Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl (vocals, guitar); Chris Shifflet (guitar); Nate Mendel (bass); Taylor Hawkins (drums).

Recorded in Virginia.

ONE BY ONE won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. "Times Like These" was nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. "All My Life" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. "All My Life" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Initial pressings included a bonus DVD.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Audio Mixers: Mister Haynes; Jim Scott; Bob Ludwig.

Liner Note Author: Hiro Arishima.

Recording information: Conway STudios, CA (05/06/2002-05/18/2002); Hook Studios, CA (05/06/2002-05/18/2002); Studio 606, VA (05/06/2002-05/18/2002); Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA (05/06/2002-05/18/2002).

Illustrators: Raymond Pettibon; Joshua White.

Photographers: Joshua White; Anton Corbijn.

One by One is the most accomplished album Foo Fighters have made, which isn't necessarily the same as the best. Picking up the clean, focused sound and attitude of There Is Nothing Left to Lose, One by One is gleaming hard rock: it may have a shiny production, but hits hard in its rhythm and its impeccably distorted guitars. Dave Grohl's songs often express (or at least suggest) tortured emotions in their lyrics, but the album doesn't hit at a gut-level; it's too polished for that. It's not a bad thing, since the band is damn good and the production is more focused than any of the Foos' previous albums. The problem is, Grohl's songwriting has slipped slightly. It's still sturdy and melodic, yet not as immediate or memorable. Nothing is as majestic as "Learn to Fly," haunting as "Everlong," gut-crunching as "Monkey Wrench," or even as boneheadedly irresistible as their contribution to the Orange County soundtrack, "The One". Instead, it all fits together and sounds good as a piece, without offering individual moments to savor. Not the worst tradeoff, of course, but it's hard not to wish that the songs stuck in your head the way they used to, even if the album is still enjoyable as a whole. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In between manning drums for the Queens Of The Stone Age album SONGS FOR THE DEAF and the 2003 all-star death metal side-project Probot, Dave Grohl turned out ONE BY ONE, the Foo Fighters' fourth studio outing. With the Foo's line-up remaining intact for the second consecutive album, Grohl's posse set about sanding down the lighter, pop-inflected nuances of the album's predecessor THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE. From the opening cut/lead single "All My Life," the Foo Fighters serve notice that amps are cranked and guitars are far beyond being set on stun. This intense outpouring of energy manifests itself well on the simmering tension of "Low," buzzing melodicism of "Times Like These (One-Way Motorway)," and the drill-press relentlessness of "Have It All."

Taking a page from the book of his former group Nirvana, Grohl has fun playing around with dynamics particularly on the bipolar subtle/screaming "Disenchanted Lullaby" and "Lonely As You," a chugging number that seamlessly goes from a lightly strummed intro to churning riffs. The biggest highlights include "Tired," a strummed ballad featuring multi-layered choruses by Queen guitarist Brian May, and closer "Come Back," a prog-flavored seven-minute-plus epic that meanders between soaring passages and segments soaked in angst-laced brio.

Rolling Stone (11/14/02, pp.83-4) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Potent guitar riffs define every song on ONE BY ONE....It's rock that draws power from its determination to struggle onward..."

Spin (1/03, p.71) - Ranked #21 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...This firecracker string of a record...wrestles with the risks and rewards of grown-up love."

Entertainment Weekly (10/25/02, p.75) - "...Unexpected exhilaration. Crunch, power and a certain gruff wit you'd expect from the Foos, but elegance as well as devotion to romance?..." - Rating: A-

Q (11/02, p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...They've grown in craft and attitude..."

Uncut (12/02, p.129) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It's a sobering though that the Foos have now made more album than Nirvana. Fittingly, ONE BY ONE is their best yet..."

CMJ (10/28/02, p.6) - "...An album that not only easily tops their own previous releases, but can also sit alongside the former Nirvana skinsman's other work as a true rock classic....A near-perfect album..."s

Mojo (Publisher) (11/02, p.90) - "...An album that trumpets its own qualities to the world beyond the faithful...it has many moments of greatness..."