Dave Grohl has everything a rock star could want: cred as the drummer for Nirvana, his own band and a sweet beard. After five consecutive platinum albums (two of which were double-platinum), the Foo Fighters needed some way to commemorate their success. Instead of doing a typical "greatest hits" compilation, Grohl opted for a live album, this time: "Skin and Bones." An accompanying DVD will be released Nov. 28.
Originating from Seattle, the Foo Fighters have certainly been successful from the get-go, with four singles reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart. Only one of these hits, "Best of You," appears on "Skin and Bones."
Grohl wrote songs throughout his tenure with the legendary Nirvana, but was afraid to show them to other members for fear of causing conflict that could result in his being booted out. After the demise of Nirvana in 1994, Grohl was prepared to create his own record. A little over a year after Cobain's death, the Fighters released their first album with Capitol Records.
This latest compilation, released by RCA Records, was recorded over a three-night stay in L.A. "Skin and Bones" is all acoustic - Grohl has recently displayed a penchant for the sound hole. This may seem a strange choice for an alt-rock old-timer, but calm down, die-hards: About half of the songs on "Skin and Bones" are originally acoustic anyway.
New to the Foo Fighters cast on "Skin" is violinist Petra Haden, a regular with The Decemberists and The Rentals and contributor to bigger names like Beck, Green Day and Weezer. Also making an appearance is Pat Smear (go ahead, giggle), ex-guitarist of Nirvana and Foo Fighters dropout.
The biggest obstacle with a live album is bringing something new to songs that have already been released. If a band fails to do this, the audience is simply listening to an old playlist on shuffle. Grohl toes this line throughout the album, metering inspirational variants of hits with exact replicas of old songs - except for the echo of a concert recording and applause at the end.
Songs like "Razor" and "Over and Out," both off 2005's "In Your Honor," are too similar to the original recordings to deserve a spot on "Skin and Bones." If someone's paying good money for this live record (or spending valuable time pirating it), several tracks are kind of a rip-off; it's like the audience is paying twice for the same recording.
However, Grohl does bring something new to the record's closer, "Everlong." The acoustic setting adds a new level of quiet emotion that Grohl appropriately punctuates with guttural grunts or yells. Similarly, "My Hero" sounds very different on "Skin," marked with inspirational chimes and piano-led melodies (as opposed to guitar in its original form). In these two songs, the change in instrumentation is appreciated and creates a stirring, quiet-yet-powerful feel.
However, some modifications fall flat, such as the added violin in "Cold Day in the Sun," creating a campy, Counting Crows aura that the Foo Fighters aren't used to. The acoustic styling choices do add a new intensity to several tracks on "Skin and Bones," but as a whole, it serves to expose the Foo Fighters as an ultimately pop-driven band. Without powerful electric guitar chords and strong drumming, they are left with extremely melodic, lyrical songs that are beautiful in their simplicity, yet undeniably pop-oriented.
A surprising number of tracks on "Skin and Bones" are relatively unknown compared to the platinum hit singles Grohl could have filled this album with. For example, "Marigold" is a Nirvana B-side that Grohl initially wrote for 1993's "Heart Shaped Box" single. Also, the title track, "Skin and Bones," is off the Foo Fighters' single "D.O.A." (2005), a somewhat rare release.
Although many songs on "Skin and Bones" are mere reproductions of their original recordings, the tracks in their original form were good, and so they still are here. Yet, as a fan, is it really worth it to buy an album that you already own?
Maybe Grohl would have been better off releasing a "greatest hits" album.
