Search - Foo Fighters :: Greatest Hits

A fine Foo retrospective, but is missing a few key tracks

Greg | Houston, TX | 11/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you ask me, the Foo Fighters are long overdue for a hits album, in fact they should've put one out at least 3 years ago. They've been one of the most significant and consistant rock artists over the last 14 years. If you're a casual Foo Fighters fan, the odds are that this CD has most if not all the songs you're looking for. But to those who have payed closer attention to the band over the years will notice that some significant songs are missing, which is pretty much the case with any "greatest hits" album. In the liner notes, frontman Dave Grohl writes, "These 16 songs are what we're calling our 'Greatest Hits,' not to be confused with 'Our Best Songs' or 'Our Favorite Songs,' it is a collection of the songs that have defined our band's identity to most people over the years." I think that's a pretty acurate statement, but even still, I would've fought for a few more songs to make this compilation. For example, where is "I'll Stick Around"? It was one of the band's first major hits, and it's even included on the DVD for the deluxe version of this package. "Stacked Actors" and "Next Year" also could've been included, they weren't huge hits but they were released as singles and the former has become a staple at their live shows. Also, "D.O.A." and "Let It Die" are nowhere to be found, and these songs got tons of radio play. There's also a long list of less popular singles, but I didn't really expect them to make it on here. There's only so much room on a CD, but I think we could've cut out "Skin and Bones" since it wasn't really a hit, probably just a favorite of Grohl's. The acoustic version of "Everlong" wasn't entirely necessary, although it is cool to have since I'm a collector and I'm sure a lot of the female fans will dig it. Then there's 2 new songs; "Wheels" is a pretty strong track and it makes a great close to this chapter in the band's career, but "Word Forward" is kind of a throwaway song and was probably just left over from a previous album session.



But I'm not here to complain, we still get 12 other classic songs from one of this decade's best rock bands! "Everlong", "My Hero", "Monkey Wrench", "Learn To Fly", "All My Life", "Times Like These", "Best of You", "The Pretender", "Long Road To Ruin", "Breakout"...It was also nice to see the first album represented with "This Is A Call" and "Big Me" since it seems to be overlooked in recent years. All the songs seem to have been remastered, they sound as loud and rich as ever!



If you're a real Foo fan, I highly recommend the deluxe edition that comes with the DVD. For just a few dollars more you can have the band's music video collection. Who could forget hilarious videos like "Big Me" and "Learn To Fly" or the cool visuals in "Times Like These" and "Everlong"? I'm pretty sure every one of their music videos is here with the exception of "Breakout" and "The One." These were probably left off because they aren't owned by the label due to their use of images from the films Orange County and Me, Myself & Irene. But to make up for it they give you 4 live performances! This package will make an excellent Christmas gift this season for any longtime Foo Fighters fans or just about anyone who digs mainstream rock."

This CD is a gem!

Ms. Melissa Goldsberry | Boston, MA | 11/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has the Foo Fighter's greatest hits. From Big Me to Wheels, this CD is a must have for any Foo's fan. Very highly recommended!"

Skin and Bones

M. Christensen | Canada | 11/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though many people say Skin and Bones should not be on this album, I think it serves its purpose. I've seen the Foo's 4 times now and the last time I saw them they absolutely ROCKED that song. It was probably one of the best performances they did that night. Hands down, great song. Obviously there were going to be songs that were missed because they have way too many great songs for one cd unless they made it a double."