The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 535

Number 535

Foo Fighters

"Monkey Wrench"

(2000)

Genre:Alt Rock

I have been trying to think of another Band that were world famous, who had broken up and its spin off just as big. Wings with Paul McCartney come to mind, but they were never as great as The Beatles were they?. After that its a bit of a struggle to think of anyone else. Sure you throw in a couple of hundred solo artists from "World Famous" bands but that doesn't compare with Nirvana & Foo Fighters or Beatles & Wings. Metallica & Megadeth? Ugh, I give up. I don't want to upset Nirvana fans (being one myself) but you have to ask who was really the driving force in Nirvana? If Kurt had survived being fatalistic about breathing then I'm sure Kobain and Grohl would have been the same league as Lennon/McCartney of the new Millennium. Guess we will never know.

News Alert! Foo Fighters coming to NZ May 5th 2008!

pic by BrazenPhotography

Since the first Foo Fighters album was a collection of Dave Grohl solo recordings, their second, The Colour and the Shape, is in many ways their official debut, and it certainly does sound different than its predecessor. Producer Gil Norton has tightened up the sound considerably -- his control was so tight that drummer William Goldsmith left the band during the recording, leaving Grohl to record the rhythm tracks for the bulk of the album. Certainly, Norton's big, shiny production makes The Colour and the Shape sound more professional than the debut, but the presence of a full band makes a difference, too. The full Foo Fighters make Grohl's songs heavier, not punkier, which may be a little unsettling to fans of the debut's ragged, amateurish edge.

art by ThEnemY

It's also strange that the album has such a glossy, arena-ready sound, since Grohl's songs are introspective, quite different than the endearing punk-pop of its predecessor. They're also not quite as catchy as before, but the band compensates by delivering them with a brutal energy. Still, the lack of immediate hooks prevents The Colour and the Shape from truly catching fire. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide]

Early Grohl .... When Grohl was a young child, his family (father James, mother Virginia, and older sister Lisa) relocated from Ohio to Springfield, Virginia a suburb of Washington, DC. Three years later, his parents divorced, and Grohl grew up living with his mother. At the age of twelve, Grohl began tinkering with the guitar. He started with lessons, but eventually grew tired of them, and began to play in bands with friends. A year later, a summer stay at his cousin's house spawned Grohl's interest in punk rock. Grohl's cousin Tracy took him to numerous punk shows during that summer, and Grohl returned to Springfield as a convert.

pic by hautsi

Over the next several years, Grohl played in several local bands, including a stint on guitar in a band called Freak Baby. At the same time, he had been teaching himself to play drums by banging on various items in his bedroom. When Freak Baby kicked out its bass player, Grohl decided to switch to drums, and the new band called themselves Mission Impossible. He later joined a hardcore/post-punk band called Dain Bramage. During his developing years as a drummer, Grohl cited John Bonham as his greatest influence, and eventually had Bonham's three-circle logo tattooed on his wrist.
Grohl attended the former Thomas Jefferson High School as a freshman and sophomore. During his junior year, he briefly attended Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, before transferring to Annandale High School. ~[Source:Wikipedia]

Roll call.....

For Paul McCartney & Wings see Number 583

For the Beatles see Number 947, 894 & 587

For Metallica visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #033

For Megadeth see Number 981

For John Lennon see Number 639

For Hole visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #030

What does Rolling Stone think about the FOO?

Foo Fighters' second album begins with a song about fear. "I've never been so scared," sings Dave Grohl on "Doll," a supershort ballad about a dare he shouldn't have taken. The dare is not identified. Could it have been starting Foo Fighters after a career as Nirvana's drummer? Or is it something a little more complicated?

When Foo Fighters' eponymous first album came out, following Kurt Cobain's suicide, it was hungrily received by a nation of Nirvana fans looking for a substitute and maybe wanting to comfort Grohl in his grief. The best songs on Foo Fighters' debut sounded much like Nirvana (the quiet mumbles followed by loud screams; the melody under the noise). Grohl seemed to be emulating -- and maybe speaking for -- Kurt Cobain when Grohl yelled, "I don't owe you anything," on "I'll Stick Around." On The Colour and the Shape, Foo Fighters' second album, there are certainly moments that bring to mind Grohl's ex-band. You can't listen to "My Hero," a song about the disillusioning experience of finding out that your idol is merely human, without wondering if it's about Cobain. Grohl's repeated chorus on "Enough Space" recalls Cobain's keenings on Nevermind's "Stay Away" so much that you wonder if the song is an hommage.

art by almihigh

The lyrics on Foo Fighters seemed random; here, they are inward looking. There might be a concrete reason for that: Grohl recently split up with his wife (he is reportedly now dating Louise Post of Veruca Salt). The Colour and the Shape gives the impression that Grohl is working out some romantic issues -- there are lots of relationship tunes both about breaking up and about a new love, such as the lovesick-soft, then bracingly loud "Up in Arms" and the truly mushy "Everlong," in which Grohl chronicles being smitten with a singer. On the single "Monkey Wrench," one of the harderedged songs on Colour, he sings: "I was always caged, but now I'm free."

art by control (my fave)

On "New Way Home," the last song on The Colour and the Shape, Grohl has an epiphany. He is driving to an unnamed location in Seattle, passing "boats and the Kingdome," when he realizes that he "felt like this on my way home." More important, Dave Grohl proclaims, "I'm not scared." Whatever his fear was -- starting the band, breaking up with his wife, making a highly autobiographical second record, or something totally different -- it has been worked through. At least for now. ~ [RS 761 - May 29, 1997]

Artist Fact File

Name:Foo Fighters.................Related to³:Nirvana

Yrs Active:1995 to now............Site:www.foofighters.com

Best Song¹:Everlong...............#1fan:www.foofans.com

Best Album²:The Color & The Shape.Grammy Awards:6

Albums Sold:18 Million +..........Next best thing:Audioslave

¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Do we love John or Paul?) and the Album ranked at Number (You work it out)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 74.2 out of 108 pts