Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R

It was inevitable that Queens of the Stone Age were going to be one of my first reviews since i'm on a bit of a binge at the moment. There's something about the ever changing line up of repetitive robot rockers that appeals to me. Maybe it's the fact rock music nowadays has lost its bollocks and QOTSA seem one of the few bands that you can rely on to go out, write some brilliant songs and start a ruckus at the same time. They embody the spirit of all the best rockers from the 70's and splice it with a hefty amount of 21st century realism.

Rated R was Queens of the Stone Age's sophomore effort and after their brilliant self titled debut which seemingly passed the record buying public buy you'd have expect them to try something different but no, they stuck to their guns and aren't we glad they did! Rated R starts off with a song dedicated to a decidedly dodgy subject; Feel Good Hit of the Summer apparently lists all the drugs consumed by Josh Homme during his three day Millenium bash. The songs pumping bass line makes it instantly recognisable and instantly catchy and would have even the most staunch anti-drugs protester singing along to the jittery chorus of "C-c-c-c-cocaine".

Monsters in the Parasol is a journey into the weird and the wonderful mind of lead songwriter and the solitary permanent member of the band, Josh Homme who bemoans seeing things he wishes he hadn't with an unhealthy amount of hair while on LSD. Lyrically, the song manages to tread the line between stupidity and genius at the same time and when you think about the subject matter and the calmness of how the vocals are delivered it can't help but make you smile. It's a fun song, by a fun band but with just enough edge on it to ward of the more mainstream of music fans.

The real stand out song on the album is ex-Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan's debut as member of QOTSA. In The Fade is a brilliant mix of sadness and ambivalence that makes you want to shed a tear in a quiet corner and stand up and howl along to the lyrics at the top of your voice at the same time. Confusing? Yes. Brilliant, vintage Queens of the Stone Age? Most definitely. Nothing on the album can top Lanegan's bluesy voice painfully delivering the chorus.

As we now know, fame and fortune beckoned for the Queens and they went on to release some anthemic hits that captured the imagination of every rock music fan, young and old. This is where it started though and this is where every curious fan should start their collection. Yes, it's fine to dive head first into No One Knows and Go With the Flow but if you want to see how this band progressed and how scandalous it was that they could churn out belters that went over the head of the majority of the public, then buy this.