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“Lake of Fire” – The Meat Puppets
(Words/music: Curt Kirkwood, available on Meat Puppets II, SST 1984)

In many ways, Nirvana shaped my musical taste.  In addition to being my first love, they introduced me to the idea that pop songs could also be “outside the box.”  Nevermind was my first taste of songs that were loud and abrasive yet still melodic, but it was the Unplugged in New York performance that led me down the rabbit hole toward the stranger (and often more rewarding) pop music that wasn’t wildly popular.  As with The Vaselines, I first heard of the Meat Puppets through Kurt Cobain’s interpretation of their songs.  These songs (including the Bowie cover) are peculiar and a little rough around the edges, and I was a little surprised when I sought them out and found the original recordings a little stranger.  Thinking about it now, it makes sense that the Unplugged performance was a little more polished due to the circumstances – a mostly acoustic, made-for-TV performance.  Regardless, this was the perfect scenario for someone like me at that time – a teenager curious to learn more about music – to experience these songs.  By hearing polished interpretations by an iconic performer, I heard the beauty of these songs without having to look for it buried in a recording.  It also gave me a running start when exploring some of these bands later on.

The Meat Puppets’ version of “Lake of Fire” feels more like Hell than the Nirvana performance.  Curt Kirkwood’s vocals sound like a tortured soul enduring an eternity’s worth of torture.  In particular, I love the guitar sound in this version; it sounds like a bubbling, curdling pool of lava flowing through the song, filling every crack with its watery distortion.  The whole thing sounds equal parts foreboding biblical sermon and shambolic sound collage.  When put together, the song sounds a little less serious, as both the music and the narrative sound like they’re having fun rather than waiting for the Rapture.  Strangely enough, the chorus implants itself right in your head, making you sound a little strange walking through the store singing about tortured souls.  Still, it’s a lot more fun than I imagine hell would be (maybe?)

More on The Meat Puppets: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm