Essentially a collection of solo home recordings by Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters' eponymous debut is a modest triumph. Driven by big pop melodies and distorted guitars, Foo Fighters do strongly recall Nirvana, only with a decidedly lighter approach. If Kurt Cobain's writing occasionally recalled John Lennon, Dave Grohl's songs are reminiscent of Paul McCartney -- they're driven by large, instantly memorable melodies, whether it's the joyous outburst of "This Is a Call" or the gentle pop of "Big Me." That doesn't mean Grohl shies away from noise; toward the end of the record, he piles on several thrashers that make more sense as pure aggressive sound than as songs. Since he recorded the album by himself, they aren't as powerful as most band's primal sonic workouts, but the results are damn impressive for a solo musician. Nevertheless, they aren't as strong as his fully formed pop songs, and that's where the true heart of the album lies. Foo Fighters has a handful of punk-pop gems that show, given the right musicians and songwriters, the genre had not entirely become a cliché by the middle of the '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Pat Smear (Guitar), Greg Dulli (Guitar), Dave Grohl (Guitar), Dave Grohl (Vocals), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Charles Peterson (Photography), Jeff Ross (Photography), Tom Rothrock (Mixing), Rob Schnapf (Mixing), Foo Fighters (Producer), Foo Fighters (Main Performer), William Goldsmith (Drums), Nate Mendel (Bass), Steve Culp (Engineer), Barrett Jones (Producer), Jaq Chartier (Paintings), Curt Doughty (Photography), Tim Gabor (Art Direction), Tim Gabor (Design), Jennifer Youngblood (Photography), Jennifer Youngblood (Cover Photo)
All of the album's instrumental parts are performed by Dave Grohl, with the lone exception being a guitar part on "X-Static" provided by Afghan Whigs member Greg Dulli, with whom Grohl had performed as part of an all-star band on the 1994 Backbeat soundtrack.
The Foo Fighters band, originally consisting of bassist Nate Mendel, guitarist Pat Smear, and drummer William Goldsmith, was formed by Grohl after the completion of the album in order to promote it on tour. Despite not appearing on the album itself, the band is featured in the liner notes and was paid royalties for the album.
Grohl had been recording his own music for years prior, releasing a cassette called Pocketwatch (under the moniker "Late!") during his time in Nirvana. The album was recorded in October 1994 in Robert Lang's Studio in Seattle with friend/producer Barrett Jones. This was the same studio where Nirvana recorded its last session just nine months prior.
The gun featured on the cover is the "XZ-38 Disintegrator Pistol," which was originally released in 1935 as a tie-in toy for the Buck Rogers comic strip and radio show. The guns were originally manufactured by Daisy, best known for their line of youth BB guns, and today remain sought-after collector's items.
The cover was shot by Grohl's then-wife, photographer Jennifer Youngblood, and, like the name of his band, reflects his interest in science fiction.
Foo Fighters reached #3 in the UK and #23 in the US, being certified Platinum on January 26 1996.
On Foo Fighters' 2005-2006 live set with Weezer, the band brought "Big Me" back into their live setlist after Weezer covered the song at several shows, as Weezer have been longtime fans of the Foo Fighters. In 1995 Dave Grohl sent Weezer leader Rivers Cuomo a copy of the Foo Fighters debut with a note saying he really liked The Blue Album.
The album won the band their first and only MTV VMA for "Big Me."
