Foo Fighters

Well, I don't know, the entire concept behind the album seems very Rolling Stone to me. I mean the celebration of American music history that the albums also seems to be and Foo Fighters recording in old legendary studios etc etc

The biggest "complaint" I've heard if you will, is that they loose themselves as a band in the whole ordeal, but I can't really comment on that until I've heard the full album.

Unrelated, I heard that Dave wanted to re-recorded their debut (because it was only him at the time and he wanted the full current band to do it) but Hawkins talked him out of it...Thank god for that! I know I'm boring, but the old FF will always be the best to me :) I'll take "I'll Stick Around" over pretty much anything since.
 
I don't see how that's Rolling Stone at all. Rolling Stone doesn't care about the roots of American music and is only concerned about the current trends. It's a very one dimensional magazine and rarely (if ever) praises something that doesn't fit its cookie cutter preferences. It's a problem that American music has in general. Pop music seems very unaware of its past and has become almost faceless as a result. There isn't appreciation for American music out here and it's very sad. Shows like Sonic Highways are good because they could potentially open the door to many different styles of music to an audience that might not even be aware of its existence. I'm very looking forward to the New Orleans episode for this reason. Recently Lady Gaga did a jazz album with Tony Bennett. It isn't anything particularly special musically, but it's a huge step in the right direction as far as music appreciation goes, and that's what it's all about. Same with Sonic Highways.

The cool thing about this album is that each song has its own identity. You can hear the influences of whichever city they were in not only in the lyrics but the music as well. But despite all this, it is still unmistakeably Foo Fighters. They don't lose themselves as a band. Again I think people who say things like that barely know the band in the first place and just wanted another Wasting Light or TCATS. There needs to be more albums like Sonic Highways.
 
When I think of a classic American rock magazine, I still think Rolling Stone just because of their legacy. But yes, I realize this is not true anymore :( Actually, I never really read their articles but I just went there and yes, it features everything from Sports and News stuff but lo and behold, in the review sections, Sonich Highways...4½ stars out of 5 which is very good I guess :D
 
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/foo-fighters-sonic-highways-20141111
I think you misread, it was 3.5/5. And if you actually read the review it's quite unfavorable, I'm surprised he gave it that high of a rating.

And just as I predicted, lots of comparisons to Wasting Light and their earlier material. I get comparing it to the last album, but it seems pretty obvious from the start of the album that they aren't going down that road again. And no it's not experimental, but it deviates enough to make it unique. They're trying new things here.
 
Another look at Grohl, Foo Fighters and the series:
http://www.bdcwire.com/the-pretender-why-i-cant-stand-dave-grohl/

... The Foo Fighters’ new documentary came to HBO in October, a new Foo Fighters album arriving synchronously on November 10. Grohl’s thesis in the show is presented early on: the city where music is recorded has a profound influence on how it sounds. Easy to agree with. During the first episode in Chicago, Buddy Guy talks about making instruments with rubber bands when he lived on a Louisiana plantation. His burning need to make music brought him all the way to Chicago, where he found success he never dreamed of. “I was looking for a nickel, and I found a quarter,” he says, in his smooth and soulful voice.

It was so pure and amazing that I wanted 30 more minutes of Guy’s story. Instead, the episode cuts to equipment tagged with the Foo Fighters logo being wheeled into a studio where the band begins to cut a song for their new album. This is when it becomes clear that “Sonic Highways” is nothing more than promotion for the Foo Fighters and their new record. “Sonic Highways” does not care about music, and neither does Grohl.

The Foo Fighters are the nexus of each episode. Everything comes back to the Foo Fighters trying to record an album in this “revolutionary way,” not the city and its music. The episodes are littered with profile shots of Grohl looking out the windows of public transportation as the city moves by – melodrama that reveals the show’s true thesis: rock ‘n’ roll is alive only because of the Foo Fighters.

Each episode ends with a music video of the new song as Grohl’s lyrics flash on the screen in a totally punk rock font (you just know he certified that decision with a set of devil horns and a “badass!”) as he screams in his trying-so-hard-to-sound-rock voice, “I was looking for a nickel, and I found a quarter!” ...
 
What a sad, pessimistic view of the one guy actually doing something to keep rock music alive while honoring its vast history. Is Dave Grohl the savior of rock 'n' roll or an incredibly brilliant musician? No. But he is using everything he has at his disposal, which is quite a lot of brains and talent, to keep the hard rock attitude alive.

Also, last time I checked, an eight-hour documentary takes a lot of time, money, and heart to produce. Will it result in more sales for Foo Fighters? Absolutely. But no one will convince me that it is a shallow commercial.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
What a sad, pessimistic view of the one guy actually doing something to keep rock music alive while honoring its vast history. Is Dave Grohl the savior of rock 'n' roll or an incredibly brilliant musician? No. But he is using everything he has at his disposal, which is quite a lot of brains and talent, to keep the hard rock attitude alive.

Also, last time I checked, an eight-hour documentary takes a lot of time, money, and heart to produce. Will it result in more sales for Foo Fighters? Absolutely. But no one will convince me that it is a shallow commercial.
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Yep. Fuck off Mr. critic.
 
I'll say this, I am not sure people outside the US realize how dead rock music (especially hard rock) is in the US. Bands that used to play arenas are lucky to play sheds, many are in theaters or small clubs. Hell, Ace Frehley is starting up a tour and he is playing 500 seat venues. Judaas Priest rolling through here is playing in a minor league hockey arena, the last Deep Purple album had opening week sales of 2,000 and their US "Tour" was 10 dates.

Little if anything new gets played on the radio, it is all classic rock

Anything anyone can do to promote rock/hard rock (even if just their band) is fine with me. Right now, it is just a sad state of affairs.
 
Didn't know it was that terrible these days (again!).

I had no clue that Grohl is really keeping rock alive by honouring the past. It still sounds incredibly exaggerated. And it's pathetic that the only focus on rock is classic rock. Personally I would not be happy with it. It generates a vicious circle, a narrowminded "play classics"-attitude, bands and fans should not be happy with, if they are into bands who are still creative.

Out here, there's hardly any (recent) metal on the radio as well, but we still have lots of bands from all kinds of countries and genres playing here. In Europe there are huge festivals. Because we don't give a shit about what the media tells their DJs (and us!) to do.
 
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I think the "he is keeping rock alive" is a bit exaggerated. But the Foo Fighters really are about the only hard rock band that gets much mainstream press. If anything, they are the face of hard rock by default.
 
US has never been big on festivals ... it has always been a city to city type of touring. There are lots of reasons for the decline, but I think to Foos should get some credit for at least keeping hard rock somewhat in the mainstream
 
Most US cities have a big summer festival or county fair that draws some B-list names. But like bearfan says, the bands that can fill a decent venue usually won't play those. There's more status to drawing 2000 on your own name than 15,000 because you're one of several bands at a fair that everyone would have attended anyway.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
Curious, who is "we" in the above? Netherlands or Europe in general?
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Europe. Not in all countries. I think these bigger metal festivals started in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany but nowadays you see them in e.g. Scandinavia, France, but also more in Central Europe.

I remember that Maiden did really well in the US some years ago, in arenas. Perhaps drawing even bigger crowds than in Europe (playing bigger venues). What happened? Or is Maiden an exception to this downfall of rock?

edit:
Here a map of sharing some metal fests in Europe. :)
http://www.allmetalfest.com/european-metal-festivals-map/#.VGZ6uMmt-B8
 
Maiden is a bit of an exception, they have increased their draw year to year and playing sheds. Most hard rock bands play them as well, but need to rely on double bills to draw a decent crowd. A band like Aerosmith will draw in arenas though

Part of my theory on why Maiden does well is they do not play the same show year after year like a lot of other bands.
 
Forostar said:
Didn't know it was that terrible these days (again!).

I had no clue that Grohl is really keeping rock alive by honouring the past. It still sounds incredibly exaggerated. And it's pathetic that the only focus on rock is classic rock. Personally I would not be happy with it. It generates a vicious circle, a narrowminded "play classics"-attitude, bands and fans should not be happy with, if they are into bands who are still creative.
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I'm not sure what you're getting this from. They're talking about all kinds of different types of music on the show, different types of rock, not just classic. Did you watch the show?

The Foo Fighters aren't keeping rock alive (and nobody is saying that anyway), but they're doing a lot for the genre in this country. They're probably the only modern rock band who can still fill arenas out here. Iron Maiden does well but they still do some amphitheaters and smaller venues out here. Judas Priest played a minor hockey league stadium out here on the Epitaph and half the room was completely empty. Honesty these critics that are getting quoted here seem to be the same people who don't want rock alive in the US.
 
Mosh said:
I'm not sure what you're getting this from. They're talking about all kinds of different types of music on the show, different types of rock, not just classic. Did you watch the show?
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I think he was referring to bearfan's comment about what gets played on the radio.

Mosh said:
Judas Priest played a minor hockey league stadium out here on the Epitaph and half the room was completely empty. Honesty these critics that are getting quoted here seem to be the same people who don't want rock alive in the US.
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I saw The Black Keys play in a hockey league stadium two nights ago. The seats were full on the main level, empty on the second level, and the GA floor was only half full. If a band like The Black Keys, who get even more radio exposure and commercial ad placement than Foo Fighters, can't fill a mid-sized arena, that pretty much says it all about rock fans in the States.
 
Ah, then in that case yea I completely agree. The radio out here sucks.

The Black Keys were probably the biggest show to come through Denver in 2012ish or whenever those big hits came out. They were barely a blip on the radar in retrospect, very sad.
 
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