Tag: masters of reality

This is the first album from Upstate New York’s finest. It’s often referred to as The Blue Garden as that is the name of the art piece on the cover. This is a 2012 reissue with a different running order and a bonus live album, Live At The Viper room. Now this band are somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. I really like their brand of retro blues rock and this was way before it became fashionable.

The track, John Brown, is very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin with the groove and Chris Goss’ voice. Gettin’ High has a superb sleazy blues groove that just swings. Domino is the best song on this record, and I’ll stick my neck out and say it’s one of the best tracks the band ever did. It has an Iommi style riff with a pumping beat, and a fantastic melody and hook that seriously hit the spot. Kill The King is a glorious romp, and an homage to all things seventies. The live album has never been available on vinyl before, and Scott Weiland makes an appearance on Jindalee Jindalie, and there is also an incredible version of John Brown.

A great album. I do believe it’s quite hard to find on vinyl, but if you do find it, grab as it’s a wonderful record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the second album from Andy York’s Masters Of Reality, and is noteworthy for having none other than Ginger Baker on drums. Musically they are quite hard to pin down on this album, as style wise it’s all over the map. Which is no bad thing as the songs are all short and snappy – nothing weighs in longer than 4.19.

She Got Me is a fast shuffle rock n roll delight, highlighting Ginger’s involvement. In fact, the drums are really high in the mix throughout. JB Witchdance is a quirky off beat little oddity that sticks in your brain. Jody Sings feels as though it was a Beatles outtake from Abbey Road. Rolling Green has a reggae feel mixed with Beatles harmonies and is a great pop song. Ants In The Kitchen is my favourite on the record as it has a wicked riff from Goss, and a groovy drum pattern from Ginger. V.H.V is very low-fi and could be a Kyuss desert project.

Bicycle is a short 46 seconds of “what the hell?” before we flip over to Side 2 with 100 Years with its late sixties psych groove and is a very melancholic song. T.U.S.A is next with a spoken word lyric by Ginger about pouring a cup of tea and is a great groovy little track. Tilt A Whirl is a return to a fast shuffle with a simple rock n roll riff, but again, highly addictive. Rabbit One starts with a killer slow funk vibe and a very trippy riff – it’s another contender for best track. Two really short burst tracks, Madonna and Gimme Water are next before The Moon In Your Pocket closes out the record with a barroom crooner style, and continues the trippy vibe that flows throughout the album. As I mentioned, a very hard album to pin down, but enjoyable all the same.

9/10 from The Grooveman.