Elton John Recorded With QOTSA

Add Elton John to the increasingly interesting roster of musicians contributing to the next album by Queens of the Stone Age: the singer talked about recording a song with the band when he appeared on Chelsea Lately with guest host Dave Grohl, who plays drums on the new album.

As it happened, Queens of the Stone Age were in a Los Angeles studio not far from sessions for an Engelbert Humperdinck album, and John managed to stop by both. “I went down and sang with him and then drove three blocks, in the Valley, I went from Engelbert to Queens of the Stone Age,” said John, who will lead a tribute to Levon Helm Sunday at the Grammys. “Which was, you know, a bit of a mind-fuck.”

John said he’s not often asked to contribute to other bands’ albums, because people assume he’ll say no, but pointed out that he played on Alice in Chains’ 2009 album Black Gives Way to Blue. Grohl joked that John had certain expectations when he walked in the door.

“You were like, ‘Alright, what do you have, a ballad for me?'” Grohl said, rolling his eyes with exaggerated disdain. “And we were like, ‘No, we don’t have a ballad for you today, at all.'”

Along with Grohl and John, Trent Reznor, Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears and original bassist Nick Oliveri have also contributed to the upcoming Queens of the Stone Age album, which is due sometime this year.