You duders dig Queens of the Stone Age?

Any of you guys dig Homme and the bunch? Which album is your fav? Personally Era Vulgaris is my fav. cuz of it's tight vision throughout the album; to me it's Homme expressing perfectly, musically and lyrically, what he's been alluding at the entire time with them. It's also their most experimental with sound.

I get why Songs for the Deaf and Rated R are the usual culprits, but they're just not as creative or as cohesive in their vision as Era is. The first, like, 3 songs of Them Crooked Vultures are better than anything though.

Thoughts?

@johnnyhalo666: I think that Rated R and Songs for the deaf have there place though. I mean for like the early 2000's that was some pretty heavy mainstream shit and it wasn't fucking Nu-Metal haha.

For me it goes, 1. Like clock work, 2. Era Vulgaris, 3. Self titled. But they're one of my favorite bands so all their albums have a place in my greasy heart. Like clock work is my favorite pretty much for the same reasons you site for Era. I think Era is way harder and crunchier and hot damn misfit love is an amazing song, but honestly I think that like clock work is just more varied and it makes it more interesting to listen to for me.

You ever seen 'em live? They're fucking great.

My god is the sun, yes, thank you for asking.

I actually really like Lullabies to Paralyze quite a bit, probably my favourite overall. I like Queens of the Stone Age but prefer some of Homme's other projects more, Them Crooked Vultures is great and I listen to a ton of Kyuss.

I love the little fake radio bits throughout Songs for the Deaf though. Like Clockwork also stands out to me but I just don't dig the general sound and feel of it as much as Lullabies to Paralyze.

@makayu: O dont get me wrong their early shit is great, and while I don't like this singers voice, Kyuss is interesting and an important listen. It's interesting to here a big fan put Clockwork first. It's my least listened to album, but I feel like it just has a very samey sound across it--in a bad way--compared to other stuff; it's still a great album, smooth sailing pretty much embodies a certain part of QOTSA, and you know which part.

I haven't seen them live. I missed them at Saquatch festival last year, and Arctic Monkeys they year before, I think. And I regret both of them more than IDK what.

@johnnyhalo666: I get that with like clock work, for some reason it just clicks with me though. Era was my favorite for the longest time though. When I went to see them live Homme strutted out on stage half drunk and Immediatly started talking a bunch of shit to the audience haha, he looked at some kids playing with a beach ball and said, "stop playing with your fucking balls and listen to the music you pussies," considering how all the other bands acted before queens went on at that show it was so damn funny. What a great band.

I can go...

...with their flow

Kyuss all the way son.

Rated R is solid too though.

I liked the first two albums, but, as others have said, if you're really into Josh Homme, Kyuss is the pinnacle of his work.

Love most of their old stuff, but "...Like Clockwork" is a goddamn masterpiece. Love their way they revealed it as well, with some cool animated visuals to go with the snippets they showed.

Favorite song fluctuates a lot, but I think it must be "The Vampyre of Time and Memory", solely because of the raw emotion Homme manages to inject into it. Just something about the way he sings the word "hurray" in the sentence "I'm alive, hurray, you're wrong again 'cause I feel no love" makes it clear that he sings from his heart.

I love all there stuff.

Even The Desert Sessions volume 1 through 10.

Queens of the Stone Age is the only band I've ever followed with any semblance of dedication. :-P They're also the only band whose output I've consistently liked, which is wonderfully ironic considering that they have the least stable line-up of the lot.

The thing is, Josh has both an eye for talent and a very distinct style. Some bands get a new bass player or drummer and you feel the quality of their albums go down as a result. To be cliché, "it's just not the same." Other bands evolve their style and feel over time until everything that initially drew you to them is gone. It's going to sound like utter anonymous-internet brownnosing here, but QOTSA has never had either problem. If Nick is busy with his own projects, Josh doesn't find a placeholder. No, he finds a bona fide bad&^& bass player to rock it proper. He also gets amazing guest stars and honorary members like Dave Grohl to flesh out the talent and skills at QOTSA's disposal. While most line-up changes in a band kind of make me fidget in nervousness, I never feel the least bit concerned for QOTSA's well-being. They're in good hands.

In addition, Josh's style is distinct enough that it's kind of like a constant motif throughout QOTSA's albums. Yeah, Era Vulgaris and Like Clockwork are very different, but that hazy bass-laden electric guitar that makes you feel like you're the only one driving on a desert highway as the heat turns the horizon into rolling waves? That's always there. You can tell that each album is a QOTSA work, even if Vampire of Time and Memory and Quick to the Pointless don't exactly mesh back-to-back.

So yeah, I'm a big fan. I don't catch myself ever going "man... I really liked their early stuff" like I do with other groups. Probably the most damning thing about me here is that... I'm just not that big of a Kyuss fan. Them Crooked Vultures? Great. Eagles of Death Metal? Fun times. Not death metal, but fun times. QOTSA? Superb. Kyuss? Eh... the songs are good and I can understand why people love it, but I'm not as big a fan of Garcia's vocals as I am of Josh's. Also, I like to think the pinnacle of Josh's work is always "yet to come." Gives me something to perpetually look forward to. :-D

Songs for the Deaf was the only one I ever liked or listened to much really, haven't listened to it in years though.

Hell yeah dude, QOTSA is one of my favorite bands. I think Songs For The Deaf is still probably their best album, but they don't have any albums I don't think are at least pretty good. ...Like Clockwork was really cool as well, and I hope that they'll release a follow up sooner this time. I think Era Vulgaris is pretty cool also, I'm Designer is one of my favorite songs of theirs just for how weird and creative it is, and Josh's lyrics on it are pretty great also. I'd probably rate Songs For The Deaf, Rated R and their self titled debut above it though, at least in my opinion.

I prefer Kyuss.

I like them a lot and have a hard time choosing a favorite album, which is a good thing. They all can be appealing in their own way.

Yeah, they are my favourite band by far. I really like all of Homme's side projects too but I would say my personal favourite is the self-titled album, I find myself really liking those songs more so than any others. I'd say Songs for the Deaf is probably a better album overall since it's got so many recognisable songs and really popularised the band, but I like the sound of the first album more. Mexicola and The Bronze (which was a B-side) are my favourite tracks from ST too.

There are also some rumours that Them Crooked Vultures are working on a new album soon too which I'm looking forward to.

Probably one of my favourite bands. I liked some of Kyuss' work too but generally I prefer QotSA.

Era Vulgaris is easily my least liked album of theirs though. A big step down from (my overall favourite) Lullabies to Paralyze.

...Like Clockwork is one of the best rock albums I've heard in years, not as focused as Songs for the Deaf, but still a very good album . Out of all QOTSA albums Like Clockwork may be the most personal album he ever wrote.

Plus Troy Van Leeuwen fucking rocks. Very underrated.

Also as a guitar player I appreciate his continued reluctance to revel his sounds "secrets". Some things should remain privet. Plus Troy Van Leeuwen fucking rocks. Very underrated.

They're only my favorite band. Next to Zeppelin, but Zeppelin is on their own tier because they're Zeppelin.

Choosing a favorite album is pretty tough. Songs for the Deaf if you held a gun to my head cause that album is firing on all cylinders the whole way. I really liked Like Clockwork though I thought they took some interesting risks. Might be their best since SftD.

I like Era Vulgaris and Rated R. Songs for the Deaf I think is okay. I don't like Lullabies to Paralyze. Those are the only ones I heard.

I like pretty much any band Josh Homme is involved in. He's insanely talented. But Queens of the Stone Age is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Probably one of my favorite bands of all time in fact. Saw them live last summer; they are a really fun live band to see, if not for the music than for Homme's good sense of humor.

As for my favorite albums, I'd probably order them as Like Clockwork > Rated R > Era Vulgaris > SFTD > Self Titled > Lullabies to Paralyze. They're all good of course but Lullabies I think has this issue with it's first half being really good and it's second half leaving a lot to be desired. Like Clockwork is such an emotionally powerful album I can't help but love it. I Appear Missing is a brilliant song in just about every aspect.

As for all the mentions of Kyuss in this thread as well, Sky Valley is a really good album that I listen to on a regular basis, but I'm not a huge fan of their other stuff. Save maybe the split album. Fatso Forgetso is great, and all the Queens material is REALLY strong. Born to Hula and Spiders and Vinegaroons are some of my favorite songs from their early years.

@hassun: That's funny cuz I think Era is their comeback from their weakest album.

@spoonman671: I disagree, hard, with that statement. While Kyuss is very important to metal, and stoner rock, Homme doesn't really spread his creative wings with that band. In Queens he's doing all the heavy lifting, including shredding; in Kyuss he's just shredding, and possibly writing some lyrics (I don't know enough about their creative process).

Eagles of Death Metal is josh Homme's best work, Peace Love Death Metal

I saw Queens of the Stone Age at the Bridge School Benefit Concert in 2013, they were really good live. Although I have to say, I listened to some of their recorded stuff following the show and it didn't really do anything for me.

They ok

Paging @natetodamax

Look at my profile picture.

Qotsa is one of the few bands whose music hasn't become tiresome the more I listen to it. Plus each album is so unique and they are a band who seem unafraid to experiment.

Favourite album is either ...Like Clockwork or Songs for the Deaf. Depends on the day really. Their self-titled is by far their weakest and Lullabies is underrated.

I would suggest that that is better for him.

my personal favorite album of theres is a song for the deaf.
the entire abum is just so awesome

1. Kyuss - Sky Valley
2. QOTSA - s/t
3. QOTSA - Rated R
4. Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun
5. QOTSA - Songs for the Deaf
6. Them Crooked Vultures
7. QOTSA - Era Vulgaris
8. ....

If you don't agree, you're wrong. It might be tough to accept, but now at least you know.

Kidding, they never released a shit album, but I like the above the most and return to them on a regular basis. The later stuff has a smaller influence on me probably mostly because in the meantime I've been listening to a lot much stranger music and it changed me. I still respect Homme a lot, but it's hard to be anthusiastic when he could be doing so much more. The only negative change (in my opinion) I can could my finger on is that he's main focus now seems to be writing songs instead of putting the listener in a desert rock trance (that ended with Rater R).

@hybridmoment: ha, I guess someone had to say it.

Eh!?

I love Qotsa but feel that after Lullabyze they've gone downhill. Is it a coincidence that they stopped doing/releasing the Desert Sessions just before that album? I don't know but one thing is for sure, that band was better with more than one singer. Mark Lanegan's grizzly vocal complimented Homme's tenor vocals and falsetto. And the band was better with Nick Oliveri, his bass sound and his screaming vocals were sublime.

They're arguably the best straight up hard rock band out there. Only their self-titled album is the one that doesn't really grab my attention.

Like Clockwork is my personal fav, and that's gotta say something about how damn good they are considering they also put out two classics in Songs for thr Deaf and Rated R.

I like No One Knows...

Good to see so many people acknowledging Sky Valley. What a fucking amazing piece of music. Homme's production and song writing might have technically gotten better, but he's never been so primal or raw since Kyuss. C-tuned, distorted wah wah guitar in the middle of the desert powered by generators.

Like Clockwork is my favorite album Homme and Co. Songs For The Deaf and Rated R follow. I guess I've never listened to the self titled album or Lullabies, and Era Vulgaris is ok.

Stoner Rock is alive and well in QOTSA. Songs for the Deaf is one of my favourite albums of all time.

@johnnyhalo666: I suppose it makes sense that people who really like Era Vulgaris don't like Lullabies to Paralyse and vice versa.

No

I've tried to get into them a bunch of times and it's never worked out.

Love QOTSA, seen them live several times, favorite album would be Lullabies to Paralyze.

Songs for the Deaf is my favorite

Self Titled is my favorite for sure. I know Nick turned out to be a real piece of shit for a good long while there, but he really did add some aggression and edge to the band that I think they still miss. I really did enjoy like clockwork though, much much better than Era Vulgaris... that album never really clicked with me. Too over produced and electronic which was the point I guess.

Also, Kyuss were amazing. So were the Desert Sessions LPs

I got into them after ...Like Clockwork came out in 2013. I've since went back and listened to all their albums. Like Clockwork is still their best work (hell, I'd give it my top album of all time), but all their other stuff is great too. Each album has it's own unique feel. And within each album, each song feels really unique. Them Crooked Vultures is a great album as well. Homme is also one of the most clever vocalist I've ever seen.

I agree. Every once in a while I try to convince myself that they still play interesting music but I get bored listening halfway though, say, Like Clockwork. Without Nick they definitely don't have the balls to record a gorgeous dissonant masterpiece like Leg of Lamb. Every time I hear that juxtaposition of mostly clean vocals and the infuriating repetitive verse I can't help but laugh. And the idiotic guitar solo is the cherry on top. Who in their right mind would write such a song?! But it works! and you can even perform a dance of unmatched sexyness to it.

And let's not forget that by the end of "Leg of Lamb" only "Autopilot" stands between you and the best QOTSA song with a brilliant Oliveri bass line - "Better Living Through Chemistry".

@ajamafalous said:

Word.

Queens of the Stone Age have made a significant impact on my life. Influenced how I play guitar, the music I listen to, getting through hard times, etc. All the normal stuff you'd associate with a favorite band. I first heard them in Guitar Hero 1 because No One Knows was in that game, and man did I write them off real hard. The cover of No One Knows that the developers produced for GH1 is so, so bad. I guess I didn't realize that it was a cover? Anyway, when I heard Go With The Flow in Rock Band around 2008, I became a huge fan. Saw them live for the first time last year at the Merryweather Post Pavilion in Maryland and it was probably the best night of my life.

Their self-titled debut album is old, classic QOTSA. Regular John, Mexicola, How to Handle a Rope, If Only, You Can't Quit Me Baby. You kind of can't go wrong with anything here. Their rare live performances of I Was a Teenage Hand Model are so cool. For the longest time now I've wanted to drive through Joshua Tree, California listening to this record. Some day!

Rated R somehow feels like their least cohesive album but it has quite a few classic QOTSA songs, like Feel Good Hit of the Summer, Lost Art of Keeping a Secret, In the Fade, Better Living Through Chemistry, and I Think I Lost My Headache. The latter two represent QOTSA at the peak of their penchant for spaced-out, lengthy jams. Would absolutely love to hear these songs live.

Songs for the Deaf is probably their best. At the very least it's the one I would recommend first to anyone.

Lullabies to Paralyze is where the band began experimenting in some really fantastic ways. Someone's in the Wolf is legit one of their greatest songs. I think this was the first time the band did the really shitty thing of having songs exclusive to certain regions. Like A Drug isn't available on the normal US edition, which is insane. It's great.

Era Vulgaris is the album that people like to bag on, but I love it. The band stretches far in some pretty crazy directions while still maintaining their own identity. It sounds like QOTSA, but it's a more modern, robotic version. It's really cool. This is hopefully the last time the band does the awful thing of having songs exclusive to certain editions/regions. (They literally had retailer-specific bonus tracks. Fuck that.) The Fun Machine Took A Shit & Died is their best song, but it's only available on the tour edition of the album.

Like Clockwork is a special album. It's the first one they released since I became a fan, it was released on the day I graduated high school, and lyrically it's their best by far. It's a bit more subdued than what they've done before, but it's definitely one of their top 2. Maybe #1? Songs for the Deaf is tough to beat, but this album is wonderful.