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For Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl, the best part about recording the band's stellar third collection, "There Is Nothing Left To Lose," was doing so without a label. The album is discussed.
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Act Recorded 3rd Set Without Label, Then Signed With RCA
NEW YORK-For Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl, the best part about recording the band's stellar third collection, "There Is Nothing Left To Lose," was doing so without a label. The album was cut in the basement of Grohl's home in Virginia shortly after the band exercised its key man clause and left Capitol following last year's departure of former president Gary Gersh (Billboard, July 4, 1998). Grohl describes the recording experience as "intoxicating at times. We were left completely to our own devices." He adds, "One of the advantages of finishing the record before we had a new label was that it was purely our creation. It was complete and not open to outside tampering." Once the songs were done, the band set out to find a new home. It didn't take long for Grohl and cohorts Chris Shiflett, Taylor Hawkins, and Nate Mendel to choose RCA. "From the start, it felt like it would be a good partnership," says RCA will issue "There Is Nothing
RCA will issue "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" worldwide Nov. 9. The set will also carry the band's own imprint logo, Roswell Records.
"We're working with the Foo Fighters at the perfect time," says David Gottlieb, VP of marketing at RCA. "This is the most comfortable the band has ever come across on record. It's no longer the guy from Nirvana who started a band after Kurt Cobain died. Dave Grohl has developed into a strong artistic presence of his own."
Gottlieb says the label's first task has been "getting the Foo Fighters brand out there" and creating opportunities for the band to be visible in a wide variety of settings.
In early September, the label set up an Internet site for the band (www.foofighters.com) that offered frequently updated news on the act, as well as 30-second samples of songs from the album.
Around the same time, the band played two gigs at the "Gravity Games," an extreme-sports program on NBC-TV Portions of the band's performances will air every Sunday throughout October. In mid-September, the band did club dates in New York and Los Angeles to test some of the album's new material and break in Shiflett, who recently replaced former guitarist Franz Stahl. At this point, the band is planning to hold off on a traditional concert tour until early 2000. However, it will do several radio-sponsored one-off shows during the holiday season.
Following the two club dates, Foo Fighters started a press/promo trek through the U.K., continental Europe, and Japan that will run until Oct. 13.
While the band has been abroad, RCA's been working the promo-only first single, the anthemic, guitardriven "Learn To Fly," to mainstream and modern rock radio. This issue, the track is No. 4 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
"This is a record that could and should become a pop crossover hit," says Susan Ray, assistant music director at KQRK Odessa, Texas. "It has a such a strong hook. It stands apart from all of the other rock tracks on the air right now."
Marlon Creaton, manager of the San Francisco-based indie retail outlet Record Kitchen, agrees, adding that the album "has an overall feel that's different from the other rock records due this quarter. It rocks hard, but it's melodic-and it doesn't hammer you over the head." Once the band returns from Europe, a string of television and radio appearances are planned. Already confirmed is "The Howard Stern Show," Nov. 1; "Saturday Night Live," Nov. 6; and "Late Show With David Letterman," Nov. 30. Also, Grohl will appear on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" Nov. 5, without the band.
MTV had the world premiere of the video for "Learn To Fly" on Oct. 7, while VH1 has already committed to adding the clip, which is directed by Jesse Peretz, in new rotation. The video will also be available on the CD version of "There Is Nothing Left To Lose," along with photos of the band, song lyrics, a link to its Web site, and a link to a different Foo Fighters site that will offer what Gottlieb calls "a lot of surprise goodies."
All of this activity sits well with Grohl, who accurately views this album-produced by the band with Adam Kasper-as the act's most assured. "A lot of it had to do with the circumstances by which it was made," he says. "The title of the album says it all; we just wrote and played like all bets were off. No one was forcing us to be there, so it had to be fun-and the songs had to be the best we could possibly come up with at the time."
Part of that is due to the addition of Shiflett to the lineup. "After Franz left, we auditioned about 35 people," Grohl says. "Chris was the best guitarist and best singer out of the bunch. Plus, he fit in with rest of us so well."
Shiflett comes to Foo Fighters after a stint with No Use For A Name. He can be heard on that band's current album, "More Betterness," on Fat Wreck Chords. Managed by John Silva and Gary Gersh at G.A.S. Entertainment, Foo Fighters have had something of a rotating cast since their 1995 inception. Original drummer William Goldsmith left in March 1997 over "creative differences" and was replaced by Hawkins. Guitarist Pat Smear announced he was leaving atop New York's Radio City Music Hall, during the Foo Fighters' performance at the 1997 MTV Music Video Awards.
While such personnel shifts might taint the potency of some bands, the act's evolution seems to have only fortified Grohl and established him as the band's unflappable creative anchor. Evidence of this can be found in such standout, hitworthy new tunes as "Breakout," "Generator," and "Gimme Stitches," which deftly combine classic pop melodies with post-punk aggression. Even Grohl-who is published by EMIVirgin Songs-acknowledges that he's hitting a solid stride as a tunesmith.
"I'm extremely proud of these songs," he says. "We're getting more comfortable with each record. The first one [1995's self-titled debut] was good but kind of weird. We always refer to [1997's "The Colour & The Shape"] as our first album. This one shows us with our shit together. That's a good thing."
Copyright BPI Communications Inc. Oct 16, 1999