Happy 25th Anniversary to Foo Fighters’ eponymous debut album Foo Fighters, originally released July 4, 1995.
So, supposedly Dave Grohl was in this band called Nirvana back in the day that was kind of a big deal.
That was the constant reminder by the press who seemed fixated on Grohl’s time behind the skins in arguably one of the most influential bands of modern times. But rather than go for a quick cash-in “MeVarna,” Grohl took his time producing an album that would finish off songs he had been working on (but keeping private) during his days with the band and in the aftermath of the tragic suicide of his bandmate Kurt Cobain in April 1994.
In October of that year, Grohl entered Robert Lang Studios and began recording a collection of those songs. Maybe driven by the obvious scrutiny, or propelled by the secrecy in which the songs were written, Grohl took a Prince-ly approach to the recording of the album, playing every instrument on the album (with the exception of “X-static” played by Afghan Whigs guitarist Greg Dulli.)
Instead of presenting this as the Dave Grohl project and receiving immediate support and attention off the basis of his pedigree, he wanted to have the music live or die on its own merits. And thus, using a nickname for an unidentified flying object, Grohl released the album as close to unidentified as he could under the guise of “Foo Fighters.”
At the time of its release, I was working in a record store, so the secret identity factor soon went out the window as an overzealous label rep kept pushing how they would promote the album. The tradition of drummers becoming frontmen and frontwomen is one that has yielded some great music from the likes of Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Karen Carpenter, as well as some less stellar moments from the likes of Tommy Lee, Peter Criss and well, Phil Collins. But expectations weren’t set that high for the album as, by design, people weren’t that aware of the versatility of Grohl as a songwriter and performer.
That would soon change.
Catching everyone by surprise, and perhaps even Grohl himself, the album is really good. I mean, really really good. Suddenly what started as an “experiment in goofing around” as Grohl would recall, became a viable outing.
With a static hum of a guitar plugging in, the album kicks off with the raucous and joyous “This Is A Call” that mixes California vibes with grunge’s soft-loud double punch. Going for feel, Grohl’s lyrics are deliberately throwaway in part, but the musicality is what shines through. There’s a bounce in the rock that carries you away and throws you into the middle of a heaving, sweaty mosh pit. “This Is A Call” was a promising start and made everyone sit up and take note.
Other tracks like the riff heavy “I’ll Stick Around,” “Alone + Easy Target,” “Exhausted” and “Good Grief” keep the distortion pedal well and truly depressed and satisfy that rock itch.
As the album plays out, what becomes clear quickly is that (a) Grohl knew how to write a catchy song or three and (b) this guy could sing, even if the vocals required multiple tracking to beef them up.
And the album was diverse. For every punkish “Weenie Beenie” and “Wattershed,” there were moments that made you double take.
Like the surf vibes of “Big Me” with its shimmering production and laid-back cheer. Or the time signature skipping, rolling “Floaty” that brings in elements of Beatles inspired dreaminess in its production. And the bluesy bar rock of “For The Cows,” which feels at once throwaway and vital the way it switches gears and grabs you by the collar.
With each subsequent song, Grohl was stretching himself in some way, trying something new and seeing if it stuck. And it did.
This “little album that could” would go on to sell over 2 million copies worldwide and mark Grohl and the Foo Fighters as a band of note. It would be ludicrous to say that with this album, it became a fait accompli that the Foo would go on to celebrate over 25 years as one of rock’s most prominent bands, but it is nevertheless an album bursting with promise and potential.
With each successive release, Grohl would continue to push and expand the musicality and direction of Foo Fighters, while building his own rock empire and legacy. And in that light, it’s great to go back and see how it all began with an album that was less concerned with finding an audience as it was in just being recorded.
LISTEN: