Them Crooked Vultures (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

If you’re going to “go retro” with your music listening, it’s best to do so with guys who have been there. So, Led Zeppelin’s bassist John Paul Jones forms a cross-generational supergroup with Nirvana/Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and the riffs come tumbling. The group brings back a danceable backbeat to the hard rock pantheon (“New Fang”) and a new workbook for the next generation of guitar players (“Elephants”). Just as Zeppelin were anchored by the swinging bludgeon of John Bonham, so Them Crooked Vultures are vaulted forth with Grohl’s sturdy grooves. “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I” kicks things off with a dark boogie riff that’s pure Zeppelin and a Homme vocal that belongs to early-‘70’s hard rock. “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” throws Jones’ keyboards against Homme’s convincing Jimmy Page impressions. “Reptiles” runs through a jungle as tense as Zep classics “Achilles’ Last Stand” and “Kashmir.” “Scumbag Blues” updates Cream. “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up” channels Iron Butterfly and the Doors. Them Crooked Vultures are both tribute and a legitimate foot forward.