For this year’s National Album Day, I’m travelling back to 1999 and pulling There Is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters from the vaults. Dusting off a collection of music that I will always play in its entirety without skipping a track.
The late ‘90s heralded change for the Foos. Franz Stahl, who joined after guitarist Pat Smear’s exit, was asked to leave and the line up briefly consisted of Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Recorded in the basement studio of Grohl’s new house in Alexandria, Virginia – on tape – with no digital interventions, auto-tuning or record company, the band’s third studio album was purely their creation.
The result? Arguably their most refined and melodic offering and TINLTL won the Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2001. Learn to Fly, Breakout and Stacked Actors still rock 20 years on and I love the rawness of Headwires and M.I.A. I’ve been known to repeat-play Ain’t It The Life as it evokes blissful memories of travelling. But it’s Aurora. Aurora is the one. Nostalgic and luminous, just under six minutes of epicness. By far, one of my favourite tracks of all time.
When the album was completed, Chris Shiflett joined Foo Fighters as the second guitarist and the rest, as they say, is history. Dave Grohl has been quoted as saying that this might be “[his] favorite album that [they’ve] ever done.”
Dave, I’m with you. Hell yeah.
There Is Nothing Left To Lose by Foo Fighters, 1999, chosen by feature writer Nicola Greenbrook
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