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5 Man’s Ruin Albums No Home Should Be Without

Man's Ruin posterFirst off, you’ll notice it doesn’t say “The 5 Man’s Ruin Albums No Home Should Be Without” and that’s because although these have been meticulously judged by a panel of no less than 17 home-bound experts (all of whom were me), this list could just as easily have included records from the likes of Nebula, Melvins, Fu Manchu, Suplecs, Desert Sessions, Beaver, earthlings?, Che, The Hellacopters, Sons of Otis, Operator Generator, Unida, High on Fire and more, or even just alternates from the bands listed. Let’s face it, until the label folded in 2001, artist Frank Kozik released a lot of good shit via Man’s Ruin, most of which costs a lot of money on eBay and Amazon these days.

Let it also be known that this list entirely excludes the vinyl output of the label. Why? Because that shit is even more expensive and that’s not a collection I dare start in these hard economic times. If you think the LPs, EPs and 7″s should be included, send them to me and I’ll put them right up, I promise.

Enough disclaiming. Click that little “read more” link right there and see which five CDs in your MR collection you should be proudest to own.

In order of release date:

1. NatasLife doesn't get much better than this.
Delmar
1996
This one might even go beyond the realm of stoner and just be one of the best rock albums, period. The debut by Argentinian rockers Natas (who later added “Los” to the front of their moniker) is the finest work of desert rock ever to be released without a Kyuss logo on it.

In fact, although it’s blasphemy to do so, I’d even go so far as to say that on songs like “I Love You” and “Alberto Migre,” Natas deliver a tonal sweetness to go with their catchiness that Kyuss only pulled off on rare occasions. One of the best albums you own if you already own it, and one of the best purchases you’ll ever make if you don’t. I found mine for $4.99 in a used bin and considered myself the luckiest man alive for five whole minutes.

Look for their new album, El Nuevo Orden de la Libertad, later this year on Small Stone Records.

2. Kyuss, Queens of the Stone AgeDoesn't get much better than this.
Split CD
1997
In terms of raw desert legacy, this might be the most important piece of music Kozik ever released on his now-legendary, taken-too-soon label. It was the last output from Kyuss (the greatest hits collection notwithstanding) and the birth of Queens of the Stone Age, who — although guitarist/vocalist and Kyuss guitarist Josh Homme has gone on to more or less abandon his stoner rock roots — made a lasting imprint on the genre with their 1998 self-titled and 2000 Rated R offerings. Those with extra cash might also want to check out the Queens/Beaver split Man’s Ruin released in 1998. The entire Kyuss catalog goes without saying.

3. Acid King...or this
Busse Woods
1999
Like Delmar above and I below, Busse Woods was rightly chosen by Dan Bukszpan of the band Slow Horse as one of Stonerrock.com‘s 10 all-time best stoner rock records. It is glorious and, a decade later, an utterly timeless exposition of everything that drugged-out, sleepy riff metal should be. Listen to a song like “Electric Machine” (yeah…) and you’re immediately transported to a hypnotic world of vague horrors. Frontwoman/guitarist/riff mistress Lori S. finds her voice perfectly suited to the proceedings, and with the reissue Small Stone did in 2004, you might be able to hear it without shelling out all your rent money. Someone send that dude a thank you card.

4. Goatsnake...or this.
I
1999
Goatsnake
, from whence launched the career of Southern Lord Recordings founder and SunnO))) guitarist Greg Anderson, might rival Kyuss/Queens on this list in terms of importance, but putting that aside, the album just flat-out rules. Anderson‘s doom groove riffs shake mountains and Pete Stahl‘s vocals have a hazy croon that almost no one since has been able to pull off as effectively. They never quite got to this level again with either their Flower of Disease full-length or the Trampled Under Hoof EP, but for this album alone, Goatsnake should be considered top tier when it comes to Man’s Ruin releases. And wouldn’t you know, Southern Lord reissued it in 2001 with the Dog Days EP tacked on as bonus. Funny how that works out.

5. Dozer...or this.
In the Tail of a Comet
2000
Even if this record blew total ass — which it doesn’t, it’s one of the best stoner rock albums you’ll ever hear — In the Tail of a Comet would still deserve inclusion on this list just for the daring Kozik artwork. How many dudes were putting out albums with non-ironic pink covers at the turn of the century? This record shows that Kozik brought more to the stoner rock scene than just killer bands; every piece of art has a certain something that lets you know it was his. It’s a style you can see imitated on album covers by the likes of Orange Goblin and The Atomic Bitchwax. Clearly with good reason.

Learn more about Man’s Ruin on Wikipedia.

Or just see the discography.

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