...Like Cologne
...Like Cologne is a live extended play (EP) by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, consisting of three acoustic performances recorded during an intimate concert at the Kulturkirche venue in Cologne, Germany, on September 4, 2013.[1] Released exclusively on the streaming platform Spotify on November 22, 2013, the EP serves as a promotional release tied to the band's sixth studio album, ...Like Clockwork.[2][3] The title plays on the album's name, referencing the recording location in the German city of Cologne.[3] The EP includes acoustic versions of "Long Slow Goodbye" from Lullabies to Paralyze (2005), and "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" and "I Sat by the Ocean" from ...Like Clockwork, selected from an 11-song set performed by the band in a stripped-down arrangement.[3][4] These recordings highlight the band's versatility in an unplugged format, showcasing Josh Homme's vocals and guitar work alongside contributions from band members including Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, and Dean Fertita.[5] The release was part of a broader promotional campaign for ...Like Clockwork, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 upon its June 2013 issuance, and remains available only through digital streaming without a physical edition.[6][2]Background
Context within discography
...Like Clockwork, the sixth studio album by Queens of the Stone Age, was released on June 3, 2013.[7] The album marked frontman Josh Homme's return to music following severe complications from knee surgery in 2010, which left him bedridden for months and nearly fatal.[8] It featured notable guest appearances, including Elton John on piano for "Fairweather Friends," Dave Grohl on drums for several tracks, and Alex Turner providing backing vocals on "I Appear Missing."[7] The EP ...Like Cologne served as a promotional extension during the band's extensive ...Like Clockwork world tour, which began in May 2013 and continued through 2014.[9] It includes acoustic renditions of two tracks from ...Like Clockwork—"The Vampyre of Time and Memory" and "I Sat by the Ocean"—alongside a reworking of "Long Slow Goodbye," originally from the 2005 album Lullabies to Paralyze.[3] These selections highlighted the band's ability to adapt their material to an intimate acoustic format while promoting the new record.[3] By 2013, Queens of the Stone Age had achieved relative lineup stability with its core members: Josh Homme on vocals and guitar, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, Michael Shuman on bass, and Dean Fertita on keyboards.[9] This configuration followed earlier departures, such as bassist Nick Oliveri in 2004 and the non-permanent exit of drummer Dave Grohl after his contributions to the 2000 album Rated R.[9] The acoustic versions on ...Like Cologne were captured during a special concert at the Kulturkirche in Cologne, Germany, on September 4, 2013.[3]The Kulturkirche performance
The Kulturkirche performance occurred on September 4, 2013, at the Kulturkirche, a neo-Gothic former church built in 1889 and repurposed as an intimate concert venue in Cologne's Nippes district, Germany.[10][11] With a capacity of approximately 250, the event drew a limited in-person audience, fostering a close-knit, reverent setting amid the venue's exceptional acoustics and sacred ambiance.[12] This special acoustic concert formed part of the European leg of Queens of the Stone Age's ...Like Clockwork World Tour, diverging markedly from the band's standard high-volume, electrified rock spectacles by emphasizing stripped-down arrangements and subtle instrumentation.[3] The set comprised 10 songs delivered in acoustic format, including tracks from the contemporaneous album ...Like Clockwork alongside earlier catalog material, with the performance captured live to serve as the foundation for the ensuing EP release.[13] Three selections from this intimate gig—"Long Slow Goodbye," "The Vampyre of Time and Memory," and "I Sat by the Ocean"—were later compiled for ...Like Cologne, highlighting the event's role in extending the tour's promotional reach through a more vulnerable, unamplified presentation.[14] The Kulturkirche show not only showcased the band's versatility in a non-traditional space but also solidified the venue's reputation as a premier site for unique musical experiences in Germany.[10]Recording and production
Acoustic setup and recording
The acoustic setup for the ...Like Cologne performance featured acoustic guitars and church organ with minimal amplification, capitalizing on the Kulturkirche's natural reverb to create an intimate soundscape, while forgoing drums to heighten the emotional closeness of the arrangements.[13] The historic church venue in Cologne, Germany, provided a resonant acoustic environment that enhanced the stripped-down format without artificial effects.[10] Recording occurred on-site during the live set on September 4, 2013, captured via multi-track audio by German public broadcaster 1LIVE (part of WDR) for a live radio broadcast and to document the performance in real time.[3][15] Post-production involved only basic mixing to retain the raw, unpolished energy of the event, avoiding extensive overdubs to maintain authenticity.[3] Capturing sound in the Kulturkirche's expansive, echoic space posed challenges, particularly in achieving balance between vocals and instruments amid the venue's inherent reverberation, requiring careful microphone placement and real-time adjustments during the intimate gig for approximately 300 attendees.[10][16]Track selection process
The curation of tracks for the "...Like Cologne" EP involved selecting three performances from the full acoustic set at the Kulturkirche in Cologne on September 4, 2013, to create a focused promotional release tied to the band's ongoing tour for the album ...Like Clockwork.[17] The chosen tracks—"Long Slow Goodbye" from the 2002 album Songs for the Deaf, and "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" and "I Sat by the Ocean" from the 2013 album ...Like Clockwork—represented a blend of the band's catalog, with "I Sat by the Ocean" serving as a key single from the recent record to emphasize current material. The decision to limit the EP to these three tracks was driven by the goal of a concise digital release optimized for Spotify, allowing for quick accessibility and streaming promotion without overwhelming listeners, while prioritizing acoustic renditions that highlighted the intimate vocal and guitar dynamics of the church performance.[18] Post-concert, the audio was edited to select takes with the cleanest execution and minimal performance errors, ensuring high quality for this exclusive tie-in to the European tour dates.[19]Musical content
Track listing
The EP features three acoustic live tracks recorded at the Kulturkirche in Cologne, Germany, on September 4, 2013.[3]| No. | Title | Length | Originally from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Slow Goodbye" | 5:39 | Lullabies to Paralyze (2005) |
| 2. | "Vampyre of Time and Memory" | 3:50 | ...Like Clockwork (2013) |
| 3. | "I Sat by the Ocean" | 4:35 | ...Like Clockwork (2013) |