(Credits: Far Out / Raph Pour-Hashemi)
If you were going to sit down and define the category of music that Dave Grohl fits into, you would probably be quick to say rock. That’s fair enough, as when you listen to the music that the Foo Fighters have put out over the years, regardless of how much the theme of their music changes, there remains that hard rock element.
However, we can’t just chalk Grohl off as a rockstar and leave it at that. While it is certainly an element of him, there are a number of different styles of music which go into making Grohl who he is. Who could forget how the Foo Fighters got their start, as before he was in front of the mic, he was playing drums for the grunge pioneers Nirvana.
Granted, you may argue that grunge is merely a variation of rock, but the reason that Nirvana stood out amongst the rest of the bands at the time was because of Grohl’s drumming. There was aggression in every beat, sure, that was necessary, but also an added touch of funk, something that made it so the music was easy to both mosh and dance to. It stood out in a crowded market and put every member of the band on the map.
Grohl admitted that the reason his drums were so infectious was because he had taken the style of playing from The Gap Band. Who would have thought that disco and grunge could live in the same universe? But it took someone like Dave Grohl to come forward with an adoration for both of those styles of music to come forward and show how well they could work together.
That love for a range of music shines through when Grohl talks about his favourite songs from the ‘70s. There are a lot of bands on there that you might think are obvious, such as The Stooges, Deep Purple and Ramones, but there is also plenty of variety on the list. For instance, Grohl takes the time to mention acts like Rick James, The B-52’s and Patti Smith in his list.
Given the ‘70s saw the further evolution of prog rock, it’s also not a surprise to see that Grohl was also listening to a lot of that throughout the decade. Rush get a mention in his list of the best songs from the ‘70s, along with his favourite track by the legendary prog rock band, ‘Tom Sawyer’.
A slight correction here: the track wasn’t actually released in the ‘70s, but the very early ‘80s; however, the song is so iconic and such a staple of prog rock, we’ll excuse Grohl’s slight oversight. The track was released as a part of Rush’s Moving Pictures album, and is widely regarded as one of the best songs that the musical outfit ever released. The lyrics were inspired by the actual story of Tom Sawyer, and the instrumentation is the power trio at what can only be described as their very best.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Dave Grohl was such a big fan of prog rock. He had already cemented himself as a lover of all genres, but remained his sole focus, and with this in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that prog, which took regular rock music and injected other elements into it, will have certainly caught his attention.
Related Topics
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independant voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.