Maps of Music

The Colour and the Shape (1997)

Where the lyrics of The Colour and the Shape take you, and where it was really made.

Foo Fighters' second album was the first the band made as a full group, and most of its drum parts were later redone by frontman Dave Grohl himself.

Key places

Where the first sessions began (1996)

Recording site Bear Creek Studio — The first recording sessions for the album began at this studio in Woodinville on November 18, 1996. Grohl later called the sessions a bad experience and scrapped nearly all of the recorded tracks. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Where most of the album was re-recorded (1997)

Recording site Grandmaster Recorders — Most of the album was re-recorded at this Hollywood studio from January to February 1997. Goldsmith's drumming remained on only two tracks, and Grohl played the drums on the rest. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The second studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters
• Released May 20, 1997 by Roswell and Capitol Records
• The first album the band recorded as a full band
• The 1995 self-titled debut was written and recorded entirely by frontman Dave Grohl
• Widely considered a defining album of the post-grunge genre
• Its three singles became staples of rock-oriented radio in the United States
• Among the highest-selling rock albums of 1997 and 1998
• Nominated for Best Rock Album at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards

Background

• After the debut's international success, Grohl recruited Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith
• Pre-production began in the fall of 1996, and producer Gil Norton was brought in to add a pop sensibility
• Primarily inspired by Grohl's 1996 divorce from photographer Jennifer Youngblood
• The track listing was designed to resemble a therapy session, alternating uptempo tracks and ballads
• Goldsmith was offended that most of his material had been re-recorded and left the band shortly after
• Last album released and marketed by Capitol Records; distribution later switched to RCA

Recording

• Recording began on November 18, 1996 at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington
• Most of the Bear Creek recordings were discarded
• Re-recording took place at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood from January to February 1997
• Grohl played drums on most tracks; Goldsmith's drumming remained only on Doll and Up in Arms
• The title came from a remark about a bowling pin bought by the tour manager
• The British spelling colour was chosen as a tribute to Norton, who is British

Cover

• Grohl considered placing a therapist's couch on the album cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Seattle in 1994 as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl.
• Grohl recorded the debut album mostly alone in six days after Nirvana disbanded.
• Recruited bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate, and guitarist Pat Smear.
• The band made its first public performance in February 1995, five months before the debut album's release.

Members

• Current members: Dave Grohl (vocals, guitar), Nate Mendel (bass), Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett (guitars), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), Ilan Rubin (drums).
• Taylor Hawkins died in March 2022; Josh Freese served as drummer from 2023 to 2025 and Rubin from 2025 onward.

Career

• Released twelve studio albums, the twelfth, Your Favorite Toy, in April 2026.
• Won 15 Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album five times.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, their first year of eligibility.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Melody Maker's Victoria Segal called it a great rock album at a time when such albums were viewed with suspicion
• Segal said the album was more cohesive than the debut, unified by a theme of battered romanticism
• The Guardian's Adam Sweeting found the band tempering their grunge sound with a more developed flair for pop songwriting
• Rolling Stone's Christina Kelly was largely positive but singled out Norton's production as distracting
• Entertainment Weekly's David Browne described the sound as like much current alt-rock: been there, grunged that
• The Village Voice's Robert Christgau called the music routine but elevated by Grohl's marital breakup content and concept
• Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber rated the album 3.4 out of 10 and called the music sorely dated

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the production as revolutionary and said it helped define post-grunge modern rock
• Pitchfork's Stuart Berman rated the 2007 tenth anniversary reissue 5.8 out of 10
• Metal Hammer included the album in its top 10 albums of 1997 list in 2020
• Loudwire staff elected it the best hard rock album of 1997 in 2024

Records

• Peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, up from a peak of 23 for the 1995 self-titled debut
• Reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom
• Peaked at number three in the United Kingdom
• Certified Platinum in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom
• Sold more than two million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan, the band's biggest seller there
• All three singles peaked inside the top ten of the US rock charts
• Everlong was certified double platinum in the United States
• Nominated for Best Rock Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's title came from a remark the tour manager made about a bowling pin he had bought
• Pat Smear left after a September 4, 1997 concert at Radio City Music Hall, right before the MTV Video Music Awards
• In 2000, David Letterman revealed that Everlong is his favorite song
• Walking After You was re-recorded with all the members for The X-Files soundtrack, and that version was released as a single
• Goldsmith's drum part on Monkey Wrench was not used; Grohl played the drums on that track when the band re-recorded it

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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