Fig Dish’s “When Shove Goes Back To Push” Gets Its First-Ever Vinyl Release

Forge Again Records is proud to announce the long-awaited vinyl debut of Fig Dish‘s 1997 cult classic When Shove Goes Back to Push — marking the first time the album has ever been available on vinyl, 29 years after its original release, arriving June 26.

Fig Dish emerged in the early 1990s from the Chicago alternative rock scene alongside Veruca Salt, Triple Fast Action, and Local H, building a devoted following through a sound rooted in melodic hooks, pop melodies, noisy guitars, and angsty lyrics. Among the album’s highlights is “When Shirts Get Tight,” a single whose music video was directed by adult film star Jon Dough and deemed one of the “sexiest music videos” by Playboy, yet was deemed unplayable by MTV.

This definitive double LP honors the layout of the original release while elevating it for the format. The records are housed in a gatefold jacket featuring Jim Shapiro’s original sleeve art, carefully recreated by Wall of Youth. Lacquers were cut by Carl Saff, and the records are pressed on high-quality wax by Chicago’s own Smashed Plastic. An exclusive “paint thinner” colored vinyl variant is strictly limited to 400 copies via Bandcamp and Shopify, with a standard white vinyl edition distributed to record stores worldwide.

Forge Again Records founder Justin Wexler reflects on the release:

“I first saw Fig Dish opening for Veruca Salt and The Muffs in Milwaukee when I was a teenager in 1995 and was blown away. They were right in my wheelhouse – a catchy, loud, alternative rock band whose members clearly did not take themselves seriously. I picked up their split 7” with Everready at the show and immediately bought That’s What Love Songs Often Do. A couple years later When Shove Goes Back to Push came out and it was, in my opinion, even better. I never imagined I’d be working with Fig Dish nearly 30 years later and it’s incredibly exciting to finally bring this album to vinyl for the first time.”

So, who was this band that Chicago Magazine called a “folkloric Chicago outfit”? Fig Dish were four high school friends: guitarists/vocalists Rick Ness and Blake Smith, bassist/vocalist Mike Willison, and drummer Andy Hamilton. In their day, they were known for catchy songs, memorable (often booze-fueled) live shows, and bad luck.

After the last show of the touring cycle of their debut, That’s What Love Songs Often Do, Fig Dish had a near-fatal accident: their van and trailer spun out on some black ice on I-80 in Nebraska, tipped over, and skidded within a few yards of some oncoming semi-trucks. They poked the grim reaper in the chest; they should’ve died. But instead, they went to Philadelphia in the early Winter of 1997 to record their second album, When Shove Goes Back to Push, with new drummer Bill Swartz and producer Phil Nicolo (one half of the Grammy-Award winning Butcher Brothers duo).

It was recorded at The Butcher Brothers’ legendary Studio 4, which shared a building and a lounge with Ruffhouse Records—a Columbia Records imprint whose roster included Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, Wyclef Jean, and the Fugees. But after the Fugees won three grammies during Fig Dish’s recording session, Studio 4 felt a lot more like Studio 54. It was clear that one of the more popular exports from Colombia (the country, not the label) was in high circulation, courtesy of a local ex-pharmacist who had lost his board certification.

Then Cypress Hill’s started stopping by, and Fd would get a contact high from B-Real’s denim jacket—and then they’d get really high from the secondhand smoke of whatever pungent, hallucination-inducing plant he was smoking. At that point, the Studio 54 vibe drifted into more of an Area 51 vibe. Then local celebrities, like Eric Bazilian, would show up and disrupt the recording sessions. (The band hoped that Todd Rundgren or Daryl Hall would drop in, but alas, that hope was unrealized).

Out of this hazy morass of constant disruption, indiscreet consumption, and twitchy smiles emerged Fd’s second album, featuring the single “When Shirts Get Tight,” which some critics described as a mélange of Cheap Trick, Byrds, and Beach Boys influences.

And then Polygram proposed the PR equivalent of an untested experimental drug: a controversial video for the single featuring as costars several prominent adult-film actresses of the era. But after MTV reneged on their verbal promise to play the video, Polygram dropped the band. Attempts were made to cobble together a third album, which eventually became the impetus for 2024’s Feels Like The Very First Two Times, but the band had lost steam and things fizzled out. Rick and Bill started Ness. Blake and Mike started Caviar, and Fig Dish was no more.

On June 26, 2026, Forge Again Records will release When Shove Goes Back To Push on vinyl for the very first time, making it an essential addition for collectors and fans of ‘90s alternative rock.