Reviews (page 7 of 10)
Not the QotSA album I would have expected - Rated R or Song for the Deaf should probably be here in its stead - but a good introduction to the band. Regular John is a great track, everything else is also pretty solid, but I will be a bit disappointed if this is the only time Josh and the gang feature on this list.
Just a really solid late 90's rock album
To be frank, I don’t have a whole lot to say. It was nice, however nothing really stuck with me a whole lot. The riffs are energetic and good, however they’re kind of generic. Most of the time. They don’t really give me anything to look into. I guess this can go for the lyrics as well.The opener, “Regular John,” was decent though, along with a few other songs. This debut was just okay. I’ve heard good stuff about Queens Of The Stone Age, I hope I can enjoy the other albums from them on this list.
Rock bastante monótono.
Strong 4, good vibe album
I only know two QoTSA songs and neither of them were on this album. Starts off pretty good with some great alt rock/90s style rock songs but then they just decided to stop singing and repeat the same sound/riff/noise for like 5 minutes until a random song would come in. Very strange pacing on this album. I liked what I heard in the first half but they lost me halfway through. 5/10
Sensational. Solid, driving rhythms. Interesting, sometimes hypnotic leads. Makes me wish I still got high. They've got better albums after this one I think but this is QOTSA announcing themselves. Four stars.
interesting album with a few songs i liked quite a bit
It’s kinda just like the deep purple album I just listened to but more modern.
Solid 4. Need to listen to them more often.
Ok, leider kein markanter Song.
I knew their name beforehand and I still don't know what I expected. More hardcore rock? Only one track was not mediocre for me. I cannot see myself listening to this again. It still well-produced album, but I don't know if it deserves the place on the list.
I have always thought that if Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath had a love-child it would Queens of the Stone Age. There are some great tracks on this album, especially the distorted bass intro on Mexicola and You Can’t Quit Me Baby, which are two of my favorite tracks. This album is a solid entry point for their work and definite listen again.
I listened to this one 1.5 times. I really tried to get through this one a second time because I felt like it was just kinda there. I'm not sure I had the time to give this the listen it deserved. It sounds good and interesting but nothing really caught my attention. I know this band has a cultish following so I'd like to "get it". I'll try it again someday.
Bloody banger after banger!!! Way more adventurous than I thought even they might go, and it worked! I've hardly listened to them before - I guess I was scared that their distinctive edgy sound I heard in the few songs I came across would be a fluke, and I'd be let down. Literally the opposite! THIS SLAPPED. 5++++ STARS
I could never get into QOTSA. I think it's because there isn't much in the way of talent there. If ya listen, they just wail out the same fuzzy power chords. Super simple songs. I can't really nail down why they never hit with me, but they didn't. I had a real hard time listening to this one. Took me all day, because I just don't care. They are just so.... Boring. Also, the album cover gives me the heeby jeebies for some reason. Favourite songs: Mexicola, If Only, Avon, How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in the Lariat) Least favourite songs: Hispanic Impressions, Spiders and Vinegaroons, I Was a Teenage Hand Model, These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For 2/5
They called this "stoner rock." OK. I guess that it's fun with riffage and all -- but there's a difference to me between music that sounds good when you're on drugs and music that you have to be on drugs for it to sound good. This QOTSA album is the latter. Not my thing.
Solid
Knowing this band this album fit really well, and wasn't anything shocking. I do like the band and think they are a good mix of heavy, rock, alt, techno and all around different, but it works. I wasn't a huge fan of the guitar riff songs, sort of like they were drunk or tripping and just got distracted. But overall it was a solid album from a solid band.
Queens of the Stone Age is one of those bands that I really want to like. They have such a cool fucking distorted heavy guitar sound. But they don't write very many GOOD songs. I couldn't find any on this album. Kind of boring.
This really lacked any kind of personality for me. Felt like underwhelming, bland garage rock. And I could barely understand any of the lyrics. Not a fan.
Didn't hate it, didn't especially like it.
Raw rockin' fun, which is what I expect from the Queens. Not as polished songwriting wise as Rated R or Songs For The Deaf right after this, but it's a great start. Some real bangers on here.
Queens of the Stone Age is a band I feel like I keep being told I should like despite never meeting anyone who is like, THEY’RE my favorite band. They kept showing up on video game soundtracks, and I remember them being in an episode of Anthony Bourdains show. And the whole time I was like. Eh. They’re fine. They’re the logical conclusion of what main stream alt rock would be post grunge. And it’s fine. It’s perfectly acceptable.
2? 3? 2? 3? ...2.
barebones waiting room grunge rock that turns psychedelic. some interesting grooves but with a lot of wasted space. 2.5/5
Love QOTSA. As I was listening, I was considering whether this album needed to be included on this list. Certainly “Songs for the Deaf” should be on here, but this one is a quieter, more chill vibe. The instrumentals changed my mind a bit.
this fucks, not all of the songs are equally as good but the bangers are true bangers. I can't get over how simultaneously 90s AND current this sounds
A lot less harsh than I expected.
It’s just some guy noodling on the guitar for an hour. And it’s not very good.
# Playlist Track - If Only # Notes - Solid start, but kind of a mixed bag from track 5. Great riffs, tho. The next QOTSA albums are better.
I know QOTSA but was not expecting to see them on a Top 1001 album list. Typically they have 3-4 great songs and a bunch of filler tracks on each album. This album is no different. I missed this album and started with 2000's "Rated R". I can't deny their groove and the nice hooks they throw into their some of their hard driving songs that leave you wanting more, but also wondering why they can't do it more regularly. Good intro track in "Regular John", great jam in "If Only", a deep groove on "You Would Know", a galloping rocker in "How To Handle A Rope" and On the flip side, sandwiched between the rockers mentioned above you get sloggers like "Avon", "Walkin On The Sidewalks", "These Aren't The Droids..." & "Hispanic Impressions". Great song titles though! For this reason I can't grade this too high, but it's a good rock & roll album.
Eu amo Queens of the Stone Age, mas posso dizer calmamente que este é o meu álbum que eu menos gosto. Infelizmente. É uma excelente banda.
Good album. Rock on!
my first QOTSA album! i wasn’t really sure what to expect, but i enjoyed it quite a bit. i definitely need to listen to Songs For The Deaf now. 3.5
It’s a decent rock and roll record to be fair! Nothing especially significant, and nothing that jumped out at me? All got a bit “samey” after a while. It’s clearly a good band, with a decent singer but not the absolute screamer of an album I was hoping for!
Humdrum
The vibe is pretty good, but the words are generally kind of hit-or-miss. "You Would Know" is amusingly creepy. There are long and rambling instrumental tracks, too, which aren't bad, but don't really do anything.
Setting sun deals hands of gold there's velvet eyes in Mexico Just a fall away and all she said was true Speak in tongues speak in lies drooling livers born to die It's a wonder that those guns don't point at you Keep sayin Go on Keep sayin You won't live forever Point and shoot I know just what you mean In a world that's full of shit and gasoline babe One dogs dead ones on the phone just leave a lung or leave it alone Its that same old song again I hate it cause it's true Absolute world heavyweight champion of some primal, soul-grabbing driving beat shit that will change the way you look at the world. Or not. Its a hell of a good album, though. 5/5
Like musical porridge
Actually don’t think I’ve listened to these guys before. Better than I expected but nothing that blew me away. High 3.
Liked this a lot. Melodic hard rock. Reminds me of Chris Cornell.
Never heard this before but it was familiar in a good way! Some plain fun rock and roll with a modern sound. I particularly liked "If Only".
Yeah! Rock on!
Run-of-the-mill. Songs for the deaf is better in every aspect.
Well. this was disappointing. I love Songs For The Deaf, and seeing them that tour is one of my favourite ever concerts but I found this underwhelming. I think a lot of it has to do with the production
I genuinely didn't know QOTSA had a self-titled album until this popped up, I always thought Songs for the Deaf was their debut. After listening to it, I'm not sure why this one was chosen as I don't really think it's even particularly close to as good as their best albums. Not a bad album, but shouldn't be on this list.
Queens of the Stone Age made what some were calling stoner rock in the 90s, and heavy rock as QOTSA developed their sound in the aughts. QOTSA has had something of a revolving line-up, with frontman Josh Homme as the only bandmember involved for its entire career. Homme was previously in a band called Kyuss, and some of the original QOTSA members were also former Kyuss members. The band makes heavy, guitar driven rock, embellished with a range of electronic effects. Homme's vocals fit the "heavy rock" classification, in that he a brash inelegance that matches the band's sound.
This is not usually the Queens record I would reach for (Songs For The Deaf, Rated R and Like Clockwork would all be above it), but this is still a good time. Less hooks than their later stuff but still lots of very enjoyable hypnotic riffs.
Interesting- and beautiful in parts. Maybe too early to decide whether it is a classic?
This seemed like Soundgarden without the necessary Chris Cornell vocals. It was ok. But struggled to grab me with any of the tracks.
Powerful and catchy. There were a couple of riffs I remember from when my friends used to listen a lot to this, but a lot of new stuff for me as well.
kusisyöpää pääosin mutta muutama kuunneltava osio mutta pääosin huorapaskaa ripulikalaa koiravittua pissalutakko musiikkia suurimmalta osaltaan.2.7 - Ei todellakaan mitään erikoista. Siinä on suoraviivainen, kaupallinen hard rock -soundi. Laulu ei koskaan tarttunut minuun. Epämiellyttävät kitaraosat - vain yleinen korkean vahvistuksen drone, jolla on samat kuviot: tehosointu-tehosointu-riffi. Kappaleet eivät laskeudu minnekään emotionaalisesti. Kuulisin tämän pääkaupassa, enkä miettisi sitä hetkeäkään. Chuck tämä albumi ja kuuntele sen sijaan Superunknown. (en vitussa kuuntele) if only
Started strong but then I kinda got lost and it melded into the background. I love some of there stuff and happy to listen if it came on a playlist.
Скажем так: 3 песни неплохи, остальное -- полное говно и высер в уши. Но 3 песен хватит для 3. Мб эти песни я даже буду переслушивать. Лучшая -- mexicola.
Not that this album was horrible, but why is this in the best of all time. It just sounds like a demo tape from someone who learned to play a few cords in the electric.
I think that the skill level wasn’t exactly good because of the guitar play. If the skill was better, it would be a 3
I actually quite enjoyed this, I loved the kinda slow fuzzy guitar, the overall feel of it. Loved that there were instrumental tracks on it, the lyrics were interesting, the songs varied in their speed and overall feel, would listen to again.
went into this with pretty low expectations but was pleasantly surprised by first few tracks-strong guitar, and enjoyed the vocals. then the 2nd half of album lost its focus & rambled. it's like they ran out of something to say
Great
Songs For The Deaf would have been the best pick from this band. QOTSA definitely belongs on this list, but this album is not as good as the next ones. I am not saying it's bad, it's very good, but if it was SFTD it would have gotten 5 stars.
They made some music here. Not my cup of tea, but not awful. But for most songs, if it were to come on, I'd seek other options on my radio/Pandora/or whatever.
Enjoyed it front to back which is pretty surprising for ostensibly conventional rock. Even the vocals were okay!
honestly seems like yet another questionable inclusion for the goals of the list but it also turns out i like this a Lot so i wont complain. its not too often u hear rock albums this Singleminded...the goal is to be Riffy and Buttery and it turns out thats kinda all u need! it honestly kinda took a bit to adjust to how un-ornamental it is...tho obviously its very easy to lock in once uve done so. it trusts the riffs, trusts the guitar tone, and its trust is well-placed. in that way it weirdly reminds me more then anything else of tony iommi, but ig he's already unintentionally the reason for all of stoner rock's existence
Good. They made a lot better music later on though.
Some great parts mixed in, too long and a bit generic. 3.5
Ok. Never really rose above, nor feel way below. Perfectly ok. Liked their later work a bit more.
First track off rip if awful. Bad first impression that’s hard to pull me back. Second track is just a little mediocre. Walkin on Sidewalks and You Would Know are the only decent tracks. The rest is grating. It’s a dull new school band trying to be old school and it’s not landing for me. You Can’t Quit Me is interesting tho and I kinda wish this album was more of that. Truthfully there’s a point it almost grows on me near the end but it’s either too little too late or not enough to change my mind significantly.
I like the work these guys did in Kyuss better, but I can get into the groove.
Category is generic rock
My first introduction The Queens of the Stone Age was 3's and 7's in Guitar Hero and I always thought that song was pretty cool. Working my way through this album, though, and it's a bit raw and undercooked. Feels like it's missing something that keeps it engaging for the full hour long album length. Maybe the riffs are a little too droning and repetative. I thinkmy favorite riff on the album is from These Are Not the Droids You're Looking For, and I also liked The Bronze, How to Handle a Rope, and You Can't Quit Me Baby. But I didn't really love any of it.
Loved it way more than I remember it.
This is something you should get on your knees for. And beg
This album delivers a solid post-grunge Seattle sound that just works. The riffs are punchy, the grooves are tight, and there’s a gritty energy running through every track. It has that raw, no-frills rock vibe, but with enough hooks to keep things interesting. You can hear the influence of the Seattle scene, but Queens of the Stone Age puts their own stamp on it. The songs are straightforward but catchy, and the album never really loses momentum. If you’re into hard-hitting, unapologetic rock, this is an easy recommendation.
This is a good album from a band that was destined for bigger and better things. I missed this one because, by 1998, heavy rock in the grunge vein had mainly fallen off for me. I was actually working at an independent record store at the time, but I guess we were into other stuff. Until hearing this record, I had only listened to Songs for the Deaf after getting a vinyl copy on sale. I liked it, but I didn't love it. The same can be said for Queens of the Stone Age. It's cool, but I didn't really connect with it on first listen. Three stars.
Klasse Album.
Such a damn good album! Thank the lord for Josh Homme!
Whether in its initial or expanded versions, Queens of the Stone Age's debut album steamrolls in the rollicking manner that belies any kind of stasis. Chugging riffage throughout keeps the listener engaged as it wades through desert and potential marijuana smoke. Just make sure you have on your best pair of boots when strolling to this. Favorites: Regular John, Avon, If Only, You Would Know, How to Handle a Rope, Mexicola, Hispanic Impressions, You Can't Quit Me Baby, Give the Mule What He Wants.
Overall - good, but has some annoying as hell sections in several of the tracks (personal opinion).
Pretty solid rock.
90's dad rock. Not bad, but it would be hard for any album like this to get above a 3.
This album is literally OOZING character. Queens of the Stone Age nailed it the first time, and then nailed it again the next couple times. I don't think this one's as good as Songs for the Deaf, but it doesn't make it bad by any means. Favorites are Regular John, The Bronze, and Mexicola.
This album is great, but I’m not happy with Mr Robert Dimery yet again. How could he place this on as QOTSA’s only inclusion. Rated R, Songs For The Deaf, and …Like Clockwork are better overall and any of them should have been included if they were to only get one spot. The debut does rip. Dusty riffs and walls of sound aplenty. Favorites are Regular John, If Only, Mexicola, You Can’t Quit Me Baby, and I Was A Teenage Handmodel.
The trick is to avoid the reissue that clocks in at over an hour and go with the original 1998 released version which is 46 minutes. The extra tracks don’t add anything in my opinion.
Just slightly more interesting than most hard rock and metal-adjacent bands. The understated and stoneresque vocals speak to uncertainty and anxiety, rather than aiming to express godlike delusions or raw power. And there are interesting aural twists here and there. But, pretty meh overall and not nearly as “original” as advertised, with the middle cuts very same-y.
eh. honestly just bland and boring
QOTSA is a 3 or 4 star artist but this album isn't in their top 5.
For me, I didn’t quite know how to feel about this album. I don’t love heavy rock and don’t listen to it much either. Of all the grungy 2000s albums I’ve listened to, this one was actually pretty good. The guitar wasn’t anything unheard of but it was a good listen and same goes for the vocals. I wasn’t surprised that this was their debut because some songs did feel like demos, QotSA have definitely made better albums since.
Punchy and energetic. Still relevant and engaging.
Queens of the Stone Age are one of my favorite bands, as well as being one of the absolute best damn live acts I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in recent years. Even if not as acclaimed as their later work, this was an INCREDIBLY strong debut and already laid the foundations for their signature rocking sound.
Just like yesterday’s offering Sonic Youth I know of the Queens of the Stone Age but I’ve hardly taken any notice of them. So like yesterday I was wondering if my indifference could be ignited. Yesterday the ignition was like holding a match to a wet leaf in the wind. Today it reminded me of a lighter when you first use it and it nearly takes your eyebrows off. An analogy to describe this albums first track. But just like a lighter the initial flame reduced to just above the wick and I was left debating whether or not to relight the lighter but didn’t bother. A lighter is more exciting than a match so it can have one more star. 2/5 25/7/24
If Only is goed!! 7/10
its not bad, and has flashes of greatness (and not so greatness), but im overall not much of a fan of stoner-rock or w/e the genre is YNN
First time with this one. I have to admit I expected more from this. It's pretty good generic rock but not very memorable. It is possible that I may have heard some of these tunes on the radio when this was released but like then I don't remember them. I am really not a fan of the Seattle-based bands of the 90s, they have a few good songs but it's not my thing.
Weird choice of album for QoTSA
Hell nah
If we want to have a conversation about glaring omissions from this list, one of the ones that would shoot straight to the top of my list would be Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age. It physically hurts me a little bit to know that it is not present. I want to talk about it so badly. In my opinion, it is the single most essential alternative rock album of the 2000s, other than In Rainbows. I could spend this entire review just going on and on about that album, so I’ll stop. Instead, we were given the bands debut. And you know what, I’m totally okay with that. That’s an acceptable replacement. And after hearing this, it’s now clear to me that Josh and his pals were really on top of the game from day one. Makes sense coming from the same man who was apart of Kyuss. From reading the reviews, it seems like some have this perception of their music as sluggish, laid back, and boring. Too repetitive and not interesting enough. But I think that those unfamiliar with who Josh Homme is as a person aren’t familiar with the particular kind of energy this band brings. Josh has always portrayed himself as this drunken and lazy persona, who may or may not be sober enough to be consciously aware of what he is saying. Their music is never really about the emotional connection it forms with the listener. It’s all about how much power and intensity they can cram into 45 minutes. Again, this is coming from the former guitarist of Kyuss. This man knows how to write wild, blood-pumping and driving riffs. Another thing you may notice about almost all of their albums is how loud they are. This debut proves to me that the production was excellent from the start. And really, all of the aspects that make their music so good are still here. I’ll admit that some parts maybe are a bit more repetitive than they need to be, but aside from the last song, I wasn’t bored at any point. The only edge this doesn’t have over their next albums is the drumming. But that’s because nothing can really compare to the work Dave Grohl did on Songs for the Deaf. It’s just not even close. What this album really marks is humble beginnings for the band. The more sophisticated ideas that are present moving forward aren’t present here, but this still manages to be an entertaining set of stoner rock bangers. Rating: 8/10
Really awesome debut. But they go on to make better
Josh Homme figuring things out on his way to writing his masterpiece (Rated R) is still better than most of the hard rock coming out in 98. Like, when this album came out, Limp Bizkit and Coal Chamber were main stage acts at Ozzfest. By comparison this is subtle, tasteful, and as far as music that solely exists to do gravity bong hits to, pretty smart sounding
Great album, would definitely listen to it again. Liked the different kind of sounds in the music, the playfulness, but also lazy, in a way, but that's just stoner rock, as it should be. The song, You would know, is going on one of my playlist
Lead singer's voice way too anonymous... Sounds like Kurt Cobain super light... And I don't even like Kurt Cobain 😂 Actually some nice melodies here and there, but I can't say it's really something special 1/5
This.. Is not my style. Gonna rate it low, but doesn't mean it was terrible. Walking on the sidewalks is one or two minutes too long, just self indulgence of the guitar . This whole album feels like it has a story that it refuses to tell us.
Stoner rock has never been a genre I've been a huge fan of. It's fine, but I find it rhythmically slow and kind of boring for the most part. Which is probably really cool if you are stoned. I'm just not a stoner and it doesn't catch me. I think the only QotSA song I know is 'No One Knows' which wouldn't come around until quite a few years later Standouts Regular John I Was a Teenage Hand Model How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in the Lariat) 2/5
Very strong.
I agree with another reviewer that this is generic rock music. I usually give that description a three. However, now that I’ve listened to the album I am so annoyed by how often they take a riff and repeat it dozens of times that I am docking them a star. Figure out another way to pad your songs guys.
I liked this quite a bit, and it's weird that I had never listened to this record before, it's got a lot of elements that match up with the sorts of things I like. It's possible it might be a five star with more listening, for now, I'll give it four stars.
QOTSA's first album is their least ambitious. It may also be their best.
It alright. All their albums sound the same and Rated R and Songs for the Deaf were better. So alright but extraneous
The record that jacked up the price of cheap guitar practice amps worldwide... Full of aspirational guitar moves. Greasy in all the best ways.
Average stoner garage/indie rock. It felt like an eternity waiting for the vocals to kick in. This approach might be good live but it doesn't really work on record.
Awesome stuff but songs for the deaf is better
Long outros and instumentals that are mental. Kinda sounds like 70s rock made crazy.
Nothing particularly outstanding but yeah, good stuff
If you like Chilli Peppers and Foo Fighters, here's another band you'll probably like. A pretty good dirty guitar and obfuscated lyrics band.
As much as I love QotSA, this isn't their strongest album, still good though. Songs For The Deaf or Rated R would have better choices for the 1001 list.
Now Queens of the Stone Age is my kind of jam. It had all sorts of great guitar riffs through out all of the songs from more simple rock out faster riffs and also more technical and slow-moving riffs. The album also got really bizarre towards the end by introducing a lot of electronic elements with all different sorts of sounds, and more Primus-style guitar playing both of which i also really enjoyed. The album could get a little repetitive but far from enough to make me not love it. It is one of the most weird yet wonderful albums i have done on this project. Best Song: If Only Worst Song: Hispanic Impressions
Nice album - not much to comment on except the clicks and dialogue at the end of the last song were painfully loud. I can see pretty clearly where QotSA got their expansive sound, and I like how they've developed on it over time. In this album its quite raw and maybe that lends a charming, authentic quality to it that is more polished in their later albums.
Solid grungy album.
Decent hard rock. A bit stoner rock for me but not bad. 3.5 is probably more realistic but I’ll be generous.
I’ve listened to a couple other albums by this band but didn’t really get into them. This one was interesting enough that I will round up from a 3.5 to a 4.
Too much experimental electronica, not enough hard rock.
I like QOTSA and this album, but wouldn't have picked it for their representative album. Solid first album, though, and I think it would grow on me with repeated listens. 3.5*.
Not for me :(
So there were definite song highlights that I enjoyed quite a bit. And as a whole, decent album. There were just also a few points where it sorta meshed together and lulled but not really in a way I thought was BAD. But like. Not really in a standout way. And then that’d be broken up by a song that DID stand out and I was like hell yeah we’re back! So if I could, I’d give it a 3.5. But I can’t do that. So we’ll see if I end up on a 3 or a 4.
a prototype of a truly great band. there’s a few songs that rank with their best stuff but it’s just less consistent and confident than all of the stuff that comes afterwards.
Not their best album at all - Songs for the Def would be a far better choice. It's good though, not groundbreaking but perfectly captures the stoner rock vibe. Guitar sounds great here.
Common list L not including the best album from an artist. How in the world was this chosen over Songs For the Deaf?? Also, …Like Clockwork should be on one of the revised versions of the list as it’s a masterpiece IMO. This album is fine. Desert rock QOTSA with those deep throbbing guitars. I like this kind of music so it’s a 4 for me. The other 2 albums I mentioned would probably be 5s
This was really poggers. Rips 90% of the time
Meh, it's okay.
Not terrible, but not as good as I was hoping.
I found some parts of this really good. But somehow it didn't grab me as a whole. A bit underwhelming. Not terrible, and sounded pretty good in the car. Just not enough to take it into 4 star territory.
More mush than grunge. I'm not convinced by them or him, there's the odd exception but none on this album. All a bit dull to me. And he ruined the Arctic Monkeys! 😀
Despite being a fan, I had never heard their debut before. This was a great opportunity to do so. I didn’t expect their sound to seem so fleshed out at this early stage, and so was pleasantly surprised. There’s something about the noise of their guitars that is truly satisfying, despite its simplicity. Feels like a radio station you’d have playing on a drive through a cactus filled desert. 🌵 Favourite track(s): Regular John, How To Handle A Rope
Great sound. Makes you want to ride through the desert on a Harley Davidson. Songs For The Deaf is my favourite album of theirs but this is still very good. Favourite track: Mexicola
I wanted to like this a lot more than I ended up. Some heavy, driving bass lines were fun but I think my lack of nostalgia for this album hurt my rating.
Awesome album! Didn’t get through a lot of it.
It was fine, probably won’t listen to this one ever again.
Love Queens of the Stone Age. Unfamiliar with this album, and I enjoyed getting to know it.
I really like QOTSA and this album is a fantastic introduction to the band. However, after reviewing Wikipedia, apparently this is their only album that is included on this list - it makes me wonder if I agree with the inclusion of this album over others (arguably more impactful) in their catalog. But that is a quibble with the author of the list, and this album is undeniably good.
Nothing exciting at all
I mean. Not a very interesting or creative album for me. Redundant, repetititve and derivative.
The theme for the week is picking the wrong album by a band for the list. And in both cases they are self-titled debuts! Some bands hit it out of the park on their first album and can never reach those inspired heights again. No such worries for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, or for Queens of the Stone Age. Their self-titled debut never grabbed my attention, droning on in the background. On the other hand, 2002’s “Songs for the Deaf” is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ album. I think having more collaborators on “Rated R” and “Songs for the Deaf” was good for QOTSA leader Josh Homme. Bringing in Mark Lanegan and Dave Grohl did wonders for QOTSA’s sound. Homme describes “SFTD” as bizarre and crazy, but it’s also catchy without sacrificing raucous energy. Since this is the only album on the list by any Josh Homme, Tim Armstrong, or Brody Dalle list, we’ve also gotta call out their weird love triangle (as well as the fact that there are some great Rancid and Distillers songs). Armstrong started dating Dalle when he was 30 and she was turning 17. They married a year later, and then several years later Homme wrecked their already creepy home. Their marriage fell apart too, with accusations on both sides of physical and mental abuse. Not a great trio of people, but some exciting musicians. And as an exciting musician of long and winding career, the list of people Homme has worked with creates quite the web of 90s and 00s talents. The aforementioned Grohl and Lanegan, but also many others, and even 70s icons John Paul Jones (with Grohl in Them Crooked Vultures) and Iggy Pop. Mapping out the connections would be wild. For instance, through Paz Lenchantin, who played violin on “SFTD,” you can link Homme six degrees of separation style to the Pixies and Perfect Circle, and one more step away to post punk and math rock innovators Tortoise and Slint that we listened to recently. Put Homme in the center and I bet the web can connect just about every major rock act of the last 30 years in just a couple leaps.
The one word I keep thinking of is heavy. This album feels heavy. And not totally cohesive. There’s a lot of instrumental sections. And some vocals that aren’t anything to write home about. And I can’t get the thought out of my head that the electronic sounds in I Was A Teenage Hand Model sound like robot farts. The album also feels unsettling.
Soothe
...
Was not into it until The Bronze, then I turned around. Turned out to be a really fun, messy, wacky rock album. Some cool ideas like in Spiders and Vinegaroons where they take the concept and blow it to the wall with strange and eerie guitar riffs and scuttling legs with the drumsticks. I think I could go without the first few songs to get to the meat and potatoes quicker. Standouts: If Only, The Bronze (Bonus Track), How to Handle a Rope ( A Lesson in the Lariat), Mexicola, You Can’t Quit Me Baby, Give the Mule What He Wants, and Spiders and Vinegaroons.
Already knew it, loved it, brilliant!!
Great and interesting listen, though I did not really connect with their style of music usually
8/10.
One of the few albums that I didn't finish. Had enough halfway through the third track. At that point I knew that the best parts of this album were the silences between tracks. But that wasn't the interresting part, that was that after failing to complete this album I listened to one of my favorite albums The Language of Life by Everything but the Girl and just now I found out that today's album is Idlewild by Everything but the Girl another of my favorite albums.
Solid freshman entry. Especially at s time when rock had faded to the background. A signal for even better things to come.
Shit
Listened Before? N Groovy! Stoney stuff. I like it. Heavy and heady. A couple of the later songs would probably give me a bad trip just because they're not as groovy but it's debatable whether I care or not. I think not. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: If Only
A banger of grungy and fuzzy guitars, unpredictable melodies of falsettos. Amazing riffs and thick arrangements. The more I hear of the Queens, the more I want to hear.
This is a fun record, as are most fro these guys. Kind of a poor man's Soundgarden thougg
Bangin
I like it when a debut album is just loud. A debut album should be filled with silly noise. Don’t trust artists who have perfect debuts - there’re probably little nerds. It’s a shame how much of this silly noise sounds like grunge though.
Another album you can easily skip.
Queens of the Stone Age are a decent band. Extremely straight forward but for the most part it works. Album is too long. 6.1/10
BOR (and I cannot stress this enough) ING
It wasn’t bad - I liked it more than I thought I would given the genre listed as “stoner rock” - but too generic and forgettable. My enthusiasm waned about three tracks in when I realized it’s all pretty much the same sound, and I don’t think I need a whole album of it. It reminded me of Soundgarden’s “Superunknown,” for which I had similar feelings.
Wow haven’t heard this before (but have heard other “Queens” recordings), and I like it. A lot! For a first recording, it’s a keeper.
Fantastic debut album from an awesome band
A good listen but not a remarkable album. Solid.
Mid. Repetitive.
Good album.
Really good stuff
5/5 - rad
Meh. Generic sounding 2000s era rock.
QOTSA has always struck me as a little flat, and this record is no exception. Pretty fun guitar-driven jams, but not a lot to get me excited. Three stars feels too low; four stars too high. Four it is.
Mostly noisy hard Rock. Most interesting spheric/ambient sounding instrumental is "Spiders and Vinegaroons".
Not as banging as their subsequent albums.but still banging
Love their raw sound
Overall solid. Good guitar tones, and some solid songs. Nothing really stuck out except some latter songs that drug on a bit.
I like QotSA, but they have multiple albums more deserving than this one
I somehow never listened to this band before. It was just kind of okay for me. At times it reminded me of Nirvana or Foo Fighters with a lot of fuzz. I can see how people like them.
One of my favorite band's best records. Easy A here.
Drags a bit.
I'm familiar with some of QOTSA's music (Songs for the Deaf and Like Clockwork), but I've never listened to this album of theirs. "Regular John" hooked me in right away. The guitar playing was great, and I loved its fuzzy sound. Josh Homme's vocals sounded a little softer than what I'm used to on later QOTSA albums, but I still enjoyed his singing. After that lead-off track though, the album didn't really go anywhere interesting. Sure, this was a fine hard rock/stoner rock album, but there are plenty of other, better albums from this genre out there, and several of them by the same artist. This album really lacks the hooks and punch that later QOTSA albums have. There just aren't any memorable hits on this album, and it really suffers for it. An album doesn't necessarily have to have hits in order to be good, but QOTSA are so talented as musicians and songwriters, but none of that is showcased here. Even without the context of their other works, I don't think this album belongs on the list. This isn't a bad album, but there's nothing on here that would ever draw me back to it.
This triggered some very weird, specific memories for me; the last time I heard it was probably 20 years ago, and I was probably baked. As I should have been! This was the album that legalized stoner rock, taking the filthy bong water of Kyuss and diluting it into something that would play nicely on radio waves. It's long, but there's enough variation here to ensure it never outstays its welcome.
Raw vampire rock
An hour of chugging fuzzy nothing.
well the album started out decent, with a few songs that felt like demos or prototypes of later QotSA tracks. after that though? just an endless desert of sound with only the occasional tumbleweed for interest. the vocals, guitars, lyrics, songwriting, and basically everything else just felt like a tribute band for a big-name grunge act decided to try their hand at originals. it's rough, it's strange, and it's not particularly fun or interesting. though maybe I'm not the most reliable source. i thought songs for the deaf was their first album... first good album, maybe. not sure how this horny juvenile dreck made it on the list over SftD or any of the later albums where they actually knew how to write and record compelling songs. favorites: regular john, avon, if only
Not bad
Quick story before my review: this album was once pretty hard to get a hold of, so I resorted to Limewire to get my tracks. I had trouble finding one track in particular, and only years later did I realize the site I was looking at had the title wrong. They had it as "You Can't Quit Mr Baby", which, I mean, isn't a crazy obvious misspelling. Anyway. The birth of a band. It's not flawless, but it is, distinctly, Queens Of the Stone Age. I've been a fan since first hearing "Little Sister" and digging through their discography, so I'm definitely biased in this fact. It's a solid album with a lot of piss and vinegar to it. You can hear when Homme was attempting to make "robot rock", especially on tracks like "Mexicali" and "Walkin' On the Sidewalks". It's not their best, by a long shot (and I honestly couldn't tell you which I think it is, that changes frequently), but it's still an extremely solid showing for a debut. Granted, it loses steam a little near the end, mostly relying on jamming to fill the latter half. However, Homme had been around the block with Kyuss, but to still hear this and hear where they've gone since, it's impressive to hear the connections. And Christ, can Homme write a hook. Favorite tracks: "Avon", "If Only", "Mexicola", "Walkin' On the Sidewalks"
great album still after all these years Queens of the Stone Age have stayed close to their first album, and keeps in the trend that self titled albums are normally the best albums
Bueno.
Took me back to a time where this album belongs. Queens of the Stone Age is a band I always wish I was into more, only to realise that the majority of their songs are nothing special.
One of the ugliest covers i've seen so far. Whoever edited that photo and chose that font... I just wanna talk. It fits the music though, definitely not their best sound – it's repetitive and boring. Their more recent stuff is so much better.
Josh Homme should be on the 1001 list, no question. But not for this record, which is uninteresting and sounds unfinished - weak singing and repetitive songs. Lullabies and Them Crooked Vultures (side project) are much better intros. This album is staying on the shelf.
Never understood the hype
I enjoyed the soft rock style of the album. I liked Regular John and Spiders And Vinegaroos the most.
I haven’t listened to this band at all but I’ve heard of them in rock music. So I was looking forward to seeing how they sound. I didn’t mind it too much but it wasn’t my ideal taste in rock. I’ll listen again though and maybe check out their other albums to see if they are better.
A solid debut but it doesn't hold a candle to what's to come.
Sounds kind of grungy at times, heavy metal at others. Vocals sound like Ozzy on occassion. It's okay, but doesn't do much for me. 2.9
вроде дерзко так, кайфовенько прям местами, в рамках жанра очень неожиданно для 1998 близко к 4, но поставлю 3
Да вроде хорошая музыка Местами дают стиля и жару когда ускоряются (you can't quit me baby кайф). Но глобально пролетело мимо. Хотя послушал бы еще раз просто по приколу Алкоальбом: да сделали бармен коктейль на свой вкус
Грязно, громко, но интересно. Мне кажется, шикарный альбом в паре со Screaming Trees, чтобы закрыть тему 90-х на West Coast. Быстрого мы здесь почти не услышали, но у них есть оно (к сожалению, вне рамок подкаста)
Pure 90s rock
Zzzzzzz a couple neat songs but mostly boring
Okay. QOTSA's debut: Insanely frontloaded. There is an amazing 8 track album here. 4/5 (because the standouts rock too hard)
01) Regular John - 7,0 02) Avon - 6,0 03) If Only - 6,5 04) Walkin' on the Sidewalks - 6,0 05) You Would Know - 6,0 06) How to Handle a Rope - 6,5 07) Mexicola - 6,0 08) Hispanic Impressions - 5,0 09) You Can't Quit Me Baby - 5,5 10) Give the Mule What He Wants - 5,5 11) I Was a Teenage Hand Model - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,05 (60/100) I guess the only worthy albums in the world are rock albums. All of them. Every day. And it's getting boring. They all start to sound the same. Endless riffs, guitars, drums...I'm getting tired of it and my marks will reflect it. This one is so worthy that nobody but their fans know the songs from it. It reached fascinating number 48 in the UK albums chart and number 122 on Billboard... 121 albums were better selling that week. 121.
Loud raunchy guitars, much riffing, interesting songs. I enjoyed the first half much more then the rest, but I like what Josh Homme is doing here, and really like his later efforts.
maybe the worst album cover i have ever seen. also the music is boring. 6/10
good
Love the tones here. It’s a cool album to throw on when you’re in the mood for grimy overdriven guitars. It doesn’t overdo it.
Maybe pretty good I just don’t wanna listen to the whole thing
My first contact with the band. It was not a good first impresion.
I love QOTSA. Great album. "If Only" a stand out track. "I Was A Teenage Hand Model" was cool to listen to through my car speakers. Different sounds coming out from all different directions.
Simply too harsh for me. I did not make it through the album.
Un excelente disco de Stoner Rock, con canciones pegajosas e interpretaciones atrapantes que dejan a quien lo escucha con ganas de mucho más. Claramente, Josh Homme tenía una idea muy clara de lo que quería hacer con su proyecto. Sin embargo, en ocasiones puede sonar demasiado como Nirvana o Foo Fighters, pero probablemente esto se deba a la época en que se estrenó y el tremendo impacto que los años noventa tuvieron sobre los sonidos de las bandas de rock. Recomendable, pero en ocasiones, puede sentirse demasiado largo.
Excellent
Lacks the sparkle their later albums brought so a band in progress - but still plenty of foot stomping and hard rocking to enjoy.
More boring, mildly talented grunge rock.
First listen of this album, hoping for some good 90's alternative rock vibes. Now I understand stoner rock... all very passive. Bass line in "Regular John" and "Avon" and would be a cool background album to have on.
Veel gitaren, maar wel lekker alternatief ook. Vond m wel heel vet eigenlijk
Stoner rock Rocker stone? Geinig wel maar niet helemaal mijn ding
Already love Queens of the Stone Age. Great album.
Rock band with no songs I’m familiar with.
Perfectly heavy.
More generic rock No thanks
I'm a pretty big QOTSA fan but have only ever listened to their first album once. On second listen I enjoyed it so much more. Full of bangers. Fav songs: - Regular John - Avon - If Only - The Bronze - Mexicola - Give the Mule What He Wants
Instantly recognizable. I like QOTSA vibe.
I feel like I should have liked this more than I did. The production is pretty snappy for the time, the guitar tones are grimy in all the best ways, and the lyrics aren't terribly shallow (which was a problem with harder rock at the time). And yet. I didn't actually enjoy it all that much. There's a laziness here that's really off-putting. It has the form of aggressive, energetic metal without actually being energetic or aggressive. Or even metal, really. It just kinda... chugs along until it's done. Maybe it's asking too much but I want more out of my rock and roll than QotA is apparently willing to give me here. Shame.
I effin’ love this album and I had no clue it existed. I dig a good Josh Homme-riff but good god this thing is chock full of that and more. Interesting - I didn’t understand the ‘stoner rock’ genre tag, but hearing this disc - and hearing that it represented the hybrid of Homme’s Kyuss days and the QOTSA evolution - it makes me think that this is the acme of that genre. For that, and all the goodness that QOTSA brings, I can do no more.
QotSA are good, guitar oriented hard rock, and I feel like the music landscape is missing that. But this isn't going to be in my top 25 albums in that genre. When I've looking for good hard rock, QotSA aren't going to come to mind first, second, third, etc. Another "7 out of 10" album, and I'm rounding down. It's quite enjoyable, but it doesn't belong with the typical 4 star album.
Didn't enjoy
Familiar with lots of QOTSA but not this one. And it’s good, consistent with their work but it’s no Songs For The Deaf to be fair. Slightly too long as well, but I later found out they added some extra tracks to the original release. Some great stuff but it’s not quite a 4. Not far off it but not there.
not for me
rock and synth
never been the biggest fans. A couple of good songs. Otherwise not my jam.
Somewhat generic and nondescript with some decent material thrown in. Just not that memorable.
not my vibe
like it, aber s macht mich aggressiv bim autofahre haha
Album 346 of 1001 Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age Rating : 3.5 / 5 Some good rock but nothing that makes me want to go back for more.
I’ve run thru several QOTSA albums but have never listened to their debut. What an excellent debut this turned out to be, it’s evident they had their signature sound from the start. It’s weird, they manage to swiftly transition from sludgy drones to crisp sharp output, toss in a dash of sleaze to it and it’s a unique yet impressive recipe. Although Homme’s vocals do sound great, it sounds as though he’s holding back a touch, the snarl never does fully come out. Standouts include Regular John, If Only, How To Handle a Rope and Give the Mule What He Wants. Fucking slick debut 4 stars
A great listen, heavier than I expected.
I thought I had listened to this before but I remember it as being a bit more woozy and not as heavy. I might be getting it mixed up with Rated R though. Enjoyed the hypnotic groove, thought it was quite similar to Black Sabbath in places. Really hope to see Songs for the Deaf pop up. If it doesn't I'll riot
4/5 enjoyed all the unique sound
some good songs, but Queens of the Stone Age have better albums to hear before this one. After a whole hour, their sound gets old to me.
After the previous album, I was really looking forward to hearing Queens and they did not disappoint.....for the majority of the album. Queens has a very unique sound and style that I can recognize their tunes, although I can't say I was a big fan. They have been on my list to dive into deeper and this was a great start. The 1st 3 quarters of this album was very good, but when we got to the song about Droids, I felt like they were filling time some nonsense. They could have cut off about 15 minutes and 3 songs and this would have been a higher rating from me. But it is what it is and this album was about a 3.5 for me. I saw Josh perform at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at the LA Forum, singing a couple Cars tunes and that was pretty cool. This is a band I will be checking out more of their material and Them Crooked Vultures too. Can't quit get that 4 mark, so 3.5 it is 3.5
3.5 Being that I’m pretty sure these guys have a couple acclaimed albums that came later in their career, I was pretty surprised to see that their debut made this list. After giving it a listen, a part of me now sees why it did and a part of me is still just as confused. You can definitely tell that the band had their sound figured out from the get-go, which is more than you could say about a lot of other bands, even some of the all-time greats, yet this seems to lack a real sense of identity, personality, or structure to it - in a lot of ways, it feels more like a demo. For that reason, I actually really struggled with my rating on this one because despite that, a handful of these songs are REALLY damn good. In fact, Regular John, If Only, and Mexicola may very well have become three of my all-time favorite songs from the group. But ultimately, I just don’t think their combined efforts make for a particularly great or remarkable album experience, especially considering the seeming lack of versatility across the board (though the band would later improve in that aspect with later releases). So, as close as this comes to a 4 in my books, I think I’m going to have to knock this down a half star - though the absolute ear massacre at the very end also helped solidify that for me. I do hope this isn’t the last we see from these guys, but even if it is, this has definitely encouraged me to check out more of their releases.
pretty vibey. not the best rock album but fun. enjoyed the more jammy sound which still retained a driving feel 4/5
Queens of the Stone Age is basically paint-by-numbers late 90s/early 00s mass produced rock, isn't it? Heavy on the fuzz, driving rhythm sections, random noodling improvisation, it's all listenable but very unpolished and inelegant, and most of the songs are indistinguishable from each other. I listened to the 2011 re-release and my favourite track wasn't even on the original (The Bronze) so dunno if that says anything. I'll give it a middling 3.
This is pretty dull - it's not bad, but it's not notably good either. I loved Songs For The Deaf when it came out, but this doesn't have any of the changes of pace and volume that made that work, it's all at one speed, all with the loud guitar wall driving it, and it's just not that interesting. A low 3.
“If Only” is okay. "Give the Mule What He Wants" has a fun groove to it that makes it stand out from the other tracks. "Spiders and Vinegaroons" (which wasn't on the original release) was kind of cool with the electronic drums and the Stevie Wonder-esque bass clavinet thingy. Other than that, I wasn't really impressed with this album. With the extra tracks, the reissue version is a long hour of unending heavy power chords and deep drums (except on "Walkin on the Sidewalks" which has way too many cymbals—chill out) with the same droning vocal style and lyrics I could barely make out. It all runs together and gets tiring quickly. Very post-grunge but nothing super interesting. Vocally, I'd much rather listen to Chris Cornell. Musically, I feel like this band is a mixture of Foo Fighters and a more commercial version of Tool—the dad rock version of Tool, if you will. Speaking of Foo Fighters, I learned today that QOTSA was not Dave Grohl's baby, and that he actually only played with the band for a short time. It was during their most commercially successful period, so that's probably why I have that association. But even still, if you put a gun to my head and asked me whether half these songs were Foo Fighters or QOTSA, I'm not confident I'd get it right. And just as I've never been a big fan of Foo Fighters, QOTSA just doesn't really do it for me. 3/5 and I feel like that's generous.
The Bronze was my favourite track. Definitely shades of later QOTSA stuff, not quite a 3 but nearly
A really solid album, but quite far from their best. Not much else to say about this one, it's a good record, no more no less
Not a big fan. There is nothing special here that would make me want to listen to this on my own. Extremely generic sounding rock with very repetitive lyrics and chords. It's not *bad*, but gets really boring, and it's certainly not good enough to justify that boringness. Vocals are also really weak, and the mixing is quite bad, I could barely hear the singing sometimes. A stronger 2, but doesn't reach 3 for me.
A bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this! Ballsy and straightforward.
I feel I'm being a little bit generous giving this four stars. It starts extremely well, but it tapers off a bit towards the end, possibly because I was listening to the reissue and not the original, tighter version.
I liked the first song. I found the rest of the album very annoying.
Brilliant alt rick
First time listening to their debut. Didn't disappoint
I'll say this for all the old hair metal bands that come up on this list, at least their lead singers gave it some. This guy's voice goes up to a seven on a good day. That's not to say it can't be good, like on You Would Know, where the dialled-back guitar works with the vocal rather than against. Some of the guitar noodling and electronic bleepery seems almost wilfully irritating at times, but there's still some stuff to enjoy here.
Dope
Era defining
Once again I question the wisdom of including a band’s debut album at the expense of their better efforts, especially when one or two of said better efforts are widely considered to be modern masterpieces. Still, their signature sound is almost fully formed here: deserty, hypnotic, robotic, groovy, melodic, heavy, and slightly weird. A few tracks, like Regular John, If Only and Mexicola, hold up well against their best work.
(5,4/6) Solid Rock. Wanna hear more. Reminded me to hear 'Them Crooked Vultures' (1,3,4,6!,10)
90s stoner rock. I like the genre did not know this record. They have a pretty impressive list of musicians that have been in and out of the band
Iconic voice.
A gem. 5/5
Nein danke
Decent enough, a couple of enjoyable tracks, not enough to make me listen again.
Rocking Meh
Crunchy, kinda overfirm, but crunchy
I didn’t specificaly recognize any of these songs, but on the whole it’s all very recognizable as the kind of background bar music that dominated my early twenties. Pretty decent, hard-driving late ‘90s rock, familiar to a wasted and emotional state of mind.
This album was just okay as it was released. It was definitely a rookie album by a band trying to find their footing. There is a lot of talent for sure. With the inclusion of The Bronze i would add another star as that is my favorite QotSA song of all time.
Here is a list of QotSA albums I would prefer to be on the list compared to their debut: Rated R, Songs for the Deaf, Era Vulgaris, and ...Like Clockwork. But I won't complain about having to revisit this one. Homme really emerged with his sound fully developed.
I always forget how great this debut is due to it having one of my least favorite cover art works of all time. Is it the one QotSA album I would have picked for this list? Probably not. Is it just as good a representation of the band as any of their other albums? Probably.
1. regular john - 1 2. avon - 0 3. if only - 0 4. uualking - 0 5. you uuould knouu - 0 6. the bronze - 7. rope - 0 8. mezicola - 0 9. hizpanic - 0 10. quit me - 1 11. droidz - 0 12. the mule - 0 13. zpiderz - 0 14. hand model - 0
I really like this album. I am a fan of QOTSA and discovered this quite late. The low fi qualities and its simplicity really appealed to me, but I understand these are drawbacks to other listeners. QOTSA definitely forged their own style of groovy stoner rock, and there are some catchy choruses too. It is refreshing to hear rock albums that don’t have overblown production, I feel like you can appreciate the songs in their raw form. I’d put this in the same category as the first foo fighters album (also all the instruments on both albums were mostly played by one person). It is a bit of a weird choice for the list though.
Slow rock n roll
Solid late nineties rock showing where early 2000s were headed.
One of the better heavy rock sounds. Some parts are kinda weird though
I've never listened to this record before but wow the guitars sound great. The band is just as tight as some of their later records are.
I agree with previous reviews of this album - it sounds like a demo. The bare bones of QOTSA's trademark sound are there. The band just needed some experience and time to polish up (which is noticeable on sophomore release Rated R and third album Songs For The Deaf) Overall: 5/10
3.5 I like the sound of it.
Rock solid album, but not the best from QOTSA. Regular John is a hell of a riff to start off with. Avon is cool sounding. It's interesting going back and actually listening to QOTSA albums how much Josh's vocals have changed. If Only is another fantastic riff. Walkin on the Sidewalks has a very uneasy feel on the verses that feels more like a stumble than a walk. The fuzzed out guitars on How To Handle A Rope are what I'm here for and the lyrics are interesting. Dig the outro solo. The bass intro on Mexicola is dirty as hell and builds the pacing well. Mexicola is a sweet riff too in a trip to a Mexican jail. You Can't Quit Me Baby has extremely uneasy lyrics with great instrumentation behind it.
I think they would go onto have stronger albums than this. It’s a good starter place for their sound, really heavy, but nothing I would go super crazy to see live.
fine, not their best, but a solid "debut".
Now I know what boredom is
Average. I thought I was going to enjoy this because of hearing them in the radio 1 live lounge but nope. Shame.
If it’s your thing this is great
guitar and overall band sound are excellent, although some rhythms can get repetitive. singing is mostly repetitive moaning which detracts from a lot of songs. overall hit or miss, but can see the appeal and reason why it's called stoner rock. personally also not a fan of a lot of songs without singing
I think they were still stoned when this was recorded. That was a difficult listen.
Zo’n lekker album! Vette sound, veel goede nummers, weinig filler (in de oorspronkelijke tracklist). Maar niet het beste van QOTSA.
Grunge at its best.
My favorite of their catalogue this one hits you like a tonne of bricks and never lets up! I prefer the original order of the tracklist and original cover but that's just me!
It has its moments, enjoyed If Only and You Would Know, but Hispanic Impressions made me think of the theme music to 1970s animated Richard Briers vehicle Rhubarb And Custard.
Queens of the Stone Age Dear John , Mexicola, Walkin’ on Sidewalks, Spiders and Vinegaroons, I Was a Teenage Had Model I liked a lot. Loved If Only. I like their more groove based songs over the more just heavy or chugging songs, they have that little bit more of that hypnotic dynamism. If Only and Walkin’ on the Sidewalks over, say, Avon, for example. I’d say that I’m only a casual fan of QOTSA and I’m not that au fait with desert/stoner rock in general, although the bits I know and hear I do like. Feels like this is a superior example of that genre. You could argue that the songs start to sound a bit samey, however I think there is a kind of ineffable quality to them, maybe that bit of groove, or a feeling they convey that differentiates them and their music. Although having said that, at 1hr it does feel quite lengthy. I listened to the re-issue which has extra tracks, I think the original 45 minute release is probably a tighter, more cohesive listen. I’d say a solid three, might go higher with more listens, but probably prefer Rated R over this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Super ! Mes préférées : You would know Spider +vinegaroons I was a teenager hand model If only
Great album ! Pure stoner rock !
Much better than I expected
Hp
Für mich war es eine Premiere von "Queens of the Stone Age" ein Album zu hören. Und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Solider purer Rock ohne große Experimente mit vielen Soli, variabel und virtuos gespielt. Ein Album das ohne Schnörckel auskommt, ganz straight in die Vollen geht. Je länger das Album dauert, erinnert es auch an spacige Klänge wie Hawkind, aber das sind alles nur leichte Klangverfärbungen, es bleibt dennoch purer toller Rock.
What was I doing senior year of high school that I missed this album? Hot shit. Is Josh Homme secretly Julian Casablancas’ father? Is that a dude or a chick on the album cover? Are there really only two dudes playing on this album? Were there really queens in the Stone Age? Did Car Seat Headrest just blatantly rip these guys off?
Something interesting about this list project -- I totally perceive the standards for selection if I was alive/musically aware at the time. For instance, this shit sucks and it's boring, and I don't really have to dig into the vaults or study up my historical contexts to modify or support that point. Next!
Before I ever heard a QOTSA album, I heard them live on the NIN's WITH TEETH tour. My first impression was that each song was a barely different long dirge from the last one. I considered that perhaps my experience was just a result of the difficulties of mixing sound for an arena setting, but after returning home I listened to a couple of their albums and had the same impression. I suppose sameness is a legit creative choice, but it comes off feeling….I don’t know…lazy? As a drummer, I found the drum tracks pretty boring. Less trance-like, and just uninspired. When the drummer had a chance to imprint an identity on the song, they seemed to just resort to the most straight forward prior examples, instead of putting their own style on the song as a Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abruzzese or Dave Grohl would. Then again, Dave Grohl joining the band later didn't really change this on later records. When I hear them compared to a throwback to something like Black Sabbath, I cannot disagree more. While they explore rhythm as Black Sabbath did, they lack the exploration of dynamics as a group, and they don't possess the charisma/voice of Ozzy Osbourne to keep the listener interested. Kind of just a middling exploration of rhythm at one volume. Now, having listened to this album again nearly twenty years later, I am struck by the banality of their sound. It is like they referenced all the best stoner rock bands without bringing anything of their own to the table. Lyrics are dark and eye-raising, but they feel like they lack a voice unique to QOTSA. What I mean by that is that they feel like could have come from any of the countless stoner bands from that era. There is no Cobain/Dylan/Gordon Sumner/Trent Reznor gems here. The titles of the songs are best thing going on this album, such as: "Mexicola", "Avon", "How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in Lariat)", "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For", "Hispanic Impressions", "Spiders and Vinegaroons" (Looked upon Vinegaroons and they look frightening as *#@!). Unfortunately the tracks with the most interesting names were usually the least interesting sonically and lyrically. The tracks I found most enjoyable were "Spiders and Vinegaroons", which has the most creative construction and sonic palette of anything on the album, and maybe "Mexicola" if I wanted something a bit more straightforward, then perhaps the creepy creativity of "I Was a Teenage Hand Model". Not sure why this album is on the 1001 album list. I think if you want to reference stoner/grunge albums of importance to the genre and music in general there are more than enough other albums by other artists that actually bring their own thing to the form than any of these QOTSA albums. Props to the band for the bravery of the album cover choice, both the original and the re-issue. It would be interesting if they would be so brave with the social climate as it is these days.
Syntes ikke det var overdrevet fedt, ligesom lidt for mekanisk, mangler noget blues feeling. Meget eksperimenterende også. Ikke lige mig