Foo Fighters’ ‘Million-Dollar Demos’ Leak Online

The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl

Previously unheard demos of “Have It All” and “Come Back” from the Foo Fighters‘ contentious early recording sessions for their album One by One have surfaced, GrungeReport points out. 

When the Foos started recording One by One in 2002, things were already on the rocks. The group was on the outs after a lengthy tour, while drummer Taylor Hawkins was recovering from a near-fatal drug overdose. The sessions at Grohl’s home studio in Virginia and Conway Studios in Los Angeles yielded less than positive results, and Grohl put recording on hold. 

In a 2002 Spin interview following the release of One by One, Grohl admitted that the band wasn’t quite ready to record yet. He added, “We basically made what Taylor called ‘the million-dollar demos.'”

The demos are, unsurprisingly, a bit rougher around the edges than the finished album cuts. Closer “Come Back” clocks in a few minutes shorter and lacks the added instrumentation. Still, their overall quality is quite impressive, especially for demos ”“ a testament to the Foo Fighters’ impeccable ability to craft rock gems even under less-than-perfect circumstances.