The Colour and the Shape

Foo Fighters

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 1997)
• Original Release Date: May 20, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UKS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (295 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,073 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A major criticism of the Foo Fighters' self-titled debut was its supposed lack of, you know, passion among the well-crafted songs and well-crafted rock. This time out, if it's wreckage you want, it's wreckage you get. The Colour & the Shape grows deeper the more it's played, with the band's ripping power more than matched by Dave Grohl's fascinating examinations of pain and divorce. There's even a convincing long slow ballad, "November Stars," whose intensity should win over doubters. If that doesn't work, then the screaming "My Hero" will. --Rickey Wright

Product Description
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential FOO CD, February 22, 2001

By	Gary (Michigan) - See all my reviews

The Colour and The Shape

In my opinion, the finest work by the group and best writing by Grohl before or since. The CD that truly turned me onto the Foos, eventually earning them the spot of favorite. The debut was great, yet a little repetitive; This one is perfect in all ways.

Every song hits an individual chord with the soul, and each selection sounds genuinely heart felt. A concept album (of sorts), the order of songs is perfect as well, creating a great finished UNIT which deserves to be listened to straight through:

A little breakdown...

1)Doll - Great opener. Short and sweet, it portrays Grohl's timid and overwhelmed feeling at the beginning of the story. Each passing song is filled with more and more confidence until the triumphant end.

2)Monkey Wrench - One of the more publicly recognizable tunes on the platter, it has an awesome beat and is one of the better songs on a CD without a weak spot.

3)Hey, Johnny Park! - My second favorite song and one which, for some reason, always seems to be overlooked. Great intro, terrific lyrics, and a very unique aura qualify this one as an A+.

4)My Poor Brain - The song that took me the longest to open up to; after listening to it enough it really starts to stick. Very powerful sound, after a peculiar start.

5)Wind Up - Another hidden gem everyone tends to pass over. Somewhat bitter and vengeful, it definitely deserves a listen.

6)Up In Arms - Cool little song. Changes from slow to fast halfway through, it really becomes quite uplifting.

7)My Hero - Gets quite a bit of radio play, still. Many interperatations exist concerning its lyrics, making it very intersesting. Great drum opening, cathcy riff, and POWERFUL lyrics.

8)See You - One of the more innocent and laid back songs. Fun to listen to and it is reported that Grohl joked that it was his "favorite" on the album.

9)Enough Space - Strange song, but like everything else, it fits. Loud sound and fast pace keep things moving in a good direction.

10)February Stars - Slow, emotional lyrics for the first half, followed up by a second half containing strictly the chorus, set to an awesome distorted sound.

11)Everlong - This is it. The most famous Foo song, most widely played, and my personal fav song by anyone. Horribly infectous da-da-da-dada-da sound, poigniant and beautifully vocalized lyrics, and an almost haunting quality all serve to leave an indelible impression on the mind.

12)Walking After You - Slow, acoustic love(?) song. Very interesting and thought provoking lyrics. A good one.

13)New Way Home - Simply brilliant ending. Caps off the concept in an ingenious fashion. Ends with Grohl's shouting of the lyric "I'm not scared" (whereas in "Doll" he claims, "I've never been so scared"), completing the whole confidently re-born motif. One of the best 6 minute songs I've ever heard.

Overall Rating: A+ (a MUST have)

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore this review if you want Nirvana, July 2, 1999

By	E. B. Shaffer "emmyruth" (Really Rural Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This album is awesome. The first time I heard it, the headphones just about exploded with all the energy that was coming out of them. When you hear Doll, you'll probably think "What have the Foo Fighters become? What happened to I'll Stick Around and This Is A Call?" but nothing has happened. It's just a slow song appropriately placed in the mix of hard songs. Then comes the big radio hit Monkey Wrench. It's a nice song with a neat "no-breath" effect in the last verse. It's even cooler live, but I guess you can't buy that on CD. Hey, Johnny Park!, the next song, is my personal favorite. It's just something about the riff itself that's catchy. It follows the soft-verse loud-chorus format set by Nirvana. My Poor Brain starts out with a bunch of random noise (I think it's in 7/4) and then goes into a nice acoustic verse with Dave singing falsetto. The chorus is appropriately loud and powerful. The next song, Wind Up, starts out at about mezzo-forte (that's moderately loud for all those who aren't musicians) and goes to fortissimo (very loud) for the chorus. The last verse is fortissississississimo (really really loud) with the chorus returning to the aforementioned dynamic. Man, that guy has an amazing vocal range. Up In Arms starts slow and ballad-y. It sounds a lot like a fifty's ballad. Then it gets fast sort of like a fifty's pop song. Then My Hero comes on with those cannon drums. It's obviously Dave's tribute to Kurt song. The mostly-acoustic See You is a nice jazzy departure to the screaming electric guitars. Enough Space (in 6/4) is basically the I-drank-too-much-Jolt-and-now-I'm-really-hyper-and-I'm-going-to-scream-until-I-turn-blue song. February Stars is the big long loud slow ballad and it's wonderful. Everlong (yer another radio hit) is probably the most serious sounding song they've done and it still gives me shivers. Walking After You is a great balling song >:), enough said. And they top it all off with the powerful New Way Home. I'm not saying any more, buy this CD!

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Foo Fighters at their peak, February 9, 2004

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Colour and the Shape (Audio CD)

Probably the best album to ever be released by the Foo Fighters, "The Colour & The Shape" further solidified Dave Grohl stepping out of grunge's shadow and making peace with the ghost of Kurt Cobain. Just about all the songs here on this album are catchy and seem made for radio friendly, but underneath that surface is a demonically comical feel combined with a lot of emotion. On songs like the short opener "Doll", "February Stars", and the classic single "Everlong" you can hear the raw emotion in Grohl's voice, and that is something that no one can fake. "Monkey Wrench" is still a great song, no matter how much it got overplayed, although another session of "My Hero" may prove nerve wracking considering it can be heard just about anywhere. Other great songs like "Hey! Johnny Park", "My Poor Brain", "See You", and "Walking After You" (featured on the X-Files film soundtrack) are all great songs as well, and the band's tight musicianship rounds out this excellent package. All in all, "The Colour & The Shape" is in my opinion the best Foo Fighters album yet, and is undoubtadly one of the finest albums of the 90's.