MEAT PUPPETS No Joke! '95 Promo POSTER Texas Cow Punk

MEAT PUPPETS NO JOKE! POSTERCategory / Style: Rock American Underground Alternative Pop/ Rock Hardcore Punk Cowpunk American Punk College Rock Spicy Playful Freewheeling Trippy Wry Irreverent Druggy Summery Quirky RollickingARTIST: MEAT PUPPETSTITLE: NO JOKE!ITEM: PROMO POSTERDATE/LABEL: 1995 LONDONAPPROXIMATE SIZE IN INCHES: 24 x 30CONDITION: EXCELLENT 8 OF 10 OR BETTER WITH MINOR HANDLING AND EDGE DINGS IF ANYTOUGH TO FIND DOUBLE SIDED POSTER IN EXCELLENT LIKE NEW CONDITION!Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Too High to Die was a surprise success in 1994, so it's not a big surprise that The Meat Puppets didn't mess with the formula for their follow-up, No Joke! Not that the band's essential sound has changed all that much over the years -- it's still a warped, sun-fried amalgam of punk, Southern rock, heavy metal, and country. For Too High to Die, they had not only streamlined their approach enough to appeal to a wider audience, but the music world had changed enough to make them seem like a mainstream rock & roll band. No Joke! might have a heavier production than its predecessor, but the tunes and riffs are cut from the same mold as before. It's an extremely competent album and is frequently enjoyable, but it doesn't have the same wild spark as their mid-'80s classics, nor does it have the bizarre sense of humor -- which makes No Joke! just an average Meat Puppets record. Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Out of all of the bands that made SST Records a towering force in the American underground during the mid-'80s, the Meat Puppets lasted the longest, surviving where other bands fell apart. The Meat Puppets never had the dedicated following of Hüsker Dü or the Minutemen — two fellow SST bands who played the same circuit as the Puppets — but they were able to carve out a long career where other hardcore bands could not, because they always drew from conventional hard rock as well as punk. Not only did they play hard, loud, and fast, but they also had elements of the blues-rock of ZZ Top, the ambling folk-rock of the Grateful Dead, and Neil Young's country-rock and hard rock. As they grew older, the band matured musically, developing an accomplished instrumental technique and moving closer to the traditional hard rock that was always underneath their punk. But they never quite abandoned their punk roots, even when they briefly broke into the mainstream in the early '90s. The core of the Meat Puppets was Curt (guitar; b. January 10, 1959) and Cris Kirkwood (bass; b. October 22, 1960), a pair of brothers born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. As teenagers, the Kirkwoods played in local rock & roll bands, primarily playing mainstream rock and hard rock. After graduating from a Jesuit prep school, the brothers formed the Meat Puppets in 1980 with drummer Derrick Bostrom. Unlike the Kirkwoods' earlier bands, the Meat Puppets were directly inspired by punk rock; they were so committed to keeping the music punk that they refused to rehearse. A little over a year after their formation, the Meat Puppets released their first EP, In a Car, on World Imitation. At this point in their career, the band was at its noisiest, playing furious hardcore with avant-garde leanings. Greg Ginn, the lead guitarist for Black Flag and the head of SST Records, heard the record and offered the Meat Puppets a contract with SST. In 1982, the band released their full-length eponymous debut album on SST, which continued in the experimental vein of their EP.This exquisite slice of retro Rock'n'Roll Americana history is an original first and only print single sheet paper promotional advertisement (A.K.A. handbill or flyer) for a music recording as released on CD, LP and/or cassette. Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Combine Items to Save $$$!©A Sound Deal