We've made it to the top 10! Wahoo!
After dissolving stoner/desert rock pioneers Kyuss, guitarist Josh Homme went to Seattle and played rhythm guitar in Screaming Trees for a few months, after which he went back to California and formed Gamma Ray in 1996 and released an EP (featuring members of Monster Magnet, Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden), which was later re-released a split EP with Kyuss under the new name Queens of the Stone Age.
This their debut full length was recorded with Homme on vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass and former Kyuss member Alfredo Hernandez on drums, with the occasional contribution here and there from desert rocks legends such as Hutch, Chris Goss and Dave Catching. Shortly after the recordings were finished, Kyuss/Dwarves bassist Nick Oliveri joined the band.
Although QOTSA has played nearly every type of music imaginable in their 13 year career, the early incarnation was a continuation of the low rumble howls of Kyuss, but with a clearer pop sensibility and more defined songs with considerably less jamming and spacing out. Homme's high, effeminate voice was also a big change from John Garcia's Ronnie James Dio-esque alpha male drones.
To some this is the only QOTSA album that counts, while I happen to like them all more or less equally. But for many different reasons, since they all sound and feel completely different depending who Homme chose to collaborate with on any given recording, and what kind of music he was tripping on at the moment.
On my other blog I've posted to big collections of QOTSA rarities, so in case you've missed them you can find them here and here. A third one will be posted shortly, so keep you eyes open for that one.
And if you feel like looking into this "desert rock" thing a bit more, I made a giant post about it here.
(mp3) QOTSA - How to handle a rope (recommended)
(mp3) QOTSA - Mexicola
(mp3) QOTSA - You can't quit me baby
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Mexicola live in 2001:
1 comments:
Well, for me QOTSA is the best american rock band of the 2000s. The best of the 90s was Faith No More, so I really hope to hear Patton and Homme together very soon (in fact, it's possible that Patton colaborates in the next Desert Session's album).
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