Queens of the Stone Age

iTunes Review

Re-mastered from the original tapes and including three extra tracks laced within — “The Bronze” and “These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For” from the long-out-of-print 1998 QOTSA / Beaver split EP and “Spiders and Vinegaroons” from the posthumous Kyuss /QOTSA EP — this debut album redefined hard rock in a way wholly unexpected from Josh Homme, a former member of Kyuss. Gone were the low-end grumbles of the previous band and in their place were vibrant hard-rock songs that sounded like they were meant for FM Radio. Tracks such as “Regular John,” “Avon” and “If Only” were singles for the non-singles crowd. “Walkin On the Sidewalks” turns the blues upside down like a Captain Beefheart puzzle. “You Would Know” walks the floor with an early-‘70s stoner vibe that helped the band fit the “Stoner Rock” bill. Their music would evolve from here, but this refreshing debut still sounds as powerful and fun as it did upon its first release. The bonus tracks are far from throwaways. While “Spiders and Vinegaroons” sounds like a basement experiment, “The Bronze” and “Droids” are full-on QOTSA attacks.