The Shape Of Things To Come (The Colour And The Shape: 10th Anniversary Edition - Foo Fighters)

Member Name: fooyoo

Product:	The Colour And The Shape: 10th Anniversary Edition - Foo Fighters
Date:	10/09/04 (250 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant lyrically, Musically excellent

Disadvantages: As if!!!!

My user name gives it all away really, but just in case you aren?t sure, I am a huge Foo Fighters fan, and more specifically, the man behind it all?the legend that is Dave Grohl. 1997 release, ?The Colour & The Shape? was the second album release from the band which Grohl put together in 1994 after his Nirvana heyday, and it was without doubt more commercial than their debut. When he put the band together, he had the confidence to be the front man, and not hide behind a drum kit unrecognized as he had done for so many years before.

The line up on this album is different from the one you see today. Grohl is and always has been the front man, with Nate Mendel on bass providing talent, and the humour behind a lot of the videos that the band release. At the time of release, Pat Smear was the guitarist and William Goldsmith was the drummer, albeit only on two tracks, and Grohl drummed the rest. They have now been replaced by first Franz Stahl and now by Chris Shiflet and my wife?s favourite Taylor Hawkins.

The album opens with a less than 90 second blast of a track called ?Doll?. When I say blast, I do not mean in terms of noise, as it is a pretty low key opener which leads nicely into an immediate high point on the album with the majestic ?Monkey Wrench?. It is a fast track dependent on heavy guitars and drums accompanying Grohl?s vocals as he asks ?What have we done with innocent?? Wouldn?t we all like to know!!

?Hey Johnny Park!? has the best chorus on the whole album. It is a mixed tempo track which at times comes across as truly heartfelt, and there is a lot of passion in this song. This is the kind of song which cements my belief that although it is not commonly believed, that Dave Grohl is a genius, and gets far less credit and exposure than he des
erves, although sometimes I am sure he likes it that way, and he can just concentrate on doing what he loves.

The intro to ?My Poor Brain? would make many people skip the track as it sounds like radio interference before the mellow opening of the song takes over. Grohl?s vocals are barely audible until the chorus kicks in briefly before returning to the mellow verse. If I had to pick my least favourite song on the album then this would most likely be it, purely because it is probably the least memorable, and affects me much less than the other tracks do.

?Wind Up? is a song where the music is more important than the words, as it assaults your ears right from the word go. Grohl?s vocals are more screamed than sung, in much the same way he sings ?Monkey Wrench?, although the screaming makes the lyrics barely audible which is why the song needed to have such extreme drumming and guitar playing or it could have fallen flat on it?s face.

The tempo drops dramatically with ?Up In Arms?, as Grohl soothes the listener with understated vocals and music, and even when the faster, rockier section of the song kicks in it fails to spoil the mood that the song initially created and I always feel quite mellow when I am listening to this track, when by rights my blood should be pumping pretty hard.

An absolute stand out track is how I would describe ?My Hero?. The band are back to playing knock out music, whilst combining it with lyrics to really hit home. I have read many theories that Dave wrote this song about Kurt Cobain, but I am not convinced as I truly believe that Dave was more responsible for the greatness that was Nirvana than many people think, and no way was he in awe of Cobain.

?See You? has a bit of hillbilly rock feel to it, and seems like a jokey track rather than the band trying t
o make a serious piece of music. It is so different from anything else on the album, but the bubbly upbeat song is one I always enjoy listening to, and shows another side to the band, which we have seen when they are in video, but not witnessed in their music.

Just to show they haven?t gone too soft, the next track ?Enough Space? goes right back to the hard hitting rock roots that the band evolved from. The drums steal the show, but when you have one of the best drummers in the world behind the set (Grohl) then I would expect nothing less. Played live, this is an absolute knock out of a track and really gets the crowd going.

?February Stars? should stick out like a sore thumb on this album as it is just so different from the other songs in the collection, as it is laidback, soothing and a bit girly if I am honest, however it works, and I have no idea why as it sounds like it would be more suited on a ?Snow Patrol? album. The lyrics make you take time out to really listen to them, and for me that is the key to the success of the track.

If you have never heard ?Everlong? then I urge you to hunt it down somewhere and listen to it at least once, as it is one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life. Played live, I cannot think of a better track to listen to, and I know the majority of Foo Fighters fans would share that opinion. If ever a chorus made a song, then it is the chorus on ?Everlong? as it just takes you on a journey, which when a song can do that it has to be something special. Go and listen to it now I beg of you!!!

?If everything could ever be this real forever,?
?If anything could ever be this good again,?
?The only thing I?ll ever ask of you,?
?Gotta promise not to stop when I say when?

When my daughter was a baby, only weeks old, she used to love me to
sing to her when she was tired, and the song I always used to sing was ?Walking After You??.no, there was no Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, it was Foo Fighters all the way, and now 4 years later, she can sing every word on this album!! The song is a haunting ballad, a love song even, which was used on the soundtrack to ?The X Files? film. It is an understated song which may take a couple of listens to really appreciate, but when you do, it will stay with you.

We?re at the last track already!! ?New Way Home? finishes the album off nicely, and as a song it fits right in the middle of what has gone before it. It is rocky, but less pitchy than ?Monkey Wrench? and the like, but it is not as mellow as the slower tracks. It is a nice upbeat rock song with simple lyrics and ties everything up neatly, and is a perfect example of the polished production.

This album appeals to a wide range of listeners, in that it ticks most boxes that rock music fans will look to fill, but then it also attracts the listeners who like the music a little more toned down or with a more commercial feel. A lot of that is down to the fact that the production is much slicker on this album, and a lot of the rough edges have been smoothed off. Many people feel that the lean towards a more mainstream sound, and the loss of Smear and Goldsmith meant that this album was where the band peaked and quickly went downhill, but I have to disagree, and say that the band are now about making brilliant music, and the band members do not have hidden agendas. It is an essential album for anyone?s collection.

Capital letters courtesy of: http://www.chuckleweb.co.uk/fixit.php

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