Pocketwatch

                  Prior to joining Nirvana, Dave Grohl recorded Pocketwatch in the early nineties. Pocketwatch was released in 1992 under the pseudonym, Late!. This record of “demos” was only released on cassette, but the demand grew for a CD version after the public found out that the band was not called, Late!; it was just a one man band by Grohl who played every instrument on the record.

                 Track 1: Pokey the Little Puppy- This instrumental track opens the record with Grohl’s amazing pounding on the drums. The repetitive riff does not make the song feel boring, a carries the song to another place and makes the listener want more.

                Track 2: Petrol CB- This track starts out very hard and grungy with a fuzzy guitar riff. The vocals come soon after, hidden by the guitar riff and bass. The chorus is sweet and melodic with Grohl’s vocals being showcased properly for the first time on the record.

                Track 3: Friend of a Friend- The track was later rerecorded and appeared on The Foo Fighter’s fourth studio album, In Your Honor. It is a slow song with lyrics about his Nirvana band mates, Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain. “He says nevermind and no one speaks,” Grohl sings about Cobain.

                Track 4: Throwing Needles- The song is speedy and hints at Grohl’s prior punk rock experience in the band, Scream. It even sounds like something Scream’s guitarist, Franz Stahl would write. It is a forgettable, but solid track.

                Track 5: Just Another Story about Skeeter Thompson- “Skeeter” is a spoken word song about Grohl’s time in Amsterdam with his friend, Skeeter Thompson who was the bassist of Scream. The song was officially released on The Melvins’ King Buzzo EP. The lyrics are comedic and simple with Grohl describing Skeeter “as really really smelling good” after he put on cologne.

                Track 4: Colored Pictures of a Marigold- The song later appeared as a b-side of Nirvana’s single, “Heart Shaped Box”, rerecorded and titled as “Marigold”. Grohl has been quoted as saying this song is about the time he spent at Kurt Cobain’s house when he didn’t have enough money to buy his own place to stay. The song is slow and sincere with Grohl softly singing about “the six colored pictures all in a row of a marigold” at Cobain’s house.

                Track 5: Hell’s Garden- The song is very forgettable, but is great as well with the melodic verses and the explosive chorus of Grohl screaming “I’m in hell’s garden.”

                Track 6: Winnebago- The song was later rerecorded and released as a b-side to The Foo Fighters’ single “Exhausted” off of their debut record. The verses are melodic, just like many of the songs on Pocketwatch.Lyrically, “Winnebago” sounds like a bunch of random lines of poetry put together into a song, because the lyrics have nothing to do with a Winnebago or with each other for that matter.

                Track 7: Bruce- “Bruce” is the second and last instrumental track on Pocketwatch. The drums make the song great, along with Grohl’s signature drum fills.

                Track 8: Milk- The final track is a sweet one. Grohl sings about sharing his milk with you and about a father scolding his little boy for trading secrets with a girl. The lyrics are very cute and are executed in a melodic way. Pocketwatch as a whole, hints at Grohl’s later career choices and song writing styles.