Jump (or be forced) directly into the three-plus hour DVD on this a/v split release for footage of Josh Homme and band on the stage in London during the hottest months of 2005. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes shots of the ever revolving group. Foo Fighter Dave Grohl pops up. ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons pulls a cameo. It's all here. Key performances include "No One Knows," "Little Sister," "Burn The Witch," plus smoking versions of "Fun Machine" and "I Wanna Make It Wit Chu" (from Desert Sessions Vol. 9 & 10). The audio-only disc provides listeners with 75 minutes of pure QotSA including a powerhouse reading of "I Think I Lost My Headache" and an appropriately ragged "Long Slow Goodbye." This often strange picture is a fine fitting snapshot.
You can think of this feature-length concert DVD/live album, which features all the crucial Queens hits from their studio albums, as a "to go" version of their decibel-happy shows, but that really won't be doing the three and a half hours of live, rare, and acoustic performances and behind-the-scenes footage of the band and their pals like Dave Grohl, Mark Lanegan, Billy Gibbons, and former Queens bassist Nick Olivieri making fools of themselves, justice.
It might help to think of Over the Years as a 21st-century version of Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same for the volume of its material, or even A Hard Day's Night for its willingness to show the Queens having a laugh, but they'd rather you see and hear it for what it really is--the definitive encapsulation of the band and their music from their not-so-humble beginnings to their current status as one of the rock's biggest and most dynamic acts.
Included in the concert footage from the band's sold-out Brixton Academy and Koko shows in London last summer are live favorites from Rated R and Songs for the Deaf such as "No One Knows," "Feel Good Hit of the Summer," and "Go with the Flow," as well as new Queens classics from their latest album Lullabies to Paralyze like the smash single "Little Sister" and their most recent bombshell, "Burn the Witch." In addition to the three-plus hours of live and uncut Queens mayhem, Over the Years also boasts 75 minutes of audio bliss that covers all the bases Queens fans need to get the rush of their favorite songs performed live and loud shot directly into their homes.
Also included are the brand-new track "Fun Machine" as well as "Make It Wit Chu," a previously unreleased gem from singer Josh Homme's fabled Desert Sessions, an ongoing series of collaborative songwriting and recording sessions where marquee musicians such as PJ Harvey and Deen Ween are invited down to his studio Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, to join him in collectively exploring new musical terrain.
