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Lullabies to Paralyze (2005)

Where the lyrics of Lullabies to Paralyze take you, and where it was really made.

This is the first Queens of the Stone Age album made after bassist Nick Oliveri was fired, and it is also the last to feature Mark Lanegan as an official member.

Key places

Recording site: Sound City Studios, Van Nuys (2005)

Recording site Sound City Studios — The album was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. The source does not give a session date for this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Lullabies to Paralyze: fourth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age
• Released March 22, 2005
• Debuted at number five on the Billboard 200
• First album released after bassist Nick Oliveri was fired
• Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan are the only members who also played on the previous album, Songs for the Deaf
• Last Queens of the Stone Age album with Lanegan as an official member
• First album with drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen

Background

• Title meant to bridge this album with Songs for the Deaf, taken from a line in "Mosquito Song", the hidden final track of that album
• Release delayed during 2004 because of line-up changes
• Oliveri fired; on-off vocalist Mark Lanegan toured with his own band
• Rumours that Lanegan had left the band; Homme later said these were never true
• Homme let the rumours circulate, giving the press something to focus on other than the band
• Deluxe limited edition added a bonus track and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage
• Videos made for singles Little Sister, In My Head and Burn the Witch, plus Someone's in the Wolf

Recording

• Recorded at Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California
• Mixed at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, California
• Mastered for Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood
• Lanegan still sings on several songs and contributed lyrics
• Guest musicians include Billy Gibbons, Shirley Manson, Brody Dalle, Chris Goss and Jesse Hughes

Cover

• Cover photography credited to Nigel Copp
• The first LP pressing by AntAcidAudio used a different cover from the CD
• The 2011 Music On Vinyl reissue used the CD cover art

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1996 by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme.
• The band was founded shortly after the dissolution of Homme's previous band Kyuss.
• Its self-titled debut album was released in 1998.

Members

• Josh Homme is the only constant member through multiple line-up changes.
• The line-up since 2013 consists of Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore.
• Former members include Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, Joey Castillo, and Natasha Shneider.

Career

• Rated R (2000) was the band's major label debut with Interscope Records and was critically and commercially successful.
• Songs for the Deaf (2002) featured Dave Grohl on drums and was certified gold in 2003.
• ...Like Clockwork (2013) became the band's first album to top the Billboard 200 chart.
• The band has been nominated for 9 Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average 78 out of 100 based on 31 professional reviews
• Reviews were generally positive but slightly lower than the predecessor
• Kevin Forest Moreau: 3rd best album of 2005
• Billboard magazine: 7th best album
• Magnet magazine: 9th best album
• Filter magazine: 10th best album of 2005

Reappraisal

• JustPressPlay: number 31 on its Top 100 Albums of the 2000s list
• JustPressPlay: Tangled Up in Plaid named the 19th best song of the decade

Records

• Debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold 97,000 copies in America in its first week
• Over 342,000 copies sold in America as of March 2007, according to Nielsen Soundscan
• Band's first album to reach the top ten on the US Billboard 200
• Peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart
• Certified gold in the UK on April 15, 2005, with sales exceeding 100,000 copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title was taken from a line in the hidden final track of Songs for the Deaf, linking the two albums.
• The hidden outro of Mosquito Song later became the main riff of Running Joke, a b-side on Era Vulgaris.
• The final track of the album, The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died, was listed as lost; the band believed its tapes were lost or stolen.
• Homme said the tapes had been at another studio all along, and the band had falsely accused everyone of theft.
• The song was later rerecorded as a single and included as a bonus track on Era Vulgaris.
• The video for Someone's in the Wolf appears on the bonus DVD of this album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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