Customer Reviews

No Joke

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's face it, we've all got our opinions, but after reading the subpar reviews of "No Joke," I couldn't sit idly by.

In and of itself, "No Joke" is not only one of the Meat Puppets' best albums, it's also one of the best albums- PERIOD.

There's not a single bad song, and each one is actually quite excellent. Notables: Scum, Nothing, Head, Taste of the Sun, Vampires, Predator, Poison Arrow, Eyeball, For Free, Cobbler, Inflatable, Sweet Ammonia, and ESPECIALLY Chemical Garden.

Yes, I know that's all 13 songs. Go out, find it, obtain it, listen to it. THIS IS A GREAT, GREAT ALBUM.


Other great Meat Puppets albums:

TOO HIGH TO DIE (just as good, if not better than "No Joke," but they're close)
GOLDEN LIES (same as above, but this is not the same band)
UP ON THE SUN
FORBIDDEN PLACES
MONSTERS
HUEVOS
MIRAGE


Other GREAT Curt Kirkwood related items:

EYES ADRIFT - "Eyes Adrift" (notables: Untried, Telescope, Alaska, Solid, Pyramids,Sleight of Hand)

VOLCANO - "Volcano" (notables: Love Mine, Pine Cone, Run Aground, Blown Away)

CURT KIRKWOOD - "Snow" (notables: Here Comes Forever, Beautiful Weapon, Box of Limes, In Bone, Circles)

The man is a genius. Get his stuff.

I am shocked to be the second reviewer! My predecessor tells no lies. This album is among the Puppets' best. "Taste of the Sun" has the same type of inescapable melody as "Whirlpool" from Forbidden Places. "Scum" combines Byrds-like harmonies with a totally rocking beat that kicks the equally cool film "Suburbia" into gear. "Nothing" and "Eyeball" bring out the Pups' psychedelic side while tunes like "Cobbler" bring out their country twang amidst a series of tunes that rock with the intensity of Too High Too Die's "We Don't Exist!"

This album is amazing. Vampires and Taste of the Sun are great. This is one of my favorite puppet albums along with II and Up On the Sun.

I can fully understand other reviewer' accusations of "Who are these guys and what have they done with the Meat Puppets?" One really can't help but wonder if the Pups were trying to be ironic calling the album "No Joke!" when track 8 on the disc is built on an over-the-top Sabbath style riff and a chorus of "Suuuuuck.... my eyeball!"
And granted, there are some pretty unforgivable songs here; more specifically Cris' contributions (Curt's most embarrassing fare probably being "Predator"). A lot of the album recalls the post-Nirvana sleaze grunge that infected most of the mid 90s, combined with the Kirkwood brothers' own trainwreck melodies and earthy lyrical nonsense.
For me it took a listen on a road trip to finally begin to enjoy this album. I first began to appreciate the blend of psychedelia and Native American spirituality that call home in songs like "Taste of the Sun" and "Poison Arrow." I also grew fond of "For Free" for Curt's ability to ironically sound so defeated when he announces that "the battle for the future has been won." However, it will probably be years before I allow myself to listen to "Cobbler" or "Inflatable" again.
If you'd like to get into the 80's Meat Puppets, I would recommend Meat Puppets II or Up On the Sun, but if you'd prefer 90's MP, check out Too High to Die.

very good. in 95, when i bought it, didnt really like it and sold it at a used cd store. but as i get older and grow to really appreciate the puppets, i realize it is a great album of songs by a maturing, brilliant,original band.

I like this album a lot. But it puzzled me for a long time - a couple of years at least.

I'm an old school puppethead but unlike some I really enjoyed their evolution from psychedelic punk to psychedelic country and thence to psychedelic hard rock. Too High To Die and Forbidden Places are right up there with Up On The Sun in my opinion.

I view No Joke as Too High To Die II, but with a twist. The twist of course being Cris Kirkwood's slide into heroin addiction. Remember that there was no tour for this record, which was a first in the band's history. They broke up and Cris disappeared into the desert.

Everyone in the band had to know what was going on. Certainly Curt must have known. And that sense of impending doom (and mortality) is all over this record. In some of the songs it's overt - for example Taste of the Sun and Poison Arrow. And let's not forget the album cover. What, exactly, is "No Joke?" Well the cover depicts a decomposing corpse wearing an idiot grin so I'd say it's death.

Even Cris seems to have an inkling that things are going off the rails. In "Cobbler" he wishes for a new pair of shoes as he slips underneath the slime and it's hard to read "Inflatable" as anything other than a pitiful cry of despair.

With all that said, there's a lot to like here. It is the Meat Puppets after all. The psychedelic guitar swirls and vocal insanity are dialed up to 11, and there are some tracks that are absolutely amazing. Taste of the Sun and Chemical Garden are pretty (and have great lyrics) and Nothing and Sweet Ammonia are Curt Kirkwood at his best: killer rock tracks with clever, creepy, nihilistic lyrics and ferocious, tripped out guitar.

If you've heard the Meat Puppets are a cool band and you're looking for a first record to try, I'd go with one of the others. (actually three: Meat Puppets II, Up On The Sun, and Too High To Die). But if you like any of the latter era puppets (from Monsters on) then No Joke is well worth the money.

Pups have always been a challenging band to me, and I have luved 'em for nigh on 20 years. Like many great musicians, they take dark themes and emotions and juxtapose with divine & talented music to seemingly conquer the demons if only for a moment. This record is a prime example of encountering scum, ammonia, chemicals, vampires and poison but somehow overcoming the boogie man with plenty of... boogie?

Like all great blues, country, etc, if you can respond to your troubles with great music even the darkest thoughts can become an excuse for a good tune!

I was slowly going through the Meat Puppet albums and I had put this one off because of the bad reviews. It turns out this is one of my favorite MP albums, behind only MPII and Up on the Sun. For me it is neck in neck with Too High to Die, with No Joke! having some better songs, but Too High to Die maintaining a level of energy throughout that is lacking in most albums.

My favorite tracks are Head, Taste of the Sun, Vampires, Predator, and Poison Arrow. I think 'Taste of the Sun' was better hit material than 'Backwater.' As for the 'bad' songs mentioned in other reviews, I do think 'Eyeball' sucks and it seems to be trying for more than it accomplishes. 'Inflatable' does nothing for me, but the other Cris song 'Cobbler' is actually pretty decent.

I do think the Meat Puppets could have achieved wider popularity with this album if 1) Cris Kirkwood didn't succumb to drugs at that time, which messed up their tours and momentum towards mainstream success, 2) 'Taste of the Sun' was the first single to be released, 3) 'Poison Arrow' was released as a single instead of 'Scum,' since it is the better hard rock song.

This album is outstanding. Do not listen to the negative reviews on this site. This album is one of a kind. Some very twisted lyrics with excellent melodies. If you are a fan of the 90's alternative era you will absolutely love this album. This is by far my favorite album from the Puppets. You will question the lyrics again and again and say that's Mr. Curt Kirkwood he's a pure genius. "Impaled by a candy sword" On Poison Arrow. "To see it in an apple light" On Predator. I say to myself what the heck is an apple light. No songwriter like Curt. I mean who can think of that stuff. Only Curt!

It's not really among their top tier efforts, but I actually like most of this one. It's true that this is often the closest they've come to "mainstream grunge" (until the vocals come in, "Eyeball" sounds a lot like Pearl Jam), but they do add a little of their own weird psychedelic twist to things, and tracks like "Sweet Ammonia" and "Taste Of The Sun" are some of the most beautiful things they had done in years. Not necessarily the first thing I'd pick up, but if you're already a fan, it's worth a listen.