The album Dave Grohl said will “soothe your soul”
Most artists only dream of one day creating an album that will sit alongside the all-time greats. A record that stands the test of time and becomes a classic, a record that pioneers a new genre or completely shifts the definition of an existing one, a record so impactful and influential that it comes to be considered essential listening. For Dave Grohl, this goal has become a reality on more than one occasion.
Before he became the frontman of the Foo Fighters, Grohl first found fame and acclaim with grunge-rockers Nirvana. Led by a new kind of frontman in Kurt Cobain, the Washington-born three-piece presented a murkier, muddier take on rock that excited audiences. Along the way, they created several albums that would find a permanent place in best-of-all-time lists.
After releasing their debut, Bleach, in the late 1980s, Nirvana returned with their blistering sophomore effort, Nevermind, just a couple of years later. It was Grohl’s first full-length offering with the band, and what a way to make an entry. The album spawned some of their signature hits, including ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ‘Come As You Are’, cemented the themes and stylings of grunge, and featured some of the most well-known album artwork ever.
Nevermind seems to find its way onto almost every list of the greatest albums of all time, often accompanied by Nirvana’s third and final album, In Utero. Though Grohl wouldn’t quite achieve the same levels of long-standing acclaim while releasing with Foo Fighters, his name is almost guaranteed to crop up in conversations about all-time great albums, so he seems well-placed to name his own pick for the title. Interestingly, the drummer’s choice for the greatest album of all time isn’t what you might expect.
Grohl didn’t pick out a pioneering rock album or a fellow grunge band; he didn’t go for a name that already dominates conversations about music history. Rather, he picked out a film soundtrack that he saw as the perfect accompaniment for a long journey. “The number one of all time is Ry Cooder’s Paris, Texas soundtrack,” Grohl divulged during a conversation with Condé Nast.
Directed by Wim Wenders, Paris, Texas followed a western-style road trip across the United States, with a gorgeous score provided by Ry Cooder. The Foo Fighters singer recalled finding the record while on the road in Italy in 1988, “driving along the coast,” before recommending it to “anybody who has a long car or train ride, because it will soothe your soul.”
The soundtrack certainly would provide a soul-soothing accompaniment for cross-country travel. Cooder’s score is simple yet impressively nuanced, employing a twangy, sliding acoustic guitar to reflect the neo-Western setting of the film it accompanied. Wenders’ film was met with widespread praise when it was released in 1984, particularly for Cooder’s evocative score.
It also won over Grohl. While you might not have guessed that the Paris, Texas soundtrack is his pick for the number one album of all time, it’s easy to imagine the drummer looking wistfully out of his tour bus window while Cooder’s sparse, emotional twangs blare through his headphones. It’s also an image that makes you want to take Grohl up on his recommendation to set out on the road with only Cooder’s lonely guitar as company.
