Masters of Reality is the debut album by Masters of Reality, released in 1989 on Def American. Due to the artwork on the cover, the original release is sometimes referred to as The Blue Garden.
A reissue was released on June 19, 1990, on the Delicious Vinyl label. The reissue had a new cover, a change in song sequence and the addition of the song "Doraldina's Prophecies". Delicious Vinyl would reissue the album again in 2012 on deluxe compact disc and vinyl, bundled with the live album How High the Moon: Live at the Viper Room.
The track "The Blue Garden" is sampled on Lemon Jelly's track 88 aka Come Down on Me" on their 2005 album '64–'95.
Critical reception
The Orange County Register called the album "a surprisingly winning pastiche of Cream, ZZ Top, and Neil Young."
Track listings
Personnel Band members Chris Goss – vocals, guitar Tim Harrington – lead guitar Googe – bass Vinnie Ludovico – drums
Additional musicians Mr. Owl – additional keyboards
Production Rick Rubin – producer Matt Dike, Michael Ross, Chris Goss – additional production on 1990 edition David Bianco – engineer, mix engineer Steve Ett – engineer Brian Jenkins – assistant engineer John Leamy – cover painting
References