The Cover Uncovered: The women who introduced Queens of the Stone Age’s debut album

Queens of the Stone Age’s 1998 debut paired its heavy, stripped-back sound with provocative artwork that helped establish the band’s image. The article explores the woman pictured on the original vinyl cover and how the design reflected the group’s mix of danger, sexuality and desert-rock energy.

Josh Homme and graphic artist Frank Kozik assembled the cover around a leather-clad woman posing beside a red motorcycle, set against a cosmic landscape. The vinyl edition appeared in black, green and orange, with 3,000 copies pressed by Man’s Ruin Records; CD editions used an alternative photograph. The supplied article cuts off before identifying the woman in that second image.