[Little Comments] Queens of The Stone Age (Reissue)

Queens of the Stone Age have had quite the busy couple of years in terms of re-releases. They re-released their second album Rated R last year to mark 10 years of its release, and have now re-mastered and re-released their extremely limited first self-titled album with Domino Records.

On first impressions it is clear that the songs have been made louder, which is good because it was often hard to hear every note and beat on the original album. But also on closer inspection, the vocals are cleaner, and so are the drums. The vocals are actually audible now, which is great because it was often hard to hear Josh Homme’s surprisingly timid vocals against the riff driven rock and crashing drums. The only fault with this is that the drums are now too clean, especially when contrasted against the dirty, gritty bass, causing the drums to be hidden behind the bass solid sound.

The addition of the three bonus tracks (which were made in the same era as the original QOTSA LP) do not disrupt the flow of the album at all, they have been placed within the album tracks with thought, rather than being tucked in at the end like most re-masters tend to do. The Bronze is a song that should not have been left aside for the original LP, as it truly displays Homme’s somewhat cowardly, timid vocals at their strongest, while also being a great opener for the album’s most hard rocking state, as How To Handle A Rope and Mexicola follow it.

These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For creates another instrumental track for the album, and is a lot more rock oriented than the other instrumental Hispanic Impressions’ more Kyuss-influenced rhythm. The opening noodles for this song also follow exceptionally well with climax of the epic 9 minute long trip that is You Can’t Quit Me Baby.

The last bonus track added is Spiders And Vinegaroons, a 6 and a half minute long instrumental that sounds rather cult like, with the clapping and the drums repeating the same beats. It also fits in well with the very unconventional Give The Mule What He Wants and the even more astronomically absurd I Was A Teenage Hand Model.

Overall, I feel that this re-master does introduce new QOTSA fans to their first album fantastically. The mastering is top notch, and gives all of the songs a louder, stronger stance than before. The three additional tracks are also used to enhance a special experience that increases the pleasure that I had when I first listened to this record a few years ago. I feel that 2011 has been the Queens’ best year so far, finally bringing this re-master to light that they promised 2 years ago, and also in the process of writing songs for their 6th album.

9.99999/10