Foo Fighters were born out of the end of Nirvana. Sadly, Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994 meant, after grieving, everyone involved with Nirvana had to move on from that band and get involved with other elements of life. Fortunately, drummer Dave Grohl envisioned a successful career through his own solo works and he struck gold with that project. The 1995 debut album showed a lot of promise from Dave Grohl and company, and he powered onwards and upwards. This is seen as the best Foo Fighters album to date and has a combination of singles from earlier on in 1995 along with some brand new songs as well. Interestingly, Dave Grohl himself drummed on this record rather than his main drummer at the time William Goldsmith, which no doubt did not go down very well. With producer Gil Norton at the helm, this album is seen to be very polished as a result. With all this interesting information in mind, let’s take a good listen to this album and hear if it stacks up to legend as the best Foo Fighters album.

Doll is a short introductory track, with some mellow guitar playing and some singing which sounds like it is coming straight out of a telephone. It’s a bit weird but nonetheless is pretty and reassuring. Soon enough, massive drums kick in and this song gets going. A really great start to this album, it sounds pretty and awesome. Dave Grohl’s singing is unique and gorgeous and this song is a great piece of introductory music.

Monkey Wrench is one of the main singles from this album. It launches into a supercharged, powerful and awesome frenzy of sound. It sort of sounds a lot like Blink-182 here, but is no doubt its own original sound here. A joyous, loud and optimistic listen, this sounds completely different and varied compared to any of Nirvana’s music, be it the Grunge landmark of Nevermind or the self-autobiographical nature of In Utero. It just rocks. An outstanding tune that is definitely worth repeat listens and playing at a loud volume to annoy your neighbours, this is an amazing and fantastic listening experience, even if the lyrics are rather nonsensical. Fantastic listening, especially for Post-Grunge and Hard Rock fans. A brilliant and very listenable tune, this sounds truly awesome. Better than a can of energy drink, this sounds really amazing. Great work with some epic screaming towards the end that is not that dissimilar to Kurt Cobain’s Grungy wail, this sounds fantastic. Nice work here. A really great listening experience.

Hey, Johnny Park! begins with loud and thunderous drum rolls, before launching into another excellent and totally listenable tune that sounds really amazing. A lively and passionate sounding piece, Dave Grohl reflects on the past and sings from a wonderful, deep and beautiful place. This is very superb and energetic, even though this is a slower-sounding piece of music. Fantastic to hear, this is closer to Nirvana than the first two tracks on this album. No doubt a fantastic listen, especially for those who dig 1990s Post-Grunge music, Dave Grohl puts some amazing energy and passion into his own music. A tremendous effort, the guitar solo on this tune is amazing as well and fits the whole thing perfectly. There is a great mashup of sounds, songwriting and liveliness here, and in some ways, matches Nirvana’s best efforts in terms of overall quality. Brilliant and definitely worth hearing. Great tune, it ends with some sustained chords, segueing into the next song.

My Poor Brain is a strange tune, and sounds discordant and weird at the start, before launching straight into a wonderful and listenable ballad with some really great harmonies. This is rather quirky for the Foo Fighters, and it uses the Nirvana quiet/loud stop/start dynamics to launch into a loud and energetic frenzy. Nonetheless, this is a real joy to listen to and it is fun to hear, which is a very different experience from Nirvana’s work. Dave Grohl goes into a frenzy of screaming here, and he sounds euphoric and brilliant. A lively and extremely catchy tune, this powers along in a way that is fantastic and undeniably wonderful. “This is a blackout…don’t let it go away!” screams Dave Grohl. A wonderful and powerful musical statement, even for a lesser track. Great effort.

Wind Up begins with some very Grungy guitars, and pounding drum beats and launches into a very nice tune that is extremely decent and powerful. Dave Grohl and company make a punchy, powerful piece of music that sounds really driving and energetic. A borderline psychotic sounding piece of music at times, there is a Poppiness and edge to it that is completely different to music such as Nirvana’s Dumb or other music that was around at the time of release. Dave Grohl makes his own music sound great. A wah-wah guitar solo is present here that sounds really uplifting and excellent. A genuinely good effort, this is some of the greatest Alternative Music from the 1990s. It ends quickly and abruptly.

Up In Arms is a short ballad that sounds very John Lennon-esque. Dave Grohl sings beautifully here, and over clean guitar chords, he sings softly and melodically. A ballad, but it fits the record perfectly. The song stops completely, and a whistle emerges, followed by thunderous drum rolls and launches into a great Blink-182 sounding piece that is really awesome and energetic. Great, once again, Dave Grohl and company impress. A blistering guitar solo is here as well. Nice work for just over two minutes long, this is excellent. Fine artistry from a guy that was the drummer in Nirvana’s biggest hits.

My Hero is one of the standout tunes from this album. It begins with some fantastic drumming with some of the best drum sounds and playing ever recorded here. Gurgling basslines enter, followed by some great Grungy guitar riffs and a sense that something truly exciting is being recorded here. A fantastic and punchy effort with legendary guitar riffs. Dave Grohl sings away very well, and this song comes alive. This is about admiration for a legendary musician of some sort, and it makes perfect sense to Nirvana and Foo Fighter fans in general. Musically, it is simple, loud and powerful, and shows amazing liveliness and effort here. A really cool and amazing effort, this is a great 1990s listen and it sounds very amazing. There is a great buildup in the second half of the song in the bridge, leading to a fantastic finale of the song. Dave Grohl proves himself to be more than just a good drummer, and the listener will agree here. Fine musicianship and playing, this is fantastic. It ends with sustained guitars to conclude. Excellent.

See You begins with some nice acoustic guitar playing, launching quickly into a really amazing driving ballad. This is actually reminiscent of The Beatles White Album material and does sound really good. A fine and lively listening experience, this proves that being loud at every moment of an album doesn’t need to be the case. Some clapping in the middle is present, quickly resuming into the ballad at hand. A great ballad, and some nice, extra spicy listening to hear. Great tune to hear. It ends with some powerful drum rolls, a great ballad indeed.

Enough Space is another interesting and exciting tune with stereo-panned cut-up killswitch-styled guitar to begin with, which is really cool. Eventually, guitars and basslines enter that sound great. Drum rolls enter, and this tune gets really going. A lively, upbeat and fantastic listening experience, this sounds really superb. A very groovy and pounding listen, there is some epic screaming from Dave Grohl here in the chorus. This still follows the stop/start quiet/loud format that Nirvana made so popular in Grunge music, except that this sounds euphoric in comparison to Nirvana’s music. A great two-and-a-half-minute song, this is glorious to listen to. Pounding and loud, this works exceptionally well. Nice tune.

February Stars is a pretty sounding piece from the start, with almost whispered vocals and pretty guitar parts to match. A really deep and interesting piece of music, this sounds really deep and amazing to listen to. This is likely about Kurt Cobain himself, who was born in February as well. Sadly, Kurt Cobain’s death changed everything, some things not for the better. A really lovely, deep and somewhat sad sounding tune. No matter what Nirvana meant to people, they are not to be forgotten. A bit of a tearjerker tune, this is surprisingly mellow simultaneously. A really excellent listening experience and a definitely underrated listen, this does sound interesting and superb for what it is. Soon enough, it launches into loud chaos and is the closest this album is to Nirvana. Another great listen nonetheless, it seems that Kurt Cobain’s spirit is in this song, giving it the edge and momentum that is required to push ahead. Great to hear, all the same, it does sound wonderful. Nice listen. It ends with loud, sustained open chords.

Everlong begins with some intense guitar riffing, again very much like Blink-182. Some loud chords enter and this piece gets going very well. This is a moodier tune, once again, but is more mainstream sounding than the previous song on the album. Nonetheless, this is in line with the rest of the album’s good quality to listen to. A joyous and interesting ballad, all the same, Dave Grohl is in fine form here. Indeed, if this is considered to be the best Foo Fighters album, even the lesser-known numbers still impress. A truly awesome listen, Dave Grohl does a wonderful job as the frontman for his own band, with no really open egotistical struggles, unlike in other groups at the time. Indeed, his music just simply works extraordinarily well and this 1990s rocker still does the job. In the second half are some interesting Nine Inch Nails styled murmured vocals, just before the band returns to make a great impression. Driven and excellent, this sounds very amazing for what it is. Nice effort Dave and company, it ends with more sustained chords.

Walking After You begins with some interesting cymbal fade in, followed quickly by acoustic guitars and smooth vocals by Dave Grohl. A great listening experience, the music present is very smooth, tuneful and interesting. This is quite obviously a fantastic love based song that sounds great and heartfelt. Indeed, celebrities often hide their true emotions and delve into their best songs, and this is proof of that fact. Dave Grohl sounds really great here, and although he is obviously the leader of the Foo Fighters, he does melodic beauty just as well as loud, powerful Rock music. A really deep, divine and gorgeous listening piece of songcraft, this is intense and lovely to hear. A tremendous effort to listen to, this sounds like pretty and deep music to enjoy. A lively and musical tune, this sounds truly divine. Great music to hear, this is pure romanticism that does wonders for the listener. A really joyful tune, this is a masterwork of love, “If you walk out on me, I’ll be walking after you” is repeated here, showing a sensitive side to Dave Grohl many have not heard before. A passionate ballad and a must-listen from this album. Nice music indeed. It ends with cymbal sounds and some studio noise, which is different. This was inspired by a Dave Grohl divorce, which makes sense, sadly. Men chasing physically after their ex-partners at the end of a relationship are not uncommon instances.

New Way Home begins with loud, punchy drums and matching drum beats, going straight into a cool and interesting tune to listen to. This, again, is an amazing listen and sounds more in line with the first half of the album. All the same, this song is inspired, cool and clever musically. The sounds and production on this album are nothing short of amazing, and the whole performance here is great. This is just before Rock music began a rapid and quick decline musically over the set of two or so decades. It seems that the music on these songs was at the right time and right place. This song itself is very 1990s and joyous. Towards the middle, the song briefly stops, replaced by whispered vocals and palm-muted guitars. Variety on this album is definitely present. Bass guitars enter soon enough, along with a single note of feedback. This interesting section also has some increasingly noticeable drum rolls and sounds really excellent. An interesting listen and suits perfectly for the trip on the train back home, or something similar. It gradually speeds up and becomes louder and more intense. Eventually, it launches into a loud, chaotic and very much screamed tune that sounds really cool. Great tune, this sounds amazing throughout. A truly amazing listen, this sounds top and finishes very, very well. Great song, even for a lesser-known cut by the Foo Fighters. It fades out gloriously.

The Colour And The Shape is the title track and the final track on this awesome album. It sounds really amazing and cool, in a very Jimi Hendrix sort of way at the start. Even so, this is the worst track on the album, but despite that, it is a sonic punch in the face. Great to hear, Dave Grohl screams at full force and this is the closest to Nirvana that this song is. Sure, it is skippable, but all the same, it works. Dave Grohl concludes in a way that he wants to be easily remembered by. Intense and energetic, it launches into a weird second half that sounds fairly awful, in fact. This is ideal to blast at those who need a musical wake-up call, or something similar. More like a musical assault than anything else, Dave Grohl showed the world he was having fun after the breakup of Nirvana. It ends after three minutes fairly abruptly.

This is an outright classic album upon listening. With the sole exception of the very last track, every single song on this album is pure quality. Dave Grohl made a truly awesome listening, with a variety of rockers, ballads and other material that has stood the test of time, well and truly. If you want an album that defines Post-Grunge 1990s Hard Rock from the USA, do start here. The Foo Fighters cemented their legacy in the history books with the previous debut album but made an album to remember here. An essential listening experience.

A solid gold classic.

9/10