Track Listing

1. Lullaby
2. Medication
3. Everybody Knows That You're Insane
4. Tangled Up In Plaid
5. Burn The Witch
6. In My Head
7. Little Sister
8. I Never Came
9. Someones In The Wolf
10. The Blood Is Love
11. Skin On Skin
12. Broken Box
13. You Got A Killer Scene
14. Long Slow Goodbye
15. Like A Drug
16. Precious and Grace

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1872 in Music
• Released on: 2005-03-21
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Explicit Lyrics, Extra tracks
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 66 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Lullabies to Paralyze is the first Queens of the Stone Age album released since the rather messy departure of co-conspirator Nick Oliveri, but this by no means sounds like a Josh Homme solo project. Granted, opening track "Lullaby" is a mellow ballad, but as it's sung by Mark Lanegan, it can hardly count as Homme's flirtation with self-indulgence. And besides, once "Medication" kicks in with the tell-tale chugga-chugga guitars that have marked every previous QOTSA release, it'd be impossible to mistake this album for anyone else. The loss of Oliveri is almost compensated for by the appearance of some top-flight guests: from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top (on the appropriately bluesy "Burn the Witch" and on the penultimate track) to Garbage's Shirley Manson and The Distillers' Brody Dalle. Best of all, though, is the accelerating riff of "Someone's in the Wolf", which is one of the most air-guitar-worthy songs of recent years. On the whole, Lullabies to Paralyze is never as good as Rated R or Songs for the Deaf, but few modern rock albums are. If the Queens of the Stone Age have one fault, it's that they've set their own standards too high. --Robert Burrow

Album Description
Josh Homme resurrects his Queens of the Stone Age project to powerful effect, following the departure of childhood friend and bassist Nick Oliveri. Lullabies to Paralyze, proves that Homme can continually mastermind freshly engaging and haunting rock-outs. The album includes the rock monster that is lead single, "Little Sister". The new record, the follow-up to 2002's "Songs for the Deaf", features guest appearances from Garbage's Shirley Manson, The Distillers' Brody Dalle, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Ween's Dean Ween.

CD Description
'Lullabies To Paralyze' is the third album from Queens Of The Stone Age and the first to solely feature Josh Homme on songwriting duties after fellow Queens members Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan left the band in 2004. The album sees Homme bring together the band's pop driven rock sound with their psychedelic stoner rock roots. The single 'Little Sister' is also included.

Customer Reviews

Just Fabulous
The rush of lengthy reviews for this album are a little tiresome, as is the ridiculous snobery of the reviewer who assumes that a fellow reviewer hasn't listened to QOTSA albums before 'Songs for the Deaf'simply because he alludes to the absence of Dave Grohl- get over yourself man!! The politics aside, this album is a joy. Guitar heaven from start to finish; highlights are the lush 'I never came' which does not 'drag on' as stated by a previous reviewer, but highlights the versatility of Nick's voice, and in placing this track straight after the excellent lead single 'Little Sister' ensures maximum impact. Other high points include CD opener 'This Lullaby' and the fantastic 'Broken Box'. As a whole, the album flows beautifully, yet is more experimental than 'Rated R' and 'SFTD'. Personally speaking I would say 'Lullabies To Paralyze' is the most complete QOTSA album. Bring on Carling Leeds 2005....

Life after Nick.....
Initial signs for this album weren't promising. The sudden departure of Nick Olivieri marked the departure of the only constant member of Josh Homme's ever-changing QOTSA line-up, and Olivieri seemed as essential to the band as Homme himself. Things could've gone so easily awry for album number 4.
However Josh Homme's track record with other projects (notably Desert Sessions) should've been enough to confirm that he is more than capable of going it alone. Lullabies to Paralyze is a testament to this.
Impressively, the first two songs are knocked off within little more than 3 minutes. The gentle acoustics and tortured-larynx Mark Lanegan vocals of This Lullaby give way to the chugging, razor-sharp Medication, which sounds like a two-minute statement of intent.
The following track is arguably the album's highlight. Everybody Knows That You're Insane starts up as a wailing rock dirge, before a neat shift in tempo takes you into the simple and insanely catchy chorus. Tangled Up In Plaid and Burn The Witch are also superb, both stomp-along anthems of the highest order, before the album's most accessible poppy moment, In Your Head (which also appeared in the Desert Sessions).
Little Sister is fine, if somewhat underwhelming as a lead-off single, whilst I Never Came portrays a subtlety previously unregistered in QOTSA's past works. But it's the next two tracks, Someone's In The Wolf and The Blood Is Love that provide the album's backbone. Both lengthy, brooding, power-chord heavy anthems, they sit perfectly alongside one another. Both recall QOTSA's ability to find a great riff, and then completely bludgeon you with it.
The next three tracks show a dramatic shift in mood, and are amongst the sleaziest things QOTSA have done. The fuzzed out Skin On Skin is a lust fuelled romp, "I hate to see you leave, but I like to watch you go" being one of its more subtle lyrics. Broken Box is like Skin On Skin's angry hangover, whilst You Got A Killer Scene slows things down, but is no less sexy.
That leaves Long Slow Goodbye to tie things up. It's a fitting end, beautiful, but forlorn, and complete with trumpet dirge. Oh, and as ever, the bonus tracks are worthwhile additions as well, Like A Drug portraying Homme's songwriting range in the same way The Mosquito Song did on Songs For The Deaf.
To say that Olivieri isn't missed from proceedings would be a little naïve. Ultimately the album lacks a moment as unhinged as, say, Millionaire. But without Nick, Josh Homme has been able to seize the reins fully, and as a result this is QOTSA's most diverse work to date. To say it's better or worse than anything else they've done is like comparing coffee with tea: it's purely a matter of taste. But whether you regard QOTSA as a band or a Josh Homme side-project, the QOTSA name remains a stamp of quality.

Key moments: Everybody Knows That You're Insane, Tangled Up In Plaid, Someone's In The Wolf, Long Slow Goodbye

Rock's 1st seminal album of the 21st century
Rarely, does an album achieve a totality, in which that it threatens to gatecrash true 'classic' album status. 'Lullabies to Paralyze' is such a work.

Those familiar with previous albums such as Rated R, and Songs for the Deaf, may be concerned that with the departure (sacking) of founder member Nick Oliveri, that some of the Queens anarchic magic may be lost.

This, sure as hell, is Josh Homme's band now. Oliveri thrash metal gems such as 'Tension Head' are no longer on the menu.
Sentimentality for Oliveri aside, this shift in direction displays far more control, discipline and ingenuity, than in any previous work.

Make no mistake however, this is a hard edged, dark, rocker of a Queens album.

Where 'Lullabies' departs from previous releases, is in their brand of west coast psychedelic rock (which has always ran parallel to their hard metal aspirations); has been developed and integrated to a better and more consistant effect.

'Lullabies' flows effortlessly from track to track in the way which all 'classic' albums should. It is simply a first track to last journey; there is nowhere to skip a track here or there. Each track is so well constructed and positioned to its neighbours, that it is impossible to offer anything in the way of stand out tracks. It is all superb!!

If anything, this cd can be defined by its 2 'bonus tracks' (usually the ones not as good as the duffers on lesser bodies of work). Either could easily be 'stand out' tracks elsewhere.
Indeed the bonus tracks provide the best insight into the balance between blues rock and psychedelia to which this album so skillfully straddles.

I'll leave it other reviewers to catalogue 'Lullabies' on a track by track basis. Me, I'm off for a wholely unneccessary drive in my car for the next hour and a bit.

A masterpiece!!