Queens Of The Stone Age
Over The Years and Through The Woods Live

Queens Of The Stone Age – Over The Years And Through The Woods. Have you never been to a Queens Of The Stone Age concert? Are you discovering their world for the first time? Here is a delicious summary of previous episodes in the form of a strictly live double audio/video support, tracing the musical exploits of Josh Homme and company through an insightful video collection of their concerts, from the beginning to the present day, and a fiery audio support recorded during the two-day London summer event at the Brixton Academy (...and the mind recalls the other memorable Faith No More live...) on August 22nd, and at Camden's Koko the following day. But let's proceed in order and focus first on the Live CD, comprehensive and well-recorded.

The line-up includes the beloved and strangely talkative Josh on vocals and guitar, inspired and playful as I have never encountered at a concert, the super muscular and heavily tattooed Joey Castillo, impeccable and sweaty behind his drum set, the controversial and always suit-and-tie dressed Troy Van Leeuwen, on guitar and bass, undeniably skilled but a bit cloying in appearance (at least that's my personal opinion) and two new entries Alain Johannes on bass and guitar and a gentle lady named Natasha Shneider on keyboards. The concert repertoire unfolds and alternates group classics, like the inimitable "Regular John" and "Mexicola" so powerful in their Teutonic wall of sound that dazes and brings to mind the magnificent Kyuss, with tracks from their latest album like "Long Say Goodbye" or "Tangled Up In Plaid" where Josh Homme's falsetto vocals at times resemble those of a muezzin, to successful singles of more recent production, like "Little Sister", "Go With The Flow" and "No One Knows" expanded and embellished with a central instrumental part (...and the memories here go to the Mad Season of River of Deceit...) in which appears a sick blues solo where Josh's guitar rises among the general silence of the audience to create a magical moment. These tracks, while winking at the record market, maintain their original imprinting (as if it were a trademark) that will hardly disappear, always keeping a certain distance from the Star System, putting a foot here and there, but always sparingly and with a strong dose of self-irony, not taking themselves too seriously, but playing at being stars. Long live Queens Of The Stone Age.

The video document is comprehensive (over three hours of video!!) and features Live recordings from the two aforementioned concerts. The Queens appear in great shape for the DVD (film-document) footage and Josh dressed in black wears improbable pointed white leather shoes like Troy Van Leeuwen; very Rock-oriented shoes that would have made Elvis Presley envious. The quality of the images and sound is almost always good, except for some parts recorded at Koko that appear unclear, and is enriched by snippets of backstage, interviews, evocative images and whatever else would like to know those who have never seen the group live. Having enjoyed them live four times, from the early days at Cascina Monluè on the outskirts of Milan (we were maybe two hundred... and the Homme-Olivieri couple wandered almost undisturbed and very chatty before the concert, under a nearly empty stage with a cigarette dangling between their lips, a black wool cap on their head and a Corona in hand...), passing through the Bloom at Mezzago, up to the presentation of their latest album in Milan at Transilvania in an exciting Show Case for a few lucky ones, I must say the footage gives a good idea of what a Queens Of The Stone Age concert is: Rock-Energy-Sweat and lots of improvisation with fiery instrumental jams in Desert Session style, "sick" tracks stretched beyond measure and Josh Homme's falsetto moanings and his sensually mistreated guitar binding it all together, combining the typical sounds of Stoner Rock (Desert Rock if you prefer or as I like to call it: Robotic Desert Rock or whatever!!) with those of classic sick and dirty Blues with a typical Rock & Roll attitude and demeanor.
Included in the DVD, extra videos and curiosities taken from other concerts, chronologically divided by album starting from the early gigs in Palm Springs or thereabouts up to the present day. The Queens have grown but don’t forget their origins.