When you write music for more than a few years, your catalogue does one of two things: it either improves the more you create or, like hundreds of major bands, it stagnates. Few bands can boast the repertoire that Foo Fighters can, and the band’s 28-year-career is highlighted neatly in their recently released compilation album, The Essential Foo Fighters.
You don’t need to be a fan of Dave Grohl or The Foos to admit that their catalogue is impressively wide and varied. They have matured and expanded from a raw and dirty garage rock band into a polished act with a lot to say. This is evident through the songs that have been selected on The Essential Foo Fighters.
I remember watching the Foo Fighters play Soccer City in Johannesburg in 2014, and I was struck by how long they played for. A set list that then was close on three hours runs the risk of delving too far into a bands collection. But Foo Fighters seemed to be able to keep the crowd entertained, despite their inclusion of a handful of tracks cherry picked for only die hard fans. I was struck by how much they are able to pack into their live shows. Just like I am struck now by how decent the songs on The Essential Foo Fighters are.
This is the kind of compilation album that is the perfect explanation for a first-time listener of just what The Foos are made of. The band and Grohl have never shied away from experimentation in their songwriting and recording processes. Grohl’s love for innovation has been well documented over the band’s album cycles. They have chosen to record much of their catalogue through a wide variety of methods, and this variation of production shows when you compare the iconic album opener “Everlong” with songs like “Rope” and “Learn to fly”.
The track list has been beautifully curated. Leaning heavily on the inclusion of their well-known hits, while some nice surprises like “Big Me” and “Shame Shame” make a welcome appearance too.
As a fan of the band, it is disappointing that songs like “Run” and “Arlandria” have been left off this list, in some ways I feel as though the songs chosen were the safer option. That said, this is a great present to buy a vinyl collector or a massive fan of the band for Christmas.
