Too High to Die

Too High to Die
Studio album by The Meat Puppets
Released	January 25, 1994
Recorded	1993
Studio	The Warehouse, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	52:06
Label	London
Producer	Meat Puppets, Paul Leary
The Meat Puppets chronology
Forbidden Places (1991)Forbidden Places1991 Too High to Die (1994) Raw Meat (EP) (1994)Raw Meat (EP)1994

Too High to Die is the eighth album by the Meat Puppets, released on January 25, 1994. 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).

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	link
Rolling Stone	link

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 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.^[1]

In July 2014, Guitar World placed Too High to Die at number 44 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.^[2]

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.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Curt Kirkwood, unless otherwise noted.

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" – 6:56
14. "Lake of Fire" (hidden track)

Personnel

• Derrick Bostrom – drums, paintings
• Cris Kirkwood – bass guitar, vocals, illustrations
• Curt Kirkwood – guitar, vocals, paintings
• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Dave Jerden – mixing
• Paul Leary – producer, mixing
• Meat Puppets – producer
• Stuart Sullivan – engineer, mixing
• Brad Vosburg – engineer
• Josh Kiser – assistant
• Michael Halsband – photography

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Singles – Billboard (North America)

References