Foo Fighters: 12 Great Non-album Tracks

 

Foo Fighters: 12 Great Non-album Tracks

 

There are many strong Foo Fighters songs that are not on the main tracklists of the band's full-length releases. Those songs are at times better than some of the material from the albums.

Many fans of Grohl, Hawkins and company  may not have heard most of this music, which encompasses many different attributes, styles and moods.  This list ranges from aggressive to angelic, and from punk to Pink Floyd.

 

THE NEVERENDING SIGH

 

Described by Spin as "prickly" and "towering", 'The Neverending Sigh' showcases what could be one of the Foo Fighters' best riffs. That's not an  easy achievement given their huge collection of excellent guitar lines.

Competing with 'St. Cecilia' for the title of best track on their 2015 free EP, it might just win.

 

HAVE A CIGAR

 

Just one of several excellent covers by Foo Fighters, this is a rocking take on a classic.

In a reversal of their usual roles in this band, Dave Grohl is on drums with Taylor Hawkins on vocals. There's also an appearance from Queen's guitarist, Brian May.

Far Out Magazine says that Grohl describes the song as "the most punk rock thing Pink Floyd ever did".

 

DEAR LOVER

 

This gorgeous B-side deserves a place on their wonderful 1997  full-length release, The Colour and the Shape.

'Dear Lover' features some of bassist Nate Mendel's more melodic approach that characterises songs such as 'Next Year'.

Also, there's gentle vulnerability here to the music and lyrics of Dave Grohl that permeates much of the band's other relaxed material.

 

WORLD – DEMO

 

On this demo, a dreamlike riff gives way to crunching chords while Grohl sings of life, death, "the universe" and "heaven". It's one of the deepest Foo Fighters songs yet.

It may not really fit on the In Your Honor double abum, but it's a great song nonetheless.

 

NORMAL

 

Although much of the Foo Fighters' music from 2002 is uneasy, angular or very hard-edged, songs like this offers moments of respite.

Grohl's image as an ordinary outsider with a knack for poetry shines through here, and another set of anthemic choruses is cooked up. 'Normal' is strong enough to be a single.

 

IF EVER

 

'If Ever' comes from a time when Foo Fighters sought to combine heavy and mellow sounds, often doing so within the same song.

Despite that mixture of dynamics, this track showcases in general a simplicity like few other works by the band. That doesn't stop Taylor Hawkins from adding flair on the drums, though.

 

REQUIEM – LIVE

 

This cover of a Killing Joke song retains much of the appeal of the original version's guitar line while having quieter vocals.

In this way, the performance combines the hard, riff-driven sound of 'My Hero' and the peaceful pleasure of 'Walking After You'.

 

WALKING A LINE

 

Dave Grohl sometimes plays drums for Queens of the Stone Age. Arguably, that desert rock group never influenced Grohl's guitar-playing as clearly as they do on  'Walking a Line'. The guitars here are shot through with a dark energy.

The intense song also has shifting dynamics. That's  something seen in the work of Nirvana - another band featuring Grohl - and other alternative acts such as Pixies.

 

I'M IN LOVE WITH A GERMAN FILM STAR

 

'I'm in Love…', which may one day soundtrack a romantic scene, is a cover of The Passions' track.

On this rather trippy offering, Foo Fighters are so laid-back, they're horizontal (to borrow a popular phrase).

There's enough going on - the strange drum sound, and a simple yet effective riff - to make things interesting despite the sleepy vibe.

 

THE SIGN

 

Bristling with an energy that helped make earlier hits like  'Monkey Wrench'  so successful,  'The Sign' appears on some forms of In Your Honor as a bonus track.

Delving into love, "religion" and "superstition", and served on a bed of infectious hard rock, it revels in power and passion.

 

SISTER EUROPE

 

A bonus track from One by One (Expanded Edition),  'Sister Europe' is probably the band's weirdest cover.

The hypnotic, psychedelic music during the verses uses notes that are dissonant; they don't usually go together well.

It may be one of the Foo Fighters' first to feature what sounds like a piano or keyboard. (On the version by the Psychedelic Furs, that part is apparently played on saxophone.)

 

WINNEBAGO

 

According to an article by Dave Grohl's biographer Paul Brannigan, 'Winnebago' was "co-written with former Gray Matter frontman Geoff Turner" as well as Grohl, but was "revamped" in 1994.

The best part of the song is the riff that first starts around 1 minutes and 20 seconds in. It has similar vibes to part of a later track called 'Bridge Burning'.