Forbidden Places (Black Friday 2023)

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: long-time indie favourite finally signs a major label contract and their first album is an overproduced shadow of their former sound. Well, that AIN’T what happened here; the Meat Puppets’ first album for London Records (home of their beloved ZZ Top) is actually one of their best. And, ironically, one of their most overlooked, for their new home’s major label marketing muscle was no match for the grunge craze that swept the rock music scene in 1991 (of course, grunge gods Nirvana later gave them a hand up on their MTV Unplugged special).

“Sam” kicks off Forbidden Places with frenzied vocals from the brothers Kirkwood and maintains the buzz with such highlights as the lyrical “This Day,” the twisted southern rock boogie of “Open Wide,” and the pickin’ and head-spinnin’ album-closing instrumental “Six Gallon Pie.”

Never before reissued on vinyl, this lost, early ’90s classic comes in boysenberry with black swirl vinyl inside a jacket with an inner sleeve. Limited to 2500 copies!