Product Description

Sixth album from probably the most recognizable and popularband in American rock follows 2005's double set 'In Your Honour' and 2006's unplugged live effort 'Skin And Bones'. This release features a strong 70s stadium rock influence and sees the band letting rip and rocking out, with occasional moments of calm which highlight the depth and maturity of DaveGrohl's songwriting. Recorded with Gil Norton, who producedtheir breakout album 'The Colour And The Shape', it includes the single 'The Pretender'.

Track Listing

1. Pretender
2. Let It Die
3. Erase/Replace
4. Long Road To Ruin
5. Come Alive
6. Stranger Things Have Happened
7. Cheer Up Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)
8. Summer's End
9. Ballad Of Beaconsfield Miners
10. Statues
11. But Honestly
12. Home
13. Once And For All

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #306 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Reviews

Dave Grohl’s sixth album fronting post-grunge rockers Foo Fighters finds him softening his game somewhat, although not in the manner of 2005’s In Your Honour, which countered the Foos’ stadium metal moves with a second disc of acoustic songs. Rather, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace sees Grohl taking cues from his beloved Led Zeppelin, penning a record that incorporates muscular rock shapes with piano ballads ("Statues"), picked acoustic moments ("Come Alive") and free-wheeling, classic-tinged jams like "Summer’s End"--a song about romantic dalliances in the "sweet Virginia countryside". While it’s undoubtedly a mature sort of record for the Foo Fighters, however, that’s not to say that their edge has been blunted. With the band reunited with producer Gil Norton, whose skill for quiet/loud dynamics did a lot for 1997’s The Colour and the Shape, tracks like "The Pretender" and "Erase/Replace" are muscular, dynamic rockers that balance subtle, atmospheric moments with epic bursts of rage. The track "Cheer up Boys (Your Make-Up Is Running)", meanwhile, feels like a jibe at the emo hordes who’ve tried, but failed, to dislodge Grohl’s crown. It’s the sound of a band growing into middle age gracefully. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

their best yet
a perfect mix of rock and acoustic, which is what they do best. yes, even better than colour and the shape in my opinion

Foo Fighters by numbers
Fair play, rock bands like the Foo Fighters do attract loyalty. I had a feeling that this one would maybe disappoint me-- a few months later, many listens later, I'm afraid I was right. Why was I so sure? I guess it was borne out of "In Your Honour", where whereas the acoustic set was genuinely outstanding, the regular CD was quite dull, only "No Way Back" and "DOA" really standing out. I wondered whether the regular Foo Fighters sound had run out of steam, and that they needed to split up - highly unlikely now that they are a MASSIVE commercial draw - or at least look in different directions - highly unlikely now that they are a MASSIVE commercial draw. Unfortunately, the Foo Fighters are suffering from "Chili-Peppers-mainstream-dullness" syndrome.

I think what has irritated me most is that so many of these songs appear to have been knocked off formulaically. Track one, "The Pretender" - video very similar to "All My Life"...let's have a listen...yes, quite a similar pattern...my God, there's even a section three quarters through where I feel like shouting "Done, done, on to the next one"! It doesn't really improve from there. Some are perfectly listenable, and would stan out maybe on mainstream radio - Long Road to Ruin, Cheer Up Boys, Summer's End, Stranger Things Have Happened - but none of these are exciting in the same way that most of the songs on "One By One" were for example. Where they have veered off the beaten track - "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Minors" for example it seems strangely out of place on this album.

I don't know, it's not that the album's BAD, it's just that I've heard it before. So into the collection it goes until The Foos knock off another one the same in two or three years...it's a great shame, because I'm sure that as individuals they still have a lot to offer.

One of the top bands around
Every now and again an album comes out that no matter what your taste in music, you can admire the quality. I'm not a big Foo Fighters fan. I like rock amongst other stuff but this group have to at the top of the tree at the moment. I can't thing of a bad track. Its not all thrashing guitars (although when there is its good). Some gentler tracks that you don't normally associate with Foo Fighters are really good. If you have never bought an album by this band, this is probably a good one to buy.