Thirty years have passed since the debut of the Foo Fighters, a period of time on which no one would have bet a cent on the release of an album of the same name which to too many seemed like an impromptu project by a musician who was suddenly orphaned by the most influential band of that decade . Instead that album written and played entirely by Dave Grohl was much more, it was something similar to George Harrison's first album after the breakup of the Beatles. It was a declaration of intent: look, Nirvana wasn't just Kurt Cobain.
Thanks also to a lightness unknown to his partner, over the years the project ended up transforming into something that perhaps not even Dave himself could have imagined: sold out stadiums, singles at the top of the charts and almost regular Grammys. Well, well done, encore. Yet, those who thought that Grohl had already paid his debt to bad luck were wrong. After ten albums, the death of Taylor Hawkins, a sort of twin from a different mother of the former Nirvana, forced the band to reinvent itself again, perhaps for the last waltz. To increase the uncertainty about the future, the news of a child he had out of wedlock forced Grohl to take a break. While waiting for developments, we tried to line up the 11 albums of their discography, excluding live and EP, in the difficult choice of the absolute best.
Emphatically (and stupidly) advertised as the rockiest album ever, Foo Fighters' ninth studio effort shows a band with no desire to shock the public. Not that the album is missing anything, but the feeling is that Grohl and company could release albums like this every six months, almost on autopilot. The pieces to fill the arenas, however, are not lacking and there is even Paul McCartney playing the drums.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
2007
It starts off very strong and then gets lost in the second half. The initial triptych is amazing: The Pretender, Let It Die And Erase/Replace they are among the best things composed by the band. Long Road to Ruin allows us to imagine that we continue on the same levels, but slowly the inspiration is lost a little. It is a varied job that in the long run loses its bite due to some solutions that are not always up to par. Not surprisingly, a long recording break will follow.
«Four songs were good, while the other seven I have never sung again in my life. We entered it and we also exited it.” These are Dave Grohl's words about the Foo Fighters album he is least attached to. Nevertheless One by One he could have been the twin of There Is Nothing Left to Lose if the very troubled gestation had not compromised the final yield. Go find the b-side Never Talking to You Again: you will understand the reason for the phrase «no Hüsker Dü, no Foo Fighters».
It's not the band's best album and it doesn't even contain a large number of songs that have remained in the fans' imagination, but it's the one with the most interesting project behind it. Grohl decides to pay homage to eight American recording studios and in each studio he composes a theme song. The result is a splendid TV series and musical account of that journey. The operation doesn't always succeed, but when it does, great things come out like The Feast and the Famine and above all the splendid one I Am a River together with Tony Visconti.
The death of Taylor Hawkins doesn't stop the band, who recruits their friend Josh Freese and puts together a record that seems like a cross between a tribute, a cathartic journey and something necessary to continue living. The result is exciting, but inevitably something has been lost. On the other hand, we couldn't ask for more after yet another tragedy experienced by Grohl, who shortly after his friend also lost his beloved mother. Unfortunately, on an artistic level, the pieces are forgotten quite quickly, apart from some experiments like the one by The Teacher and the desperate cry of the title track. For some they should have given up sooner, perhaps they gave up after this album.
Medicine at Midnight
2021
After Concrete and Gold the Foos announce an indefinite break, but as has happened in the past the idea lasts very little. Not only did the band return to the studio earlier than expected, but three albums were essentially born from those sessions. The first, under the name Foo Fighters, is much more inspired than the previous one, with a variety of styles new to the band. Change is good for the group, which regains an energy that seemed a bit waning and returns to the forefront of the world rankings. Added to this is the crazy idea of recording a hilarious album of Bee Gees covers, Hail Satin in the name of Dee Gees, and finally Studio 666a horror film with them as protagonists and a metal soundtrack by Grohl. In hindsight, given the death of Taylor Hawkins, the best possible end for certain Foo Fighters.
It is the watershed of the Foo Fighters' recording career, not surprisingly born after one of Grohl and his companions' greatest moments of crisis. From the increasingly insistent rumors about the dissolution of the group we instead move on to the most ambitious possible celebration of its first ten years. The idea of a double album seems like madness for those nostalgic for the '70s and perhaps some songs could be left out of the track list, but the general quality is very high and combines the usual radio appeal with new solutions. Nice to hear Grohl again acoustically.
Many have defined the Foo Fighters' debut album as the last scream of the Seattle sound and in part it could also be true. Foo Fighters it is above all Grohl's first scream, which shows the world that he is not a simple extra in one of the most significant musical adventures of all time. At the same time, Dave tries to process the mourning, mixing old and new musical styles with extreme freshness. This Is a Call And Big Me The instant classics.
The four years between Wasting Light and the previous one Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace they serve Grohl and his companions to recharge their batteries and re-present themselves to the world with one of their most successful albums. The first single White Limo and the video starring Lemmy Kilmister already suggests the group's desire to demonstrate their power. However, it is the whole album that surprises those who thought they were in a downward spiral. Kurt Cobain would have liked the album too.
There Is Nothing Left to Lose
1999
Grohl decides to end his 90s with a series of songs that could have been part of any of the band's previous albums. The success of The Color and the Shape However, it gives the former Nirvana the awareness of having achieved the perfect balance between reason and feeling, between anger shouted at the top of one's lungs and moments radio friendlybut no less powerful. Few would have imagined such a journey in just four years. The mix is deadly: Stacked Actors, Breakouts, Learn to Fly, Generator And Next Year they all come out of here. Sorry if it's not much.
The Color and the Shape
1997
The debut two years earlier had been a bolt from the blue, Dave Grohl's desire to demonstrate that he was not just a session musician in Kurt Cobain's court. Two years later, Grohl immediately shifts into high gear. Is the second album always the most difficult? Woe betide him who, having finally recruited a real band, publishes what will perhaps remain his masterpiece forever. In The Color and the Shape it is possible to find every facet of his soul, from the punk dick to the sentimental one, passing through the love for his musical heroes. It is also the last album in which he keeps the role of drummer to himself.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM