Comments for Masters of Reality, Sunrise on the Sufferbus

Now that Ginger is doing that project BBM, is this great band on permanent hiatus? Anyway, this album mixes classic rock grooves with late-60's stylings (well, Ginger is a dinosaur). My personal fave cut is "Ants In The Kitchen", but my friends and I jam on "J.B. Witchdance" and "V.H.V".

very original album, with excellent drumming (of course!). i'd like to know if these guys are together still, too.

Not as good as debut, but decent. Any more albums?

Visionary Rock and Roll. A new album is out April 11, 1996 titled "The Ballad of Jody Frosty" Don't ask questions. Buy all of these guys albums.

A very moody album with excellent melodies accompanied by Ginger's funky drummin'. If I were stuck on a deserted island with only 2 albums, I would want Pony Express Record by Shudder to Think and this one (no kidding!)

Oops...darn CR.. IMHO this is superior to their previous work, thanks to the influence of Ginger...the songs are more spaced out and groovin'. Do not miss them live!!!

When I first picked up this CD, I was expecting more of the same power rock. Boy, was I wrong. In many ways, it eclipses the first album. This multi-faceted work definately shows the influence of the newest member, the legendary Ginger Baker. It's hard to pick a favorite cut. My suggestion is to get it and play it several times in a row, you won't be sorry. I can't wait for the new stuff; out in '97, a live album and a new studio effort. Keep Rockin'.

Some Mag. Reviews: Rolling Stone (3/18/93, p.40) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...Their sound is a matter of refinement and a determination to fuse melodies with the psychedelic power blues of Cream and other heavy-mannered trip-rock antecedents..." Musician (3/93, p.91) - "...more or less amazing...SUNRISE ON THE SUFFERBUS is the best rock album I've heard in this young decade...the band is at its best playing with that most deceptively simple of all musical structures, the blues..." Q Magazine (6/93, p.102) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...full of surprises, most of them good, not least the recruitment of that ancient skin slapper, Ginger Baker...What it all means is anybody's guess, but it's one of those rare rock albums that actually challenges expectations..." Melody Maker (5/22/93, p.29) - "...Masters Of Reality are consummate blues rock classicists..." Down Beat (5/93, pp.34-36) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...Baker's uniquely rumbling pulse allies beautifully with the group's limber power-trio antics...the gutsy retro folk-blues-rock material benefits from his input..." Entertainment Weekly (3/26/93, p.81) - "...their tight little countrified rock songs sound wise and assured..." - Rating: A- Audio (6/93, p.83) - "...the band shows experimental and compositional virtues that definitely harken back to another age....the grooves on `T.U.S.A' and `J.B.'s Witchdance' are infectious, with Baker's drumming at its best...."

Another fine record from Masters! I had almost thought the band had broken up since Tim and Vinny had left and formed The Bogeymen(whose album"there is no such thing as" has some bright moments but in my opinion nowhere as good as Masters). The band returns here as a 3 piece with none other than Ginger Baker on drums! The songs seem a little more "happy" but still retain the mysterious element found on the first. All the songs are great but my personal faves are "J.B. Witchdance", "Gimme Water", and the total laid back cool of "Rabbit One". In a perfect world the forthcoming album would go to #1, Masters of Reality would do a Monsters of Rock Tour with the likes of Shudder to Think, Jawbox, Kyuss, and Trip Shakespeare, and beat Bush's ass in a cage match.

I just wish Baker continue with this extremely talanted band. He really shows the difference between mediocre and virtiouso drumming. He also does the group a lot of good, as this is their greatest album yet...............ROCK ON !

Restraint is one of the keys to great rock. The Masters demonstrate restraint on this album. They also demonstrate that they can still blow your mind with huge riffs and thundering rock. This is one of the great progessive rock works of our time. Ginger's influence is obvious, as the album mirrors the power trio progressiveness of Cream, ala Wheels of Fire, but this brings that great work into the ninties. An album not to be missed by anyone with any interest in refined rock and roll.

I always thought that ROBERT PRIEST from Buffalo's BLATANT DEATH was the shit on drums until I heard Ginger Baker on this heavy rock masterpiece!!! Play this album 'LOUD' - at your next party ................

I had decided by my junior year in college that rock was dead. I had resigned myself to filling out my record and CD collections with bands worth plunking down $15 on. A friend of mine told me to give these guys a try and I just about burst to tears when I heard how good they were. This isn't just a great rock and roll record - it's a rebirth. Thank the lord these guys exist.

Unbelievable drumming, from start to finish. How could I get so lucky as to have my favorite band of last ten years hook up with such a virtuoso as Ginger Baker? Especially since only real weak spot on first effort was the drumming (not that it was bad, but it just didn't seem heavy enough to support the rest of the music), and since i thought this was just an obscure band from Texas who I would probably never hear from again. Took awhile to get used to, as it was somewhat a departure from the first effort, but now I can honestly say this one is my favorite. Production sound is miles ahead of first, and sense of humor on songs like "T.U.S.A." and "Ants in the Kitchen" helps to set the group apart from your typical hard rock/heavy metal clones. The only problem now is that my expectations for new material have been raised to such an astronomical level, I fear they will never be fulfilled. I hope the "Holiday" is over soon and new work will be forthcoming.

my first experience with masters occured in '89 with the debut release, and the effect was permanent. my perception of reality forever altered. the album represents the quintessential expression of its time. if you have not yet LISTENED to it...stop reading this shit and get busy. with "sunrise", the harmony of the known universe was put into balance. unparalleled texture, super production (ala rick rubin influence?), and such unabashed "realism" as to make it my all-time favourite. stranded on a desert isle? be sure to pack "sunrise", Beethoven's piano sonata's, Matthew Sweet's "girlfriend", and any dead can dance...who brought the peace pipe? masters of reality..."sunrise"...the definition of groove! thank you, masters! PHANTOM zcastle@tir.com

A friend of mine played this cd for me and I was totally blown away. There is so much versatility to the music. I start each morning with She Got Me and Tilt-A-Whirl. What a rush. Gets me going every day without fail. V.H.V. never fails to leave me looking for my boyfriend. Very erotic stuff. I guess the only other thing I can say, is buy this album and listen to it every day. It is the best!

I like this album and prefer the song "100 Years (of tears on the wind)".

What a great record! This album can cheer me up at any time without fail. They write incredible heavy rock songs like "She got me (When she got her dress on)" and "Tilt a whirl" , as well as awesome little happy tunes like "The moon in your pocket" and "Jody sings". Magical. A perfect 10!

The drums on this record have the best recorded sound I've ever heard, but The Masters lost nothing when they recruited Vic the Stick. J B Witchdance is a monster song. I wish it had been on the Viper Room release. WE WANT MORE!!!!!

I remember reading a copy of Playboy a few years ago. (Yes - people really do read it sometimes). Anyway, the record review section is really weird. One guy writes a piece on the album, and then like 5 other people who also submit other albums for that issue also listen to it and rate it. The only problem was the guy who originally wanted to review it said that Sunrise was the finest album he had listened to in ages and had to get everyone else in the group to listen to it. Only problem was he got their name mixed up with Circus of Power. Needless to say, the new Circus of Power album at the time sucked ass. MOR could have been exposed (no pun intended) to a whole new group of perverts. Oh well...

Masters of Reality manage to approach rock n roll with a recpect for the past; with a respect so strong it allows them to drag rock n roll's tired ass out of the past. At a recent Raging Slab performance in Maryland, Slab covered parts of "She Got Me", and most of you were probably at home listening to Matchbox 20.

Totally different to the first album, and still unlike anything else you ever heard before! 9 out of 10.

Everybody's exemplary comments for the 2 different "Candy Song" album releases are on the mark, BUT.... SUNRISE ON THE SUFFERBUS takes things to a higher level. "100 years of tears on the wind" is sublime and fantastic, musically. Lyrically, all you heartbroken guys should certainly relate to it. "Bicycle" is short & spooky, but I feed it through my tape deck monitor to get the sound level loud all the way through. "V.H.V.", "Tilt-awhirl", "Red Dress", "Ants.." and the "Bring me water" song are tremendous. SUNRISE is a sublte work in 1 way, and in another way, a BOOOOMING work. Kind of a beutiful hammer wrapped in velvet. I was lucky enough to see the Masters in Oct., 1991 w/Ginger here in Atlanta. True Rock. I rate SUNRISE... a 10.

this is probebly the one album that i have which all my friends want to steal! i bought it when i first came out because i was such a big cream/ginger baker fan. the man's music hasen't aged a day. i all most saw them as an opening band once, but the show was canceld and when they rescheduled they were replace by alice in chains. ants in the kitchen is my fav. on the album. you have it play it as loud as you can stand, going down the highway on a sunny spring day while drinking a beer. (not that i think drinking and driving is ok, or anything)

I'm a huge fan of the first album, don't get me wrong, but this album is the absolute, all-time, quintessential rock album. It is sublime and perfect. In some ways I wish that Masters would receive all the accolades and recognition that they are due, but in others, I am glad that there is still some music out there that feels like it belongs completely and totally to me. SUNRISE ON THE SUFFERBUS is about the little pleasures in life, about having fun, and is what all music should be measured by.

Origin900, You dont play drums do ya? The drumming on the first album was powerful, precise, and solid. I was bummed he quit. Ginger is too noisy for my tastes.

Not quiet as good as the previous release, but still interesting enough to buy. It needs more than one listen to hook you, though. For all his hype and storied history, Ginger Baker does not belong with this band. This cd doesn't groove like the previous. The rhythm section doesn't rip your head off. It's good, no doubt. But still not on par with Blue Garden.Tim Harrington is missed a bit. Goss's riffing is sublime, but lacks the intensity without Harrington.I saw them in Athen's Ga.back in '90 with Ginger Baker and they still were SMOKIN!

This is the best Masters album yet (haven't heard the live one at this writing but that will be remedied soon). To me, the best thing about the Masters is the heavy blues influence, and this album has it in spades. "Ants in the Kitchen" and"V.H.V." are probably the best things I can think of to start the day off with... Follow ijt up with "Tilt-a-Whirl" on the way out the door, and your day is set. Then, when you come home, "Jody Sings" and "100 Years (of Tears on the Wind)" are the perfect relaxers. If there's no new studio album soon... ah, who can make a threat against these guys? I'll just say instead... please??

the only masters album which i don''t own. can anybody make me a copy? serious offers? email me.

Pretty heavy...and somewhat frightning in a very cool sort of way.Great poetry and grooves; also, check Ginger Baker`s T.U.S.A.

It's entirely possible that 'Sufferbus' is the perfect CD. Ten years ago, it was the subtle buzz in the background of half the beer I drank, then pounded itself out as I ran the beer off the next day. It hasn't aged a bit since; it helps me through the occasional workday or goes on soon after I get home, from time to time. I wish I knew of more CDs that still bring it like Sufferbus does, 10 years on.

Ginger is neither the most nor least important thing on this album. It all rocks in the best possible way, and the thing about Tea is damn TRUE, hahaha!