Masters of Reality

I might have never discovered this great record if I had not been flipping through TV channels one afternoon with my roommate and saw three guys doing an acoustic jam on some obscure TV talk show. My friend said, "check the drummer out." It was Ginger Baker (we're both Cream fans) playing some cardboard boxes and a coffee cup. Pretty amazing stuff. Then he found the CD in a store and we both proceeded to wear the disc out for the next five years or so. We parted ways amicably and he took his CD with him. I hadn't heard it in almost a decade when I found it on Amazon and ordered it immediately. Still sounds as good as it did 15 years ago and even sounds great without weed! One of the best rock albums ever!

My iPod just got a little cooler.

Yeah, I'm a big Cream fan. And most of the trio stuff those individual guys did after Cream's break-up (including the Cream reunion) had its share of pleasures and disappointments. But this CD - oh man - this is sheer perfection from beginning to end. First of all, Baker has never been better. Crisp, driving, swinging - always propelling the band forward without overwhelming the song or the other musicians. Rock drumming does not get better than Ginger on this album - and that includes anything Cream did in the studio. The songs are very well written - beautiful, melodious, and casual. Chris's vocal is a showcase of range and empathy - and everybody just seems to be so in the groove and having a great time. Whether you're into Cream, Baker, Goss, or Queens of the Stone Age, this CD should have massive appeal across age groups and musical tastes. It's damned near brilliant.

I have a way of looking at musical releases and their importance beyond the simple songwriting and studio quality. I like to look at the effect it has had on it's particular place in time and how it both reflected it and improved it. I still feel that nothing can compare to what Sgt Pepper did... but this one ranks up there in my list. Sufferbus came along at a time when commercial rock was anything but simple and straight forward. Yet that is what this did. It showed a stagnant industry whet could be done with sincerety. Those who were paying attention at the time will agree. This is an important part of Rock History. I will be Dancin' with the Witches 'till I am dead and gone.

It seems everyone has forgotten there was a big rock radio hit off this CD - the jumpin double-speed blues-rock of "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)" made it to the Top 10 rock tracks in January 1993....and was quickly forgotten by radio. Ginger Baker really makes that tune (and the whole disc) swing - ironically, Masters of Reality's original drummer Vinnie Ludovico Worshipped Ginger Baker and played in the same style, so the change in drummers didn't change the Masters' music much. What makes "Sufferbus" different than the self-titled debut is a lighter, less aggressive production sound, which gives it a sleepy jam-band flavor at times. Also, no songs as kick-ass as "Domino" or "John Brown" from the '80s Masters of Reality disc. Leader Chris Goss has become a featured member of Queens of the Stone Age in recent years. He and MoR never got respect or attention from his hometown rock radio stations in Syracuse, NY - but he's earned the respect of most of the leading hard rock musicians of the past 15 years.

The best part of listening to music is when you discover or somebody turns you on to something that you`ve never heard of before.Well,today is just such a day...do you think that rock and roll is whatever Green day was puking up in stadiums all summer long last year?Listen and I`ll give you a short history of the Masters of Reality...this is a band from central New York that never really had a chance to take off,even though they had a good first album(re-recording it under the watchful eye of super-producer Rick Rubin)and some great reviews,problems arose within the band,coming to a head with them breaking up after a gig in Chicago while on tour with Kings X.It was a shame but fast forward a bit and singer/guitarist Chris Goss and bassist Googe hooked up with none other than the great British drummer Ginger Baker....you know,he played in a little band called Cream?
They put out this dynamite disc of varied but potent music....not in such a hard rock vein as their first disc(also worth checking out,by the way)but rocking none the less.
By the way,Sunrise on the Sufferbus is a little barbed statement about the short tour they went on after Ginger joined the band and right before this disc was released(word was that it was a tough tour for them and Ginger wasn`t really up to touring much then,I guess)hence the weird title.
Anyways,it was trully an incredible experience to hear Ginger playing at his best since his days in Cream,very tight and absolutely in the pocket,he was having a ball and it showed.I am really honored to be the first to review this great disc,being from central New York(like the original lineup)I am here to tell you to buy it,put it on and turn it up loud....then wonder what you were listening to when this came out and lament about the fact that you never even knew it existed.Not one bad song to be found,well,some are heavier than others but thats what its all about isn`t it? - mixing it up....so put away whatever your listening to now and hear what these guys were laying down....you`ll be suprised.

Masters of reality have walked a long way, several changes of lineup from a six members band to a quartet to a duet and a large list of collaborations, Mark Lanegan, Josh Homme, Nick Ollivieri, even ex-Cream Ginger Baker on drums, this deliver "Deep In The Hole" explores the stoner,progresive and alternative rock fields its also perhaps the release with more classic cuts such as "third man on the moon", "Deep in the hole" , "High Noon Amsterdam" and my new fave "wish for a fish" the most i find interesting with MOR is that combination of heavy/soft riffs and soft vocals and interesting kinda intellectual and poetic lyrics, the formula maybe is not unique but in this sea of repetitive pop proposals were musical explorations are zero and appealing is based on the performers and not focused on the music is one of the few very few options you can find to listen something with enough quality to be consider a high profile style.

HM

First--I love this CD. I've been into this band since the original release of the self-titled "Masters Of Reality" (1988)...the album everyone calls "The Blue Garden" (front cover artwork). I got the CD as a gift from mom--I told her to buy me "Master of Reality" (by Black Sabbath)...I got this instead. I was pleasantly surprised!

It should be no surprise that this CD sounds a bit different than each of it's predescessors. I'm botherred that other reviewers balk at newer MOR, saying it's not true to it's roots like the self-titled album or "Surferbus." Well, guess what? Chris Goss is a producer first and foremost, and he mixes it up on each CD, introducing us to up-and-coming artists (Scott Wieland, Tim Harrington) and old-school & present rockers (Ginger Baker, Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri). He's done this on every CD! "the Blue Garden" was old-school because of Rick Rubin's forceful production style (look what he did to the B-Boys' "Licensed to Ill" and the Cult's "Electric"). "Surferbus" was so "old-school" because Ginger Baker was in the band--he's a high school band director in Miami, now, and he's an excellent song writer...he goes beyond the drum kit. Chris Goss, like Steve Albini, allows his guests to shine through on the CD's they appear on. The two are very similar, although their music sounds very different. Both are producers first.

Every track on this CD rocks...simply put. There's an old-school rock feel to it, but it's totally 90's. Honestly, this CD sounds like it's a few years late...it's got a mid- to late- nineties feel to it. Because every songs is catchy and well-crafted, I gave it a 5. Stop comparing 2001's music to 1988's. Of Course this is different than "Surferbus"...they were written a decade apart. This band has aged wonderfully, hitting on all cylinders with this release.

I am a big fan of the first two MOR cd's. When I got this and gave it a spin I about fainted. The three stars are because it is a good rock album, but it is not a good MOR album. I miss the old band! You can't hear the old rock influnce from the first 2 cd's. I would start with them, and maybe get this one used.

The latest release from the Masters (comprised solely of Chris Goss and whoever he feels like playing with at the moment) is much better than Welcome to the Western Lodge (thanks to Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri from Qotsa), but it still seems to be missing the magic that The Blue Garden and Sunrise on the Sufferbus became so famous for.

Don't get me wrong, this disc is incredible, and it totally surpassed my expectations. Thankfully, the sound on this album is more robust than Welcome to the Western Lodge, because Goss called in the assistance of Homme and Oliveri. However, as a result, the album sounds more like the Queens than it does the Masters.

Masters Of Reality have done it again.

I found this CD in the record shop and my expectations and hopes immediately jumped through the roof, partly because I got "caught in bed", so to speak, by its release. I didn't see it coming. Guess I hadn't done my homework all that well at the time... Another reason for my excitement was that I was kinda disappointed with "Western...". It didn't quite give me the shakes I'd hoped it would. It was too... weird, even for a Masters album. I may be wrong, folks, so don't grab your tomahawks just yet. I'll just have to give it another shot, I suppose.

Back to Deep In The Hole. Is it a good album? Is it worth caughing up your hard-earned bucks for? In my opinion, YES!!! Man, this is probably some of the best alternative/stoner rock I've heard in some time!

Well produced, and with a very cool and rocky sound, the album sets off with "Third Man On The Moon", an instant favorite. "A Wish For A Fish" is also great, but may take some time to digest/appreciate. "Counting Horses", on the other hand, hits you instantly. What a great slow-tempo piece of rock! Beautifully melodic. "Major Lance" may at first listen seem absurd, but now I wouldn't want to miss it. Next, "Scatagoria-High Noon Amsterdam-Corpus Scorpios Electrified". This is probably the part of the record that I listen to the most. This surely is the "High Noon" of the record, the best songs IMHO. Especially "Corpus.." with its doomy riffing and lyrics. "Deep In The Hole" has a great back-beat, it takes a while to get the rhythm right. When you do, it sticks! "Roof Of The Shed" is a relatively simple tune, but nevertheless impressive. And as the last track "Shotgun Son" wraps the record up pretty good. An excellent rocky tune with some good guitar work and catchy riffing.

The only problem I have with this album is that you can quite easily make out the openess that Chris and John have towards the use of drugs. I think honesty is great, but because I'm not at all into drugs I find some parts, especially "High Noon...", ... well, disturbing. Which is ironic, because that song is one of the highlights on the record!!

Well, I'm not going to dig any deeper into that. Instead, let me finish up by saying that this is a great alternative rock record and if you haven't experienced MOR before, here's your chance!
Don't miss it!

For those of us who have been stuck on the Suffer Bus all these years, this CD is manna from heaven! Why Chris Goss and company haven't been in the studio has to be the mystery of the stone age. Goss' vocals on this CD soar (a chorus consisting of Goss, Gerry Rafferty and Jack Bruce would be something to hear) and his guitar work -- both acoustic and bluesy electric -- are vintage MoR. These recordings have been around the dust bin for far too long. Fans want MoR!

Chris Goss finally apeases the old fans of the first two albums by releasing the compilation of MoR and solo material. A few of the highlighted songs are recorded with old compadre Ginger Baker, as well as the studio version of JJ with Scott Weiland, and the full version of JODY. This one is almost like a "Physical Graffiti"--a CD of really great outtakes recorded over the past 15 or so years, and it kinda begs the question, "Why are we hearing these fantastic songs now?" Wonderful guitar work, mostly acoustic, and melodic vocals set a pretty mellow tone throughout, so don't expect any distortion pedal laced rock songs on this one. If you like Chris Goss' s mellow stuff, get this right away.

I'm fortunate enough to own the original Def American vinyl with it's superb cover art and even better track order. I got this CD after searching in vain for CD with the tracks in the same order as the original vinyl.

Rick Ruben's production is superb. You'll be hard pushed to find better sounding drums or guitar on any rock album. It's probably my favourite album of all time.

My only gripe about this CD is its deviation from the original vinyl track order. This had 'Theme for the Scientist of the Invisible' running straight into 'Domino' on side 1. The effect of which is lost in the CD compilation.

Also I have no doubt as to why 'Doraldina's Prophecies' wasn't on the original. It's by far the weakest track and doesn't fit with the rest of this superb album.

I live in hope someone will release a CD with the original track order.

Good reviews here in describing the music. I have owned this since the original release in my 3000+ disc collection. It is still a pleasure to pull it out. Strong creative energy, great production, solid licks, and interesting vocals. Goss has probably had a larger impact producing but the various MOR incarnations do deserve more recognition. Check the 2001 'Deep In The Hole' as my second fav disc of theirs.

A friend of mine introduced me to this cassette (has it been that long?) in the summer of '89. How he found out about them I have no idea, but I got back home, found it at NRM (another shout out to how long ago this was), and fell in love with it. I still can't get over how many different genres are referenced on this disc. Other posters have already hit on those, so I won't, but they pull each one off exceptionally well. This disc remains one of my all-time favorites.

PS - I would LOVE to get ahold of the "Blue Garden" album. I have the reissue, which I am happy with, but I think the original order of songs flowed SO much better.

About a million years ago (okay, maybe only 15-20 years ago), I fell asleep with the radio on. I woke around two in the morning to The Blue Garden, and was instantly mesmerized. Find it, buy it, love it - then buy the rest of Masters' catalog too!

Coolest bar band one could ever see ! From upstate New York,moved out to LA in the 80's (height of hair metal),played the scene, broke up, got back together,played the scene again and then some. THESE GUYS ROCK !!!! Cream meets old Black Sabbath !!!

Unlike Lawrence Stid, I found that the the Benchmark for the MOR was their debut "Blue Garden" AND I prefer Flak n Flight to Live at the Vyper Room personally. I must admit though that "She got me" from "Suffer.." is a bona-fide classic track. M.O.R. came back strong after the experimental and not overly impressive "Welcome to the Western Lodge" CD with the harder hitting "Deep in the Hole" CD. It was great to see them start off with the 2 strongest tracks from that CD ie:"Deep in the Hole" and "Third man on the moon". The version of John Brown, especially the Acoustical intro, is monumental. It would have been a real treat to have seen the video of this concert with Homme and Oliveri, but I honestly don't rate Lanegan at all. For such a huge and menacing figure of a man, Chris Goss sure has a fine voice. I saw the M.O.R. a couple of years earlier in London at the Borderline Club after the "Wester Lodge" CD, but this concert tops it 10 fold.

This is an excelent live album, I dont use to buy live albums very often but this one is deligthfull, Europe audience is very different than the audience from this side of the Atlantic , guitar intros are like an ectasy , rithms sections are sublime and the inclusion of great singer composer Mark Lanegan in one of the tracks "high noon Amsterdam"(one of the best tracks by the way)is a plus for this recording, also colaboration of the two Queens of the Stone Age members provides a sound this band never count before , you have to buy this cd if you enjoy all the projects were members of Queen of the Stone Age are involved such as Eagles of Death Metal, another great project
HM

Fans of Masters of Reality will enjoy this release, which features some extra-heavy grunge influenced guitar riffs and creative takes on some of the tunes featured on their past releases (eg., "Blue Garden" has an intro that sounds like Pink Floyd). Most fans of the band, however, will still look back with nostalgic fondness on the band's second release, Sunrise On The Sufferbus, as being the apogee of the band's existence. That release featured retro-rock and melodic tunes, supplemented by Ginger Baker's superb drumming and influence. Since then, Chris Goss (who is really the band) has taken his music on to more aggressive ground, which although good, has left behind much of the catchy phrasing and retro-ramblings that made Sufferbus such a modern rock classic. I much prefer the band's previous live outing, Live At the Viper Room, which carries over more of the music influences that were present on Sufferbus, and is also a better live recording in terms of sound quality and song variety. Flak N Flight still smokes though, and if you are into the band and its later incarnations you will want to have this CD.

Why this band isn't one of the world's most popular baffles me. Their albums are superb hard-rock; melodic and played with ferocity. This live album is sensational. Chris Goss's voice is wonderfully expresive, and the guitar party behind him is amazing.

A colorful grab-bag of ragged, inventive hard rock.

Gravelly, raw and fuzzy, these pithy songs bounce and rattle along groovily, propelled by some fabulously moronic drumming. There's a psychedelic tang, with excursions into jangling folk and eerie spaciness.

Sweeteners are mellotron, fairground organ, and vocal layering and fx. The catchy lyrics are generally impenetrable: no problem, given Chris Goss' (who essentially is Masters of Reality) addictively creamy, winking voice.

Highlight is the sunset loveliness of twinkling ballad 'Lovers Sky.'

So how do you start with reviewing this album? Well, it helps a little I suppose to put it in perspective with their self-titled 1st album, which fans came to call "Blue Garden" because that's the title of the painting on the cover. It was straight ahead blues-rock at its finest. To Chris Goss's credit (and let's face it, he IS Masters of Reality), it sounded like it could have been recorded in 1970 (albeit with improved recording technology), though it was released in 1988. Just after New Wave died and just before grunge. This album was a kick-ass and refreshing stand-out-in-the-crowd album that unfortunately got lost in the Sea of Overproduced Hair Bands. You can still spot used copies on the original Def Jam label, though they are pricey. It's been re-released a couple times in the U.S. and reissues are easier to come by.

The 2nd album, released in 1993, was Goss's shining moment to many fans. "Sunrise On The Sufferbus" (MoR's first on a "respected" label -- and I use that word respected very loosely) actually got some radio airplay for a few weeks with the song "She Got Me When She Got Her Dress On." The album sounded like it could have been recorded by Cream. Goss wrote and produced songs to achieve this effect, even emulating Jack Bruce a bit in his vocal delivery on the album. In the ultimate coup, he hired Ginger Baker as part of the band, who laid down some mighty drum tracks the way only Baker could. After the album tanked, Chris Goss and Chrysalis Records had a parting of the ways. Goss would eventually have to sue Chrysalis for control of his music so Sunrise could be re-released. He finally won, and it's widely available now.

Now on to this album, "Welcome To The Western Lodge." I read something once that described the sound on this album. The term used was "metaldelic." A cross between metal and psychedelic.

It perfectly describes this album. Once again, Goss hits his mark! He decided to put out an album of this "new" sound (that's actually developed a larger following in Europe) to his fans and I, for one, think it's great. It's dreamy and spacy, yet heavy. The mix is decidedly thick, but then it's supposed to be. I must admit, it didn't grab me right away. I was a big fan of the first two albums. But by the third or fourth listen, I fell in love with his marriage of sweet/sour and soft/hard. His melodious vocal delivery on top of ominous guitar chords that hint of dissonance and command a "heaviness" not heard since Toni Iommi make for a very adventurous, yet listenable ROCK album. This album is not slick. It's not overproduced. It's just produced. It's Chris playing his heart out. It's what he believes in.

If you want something "different" in your collection that defies the norm (there's no "label" for Chris's music), then this is it. This will give you the change you've been looking for. Then, after you fall in love with this album (and you have of course bought the first two albums), go buy "Deep In The Hole."

For my money, I gotta tell ya, I'll buy anything Masters of Reality puts out!

as far as masters of reality go, i have their first cd and this latest one. perhaps their second cd "sunrise on the sufferbus" is a work of genius. i wouldn't know. so why all of the flak and bad reviews for this disc? i realize that this is a chris goss solo album masquerading as a masters of reality disc, but is "sufferbus" really THAT great? some people just seem to be so disappointed by this disc. what i hear on this cd reminds me of the goss produced queens of the stoneage's "r" cd, both production and songwise. namely, cool sound effects and chromatic chord changes. a little like what the melvins did on their "stag" disc. these songs stick in my mind and i have no problem with the production. i don't understand why there's so much negativity tword this cd. i think it's a very good listen and the only problem that i have with it is that the running time is a little short at 38 mins. i think that fans of the queens of the stoneage and "stag" style melvins will really like what they hear. fans of cream, robin trower, mahogany rush, etc., etc., may not be so pleased.

I can almost hear lots of nice sonic textures on this album. If only there were some actual songs to hang them on. MOR mastermind Chris Goss sort of plods through this record without managing to even spark the tiniest bit of energy. What you are left with is a bunch of somewhat competent, yet generally mediocre-sounding psychadelia, performed with no distinctive craft. The muffled production values don't help matters any either. It sounds like the whole thing was processed underwater. These factors combined with its short length album (38 minutes) only assures _Welcome To The Western Lodge_ will breeze by you faster than it took you to pop it into the CD player. Well, not entirely true - the obnoxious "Calling Dr. Carrion" will most definitely remain with you, like a virus; one of those songs that plagues you and makes you want to beat your head against a post because you can't get it out of your head. Ultimately - as paradoxical as this sounds as Goss is a figurehead in stoner rock - this sounds like a less-competent and charismatic ripoff of the last Queens Of The Stone Age album.

OK, originally I hated this album. Hated it. It's really more like a Chris Goss solo album, since no other original Master is on it (besides a minimal contribution by Googe). The songs irritated me at first. I heard no hooks. It didn't grab me immediately like Sunrise or their first album (IMHO their best) did. I put it away for over a year. Then I listened to it again, and I was quite surprised what happened. This album ended up in my CD changer on heavy rotation. How did "Calling Dr. Carrion", which originally grated on my ears, suddenly become one of my favorites? I have no explanation. Chris Goss apparently knows which secret buttons to push deep in the channels of your mind, because this album is addictive. Now, if only a studio version of Jindalee Jindalie was on this disc...

I agree witth the proceeding review. This is an excellent album, and the production is surprisingly great for a live set. Doraldina's Prophecies will blow you away if you haven't heard it yet. Here in Missoula, Mt used copies of it are selling for 1.99 at Hastings. If you have a Hastings go there and buy it!

The loud and mysterious Masters of Reality resurface with this 1997 live set, mostly a mix of tunes from their first and second albums. Though Ginger Baker's not here (and wouldn't that have been a treat?) to dress up the songs from "Sunrise on the Sufferbus," there's lots to recommend. "Blue Garden," "Doraldina's Prophecies" and "John Brown" are great, the album's production is flawless, and Scott Weiland stops by the vocal mic on his way back from the bar. (Weird, but it works.) This band really created its own niche in the early 90s, and the album deserves better than it got -- that is, no promotion whatever. Then again, each Masters release has been on a different label (this one seems to be on "Malicious Vinyl"), only adding to Chris Goss and the Masters' mysterious career. So it's no surprise that this is out of print currently, but it's a real find if you're a fan.

I might have never discovered this great record if I had not been flipping through TV channels one afternoon with my roommate and saw three guys doing an acoustic jam on some obscure TV talk show. My friend said, "check the drummer out." It was Ginger Baker (we're both Cream fans) playing some cardboard boxes and a coffee cup. Pretty amazing stuff. Then he found the CD in a store and we both proceeded to wear the disc out for the next five years or so. We parted ways amicably and he took his CD with him. I hadn't heard it in almost a decade when I found it on Amazon and ordered it immediately. Still sounds as good as it did 15 years ago and even sounds great without weed! One of the best rock albums ever!

My iPod just got a little cooler.

Yeah, I'm a big Cream fan. And most of the trio stuff those individual guys did after Cream's break-up (including the Cream reunion) had its share of pleasures and disappointments. But this CD - oh man - this is sheer perfection from beginning to end. First of all, Baker has never been better. Crisp, driving, swinging - always propelling the band forward without overwhelming the song or the other musicians. Rock drumming does not get better than Ginger on this album - and that includes anything Cream did in the studio. The songs are very well written - beautiful, melodious, and casual. Chris's vocal is a showcase of range and empathy - and everybody just seems to be so in the groove and having a great time. Whether you're into Cream, Baker, Goss, or Queens of the Stone Age, this CD should have massive appeal across age groups and musical tastes. It's damned near brilliant.

I have a way of looking at musical releases and their importance beyond the simple songwriting and studio quality. I like to look at the effect it has had on it's particular place in time and how it both reflected it and improved it. I still feel that nothing can compare to what Sgt Pepper did... but this one ranks up there in my list. Sufferbus came along at a time when commercial rock was anything but simple and straight forward. Yet that is what this did. It showed a stagnant industry whet could be done with sincerety. Those who were paying attention at the time will agree. This is an important part of Rock History. I will be Dancin' with the Witches 'till I am dead and gone.

It seems everyone has forgotten there was a big rock radio hit off this CD - the jumpin double-speed blues-rock of "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)" made it to the Top 10 rock tracks in January 1993....and was quickly forgotten by radio. Ginger Baker really makes that tune (and the whole disc) swing - ironically, Masters of Reality's original drummer Vinnie Ludovico Worshipped Ginger Baker and played in the same style, so the change in drummers didn't change the Masters' music much. What makes "Sufferbus" different than the self-titled debut is a lighter, less aggressive production sound, which gives it a sleepy jam-band flavor at times. Also, no songs as kick-ass as "Domino" or "John Brown" from the '80s Masters of Reality disc. Leader Chris Goss has become a featured member of Queens of the Stone Age in recent years. He and MoR never got respect or attention from his hometown rock radio stations in Syracuse, NY - but he's earned the respect of most of the leading hard rock musicians of the past 15 years.

The best part of listening to music is when you discover or somebody turns you on to something that you`ve never heard of before.Well,today is just such a day...do you think that rock and roll is whatever Green day was puking up in stadiums all summer long last year?Listen and I`ll give you a short history of the Masters of Reality...this is a band from central New York that never really had a chance to take off,even though they had a good first album(re-recording it under the watchful eye of super-producer Rick Rubin)and some great reviews,problems arose within the band,coming to a head with them breaking up after a gig in Chicago while on tour with Kings X.It was a shame but fast forward a bit and singer/guitarist Chris Goss and bassist Googe hooked up with none other than the great British drummer Ginger Baker....you know,he played in a little band called Cream?
They put out this dynamite disc of varied but potent music....not in such a hard rock vein as their first disc(also worth checking out,by the way)but rocking none the less.
By the way,Sunrise on the Sufferbus is a little barbed statement about the short tour they went on after Ginger joined the band and right before this disc was released(word was that it was a tough tour for them and Ginger wasn`t really up to touring much then,I guess)hence the weird title.
Anyways,it was trully an incredible experience to hear Ginger playing at his best since his days in Cream,very tight and absolutely in the pocket,he was having a ball and it showed.I am really honored to be the first to review this great disc,being from central New York(like the original lineup)I am here to tell you to buy it,put it on and turn it up loud....then wonder what you were listening to when this came out and lament about the fact that you never even knew it existed.Not one bad song to be found,well,some are heavier than others but thats what its all about isn`t it? - mixing it up....so put away whatever your listening to now and hear what these guys were laying down....you`ll be suprised.

I might have never discovered this great record if I had not been flipping through TV channels one afternoon with my roommate and saw three guys doing an acoustic jam on some obscure TV talk show. My friend said, "check the drummer out." It was Ginger Baker (we're both Cream fans) playing some cardboard boxes and a coffee cup. Pretty amazing stuff. Then he found the CD in a store and we both proceeded to wear the disc out for the next five years or so. We parted ways amicably and he took his CD with him. I hadn't heard it in almost a decade when I found it on Amazon and ordered it immediately. Still sounds as good as it did 15 years ago and even sounds great without weed! One of the best rock albums ever!

My iPod just got a little cooler.

Yeah, I'm a big Cream fan. And most of the trio stuff those individual guys did after Cream's break-up (including the Cream reunion) had its share of pleasures and disappointments. But this CD - oh man - this is sheer perfection from beginning to end. First of all, Baker has never been better. Crisp, driving, swinging - always propelling the band forward without overwhelming the song or the other musicians. Rock drumming does not get better than Ginger on this album - and that includes anything Cream did in the studio. The songs are very well written - beautiful, melodious, and casual. Chris's vocal is a showcase of range and empathy - and everybody just seems to be so in the groove and having a great time. Whether you're into Cream, Baker, Goss, or Queens of the Stone Age, this CD should have massive appeal across age groups and musical tastes. It's damned near brilliant.

I have a way of looking at musical releases and their importance beyond the simple songwriting and studio quality. I like to look at the effect it has had on it's particular place in time and how it both reflected it and improved it. I still feel that nothing can compare to what Sgt Pepper did... but this one ranks up there in my list. Sufferbus came along at a time when commercial rock was anything but simple and straight forward. Yet that is what this did. It showed a stagnant industry whet could be done with sincerety. Those who were paying attention at the time will agree. This is an important part of Rock History. I will be Dancin' with the Witches 'till I am dead and gone.

It seems everyone has forgotten there was a big rock radio hit off this CD - the jumpin double-speed blues-rock of "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)" made it to the Top 10 rock tracks in January 1993....and was quickly forgotten by radio. Ginger Baker really makes that tune (and the whole disc) swing - ironically, Masters of Reality's original drummer Vinnie Ludovico Worshipped Ginger Baker and played in the same style, so the change in drummers didn't change the Masters' music much. What makes "Sufferbus" different than the self-titled debut is a lighter, less aggressive production sound, which gives it a sleepy jam-band flavor at times. Also, no songs as kick-ass as "Domino" or "John Brown" from the '80s Masters of Reality disc. Leader Chris Goss has become a featured member of Queens of the Stone Age in recent years. He and MoR never got respect or attention from his hometown rock radio stations in Syracuse, NY - but he's earned the respect of most of the leading hard rock musicians of the past 15 years.

The best part of listening to music is when you discover or somebody turns you on to something that you`ve never heard of before.Well,today is just such a day...do you think that rock and roll is whatever Green day was puking up in stadiums all summer long last year?Listen and I`ll give you a short history of the Masters of Reality...this is a band from central New York that never really had a chance to take off,even though they had a good first album(re-recording it under the watchful eye of super-producer Rick Rubin)and some great reviews,problems arose within the band,coming to a head with them breaking up after a gig in Chicago while on tour with Kings X.It was a shame but fast forward a bit and singer/guitarist Chris Goss and bassist Googe hooked up with none other than the great British drummer Ginger Baker....you know,he played in a little band called Cream?
They put out this dynamite disc of varied but potent music....not in such a hard rock vein as their first disc(also worth checking out,by the way)but rocking none the less.
By the way,Sunrise on the Sufferbus is a little barbed statement about the short tour they went on after Ginger joined the band and right before this disc was released(word was that it was a tough tour for them and Ginger wasn`t really up to touring much then,I guess)hence the weird title.
Anyways,it was trully an incredible experience to hear Ginger playing at his best since his days in Cream,very tight and absolutely in the pocket,he was having a ball and it showed.I am really honored to be the first to review this great disc,being from central New York(like the original lineup)I am here to tell you to buy it,put it on and turn it up loud....then wonder what you were listening to when this came out and lament about the fact that you never even knew it existed.Not one bad song to be found,well,some are heavier than others but thats what its all about isn`t it? - mixing it up....so put away whatever your listening to now and hear what these guys were laying down....you`ll be suprised.

I'm fortunate enough to own the original Def American vinyl with it's superb cover art and even better track order. I got this CD after searching in vain for CD with the tracks in the same order as the original vinyl.

Rick Ruben's production is superb. You'll be hard pushed to find better sounding drums or guitar on any rock album. It's probably my favourite album of all time.

My only gripe about this CD is its deviation from the original vinyl track order. This had 'Theme for the Scientist of the Invisible' running straight into 'Domino' on side 1. The effect of which is lost in the CD compilation.

Also I have no doubt as to why 'Doraldina's Prophecies' wasn't on the original. It's by far the weakest track and doesn't fit with the rest of this superb album.

I live in hope someone will release a CD with the original track order.

Good reviews here in describing the music. I have owned this since the original release in my 3000+ disc collection. It is still a pleasure to pull it out. Strong creative energy, great production, solid licks, and interesting vocals. Goss has probably had a larger impact producing but the various MOR incarnations do deserve more recognition. Check the 2001 'Deep In The Hole' as my second fav disc of theirs.

A friend of mine introduced me to this cassette (has it been that long?) in the summer of '89. How he found out about them I have no idea, but I got back home, found it at NRM (another shout out to how long ago this was), and fell in love with it. I still can't get over how many different genres are referenced on this disc. Other posters have already hit on those, so I won't, but they pull each one off exceptionally well. This disc remains one of my all-time favorites.

PS - I would LOVE to get ahold of the "Blue Garden" album. I have the reissue, which I am happy with, but I think the original order of songs flowed SO much better.

About a million years ago (okay, maybe only 15-20 years ago), I fell asleep with the radio on. I woke around two in the morning to The Blue Garden, and was instantly mesmerized. Find it, buy it, love it - then buy the rest of Masters' catalog too!

Coolest bar band one could ever see ! From upstate New York,moved out to LA in the 80's (height of hair metal),played the scene, broke up, got back together,played the scene again and then some. THESE GUYS ROCK !!!! Cream meets old Black Sabbath !!!