Album by Album: Foo Fighters
With the newest Foo Fighters album, Concrete and Gold, releasing on September 15th, PCB would like to take you through the Foo Fighters’ entire recorded history. We are going to go through the catalogue, album by album, giving you some Foo history, a take on each of the albums and a few other tracks from that era that are worth checking out. Follow along and please add your comments below. Today’s offering is their first release: Foo Fighters.
Soon after the tragic 1994 death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl sought to explore his own music project. Recorded in only seven days, Grohl does everything on the self-titled debut album.
Album by Album : Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters (1995) is a really solid debut album. The first four songs: “This is a Call”, “I’ll Stick Around”, “Big Me”, and “Alone + Easy Target” all rock, and are still prominent in the live set list rotation. These four songs perfectly encapsulate that Foo Fighters sound and really showcase Grohl’s vocal versatility and musical talent.
The rest of the album doesn’t stand out as much as the first four songs. “X-Static” and “Floaty” are pretty cool, but I think it was a hard task to sequence the remaining eight songs since they have a more similar sound to each other.
Overall, it’s a great debut album and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s never heard it. And welcome – we are just getting started on our Album by Album : Foo Fighters series, so keep checking in.
Foo Fighters (1995) is a 7 out of 10 stars!
But wait… there’s more!
There are a few more tracks from this era that were left off of the album and were either released as B-Sides or bonus tracks on re-issues.
“Winnebago” – Originally recorded under the name “Late!” in 1992, Grohl brought back this tune for the B-Side for both “This is a Call” and “Exhausted”. It’s a really cool jam that feels right at home on the album. I think the addition of this might have broken up the second half of the album, had it been included.
“Podunk” – Like “Winnebago”, this song really rocks! I always throw in this jam on any Foo Fighters playlist.
“Ozone” (Ace Frehley Cover) – Dave does his best Space Ace impression and really knocks this song out of the park. You can hear him having fun while recording this song, but I can understand why he didn’t want to include a cover on the album.
Kyle Dodson is covering the entire Foo Fighters catalogue in the run-up to the release of their ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold, on Roswell Records/ RCA Records, September 15, 2017. Follow along:
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.