Queens of the Stone Age

This album shouldn't be here, especially when you realize that "Songs for the Deaf" was left out

A weird coincidence that not ten albums ago I mentioned Queens of the Stone Age, apparently sufficient to invoke them with today's album. I've been a big fan of them for a long time, in part because their sound is so distinctive and different (at least to me), so I'm glad to see them in this project. I'm not so glad that we're relegated to listening to their debut album (such a maddening preference by the project editors), because while this album has a lot of the ingredients for what has made the band so distinctive, it is neither as focused nor as interesting as their later albums; I was actually surprised how much they sound like Soundgarden in several of the tracks (minus Chris Cornell's great voice). Too bad, as they would have gotten a much higher rating from me if this had been "Songs for the Deaf" (the only album I own) or even their second album "Rated R"--less noodling, more punch.

wish-mosh of pent up rock angst looking for an outlet that never materializes... onward

Holy crap did this band get better on Songs For The Deaf. This is bad

music is great but lack of vocal range hurts the album

I found this kind of a slog to get through. Quite long, and maybe a little too much nonsense for a debut album. Peak "mediocre white guy is told he's a genius." Probably need to already be a QOTSA fan to really dig this.

Not for me. Also getting tired of album covers with a woman sticking her fingers in her underwear. Be original.

Carried by how to handle a rope 3 1/2 stars (high score)

Couldn’t get past the first couple songs

Didn’t care for it much, but the song titles were 10/10

Liked the first song but that was it, very hard rock and a bit much for me

Not my favourite, I’m not much of a hard rock fan. Probably a 2.5 but I’ll round up. First few songs are decent Walkin on the sidewalks felt like it went on forever :/ You would know was droney and repetitive

Not for me at all.

Really great, the instrumentals. surprised me.

Ok. Jazz.

3.5/5

Sort of mad this was included over Songs for the Death. Obviously they're really going for that stoner rock sound and they've stuck with it for the whole album, but would have been good to get a bit of variety.

Was actually cool and spawned a cool mix

Good album, but not the correct album by QOTSA

Yet another disappointment. I won’t seek out Queens Of The Stone Age after this.

rockin

Only heard two songs off this before. Many QOTSA bangers here. 4/5

I liked this a fair amount. I got more experimental and more instrumental-driven as it reached the end. I need to return to this again another day to fully remember how these songs went.

dog water

Dont like

decent but fire album cover

Nice and dark and dirty. Not sure why so many bad reviews comparing to another record. On its own merit enjoyable.

Good debut record

Have not listened to early QOTSA ever, what a fucking vibe. Great pace of tracks, very sexy.

Pretty cool actually, very grungey and overdriven. Id never heard of this album before but I should have 🙏

Really quite contrasting. You could tell that they hadn’t quite figured out their sound yet. Some brilliant moments and some less brilliant ones.

Half of it it's pure crap.

Derivative to the extreme and not helpful that the cover art comes across as gross. Why on this list?

listened a couple of times and nothing much stuck with me other than the guitars sounded pretty good

With rock being my favourite genre this album will get a high score. I wasn't able to pay much attention to the lyrics but the actual music was great. I did not like the noises in the last song.

Solid album

Yeah well. It was good but I wasn’t really feeling it. It wasn’t bad by any means but very forgettable.

pas fan du style

Meh

I own three QotSA records - yes the usual suspects, but I’ve never listened to their 1998 self titled debut. I was confused over exactly which version I should listen to, the 14 track 60 min release, or the 11 track 46 minute release. So I did both, unusually I actually prefered the longer version the three extra tracks improve the overall album, normally I hate special editions and bonus tracks but not this time. The album is full of the classic queens of the Stone Age sound without perhaps the sharper hooks of their more successful follow up albums. It didn’t pain me to listen to this album 4 times in a day which is not something I can say of my earlier adventures in 1001 albums…

no me gusta la banda! srry

Some really good songs and some greeeeat guitar tones, but a few times the tracks dragged on too much with repeated sections

meh

3 on the nose. Felt this was a bit samey and never really got into it. Wasn't bad but wouldn't be going back to it. Songs were hard to distingush between

I have done this band a disservice for linking them in my mind with Kings of Leon for no particular reason. Shame cause i’ve likely missed out on listening to some pretty solid stoner rock. I’ve never thought i need more stoner rock in my life, but then i dont need less of it either. All that said i am 4 or 5 songs in and bired. Feels like rock by numbers. Not much swing. Not much grunt. You get a taster but ultimately feel unsatisfied with the meal. Songs are often long and don’t go anywhere.

I don't got much to say. Really great stoner rock with good hooks and cool riffs. Highlights: all of them 8/10

The album was good. Would relisten to it

I never understood Dave Grohl’s fascination with this band until I heard this album. Unfortunately they never came close to making another album as good as this one.

Heavy clear grunge metal

music is love

Impresionante, normal que hiciera historia, abren camino en un sonido que todavía a 2026 suena actual. Composiciones imaginativas, sin complejos, producción arriesgada, pffff, una locura

Meat n potatoes rock n roll, which is their point. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t really get me going. It’s bordering on too long for how “back to basics” it is as well.

Here’s a scenario I "love": a list of 1 001 albums includes a great band, but features the wrong album. The best work by Queens of the Stone Age — one of my favorite bands and the group that popularized psychedelic desert stoner rock — is, of course, Songs for the Deaf. Yet, instead of that one, we are offered their debut. They certainly didn't cut corners; right from the first record, QOTSA delivered their signature sound — sludgy, robotically repetitive guitar riffs paired with Josh Homme’s (after decades of listening, I still don't know the correct pronunciation of his surname) melancholic vocals. However, the legacy of his previous band, Kyuss, was still very much alive, and some of the songs here drag a bit and feel rather dull. I’m withholding the fifth star simply because the band is capable of — and has produced — better work, yet the editors of this book seem determined to overlook that fact.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stoner rock. Groovigt, rockigt och trippigt, blir dock lite väl trippigt för mig bitvis, framförallt bland de sista spåren. Riktigt bra album som möjligtvis är lite för långt men som jag kommer komma tillbaka till. Det får bli en 4a. Bäst är Regular John, Avon, How to handle a rope, Mexicola, Spiders and vinegaroons

Rips

These guys have only gotten better with age

piss album

Ah yes, the album with the piss song. I cannot write a review of this album without writing it through the lens of being a fan of QOTSA. So let's start with what this album is - I'm not sure if it becomes a foundation of what QOTSA would become, but it certainly is a way to bring Kyuss into another chapter of Homme's life. Well, Homme might disagree: *That’s why it’s the first song on the first album. For me, arguably, it’s our best song. That song basically says, “It goes like this.”* And still, to this day, QOTSA sometimes opens with Regular John. I feel like later albums do have much more of a mission statement than being a collection of songs, and that's why I'm surprised this is the album that shows up as representation of what QOTSA can play, instead of "Songs for the Deaf" or "...Like Clockwork". And its problem is that almost none of the songs are wonderful singles, or songs that display feelings. They display a groove, a place maybe. More like "Heroes" than Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Interestingly, I feel like two last songs, almost forgotten are the representation of what QOTSA can and will be. Spiders and Vinegaroons is groove, long buildup, weird. And then there is the piss song. Somehow, the piss song is the only one which feels to me like I could say "this band will be something more". Not Avon.

I saw Queens open for Foo Fighters a couple of months ago. They were excellent. That said, I find this album a bit uneven. Excellent moments, and some parts that I'd just as soon skip. That makes it hard to give it four stars. The strength of the band and the highlights, if it was consistent throughout, would definitely warrant four stars. As it is, I have to give this one three.

Trance inducing stoner rock, for sure.

Heck. Yeah. Every now and then it's my favourite Queens. Hilarious that Like Clockwork is on this list but not Songs for the Deaf. This Dimery guy is a real fuckwit.

Three stars...

It’s ok. A bit generic and goes over n too long.

Started thinking I think I like this, but ended up longing for the album to end.

6/10

Great album!

3.5

Dece, kyuss better

Saw these guys open for Nine Inch Nails once. It was pretty cool. I think their sound is original. Great rock n roll. 4

If I came up against a lot of these tracks in isolation I’d be having a great time. One hour worth is far too much tho. RYM: N Saved a song: N

Every song degrades into a monotonous guitar drone. Can understand any of the vocals. All songs sound the same. Basically unlistenable.

The thing about minimalism is that it needs to be, well, minimal. This starts promisingly, although even before the end of 'Regular John' I was concerned that a whole album of repetitive distorted guitar under a whiny voice complaining about - well, who knows, to be honest - would be too much. Surprise - it was. I don't know if the first two or three tracks are actually the best, or if I just became numb to it after that. By the halfway point, I'm begging them to try something else, but it just keeps relentlessly grinding on in what amounts to a monotone. OK, to be fair, there's an instrumental after a while which is at least at a different pace, but it has almost nothing of interest going on, so even that palls after a minute or so. The very last track does something more interesting, but I'm afraid I'd tuned out by then. How a debut album like this ends up on this list is baffling to me - they clearly got better at everything; this was a trial run to see what would work, but somehow it's a 'must hear' album.

Yep, this is late-90s rock.

a fully-fledged sound right out of the gate, a level of consistency i rarely expect from a first album

Liker Queens og soundet, så da liker jeg jo dette.

I like walking on the sidewalks. other than that pretty unremarkable. the bronze is good. easy listening. spiders and vinegaroons is AMAZING

Experimental in all the best ways, this is a great debut album, although it could be argued this is really just a continuation of Kyuss. Josh Homme blends what will become indie rock sensibilities with genuinely fresh and creative riffs to make some really fun tracks. It’s a bit frontloaded, with the back getting more into instrumentals and Avant garde sounds- it’s definitely a record of a group figuring out a new sound, which they will nail in their next album, Rated R. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I started out saying "this is like a proto Songs For the Deaf" but then started REALLY grooving.

A successful distillation of key elements (chug, wah, woowoo, dark, trip) into a fairly potent brew. This is not QOTSA's and best album and it feels like a case of right band wrong release, but goes hard nonetheless.

Ik kan mij er niet te zetten om dit album Af te luisteren… een DNF. Het voelde matig en veel, niet mijn gemoedstoestand denk ik…

Telt het als luisteren van een album als je af en toe je koptelefoon hebt afgezet en het album door hebt laten gaan? Het voelt een beetje als een heel droog roggebrood met vies beleg die je op moet eten omdat je anders honger krijgt, maar liever gewoon niet wilt eten. Dit album is voor mij een beetje te emo en te zwaar. Het duurt me te lang. Ik kom er moeilijk door heen.

Het hele weekend uitgesteld om te luisteren. Ben nooit echt een fan geweest. Kende het van No One Knows, wat ik altijd een beetje irritant heb gevonden. Deze viel mij toch erg mee. Het is kaler en droger dan ik van ze ken. Het blijft wel wat rechttoe rechtaan, wat ik een beetje saai vind. Wel een paar leuke dingen gehoord, maar zal niet meer bij dit album stilstaan of erop terugkomen.

Zit t hele weekend al tegen dit album aan te hikken, ik stel het uit, ik luister 3 nummers, heb dan geen zin meer en ga iets leuks luisteren. Toch maar weer huiswerk maken en de volgende dag t weer oppakken. Ik vond vroeger No one knows een beetje grappig vanwege de clip, maar na een keertje te hebben gezien hoefde ik niet vaker te zien of te luisteren, ik zapte dan maar weg. Hij kwam geregeld langs gek genoeg.

A pretty good album, but idk why they would choose this album over Songs For the Deaf. Still a very good album though. High 4.

no me gustó ninguna canción en especifico, pero tampoco me molestaron todas al escucharlas.

So close to giving this one four stars but the last few songs kind of took me out. Love the guitar tone and just great rock riffs and tunes.

Really wish I could give this 2.5 stars. A few solid rockers, then a slightly bored Soundgarden vibe, and finishing up with some stoner rock tracks. Twisting the frequency knob on the synthesizer was cool in the early 1970’s, it’s kind of annoying now

Solid record by a great band. I do like their later stuff more though. 3/5

solid playing and catchy in the short term but tedious in the long term, and there just isn't enough material for the runtime. the vocalist seems unable to really commit to anything

Didn't do it for me. Basic unpolished 90s rock that's probably someone's cup of tea. I like their later stuff better.

fuck i do love queens of the stone age. it doesn't have the bells and whistles of their later releases but that super chunky production i guess was baked in there from the beginning. it's simple but i love the fundamentals on display. favorite song is Walkin on the Sidewalks or If Only. soft 4

Rating: 6/10 I do wish I was listening to Rated R or Songs for the Deaf. The follows up to this debut have an improved quality and are very energetic and an exciting shift in modern rock music. This one is a decent first effort but I don't love the songs and don't like the mid-tempo energy of it as much. Definitely starts strong, but there's not too much of note further into the album. You Can't Quit Me Baby is a sick song on the back half though. I found the track listing to listen to the original album version for now. I might check out the bonus added tracks but I felt they would have made it feel more bloated at an hour. All around good, fun grooves with songs that also got dark and weird at times

I’m not really a hard rock guy, but this album slaps.

I hadn't heard any QOTSA before Rated R, but this definitely is the meeting point between them and Kyuss, isn't it? Good stuff. I miss Nick Oliveri bring in the band. His bass lines were such an identifiable part of their sound. Anyway, great stuff! Josh Homme's voice is just a little boring to me, otherwise this would be getting a five.

I love this album. I don't love everything QOTSA does, but I love this album. It's like Kyuss, but slightly less stoned and slightly more rock and roll. I don't know if that's the influence of the departure of Brant Bjork or maybe Josh Homme taking free rein of the creative process. Regardless, this is a masterpiece of late-90s rock that I think kind of transcends the post-grunge slop of those years and also is really different from the garage-influenced bands of the early aughts. Anyway, this is fucking great.

I forgot about this album. This is thick-necked, knuckle-dragging rock n roll, suitable for blasting in a GTO on a desert highway. They could have done a little pruning and cut 15-20 minutes of material since getting beaten with a sledgehammer doesn't require a double album. When they venture off road like the last couple of songs, the rate of success plummets.

I missed them altogether when they first came around. Really good. I could have done without some of the random electronic noise segments, but the rest more than made up for it.

4/5 - Somehow had no experience with this record before now. The 90s could have used more of this. Fuzz guitar riffs were great. Will listen again.

Josh Homme is a terrific, and influential, musician, and I'm happy to see QOTSA represented on the list. But this isn't the album that best represents them. It's very much a debut album showing signs of what was to come, but in isolation it feels like just an extension of grunge. Great band; wrong album

A sonic assault by the stoned neighbourhood teens who play their goddamn instruments way too loud all Sunday. The sound on this record is unapologetically thick. The bass rumbles like it’s trying to cause an earthquake. How much fuzz do you like on your guitars? If the answer is yes, you’ll find it on this album. Buried under all the distortion, the drums anchor the thumping of the songs with simple patterns. The lyrics are laid back, as if the singer couldn’t give a damn about the audience’s opinion. Or even realize there is one to begin with. They’re cryptic but not nonsensical, which only emphasizes this half-conscious feel. Riffs are simple, repeating, and get drawn out: What are we doing again? There is some variety in the tracklist. “Walking on Sidewalks” sounds like cavemen repeatedly hitting you with their clubs. Some of the licks could have been written by Tool if they ever used a normal time signature. The lead guitar in “If Only” sings in the disoriented voice of the psychedelic 70s, just with a lot more heft. “You Can’t Quit Me” ends by diving into complete chaos, then “These Aren’t the Droids You Are Looking For” starts laid out drunk on the floor before bursting into an expressive dance. The album isn’t without flaws. By the time I reached “Give the Mule What He Wants,” I was wondering if I hadn’t already heard that song a few tracks earlier. The songs tend to mush together into one big experience; there’s no clear standout. Overall, a strong debut that excites with its vibe and tone, but stays a bit too stoned and distant to leave a deep emotional impression. It's a strong 3, maybe a light 4.