Foo Fighters - Greatest Hits

Audio Mixers: Chris Sheldon; Jim Scott ; Adam Kasper; Nick Raskulinecz; Andy Wallace; Rich Costey; Rob Schnapf; Tom Rothrock. Liner Note Author: Dave Grohl. Recording information: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); Grandmaster Recorders, Hollywood, CA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); Hook Studios, North Hollywood, CA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); Pantages Theater, Hollywood, CA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); Robert Lang's Studio, Seattle, WA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); Studio 606, VA (10/17/1994-06/??/2009); WGNS Studios, Washington DC (10/17/1994-06/??/2009). Photographers: Tony Woolliscroft; Laura Kleinhenz; Hamish Brown; Charles Peterson ; Danny Clinch. Almost 15 years on from their debut, Foo Fighters deliver their first Greatest Hits, a 15-track (16 if the double dip on "Everlong" counts) retrospective covering their six albums from 1995 to 2007. Greatest Hits isn't arranged chronologically, which isn't a detriment; if anything, skipping through the years emphasizes just how consistent the Foos have been, always delivering oversized rock & roll where the hooks are as big as the guitars. The only exceptions to the rule are the two lo-fi cuts "Big Me" and "This Is a Call," with "I'll Stick Around" qualifying as this comp's inexplicable omission ("Walking After You," "DOA," "Stacked Actors," and "No Way Back" all also didn't make the cut), plucked from their 1995 debut, where the band was only Dave Grohl recording at home. Apart from this pair of tunes, this is all muscular, melodic modern rock, the kind that Foo Fighters almost patented, and if their consistency has occasionally made their albums blend together, it does result in one strong hits collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine