Greatest Hits (Foo Fighters album)
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album released by American rock band the Foo Fighters on November 3, 2009.
Greatest Hits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | November 3, 2009 | |||
Recorded | October 1994 – 2009 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 63:48 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer |
| |||
Foo Fighters chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Greatest Hits | ||||
|
Release
Greatest Hits includes a selection of Foo Fighters hit singles. Two singles from their 1995 debut, Foo Fighters album ("This Is a Call" and "Big Me") are included. Three singles are included from 1997's The Colour and the Shape album ("Monkey Wrench", "Everlong" and "My Hero"). The Colour and the Shape remains the band's biggest selling album in the US. Two singles are included from 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose album ("Learn to Fly" and "Breakout") as are two singles from 2002's One by One album ("All My Life" and "Times Like These"). One single ("Best of You") is included from the band's biggest worldwide selling album In Your Honor, released in 2005. "Best of You" remains the band's highest-charting hit on the U.S., UK and Australian singles charts. Two singles are included from 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace album ("The Pretender" and "Long Road to Ruin"). Greatest Hits also contains two new songs "Wheels" and "Word Forward".[1]
"Wheels" is the first single taken from the album, which premiered on radio on September 23, 2009. The single was officially released on September 29, 2009. "Wheels" and "Word Forward", which was written for Dave Grohl's friend, Jimmy, who had recently died,[2] were composed during the Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace tour and recorded specifically for the compilation with producer Butch Vig.[3]
A deluxe edition of the compilation includes a book and a DVD featuring some of the band's music videos and live performances. It also includes a video for "Wheels" directed by Sam Brown, who also worked on "The Pretender".[4]
Release controversy
Dave Grohl has stated his displeasure with the release of a greatest hits album, stating he would have preferred to wait until after the band had retired. The band's label, however, had been wanting to release a compilation album for four years, and exercised a clause in the band's contract that allowed them to do so.[5] Grohl has also mentioned that he felt that the album did not include some of the band's best work and that it was "like a CliffsNotes version of what we've been doing for the last 15 years".[6] In the liner notes of the album, Grohl writes:
These 16 songs are what we're calling our "Greatest Hits." Not to be confused with "Our Best Songs" or "Our Favorite Songs," it is a collection of the songs that have defined our band's identity to most people over the years. The other 65 album tracks... well, some of those might be our greatest songs. "Aurora", "New Way Home", "MIA", "Exhausted", "A320"... depends on whom you ask. Personally, I don't think we've written our greatest songs yet. But that door is always open.[7]
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 85/100[8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
The A.V. Club | A[10] |
Kerrang! | [11] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10[12] |
Q | [13] |
Under the Radar | [14] |
Reception was mostly positive for the compilation. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted in his positive review that the compilation was missing some of the band's successful singles, most notably "DOA" and "I'll Stick Around".[9] Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork also noted the lack of "I'll Stick Around" on the compilation and suggested that the release would have been stronger with the inclusion of rarities and fan favorites, such as their cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki" or their popular soundtrack contribution "The One".[12] Perpetua also writes "Like nearly all songs recorded specifically for [greatest hits compilations], 'Wheels' and 'Word Forward' are catchy but uninspired, and have no place among the heavy hitters in this collection."[12] As of December 2015, it has sold 1,009,000 copies in the U.S.[15]
Track listing
CD
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "All My Life" | Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett | One by One, 2002 | 4:24 |
2. | "Best of You" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | In Your Honor, 2005 | 4:16 |
3. | "Everlong" | Grohl | The Colour and the Shape, 1997 | 4:10 |
4. | "The Pretender" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007 | 4:27 |
5. | "My Hero" | Grohl, Mendel, Pat Smear | The Colour and the Shape | 4:19 |
6. | "Learn to Fly" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel | There Is Nothing Left to Lose, 1999 | 3:56 |
7. | "Times Like These" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | One by One | 4:28 |
8. | "Monkey Wrench" | Grohl, Mendel, Smear | The Colour and the Shape | 3:53 |
9. | "Big Me" | Grohl | Foo Fighters, 1995 | 2:14 |
10. | "Breakout" | Grohl, Mendel, Hawkins | There Is Nothing Left to Lose | 3:22 |
11. | "Long Road to Ruin" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace | 3:48 |
12. | "This Is a Call" | Grohl | Foo Fighters | 3:55 |
13. | "Skin and Bones" | Grohl | Skin and Bones, 2006 | 4:04 |
14. | "Wheels" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | Previously unreleased | 4:38 |
15. | "Word Forward" | Grohl, Hawkins, Mendel, Shiflett | Previously unreleased | 3:49 |
16. | "Everlong" (Acoustic version) | Grohl | Previously unreleased | 4:11 |
Total length: | 63:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover) | Roger Waters | "Learn to Fly" single, 1999 | 4:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
4. | "Band on the Run" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover) | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney | Radio 1 Established 1967, 2007 (Recorded in 2004) | 5:07 |
DVD
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I'll Stick Around" | |
2. | "Big Me" | |
3. | "Monkey Wrench" | |
4. | "Everlong" | |
5. | "My Hero" | |
6. | "Walking After You" | |
7. | "Learn to Fly" | |
8. | "Next Year" | |
9. | "All My Life" | |
10. | "Times Like These" | |
11. | "Low" | |
12. | "Best of You" | |
13. | "DOA" | |
14. | "Resolve" (Non-glow version) | |
15. | "The Pretender" | |
16. | "Long Road to Ruin" | |
17. | "Wheels" | |
18. | "Everlong" (Live at Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland - 'Everywhere but Home DVD, 2003) | |
19. | "Breakout" (Live at Hyde Park, London, England - Skin and Bones DVD, 2006) | |
20. | "Skin and Bones" (Live at the Pantages Theater, Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, August 2006 - Skin and Bones DVD, 2006) | |
21. | "All My Life" (Live at the Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England, June 2008 - Live from Wembley Stadium DVD, 2008) | |
22. | "No Way Back" (Hidden bonus video) |
At the main menu, there is bullet hole that you can click, and it shows Dave Grohl performing "Home" (from the album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007) on the piano.
Personnel
- Dave Grohl – lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar (except tracks 3, 5, 8, 13), lead guitar (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8-10, 12, 13), drums (tracks 3, 5, 8, 9, 12), bass (track 9, 12)
- Pat Smear – rhythm guitar (tracks 3, 5, 8, 13)
- Nate Mendel – bass (except tracks 9, 12)
- Taylor Hawkins – drums except (tracks 3, 5, 8, 9, 12), backing vocals (tracks 14, 15), lead vocals on "Have a Cigar"
- Chris Shiflett – lead guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 13-15), backing vocals (tracks 11, 14, 15)
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[82] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[83] | Gold | 10,000* |
Belgium (BEA)[84] | Gold | 15,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[85] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[86] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[87] | 3× Gold | 300,000‡ |
Ireland (IRMA)[88] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[89] | Platinum | 50,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[90] | 5× Platinum | 75,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[91] | 5× Platinum | 1,500,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- "Foo Fighters to Release Greatest Hits". XFM London. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- "ShieldSquare Captcha". www.songfacts.com.
- Brannigan, Paul (December 2010). "Kerrang's 50 albums you need to hear in 2011 - Foo Fighters (Interview)". Kerrang!.
- "Foo Fighters Reveal "Greatest Hits" Track List : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily". Rolling Stone. September 26, 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009.
- "Grohl unhappy about Greatest hits album". contactmusic.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
- "Grohl unhappy with greatest hits release". breakingnews.ie. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
- Amazon, Greatest Hits: Foo Fighters Amazon.com Greatest Hits product page
- "The Greatest Hits by Foo Fighters" – via www.metacritic.com.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Greatest Hits - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
- Ryan, Kyle (3 November 2009). "Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits - Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- "Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits (RCA) KKKKK. Dave Grohl & co get the retrospective treatment", Kerrang!, no. 1285, p. 50, October 28, 2009
- Perpetua, Matthew. "Album Review: Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
- "Album Review: Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits". Q: 134. December 2009.
- Vanish, Frank (9 December 2009). "Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits (RCA)". Under The Radar. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- "Foo Fighters Earn Sixth Million-Selling Album", Billboard.com. Retrieved January 2016
- "Australiancharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Austriancharts.at – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Ultratop.be – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Ultratop.be – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Canadian Albums: Nov. 21, 2009 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Danishcharts.dk – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 45, 2009". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Italiancharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- "Mexicancharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Charts.nz – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Spanishcharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Swisscharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- "Foo Fighters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Foo Fighters Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- "Portuguesecharts.com – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2009". ARIA. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2009 - Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2010". ARIA. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2010 - Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- "2010 Year-End European Albums". Billboard. 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2011". ARIA. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2011 - Albums". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2011". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012". ARIA. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- The Official Top 40 biggest selling vinyl albums and singles of 2016 officialcharts.com. January 1, 2017.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "2018 ARIA ALBUMS CHART". ARIA. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- "ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart for 2022". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- "Top Selling Albums of 2022". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- "2019 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- Copsey, Rob (December 11, 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- "Official Top 100 biggest selling vinyl albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. December 14, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- "Austrian album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2010". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- "Canadian album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Music Canada.
- "Danish album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". IFPI Danmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2017 to obtain certification.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Foo Fighters; 'Greatest Hits')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- "The Irish Charts - 2009 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
- "Italian album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- "British album certifications – Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
External links
- Greatest Hits at Discogs (list of releases)