Which Queens of Stone Age album should I buy?

well, yeah. but also no. 9&10 has some other folks on it and it ranges a little more widely than QotSA's albums do, and also has some pj harvey songs that actually interested me. for the first time since "rid of me."

as far as the DS's go, 1+2 are the strangest as far as songs, not as accessible. 3+4 have some good ones, but again, not great. 5+6 is where almost every song is great. 7+8 is spotty.

Your friend is severely retarded. Seek him help. QUICK. QotSA records are even better than the desert sessions. You are a soon-to-be fan.

1. Queens of the Stone Age
2. Songs of the Deaf
3. R

All three of their records are good and if you like one, you will probably like them all.

Rated R is more "out there". If you like your albums multidimensional, then you should start here, but if you really like Kyuss, you'll love the first one. "Songs for the deaf" is very good as well, though a bit lenghty.

In fact, I'm not convinced he isn't me.

i bought "rated r" because i ran out of earth, sleep, electric wizard, om, high on fire, sunn, kyuss, earthless and st vitus albums to get.

so i went for QOTSA and i'm sorry to say this sounds a lot more like soundgarden than "stoner rock". am i missing something?

i don't hear anything particularly stoner rock like in rated r or the subsequent albums, so probably not

Their first self-titled album is the only one you really need. And if you get way into it, the later ones might make more sense.

WRONG.

am i missing something?

YES. they're really not the band you're looking for. might i suggest ramesses "we will lead you to glorious times"?

i liked rated r. it was fun. i liked it more than any soundgarden i've ever heard. the rest of the queens stuff i can do without.

"i bought "rated r" because i ran out of earth, sleep, electric wizard, om, high on fire, sunn, kyuss, earthless and st vitus albums to get."

yeah, i mean, queens aren't doom. that's yer problem right there. there is lots of great doom stuff to buy. (not that earthless, om, earth, and high on fire are really doom either, but all those bands are a lot heavier than queens.)

xp: ^^^ well, i agree w/skot's rated r comment. he's WRONG about the rest, too, though.

right about doom, though. stop commenting while i'm commenting.

there is no end to great stoner/doom/heavy stuff in the world.

everyone needs a little more wandering midget in their lives:

http://www.myspace.com/thewanderingmidget

I might actually like "Songs for the Deaf" even more than "Rated R". It's got a real Stoogely swagger to it.

But no, none their stuff sounds anything like Sleep, Earth and the rest. They've a much warmer, almost garagey vibe.

1st album then songs then rated r imo

so i'm to understand that what i've been calling "stoner rock" is actually something called "doom" and that the queens are part of a genre i'm not really familiar with?

i dunno about any of this but i like the first queens album the most, the one w/ the crotch on the album cover

wow that live version sounds anemic this one is way better

Qotsa arent really stoner either, but theyre certainly not doom. Josh calls the 1st album "robot rock".
Kyuss were stoner rock. Unida are stoner rock. Electric Wizard and Sleep straddle the line of stoner and doom. Stoner generally has a less metal influence with a more MC5/Stooges/Hawkwind psychedelic/space rock with FUZZY guitar influence while Doom is more METAL. Like i said some bands do both.

"i bought "rated r" because i ran out of earth, sleep, electric wizard, om, high on fire, sunn, kyuss, earthless and st vitus albums to get."

Yes, based on this statement, here are some albums you might prefer:

Goatsnake - I & Flower of Disease
Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium
Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Orange Goblin - The Big Black
Trouble - The Skull & Psalm 9

orange goblin are the worst band ive ever seen. Supporting Unida (who were FANTASTIC)in 99 and then headlining over Nebula the following year. (Nebula pissed all over them)

You're crazy. I only like that one album of theirs, but both shows I've seen (which granted were a few years later than you saw them), they absolutely leveled the place.

Are they ever going to reissue that first QOTSA album? I never bought it when I had the chance, now its into pricey eBay territory it seems.

come to think of it, if someone asked me what queens of the stone age album to buy, i would just tell them to buy:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1026/770965664_65d1062ece.jpg?v=0

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31KB5RHNCKL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

cuz i wouldn't want to live without them. can't say that about any queens album.

scott what is that first one

http://www.mastersofreality.de/assets/images/1988_mor_blue_garden.jpg

=

Masters of Reality's self-titled debut

(you'd be excused, however, for assuming it was Miranda Sex Garden or some similar medieval awfulness)

thakig u!!

i think some of the songs are really great but, take a song like "auto pilot". awesome idea, nice lyrics, good arrangement, great guitar lead. but then there's that omnipresent radio rock thing where they mix really clean-sounding guitars with distorted guitars playing the same thing, and there's whiny modern rock "i'm not really singing" thing going on where you can practically see the dude's beefy neck muscles straining out of his von dutch t-shirt. and i stop and go am i listening to a kyuss side project or a foo fighters side project?

i guess what keeps me listening after three days is that i have my odd moments of nostalgia for stuff like stone temple pilots ... but it's a slippery slope from here to the foo fighters, and thence to something like switchfoot, amirite?

i guess the adventurous "ok computer" style production saves it from that, though. and the lead guitar is great!

frightening

i'd say listen to all of them first, then decide which you like best and purchase

I've never understood all the love - often exclusive - for the debut album. I'll have to drag mine out and listen to it, for what will probably be the fourth or fifth time in total. (And then, probably, stick it on eBay, if it's actually rare.) All I seem to remember is a lot of stolid, workmanlike riffage. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but . .

Is it because it's the only one that sounds a little bit like Kyuss?

the first one (with the 70s tits on the front)

I saw Masters Of Reality some years back. Fantastic band and I hope there's a new album on it's way.

I'd hold onto that debut a bit longer Soukesian, I guess its not worth quite *that* much yet. Seems to be going for $20-$30 on eBay and Amazon right now. Still, I'm not sure that I really want to pay even that much for it. Just kicking myself for not picking it up when I used to see it around all the time.

Heh, on second thought... sell it quick! According to a couple comments on Amazon, its being reissued by the end of the year!

I think Era Vulgaris is a top notch rock n roll album, anyone with me?

Is that the Masters of Reality album with "Doraldina's Prophecies" and "Kill the King"? It appears to be DRM free at the iTunes store, but with a different cover.

Also, never knew Chris Goss produced The Flys.

The 1st album was reissued with a different cover and renamed "The Blue Garden"

Hmm, the one on iTunes right now is called self-titled, but its got a collage of pictures on the cover, one of which is from the cover scott posted.

Queen's best moments are when Mark Lanegan is singing: God is in the Radio, In the Fade, Song for the Deaf ("the blind can go get fucked!" classic).

well the 1st album is self titled but did get reissued as "The Blue Garden". So the album on itunes is the one youre after.

I've been disappointed in the last couple albums. I think they lost some kind of spark and fire when Nick Oliveri got the boot.

wait, so is the difference between "masters of reality" and "blue garden" the mastering/mix? because i know the vinyl of the s/t is supposed to be a different, superior mix to the cd.

I've been disappointed in the last couple albums. I think they lost some kind of spark and fire when Nick Oliveri got the boot.

meh. some of their best shit is sans Oliveri andf probably wouldn't have happened with him around (e.g. "I Never Came," "Make It Wit' Chu")

never found their albums that compelling but live they sound amazing. listening to their glastonbury performance now.

do they have an album with rawer production?

xpost Make It Wit Chu was an old Desert Sessions song they revived for Queens. Doesn't support the "they couldn't have done it with Oliveri" theory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4O3LnDsPik

do they have an album with rawer production?

well, there is the live release if you prefer the more direct form .. (the dvd came with a cd version .. )

I only ever heard Rated R. I should really check out some other stuff, but for me they'll never quite cut it because they just aren't Kyuss.

Era Vulgaris is raw in a mechanized sort of way.

they'll never quite cut it because they just aren't Kyuss

different type of band imo

the first album is the best by far

For Kyuss and first album fans, I would direct to Gozu (who should have a second album coming soon, and are touring this summer) and early Colour Haze.

Kyuss/Stoner Rock

the first album is the best by far

― the beta banned (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, July 5, 2011 4:41 PM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Agreed. Things progressively went downhill after that. Homme is also a Tea Party loving dickhead.

then and now, songs for the deaf, even over kyuss. it's their biggest hit, commercial as hell, and a far cry from "stoner rock," but i like nearly every song, love the production & drumming. i played it to death at the time and still keep a distance due to overfamiliarity, but that doesn't dim my affection even the least little bit.

the first album is the worst by far fyi

To me, the last two LPs are really a step down from the first three. I've gotten the last two CDs listened to them a couple of times and they have not left the shelf for much. They just are there. I think the stripped down minimalism of the first one is way more unique than anything else they did.

Roberto the first album is the best fyi infinity

hahaha. well, i keep going back to it. maybe one day it will click.

Homme is also a Tea Party loving dickhead.

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, July 5, 2011 9:13 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

go on

Rated R is my favourite, then maybe Era Vulgaris. Songs For The Deaf has some good moments but is too loud and too long. Debut has a couple of top songs but is a bit squiffy. Love Rated R all the way through, though. Their most fun record, I think.

Songs For The Deaf is probably my favourite commercial rock album of the last decade tbh.

Never listened to the Lullabies one. I gather it's not that good? I thought Era Vulgaris was OK but not up to the first 3.

I don't attempt to compare QOTSA to Kyuss because as others have said they are not really playing the same kind of music.

First album is just perfect, a lovely supine groove. Songs For The Deaf is a total blast too, more AllKillerNoFiller than such diverse albums mostly manage. Never really liked Rated R beyond a few songs, though. Lanegan did some great work with them, and they certainly repaid his efforts.

Boggling at the idea of Songs for the Deaf being too loud.

From what I remember, the first album sounded uncannily like Terrorvision

Something's seriously wrong with your ears, or your memory, or something.

dog latin clearly has never heard the 1st album.

I only heard it once, back in the olden days, but that's what I remember everyone saying at the time. So it doesn't sound like Terrorvision? I'm kind of disappointed.

Homme is also a Tea Party loving dickhead.

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, July 5, 2011 9:13 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

go on

― winsome posters leave the hall (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, July 6, 2011 3:48 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

He's a Sarah Palin supporter, at least that's what i heard. He can sue me if it's not true.

Don't know if Homme is but Jesse from Eagles of Death Metal sure as hell is:

Antiquiet: I saw a video a while back talking about the election. Something tells me you weren’t one of the people running through the streets, crying and screaming over Obama winning.

Jesse Hughes: No, I was one of the people running and crying in the streets. I was just crying for different reasons. Because we just elected a communist to the highest office in the land, simply because he wasn’t a Republican. I still don’t know reasons why we voted for him. I know why we didn’t elect the other guy, but that doesn’t make any sense. You can’t be a communist and a free thinker at the same time.

Antiquiet: Don’t you think it might take someone that far to the left to offset the balance of the neocon movement and unchecked corporate pillaging?

Jesse Hughes: I think it’s because we’ve been deceived and confused into thinking in left and right, when we should only be thinking in terms of right and wrong. And when you don’t think in terms of right and wrong, you voluntarily allow for propaganda and deceit. I’m talking about the same people who believed Bill Clinton and when it turned out he was lying they spent the rest of their political lives making excuses for the criminal. I don’t see that setup being any different here.

Aside from that, I think it just proves what maybe was possible all along. Maybe this country isn’t as racist as we think it is. You know what I mean? And I think that’s a fuckin great thing. But on the other hand, a dude who wants to give everyone free fuckin’ lunch doesn’t impress me much. The highest office in the land puts him in charge of the military. Something this man hates, by record. He hates it. And what has the motherfucker ever done in his life besides get elected? Cause that’s all he’s done. He’s really good at it.

Besides, I wanted to get down with Sarah Palin, and now I don’t get to have that fantasy in my face every day. That’s a bummer.

man this is so groovin'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf6qnX4rmDU&feature=related

I could see maybe Autopilot or Leg of Lamb from Rated R being mistaken for Terrorvision, actually. Nothing off QOTSA though.

lol Jesse Hughes

now I know he thinks that way I'm not sure I'll be able to face listening to his terrible band again

guys they're from the desert of california, I don't know how anyone out there has any idea what rational political belief looks like

Off the top of my head (haven't listened to most of 'em in a while):

S/T-Excellent, although IMO the production is kinda dry (I probably think this because I landed here after R and Welcome To Sky Valley formed my reference points). Need to pick up the reissue.
Rated R-Had thought it the weak link in the initial three albums, but recently got ahold of the deluxe edition, and upon relistening, would put it on par w/the first one anyway. This was one of the soundtracks to my senior year in high school. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to hear this in those Nu Metal days. Had the "Never Say Never" cover made the album, they would have had their one-hit an album earlier.
Songs For The Deaf- The masterpiece, where everything clicked.
Lullabies to Paralyze-Haven't listened to it since it came out. Remember it being a crushing disappointment, but OTOH there are some good songs on it.
Era Vulgaris-A glossy return to form. Spun it alot the summer of release before filing it away.

I never got the live collection.

Homme is also a Tea Party loving dickhead.

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, July 5, 2011 9:13 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

go on

― winsome posters leave the hall (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, July 6, 2011 12:48 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark

This isn't a big secret, Homme says so in interviews. For example: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/16/us-musicians-healthcare-insurance-vic-chestnutt

Josh Homme admits he's "very conservative" politically. He doesn't think the government has any better idea how to spend his money than he does, and whenever an administration has tried he's sure they've got it wrong. "But this is such a huge problem," he says. "We can't turn away from it."

He doesn't think the government has any better idea how to spend his money than he does

hey i'm pissed at how much the federal government allocates towards blow too

it's obvious that every cent of my money should be spent on ME. what part of "MINE ALL MINE" does the government not understand?

Lol Bill: "the only thing progressive about J Homme is the deterioration of his songwriting"

wow ..

http://www.likeclockwork.tv/

seems to have a 'video' for each track of the new album

ok .. not every track is streaming
.. about half of the album.
love the dark look.
hopefully this 'film' will be included as a dvd extra when the new album is out.

seriously .. no-one ..

this album is proper f*cking brilliant ..

cant believe no-one has added their 2 penneth re this album ..

Mark, I like you but you're so insanely wrong. It's even worse than the last one and that's really saying something.

fair enough mr doran.
i love the fact i am on the outside.

this album is easily my fave of the year so far.

I mean, the only people I've seen write a single good thing about it is you, the NME and a celebrity chef.

ok.
you're right.
i hate it.
it's shit.

(that said, after a few months of living with 'era vulgaris', i really grew to love it .. )

I feel bad now. Can you just go back to liking it again?

Love the new album! Show last night in LA was fuckin awesome.

MOJO have given new LP 5/5

i am not alone.

i am here with you

How do we know the 7' tall ginger marauder isn't stood next to you glaring in your direction while you're typing this?

i love the whole vibe of the album.
its dark.
its fucked up.
no glam stompers, no easy radio friendly grooves.
but its still very much a qotsa album.

btw xpost : if the ginger tinted man giant were here @ ireallylovemusic hq then do you really think i would give a shit re ilm ?

I meant Stevie, seeing as I presume he's out in LA interviewing him for someone or other.

He's not that big, I could probably have him.

Was prettttty excited to hear that Homme nabbed Jon Theodore to play the drums. NPR broadcasted the first live footage I've heard with a decent drum mix a couple days ago, and it's good, the new record is good, the old chestnuts are good, but I would love to hear a new set of tunes from Homme that are muscular/buckwild enough to really let Theodore flex his nuts a little, I think that would be real special.

that aforementioned Wiltern show
http://www.npr.org/event/music/185557912/first-listen-live-queens-of-the-stone-age-like-clockwork

New one is pretty damn good huh?

I can only ask this because the band is pretty different from album to album, but ... if I've never liked this band before, is there any reason to listen to this one?

its not as good as the 1st 3 albums so maybe you will like this if you didn't like their truly great stuff?

lol wow

josh it sounds like a queens of the stone age record so no probably not

i really like it regardless. "i sat by the ocean" has been in my head all day

yep this is just like every qotsa record but man it's a good one. way more consistent than the last few.

i love the whole vibe of the album.
its dark.
its fucked up.
no glam stompers, no easy radio friendly grooves.
but its still very much a qotsa album.

mark e is otm -- new album is, ack, a very mature album in that it still knows its pedigree but the energy of the album is far more measured and thoughtful. It's almost like it's even more drugged-out and psychedelic without the spaz and bombast that can frequently make the mellower tunes much less impacting. On par or better than anything he's done.

i've managed to avoid this band somehow completely over the past ten years but relented, I like the new one fine.

Wow - I'm already a total fan, but the new one really shines! And that's after I corrected playing Rpm to 45 on rekkid!

I'll personally stick up for Era Vulgaris as a good album, though it certainly has more filler than the new one. Lullabies is a bit crap on the other hand.

very glad this album is getting some love.
every day this week during my lunchtime browsing sessions, this album has been on the shops pa systems, and damn, it has sounded so good.
also, i eventually succumbed to the charms of era vulgaria
... took a bit longer than normal, but damn, it has some serious classics.

i wasn't sold at first but second listen is yielding good vibes

about as good as you could want a later-era QOTSA album to be. i love the old kyuss/rated r sound better than these last few albums, but I'm down with this for sure

that closing song reminds me of pink floyd, dark side of the moon kinda vibe

it's very pretty on first listen

haven't listened to these guys since songs for the deaf, but on first listen I'm digging this new album's gentleman stoner elegance

its a great album. its a greater album when you realise that a large amount of the songs are josh's way of dealing with the fact he died on the operating table for some minutes a few years back.

its a great album. its a greater album when you realise that a large amount of the songs are josh's way of dealing with the fact he died on the operating table for some minutes a few years back.

Accepted in principal; but citations required.

"Gentleman Stoner Elegance" should be a top trend for 2014. Let's make this happen people!

new blunted gentry

I Sat By the Ocean and Kalopsia are my favourites.

Accepted in principal; but citations required.

Check the lyrics to I Appear Missing in particular.

From Wiki:

In 2010, frontman Josh Homme was hospitalized for thirteen days, and subsequently bedridden for four months, following complications during a routine knee surgical procedure.[4] Homme noted, "I woke up and there was a doctor going, ‘Shit, we lost you.' I couldn’t get up for four months. When I did, I hadn’t got a clue what was going on." During this time, Homme sank into a deep depression, noting "I would never say, 'I'm probably not gonna make it out of here.' But back then, I would definitely think it."[4] The remaining members of Queens of the Stone Age - guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, drummer Joey Castillo, bassist Michael Shuman and guitarist and keyboardist Dean Fertita - encouraged Homme to return to the band to begin work on a sixth studio album.[5] Homme noted, "I had to ask them 'If you want to make a record with me right now, in the state I’m in, come into the fog. It’s the only chance you got.' It brought us much closer, because you never really know someone till everything goes wrong."[6]

they played the whole album live last night:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01b7kmv

This is growing into a titan of a record.

this is a terrific album. however, i think the track order hurts it. it takes too long to really get going. it's okay leading off with Keep Your Eyes Peeled, and I Sat By The Ocean is a great way to follow it, but you can't piss away the momentum by then going straight into another more meandering track like Vampyre. having diagnosed the disorder i have fixed it. it's only an adjustment, not an overhaul, but i think it's a big improvement and, of course, you are welcome.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled
I Sat By The Ocean
My God Is The Sun
Kalopsia
If I Had A Tail
Fairweather Friends
Smooth Sailing
The Vampyre Of Time And Memory
I Appear Missing
...Like Clockwork

Amazing performance from "Like Clockwork"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqFnDWdUBi8

s & d :: desert sessions is a thread I keep reviving and receiving very little interest, so I'm reaching out to its members' home threads.

No help for that, but I have noticed that Songs For The Death is probably a key influence on the new Sturgill.

I made it through the first few minutes of the Sturgill record before I needed a break. Are you saying I should dive deeper?

No, put on Songs For The Deaf.

That works for me!

Didn't know that Homme & Dalle had split up in '19, and things have gotten progressively uglier since...

https://www.nme.com/news/music/josh-hommes-daughter-granted-extension-to-restraining-order-3057678

WARNING: TRIGGERING DETAILS OF (ALLEGED) CHILD ABUSE

Not to make light of anything here but it's not hard to believe a guy with a famous drinking problem who has been arrested for beating up one of the Dwarves and kicked a camera person in the face during a show might not be the best guy.

I mean, we 100% don't know the full story. There were about 100 pages of legal docs released a few weeks ago from Homme's side. I don't think anything has been made public like that from Dalle's attorneys. Part of what Homme alleges is that he's been in treatment and on Antabuse since the face kick incident, whereas Dalle has not. There is a ton more, which I won't detail here. Some of it is banal and some of it is definitely sketchy. There are probably depressing details about Homme in Dalle's attorneys' filings that haven't been brought to light yet. I'm not trying to advocate for anybody's "side".

I'm a fan of both musicians. They've both written songs for their children in the past that I've listened to a lot . I even have Josh's 7" from 2018 that features Brody and the kids performing Twas the Night Before Christmas (it's not really a great listen, imo, but it sucks to even see it in my record collection with all the familial rancor).

Whole thing sucks.

Oh yeah, it really does, especially for the kids. I wasn't inferring that it's all on him, btw, I know they've both been through a lot. Homme has just always come across as not a nice guy, so it's hard not to keep that in context.

Yeah, he's definitely got anger issues.