The Sessions began in August 1997 at a place called Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California, when Homme brought together musicians from the bands Monster Magnet, Goatsnake, earthlings?, Kyuss (his own band) and Soundgarden. The ranch is an old house filled to the brim with rare and unique recording equipment and instruments and is owned by Dave Catching and the late Fred Drake. Songs are written on the spot in matters of hours usually, and no place in the home is safe from the music. Legend after myth after story has grown around the Sessions, and most of them are most likely quite true. For example, the song "Creosote" from Volumes 9 & 10 was written by Dean Ween and Alain Johannes on the ranch's front porch immediately after meeting each other in four minutes. The first "session" was not actually a Desert Session per se, but Homme and his band at the time (The Acquitted Felons) playing for three days straight under the non-stop influence of mushrooms. Since then the ranch has grown legendary and the Sessions have only grown in intensity and artistic merit.
The Desert Sessions Volumes
1997 - The Desert Sessions Volume 1 and 2:
Vol. I: Instrumental Driving Music for Felons
Vol. II: Status: Ships Commander Butchered
1998 - The Desert Sessions Volume 3 and 4:
Vol. III: Set Co-Ordinates for the White Dwarf
Vol. IV: Hard Walls and Little Trips
1999 - The Desert Sessions Volume 5 and 6:
Vol. V: Poetry For The Masses (Sea Shed Shit Head By The She Sore)
Vol. VI: Poetry For The Masses (Black Anvil Ego)
2001 - The Desert Sessions Volume 7 and 8:
Vol. VII: Gypsy Marches
Vol. VIII: Can You See Under My Thumb?... There You Are
2003 - The Desert Sessions Volume 9 and 10:
Vol. IX: I See You Hearin' Me
Vol. X: I Heart Disco
Though not updated for a long time, the official website is located at http://www.desertsessions.com.
Cover Songs
The Desert Sessions have provided the Queens of the Stone Age with ample cover material, with songs being culled from all but the first two volumes.
From Volumes 3 & 4
Avon appears as Avon on Queens of the Stone Age. Avon, performed by Josh Homme, is the 'sister song' of the track Nova, which has different lyrics and is performed by Peter Stahl. Monster In The Parasol appears as Monsters In The Parasol on the critically acclaimed Rated R. Eccentric Man is a cover of The Groundhogs' 1960s Eccentric Man.
From Volumes 5 & 6
You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire appears on Songs for the Deaf as You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire with Nick Oliveri singing in place of Mario Lalli. Rickshaw is often performed by QOTSA live, and was played by QOTSA and Friends during the Natasha Shneider Benefit Show on August 16, 2008 in Los Angeles.
From Volumes 7 & 8
Hanging Tree appears as Hangin' Tree on Songs for the Deaf.
From Volumes 9 & 10
In My Head...Or Something appears on Lullabies to Paralyze as In My Head, and I Wanna Make It wit Chu finds double duty as Make It wit Chu on Era Vulgaris.
Ending
The Desert Sessions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Desert Sessions' song "Ending" seems to revolve around the idea of concluding a performance or possibly ending something important to the singer. The lyrics "Thank you Ladies and gentlemen" and "Thank you, Wayachi Ah, Seattle" suggest that the singer is thanking a live audience, perhaps at the end of a concert or show. The phrase "Desert Sessions" at the end of the second line could be a reference to the band itself or possibly the name of the concert or event.
The repetition of "Thank you, Seattle" and "Thank you Ladies and gentlemen" shows gratitude for the support and enthusiasm of the audience. The line "I feel the same I feel the pain" could be interpreted in different ways. It could suggest that the singer and the audience share a common experience or emotion, or that the singer is empathizing with the audience's feelings of disappointment that the show has come to an end. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of appreciation and shared experience between the performer and their audience.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah Thank you Ladies and gentlemen
Expression of gratitude to the audience.
Yeah, thank you Thank you, Wayachi
Acknowledgment of the band members.
Ah, Seattle Thank you, Seattle
Expression of gratitude to the city of Seattle.
Yeah Desert Sessions Yeah, yeah, yeah
Acknowledgment of the band's name.
Thank you Goodnight Thank you Goodnight
Final expression of gratitude and farewell to the audience.
I feel the same
Acknowledging that the performer and audience share a common experience and emotions.
I feel the pain
Acknowledging that the performer and audience have experienced some kind of emotional pain during the performance.
Contributed by Charlie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chrisunpluggedable
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