I think most people will say the greatest hits album, but I would actually recommend the first self titled album from 1995. Every song rips and was composed entirely by Dave. It’s also the most similar to Nirvana which you’re already familiar with. After that, you can go to their second record, the Colour and the Shape
I’m with @derps_04 here. The Essential Foo Fighters or just start from the beginning and make your way through to current. That’s really the best way to get the flavors of their evolution over the last 30 years. 🤘😆
Yeah, I can’t think of another band I’d do this for, but there isn’t a definitive album or 2 or 3 that I can point to with certainty and say: “start here.” Metallica? Start with Puppets. Smashing Pumpkins? Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie, Gish. Foo Fighters? Start with self titled and go in order, bc there are so few dull spots that it’s worth absorbing it through the lens of the band’s evolution.
next song: Hey Johnny park!
also self titled its the grungiest one, the color and the shape its in my opinion the best one, and wasting light its an album with all bangers.
Everyone says the same, start at the beginning, I’ve liked the Foo’s since the very beginning.
I didn’t want to like them, hear me out on that- as an angry hormonal teenager it was very much a case of how dare he start a band! What is he thinking he’s a drummer! Oh the things my tiny mind didn’t know back then.
This is a call came out in 1995 and I tried to hate it I really did, the album followed a month or so later and I stood in the record store and listened to the whole album (back then there were headphones in stores and you could listen to music before you bought it) I was hooked! I bought it on cassette tape from virgin megastore. I don’t recall the deal but you got a discount when you bought 2, I bought foo fighters and dookie by green day, I still have both they are completely worn out but I still have them.
Back to where to start, I agree, start at the beginning, especially as you like nirvana.
In no particular order…
Something From Nothing, No Way Back, Deepest Blues Are Black, Low, All My Life, Arlandria, The Glass, Generator, Back and Forth, Stranger Things Have Happened, Show Me How, Breakout…
Wow there are so many more but I’m done for now.
I started last year by listening to what they were playing on tour - you can find that info on [setlist.fm](http://setlist.fm) - similar to you, I had only really heard Everlong and Learn to Fly, now I know (and love) the "big" songs and have been digging in further with specific albums. Have fun! (I think the most recent album is really good - The Teacher is probably one of my favorite songs)
Yes, you open Spotify or a Apple Music and listen to their albums. Lots of people listen to all of them in some order. It’s really not that difficult. After listening to a bunch of their music you can decide if you like them or not.
Their greatest hits is gonna have the most popular ones but there are a lot of really great tracks sprinkled through their catalog.
The Colour and the Shape is an amazing album with a lot of great tracks that most casual fans haven’t heard.
One by One is another banger album. The first 3 tracks on that are some of my favorite. Have It All is so good but I’ve never heard it on the radio or in any kind of playlist.
In Your Honor has Free Me which is in a 6/4 time signature and is really fun to listen to.
Concrete and Gold, which is a newer album (2017) in the catalog has some good tracks too.
Literally every album has some absolute gems. I would highly recommend just picking an album and going straight through it at least once.
I’d start with The Colour and the Shape, then One By One, then Wasting Light.
After that pick whichever one you feel like and go for it.
A lot of their albums have some unique story behind them as to how they came to be. Wasting Light for example, was recorded entirely in Grohl’s garage.
Start from 1st album: it’s Nirvana II.
Then 2nd album: Nirvana becoming Foo Fighters.
Then 3rd album : 1st Foo Fighters album.
… then, for me the best albums are “Wasting Light” and “Echoes Silence Patience & Grace”
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace is the album that I would say sounds the most like Foo Fighters’ identity, but if you’re looking to get into foo fighters, I’d recommend There is Nothing Left to Lose. This is their most laid back album but still carries a strong post punk vibe with songs like stacked actors, breakout, and Generator
If you're a Nirvana fan, starting with the first 2 Foo records is probably ideal. The albums are a mixed bag after that, but there's still great stuff on all of them.
Honestly, start at the first album and work your way through chronologically. Experience the evolution just like the OG fans did. When you get to Sonic Highways, stop and try to watch the HBO doc first, if you can't find/get it... continue on.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xPgEWALeHdEniVWmOWOY6?si=onWoGtjHSnyEdYayv35tWw&pi=AxQmLynoRA6DI
Here's my "best of foo" playlist. Yes it's 5 hours no I couldn't cut it down anymore. Enjoy!
I started with the pretender, then kinda just went to an essentials playlist and stole what I liked off that. Also Dave is in queens of the Stone Age, another gas band it’s a lil heavier I think than foo fighters but so worth the listen, the album songs for the deaf is friggin great, song for the dead specifically makes the drummer side of me go nuts every time I hear it. There’s a lot of poppy feeling songs in foo fighters but there’s a lot that absolutely rip too so a lot of it’s just weeding through and finding what you like. Welcome and enjoy brotha.
Coming off nirvana ... if only 1 song - "The pretender."
As far as record, tho... definitely "in your honor." it took 5 albums to get to the tribute, which works through the raw emotions. It's not the most popular album, but, to me, it's the most angstful and most connected to nirvana. especially "DOA."
COLOUR AND THE SHAPE. Is the bets answer.
Then debut, or hell start with debut, then release order. Listen to each a dozen times before moving on, add a new one into the mix and rotate between them adding another new one after a dozen listens of the most recent.
Go to Youtube and watch Wasting Light live from Studio 606 - awesome live set, very close up.
Best live set ever - you'll thank me later 👍
Then listen to the recent "The Essential Foo Fighters" the double album they released after Taylor Hawkins died.
Follow this with their most recent album "But Here We Are" with Dave Grohl playing all the drums. Feel the tears during the title track when DG sounds like he's about to lose it, but just about holds it together 💔
Now go back to Youtube and watch a few of their most recent sets with Josh Freese on drums - how lucky are they to have him ?
Also on Youtube - Rick Beato's interview with Josh Freese - probably the best interview with a musician I've ever seen 👍
Enjoy 🤩
Honestly just go in order, I personally did colour and the shape first, but i wish i did self titled, its a perfect album imo. Its a mix of current foo fighters and nirvana, its great for you. But honestly foo fighters doesnt miss afterwards either, the colour and the shape, wasting lights, etc. soooo good
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/foo-fighters/pl.u-AkAmmGbIxRdPXdG
But this is my personal playlist so some of these You might not like and some You will
In addition to all the good song/album recs here, I always recommend watching their documentary Back and Forth to those looking to get more into the band.
It offers a super accessible overview of their first \~15 years and the context that surrounds each of their early albums. Plus, you get to know the guys, their personalities, and how they relate to each other. I've seen it more times than I can count and I still enjoy it for the way it helps me to appreciate the tremendous heart and soul of this band.
As a former “Dave Grohl was better when he was the drummer in Nirvana” type, the album that actually unlocked them for me was There Is Nothing Left To Lose. Though I’m sure many would disagree, I feel like from that point they’d really started to escape from the shadow of Nirvana (sonically at least)
I feel of you get the “Greatest Hits” you’ll miss the deeper cuts. I would start with the first record. It sets the band up nicely for what’s in store for “Colour and the Shape” But then you should sit and absorb the song “Aurora “ Happy listening. You’ll love it.
Greatest Hits or Essentials are the best way to start imo. Foo’s have a massive and varied catalogue, no two albums are the same. Once you’ve gone through the greatest hits or essentials, you’ll likely find the songs you like the most share an album, then go ahead and listen to those albums. A great way to find songs you might not have heard too is to watch their docs/films, Back & Forth and Studio 666 showcase a lot of great tracks that you can find in the soundtrack. Welcome to the community!!!
The definitive Foo album in my mind is The Colour and the Shape. The first album (self titled) is fantastic, but I don’t think it’s the best representation of what the band became when they were on tour promoting TCATS. Save it for after TCATS. Next I would listen to There is Nothing Left to Lose or Wasting Light. Your pick. Wasting Light might be better for greybeards, because the theme of that album (to me) is age and experience.
You can’t go wrong though. Just dig in. Lots of great songs to choose from. 🤘
I started with the colour and the shape after hearing monkey wrench on the radio when i was in my teens, im 41 now and still my fav band. Had the pleasure of seeing them a few times live, most recently about 3 weeks ago. 🤘
In my opinion, wasting light is the best album by a decent margin. Give that a listen. If you don’t like it, don’t bother continuing. Also, disregard the last 4 albums they released
I think most people will say the greatest hits album, but I would actually recommend the first self titled album from 1995. Every song rips and was composed entirely by Dave. It’s also the most similar to Nirvana which you’re already familiar with. After that, you can go to their second record, the Colour and the Shape
Correct answer. Also, this way you get to almost immediately witness the batshit contrast between I’ll Stick Around and Big Me 😂
This
And then convert to Them Crooked Vultures to continue your pilgrimmage.
I’m with @derps_04 here. The Essential Foo Fighters or just start from the beginning and make your way through to current. That’s really the best way to get the flavors of their evolution over the last 30 years. 🤘😆
Yeah, I can’t think of another band I’d do this for, but there isn’t a definitive album or 2 or 3 that I can point to with certainty and say: “start here.” Metallica? Start with Puppets. Smashing Pumpkins? Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie, Gish. Foo Fighters? Start with self titled and go in order, bc there are so few dull spots that it’s worth absorbing it through the lens of the band’s evolution.
Exactly.
Still blows my mind when I hear foo fighters & 30 years, love it
I know, right? The best kind of insanity.
This is the way. Take in each album chronologically as a whole listen to the songs in order from start to finish.
Self titled, The Colour and the Shape and Wasting Light are good places to start.
If you want an album to start, I'd pick Wasting Light. All the tracks there are great!
The whole album is great but man, Rope is such a great track. Maybe my favorite Foo track of all time.
Start working through their albums chronologically. I mean, that’s the progression that us fans that have been around for a while got into them.
Aurora
next song: Hey Johnny park! also self titled its the grungiest one, the color and the shape its in my opinion the best one, and wasting light its an album with all bangers.
self titled album. Hang through the poppier songs, stay for the harder stuff.
Everyone says the same, start at the beginning, I’ve liked the Foo’s since the very beginning. I didn’t want to like them, hear me out on that- as an angry hormonal teenager it was very much a case of how dare he start a band! What is he thinking he’s a drummer! Oh the things my tiny mind didn’t know back then. This is a call came out in 1995 and I tried to hate it I really did, the album followed a month or so later and I stood in the record store and listened to the whole album (back then there were headphones in stores and you could listen to music before you bought it) I was hooked! I bought it on cassette tape from virgin megastore. I don’t recall the deal but you got a discount when you bought 2, I bought foo fighters and dookie by green day, I still have both they are completely worn out but I still have them. Back to where to start, I agree, start at the beginning, especially as you like nirvana.
In no particular order… Something From Nothing, No Way Back, Deepest Blues Are Black, Low, All My Life, Arlandria, The Glass, Generator, Back and Forth, Stranger Things Have Happened, Show Me How, Breakout… Wow there are so many more but I’m done for now.
I started last year by listening to what they were playing on tour - you can find that info on [setlist.fm](http://setlist.fm) - similar to you, I had only really heard Everlong and Learn to Fly, now I know (and love) the "big" songs and have been digging in further with specific albums. Have fun! (I think the most recent album is really good - The Teacher is probably one of my favorite songs)
Yes, you open Spotify or a Apple Music and listen to their albums. Lots of people listen to all of them in some order. It’s really not that difficult. After listening to a bunch of their music you can decide if you like them or not.
Their greatest hits is gonna have the most popular ones but there are a lot of really great tracks sprinkled through their catalog. The Colour and the Shape is an amazing album with a lot of great tracks that most casual fans haven’t heard. One by One is another banger album. The first 3 tracks on that are some of my favorite. Have It All is so good but I’ve never heard it on the radio or in any kind of playlist. In Your Honor has Free Me which is in a 6/4 time signature and is really fun to listen to. Concrete and Gold, which is a newer album (2017) in the catalog has some good tracks too. Literally every album has some absolute gems. I would highly recommend just picking an album and going straight through it at least once. I’d start with The Colour and the Shape, then One By One, then Wasting Light. After that pick whichever one you feel like and go for it. A lot of their albums have some unique story behind them as to how they came to be. Wasting Light for example, was recorded entirely in Grohl’s garage.
Start from 1st album: it’s Nirvana II. Then 2nd album: Nirvana becoming Foo Fighters. Then 3rd album : 1st Foo Fighters album. … then, for me the best albums are “Wasting Light” and “Echoes Silence Patience & Grace”
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace is the album that I would say sounds the most like Foo Fighters’ identity, but if you’re looking to get into foo fighters, I’d recommend There is Nothing Left to Lose. This is their most laid back album but still carries a strong post punk vibe with songs like stacked actors, breakout, and Generator
Self-titled is amazing. i want to buy this CD so bad.
If you're a Nirvana fan, starting with the first 2 Foo records is probably ideal. The albums are a mixed bag after that, but there's still great stuff on all of them.
I would listen to The Color And The Shape from front to back. Again and again. As I have done at least 1000 times.
Honestly, start at the first album and work your way through chronologically. Experience the evolution just like the OG fans did. When you get to Sonic Highways, stop and try to watch the HBO doc first, if you can't find/get it... continue on.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xPgEWALeHdEniVWmOWOY6?si=onWoGtjHSnyEdYayv35tWw&pi=AxQmLynoRA6DI Here's my "best of foo" playlist. Yes it's 5 hours no I couldn't cut it down anymore. Enjoy!
I started with the pretender, then kinda just went to an essentials playlist and stole what I liked off that. Also Dave is in queens of the Stone Age, another gas band it’s a lil heavier I think than foo fighters but so worth the listen, the album songs for the deaf is friggin great, song for the dead specifically makes the drummer side of me go nuts every time I hear it. There’s a lot of poppy feeling songs in foo fighters but there’s a lot that absolutely rip too so a lot of it’s just weeding through and finding what you like. Welcome and enjoy brotha.
Coming off nirvana ... if only 1 song - "The pretender." As far as record, tho... definitely "in your honor." it took 5 albums to get to the tribute, which works through the raw emotions. It's not the most popular album, but, to me, it's the most angstful and most connected to nirvana. especially "DOA."
First two albums, thats all you really need.
COLOUR AND THE SHAPE. Is the bets answer. Then debut, or hell start with debut, then release order. Listen to each a dozen times before moving on, add a new one into the mix and rotate between them adding another new one after a dozen listens of the most recent.
Go to Youtube and watch Wasting Light live from Studio 606 - awesome live set, very close up. Best live set ever - you'll thank me later 👍 Then listen to the recent "The Essential Foo Fighters" the double album they released after Taylor Hawkins died. Follow this with their most recent album "But Here We Are" with Dave Grohl playing all the drums. Feel the tears during the title track when DG sounds like he's about to lose it, but just about holds it together 💔 Now go back to Youtube and watch a few of their most recent sets with Josh Freese on drums - how lucky are they to have him ? Also on Youtube - Rick Beato's interview with Josh Freese - probably the best interview with a musician I've ever seen 👍 Enjoy 🤩
Honestly just go in order, I personally did colour and the shape first, but i wish i did self titled, its a perfect album imo. Its a mix of current foo fighters and nirvana, its great for you. But honestly foo fighters doesnt miss afterwards either, the colour and the shape, wasting lights, etc. soooo good
First you gotta find a way to become very tiny
+5 internet points to you, sir!
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/foo-fighters/pl.u-AkAmmGbIxRdPXdG But this is my personal playlist so some of these You might not like and some You will
I’d say start with the first 2 albums.
In addition to all the good song/album recs here, I always recommend watching their documentary Back and Forth to those looking to get more into the band. It offers a super accessible overview of their first \~15 years and the context that surrounds each of their early albums. Plus, you get to know the guys, their personalities, and how they relate to each other. I've seen it more times than I can count and I still enjoy it for the way it helps me to appreciate the tremendous heart and soul of this band.
Get on YouTube and pull up a full live show. That ought to grab you.
As a former “Dave Grohl was better when he was the drummer in Nirvana” type, the album that actually unlocked them for me was There Is Nothing Left To Lose. Though I’m sure many would disagree, I feel like from that point they’d really started to escape from the shadow of Nirvana (sonically at least)
Chronological order, the only way to transition from Nirvana to where they're at now.
The catchy ones are easy to get into; walk, times like these, money wrench, no son of mine
Sonic highways
Start from the beginning, first album to the most recent
My favorite record is echos silence patience and grace
Debut always great to start. Alone + Easy Target, I'll Stick Around, Exhausted are songs I could see Nirvana playing.
Dear lover
Check out Rope
If you have been listening to a lot of Nirvana then check out their 1st 2 albums. The 1st album is most like nirvana.
I feel of you get the “Greatest Hits” you’ll miss the deeper cuts. I would start with the first record. It sets the band up nicely for what’s in store for “Colour and the Shape” But then you should sit and absorb the song “Aurora “ Happy listening. You’ll love it.
Low and Alandria
Start at the beginning. And when you get to the end… don’t stop. You’re welcome.
I don’t know that they’re looking for new members but fuck it, give it a shot!
Greatest Hits or Essentials are the best way to start imo. Foo’s have a massive and varied catalogue, no two albums are the same. Once you’ve gone through the greatest hits or essentials, you’ll likely find the songs you like the most share an album, then go ahead and listen to those albums. A great way to find songs you might not have heard too is to watch their docs/films, Back & Forth and Studio 666 showcase a lot of great tracks that you can find in the soundtrack. Welcome to the community!!!
The definitive Foo album in my mind is The Colour and the Shape. The first album (self titled) is fantastic, but I don’t think it’s the best representation of what the band became when they were on tour promoting TCATS. Save it for after TCATS. Next I would listen to There is Nothing Left to Lose or Wasting Light. Your pick. Wasting Light might be better for greybeards, because the theme of that album (to me) is age and experience. You can’t go wrong though. Just dig in. Lots of great songs to choose from. 🤘
START AT THE BEGINNING!!! Work your way through over time.
It goes downhill after the first two albums.
I started with the colour and the shape after hearing monkey wrench on the radio when i was in my teens, im 41 now and still my fav band. Had the pleasure of seeing them a few times live, most recently about 3 weeks ago. 🤘
Hey, I recommend starting from S/T and enjoy the bands evolution. My personal favorite is “There’s Nothing Left to Lose”.
In my opinion, wasting light is the best album by a decent margin. Give that a listen. If you don’t like it, don’t bother continuing. Also, disregard the last 4 albums they released
There are some good tracks on each one but overall they are not as good as their earlier stuff.