I don’t think I said it in my last post, but I want to apologize for dragging my butt. Normally, I’ve been on point with my schedule, but I’ve been oddly slow for this month. If I’m being honest about this year, I’ve been slow with fixing older posts (Though I am about halfway through 2016). Fortunately, I’m just about done with my look back at Grunge, so when I’m complete I should be going through them some more at a faster rate. In the meantime, here’s a band I spoke about a few days back, and one that even casual music listeners are familiar with! Since 1995, Dave Grohl and the spiritual successor to Nirvana have continued to carry the torch of Grunge throughout the rest of the 1990s & even into 2026, yet they always changed things up here & there to make things different. Let’s not waste anymore time, and take a look at the inaugural record from the Foo Fighters. Let’s begin!
Background
Taken from Wikipedia:
“Foo Fighters is the debut studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on June 26, 1995, through Roswell and Capitol Records in the United Kingdom and on July 4, 1995 in the United States. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl wrote the entire album. He recorded it himself in six days with the assistance of producer Barrett Jones at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington, in 1994.
Grohl said that he recorded the album just for fun, describing it as a cathartic experience to recover from the suicide of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain in 1994. The album, featuring more traditional rock stylings than what was typical in grunge, is considered to have established the post-grunge genre.
After Grohl completed the recordings, he passed cassette copies of the sessions to personal friends, using the name "Foo Fighters" to conceal his involvement. When the tapes attracted record label interest, Grohl signed with Capitol and formed a backing band to perform the songs live. The album was promoted through extensive tours and four singles, two of which were accompanied by music videos.
Upon its release, Foo Fighters earned critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its songwriting and performances, and was also a commercial success, becoming the band's second-best-selling album in the United States. It also peaked within the top five of charts of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.”
Basic Description
Nirvana In Spirit.
Dave Grohl will always carry the vibe & energy of his closest friend with him until the day he dies. Without Kurt Cobain in his life, he may very well not have had the amazing career he currently still has. That’s essentially what Foo Fighters is: Nirvana, but more so of the spirit of that band rather than the letter. The soul of the self-titled album is very much in the realm of Grunge when it is, but everything else is different. Yeah there’s times where a song or two sounds like something Nirvana would do, but more often than not Dave Grohl is trying new things to keep the noise fresh. It’s ironic that the record sounds as upbeat as it does, when Foo Fighters was formed as a way to keep the depression at bay from losing such a close friend.
Best Track
Big Me is a silly little song I can’t help but love. Coming in at just 2 minutes & 12 seconds, it’s the shortest song I’ve ever placed in a “Best Track” song in a review, but I just can’t help but smile when I listen to it! The repetitive but well-played instrumentation just feels cozy, and Dave Grohl’s vocal work feels warm & friendly. Again, it’s run time is it’s biggest fault, but outside of that I have a pleasant experience listening to this.
Big Me
Worst Track
Exhausted is the only track on the band’s debut album I’d say is bad. The drumming is good, as well as the vocals, but for whatever reason I can’t stand the effects that were put onto the guitars (I’m assuming it was put on the Bass as well). It comes across as incredibly scratchy, and it’s so bad in places that for some reason it made me feel weird. If this song was closer towards the beginning or middle, I might not judge it so harshly. Instead, it’s the last tune on this release, and that’s just frustrating!
Exhausted
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Foo Fighters
Overall Impression & Rating
Foo Fighters’s first release definitely hits the ball past center field. Final track not withstanding, it’s obvious that Dave Grohl still believed in what Kurt Cobain was all about, and missed him dearly. Still very much in the realm of Grunge, none the less the band was beginning to move away from the style in ways that helped things evolve. People that hated Grunge might actually like this, and for anyone else interested, it’s worth your time & money.
Foo Fighters gets a 9 out of 10. Take out the final track, and I might make it a 9.5 out of 10. Maybe a full 10 out of 10 if I’m feeling nice about things.
And that was my review for the first Foo Fighters album. Again, if it wasn’t for the last song, I would say it genuinely perfect. As Grunge’s end was coming 2 years after this record’s release, it seemed only right to move away yet stay artistically inclined. So, join me at the end of the month for another Post-Grunge review. Until then, take care!
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