Dave Grohl....how do you rate him? (1 Viewer)

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Jack is definitely wound tightly, but does seem to have a leg to stand on in the conflicts I've been aware of. Maybe takes them a little too far. Then there is the story of when Dan Auerbach got to Nashville and was being driven around to see the sights by an old-timer who knows everybody, and the old-timer called Jack and said he was with Dan and wanted to come by and show him Third Man and Jack's response was no, I don't want that guy in my ####### studio. Ha. Apparently, Jack feels that Dan bit just a little much from him for his comfort. Right down to moving to Nashville. And I'm your fact checkin cuz.

But he's an interesting interview subject. It's probably behind the premium wall now, but his WTF interview is great.

This makes me like Auerbach even more

 

[MAC_32]

A little overrated but understandably so considering his contemporaries/competition of the last couple decades. I've tried to get into FF during three different road trips this summer and no. He's great no doubt, but for me anyway there's something blah about the songs. shrug

I like the Foo Fighters, even if they usually stay in their fairly narrow comfort zone. I can see why some would think their songs are blah, but for kick ###, straight-ahead hard rock, you won't find much better these days.

Don't get this narrow comfort zone perspective. How can anyone listen to the two discs of In Your Honor and say they have a narrow comfort zone? They aren't alike.

That's the exception to the rule. The rest of their albums basically all have the exact same sound.

I guess I am thinking of it in relative terms. If I had to make a top 50 favorite bands/artists list, if Foo Fighters would make it (they'd be right at the borderline of making it, TBH), they'd probably be the least diverse band on there.

And I don't really mean it as a criticism. Like I said before, with them, what you see is what you almost always get: kick ### hard rock.

Edit: if you are curious at all whose these 50 bands/artists would be, off the top of my head (in no order): Rush, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Devin Townsend, Yes, Queen, U2, Muse, Genesis, Flower Kings, Radiohead, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Neal Morse, Zeppelin, Opeth, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Camel, Moody Blues, Death Cab, Sabbath, The Police, Judas Priest, Decemberists, Van Halen, Flaming Lips, The Who, dredg, ELP, Tears for Fears, Arcade Fire, Queensryche, Dave Matthews Band, Billy Joel, Styx, Triumph, Peter Gabriel, Prince, Sigur Ros, Pet Shop Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Bowie, Doobie Brothers, Rolling Stones. That is 50. I'd have a tough time putting Foo Fighters ahead of any of them, so they'd just barely miss out on my top 50.

I don't think Colour sounds anything like their other albums either. Beginning to end, they absolutely nailed two albums and were otherwise very consistent while also being great performers live. Of all the bands from the 80's on I doubt I can think of five better.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I would put Jack White right there beside him

White Stripes

Rancontuers

Dead Weather

Solo stuff

Actually White >>>>>Grohl the more I think about it. Much more diverse and innovative, and if you've seen him play live, holy crap.

seems like a big doosh though, which evens them out a bit for me.

I think he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If we had a beer together , pretty sure I would try to beat him down.

Meant Jack White seems to be a doosh.

Can you unpack this a bit?

The link to the interview was one thing, but thought I remember hearing about White #####ing about how a few bands ripped off their sound and were basically White Stripes clones. He is supremely talented, but it is not like The White Stripes' music reinvented the wheel or anything.

 

[Apple Jack]

Nobody is reinventing the wheel. But Jack's tone/rage/craftsmanship/taste confluence was the first of it's kind that I'm aware of. Anybody who saw an early White Stripes show in a small room will tell you, that was a before and after kind of experience for even the most seasoned musician/show goer. Brutal. Vicious. Relentless. In all the best ways. His tones were candy to any audiophile, gearhead or not. That was his x factor. His fuzz tones were very easy on the ears. Eno's warm jets with a broken switch crackle. I haven't seen anything like it before or since.

 

[skycriesmary]

Grohl is from NoVA & is a local fav. Most underrated member of Nirvana & an all around cool guy. That being said, his music tends to be formulaic. Start slow with a nice melody... work up to screaming Dave. Repeat.

Still head & shoulders above the rank & file shlock that passes for music.

Grohl is a good musician, and I think he's been outspoken on some important issues. That being said, he's nowhere near the 'best of the last 30 years'.

 

[Fennis]

I imagine everyone has seen the video of the 1000 Italians playing Learn to Fly and his followup response?

Definite cool dude who gets it who also rocks pretty hard.

Pretty ####in awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozAmXo2bDE

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

- Great drummer

- Great front man

- Solid guitarist

- Good songwriter

- Cool guy

- Creative, as shown by Sonic Highways and Sound City documentaries

- Great resume, including Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stone Age, and many other collaborations

I love the Foos music and rank Grohl right at the top of his era's musicians.

Put me down for this as well.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I would put Jack White right there beside him

White Stripes

Rancontuers

Dead Weather

Solo stuff

Actually White >>>>>Grohl the more I think about it. Much more diverse and innovative, and if you've seen him play live, holy crap.

seems like a big doosh though, which evens them out a bit for me.

I think he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If we had a beer together , pretty sure I would try to beat him down.

Meant Jack White seems to be a doosh.

He's a private person so that makes him a doosh?He's done a ton for the city of Detroit, he's actually quite an awesome guy.

Also I've seen both foos and Jw live, I the Jack White show was the most perfect I have ever seen.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I would put Jack White right there beside him

White Stripes

Rancontuers

Dead Weather

Solo stuff

Actually White >>>>>Grohl the more I think about it. Much more diverse and innovative, and if you've seen him play live, holy crap.

seems like a big doosh though, which evens them out a bit for me.

I think he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If we had a beer together , pretty sure I would try to beat him down.

Meant Jack White seems to be a doosh.

He's a private person so that makes him a doosh?He's done a ton for the city of Detroit, he's actually quite an awesome guy.

Also I've seen both foos and Jw live, I the Jack White show was the most perfect I have ever seen.

whats he done for Detroit? he pretty much lives in Nashville now

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I would put Jack White right there beside him

White Stripes

Rancontuers

Dead Weather

Solo stuff

Actually White >>>>>Grohl the more I think about it. Much more diverse and innovative, and if you've seen him play live, holy crap.

seems like a big doosh though, which evens them out a bit for me.

I think he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If we had a beer together , pretty sure I would try to beat him down.

Meant Jack White seems to be a doosh.

He's a private person so that makes him a doosh?He's done a ton for the city of Detroit, he's actually quite an awesome guy.

Also I've seen both foos and Jw live, I the Jack White show was the most perfect I have ever seen.

whats he done for Detroit? he pretty much lives in Nashville now

So?

He bought the Masonic Temple, has invested in downtown retail, has given large charitable contributions to the Diocese, school age programs, and to Wayne State.

He could live in Brazil for all I care.

 

[Angry Beavers]

Saw them at Wrigley last night. Great Effin Show.

Wish I could have gone. How were Urge Overkill and Cheap Trick? Weather crappy there or did it clear up?I'm a big fan of his Probot side project also.

I was too busy pre-partying to see Urge Overkill. Cheap trick was good. Weather wasn't bad. It rained for a good 30 minutes during the Foos but nothing too heavy. I was in the outfield (the floor the way it was setup) so there was no cover. It just added to the experience. Dave Grohl brought his mom out for her Birthday.. The whole place sang her Happy Birthday. It was an emotional night for DG.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I would put Jack White right there beside him

White Stripes

Rancontuers

Dead Weather

Solo stuff

Actually White >>>>>Grohl the more I think about it. Much more diverse and innovative, and if you've seen him play live, holy crap.

seems like a big doosh though, which evens them out a bit for me.

I think he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If we had a beer together , pretty sure I would try to beat him down.

Meant Jack White seems to be a doosh.

He's a private person so that makes him a doosh?He's done a ton for the city of Detroit, he's actually quite an awesome guy.

Also I've seen both foos and Jw live, I the Jack White show was the most perfect I have ever seen.

whats he done for Detroit? he pretty much lives in Nashville now

So?

He bought the Masonic Temple, has invested in downtown retail, has given large charitable contributions to the Diocese, school age programs, and to Wayne State.

He could live in Brazil for all I care.

I wasn't sure what he had done, shrug

 

[PIK95]

Meh.

 

[Ghost Rider]

A little overrated but understandably so considering his contemporaries/competition of the last couple decades. I've tried to get into FF during three different road trips this summer and no. He's great no doubt, but for me anyway there's something blah about the songs. shrug

I like the Foo Fighters, even if they usually stay in their fairly narrow comfort zone. I can see why some would think their songs are blah, but for kick ###, straight-ahead hard rock, you won't find much better these days.

Don't get this narrow comfort zone perspective. How can anyone listen to the two discs of In Your Honor and say they have a narrow comfort zone? They aren't alike.

That's the exception to the rule. The rest of their albums basically all have the exact same sound.

I guess I am thinking of it in relative terms. If I had to make a top 50 favorite bands/artists list, if Foo Fighters would make it (they'd be right at the borderline of making it, TBH), they'd probably be the least diverse band on there.

And I don't really mean it as a criticism. Like I said before, with them, what you see is what you almost always get: kick ### hard rock.

Edit: if you are curious at all whose these 50 bands/artists would be, off the top of my head (in no order): Rush, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Devin Townsend, Yes, Queen, U2, Muse, Genesis, Flower Kings, Radiohead, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Neal Morse, Zeppelin, Opeth, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Camel, Moody Blues, Death Cab, Sabbath, The Police, Judas Priest, Decemberists, Van Halen, Flaming Lips, The Who, dredg, ELP, Tears for Fears, Arcade Fire, Queensryche, Dave Matthews Band, Billy Joel, Styx, Triumph, Peter Gabriel, Prince, Sigur Ros, Pet Shop Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Bowie, Doobie Brothers, Rolling Stones. That is 50. I'd have a tough time putting Foo Fighters ahead of any of them, so they'd just barely miss out on my top 50.

I don't think Colour sounds anything like their other albums either. Beginning to end, they absolutely nailed two albums and were otherwise very consistent while also being great performers live.Of all the bands from the 80's on I doubt I can think of five better.

I can think of many.

Again, I like the Foo Fighters, but they are not a favorite of mine.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I appreciate the Foo Fighters model, Grohl has built what is essentially a brand that is really unparalleled. I'm not a music guy but they did a cover at RFK concert of Queens Under Pressure that was terrific. I mean terrific. So Groh asked the crowd after how they liked it and everyone roared. So he asked if they wanted to hear more covers and some like me yelled. He got pissed and asked the crowd if they wanted to hear more Foo Fighters? He got a rumble but nothing overwhelming. Again, he was pissed.

Look, this is a great band and my woman likes them more than anyone else sans Jack White, so I'm willing to listen. But I know what good music is and there have been better than Foo Fighters, and his cover of Queen kind of showed that. It was so great but wasn't as good as the original, because Queen and David Bowie were simply better at music than David Grohl. That's ok, but Grohl wants to be considered the best ever IMO and that will never happen.

I don't love the Foo Fighters but I really do love the brand and the consistency of the music. It's great for sure, just not among the best ever IMO and that's ok.

 

[saintsfan]

I am a fan of Grohl. Like his music. Also, I like him. He gets it. Loves his fans and gives props and respect to his elders.

Do I think anybody would have noticed him in the 60s or the 70s?? No. I don't think he's at that level. In this era of rock basically nowhere to be found on pop radio, he's great. An oasis for those of us that like rock music, but don't want to search too hard for it. But the Foos aren't remotely close to Dave's former band and not in the same stratosphere as most of great bands of the 60s and 70s.

 

[glock]

Grohl is from NoVA & is a local fav. Most underrated member of Nirvana & an all around cool guy. That being said, his music tends to be formulaic. Start slow with a nice melody... work up to screaming Dave. Repeat.

Still head & shoulders above the rank & file shlock that passes for music.

"Don't bore us- get to the chorus!" - Dave Grohl

 

[tommyboy]

there aren't a lot of people that can say they were the drummer in a hall of fame rock band and the lead singer and lead guitarist in another hall of fame rock band.. He's the Bo Jackson of 90's rock, 1st ballot

 

[Bull Dozier]

I dug the first couple of albums, but the rest have just been meh. I don't know if the difference is Grohl drumming (I think he is an amazing drummer) or if he jjust isn't that talented of a sog writer. I wouldn't turn his music off if it came on the radio, but I wouldn't search it out anymore.

 

[DocHolliday]

- Great drummer

- Great front man

- Solid guitarist

- Good songwriter

- Cool guy

- Creative, as shown by Sonic Highways and Sound City documentaries

- Great resume, including Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stone Age, and many other collaborations

I love the Foos music and rank Grohl right at the top of his era's musicians.

This.

While foo fighters lack the cultural rift-inducing impact of nirvana, it's safe to say they are among the top rock acts of this generation. He not only was involved in two commercially massive acts who actually produced damn good music, but he made the shift from stick swinger to axe slinging frontman. Not sure there is anyone comparable.

Not to mention the generally awesome guy he seems to be off the stage.. Seems to love what he does, and has a damn good time shticking it up. Loves his fans and simply seems to "get it".

I'm not the biggest foo fighters fan, but I enjoy their music. I'm a bigger fan BECAUSE of grohl.

This sums it up for me. I lilke many FF songs but do not love any of them. Something always seems to be missing.

Grohl seems like a great guy and has been nothing but good for R & R in a time when R & R is not very exciting.

 

[17seconds]

Above Timberlake in manlove factor

 

[the moops]

Do I think anybody would have noticed him in the 60s or the 70s?? No. I don't think he's at that level.

There are plenty of subpar bands from the 60s and 70s that made names for themselves

 

[Eephus]

Do I think anybody would have noticed him in the 60s or the 70s?? No. I don't think he's at that level.

There are plenty of subpar bands from the 60s and 70s that made names for themselves

It's harder for a rock band to establish themselves today than in the 60s, 70s (or 90s for that matter). Rock n Roll is further from the popular mainstream than its been in over a half century. What's left is a hopelessly fragmented scene where nobody registers on the charts or fills arenas or sheds. The big rock tours are largely nostalgia exercises where dinosaur acts play their old material to again audiences.

The Foo Fighters real claim to fame may end up being the last American rock n roll band to achieve long-term popular success. In the two decades since there have been a few bands who had one or two hit records and a much larger group of cult acts who reached a devoted but limited audience. I don't know if the Foo Fighters could have done this without the Grohl/Nirvana factor to help launch their career.

 

[Tau837]

Something I didn't see mentioned in this thread is the method Grohl used to record the first Foo album. He handled all of the music himself except for the guitar on one song, and that only because Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs was watching him record, and he eventually asked him if he wanted to play. He recorded the entire album in one week. Pretty awesome creativity and execution on Grohl's part.

 

[17seconds]

I'm quite sure if you can manage a decent performance of the acoustic version of Times Like These around a campfire, you get laid that night.

 

[Ditka Butkus]

He yells his songs. I no like.

 

[jwb]

I like them, but the Foo's have a very Foreigner/Bad Company feel to them (e.g., a group where the Greatest Hits album will suffice nicely.)

I do think Grohl is very talented in the transition he made, and appears to be an awesome dude. He also shows up at *everything* - any awards or tribute show, he's there. For better or worse, he's the face of modern rock.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I like them, but the Foo's have a very Foreigner/Bad Company feel to them (e.g., a group where the Greatest Hits album will suffice nicely.)

I do think Grohl is very talented in the transition he made, and appears to be an awesome dude. He also shows up at *everything* - any awards or tribute show, he's there. For better or worse, he's the face of modern rock.

BOooooooooooooooooo

foreinger sheesh

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Shoreline next Wednesday night, me, booze, and the foo fighters!!!

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

I dug the first couple of albums, but the rest have just been meh. I don't know if the difference is Grohl drumming (I think he is an amazing drummer) or if he jjust isn't that talented of a sog writer. I wouldn't turn his music off if it came on the radio, but I wouldn't search it out anymore.

Respectfully disagree - Wasting Light and Sonic Highways are damn near perfect albums. Almost, but not quite. throw away one song from each album and they would be perfect.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

I saw them last night, one of the best rock shows I've ever been to. Dave grohl truly loves to rock

 

[Mr. Ected]

I saw them last night, one of the best rock shows I've ever been to. Dave grohl truly loves to rock

Is he still seated, or can he stand yet?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I dug the first couple of albums, but the rest have just been meh. I don't know if the difference is Grohl drumming (I think he is an amazing drummer) or if he jjust isn't that talented of a sog writer. I wouldn't turn his music off if it came on the radio, but I wouldn't search it out anymore.

Respectfully disagree - Wasting Light and Sonic Highways are damn near perfect albums. Almost, but not quite. throw away one song from each album and they would be perfect.

I love wasting light, im meh on sonic highways.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

I saw them last night, one of the best rock shows I've ever been to. Dave grohl truly loves to rock

Is he still seated, or can he stand yet?

Still seated, fark I forgot my earplugs and my ears are still ringing today

 

[Mr. Ected]

I saw them last night, one of the best rock shows I've ever been to. Dave grohl truly loves to rock

Is he still seated, or can he stand yet?

Still seated, fark I forgot my earplugs and my ears are still ringing today

That is awesome that he is touring with a broken leg. I know I've said it before, but what do you think the percentage of musicians at would have cancelled their tour after the accident? Coming back onstage for the same event is beyond awesome.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

They opened with this

http://youtu.be/bFsQIwUbCAg

And I figured no way they could keep that energy for 3+ hours but luckily I was wrong! The ended with everlong and the same energy!

http://youtu.be/dTZjETC6CaI