I heard a possibly new Foo Fighters song on the radio this morning and it caused me to wonder how anybody can class themselves a fan of the Foo Fighters. I don't dislike them at all but I just can't see how they're a band anybody can either love or hate. They seem mildly pleasant, and I can imagine people buying a song or album on grounds of said mild pleasantness, but I just can't see how anybody could get in any way passionate about them one or way or the other.
Presumably some people do though?
As i've said before
one of my tutors at college makes a point of telling everyone her undying love for the Foos, even running across the room when someone plays one of their songs yelling "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT".
Bizarre...
Everlong > most songs
.
^
^^
Am I a Foo Fighters fan? I'd say yes, but the albums are suffering from diminishing returns. I always enjoy them live (and bought tickets for the Wembley gig) but the last two albums have been a bit ropey to say the least. The setlists seem to suggest they sort of know that themselves.
The Colour And The Shape, though, is one of my favourite albums ever.
but
you could replace the words Foo Fighters in that post and make the same point about 90% of music played on national radio, couldn't you.
Sometimes, pleasant and nice is enough for people, not everyone wants challenging, deep, high-brow music all of the time.
Whilst I will
defend to the hilt 'the colour and the shape' as it is a genuinely fine album. I think people are genuinely passionate about the Foo Fighters - as opposed to people who just enjoy them in an 'it is what it is' kind of way - are people, like Red Hot Chilli Peppers fans - for whom music is not an important part of their life. Just another aspect of what they spend their wages on, there is probably something in their life that excites them more than music.
Weirdos.
Anyway such people are allowed to like whichever laminated/chart version of decent music appeals to them as they are likely more busy playing playstation, football, crown green bowling etc to have ever nurtured their interest in music.
Thus ends today's lecture.
I agree
I think they knock out some fantastic tunes now and again, but even though (whisper it, because I'm in the minority here) I really liked There Is Nothing Left To Lose, their albums since have been at least half filler. But the good singles and songs are fantastic- really anthemic, powerful, moderately heavy pop rock. They sure as hell aren't consistent, but put all their best songs on one CD, and it'll be a bloody great album.
on a similar note
to paraphrase Charlie Brooker, who wrote questioning the existence of Red Hot Chili Peppers fans. They sell loads of records and sell out venues, but is anybody a passionate fan? If interrogated people might express a liking of one song, usually Under the Bridge or the shouty, jumpy one (which is probably not one song, but 40 % of their released material?)
There were certainly a lot of RHCP fans
around the time of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, then a whole load less when they took ages releasing another album and that album turned out to be One Hot Minute.
Californication marked the start of their ongoing 'sonic wallpaper' period.
It's a pity because there are some incredible musicians in that band, incredible musicians who are utterly bereft of ideas.
One Hot Minute has Dave Navarro on it
That makes it at least 100x > Californication.
By proxy.
Back to the Foo Fighters.....
The first album was alright, I remember the crush of people struggling to see them at Reading 95', in what still ranks as the dumbest move ever, they were put in the Melody Maker tent. I went and watched Bjork instead in the end.
The Colour and the Shape was a genuinely good album, but, that was 10 years ago, I can't work out quite how they continue to pick up younger followers who are willing to pay fairy significant sums of money to watch them live in an enormodome.
I can only guess that it's the Nirvana connection.
I work with a foo fighters fan.
They are dull and narrow minded but always free to cover a shift!
1st Album
was fantastic, and then they went on a rapid descent from there really.
the current stuff sounds like bon jovi.
heap o shit.
I still like their old stuff.
the self-titled and 'the colour and the shape' are both great albums and 'there is nothing left to lose' had a few strong songs on it. They went a bit downhill from there in my eyes. The actual track called 'the colour and the shape' which is a b-side, is awesome.
i was caught
listening to the colour and the shape yesterday. "i was listening to foals and it skipped through and i thought i might as well listen to it.." "oh yeah, yeah, thats what they all say"
but its also because i was essay-writing and i like listening to music i have heard so many times that it doesn't distract me.
i love that album, as other people have said, its a good'un.
there's also the dave grohl appeal. no?
why
is everyone raving about Color and Shape?
'Foo Fighters' is the best album by about 10 miles. then then Color & Shape set the standard for the substandard ballad shite they pump out nowadays
^^truth
track number 11
.
i'd like to interview dave grohl
and ask him how he can possibly write so much absolute mediocre crap and not be ever so slightly embarrassed at this, having written a classic like Everlong.
From a songwriters perspective, bands like the Foo Fighters scare the shit out of me because for the last three albums (maybe four, I've lost count) they have just been one or two obvious singles, a couple of nice slow ones, and the rest just utter tosh. It is a completely alien concept to me how anyone can be happy with knowing that the music they are creating isn't up to past standards. He must know that it isn't as good, surely?
Mr. Grohl, are you REALLY content with this filler you're coming out with?
They bore the pants off me.
I gave them a good chance, but by album number 3 i caved in to the fact that they were a lost cause - a crushingly mediocre rock band with a famous frontman.
They have a smattering of really good tracks,
case in point:
Generator
My Hero
Everlong
Stacked Actors
Aurora
I'll Stick Around
This Is A Call
Monkey Wrench
The One
Ain't It The Life
And some of them are classics in their field (Everlong, Generator, This Is A Call), but they have been sliding into mediocrity for a good while now.
Still, it's a silly question to ask because there are obviously fans. I count myself as one.
foo fighters > nirvanna
hahahahhahha
WRONG.
this is an incredibly narrow minded post
Not so much so.
In so far as that I'm asking "do they exist?" and seeing how I can't see how people can be that fussed about them but asking if other people do?
If I'd made any definitive statements I'd agree with you. But I haven't and have mostly offered opinions and asked questions for other people's opinions so I can't possibly see how that could be classed as narrow-minded.
Hmmm.......I reckon lots of people
must keep a few latter Foo Fighters albums in their cars.
It's like The Beautiful South, you virtually never meet anyone who would cal themselves a fan and yet they've sold something like 2 million copies of their 'Best Of' in the UK.
changing a few statements to "i wonder"s
doesn't stop it sounding very condescending towards people who are passionate about a band that doesn't really do it for you
True but I don't think I'm being uniquely narrow-minded.
Most people at some point or another listen to a band and say "I wonder how people can like that" and then state the case in such a way that implies they can't understand the viewpoints of the 'fans' of a band. Usually people are fine with this until they like the band in question.
I recall you took what I might conceivably call a narrow-minded view on the Indelicates a few months back, for example.
I used to be
a massive Foo Fighters fan, possibly my favourite band for a period, I remember I used to get abuse from my 'mates' at school who thought they were shit.
Then as my music taste developed and the Foos got blander with each album, I stopped loving them so much......and now my old mates love them!
Stil bought every album out of a strange loyalty - actually listened to the new album yesterday....well got about 5 songs in, was pretty bored
My opinion is that they have been on gradual slide with each album released - Self titled was immense, as was Colour and the Shape, then a decline in quality with each album from then
That said, the pretender is a massive tune - what the foos do best! Problem is when you see lots of girls I'm friends with who have incredibly shit music taste saying they love it....makes you wonder
it seems like
(some) people who genuinly love the foos stopped listening to any other music since, well, the ninties.
my mates CD collection is smattered with the foo fighters with pearl jam, smashing pumpkins, etc all there too. but, eh, whatever hes into.
meanwhile, i get crap for having 'wierd taste' though. the fucker