Dave Grohl isn't happy with the "premature" Foo Fighters Greatest Hits record.

The frontman said the album has been put together to fulfil the obligations of the band's record deal and that he doesn't feel the time is right in the band's career for a retrospective compilation.

He told England's BBC Radio 1: "It still seems premature because we're still a functioning, active band. Those things can look like an obituary.

"We were asked to do this a long time ago. We wrote it into a deal a long time ago - that's how it works."

He also joked: "They started asking about four years ago, and we said, 'Don't we need some hits?'"

Humour aside, Dave added he felt the 16 track album - which features hit including - was like a beginner's guide to the group and didn't include some of their best work.

Making reference to a set of well-known US study guides, he said: "It's like a CliffsNotes version of what we've been doing for the last 15 years. I think there are better songs than some of those."

Foo Fighters will perform at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany tonight (05.11.09).