The first album Josh Homme ever bought
There are a lot of people out there who criticise modern rock music. They listen to riffs put out today and roll their eyes, dreaming of the days when Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple flooded the airwaves. However, the riff is alive and well; it comes in a different shape and size, but good guitar music is all around us if you look hard enough. Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age are perfect examples of that.
People can’t continue making the same music that was being made when the guitar was the champion of sound. People like Led Zeppelin became mainstream, and many copycats followed in their wake until taste developed and ideologies changed. We look back on Led Zeppelin with grander, but music has to evolve to keep it fresh and exciting.
Queens of the Stone Age champion the riff but in a different way. It’s no longer standalone but built into the song’s foundation. It is as if the piece is the universe, and the riff is the big bang, which everything expands from. It means that guitar music is alive and well, as is seen in their massive fanbase. Not only that, but it is alive and well in an individual way to those who came before, meaning the music we listen to continues to be fresh.
One thing that remains consistent throughout all guitar music of any decade, though, is energy. There has to be an infectious energy that lingers behind guitar music; without it, people wouldn’t have something to nod and dance to when they put the songs on. It’s what opens up mosh pits and ensures headbanging ensues at every rock show on the planet. Queens of the Stone Age have it, and when you listen to the first records Josh Homme was buying, it’s hardly a surprise.
Those early albums have such a massive impact on the kind of music people wind up making, so it’s not a surprise that when Josh Homme bought his first album, which turned out to be a punk-rock compilation, he went down a similar route. “It was Eastern Front, a live punk-rock compilation recorded in San Francisco,” he said. The record featured “Battalion of Saints, Channel 3, the Lewd, Chron-Gen. I bought it purely for the cover. People say don’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s what people with a shitty cover say.”
After devouring Eastern Front, the stage was set for Homme, who continued buying punk rock albums and immersing himself further into guitar music. He said, “The next three were the Cramps’… Off the Bone, Misfits’ Legacy of Brutality, and the Stooges’ Raw Power. When it’s time for you to revolt and buy real music, no matter what you end up buying, you’re kind of looking to go wild.”
Homme did go wild, not only in what he bought but also in what he eventually made. He would develop a massive taste in guitar music and make it with a unique twist. It has led to the development of the rock scene and means that energy-infused punk music is alive and kicking.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Punk Newsletter
All the latest Punk content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.