The 11 Best Songs By The Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl is a fighter.  He’s not just a great drummer, singer, guitar chords expert, director, or producer…he’s an innovator. He challenges what is expected of himself, what his fans want from him, and what he’s capable of doing.  By creating the Foo’s new album through an HBO documentary in multiple cities with a guest list that any band would beg to have, he’s changed the landscape of who the Foo Fighters are.  From an offshoot of Nirvana, the Foos have become their own entity.  They are today’s gold standard of rock bands.  In taking on a new endeavor, recording in a new way, always runs the risk of failure.  The Foos know this…but they put themselves out there anyway.  They deserve respect for taking a chance.

This is why I am blown away by Taylor Hawkins recent comments about U2 adding their music to everyone’s itunes library.  He claimed it was Orwellian.  It’s not.  And he obviously didn’t read 1984 to know that he’s misuing the word Orwellian.  U2 didn’t giving away their album for free on your itunes is no different than CBS broadcasting the Big Bang Theory on your television.  You don’t like it?   Don’t watch, don’t listen.

The irony here is that it was the Foo Fighters’ album, “In Your Honor,” that automatically and illegally installed spyware onto your hard drive when you put the compact disc in your computer.  I wonder if there’s a word that would describe that type action, when a corporation secretly spies on its customers.  It’s a good book Taylor, you should read it.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Foo Fighters:

  1. Everlong (The Colour & The Shape)
  2. The Pretender (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace)
  3. I’ll Stick Around (Foo Fighters)
  4. Walk (Wasting Light)
  5. Learn To Fly (There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
  6. Come Back (One By One)
  7. Alone + Easy Target (Foo Fighters)
  8. Breakout (There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
  9. Low (One By One)
  10. Dear Rosemary (Wasting Light)
  11. Good Grief (Foo Fighters)

Buy Foo Fighter’s new album, Sonic Highways…now!

Buy this book or everyone you know will die.

Don’t forget to check out our blog’s awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring Foo Fighters)

The 11 Best Stevie Nicks Team-ups

We all have our favorites.  We all have artists who we follow.  We all have artists who we can listen to no matter the album, whether it’s considered their best or their worst.  For me that artist is Tom Petty.  He has been one of my favorites for over 25 years.  He also may be the only artist among my favorites I’ve never seen live.   That changed this week.  After going through a deeply frustrating personal set-back, one of my best friends came through out of the blue with a free ticket to his show in Anaheim.  It could not have come at a better time, and it was exactly what I needed.  Tom Petty…40 years a rock n roll star…put on one of the best rock shows I have ever seen.   It was big, personal, and filled with every riff I ever wanted to hear out of Petty’s mouth or Campbell’s guitar.  Today, I have gratitude that when we get knocked down that our friends are there to pick us up.

One of Petty’s best rock friends is the one and only Stevie Nicks.  Many people don’t know that Nicks almost became a member of the Heartbreakers in the 80s.  Nicks may have had a massive career in dysfunctional family of Fleetwood Mac but her solo outings were ripe with huge duets and guests that made her equally respected on her own.  And with Mike Campbell sneaking into every one of her solo albums, it’s safe to say that she might as well be a Heartbreaker.

Here are the 11 Best Stevie Nicks Team-Ups:

  1. Stand Back w/ Prince (The Wild Heart)
  2. Stop Draggn’ My Heart Around w/ Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Bella Donna)
  3. Whenever I Call You Friend w/ Kenny Loggins (Nightwatch)
  4. I Will Run To You w/ Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (The Wild Heart)
  5. Leather and Lace w/ Don Henley (Bella Donna)
  6. Magnet And Steel w/ Walter Egan (Not Shy)
  7. You Can’t Fix This w/ Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffe (Reel To Reel)
  8. Too Far From Texas w/ Natalie Maines (Trouble in Shangri-La)
  9. Sorcerer w/ Marilyn Martin (Streets of Fire)
  10. Everybody Loves You w/ Dave Stewart (In Your Dreams)
  11. Twisted w/ Lindsey Buckingham (Twister Soundtrack)

Buy Stevie Nicks new album, 24 Karat Gold…now!!

 

The 11 Best Songs By Dave Grohl That are Not Nirvana or Foo Fighters songs

 

As difficult as it was to narrow down David Bowie’s career to 111 songs, this list might actually be harder.  I honestly believe Dave Grohl has been featured on more albums than David Bowie.  Though many of his appearances may be simmered down by some to a mere session drummer guest spot, there’s a distinguishable energy on many of the songs where Grohl leaves his mark.  The new album is no different…not to mention…he directed a movie.  I was talking to my friend about the new album.  For some reason, he didn’t realize who he was…finally after five minutes of explaining he said, “Oh, you mean the guy from Nirvana.”  No wonder he does as much shit as he does.  Go Dave.

 

The 11 Best Songs With Dave Grohl That Are Not Nirvana or Foo Fighters Songs:

  1. How Do You Do (Dave Grohl – Touch Soundtrack)
  2. Every Day is Exactly The Same (Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth)
  3. No One Knows (Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For the Deaf)
  4. Against The 70s (Mike Watt – Ballhog or Tugboat?)
  5. Bad Boyfriend (Garbage – Bleed Like Me)
  6. Shake Your Blood (Probot – Probot)
  7. Go With The Flow (Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For the Deaf)
  8. Mind Eraser, No Chaser (Them Crooked Vultures – ST)
  9. Good Golly Miss Molly (Backbeat Band – Sountrack)
  10. Your Shoes (Taylor Hawkins – Red Light Fever)
  11. It’s All About The Benjamins Rock Remix (Puff Daddy – Been Around the World)

Buy the Sound Track to Dave Grohl’s documentary, Sound City…now!!!

The 11 Best Dave Grohl Appearences:

 

While I’m still waiting on your turkeys to pick up some albums in this month’s bargain basement…here’s a quick list for the only real album of note this week. (yeah sorry…not a John Mayer fan).

 

 

This month there’s some great albums available in the bargain bin: Anvil, RX Bandits’ Mandala, Owl City, Jay-Z Blueprint 3, The 59 Sound, Daft Punk, Edward Sharpe, Islands Vapours, Antlers’ Hospice, Nelly Furtado, Blitzen Trapper, Flight of the Conchords, Black Eyed Peas E.N.D., Paul’s Boutique, The Clash Live, Minutemen Double Nickels, Decemberists, Relient K mmhmm, Grizzly Bear, Ben Harper, David Bowie…and many others.

 

Here are The 11 Best Dave Grohl Appearences:

 

1. Nirvana
2. Foo Fighters
3. The Backbeat Band
4. Queens of the Stone Age (Songs For The Deaf)
5. Late!
6. Dave Grohl Solo (Touch Soundtrack)
7. Probot
8. Buzz Osbourne (King Buzzo)
9. Cat Power (You Are Free)
10. Killing Joke (2003)
11. Scream
 
Buy Dave’s new supergroup project Them Crooked Vultures only $7.99 this week…with Josh Homme and Zeppelin’ Jon Paul Jones.