Written by Tom Bedding
So here is the first piece of the 'Album Rank Session' and we are beginning with the legendary rock band that is Foo Fighters! Started out as a project for Dave Grohl to keep on pursuing music, it soon became a rock powerhouse in the late 90's which gave us some amazing records. Since then, the band have become one of the most adored rock acts around and have given us some claasic modern rock hits. From weakest to best, have a read and rank along...if you dare.
One By One (2002): 5/10
There was a lot of tension during the recording of Foo Fighter’s fourth album, leading to the band to rerecord a lot of the songs on it. I think with this record, you are left confused by how it starts with such an epic rock intro with ‘All My Life’, then later on including the iconic ‘Times Like These’ and also having to endure the painful ‘Burn Away’ and ‘Overdrive’.
The mixing of the record is a major flaw on this LP, it does not sound either impressive or nice throughout. Overall it is seen as the first signs of how inconsistent Dave’s songwriting can be, which is not an issue but simply just hard to swallow after the first three Foo’s records.
Sonic Highways (2014) : 5.5/10
Does the band have a coping mechanism on how to deal with doing the same thing, in the same place? Most probably….and ‘Sonic Highways’ is the best possible example. The show that came along with the record (showcasing how the guys travelled the US to record at iconic cities that are woven into music history), was an enjoyable series and I would happily watch it again sometime.
However the music that came along with it was incredibly stale and felt too clean to be anything fun. ‘The Feast and The Famine’ is actually enjoyable and has a cool context but songs like ‘Something From Nothing’ and ’The River’ annoy you way too much.
Concrete and Gold (2017) : 5.5/10
Sometimes when you hear an act talk about the new producer they are working with, it just smells fishy and feels they are trying to compensate for something. Okay yes, the production by Greg Kurstin is fantastic, he is great at making a record feeling spotless and it does sound good on this LP.
Sadly though the music itself feels dry at points and way too predictable, which leads me to turn it off ASAP. ‘Run’ is hella fun with its bass and fuzzy guitars, the drama of it all does engage an audience well. ‘Sunday Rain’ is interesting with the vocals delivered by Taylor Hawkins and sounds so Beatles like, with also the drumming done by McCartney too.
The 2017 release left me frustrated because it was only 5 years prior, we experienced a return to form and the two releases after that make that time frame feel way longer.
In Your Honour (2005): 6/10
It probably surprised a lot of people that the rock band were offering us a record split in two, one heavy rock side and the other being straight up acoustic tracks. The overall outcome was pretty solid, showing off how awesome the band can be when rocking out and creating arena rock anthems, while also showing off Dave’s ear for a good melody.
We are given the truly incredible ‘Best Of You’; an anthem for so many and a prime fit for radio stations wanting to beef up their rooster. For anyone who has experienced that track live, you know there aren’t many feelings like it when hear it blasted out by the group.
The groove on ‘DOA’ is extremely boogielicious and perfect for a summer road trip in your Ute. However the acoustic side is something I do not return to. Not because it’s bad or anything, it just does not compare to other ‘acoustic’ music that I enjoy.
Medicine At Midnight (2021): 6/10
Foo Fighters found some interesting ideas on their 10th record, leading it be dubbed as a groovy and Bowie inspired piece of work. For the bands standards of ‘different’, it does match the claims Grohl made and it is a very fun listen to at times.
We were given the cool sounding ‘Shame Shame’ last year, which really did show of a different side to the bands talents and felt so refreshing.. The classic sounding ‘Waiting on A War’ has gone down well with fans and is great piece of classic Foo’s tricks, filled with wonder and hope that will sound very good live.
As previously mentioned, it does not break the rule book and leaves you frustrated with their definition of ‘experimenting’, yet this album can be rather fun! Which you have to say, can’t be said about the other weaker bunch of Foo’s records.
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace (2007) : 6.5/10
The 00’s for Dave and co. were filled with amazing and iconic singles, while annoyingly not offering the complete article with regards to an album. However the changing in rock sounds found on the 6th record leaves this album to be the strongest from that decade, it probably achieves what the previous two were trying to do but in a more comfortable way.
Having another modern rock classic to guide the way helps a lot. The amazing single, ‘The Pretender’, gives you everything people love about Foo Fighters: amazing guitars, loud vocals and cheesy lyrics.
‘Long Road To Ruin’ showcased the main man’s love for a melody, having such a classic 60’s style to its singalong hook. While ‘Let It Die’ works really well somehow as the track following ‘The Pretender’, it’s a top quality track that grows into being a gritty, power rock song after starting as a fantastic acoustic number. I do wish I enjoyed ‘Home’ more but it fails painfully, the piano is uninteresting and Dave’s vocals do not engage you one bit.
There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) : 7.5/10
Foo Fighter’s third album showcased the pop melodies that Dave Grohl can easily achieve at times. After the releasing an album that would inspire a generation of musicians, to follow it up with a body of work that is still mightily impressive, shows off brilliantly where the band were creatively in the 90’s.
‘Breakout’ has a great sound that combines the first two Foo’s record, with a rock’n’roll chorus that even Chuck Berry would be proud of. Straight after that track we are given what is seen as the bands most popular single, ‘Learn To Fly’. It was the first time we experienced the rock band truly focusing on the melody and not creating a distinct rock sound, that so many wanted to emulate. The hit single feels classic, captivating you with its relatable lyrics and extremely pleasant melody.
The albums stays consistent and within the deeper cuts here, is the song deemed to be their best non-single by them, ‘Aurora’. It’s incredible to see where Dave was as a songwriter back then, truly inspired to write some amazing and captivating music. This song in particular is an ode to the life the frontman had back in Seattle, you can really feel the sense of reflection and pure love for what has been, truly incredible work.
Waisting Lights (2011) : 7.5/10
Possibly one of the best rock records of the previous decade for me. This was a huge surprise, to see the band put out a record that is filled to the brim with top quality rock music.
Not only is the music great but it sounds awesome, the iconic band out of nowhere sounded so relevant again after a few years simply doing the same thing again and again. ‘Bridge Burning’ opens with ‘THESE ARE MY FAMOUS LAST WORDSSS’, before the band begin to start sounding incredibly tight and kick arse.
‘Rope’ went down a treat back in the day, despite myself not being a fan of it then, I have to say the drumming and rhythm of this song is top notch. We then have one of the bands best songs and one of their HOTTEST singles, ‘White Limo’. The hit rock single packs the meatiest of punches and will make everyone find satin himself inside them, and scream ‘wHiTe LiMOOOOOOOOOO'.
Another worthy thing to mention is the balladry we find on this release contains some of Dave’s best songwriting in years, with ‘Arlandria’ and ‘These Days’ both being truly amazing songs.
The grit and melody writing is something that has aged so well since its release, 10 years ago. The whole album feels like it has so many anthems and was the second coming of a classic rock outfit. The production by Butch Vig deserves so much praise too, ensuring the analog recording of the project captured what we love about the band but giving them a much needed kick in the balls.
To conclude, Waisting Light’ finishes with the ‘Walk’, offering some classic Foo Fighters party tricks and some fantastic drumming by Taylor Hawkins, a real highlight of the Foo’s modern era.
Foo Fighters (1994) : 8/10
Looking back on how Dave Grohl did this whole album by himself, you do feel impressed and get inspired by it. But would anyone have predicted, that the drummer of Nirvana, would deliver a record that would spark the journey of one of biggest bands of the next century? I think not.
‘This Is A Call’ now has a sense of iconic nature to it, giving you straight away the songwriters punchy drumming while also the gift of writing melodies. The mans love for The Beatles can be heard a lot on many of the tracks, you feel like someone has taken some 60’s songs and given them a 90’s spin to it. ’I’ll Stick Around’ has an awesome grunge sound to it, something Im sure many listens would have been so curious to wonder about due to the songwriters link to the genre.
Classic melody writing is then showcased on the brilliant ‘Big Me’, a song that I believe really shows off what Dave’s writing is all about. Hearing this record and in particular this song, really makes you appreciate the art of songwriting and the pursuit for creating art. Within these songs, we have a young Dave Grohl simply needing to write as way go to carry on after the tragic ending of Nirvana, it's truly inspiring.
Then on ‘For All The Cows’, the whole mood is enjoyably sleazy, starting gently and then giving us more weight later on. ‘X-Static’ feels so dramatic, the passion in all of Dave’s delivery on here is incredible and then on the closer, ‘Exhausted’, it captures everything great about the whole album. One of the beauties of the debut record is how you can clearly imagine the dude performing all of these songs by himself in a basement, iconic.
The Colour and The Shape: 8.5/10
An album that is still inspiring musicians today, you hear so many times about bands wanting to get those guitar tones and drum sounds found on the Foo’s second album…you really can not blame them though.
Filled with outstanding and iconic 90s music, you can see why this band are loved so much across the world. ‘Monkey Wrench’ explodes especially as the second track and those GUITARS ARE LEGENDARY. The whole song has it all, I don’t know where to begin to talk about, nevertheless I know that just simply saying the songs title is enough to be said. That bridge though, urghhhh yes please.
‘Hey, Johnny Park!’ could define many bands career and a great throwback to a younger Dave’s voice. This may sound controversial but I do think this is melodically inspired by Oasis, I can hear Liam singing this back in the day and if someone covered it, you wouldn’t be surprised if a random person guessed that Noel wrote it. ‘My Poor Brain’ is a personal favourite, the 60’s nostalgia in the verses are great and the chorus is filled with such sticky and heavy guitars.
The album just keeps giving you classic rock songs and ‘My Hero’ has such a distinct opening that takes you back to a better time. The song celebrates the average folk who can inspire you, the wholesome lyrics were an early sign of Dave’s typical lyricism but the whole sound of this song is immense. Dave and Pat Smear’s guitar playing on the entire album feel so god like at times and the atmosphere they create on this song, is outstanding.
I will try and keep it short as I could talk about ‘See You’ and others for way too long. To finish this first ranking list talking about ‘Everlong’, makes me wonder where do I go next to rank….okay that sounds a bit suspicious.
The truly outstanding and decade defining song is a rock masterpiece, showing off the songwriting talents of Dave Grohl and how amazing he, Pat and Nate can sound like together. Lyrically, its poetry and hits home so powerfully that leaves everyone in tears when singing it at their gigs.
The thick and dramatic guitars are exquisite, taking the chorus to a place of true hope and desire (just blows your mind at every turn this song doesn’t it). Finally, the drumming is a work of a genius. Grohl’s work with the sticks can be played by itself and you will still get the full experience of emotions, ‘Everlong’ delivers. The incorporation of the whole kit, to capture the different lyrics on the song is breathtaking and the work of a god.
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