Assuming former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl dreads the thought of forever being known as "the guy from Kurt Cobain's band," the last thing he'd want to hear is that the debut album from his new band Foo Fighters sounds much like one from the deceased duke of grunge. Unfortunately, Nirvana comparisons are not only inevitable, they're bound to consume the dialogue surrounding his quartet entirely. Perhaps it was unavoidable osmosis: Grohl, Foo Fighters' lead singer-guitarist, wrote most of these tunes during breaks from beat-keeping for his former band leader. It's natural that Cobain's knack for balancing hard and fast with musical and melodic would wear off on Grohl, as well as on bandmates Pat Smear (who also played with Nirvana), William Goldsmith, and Nate Mendel (both of Seattle's Sunny Day Real Estate). Grohl even unveils vocal cords that tread lightly on Cobain's gorgeous growl. Of course, many Nirvana-wannabees have tried to capture Cobain & Co.'s teen spirit, and all failed; that Foo Fighters succeed in creating a powerful heavy rock album that's neither noisy nor stale is a measured accomplishment in its own right. So bask in the familiar neo-garage punk (a.k.a. grunge) of "I'll Stick Around", "Oh, George", and "Good Grief", because we certainly won't hear anything from the style's originator in the near future. And, who knows, you might even be surprised by Grohl's own pop chops on the mellow Byrds-like folk rock "Big Me" and catchy rave-up "This Is a Call". The Foo Fighters prove that even if you can't go home again, it sure is comfortable hanging out next door. --Roni Sarig

I'm glad that I had got The Colour and the Shape and Nothing Left to Lose before I got this. To me is has always sounded rougher and a lot less commercial than the later albums. I like it more now but it took me a while to get into as it isn't as polished and some of the songs sound a bit messy and dated.

One of my favourite songs from this album is `Exhausted'. I thought there was something wrong with my CD when I first heard it! It's made up of static or feedback (something like that I'm not a technical person when it comes to music), and drumming. You really get used to it after a couple of listens and it sounds a lot better but very moody and distant sounding. It was the same with the rest of the album really- at first I wasn't sure, but I like it better now, it just not an album that I play over and over without getting tired of it like The Colour and the Shape.

A lot of reviewers here seem to have come to this first Foo Fighters record quite late on - when there was already an Everlong, a My Hero, a Learn to Fly... well I remember the days when this came out. 1995 it was. Kurt Cobain had not been long gone and Stiltskin were trying to capture the alternate rock crown. All of us that liked Nirvana at the time were well into this. We loved the energy, the shoutyness, the rawness. We didn't think it sounded like Nirvana, and we didn't want it to.

It doesn't really have as many levels as Nirvana's In Utero did, but it does have a little more variety than the two dimensional Nevermind. Anyway, there's no need to compare; they are quite different. This record is more akin to the real underground "grunge" of the late 80s/ early 90s like Mudhoney, than it is to grunge's poster boys.

Before we heard This Is A Call we all knew that Grohl would struggle to shake off Nirvana's overbearing shadow, but somehow he did, and he did it quickly. Unfortunately, as his band got bigger, he seems to have become more and more radio friendly. I respect the Foos, I love Dave Grohl, but I don't want anything to do with anything that came after The Color and the Shape - probably the last great sounding heavy rock record before overproduction took the soul out of the genre. They do a great live show, but their records aren't up to much now.

This first record at least has a uniqueness. Yes, it sounds like demos, the sound is muddy and unpolished - but that's what I like about it. We need records that sound like this, that are unafraid of sounding rough.

As for the songs; highlights for me are This is a Call, Good Grief, and For All the Cows. The others are ok. I think it's more a reflection on my personal taste than on the actual quality of rock. Cos it does rock, and it does so aggressively. The drums in particular, as you would expect from one of the best drummers in rock, are exemplary.

Now I hope this doesn't seem contradictory, having chided some reviewers who have bought this record late. My issue with them is not with how they rate the quality of the album, but rather with the criteria they have judged it by. I defend this record, but I'm still only going to give it 3 stars. I never really listen to it anymore, but this record has a place in my past. There was a time when this was an important record, and it should be respected for that, not dismissed as a footnote in the history of Foo Fighters.

This album beats all the other Foo's albums, I'm sorry but it does. It's so raw and natural, and comes from the heart!. Unlike Nirvana this doesn't put you in a deep depression and wish you were dead, it wants you to jump around, and shout out the lyrics as hard as you fucking can!. In 1995 Grohl was the new boy on the block of music, he was going it alone but he fucking pulled it off with this superb album!. I'm not saying the other five albums suck, I'm just saying this is the best!.

When I first heard this album I fell in love with it, from the first 2 immediate impact of This Is A Call & I'll Stick Around to the last strains of Exhausted we have Jazz, Punk and Garage rock tracks all over the place. O.k. the production isn't great but originally it's was a batch of demos but to me this only adds to the feel of this fantastic album.

Until recently I owned every Foo Fighters album apart from their self-titled debut. I finally decided to buy it but really wish I hadn't now. This is one of the worst albums I think I have ever bought (and I've got a few regrettable purchases in my collection). It has been so poorly produced that it sounds like nothing more than a bunch of demos. None of the songs are memorable.

I've probably bought the albums in the wrong order - hearing the later and much stronger albums before this has only served to emphasise how poor this debut is. The Foo Fighters made amends with their follow-up at least - Colour and The Shape, one of the very best rock albums money can buy.