Customer Reviews

Stone Age Complication

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Lambast-your-ears hard rock got its new champions in the Queens of the Stone Age, with their dark sound and screaming, heavy instrumentation. In "Stone Age Complications," they link together a six-song EP of their remixes, rarities and covers -- and the result is very solid.

It kicks off with a solid cover of the Kinks "Who'll Be the Next in Line," a bit more conventionally catchy than what the Queens of the Stone Age usually do, but still with the flavor of their work. After that is an eerie cover of Subhumanz's "Wake Up Screaming," and a buzzing, heavy version of the Cramps' "Most Exalted Potentate of Love."

But Queens of the Stone Age don't neglect their own material either. An unusual remix of "No One Knows" is included, very synthy and gothic. There are also two unused songs: "Born to Hula," a percussion-heavy rocker with lots of bass and cymbals, and the slowly built-up, distorted "The Bronze."

Usually compilations of B-sides, covers and remixes -- especially if they include all three -- are a mixed bag. But surprisingly, Queens of the Stone Age keep their EP solid and smooth. It feels like a bunch of puzzle pieces that click smoothly together, yet don't sound monotonous.

The instrumentation is still in fine form in "Complications" -- in true rock tradition, these guys mix heavy guitar riffs with grinding bass and some fast-as-lightning percussion. And there's a hint of dark, watery synth at the start of the "No One Knows" Unkle Remix, which gives a surreal edge to a song which wasn't surreal to start with.

The vocals are equally good -- Josh Homme, of Kyuss and the Desert Sessions, has a strong, slightly sweet voice. It's a little annoying when he launches into frantic howls at the end of "Wake Up Screaming," but he keeps himself restrained in the other songs. When he sings "Who'll be the next in line?/... Who'll make the same mistakes I made over you?", he even sounds stern, like someone delivering a lecture.

Queens of the Stone Age deliver a solid EP of their rarities, remixes and B-sides in "Stone Age Complications." It's not the best introduction to the band, but definitely a must-have for fans.

I can only give this, the compilation of various Q.O.T.S.A songs from the split e.p's and b-sides, a four as it seems like a bit of a wasted oppurtunity since it's only 6 songs long and missing crucial ones.

The cover versions here, "who'll be next in line" by The Kinks, "wake up screaming" by Sub Hum Anz and "thee most exhalted potentate of love" are all superb and are all as good as the original songs (finally : someone has actually covered a classic song from those masters of cover versions, The Cramps, that doesn't suck and isn't an embarrasment to the original), "the bronze" is simply one of the best Q.O.T.S.A songs to date and "born 2 hula" also rocks but the remix of "no one ones" is dreadful and pointless. How Josh Homme included that but neglected rare Q.O.T.S.A classics like "spiders and vingeroos" from the split with Kyuss, "these aren't the droids you're looking for" from the split with Beaver and b-sides like "you're so vague" and "never say never" i don't know.

If you haven't got these songs then it's a must-have for "the bronze" and the 3 fantastic cover versions but i'd pay the extra to get the original ep's, personally, to get all their songs.

These songs go back as far as 1998, and any big fan will have them on singles already, but for someone new this is a great way to see what the queens record when they aren't making an album. They pick great covers, and these are two of the strongest Queens originals out there, especially the Born to Hula re-recording. It's probably the best "Rated R"-era song in my opinion. The remix of No One Knows, though? Eh.

Worth listening to for sure.

This is one of the records that left you a mystery about what may happen with the Queens of the Stone Age. I tell you, QOTSA is one of the most fascinating bands around, and when they came out with this album, I did get worried, but I also was excited for a new release, covers, rarities and all.

The album kicks off with Nick Oliveri covering The Kinks "Who'll Be The Next In Line", perfeclty matching their surf0rock blend in rock music. Most of the people here would say this song was picked as a shot at Mick, but for me, it was just a good cover of a good UK band. Next Song is Nick's cover of "Wake Up Screaming" which sounds like a good punk cover with a wonderful horror velour implication. The beginning almost bored me completely, wondering when is he going to just get out of dreamland and get to that nightmare already, until you remember that nightmares don't start out as nightmares. Excellent cover. With "Most Exalted Potentate of Love", this cover was my absolute favorite song ever on the album. Not just because of the retro B-Movie velour, but it makes you believe how a man most feared can be known as such a sexy Frankenstein. My favorite line in the song is "I'll teach you how to read the book of life/You can just look at the pictures, if you like." I'm kind of dissapointed "Everybody's Going To Be Happy" (Kinks cover) wasn't there.

Remixes: No One Knows (UNKLE Remix): I wouldn't really listen to this song as much. But the touch that UNKLE put on this doesn't make it as completely cryptic and forceful as they added for Josh Homme's appearance in "Safe In Mind" on Never Never Land.

Rarities: "Born To Hula", I remembered that this song wasn't realy a rarity. It was on their EP with Beaver (right?) Nonetheless, listening to this song makes me want to go buy the EP. The title did leave a bit of irony, though. Knowing Josh, you may think this song would have a Hawaiian feel and not be so driven and rugged as it sounds. Now I admit it wasn't easy trying to get into the rarity for First It Giveth, "The Bronze". I thought it was kind of...blah on the first listen, especially the beginning. But the song is good but not completely good to listen to. Now if only we can convince Queens to throw on "Infinity" and "Ode To Clarissa". THat made me want to go to Lullaies and find out what actual bonus song is on there.

There you have it. My mystery well spent was filled with a CD of Hope and mystery for the band called Stone Age Complications. This CD may also be your favorite or the last Queens album, if you didn't like the album that Josh Homme created in Lullabies to Paralyze. The album gets a 8.5/10