Queens of the Stone Age

It's almost a good thing that the debut album from former Kyuss guitarist Josh Homme was allowed to go out-of-print. Originally released on Stone Gossard's Loosegroove Records in 1998, the remastered Queens of the Stone Age allows this often-misunderstood rock band to be re-evaluated in retrospect. Songs like "Regular John," "If Only" and "Mexicola" act as primers for the more melodic, charming material found on Rated R and Songs for the Deaf. It's fascinating to look at how confident, forward-thinking and downright ballsy Homme came off on Queens of the Stone Age, especially when "You Would Know," "You Can't Quit Me Baby" and "I Was a Teenage Hand Model" are placed next to some of the feeble material the band have released lately. The addition of three bonus tracks makes Queens of the Stone Age sound just that much more pleasant, and that's coming from a band that would beat your ass for calling them "pleasant."