809 Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R The Stone Age (2000)

 809 Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R The Stone Age (2000)

Studio Album - Rock



About the Act:

Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) are an American Hard Rock band from California and from 1996 to now. They were founded by their vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme who has been their only constant member, and have gone through quite a few changes in members. They came about as part of the Palm Desert Music Scene, which was particularly know for collaboration. They have had 7 studio albums so far.


About the Album:

This was the band's second album, known as "Rated X" for the vinyl version and sometimes called Rated RX, and became their breakthrough album, bringing commercial and critical success.


My History with this Album:

In the late 90s, early 2000s I was living with a flatmate and we got into watching alternative MTV channels. Amongst our discoveries there was Queens of the Stone Age, and I got a copy of this album around then. I listened to it a few times and then kind of forgot about it. I would not say I was familiar with it, but I remember Feel Good Hit Of The Summer as it is very distinctive.


Review:

I'm sitting here looking at this, not really sure what to say. I liked it. Actually I loved it. I listened nearly 3 times. Musically it is excellent and engaging. Some tracks could be called metal, but they are in the minority, mostly I would call it hard rock, crunchy and hitting and full of energy. Actually, musically I would say it is full of wit, which may be an od thing to say. It is inventive without being overly challenging, like the second track using a synth bell sound to echo the bass line. Like the extended brass work right at the end, and all the way through it is varied and interesting and good head-bobbing, even at times foot-tapping rock. 

The words - well I think it's fair to say they have things to say about drugs. I get the impression that drugs are quite important to the band, and there are several songs about recreational drugs, the most prominent being the list of recreational substances in "Feel Good Hit of the Summer". There is even a song about prescription drugs. Monsters in the Parasol is a song about hallucinations. Some songs are about other things, like the song about keeping secrets. This all might be an acquired taste and I would not play it to my kids, but actually despite my lack of empathy for recreational drug users, I quite enjoyed the songs. They're kind of honest in a way, and anti-establishment, and who doesn't enjoy a good rebel?

But mostly it's the rock that I like.


8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/10UBEkRjqtl0iT2BRAwcto

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ysN9BQm8s

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rated_R_(Queens_of_the_Stone_Age_album)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...
Read more

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop ...
Read more

843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967)

Image
 843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Soul About the Act: The Chambers Brothers are an American Psychedelic Soul band from LA, who were formed in 1954 and are still going. They were at heart four brothers, but I think they have now all left the band.  About the Album: This was their debut album (12 years on from forming as a band), and it spawned their most successful single Time Has Come Today. My History with this Album: None. I had never heard of the Chambers Brothers before this list. Review: I am not an American, nor a Social Historian, but I think I can accurately claim that in 1960s America there was a certain separation between the Black community and other communities. As a result of this, and for marketing reasons, the idea of music that was created with a Black audience in mind was an actual thing. I'm not sure if today we would be quite so sure about what constitutes "Black Music", but then, I think, they were generally q...
Read more