There Is Nothing Left to Lose

There Is Nothing Left To Lose
Studio album by Foo Fighters
Released	November 2, 1999
Recorded	March–June 1999 at Studio 606 in Alexandria, Virginia with additional recording at Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
Length	46:24
Label	Roswell/RCA
Producer	Foo Fighters and Adam Kasper
Foo Fighters chronology
The Colour and the Shape (1997) There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999) One by One (2002)
Singles from There Is Nothing Left To Lose
"Learn to Fly" Released: 18 September 1999 "Stacked Actors (Australia only)" Released: 17 January 2000 "Generator (Australia and Europe only)" Released: 6 March 2000 (Europe) 24 April 2000 (Australia) "Breakout" Released: 18 September 2000 "Next Year" Released: 4 December 2000

There Is Nothing Left to Lose is the third studio album by the Foo Fighters, released November 2, 1999. The album marks the first appearance of drummer Taylor Hawkins, and is often seen as a departure from the band's previous work, showcasing a softer, more experimental sound. In a 2006 interview, Dave Grohl states that the album is "totally based on melody" and that it "might be his favorite album that they've ever done."

Early pressings of the disc included a temporary tattoo, similar to the one featured on the album cover. The album was also re-released in 2001 in Australia as a two-CD edition which offers a second VCD disc of four videos and one bonus track, "Fraternity." This Australian edition has a picture of the Australian swimmer Michael Klim on the front, wearing the temporary "FF" tattoo on his shoulder. The album is widely available as an enhanced CD.

There Is Nothing Left To Lose won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2001, marking the group's first ever Grammy Award. The band would go on to win the Grammy for Best Rock Album for three of their next four studio releases, (One By One, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and Wasting Light).

Background

Prior to recording, guitarist Franz Stahl was fired from the band, as frontman Dave Grohl felt the guitarist had not found his place in all that in the band. At that point, Grohl decided that the band would just be a three piece for the record, along with bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Having just slaved themselves in the studio making the last record The Colour and the Shape and losing two band members in the process, he decided to buy a home in Alexandria, Virginia and make the record in its basement without any record company presence during production.

Dave Grohl notes that he had:

"[...] been living in Los Angeles for about a year and a half, just being a drunk, getting fucked up every night and doing horrible shit, and I'd finally gotten sick of that new car smell. So I bought this great house in Virginia and told everyone I was building a studio in the basement. It was literally a basement with sleeping bags on the walls!"

In 2006, Grohl stated that:

"It was all about just settling into the next phase of your life, that place where you can sit back and relax because there had been so much crazy shit in the past three years. At that point it was me, Taylor and Nate and we were best friends. It was one of the most relaxing times of my whole life. All we did was eat chilli, drink beer and whiskey and record whenever we felt like it. When I listen to that record it totally brings me back to that basement. I remember how it smelled and how it was in the Spring so the windows were open and we'd do vocals until you could hear the birds through the microphone. And more than any other record I've ever done, that album does that to me."

Grohl has stated before that the band would have "a barbeque every day after recording."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone
Sputnikmusic

Reviews for There Is Nothing Left to Lose have generally been positive. Rolling Stone's Greg Kot rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars. He started by explaining that "the first thirty seconds [...] are a bridge to singer Dave Grohl's past". He stated further, comparing the album to the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris", that "[Grohl's] punk background makes him allergic to string sections." However, he said that it "nonetheless marks a departure, with greater emphasis on melody and actual singing." In a retrospective review, Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album four out of five stars, explaining that "it is the first Foo Fighters album that sounds like the work of a unified, muscular band, and the first one that rocks really hard." Furthermore, he stated that it "has a stripped-down sound and an immediate attack that makes even the poppier numbers rock hard." He concluded that "[Foo Fighters] make it sound easy and fun [...] they're getting better as they're losing members and growing older, which is certainly a rarity in rock & roll." In another retrospective review, a reviewer for Sputnikmusic rated it 3.5 out of 5 points. He explained that it was "consistent and includes sufficient highlights" overall. He went on to state that "Stacked Actors" "successfully utilizes some cool guitar effects as well as the quiet/loud formula that the band has become known for." He further stated that "Breakout" "is a really satisfying mix of melody and rock that ends up a genuinely memorable tune." However, he stated that ""Headwires" [...] musically begins like a mediocre mid 80’s radio-rock effort and then simply lacks the necessary grunt to salvage it later on." Comparing the album to The Colour and the Shape, he stated that ""more consistent" and "better" are definitely two different things" because "a number of tracks [are] simply being good and solid".

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel and Taylor Hawkins. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Stacked Actors"	4:17
2.	"Breakout"	3:21
3.	"Learn To Fly"	3:58
4.	"Gimme Stitches"	3:42
5.	"Generator"	3:48
6.	"Aurora"	5:50
7.	"Live-In Skin"	3:53
8.	"Next Year"	4:37
9.	"Headwires"	4:38
10.	"Ain't It The Life"	4:17
11.	"M.I.A."	4:03
Total length:		46:24

Australian/Japanese mini LP bonus track
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Fraternity"	3:09

Personnel

• Dave Grohl – vocals, guitars, drums
• Nate Mendel – bass
• Taylor Hawkins – drums, percussion

Production

• Produced by Adam Kasper and Foo Fighters
• Recorded by Adam Kasper at Studio 606, Alexandria, Virginia
• Additional Recording at Conway Studios, Los Angeles
• All Songs Mixed by Adam Kasper at Conway Studios (except Learn to Fly, Aurora and Live-In Skin, mixed by Andy Wallace at Larrabee Studios, Los Angeles)
• Assistant Mixing Engineer at Conway Studios: John Nelson
• Assistant Mixing Engineer at Larrabee Studios: Tod Reiger
• Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Studios
• Art Direction by Henry Marquez and Foo Fighters
• Photos by Danny Clinch
• Management: G.A.S Entertainment Co.

Album charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	5
Austrian Albums Chart	34
Canadian Albums Chart	4
Finland Albums Chart	25
French Albums Chart	62
German Albums Chart	23
Irish Albums Chart	49
Italian Albums Chart	67
New Zealand Albums Chart	12
Norway Albums Chart	8
Sweden Albums Chart	7
UK Albums Chart	8
US Billboard 200	10
Top Internet Albums	2

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
2000	There Is Nothing Left to Lose	Best Rock Album
2001	"Learn to Fly"	Best Short Form Music Video

"When we won for best rock album, which we made in my basement, I was so proud -- because we made it in my basement in a crappy makeshift studio that we put together ourselves. I stood there looking out at everybody in tuxedos and diamonds and fur coats, and I thought we were probably the only band that won a Grammy for an album made for free in a basement that year." -- Dave Grohl, 2012