Eagles of Death Metal Get Sexy

Three years ago, Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes was, by his description, "a married, 210-pound working stiff." That was before he teamed with childhood friend (and Queens of the Stone Age frontman) Josh Homme for 2004's blues-rock romp, Peace Love Death Metal. Due in January, the follow-up, Death by Sexy, salutes all the things Hughes loves: ladies, partying hard and Poison.

Homme first met Hughes in high school, playing on the same local soccer team in their hometown of Palm Desert, California. The Eagles formed years later, when Homme convinced Hughes, then a recently divorced journalist, to start rocking out. Hughes, assuming guitar duty while Homme (who goes by the alias Carlo Von Sexron in the Eagles outfit) took over drumming duties.

The first Eagles tracks surfaced on the Homme's Desert Sessions Vol. 3-4 side project in 1998. The pair -- along with additional guitarist Tim VanHamel, from Belgian rock outfit Millionaire -- released their classic-rock-tinged debut album, Peace, Love, Death & Metal, in March 2004.

Their sophomore album was recorded over eight days in Los Angeles. Included on the thirteen tracks are "Shasta Beast," which Hughes says is about "going out with a girl with a curfew," and the swamp-rock Stones send-up "Move in the Night."

But among the record's highlights are in-between-song sound bites from an "artistic discussion" Hughes had with a young female fan late one night in the studio. Says Hughes, "At one point you can actually hear my mustache."

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Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

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