Monster Magnet: Superjudge (2LP) [PIAS]

Why you'll love it

This reissue spreads Superjudge across a 2LP set. It was Monster Magnet's first album for A&M, and alongside their debut it helped shape the stoner rock sound of the 1990s.

This edition

• 2LP set

About the album

Dave Wyndorf passed on names like Dog of Mystery and King Fuzz and named his band after a 1960s Wham-O toy he loved as a kid, which is about the right level of seriousness for a group that rode rocket ships of fuzz. After touring with Soundgarden on the back of Spine Of God, Monster Magnet landed a deal with A&M and made Superjudge with guitarist Ed Mundell, bassist Joe Calandra and drummer Jon Kleiman.

The sound is heavier and tighter than the debut, all space-rock drones and swaggering riffs. Twin Earth and Face Down were picked as singles, each with a video, Cyclops Revolution opens with a stomp, the title track lumbers like a giant, Elephant Bell and Dinosaur Vacume dig deep into the fuzz, and the band take on Hawkwind's Brainstorm, a fitting nod to their space-rock elders. Black Balloon brings the album down to earth.

Powertrip and Space Lord would make them radio stars a few years later, but plenty of fans still swear by this one. Turn it up loud and the shop floor starts to drift, which we're told is the point.

Also at Kops: more Monster Magnet on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On PIAS, a reissue of the 1993 album.