Editing Songs for the Deaf (section)

== Production ==
Several songs on the album are reworked versions of tracks previously recorded and released in [[the Desert Sessions]], a side project of Homme with various guest collaborators. "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" was the opening track of ''[[Volume 5: Poetry for the Masses (Sea Shed Shit Head by the She Sore)]]'', with vocals originally performed by [[Fatso Jetson|Mario Lalli]] instead of Oliveri. "Hangin' Tree" first appeared on ''[[Volume 7: Gypsy Marches]]''.<ref name="Ipecac">{{cite web|title=Ipecac Recordings: Desert Sessions|url=http://www.ipecac.com/bio.php?id=23|access-date=June 19, 2007|publisher=Ipecac Recordings}}</ref> "Song for the Deaf" and "Go with the Flow" were previously performed as early as 2001 with the former having very different lyrics and vocals completely by [[Mark Lanegan]].<ref>{{cite web|year=2001|title=Queens perform "Song for the Deaf" at the Bizarre Festival.|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBk49JXDQHE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/uBk49JXDQHE| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=June 20, 2007|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The main riff for "No One Knows" comes from the Desert Sessions track "Cold Sore Superstars".<ref>{{Cite web|last=NME.COM|title=50 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time {{!}} NME.COM|url=http://www.nme.com/photos/50-greatest-guitar-riffs-of-all-time/289593#/photo/32|access-date=February 9, 2016|website=NME.COM|date=October 25, 2012 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Grohl's drums were recorded in a small, "dead"-sounding [[isolation booth]], to create a "tight, focused, punchy and kind of claustrophobic" sound. To allow for greater flexibility in positioning microphones, the [[cymbal]]s were recorded separately. To achieve this, Grohl performed each song twice; for the initial pass without cymbals, he hit [[Electronic drum|electronic cymbal pads]], then repeated the performance with real cymbals but a dummy [[Snare drum|snare]] and padded [[Tom-tom drum|toms]], so only the cymbals made noise. The takes were then blended. The engineer [[Eric Valentine]] credited Grohl for his patience in the process, which he described as "very difficult".<ref>{{Cite web|last=January 2014|first=Rhythm 14|title=Classic drum sounds: No One Knows|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/classic-drum-sounds-no-one-knows-590923|access-date=2021-04-30|website=MusicRadar|language=en}}</ref> In October 2001, while the album was being recorded, Grohl said ''Songs for the Deaf'' was his favorite album that he had played drums on.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grant |first=Kieran |date=October 26, 2001 |title=Grohl to drum on new QOTSA album |url=http://www.canoe.com:80/JamMusicArtistsF/foo.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020111220055/http://www.canoe.com:80/JamMusicArtistsF/foo.html |archive-date=January 11, 2002 |access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref>

Homme said the use of fake radio segments gave the album "fluidity". Oliveri said they were a jibe at "how a lot of stations play the same thing over and over. We don't get played on the radio, so I figure we should talk shit about them."<ref>{{cite magazine|date=May 3, 2002|title=QOTSA Enjoying Life With Dave|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/queensofthestoneage/articles/story/5933801/qotsa_enjoying_life_with_dave|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001011030/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/queensofthestoneage/articles/story/5933801/qotsa_enjoying_life_with_dave|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2007|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=June 21, 2007}}</ref>