Foo Fighters

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Foo Fighters

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The Foo Fighters have moved to bigger and better acclaim for their later albums (e.g. _The Colour & The Shape_, et al.), but to me, the albums that followed this one, their debut, while good, were not as compelling, due to the more polished sound that would creep up on those albums. The rawness of this album is what helps give it more of an intimacy, not to mention the fact that, with the exception of one song, the whole album is performed by Dave Grohl: guitars, bass, drums, and vocals -- all Dave. The intimate feel of this album (yeah, an "intimate" album that "rocks," go figure, but it works) is what makes it my absolute favorite in the Foo Fighters catalogue.

As many know, Dave was the drummer of Nirvana, and many would think that Dave trying to form his own band after the split-up of those Seattle juggernauts, would prove to be an embarrassing failure. This was *hardly* the case, as The Foo Fighters are an *excellent* band, and I *personally* don't think about Nirvana's ghost while listening to The Foo Fighers; this alone should tell you something (or at least it would tell you that I disagree with the editorial review on this page.) In other words, The Foo Fighters (to me) stand on their own, and don't remind me much of Nirvana.

Recorded in one week during October of 1994 (just months after Kurt Cobain's death, and Nirvana's demise), but released in July of 1995, this debut album is jam-packed with chewy, sweet-tasting pop confections -- of course shielded with lush, heavy guitars which produce a thick wall-of-sound -- and is hard not to fall in love with. Like another reviewer stated, it's one thing to know Dave has talent as a vocalist, drummer and tunesmith, but to know he almost *literally* single-handedly did the album by himself -- writing the songs, playing *all* of the instruments -- just makes one a bit envious of his talent. Along with pounding, melodic rockers like "This Is A Call," "I'll Stick Around," "Good Grief," not to mention the pleasantly goofy, get-in-the-mosh-pit intensity of "Weenie Beenie," you get tasty Beatle-esque melodicism and craftsmanship in "Big Me," and speaking of The Beatles, you get a beautifully-atmospheric rocker in the form of "Oh, George," which is a tribute to no other than George Harrison (supposedly his favorite Beatle), and superbly-made tracks like "For All The Cows," which amalgamates elegant bluesy 7th chords, fronted by Dave's smooth-as-silk vocals for the soft parts on the verses, before bursting into explosive, heavy choruses. To close out the album, you get the oceanic, atmospheric heaviness of "Exhausted."

This is an *excellent* album; one of the very best "alternative" albums of the 90s; an album where *every* track on the album is as good as gold. I'd put it in my "top 10" of favorites from the 90s "alternative" scene. It's *that* good, and it holds up quite well after nearly a decade since it's release. Highly recommended.

When Dave Grohl sings "I'll stick around" he ain't wrong. The ex-Nirvana drummer is sticking around. His band has gripped the ears of rock lovers everywhere. With his breakthrough record Grohl shows the world he's not just the drummer of the most successful rock band of the '90s. The Foo Debut is a rock solid rock record spilling with great harmonies and chilling guitar riffs. It's full of great post-grunge style rock anthems like "I'll Stick Around" "Weenie Beenie" and "Wattershed" while still pulling off great pop hooks like "Big Me" and "This Is A Call." Their debut may not be as ambitious or bold as the follow ups but it's definetly worth any Foo collection. 7/10 Highlights: "I'll Stick Around" "This is a Call" "For All The Cows" "Big Me"