Retro Spins: Foreigner - Agent Provoceteur

 

Touted as one of the world's best selling bands. Makers of hit after hit. Icons in the world of rock. What more needs to be said about Foreigner?

The group was formed in 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, vocalist Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist, and original King Crimson member, Ian McDonald. Their self titled 1977 debut would also serve as the bands breakthrough, and would be the starting point for mainstream success across two decades. Foreigner, the album, would reach number four in the USA, and hit the top ten in both Australia and Canada, led by the singles, Feels Like The First Time, and Cold As Ice.

They would immediately set to work on their follow up, and more successful second album, 1978's Double Vision. This sophomore release would reach number three in the USA, with Hot Blooded reaching number three, and title track reaching number two.

Feeling a lot of his ideas weren't compatible with the overall vision of the group, Foreigner parted ways with Gagliardi after the album's release, and brought in new bassist, Rick Wills. This revised lineup would set to work on 1979's Head Games. Though it reached number five in the USA, led by its title tracks single, Head Games was not as successful as it predecessors.

Another lineup change would occur in 1980, when both Ian McDonald, and Al Greenwood were fired. The driving force behind the decision was that ultimately the band wanted to go in a direction that the majority members felt the two wouldn't fit into, musically. Of course, if you ask McDonald or Greenwood, they would tell you it was all a control thing for Gramm and Jones, who wanted to emphasize that Foreigner was their band, and they were the focus.

Reduced to a quartet, the aptly titled, 4, would be released in 1981. It would become their first and only album to reach number one, led by the smash hits, Jukebox Hero, Urgent, Waiting For A Girl Like You, and Break It Up. The band would then embark on a world tour, taking three years to return to the studio.

1984's Agent Provocateur would produce the band's first and only number one hit, I Want To Know What Love Is, and would also feature the hit, That Was Yesterday, my personal favorite from Foreigner. Oddly though, I hadn't heard the entire album until today, when I popped it in for my Retro Spin write up.

Agent Provocateur delivers another solid listening experience from the band. One of the things I've always been treated with from the group is great songs that weren't necessarily hits, and this album continues to provide this. Tooth And Nail, and A Love In Vain stood out as equally wonderful next to the two singles. Though these were the stand out tracks, the rest of the album was far from terrible.

Overall, it's a great album, and only adds more and more of their music to my ever growing shuffle. Sadly, for the group, things started to crash fast. Prior to beginning work on what would become 1987's Inside Information, both Gramm and Jones would dabble in solo efforts. This would lead to the question of whether Gramm would even return to the group, which fortunately, he did. It would not only be their last entry in the 80's, but also their last platinum album.

Gramm would return to a solo career, and by 1990 opted to leave Foreigner. Jones, Wills and Elliot would hire new singer, Johnny Edwards for 1991's Unusual Heat. Its reception was cold, and quickly forgotten.

In 1994, Gramm and Jones would reunite with new band members, and release their attempted comeback album, Mr. Moonlight. Despite their reunion, this album too failed to garner much attention. Over a decade would pass before Jones would once again put together the band, this time with Kelly Hansen on vocals. With this new lineup, they released their final album to date, 2009's Can't Slow Down.

The heydays are of course far gone at this point for Foreigner, and had been since 1987. It's sad really. Between 1977 and 1987 the band seemed unstoppable, but in retrospect, seem to have derailed themselves as a result of their own egos.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 6, 1985