Too High to Die | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 25, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Studio | The Warehouse, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:06 | |||
Label | London | |||
Producer | Meat Puppets, Paul Leary | |||
Meat Puppets chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Cover of the limited edition featuring the Raw Meat EP |
Too High to Die is the eighth studio album by American rock band the Meat Puppets. The album was released on January 25, 1994, by London Records. It was produced by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The album's title is a parody of The Ramones' 1984 album Too Tough to Die .
A limited edition of Too High to Die included the 10" vinyl promo EP Raw Meat . The cover art on this limited edition features more color than the simply pink-toned normal cover.
The album was supported by a lengthy tour, which included spots opening for the likes of Blind Melon, Soul Asylum, and Stone Temple Pilots (and shortly before the album's release, Nirvana).
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [6] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 [9] |
Too High to Die sold very well due to the success of its single "Backwater", which reached #2 and #11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts respectively. The album itself also reached #1 on the Heatseekers chart, making it one of the Meat Puppets' most successful and highest ranking albums to date. The album was certified gold [10] by the RIAA on October 6, 1994.
The rarely-seen video for "We Don't Exist" was nominated for "Best Metal/Hard Rock Video" at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to White Zombie's "More Human than Human".
In May 2012, the title of a book about the Meat Puppets' history borrowed part of the album's title, Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets. [11]
In July 2014, Guitar World placed Too High to Die at number 44 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list. [12]
In October 2014, the Alternative Nation website listed Too High to Die at number 9 in their "Top 10 Alternative Rock Albums Of 1994" list. [13]
All songs written by Curt Kirkwood, unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Violet Eyes" | 3:51 | |
2. | "Never to Be Found" | 4:46 | |
3. | "We Don't Exist" | 3:44 | |
4. | "Severed Goddess Hand" | 2:59 | |
5. | "Flaming Heart" | 4:49 | |
6. | "Shine" | 3:50 | |
7. | "Station" | Cris Kirkwood | 2:22 |
8. | "Roof with a Hole" | 3:34 | |
9. | "Backwater" | 3:42 | |
10. | "Things" | 4:06 | |
11. | "Why?" | 4:20 | |
12. | "Evil Love" | Cris Kirkwood | 3:07 |
13. | "Comin' Down" (features "Lake of Fire" as a hidden track) | 6:56 |
Meat Puppets
Production
Album – Billboard (United States)
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
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Billboard Heatseekers | 1 |
US Billboard 200 | 62 |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1994 | "Backwater" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |
Modern Rock Tracks | 11 | ||
The Billboard Hot 100 | 47 | ||
Top 40 Mainstream | 31 | ||
"We Don't Exist" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
Meat Puppets is an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood, and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix. The three then moved to Tempe, Arizona, where the Kirkwood brothers purchased two adjacent homes, one of which had a shed in the back where they regularly practiced.
MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 1, 1994, by DGC Records. It features an acoustic performance recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993, for the television series MTV Unplugged.
Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. It is the band's second album with bassist Ben Shepherd, and features new producer Michael Beinhorn. Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown captured the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.
"Lake of Fire" is a song by the American alternative rock band the Meat Puppets. It appears on their 1984 album Meat Puppets II and also appears as a hidden track on their 1994 album Too High to Die.
Up on the Sun is the third album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1985 by SST Records. The album features a cleaner and more technical sound with a more psychedelic rock feel, in contrast to the sloppy punk approach of their first album (1982), while continuing with the mystical, poetic lyrics and country-inflected songwriting of Meat Puppets II (1984).
Derrick Edwin Bostrom is an American musician. He is a founding member and current drummer of the band Meat Puppets.
Christopher "Cris" Kirkwood is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative punk rock band.
Monsters is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Meat Puppets, released in October 1989. Their last release on SST Records, it was reissued on Rykodisc in 1999 with additional bonus tracks, recording notes by Derrick Bostrom and liner notes by music journalist Mark Kemp. As an added bonus, the reissue includes an "Enhanced CD" partition for play on home computers. Monsters offers the promotional video for "Light". The clip was produced and directed by Bill Taylor and features shots of the Puppets live in concert.
Forbidden Places is the seventh studio album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1991. It is their first release on London Records.
Meat Puppets II is the second album by the Phoenix, Arizona band the Meat Puppets, released in 1984. It is a departure from their self-titled debut album, which consisted largely of noisy hardcore with unintelligible vocals. It covers many genres from country-style rock to slow acoustic songs to psychedelic guitar effects.
Meat Puppets is the first album by American band the Meat Puppets, released in 1982. The album is unlike their later, better-known releases due to its hardcore punk sound.
Huevos is the fifth studio album by the Arizona alternative rock band the Meat Puppets. It is said to have a strong ZZ Top influence in terms of style. The album is named not only after the Spanish word for eggs, but is also a reference to the Southwestern expression "Huevos", meaning to deliver with chutzpah. Most of the songs were recorded in one take. The cover art is done by guitarist/vocalist Curt Kirkwood.
Out My Way is an EP by the alternative rock band the Meat Puppets, released in 1986. It features a more hard rock-oriented sound than on previous releases, leading some critics to say that the sound is similar to the southern/hard rock stylings of ZZ Top. The EP was reissued in 1999 by Rykodisc, with additional bonus tracks.
"Plateau" is a song by alternative rock band the Meat Puppets, written by vocalist and guitarist, Curt Kirkwood. It appears on the band's second album, Meat Puppets II, released by SST Records in April 1984.
No Joke! is the ninth studio album by the Meat Puppets. The album was released on October 3, 1995, by London Records. It was the follow-up to the band's album Too High to Die and was the last Meat Puppets album with bassist Cris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom. A video was filmed for the song "Scum", directed by Dave Markey.
You Love Me is a 1999 EP by the Meat Puppets. This was the first release from the then new line-up of the Meat Puppets. It was available free only through the official Meat Puppets website to promote the band's new line-up. The EP became a sought-after collectable.
"Backwater" is a song recorded by the Meat Puppets. It was released as the first single from the group's album Too High to Die. The single was released in three versions: one promo CDS and two singles. It is the Meat Puppets most successful single. The highest position in the US was No. 47 in Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, No. 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. The 3 track single features a cover of the Feederz. They Might Be Giants sing back-up vocals on "White Sport Coat."
"We Don't Exist" is the first promotional single from the Meat Puppets album Too High to Die. Released in 1994, it includes two versions of "We Don’t Exist" and the Marty Robbins cover "El Paso City". The Marty Robbins cover is also released on the Raw Meat EP.
Shandon Sahm is an American drummer, who is a native of San Antonio, Texas and is best known for his two stints as the drummer of the Meat Puppets, from 1999–2002 and 2009–2018.
Dusty Notes is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Meat Puppets. The album was released on March 8, 2019, by Megaforce Records. It is the Meat Puppets' first album to feature Elmo Kirkwood, son of the Puppets' lyricist and guitar player Curt Kirkwood; Elmo plays backing guitar. It is also the MP's first album to feature keyboardist Ron Stabinsky. Dusty Notes also notably features the return of original drummer Derrick Bostrom.