Meat Puppets

If the Meat Puppets were judged solely on the merits of their masterpiece achievement Meat Puppets II, they might be considered the greatest rock 'n' roll band of all time. Released at a time when country was still considered dumb hick music by the legions of underground rock enthusiasts immersed in the D.C. Hardcore scene -- and with Palace Brothers still a long way off -- the record is the Sweetheart of the Rodeo of its generation. Rooted in the weird landscapes of the southwestern desert they came from, the Meat Puppets's fractured country/punk songs offered a never-before encountered number of chops that were, on top of it all, psychedelic as hell. They released great records into the '90s -- ever honing their craft -- but for many of their early fans, their sound became a little over-honed as the looseness and throw-away attitude of their Punk origins gave way to rigid musicianship and a creeping Zappa feel. Still, the Meat Puppets stand as one of the great bands of the 1980s.