And then there were Foo's...after Nirvana, Dave Grohl thought he would go low-key, with the idea of starting a faceless band named after U.F.O.'s. The result? The Foo Fighter's self-titled debut, and we've got the entire story. Watch it here.

FOUNDED IN 1994 AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF NIRVANA, DRUMMER DAVE GROHL FELT THAT CONTINUING TO MAKE MUSIC AS AN ANONYMOUS NEW BAND WITH NO PHOTOS OR ALBUM CREDITS WOULD BE A CATHARTIC WAY TO HANDLE THE DEATH OF KURT COBAIN. ORIGINALLY A SOLO PROJECT, THE NAME FOO FIGHTERS IS AN HOMAGE TO WHAT ALLIED PILOTS CALLED UFOS DURING WORLD WAR II.

GROHL DECIDED TO ENLIST THE HELP OF PRODUCER BARRETT JONES, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH NIRVANA AND THE MELVINS, AND HAD PRODUCED GROHL’S 1992 ALBUM AS LATE!: “POCKETWATCH”.

RECORDING FOR THE ALBUM BEGAN AT ROBERT LANG STUDIOS IN WASHINGTON, BEFORE OFFICIALLY TAKING PLACE AT “THE SHOP” IN ARCATA, CALIFORNIA. GROHL AND JONES CREATED THE MATERIAL FOR THE FOO FIGHTERS DEBUT OVER THE COURSE OF ONE WEEK IN OCTOBER OF NINETEEN-NINETY-FOUR. GROHL, WHO PLAYED ALL INSTRUMENTS ON THE ALBUM, WOULD RUN BETWEEN DIFFERENT ROOMS IN THE STUDIO AND LAY DOWN VARIOUS INSTRUMENTAL PARTS UNTIL FULL SONGS CAME TOGETHER.  

IN HOPES OF KEEPING HIS IDENTITY A SECRET, GROHL GAVE LIMITED CASSETTE COPIES OF THE SESSIONS TO CLOSE FRIENDS AND MUSICIANS, AS WELL AS RANDOM FANS ON THE STREET! PEARL JAM FRONTMAN EDDIE VEDDER DEBUTED TWO CUTS FROM THE SESSIONS ON HIS SELF-POLLUTION BROADCAST IN JANUARY OF 1995.

AS THE TAPES CIRCULATED AROUND THE MUSIC SCENE, RECORD LABELS EVENTUALLY CAUGHT INTEREST, WITH FOO FIGHTERS BEING OFFERED A RECORD DEAL BY CAPITOL RECORDS. IT DIDN’T HURT THAT GROHL WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH PRESIDENT GARY GERSH, WHO WAS PART OF THE TEAM THAT RELEASED NIRVANA’’S ALBUMS AT GEFFEN RECORDS.

THE LEAD SINGLE, “THIS IS A CALL”, IS ONE OF THE FEW SONGS FOR THE ALBUM WRITTEN BY GROHL AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF NIRVANA. GROHL WROTE IT WHILE ON HONEYMOON IN IRELAND WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND-TURNED-WIFE, PHOTOGRAPHER JENNIFER YOUNGBLOOD. THE SINGLE PEAKED AT NUMBER TWO ON THE BILLBOARD ALTERNATIVE AIRPLAY CHART, AND EARNED THE PROJECT A PERFORMANCE ON THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. IT WAS THE START OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN GROHL AND LETTERMAN, WITH FOO FIGHTERS PERFORMING ELEVEN TIMES ON THE SHOW SINCE.

OTHER SINGLES ACCOMPANYING THE ALBUM INCLUDED “I’LL STICK AROUND” AND “BIG ME”, WHICH WAS A POP CROSSOVER HIT FOR THE BAND. IT PEAKED AT NUMBER THIRTEEN ON THE BILLBOARD HOT ONE HUNDRED, AND THE MUSIC VIDEO PARODYING MENTOS COMMERCIALS LED TO THE FAN TRADITION OF THROWING MENTOS AT THE BAND DURING LIVE SHOWS.

RELEASED ON THE 4th OF JULY 1995, WITH BUCK ROGERS’ RAY GUN EMBLAZONED ON THE COVER, FOO FIGHTERS’ SELF TITLED DEBUT CHARTED IN THE US, AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND THE UK. BY 2011, IT HAD SOLD ONE POINT FOUR MILLION UNITS IN NORTH AMERICA, THEIR SECOND BEST SELLER BEHIND THEIR 1997 FOLLOW-UP, “THE COLOR AND THE SHAPE”.

BOTH A COMMERCIAL AND CRITICAL SUCCESS, “FOO FIGHTERS” SET THE STAGE FOR DAVE GROHL TO EVENTUALLY GROW THE “FOO” PROJECT INTO A LEGITIMATE BAND,  CAPABLE OF SELLING OUT STADIUMS WHILE STILL MAINTAINING THE INTIMACY THAT FANS HAVE GRAVITATED TO FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.

ITS CATHARTIC INSPIRATION, POWER POP AND ROCK SENSIBILITIES, AND LONG STANDING LEGACY ALL SHOW WHY THE NINETEEN-NINETY-FIVE DEBUT BY THE FOO FIGHTERS IS THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.