The Essential Foo Fighters
2022 greatest hits album by Foo Fighters
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The Essential Foo Fighters is a greatest hits album released on October 28, 2022 by American rock band Foo Fighters.[3][4] It is part of Sony Music's The Essential series. It was the first Foo Fighters release after the death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25, 2022.
| The Essential Foo Fighters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | October 28, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | October 1994 – 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 85:00 | |||
| Label | Legacy Recordings,[1][2] Sony Music | |||
| Producer |
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| Foo Fighters chronology | ||||
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Reception
The album debuted at number eight on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart, making it the first in the Essential series to reach the top ten of that chart. It also debuted at number 42 on the Billboard 200.[5] In a review by the German edition of Rolling Stone, Kristina Baum stated that "With a new hits compilation which now bears the more modest name The Essential, it becomes clear in 2022 what has happened in 13 more years of band history" and that in "12 to 15 years another Foo Fighters Best Of could probably be released without any problems. Could it still be the end of the Foo Fighters chapter due to the sad circumstances? It would be a shame". Baum also rated the album four out of five stars.[6]
A review by Drew's Reviews stated that "I suspect The Essential Foo Fighters will sell well", but was critical that some tracks were omitted from the album: "Seriously, how do you leave out "Congregation" off Sonic Highways? In fact nothing off Sonic Highways. Weird." Drew's Reviews also noted that it is missing the song "Run" from the Concrete and Gold album which is only represented by one song, "The Sky Is a Neighborhood".[7] A review by AllMusic was more positive stating that 13 years since the band's last Greatest Hits album Foo Fighters have had an additional four Top 10 albums which provide a "fair chunk" on The Essential Foo Fighters and that "The end result is that The Essential Foo Fighters winds up being a stronger comp than its predecessor".[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everlong" | Dave Grohl | The Colour and the Shape, 1997 | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Making a Fire" | Medicine at Midnight, 2021 | 4:15 | |
| 3. | "Times Like These" |
| One by One, 2002 | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Rope" |
| Wasting Light, 2011 | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Monkey Wrench" |
| The Colour and the Shape | 3:52 |
| 6. | "My Hero" |
| The Colour and the Shape | 4:20 |
| 7. | "Cold Day in the Sun" | Hawkins | In Your Honor, 2005 | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Big Me" | Grohl | Foo Fighters, 1995 | 2:12 |
| 9. | "Long Road to Ruin" |
| Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007 | 3:46 |
| 10. | "Shame Shame" |
| Medicine at Midnight | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Best of You" |
| In Your Honor | 4:16 |
| 12. | "All My Life" |
| One by One | 4:24 |
| 13. | "The Pretender" |
| Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace | 4:27 |
| 14. | "This Is a Call" | Grohl | Foo Fighters | 3:54 |
| 15. | "Waiting on a War" (not included on CD version) |
| Medicine at Midnight | 4:13 |
| 16. | "Walk" |
| Wasting Light | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Learn to Fly" |
| There Is Nothing Left to Lose, 1999 | 3:56 |
| 18. | "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" |
| Concrete and Gold, 2017 | 4:05 |
| 19. | "Breakout" (not included on CD version) |
| There Is Nothing Left to Lose | 3:22 |
| 20. | "These Days" |
| Wasting Light | 4:58 |
| 21. | "Everlong" (acoustic version) | Grohl | Greatest Hits, 2009 | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 85:00 | |||
Personnel
Foo Fighters
- Dave Grohl – vocals, guitar, drums, bass, producer (2, 3, 7, 8, 10–12, 14, 15, 17–19)
- Taylor Hawkins – drums, backing vocals (4, 18), lead vocals (7), producer (2, 3, 7, 10–12, 15, 17–19)
- Rami Jaffee – keyboards, producer (2, 10, 15, 18)
- Nate Mendel – bass, producer (2, 3, 7, 10–12, 15, 17–19)
- Chris Shiflett – guitar, producer (2, 3, 7, 10–12, 15, 18)
- Pat Smear – guitar, producer (2, 10, 15, 18)
Production
- Gil Norton – producer (1, 5, 6, 9, 13)
- Greg Kurstin – producer (2, 10, 15, 18)
- Nick Raskulinecz – producer (3, 7, 11, 12)
- Butch Vig – producer (4, 16, 20)
- Barrett Jones – producer (8, 14)
- Adam Kasper – producer (17, 19)
- Randy Merrill – mastering at Sterling Sound
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] | 2× Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||