Gotta wonder what Dave Grohl thinks, deep down, about the recent release of Nirvana's "'Greatest Hits." Damn thing comes out within weeks of his present band's newest release - Foo Fighters, One By One (RCA) - so, naturally, the Nirvana disc is the one that receives all the press. For a band with its own solid discography of guitar-based pop-rock, that has to be frustrating as hell.
And yet, and yet . . . listening to the pop-focused Nirvana collection, I can hear the problem. When he wasn't pissing on his own pop talents - or striving to establish indy cred by including well-nigh unlistenable tracks on the group's discs - Kurt Cobain was a damn fine tunesmith. If the band produced only one fully solid studio album, well, that's one more than the Doors ever did.
I've read several fannish slags of the new Nirvana collection (the best of which is probably Kenan Hebert's), and it's understandable how such clear holiday product could inspire the wrath of fans. But I've personally been playing & enjoying the disc quite a lot over the last month. Removed from all the surrounding artsy noise experiments, the band's Beatlesque tendencies come to the forefront. Not a bad thing, thinks this pop geek.
But how 'bout that new Foo Fighters' disc? I like it a lot. Grohl and co. have developed their own strong alterna-pop sound - a little bit more metallic on the guitar, less vocal pleading & more straightforward lyrics - even if it does get a bit samey at times (Grohl clearly lacks Cobain's range of vocal expressiveness). Shrieking opener "All My Life," the melancholy "Tired of You" & power ballad "Lonely As You" are the instant standouts. But, as with all the other Fighters' discs, the whole thing plays well all the way through.
I think of the Foo Fighters as grunge rock's version of New Order: another band that rose from the ashes of their self-destructive leader's demolition. May not be a glamorous as the original, may not have the fleurs du mal whiff about 'em - but they've sure got a good beat. If few of the band's songs attain the level of transcendent pop bliss that Saint Kurt could seemingly summon up at will, that's just the unjust draw of the Creativity Lottery . . .
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
Nice analysis Bill, thanks. The appeal of Nirvana was the tightrope walk between solid songwriting craftsmanship, and Cobain's ragged voice, guitar and emotions.
And I much prefer the Doors' first to "Nevermind," by the way.
2 - Bill Sherman
Two words, Eric: "The End."
3 - Eric Olsen
Gotta love "The End," Bill: compelling psychodrama wedded to trippy psychedelia - still shocking and powerful to this day.
Ooo, burn.
4 - Bill Sherman
Looks like we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this 'un. But, when it comes down to it, I prefer the Mothers of Invention parody ("Tiny Sick Tears," which pops up on the 4th volume of You Can't Do That On Stage), which neatly pricks Morrison's portentious poetasting.
5 - The Theory
ironically, i think that even the Queens of the Stone Age's newest cd has overshaddowed the new Foo Fighter's cd, even though it was released a while back.
I'm always hearing things like, "The new foo fighters has a feel simular to the Queens OTSA disc... except QotSA is better."
peace.
6 - Bill Lowe
Why even bring up the Doors in this article? Just because Morrison also died? If you don't like "The End", listen to Strange Days or Waiting for the Sun. Any of the first three Doors albums can stand up against anything released by a Dave Grohl band.
7 - Bill Sherman
I hate when I have to explain my own smart-ass remarks, but since you asked:
to my admittedly biased ears, both bands produced elpees where reach exceeded grasp; both bands contained charismatic & self-destructive lead singers; both bands have since grown in their fans’ estimation to the point where romantic elevation of their leads’ tragic have bled into an assessment of their work. I’ve read several reviews of the new Nirvana track that discuss the lyrics in relation to Cobain’s suicide; this may or may not be a legitimate tack to take, but what strikes me is the fact that so many listeners feel the impulse to do so. In the case of both the Doors and Nirvana, band legend impinges on our understanding and appreciation of the works.
And just to show that I’m totally critically bankrupt, I’ll admit: my favorite Doors album is Morrison Hotel.
8 - Mike Finley
To me, the Doors first album is one of the great first efforts in rock, and "Strange Days" is even better.
After that it becomes harder to appraise them. "Waiting for the Sun" has some really ripe songs on it -- "Spanish Caravan" and "Five to One" both strike me as lesser efforts, but done bombastically. It's like the drugs are taking their toll. Was "Unknown Soldier" on that? It was more of the same.
The best songs on this record are minor leftovers from the previous too -- "Waiting for the Sun," "Not to Touch the Earth," "The River Knows."
And then ... "Soft Parade" is a wretched record. "Morrison Hotel," a modest roots comeback, but missing the poetry that made their first efforts so interesting. They strive to be ballsy instead. It's the booze talking!
And their final, with "Riders of the Storm," is uneven, but often quite good. Morrison was the problem -- the angels stopped talking to him, so he had to come up with stuff himself. It was a struggle.
I saw the Doors play at the Whiskey in 1967 -- they were good.
9 - b unit crew
rock is noy my thing