In A Car
Encyclopedia
In a Car is the Meat Puppets
' first recording and was originally issued on L.A. art collective/record label World Imitation records as a 5 track 7" EP. It was recorded in Silver Lake studio in Los Angeles on the June 4, 1981 with Ed Barger (who had engineered several early Devo
singles). In a Car was first re-issued as a 7" on SST Records in 1985 after the success of their early LPs. The EP was also included on an SST compilation cassette (and later cd) "The 7 Inch Wonders of the World".
While the original EP featured only five tracks, six tracks were recorded at the session including the song "Hair" written by fellow World Imitation band Monitor. It was released as a lone Meat Puppets track on the first Monitor LP on World Imitation records. It wasn't on any Meat Puppets release until Rykodisc
issued the song as a bonus track (with the entire first EP and many outtakes) on the 1999 reissue of the first LP, Meat Puppets
.
The EP contains 5 songs in as many minutes and is the band's most hardcore
release. On first listen, many of the lyrics sound like unintelligible screaming and (with the exception of the instrumental "Out In The Gardener") the songs are thrashed through at breakneck speed. The group would begin to move away from this sound on their first album Meat Puppets
, and completely abandon it on all subsequent releases.
Although the band are often associated with the early 80's U.S. hardcore scene, during their initial tenure in L.A., when In a Car was recorded, they were more closely aligned with the post-punk and art-rock community which spanned groups like the Urinals
and Human Hands through to the L.A.F.M.S.
.
.
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
' first recording and was originally issued on L.A. art collective/record label World Imitation records as a 5 track 7" EP. It was recorded in Silver Lake studio in Los Angeles on the June 4, 1981 with Ed Barger (who had engineered several early Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
singles). In a Car was first re-issued as a 7" on SST Records in 1985 after the success of their early LPs. The EP was also included on an SST compilation cassette (and later cd) "The 7 Inch Wonders of the World".
While the original EP featured only five tracks, six tracks were recorded at the session including the song "Hair" written by fellow World Imitation band Monitor. It was released as a lone Meat Puppets track on the first Monitor LP on World Imitation records. It wasn't on any Meat Puppets release until Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
issued the song as a bonus track (with the entire first EP and many outtakes) on the 1999 reissue of the first LP, Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
.
The EP contains 5 songs in as many minutes and is the band's most hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
release. On first listen, many of the lyrics sound like unintelligible screaming and (with the exception of the instrumental "Out In The Gardener") the songs are thrashed through at breakneck speed. The group would begin to move away from this sound on their first album Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
, and completely abandon it on all subsequent releases.
Although the band are often associated with the early 80's U.S. hardcore scene, during their initial tenure in L.A., when In a Car was recorded, they were more closely aligned with the post-punk and art-rock community which spanned groups like the Urinals
Urinals (band)
The Urinals are a punk rock band from Southern California. Known for their minimalist approach to songwriting and recording — their lyrics have been called "punk haiku" — the band influenced other punk rockers of the 1970s and 1980s including the Minutemen....
and Human Hands through to the L.A.F.M.S.
Los Angeles Free Music Society
The Los Angeles Free Music Society has been, since the early 1970s, the banner heading of a loose collective of experimental musicians in Los Angeles, California who were joined by an aesthetic based around radicalism and playfulness...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Meat PuppetsMeat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
.
- "In a Car" – 1:15
- "Big House" – 1:01
- "Dolphin Field" – 1:04
- "Out in the Gardener" – 0:59
- "Foreign Lawns" – 0:34