The Only Thing I'll Ever Ask Of You (Skin And Bones - Foo Fighters)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Skin And Bones - Foo Fighters
Date:	25/06/07 (231 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An amazing sound and new feel to a lot of old favourites

Disadvantages: I wasn't there to hear it for myself

It is often seen as the easy way out for a band to release a live album. After all they are meant to be playing live anyway so recording it and releasing it is almost viewed as cheating. I personally don’t subscribe to this theory and I quite like live albums, especially like this one, the latest release by the Foo Fighters. This collection of classic Foo Fighters tracks was recorded in an acoustic environment at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. It is something I’ve always wanted to hear from the band as they have always struck me as a band who would sound amazing in this sort of setting.

This album isn’t just Dave Grohl with his guitar sat in front of an audience though. It strips the band down to the basic elements and although they have brought in a few session musicians it really has rawer feel to it. Of course there are a number of comparisons with the acoustic session Grohl did with Nirvana back in 1994. Despite the similarities to this session I really felt that this Foo Fighters acoustic gig really stood out as something different.

Of course for a concert like this a band doesn’t really need any new material and generally you find these types of gigs are made up purely of pre released material. This isn’t the case with Skin and Bones as Grohl has mixed in a variety of old favourites with a couple of tracks specifically performed to give it something new. Of course this album is more than just a stripped down version of all the old favourites. Grohl and co have carefully selected the more touching songs from the back catalogue and created a new sound that really suits the style of tracks.

The pace of all the tracks has been slowed right down and Grohl has reworked a lot of them to really suit the acoustic environment. The guitars throughout the album are very drawn and melodic, creating a very mellow vibe around the whole album. The bass seems to be really providing a good backing throughout the album, but doesn’t infringe too much on the sound of the lead guitars. The drums too play a part when required but everything blends into the back ground of Grohl on the lead guitar. The addition of piano’s and various elements of percussion.

It is perhaps the most distinctive aspect of the Foo Fighters music but Grohl’s vocals seem to take to another level during this album. While in the more rock driven tracks his voice sounds fantastic it seems to be even better in an acoustic setting. A lot of the tracks on this album are more emotive and he seems to be able to really sing from the heart. Of course as he wrote all the tracks this should be easy for him but when you compare this to the usual Foo’s material his vocals almost sound more suited to this style. On “Cold Day In The Sun” drummer Taylor Hawkins takes on the lead vocals and like Grohl his vocals really suit this style of music.

As a huge Foo Fighters fan what I am going to say next wont surprise you, but I really don’t feel that there is a bad track on the album. Yes a number of the songs have taken on a different form but they all sound just as good as the original versions. In fact songs like “My Hero” and “Times Like These” actually sound much better in this type of setting. In fact “Times Like These” is actually one of my favourite songs on this album. Each track seems to be able to really touch me as they all sound like they are coming straight from Grohl’s heart and he really seems to have a passion for them. The slower pace of “Times Like These” really seems to suit the track as Grohl wanders through this beautiful track with melodic ease and creates almost a dream like sound with his guitar.

Of course this would easily have been my favourite on the album had it not been for the way this is rounded off. I really do love the bands music in this format but with the album finishing with an acoustic version of “Everlong” it goes beyond that. From the opening bars of the track you can tell this version is going to be something special. It’s a song that really moves me every time I hear it. The vocals are so intense and gripping, while the musical accompaniment really shows how good the band really are. The quiet guitars compliment Grohl’s vocals fantastically, whilst not intruding too heavily on them.

Even though I’ve only had this album a short time it has quickly become one of my favourites and really reinforces the reason why the Foo Fighters are one of my favourite bands of all time. It’s a beautiful album that really links together old favourites like “Everlong” with the newer material like “Razor” or “Skin and Bones”. I really can’t rate this album highly enough and while the Foo Fighters may not normally be to everyone’s taste I really feel this album offers a lot more to a much wider audience. If you buy one live album then I would seriously recommend making it this one, you will not be disappointed.

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1. Razor
2. Over And Out
3. Walking After You
4. Marigold
5. My Hero
6. Next Year
7. Another Round
8. Big Me
9. Cold Day In The Sun
10. Skin And Bones
11. February Stars
12. Times Like These
13. Friend Of A Friend
14. Best Of You
15. Everlong

Summary: An excellent live album by a superb band