Customer Reviews

Foo Fighters [Vinyl]

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Foo Fighters have moved to bigger and better acclaim for their later albums (e.g. _The Colour & The Shape_, et al.), but to me, the albums that followed this one, their debut, while good, were not as compelling, due to the more polished sound that would creep up on those albums. The rawness of this album is what helps give it more of an intimacy, not to mention the fact that, with the exception of one song, the whole album is performed by Dave Grohl: guitars, bass, drums, and vocals -- all Dave. The intimate feel of this album (yeah, an "intimate" album that "rocks," go figure, but it works) is what makes it my absolute favorite in the Foo Fighters catalogue.

As many know, Dave was the drummer of Nirvana, and many would think that Dave trying to form his own band after the split-up of those Seattle juggernauts, would prove to be an embarrassing failure. This was *hardly* the case, as The Foo Fighters are an *excellent* band, and I *personally* don't think about Nirvana's ghost while listening to The Foo Fighers; this alone should tell you something (or at least it would tell you that I disagree with the editorial review on this page.) In other words, The Foo Fighters (to me) stand on their own, and don't remind me much of Nirvana.

Recorded in one week during October of 1994 (just months after Kurt Cobain's death, and Nirvana's demise), but released in July of 1995, this debut album is jam-packed with chewy, sweet-tasting pop confections -- of course shielded with lush, heavy guitars which produce a thick wall-of-sound -- and is hard not to fall in love with. Like another reviewer stated, it's one thing to know Dave has talent as a vocalist, drummer and tunesmith, but to know he almost *literally* single-handedly did the album by himself -- writing the songs, playing *all* of the instruments -- just makes one a bit envious of his talent. Along with pounding, melodic rockers like "This Is A Call," "I'll Stick Around," "Good Grief," not to mention the pleasantly goofy, get-in-the-mosh-pit intensity of "Weenie Beenie," you get tasty Beatle-esque melodicism and craftsmanship in "Big Me," and speaking of The Beatles, you get a beautifully-atmospheric rocker in the form of "Oh, George," which is a tribute to no other than George Harrison (supposedly his favorite Beatle), and superbly-made tracks like "For All The Cows," which amalgamates elegant bluesy 7th chords, fronted by Dave's smooth-as-silk vocals for the soft parts on the verses, before bursting into explosive, heavy choruses. To close out the album, you get the oceanic, atmospheric heaviness of "Exhausted."

This is an *excellent* album; one of the very best "alternative" albums of the 90s; an album where *every* track on the album is as good as gold. I'd put it in my "top 10" of favorites from the 90s "alternative" scene. It's *that* good, and it holds up quite well after nearly a decade since it's release. Highly recommended.

Dave Grohl wanted the Foo Fighters debut, which, as every punk and their grandmother can attest, was written and performed almost entirely by Grohl -- Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs contributes a guitar track to "X-Static" -- to stand on its own merits. When "Foo Fighters" first debuted, Grohl was quoted as saying, he wanted to do everything possible to distance himself from the success of his former band, to avoid the Foos being viewed as a cash cow Nirvana spin-off as so many other bands from the era were being lambasted.

He probably just didn't expect those merits to win him a Grammy or two and leave him at the virtual top of the modern rock pyramid. And honestly, listening to this record as out-of-context-ly as possible, it's difficult to imagine that the Foo Fighters' sound could mutate into the quintessential "modern rock" sound at all.

"Weenie Beenie" and "Watershed" are acidic bursts of punk charged with theatrical but, befitting the punk style, ultimately simple, guitar flourishes. It's hard to imagine anyone but the most baroquely annoying old farts claiming them to be "immature" and "for teenagers only" -- as the old saying goes, if it's too loud, then you're too old.

However, as with any Nirvana record, "Foo Fighters" possesses an ear for buttery, swirling pop rivaling the best the 1960s had to offer.

Cobain and Grohl always seemed to share a lot of the same ideas about making music. It was the little differences that set them apart. Where Cobain's instantly recognizable, cigarette-choked voice was more akin to biting hot cider, lending a punk edge to pieces like "About a Girl," where he was otherwise belting out a decidedly Beatles-esque melody, Grohl's vocals on the poppier Foos songs are warm, syrupy and squeaky clean in the grand tradition of 60's pop. "Big Me" sounds nearly vintage, and its memorable, self-deprecating video (the Mentos commercial spoof) was a valiant way of saving face and street cred.

Elsewhere lie underground classics like "Exhausted," with its comparably lo-fi My Bloody Valentine-esque lake of guitar feedback paving the way for a classic rock/metal bridge part, and the aptly-named "Floaty" which glides first on a lilting acoustic chord progression and then soars on the same chords distorted. Then there's the amped-up blues of "For All The Cows," the "silly" song Dave always tried to perform for audiences like Howard Stern (who veto'd it in favor of "Everlong"), the George Harrison tribute "Oh, George," the heart-thumping rock 'n' roll of "Good Grief" ... by the time you're done, you've named every song on the album as a standout.

Put simply, every song here does standout as unique from all the others in every way but one -- they all have the Foo Fighters sonic signature stamped proudly on their foreheads.

This is a classic -- the album I stack each and every successive Foos album up against. Each is good in its own way, but none of them can keep up with "Foo Fighters" and its rabid, fast-paced diversity of style.

Me: Thirty-eight year old with a fondness for the Beatles, Al Green, and the Sex Pistols.

My son: Fourteen year old who pretends to like my music.

Scene 1: He and I in the car with the radio on.

(Fade in..."This Is A Call" is playing...)

Me: Who is this band?

Son: The Foo Fighters.

Me: Who?

(Long silence)

Me: These guys aren't bad.

Scene 2: He, his friend and I delivering bags of leaves for the annual townhouse community clean-up. The radio is on.

(Fade in..."Big Me" is playing...)

Me: Is this the Foo Fighters?

Son: Yeah.

Me (noticing the bevy of eye-poppingly nice female teenaged units who have eyed our mini-van now that the sliding door has been opened and they can hear the music): Cool.

Scene 3: I'm sprawled on the Lay-Z-Boy in the living room, in a stupor, watching a Saturday Night Live rerun.

(Fade in: The Foo Fighters are rockin' like it's WAY PAST 1999)

Me: Is this off that Foo Fighters album?

Son: Yeah.

Me: What song is this? It rocks!

Son (smiles, knowingly): For All The Cows.

On October 17, 1994, Dave Grohl headed to a Seattle studio with the intent of recording just another demo tape.

This was something he had been in the habit of doing for the past 4 years as a way to kill time when he was on break from his "other" band, NIRVANA. The only difference was, this time for Grohl, the break was permanent.

NIRVANA's magical reign on top of the rock and music world had abruptly ended with the death of Kurt Cobain, the band's frontman, earlier that year. For months, Grohl had been devastated, unable to bring himself to think about music again.

But now, here he was. With his old friend and long time personal producer Barrett Jones by his side, he returned to Robert Lang's Studios, where NIRVANA's final recording session had taken place that January. For the next 6 days, Grohl and Jones, with (a little) help from Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, recorded approximately 15 songs that Grohl had been working on while he had been a member of NIRVANA. A demo tape of this work then was circulated amongst Grohl's friends and peers within the industry.

The buzz was off-the-charts.

Everyone that heard the tape begged Grohl for more, and were shocked to find out he had been doing this for years on his own. Suddenly, the guy who had been "lucky enough to not be the next drummer replaced by Kurt" had people yelling at him to start his own band.

After some time, Grohl obliged, and to appease the hype, decided that by January of 1995, he would release twelve songs off the demo tape as the self-titled release of his not-yet-existent-band, the Foo Fighters, and then rushed off to recruit bandmates before that. But that is another story. The album/demotape itself?

Hands-down, this is the best Foo Fighters album ever released.

While some may argue it lacks the emotion and personal feel of the band's sophomore release, I respond that this release was spurred on by death (as opposed to separation/divorce in the other album's case) and consequentially has more raw feeling to it than anything that would ever follow. It was also the result of four years of tinkering, refining, and creative development by one person, which makes it much more focused (as opposed to two years of work and 3-4 other people in the 2nd album's case, making it much less focused).

This is a very cryptic, lyrically abstract album, a popular trend by the standards of 1994 but a dying technique in today's mainstream music as the average music listener is sadly becoming dumber and dumber. As a result artists need to dumb their lyrical content down to connect with their audience. Fortunately, Grohl has penned a guide to his songs' lyrical content, and that was of great assistance in this review. However, it is quite obvious in the guide that he is purposely silent on some songs because for years, this album has been rightfully been rumored to be about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.

The album starts off with a soft melody, that quickly jumps into a fast-paced, feel-good NIRVANA-esque song entitled "This Is A Call." Grohl pounds the drums with joy, but pounds the guitar and bass with equal aggression. According to Dave, this song is a "shout-out" to everyone he ever knew, and is somewhat of a "thank you." The only issue I have is towards the end, where a melody appears that bears an inverted resemblance to the main riff of NIRVANA's "Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter."

With only a millisecond of recovery time after the first song ends, we immediately are hit with a furious attack of drums, and a "very negative song about violation/deprivation," also known as "I'll Stick Around," kicks off, which ends on a very climactic, repetitive, yet strongly effective note. We are introduced to Grohl's anger for the first time, and to this day it is rumored that this song was written about Courtney Love, whom he felt had abused his friend Kurt when he was alive and even now when he was dead, and also about how he would prove himself to be better than her in the end. Oh, how right he was...

The aggression tones down with "Big Me," arguably the most popular song off this album. It's a sweet, sappy love song about trying to work out issues in a relationship, and most people will remember it for the Mentos allusion in the video. The guitar work is what it needs to be, and Dave's multi-layered vocals are excellent, but his drumming on this track tends to sound too strong and out of place. Love songs like these tend to sound more suitable with William Goldsmith and later Taylor Hawkins on the drums.

"Alone + Easy Target" is a song that Grohl had actually practiced instrumentally with NIRVANA in 1991 during soundchecks before shows, and the NIRVANA-esque feel is there again. This could be a song written about constantly having to prove himself to Cobain but then watching him do the same with his wife. This theme seems to continue in "Good Grief," which talks about "the thought of being ousted," a probable reference to Cobain's reportedly maddening control-freak nature.

"Floaty" is the only song Grohl claims has ever had effects used on his voice, due to his "amazing insecurity about it," but it really makes the song shine. The title, lyrics, and the feel of the song all seem to scream out "spacy." It is absolutely unclear what the song could be about. In my opinion, this is the most "relaxing shoutfest" I've ever heard, particularly during the chorus.

"Weenie Beenie" may be the most pointless song on the album, but we have to keep in mind that this was a demo tape, and Grohl was a former member of NIRVANA, a Sonic-Youth-inspired band with a penchant for experimentation. On this track, Grohl uses an interesting technique of muffling his voice nearly-completely so that the lyrics are unintelligible (fans have since deciphered the words to this song) and putting a very, VERY grungy riff for the verse and the chorus. The song is really funny to listen to the first time, but its repeat value is very low.

Grohl claims that "Oh, George" is also pointless. Perhaps he feels so because of its sound being something like a cross between "Big Me" and "Exhausted," another song on the album, but it's a very reflective song which is my favorite vocal performance by Dave on the entire album. The lyrics seem to about leaving the music world on "the train" and then coming back after having "waited for his turn."

This is followed by "For All The Cows," yet another triumphant bash to Courtney Love and other "cash cows." It makes a mockery out of their desire to advance in society and become "upper class," when at the same time they cannot forfeit their despicable habits more synonymous with less "rich" people. It follows the soft-loud formula of "This Is A Call," but also features some longer playful strumming in the verse by Grohl, while the chorus goes all-out in aggression, and we finally get an excellent solo that rocks up the verse melody.

Greg Dulli drops by for "X-Static," and we are treated to a grungy, brooding session of melancholy by Grohl, who says songs like this are "the only way he can express grief or happiness." The meaning of the apparently defeatist lyrics is strongly unclear. A depressing musical landscape is painted by Grohl. Although this song does not have a fast drumming part, Grohl seems to relish the relief provided by Dulli and bangs the drums with intense fervor for a slower song such as this.

Dave then turns his attention to record industry politics with "Wattershed," and attacks how labels trap idealistic punk bands with their clauses and tricks in contracts, which essentially leads to the bands selling their souls. The song is as aggressive as "I'll Stick Around," which shows how passionate Grohl is about his love for punk and how it is painful to see it in this state.

The album concludes with "Exhausted," a song that is very sad and is primarily instrumental, but features another excellent vocal performance by Grohl. The meaning of the lyrics are unclear. There is a long feedback section of the song, which features intermittent drumming by Grohl at the same time, and creates a similar feel to the "relaxing rockfest" vibe that "Floaty" gave off, except in this case it's much more depressing.

Is this album perfect? Of course not. It's very raw, unpolished, and sounds like...well, a demo tape. But despite all of its flaws, it is 99% a compendium of one man's years of private work, and it is sometimes soft, sometimes loud, sometimes angry, sometimes happy, and sometimes depressing. The best part is that thanks to the abstract lyrics, the listener can make the album be about basically whatever he or she wants it to be and thanks to the emotional range, is suitable for any sort of mood. Although some of the lyrics may be more obvious than others, this is the true gift of the record and why even today, it towers over anything else Grohl has done since. Do yourself a favor and pick this up.

The Foo Fighters self titled debut is really a Dave Grohl solo album. He sings, he plays guitars, he drums (duh). It's his work, and it's pretty impressive.

So, does it sound like Nirvana? At times. "I'll Stick Around" works the soft/loud formula into a perfect modern rock song. "Weenie Beenie" and "Wattershed" are cacophonous slices of punk that aren't too far removed from some of Nirvana's less radio friendly stuff.

But Dave certainly has his own muse as well. "Big Me" is a breezy, bubblegum pop song that definetly wouldn't have fit on any Nirvana record. He also ventures into power pop (the incredibly catchy "This is a Call") and even jazz (mainly the opening verse of "For All the Cows").

Other highlights include the lush, dreamy "Floaty", the raging rocker "Alone & Easy Target", and the pensive "Exhausted".

Although "The Colour and the Shape" and "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" are slightly more consistent overall, this is a terrific album from a talented multi-musician.

Best Songs: This is a Call, Floaty, Exhausted, Alone & Easy Target, I'll Stick Around.

This debut from Dave Grohl will certainly be known for many years to come as a Classic. As most rock music fans know, Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana before Kurt Cobain's death. Not taking any of the glory from Cobain, but Grohl likely had a very strong influence regarding the success of Nirvana.

Much like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl wrote and recorded all of the music on this first album from Foo Fighters. You can certainly tell that Grohl was eager to be independently creative for a long time...and this album is a masterpiece. Grohl really turns up his vocals in "I'll Stick Around"...then later, churns out more melodic tunes, such as the eclectic "For all the Cows". Everything from thrash to warm harmonies are represented here...and I enjoyed every bit of it. I was fortunate to catch Foo Fighters in Cincinnati, back in 1995...and it remains the second-best concert I've ever been to (second only to Page & Plant). Successful diversity has always been what I look for in performers...which Grohl does quite well. He and his band remain one of the last few great rock acts around.

This record forever put an end to Dave's cornball image as "that long-haired dude that plays the drums in Nirvana". Of course, it's really hard to obtain any praise or recognition when you're stuck behind the drum kit while everyone else's attention is focused toward Kurt. Most of these songs were penned by Grohl while still with Nirvana, while others were written containing lyrics responding to Cobain's death. The Foos' debut is merely a collection of solo recordings by Dave with little if no assistance from the band, so it doesn't sound quite as polished and heavily produced as their latter records. Despite all of this, the results are very impressive for a solo musician. This is one of the reasons why this is my fave Foo Fighters release. It's modest and amateur, yet professional at the same time. The lyrics are clever, witty and humourous at times, yet simple enough that I could get inspiration and model my own writing after this. The music itself varies from joyous punk-pop outbursts like "This Is A Call" to nerd pop like "Big Me" or just indecipherable, screaming aggressive noise like "Weenie Beenie" or "Wattershed". I am still having a hard time deciding what song is my fave. I have a new one every day.

1. "This Is A Call" First single that helped propel the band into the spotlight. Strangley, it has no music video to accompany it.
2. "I'll Stick Around" Another single, this one accompanied by a video. The emotional lyrics in the song deal with the sensitive subject of Kurt's death from Grohl's point of view as a concerned friend.
3. "Big Me" This song was a smash hit in 1996. Dave Grohl claimed this song to be a "piss take" (parody) on squeaky clean nerd pop-rock and commercial jingles, hence the famous "Mentos" video.
4. "Alone + Easy Target" This song sounds like Kurt Cobain could have co-written it. Nirvanesque sound and lyrics like "Metronome/I want out"? Hmmmmm...
5. "Good Grief" This could have been a hit with the punk-pop crowd. Catchy garage sound with a laid-back verse, then turns into a total screaming chorus.
6. "Floaty" Only Dave Grohl can write a song about balloon people and can still pull it off and make it sound good.
7. "Weenie Beenie" Okay it's songs like these where I wish lyrics would have been included in the booklet because I don't understand a word he's saying, and what I'm translating is "I'm molasses hung in rent"? What the...? That can't be right!
8. "Oh,George" A more laid-back song with a similar tempo and riff to "Big Me".
9. "For All The Cows" The lyrics are funny and clever, and I can really relate. It's catchy, and a little jazzy at times.
10. "X-Static" A slow song that's good to listen to while relaxing.
11. "Wattershed" A hard rock song that backlashes at the pigheadedness of the music industry, and it also talks about Nirvana.
12. "Exhausted" I found this song boring at first, but it kind of grew on me. Pearl Jam did a cover demo version of this song on Self-Pollution radio in 1994.

Rarely is a debut album as strong and sparkling as the pop/punk masterpiece that Dave Grohl put out in 1995, simply entitled "Foo Fighters." From the start, the songs hit quick, one after the other, each as catchy and headbangingly addictive as the next. Grohl showcases his musical talent by handling all the singing and instrumentation on this CD, proving it's truly a spectacular one-man show. There's a sheen to "Foo Fighters" that was somewhat foreign to many of those early 1990s Seattle grunge groups. Clearly, Dave Grohl was not afraid to take that exposed genre of hard rock music to another level, perhaps a more mainstream level, that a wider group of people could enjoy.

Like his idols Cheap Trick, Grohl plays burning, high-energy rockers with fabulously repetitive sing-a-long choruses like "I'll Stick Around!" Occasionally, as on the great jingle "Big Me," he gets breezy and lighthearted, actually downright pop. However, the solid majority of this record is bang-bang-bang and in your face, a nonstop assault of classic candy pop-punk rock. Each and every song on this album was capable of being a hit single.

Like his talented buddy Kurt Cobain, Grohl has a knack for irresistable chord patterns and melodies within songs. "Good Grief" features fuzz-busting guitar and a smooth drum kick -- hard to believe one guy (a drummer no less!) pulled all this good stuff off. "Floaty" is as good as rock music gets, a properly named tune with a melody that glides like bubblegum pop out of your speakers and into your ears. This is actually a segment of sugarcoated rock 'n' roll that Kurt Cobain may never have touched, but the more carefree Dave Grohl seemed to tackle it with adept glee. Yet, Ghrol can be as equally adept at hard and distorted music, like on the amazing and indecipherable "Weenie Beenie." Other great songs include the breezier, more mid-tempo "Oh, George"; the moments of quietness and blistering rock on "For all the Cows"; the hazy guitars and hypnotic, lulling, well-spaced drums on "X-Static"; the pure punk energy of "Wattershed"; and the weary "Exhausted," which may be one of Grohl's best tunes ever.

When it came out in 1995, "Foo Fighters" was immediately scoured for signs of grand theft from Nirvana's Nevermind album, of which Dave Grohl, new leader of the Foo Fighters, was very much a part of. In retrospect, it's scary to think what kind of music Nirvana might have recorded in the future with more of a Cobain/Grohl songwriting collaboration. "Foo Fighters" is a clean sounding, guitar-driven gem of an album, precise, poppy and hard rocking all at once. What's also noticeable is the expertly chosen order of the tracks, which flow together perfectly for a nonstop assault of headbanging catchiness. "Foo Fighters" is similar to "Nevermind" only in that it rocks tunefully from the first note to the last.

Like its name suggests, the leadoff track, "This is a Call," is an announcement by Grohl that he's arrived and ready to sing about his catharsis: "This is a call to all my past resignation/It's been too long!" As Foo Fighter fans would later find out, Grohl was not averse to polishing his material in the studio, and in that sense, his debut as a Foo also resembles the slickly produced (but not overproduced) "Nevermind." Live, Grohl's falsetto is not quite as controlled as it is on CD, nor is the Foo's sound as tight on stage as it is on record. Still, Grohl's capacity as a musician is phenomenol. On top of singing, the man plays every catchy guitar hook, bass note and drum beat on this CD.

Every song on "Foo Fighters" soars; there's not a dull moment or a loser in the bunch. "Floaty" is transcendent with its dreamy sound and lyrics; "Weenie Beenie" is muscular, loud and surprisingly distorted throughout; "For All the Cows" has that soft vocal/loud verse dynamic that Kurt Cobain so perfected; "X-Static" features superior drumming and a dreamy vibe; "Watershed" is pure punk rock; "Exhausted," the album's closer, is all of the above and more: resigned, distorted, tuneful, tired.

All in all, Dave Grohl and his ever-changing cohorts in the Foo Fighters, despite some great songs after this album, never topped this highly recommended effort.

This excellent rock album from Dave Grohl and Co., is one of the best of the 90's. Considering that Dave wrote every song and played every note, except for one small part by Greg Dulli, the record is even more impressive. With four singles, This is a Call, I'll Stick Around, and For all the Cows, the record is full of hits and other great songs, including two rarely heard Foo b-sides, Winnebago and Podunk. From the opening moments of This is a Call, to the ending of Podunk, the adrenaline never goes down, and you'll be rockin out on your air guitar, and singing and yelling with the exceptional vocals of Dave Grohl. This is one album that I garauntee you will not be dissapointed with, and you will be listening to it for years to come, and it will never grow old. Hey, I have been listening to it for 5 years now, and it gets better every time.

Even though this is fairly modern rock, which many Baby Boomers abhor and revile in preference to their beloved Hendrix, Dylan, Joplin, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc., most of these Woodstuck Heads (like me) will be pleasantly surprised with the tunes on this fine CD.

So, what in the heck IS a Foo Fighter? Just about any surviving WW II military pilot who flew in the European Theater could tell you right away!

On December 22, 1944 an Allied pilot flying at 10,000 feet over enemy territory was trying to spot out German aircraft. At one point he saw two large and orange glowing balls coming at him. The radio operator saw these UFOs as well. These phenomena did not resemble enemy fighters in any way.

The curious objects quickly leveled off and commenced following the allied plane. In an attempt to lose them via evasive actions the pilot maneuvered his plane into a steep dive and the objects followed him down. Then he tried a sharp bank but the objects stayed right with him, seemingly with great ease. For several more minutes the pilot effected multiple aviation tricks in an effort to lose these pursuers, a fruitless exercise which failed. At just about the moment the pilot was ready to give up the objects suddenly vanished into the night. During this entire incident not a shot was fired.

This was a typical example of an encounter with a Foo Fighter. Toward the end of World War II pilots continually reported seeing these strange glowing balls flying around their aircraft at night. They appeared to maneuver with terrific speed, the chief concern of the Allies being that their German adversaries had possibly developed a secret new weapon with high-tech capabilities.

These objects were named Foo Fighters in connection with a popular period comic strip, Smoky Stover. Smoky's frequent line was, "Where there's foo there's fire," the objects seeming to be round, firey shapes.

So we can accurately assert that this band, the Foo Fighters, sort of "pulled their name out of the air" (witless pun intentional). But as to Foo Fighter music, it's quite thoughtful and nicely-executed.

We are typically benefitted in these little reviewing endeavors when some sort of analogy or measuring stick (or both) are cited for comparison purposes. Here, I can say that the Foo Fighters' music manifests clear essential connections with the music of The Beatles, particularly in regard to the early "minimalist" period of that historic and notable rock group. Strangely, I also hear some Black Sabbath in here, ergo, "I'll Stick Around," the second track of the CD, albeit, the Foo Fighters' music "flows" a bit more than Ozzie's stuff did and it exudes a much lighter ambiance. Taking that same song, you'll hear those memorable and innovative [The] Beatles "resolution chords" here and there as well as the latter band's early clarity. One can also experience this all-too-rare effect in particular on the very next track, "Big Me."

All these tunes are best played by a guy in a Mustang convertible (summer day, top down, of course!) cruising along new Route 66 with a pretty girl in the passenger seat, and rolling down the asphalt at about 85 miles per hour with one hand strategically placed on her leg. This is road music at its best... not really dance music so much unless you're into some of the weird new unromantic gyrations.

In any case, this is fine recording for ALL fans of rock music and, having heard the subsequent Foo Fighters CD, this is the superior choice of the two. My highest recommendation.