Queens of the Stone Age Part 1

Who is up for a multi part Queens of the Stone Age extravaganza? Hell I sure am.., Instrumental in the great modern genre we call "stoner rock", my personal opinion is this stuff will sound even better in the future, much like the early 70s psych that I love so much sounds so great now.

Vocalist/guitarist/pianist Josh Homme formed the Queens after the breakup of Kyuss, utilizing the talents of multi-instrumentalist Troy Van Leeuen, bassist/keyboardist Michael Shuman, guitarist/keyboardist Dean Fertita, and (later addition) drummer Jon Theodore. They've also utilized many guest musicians and collaborators, which has led to the "anything goes" fomat for which they are known. Frankly, and as would be expected, their stuff can be quite "hit or miss", similar, maybe to Flaming Lips in the sense that they will try pretty much anything, which of course is admirable.

Looks like the earliest work I have from them is a split disc from 1997, with early Queens material and three Kyuss tracks from the final days of that band. Their "proper" debut, a self-titled gem was released in 1998, VERY Kyuss-like and good, strange hard rock with the prerequisite goofy song titles ("How to Handle a Rope", "I Was a Teenage Hand Model")..

"Rated R" was released in 2000, a classic then and a classic now....Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford loans his talents to the amazing "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" (TOTAL lyrics: "Nicotine, vicodine, valium, marijuana, ecstacy and alcohol.......c-c-c-c-coCAINE") repeated over an over.....funny: Wal Mart suspected the song promoted drug use.......hey, REALLY?.....there is a TON of good shit here, "I Think I Lost My Headache", " "Better Living Through Chemistry" and more, it's a classic of the 2000's and of early REAL stoner rock

In 2002 they released the amazing "Songs For the Deaf", a great and underappreciated album if ever there was one......remarkably cohesive and challenging, there is GREAT shit on this (dare I say) 5-star album......"Song For the Dead", "First it Giveth", "The Sky is Fallin".......hell it's ALL great....my favorite QOTSA album by a wide margin....you WANT this if you are not familiar.

Also including a semi-rare split Ep with the great  13eaver, whom have been featured on this blog before, I forget when, check and see if the links are still up, they are/were really great as well....

This is only the beginning, I think this is their best work, but we will touch on their later albums and some boots and stuff soon...... great, great innovative band, and both "rated r" and "songs for the deaf" are classics that should be in ANY responsible household.

By the way these are FLAC files, bigger and more cumbersome, but DO sound great, that's the reason for the multiple links.

KYUSS/QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE SPLIT-01 Into the Void/02 Fatso Forgettso/03 Fatso Forggettso Phase 2 (Flip the Phase)/04 If Only Everything/05 Born To Hula/06 Spiders and Vinegroons

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE-01 Regular John/02 Avon/03 If Only/04 Walkin On the Sidewalks/05 You Would Know/06 How To Handle a Rope/07 Mexicola/08 Hispanic Impressions/09 You Can't Quit Me Baby/10  Give the Mule What He Wants/11 I Was a Teenage Hand Model

RATED R-01 Feel Good Hit of the Summer/02 The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret/03 Leg of Lamb/04 Auto Pilot/05 Beter living Throuhg Chemistry/06 Monsters in the Parasol/07 Quick and to the Pointless/08 In the Fade/09 Feel Good Hit of the Summer (Reprise)/10 Tension Head/11Lightning Song/12 I Think I LOst My Headache

SPLIT WITH 13EAVER-01 The Bronze/02 These Aren't the
Droids You're Looking For/03Absence Without Leave/04 Morocco

SONGS FOR THE DEAF-01 You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I feel Like a MIllionaire/02 No One Knows/03 First It Giveth/04 A Song For the Dead/05 The Sky Is Falling/06 Six Shooter/07 Hanging Tree/08 Go With the Flow/09 Gonna Leave You/10 Do It Again/11 God is In the Radio/12 Another Love Song/13 A Song For the Deaf/14 Mosquito Song/15 Everybody's Gonna Be Happy

LOTS more to come, bonus tracks, live stuff, rarities.........if you love QOTSA as I do, stay tuned and check into one of the GREAT bands of the 2000's!