With their newest 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 Fighters history, a take on 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 double album: In Your Honor.
Ten years after their debut album, Foo Fighters release their fifth album, which is their first double album and first album with a terrible cover. Seriously though, that cover is busier than Dave Grohl.
Let me start off by saying that I don’t really like double albums. I feel that most of the time there is too much crammed on the album. At least Foo Fighters broke it up into two separate parts. The first album is all rock and the second album is all acoustic.
Album by Album : Foo Fighters
Let’s look at the first album of In Your Honor – the “really heavy rock shit” as Dave Grohl calls it. We open with “In Your Honor” followed by “No Way Back.” Third is a song that was everywhere in 2005 and even became its own meme, “Best of You.” An obvious choice for the single, this song rocks so hard. Everyone’s heard this song, it’s great! We keep rocking our faces off with “DOA,” “Hell,” and “The Last Song,” which comes in the middle of the first half. “Resolve” and “Free Me” come next.
Honestly, at this point, it might be the best Foo Fighters album we’ve ever heard, then we hit our first speed bump of “the Deepest Blues are Black.” It’s just very repetitive with no real hooks and overstays it’s welcome. “End Over End” closes the first half strong and really sends off the rock side with a bang!
If the first album is summer with one rainy day, than the second half is the coldest winter you’ve ever experienced. It just doesn’t work. Maybe “The Deepest Blues are Black” was our warning that we were about to careen off the edge of a cliff.
I only like the song “Friend of a Friend.” I might like the song “Cold Day in the Sun,” or it might be an illusion because it’s the least drab song on that side. I’m not a fan of Taylor Hawkin’s vocals on this song and when they play it in concert, I usually head to the bathroom. I guess I don’t like it that much. There is never a time when I listen to this half of the album and I doubt that I ever will again.
Replace “The Deepest Blues are Black” with “Friend of a Friend” and you’ve got a perfect album (and one to throw away). I give the first half a 9 out of 10 and it would be one of my favorite albums, but the second half totally ruins it.
The failed experiment that is In Your Honor (2005) is a 5 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.
“It’s a double album, certainly there was nothing left off of it!” While that’s correct, there is one bonus track from the first half and one song from an EP released the same year.
The Sign – Are there too many songs on this album? Yes, but I think you could make room for this awesome tune. It’s right in line with everything on the first half!
Five Songs and a Cover EP (2005)
FFL (Fat F*cking Lie) – From the EP, Five Songs and a Cover, this is only one of two songs that isn’t a demo, live version, or a cover. It was originally the B-Side of “Best of You,” which would make for one heavy single. This might be the heaviest Foo Fighters song to date. Although it’s NSFW, it’s a hell of a head banging ride
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.