Releases Album

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

For the sixth time around, Foo Fighters were itching to try something new. Excited by the thought of blending the rough with the smooth, they began gathering a handful of songs that would urge them to get out of their comfort zone and try things that had never been done on a Foo Fighters album before. That adventure became “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace”.

With Gil Norton steering the car once again, the band got to work at Studio 606 in Los Angeles whittling down dozens of ideas into a powerful and dramatic narrative. Then they really started having some fun. For the first time, a Foo Fighters album had a string arrangement. Dave Grohl swapped his guitar for a piano. Melodies and emotions influenced the way the album moved. They weren’t exactly sure what it would be yet, but the enjoyment of the journey gave them faith in the destination.

In that spirit, along came some old and new friends: Rami Jaffee, Drew Hester, Kaki King, The Section Quartet, and Pat Smear. In another band first, the record also included an instrumental: ‘The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners’, a Grohl/King serenade for the Tasmanian miners who, when asked for any supplies they needed while waiting to be rescued, requested an iPod loaded with the band’s songs.

Then, of course, one last song was included to make the album feel complete and as big as it could be: ‘The Pretender’. The lead single from “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” quickly became one of the band’s best-known songs and a Grammy winner for Best Hard Rock Performance.

“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” hit the shelves on September 25, 2007, went platinum in its first week, and bagged the band another Grammy for Best Rock Album.