Session Information
Before commencing a live world tour in support of their second album 'The Colour And The Shape' the band took part in several appearances and events in Europe to promote the record. One such event was a second appearance on the BBC Evening session. By coincidence this session again marked a first for the band.
The session two years earlier had been the first time the four then members of the band had recorded together and this 1997 session marked the first time new drummer Taylor Hawkins had recorded with them. Original drummer William Goldsmith had left the band during recording of the album in early 1997 with Hawkins joining a month or so before this session.
Unlike their first Evening Session appearance where they recorded a mixture of old and new songs the band elected to ease Hawkins in with a series of cover songs. "We sorta thought it'd be fun to do four songs that people would probably hate and never expect us to do" Grohl told Steve Lamacq in an accompanying interview.
'Requiem', by Killing Joke, was the first cover. "I consider the Killing Joke song a classic" said Grohl, noting that the song was the first Killing Joke record he bought. Speaking of their lead singer, Jaz Coleman, Grohl noted "That guy's one of my vocal heroes, it sounds like he drank a bottle of sulphuric acid and decided to get onstage and belt it out". The cover was played relatively similarly to the original although Grohl delivered the vocals in a much softer style.
The next cover was 'Baker Street', the Gerry Rafferty hit of the late 1970s. "it's like a classic 70s song and a few people need to be reminded just how weird that decade could be" said Grohl of the track. The song is famous for featuring saxaphone throughout including a solo late in the song. Rather than any band member attempt to play the instrument with no prior experience it was instead imitated by Grohl on guitar.
Up next was a lesser known track, 'Drive Me Wild'. The song was originally performed by Vanity 6, a female vocal trio put together by Prince in the 1980s. It was a minor hit for the band but largely forgotten by the late 1990s. Foo Fighters version of the song was shorter than the original by almost three minutes, negating most of the repetition of the main lyrics.
One further cover was attempted by the band, 'Carry On Wayward Son', originally by Kansas. Reports are conflicting on how much of the song they managed to complete with some suggesting it was quickly aborted whilst others claim the music was completed but Grohl struggled with recording the vocals, not getting the lyrics right.
Foo Fighters would go on to play the song live a handful of times, each time Grohl getting someone from the audience to sing the lyrics, possibly lending credence to the theory he struggled with them.
The final song recorded was not a cover but a solo Grohl effort, 'Friend Of A Friend'. Grohl had first recorded this song shortly after joining Nirvana with many of the lyrics referencing his new band mates. Unlike other performances of the song this one was recorded with an eletric guitar, rather than an acoustic.
