With their newest album, Concrete and Gold, releasing on September 15th, PCB would like to take you through the Foo Fighters’ entire recorded history! I’m going to go through album by album giving you some Foo Fighters history, an album review, and a few other tracks from that era that are worth checking out. Today’s album is their third release: There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
The third Foo Fighters album featuring yet another lineup change, which would cement the band’s core three: Dave Grohl, Nate Mandel, and Taylor Hawkins (drums). Don’t let that fact that it’s a trio fool you, this album still rocks. Coming off the heels of The Colour and the Shape isn’t an easy feat, but it definitely lives up to the hype.
For this album, Grohl wanted to record it without using auto-tune and pro-tools. It proved to be a fun and rewarding challenge and gives the record a raw feel. The record is credited for refining that quiet/loud formula for the “Foo Fighters sound!”
Album by Album: Foo Fighters
Like their debut album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose opens strong! I love the first 5 tracks: Stacked Actors, Breakout, Learn to Fly, Gimme Stitches, and Generator. This is a non-stop ride of “treadmill songs.” Later songs, Live-In Skin, Next Year, and Headwires are also great examples of that Foo Fighters sound. If it was those 8 songs, this would be a perfect album.
Aurora is fine, but honestly Headwires is a way better version of the same song. It kind of interrupts the flow of those first five. Pulling it out from the album, I really like it, but within the sequence it is a bit of a speed bump.
Ain’t It the Life and M.I.A. are both very forgettable songs. Ain’t It the Life is a twangy, Beatles-esque attempt that feels like it should kick in, but never does. It’s a definite skip for me. M.I.A. would be alright as a b-side or bonus track, but it doesn’t have the same feel as the album. It almost feels like a leftover from something else.
Foo Fighters – There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) is a 9 out of 10 stars!
But wait… there’s more!
There is one more track from this era that was left off of the album and was either released as a B-Side or bonus track on re-issues.
Fraternity – Released as a B-Side to Generator and available as a bonus track. It’s baffling to wonder why this was left off of the album! It’s a great gem to find that would be perfect to replace either (or both) of the last two songs on the album. Seek it out if you’re a fan!
In the runup to the release of Concrete and Gold, Kyle Dodson is reviewing the entire Foo Fighters studio catalogue. Follow the series here:
Album by Album: Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
The Colour and the Shape
There Is Nothing Left to Lose
One by One
In Your Honor
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Wasting Light
Sonic Highways
Concrete and Gold
Kyle Dodson is a writer, comedian, Rock Solid Podcast producer, Batman aficionado, facial hair connoisseur, and oxford comma supporter.