Album
The Colour and the Shape
The Colour and the Shape is the second album by Foo Fighters, released on 20 May 1997 through Roswell and Capitol Records. It is where Dave Grohl's one-man project of the debut became a proper band, with guitarist Pat Smear and bassist Nate Mendel alongside him. Producer Gil Norton was brought in to give the songs a pop sensibility, while the band aimed for a full-blooded rock record rather than another grunge offshoot. Early sessions went badly and most of those recordings were scrapped. The band then regrouped in Hollywood, with Grohl playing drums, and William Goldsmith left soon after.
Grohl's divorce in 1996 shaped the writing, and the running order is meant to play like a therapy session, swinging between uptempo songs and ballads. "Monkey Wrench", "Everlong" and "My Hero" all reached the US rock radio Top 10. The album reached number three in the UK and number ten on the Billboard 200, and it remains the band's biggest seller in America.
The Colour and the Shape: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 46:52Tracklist
- 1DollGrohl, Mendel, Smear1:23
- 2Monkey WrenchGrohl, Mendel, Smear3:51
- 3Hey, Johnny Park!Grohl, Mendel, Smear4:08
- 4My Poor BrainGrohl, Mendel, Smear3:33
- 5Wind UpGrohl, Mendel, Smear2:32
- 6Up in ArmsGrohl, Mendel, Smear2:16
- 7My HeroGrohl, Mendel, Smear4:20
- 8See YouGrohl, Mendel, Smear2:27
- 9Enough SpaceDave Grohl2:37
- 10February StarsGrohl, Mendel, Smear4:49
- 11EverlongDave Grohl4:11
- 12Walking After YouDave Grohl5:04
- 13New Way HomeGrohl, Mendel, Smear5:40
- Produced by
- Gil Norton
- Recorded at
- Bear Creek (Woodinville, Washington), Grandmaster (Hollywood, California), WGNS (Washington, D.C.)
- Recorded
- –
- Mixed by
- Chris Sheldon
- Mixed at
- Skip Saylor Recording
- Engineered by
- Bradley Cook, Geoff Turner, Jeff Turner
- Mastered by
- Bob Ludwig
- Artwork
- Jeffery Fey, Foo Fighters, Tommy Steele, George Mimnaugh
- Photography
- Josh Kessler
- Label
- Capitol Records
- Length
- 46:52
Line-up
- William Goldsmith · drums (drum set) · guest
- Dave Grohl · guitar, lead vocals, drums (drum set)
- Nate Mendel · bass guitar
- Pat Smear · guitar
- Lance Bangs · handclaps · guest
- Chris Bilheimer · handclaps · guest
- Ryan Boesch · handclaps · guest
Singles
- “Monkey Wrench”
- “Everlong”
- “My Hero”
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1997 | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1997 | 10 |
| Australian Alternative Albums (ARIA) · 1997 | 1 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI Greece) · 1997 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1997 | 5 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 2003 | 5 |
| Scottish Albums · 1997 | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1997 | 7 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 1997 | 8 |
| European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media) · 1997 | 9 |
All 22 charts
| Irish Albums (IFPI Ireland) · 1997 | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1997 | 10 |
| Swedish Albums · 1997 | 10 |
| Finnish Albums · 1997 | 12 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1997 | 18 |
| Austrian Albums · 1997 | 19 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1997 | 20 |
| French Albums · 1997 | 24 |
| US Catalog Albums · 1999 | 35 |
| Dutch Albums · 1997 | 39 |
| German Albums · 1997 | 41 |
| Swiss Albums · 1997 | 50 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1998 | Platinum |
| Canada | Platinum |
| Denmark · 2024 | Platinum |
| Germany · 2021 | Gold |
| Italy · 2026 | Gold |
| Japan · 1998 | Gold |
| New Zealand · 2026 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom | Platinum |
| United States | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
89.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
19k
ListenBrainz listeners
202k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
56k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 20 May
Every year →
More from Foo Fighters
Full discography →
Foo Fighters
1995
There Is Nothing Left to Lose
1999
Next Year
2000
One by One
2002
In Your Honor
2005
Five Songs and a Cover
2005
Skin and Bones
2006
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
2007
Let It Die
2008
Live at Wembley Stadium
2008
Greatest Hits
2009
Wasting Light
2011
Medium Rare
2011
Sonic Highways
2014
Songs From the Laundry Room
2015
Saint Cecilia EP
2015
Concrete and Gold
2017
00020225
2019
Medicine at Midnight
2021
Hail Satin
2021
The Essential Foo Fighters
2022
But Here We Are
2023
Your Favorite Toy
2026
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1997-05-10 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 May 1997 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 May 1997 | |
| Wikidata | 20 May 1997 | |
| US release | 20 May 1997 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 12 May 1997 | earliest UK or European date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | CA | Capitol Records | 724385583223 | other |
| 1997 | US | Capitol Records | 724385583247 | other |
| 1997 | US | RCA | 828765549523 | other |
| 1997 | AU | Capitol Records | 724385583223 | other |
| 10 May 1997 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006728226 | original |
| 12 May 1997 | GB | Capitol Records | 724385583223 | other |
| 20 May 1997 | US | Capitol Records | 724385583223 | other |
| 17 November 1997 | XE | Capitol Records | 724382312727 | other |
| 19 January 1998 | AU | Capitol Records | 724349338821 | other |
| 2003 | XE | RCA | 828765549523 | other |
| 20 October 2003 | GB | Roswell Records | 828765549523 | other |
| 10 July 2007 | XE | Legacy | 886970918329 | remaster |
| 10 July 2007 | AR | Legacy | 886970918329 | remaster |
| 10 July 2007 | US | Legacy | 886970918329 | remaster |
| 26 September 2007 | JP | Roswell Records | 4988017652077 | other |
| 30 March 2010 | XW | RCA | 884977570328 | other |
| 2011 | XE | Legacy | 886979832213 | other |
| 16 March 2018 | US | Legacy | 886976944629 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |