The album Dave Grohl said influenced “a whole generation of bands”
Rock music remains at the heart of everything Dave Grohl has ever done, but to just chalk him off as a rock artist would be an insult. Throughout his career, we’ve seen how his music moved left and right as he explored good times, bad times, politics, love, loss, and just about every other theme of the planet. The way he incorporates various feelings into his music is subtle but a significant contributing factor to his elongated success, and a massive part of its execution is wide-ranging musical knowledge.
He holds one album in particularly high regard because of its ability to inject elements from different genres into something already established subtly. Grohl does this incredibly well, so it’s unsurprising that he feels a special connection to the Pixies record Surfer Rosa.
Released in 1988, the band’s debut album contains various elements that helped it stand out. These elements included the likes of Spanish lyrics and continued references to humiliation and voyeurism. It was released to the acclaim of fans everywhere as it entered the UK Indie Chart and stayed there for 60 weeks, peaking at number two.
In praise of the album, Grohl said: “It was so necessary at that time for someone to incorporate elements of quirky, weird punk into sweet pop. It influenced a whole generation of bands, which then influenced a whole generation, so this album is probably one of the most influential albums of the last 15 years. It probably made Steve Albini most famous for his production, too. Nirvana always made sure everyone knew we were just ripping off the Pixies.”
The band undoubtedly influenced Grohl, as the formula the Pixies put in place for their debut is something he has carried with him from Nirvana to beyond. Consider Foo Fighters’ most recent album, But Here We Are, which is a beautifully poignant look at grief but is also entirely true to Foo Fighters’ original sound. He pays tribute to his mother and his friend, Taylor Hawkins, in a way that still reflects his band, and he does this subtly.
In the same way Pixies can lace quirky elements of punk through pop music on Surfer Rosa, Grohl can intertwine themes of sorrow throughout the rock sound he has grown accustomed to. Though the albums may sound completely different from one another, the lessons that Grohl picked up in songwriting thanks to the Pixies are present throughout.
It shows just how much having a far-reaching knowledge of your art form can help when it comes to the creative process. Even if you aren’t drawing from sound specifically, there is always something to learn in how to go about the art of creating, and that is something Grohl continues to let inspire him.
