing a groundbreaking second record that traded fast punk tempos for sun-baked desert cowpunk and acoustic melodies. Their creative output remained relentless throughout the decade, leading them to record an entire studio album in just three days in August of 1987. Despite earning deep cult respect, mainstream radio recognition eluded them until late 1993. That November, a legendary Seattle grunge band invited the two brothers onto the stage during an iconic live MTV on plug taping to perform three of their tracks. Leveraging that massive television exposure, the group released their breakthrough studio album in January 1994. Driven by a top mainstream rock hit, the album earned gold certification, proving that these desert icons could conquer mainstream radio on their own terms and leave a mark on alternative music history. So now the handsome time to think will tell you who it is. The band we're talking about today is Meat Puppets. With 15 studio albums across a career spanning over four decades, they were made one of the most influential forces in American alternative rock. Their signature single, Backwater, climbed to number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart back in nineteen ninety four. That's your classic rock lift notes.