Too High to Die is the eighth studio album by the 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).
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.
Tracklist:
- Violet Eyes
- Never to Be Found
- We Don’t Exist
- Severed Goddess Hand
- Flaming Heart
- Shine
- Station
- Roof with a Hole
- Backwater
- Things
- Why?
- Evil Love
- Comin’ Down (features “Lake of Fire” as a hidden track)
Meat Puppets
Derrick Bostrom: drums, paintings
Cris Kirkwood: bass guitar, vocals, illustrations
Curt Kirkwood: guitar, vocals, paintings
Production
Greg Calbi: mastering
Dave Jerden: mixing
Paul Leary: producer, mixing
Meat Puppets: producer
Stuart Sullivan: engineer, mixing
Brad Vosburg: engineer
G.E. Teel: assistant engineer
Josh Kiser: assistant
Michael Halsband: photography
