There Is Nothing Left to Lose
| There Is Nothing Left to Lose | ||||
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| 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 | ||||
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| Singles from There Is Nothing Left to Lose | ||||
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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."[1]
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.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Prior to recording, guitarist Franz Stahl was fired from the band. According to Grohl on the 2011 DVD Back and Forth it seemed that during the practice and writing of the record Grohl, Hawkins and Mendel all seemed to be on the same page but Stahl had not found his place in all that and it didn't work out; Stahl said he was fired over the phone. [2]
At that point, Grohl decided that the band would just be a three piece for the record. Having just slaved themselves in the studio making the last record The Colour and The Shape and losing two band members, he decided to buy a home in 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!"[1]
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."[1]
Grohl has stated before that the band would have "a barbeque every day after recording."
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Rolling Stone |  [4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
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."[4] 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."[3] 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".[5]
[edit] 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 |
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Total length:
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46:24 | |
| Australian/Japanese mini LP bonus track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 12. | "Fraternity" | 3:09 | |||||||
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Production
- Produced by Adam Kasper and Foo Fighters
- Recorded by Adam Kasper at Studio 606, 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.
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | There Is Nothing Left to Lose | Best Rock Album |
| 2001 | "Learn to Fly" | Best Short Form Music Video |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Kerrang! Legends: Foo Fighters pg.115
- ^ Dave Grohl, Back and Forth DVD 2011
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. There Is Nothing Left to Lose - Foo Fighters at Allmusic. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (November 11, 1999). "There Is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/there-is-nothing-left-to-lose-19991111. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ^ a b "Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose". Sputnikmusic. June 2, 2008. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/25853/Foo-Fighters-There-Is-Nothing-Left-To-Lose/. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
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