This Is Dave`s Picks
Dave's Picks Returns with a Vengence.
Listen Up Mother Fucker, Dave's picks its back, and we've expanded things to include Classic Rock and Lost Classics. You came to me to find out about Lord Sterling, Throttlerod, Shovelhead, Halfway to Gone, Kung Pao, and Bottom, long before they made it big. This go round I'm going to turn you on to even more great music. I've selected a number of Essential items based on rarity and price. I consider each of these discs essential in my collection.
Monster Magnet `Dopes to Infinity`
 Alright, my first pick isn't new, its almost 10 years old, but at $10.99 this gem is a steal. Purists will tell you that this disc is where Monster Magnet started to lose them, but I disagree. Dopes to Infinity was an expansion of the Magnet sound, not a divergence. Tracks like Dopes to Infinity, Look to Your Orb, and King of Mars, provide a good midpoint between the raw energy of the earlier years, and the more polished sound of the later. MM`s Spine of God may be more classic, but if you're new to Magnet, this is the place to start. (I probably would choose Spine of God, if it was less expensive and easier to get a hold of)
The Atomic Bitchwax `II`
 I know I said I'd stick to the cheap, but this disc is just too essential to miss. At $15.98 its the most expensive of the bunch. But if you haven't already bought this disc, proceed to slam your head into the wall for the next ten minutes while you order it now. You fucking dope you. The Atomic Bitchwax are perhaps the finest players and the finest writers the Stoner Rock genre will ever see. The playing is phenomenal, blistering and boldly psychotic. I'd heard stories about the recording sessions for this album, and believe me, every bit of the insanity shows up on this disc. I won't pick out any specific track as outstanding (such as Liquor Queen, Dishing out a Heavy Dose of Tough Love, Cast Aside your Masks, the Cloning Chamber, Smoke Screen, or Marching on the Skulls of the Dead (aka Big Riff)), because they are all outstanding. Bitchwax is Stoner Rock's Led Zeppeling, they have their own sound that only they can do, and across the course of a single album they show widely divergent facets of themselves. Who else would have the balls to write Solid and deliver it the way they do?
Shovelhead `Red Sky Horizon`
 Now here's a disc tailor made for Dave's Picks, great band you probably never heard, great songs, great playing, and a great price. We at Nod Zine have been telling you about Shovelhead (formerly The Lemmings) since 1999. And here's the payoff, Shovelhead's newest disc is simply their best. The Riffs are huge, the songwriting inventive, and the playing inspired. Tracks like Bottom, Crop Duster and Uncle Jessie have already made their way onto my list of favorites. This disc has it all, sky high solos, pounding riffs, and loads of musicianship. Don't just take my word for it, go to our Shovelhead page and listen for yourself, you will not be disappointed.
Jim LaPointe is a stellar guitarist, one reviewer called their version of Amazing Grace "better than Chet Atkin's version." Be sure to catch Jim on the upcoming Black Nasa tour of the US, he'll be playing second guitar.
Captain Beyond (self-titled debut)
 The name says it all. Spacy. Heavy. And much beyond Beyond. This little known, short lived supergroup definitely qualifies as a genuine Lost Classic. With members of Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, and the Johnny Winters Band, Captain Beyond were the sleeper Rockers of 1972, and this is their timeless masterpiece. Influencing bands for decades to come, including Spirit Caravan, Monster Magnet, and Nebula, this often missed record from Capricorn (mainly a Southern Rock label) definitely deserves your attention. I think what makes this disc so distinctive and flawless is the writing of drummer Bobby Caldwell, who penned most, if not all of the tracks. I attribute the change between this record and the next, Sufficiently Breathless, to the departure of Caldwell. To sum it up simply, this is one of the sources that most Stoner Rock bands try to live up to.
Frank Zappa `Hot Rats`
 You're probably wondering, "What the fuck is Frank Zappa doing on Nod Zine, and why are his rats hot?" Let me tell you something, great music is great music, and Zappa's 'Rats' is indeed fucking hot. Following a car accident that put Zappa in a wheel chair, and striving to make a piece distinct from the zanyness of the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa created a masterpiece in this atypical Jazz Fusion album. Mostly instrumental, the record follows Zappa on a journey from the ochestrated Peaches en Regalia to the balls out jamming improv of The Gumbo Variations, which over 17 minutes rises to a blistering blowout of a climax as Zappa weaves his musicians in and out of ideas, tempos, and outer space. No, its not Stoner Rock at all, but it is simply one of the best albums made by anyone anywhere at anytime.
Long Live Rock !
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