Spine of God

Monster Magnet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 28, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Primo Scree
• ASIN: B000000HVV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,534 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pill Shovel

2. Medicine

3. Nod Scene

4. Black Mastermind

5. Zodiac Lung

6. Spine Of God

7. Snake Dance

8. Sin's A Good Man's Brother

9. Ozium

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its a Satanic Drug Thing ...you wouldn't understand, March 5, 2001

By 

J. Wolfson (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spine of God (Audio CD)

Monster Magnet... so much can be said about these Jersey boys gone bad. When I first heard this record, about a year or two after it's release, I was pretty blown away.

Recorded in the wake of a glam rock explosion, this is probably my favorite record which has no discernable production value whatsoever. A backlash if there ever was one, Spine Of God is the polar opposite of a Poison or Slaughter record stylistically, yet the subject matter (drugs, girls and drugs) is about as over the top as possible. Dave Wyndorf, the megalomaniacal singer, tells us not to "yank on the Spine of God", and if you don't want whatever happened to him to happen to you, you had better not. With his "Pill Shovel" he bashes our heads and drops a hundred tabs of acid on our ears' tongues. Whee!, its a ride and you would be advised to keep your head and arms inside the cabin at all times.

This is considered by some to be Magnet's best album, and I would have to agree. The peak of fearless lyrics and former lead guitarist John McBain's spacy playing are appealing to say the least. Sure, the guiars are fuzzed to the point of utter confusion and the drums sound like they were recorded in a deep well, but it's all part of the party. This brand of rock and roll is supposed to sound dirty. The following album (Superjudge) mostly matches the feel of Spine Of God but updates the production 200%, which was probably inevitable; Spine, however, remains unmatched in raw power.

Lately Magnet has been receiving feverish attention from music critics and has appeared on two magazine covers, which to me seems awfully late. Although I haven't heard the new record (God Says No, unreleased by 3/5/01) I can't imagine that the boys from Red Bank, NJ have changed their sound so much as to warrant this attention. If you've read the recent articles etc. about Monster Magnet and you want to hear them at their mind-f**ked best, pick up Spine Of God. It'll blow the doors off your head.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spawn of stoner rock., September 30, 2003

By 

High Duke (Zagreb, CROATIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spine of God (Audio CD)

This is the album that spawned the stoner rock genre of the 90's. Monster Magnet have not been this perfect since! This album touches 3 eras of hard rock and metal. The opening track "Pill Shovel" starts off with a wacko drum solo, powered by a Stooges riff and then turning into a lazy riff-fest that exemplifies the Magnet sound. "Medicine" is the closest the band get to raising the Stooges from the dead. "Nod Scene" is a tune at once mellow and heavy. It's quiet parts define stoner rock and it's chugging riff at the chorus is..great. "Black Mastermind" is a nod to the mighty Sabbath with it's whirlwind jam at the end. "Zodiac Lung" is a study in versatility, the quietest moment on the album and the closest they get to Pink Floyd-style ambience. They evoke the ghost of Hawkwind in the classic "Spine of God" complete with a sitar solo! "Snake Dance" is another rave-up rocker, while the cover of Grand Funk's "Sin's a Good Man's Brother" is ten times blusier and sleazier. They top the original here. The album ends with "Ozium", a sprawling, murky sea of guitars and organs. Kinda like what Iron Butterfly would sound like today. This is Magnet's greatest album, a potpourri of hard-rock references that takes the best from the past, mixes & mashes, and hurls it towards the future. Magnet's other albums are great, but it'll be hard for them to the spirit they captures here. This is the truest amalgamation of Black Sabbath and the Stooges EVER!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The precursor to stoner rock!, April 18, 2000

By 

HUSKY BOY SUPERMODEL - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spine of God (Audio CD)

This is the album that spawned the stoner rock genre of the 90's. Monster Magnet have not been this perfect since! This album touches 3 eras of hard rock and metal. The opening track "Pill Shovel" starts off with a wacko drum solo, powered by a Stooges riff and then turning into a lazy riff-fest that exemplifies the Magnet sound. "Medicine" is the closest the band get to raising the Stooges from the dead. "Nod Scene" is a tune at once mellow and heavy. It's quiet parts define stoner rock and it's chugging riff at the chorus is..great. "Black Mastermind" is a nod to the mighty Sabbath with it's whirlwind jam at the end. "Zodiac Lung" is a study in versatility, the quietest moment on the album and the closest they get to Pink Floyd-style ambience. They evoke the ghost of Hawkwind in the classic "Spine of God" complete with a sitar solo! "Snake Dance" is another rave-up rocker, while the cover of Grand Funk's "Sin's a Good Man's Brother" is ten times blusier and sleazier. They top the original here. The album ends with "Ozium", a sprawling, murky sea of guitars and organs. Kinda like what Iron Butterfly would sound like today. This is Magnet's greatest album, a potpourri of hard-rock references that takes the best from the past, mixes & mashes, and hurls it towards the future. Magnet's other albums are great, but it'll be hard for them to the spirit they captures here. This is the truest amalgamation of Black Sabbath and the Stooges EVER!