Foreigner (Official Thread)

stepcousin

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i grew up listening to them just like everyone else my age. I love the first 3 albums alot, and "4" is great but to me they lost their hard rock drive. Their music was one of many bands that made up the soundtrack to the memories of my teenage years.

I have the s/t up to "Agent Provocatuer" on vinyl.
 

METALPRIEST

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Lou Gramm Considering Retirement

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SOURCE LINK

Rumors have recently surfaced about the possibility of a Foreigner reunion between Mick Jones and Lou Gramm. However, they were quickly quashed by Gramm. In fact, a new interview with Gramm suggests that the singer is considering retiring, a concept that crosses his mind from time to time.

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network (via Blabbermouth), Gramm said the day when he gives up the road could come “maybe sooner than you think. I have some other interests. I enjoy being in the studio, I still enjoy writing, I may put my efforts into writing songs for other people or into production. I guess those are the outlets for old rock singers when they go out to pasture, you know.”

Still, Gramm hasn’t fully rejected the idea of touring with Jones again. The duo are set to perform together for the first time in 10 years when they are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13. Gramm vaguely suggested that night will determine whether or not he and Jones think it’s worth giving it another shot.

“I would just have to see how it goes down, what it entails, how long it would be,” he continued. “There’s a number of things that would make a difference to me, and I’d just have to take it as it comes, and I’m sure Mick feels the same way. I mean, after all those years you just can’t jump into the deep water, you know.”
 

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I'll have a full report after the Missus and I get back from Atlantic City. I'm going in with an open mind and unbiased ears.

She's the Foreigner fan, but I'm actually starting to look forward to seeing them, regardless of the personnel.

I haven't been to see live music since last December, to see (former & now reunited Mavericks frontman & guitarist) Raul Malo at a 200 seat club.
 

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Ok, folks, this will be pretty informal, simply because I don't have the memory I used to.


First off, the venue: The Grand, inside the Golden Nugget Casino, in Atlantic City, N.J.

I don't know the capacity, but if I had to guess, I'd say between 2,000-2500 or so.

We had great seats, section F, row 1, seats 15 & 16. Section B was in front of us, and there was an aisle between the two. The traffic wasn't a problem, though, because our section was raised up, so our view wasn't obstructed at all.

See for yourself:


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We were maybe 1/2 dozen seats from center stage. The Missus took the pic, I left my phone back at the room. The kids always call her first anyway.


Anyhow, on with the show. As I stated before, I got these tickets because this was my wife's favorite from her high school years. This was for her.

I kept an open mind, and actually, I started getting jazzed at the thought of just seeing live music, even if it was a Foreigner cover band.

I have to tell you, it was really good. The sound was clear, with just a bit of bottom rumbling from the bass at times. The singer sounded alot like Lou Gramm, but he looked & moved alot like Steven Tyler.

Check it out, right about 2:20





Anyhow, the show started with, I think, Double Vision. (isn't that sad? 2 days ago, and I can't remember.), and there wasn't an original member on stage.

They ran through all the hits, and during Cold As Ice, the singer (Kelly something) came out into the crowd, and I got a high five. (my second, the first being Bruce in 84 on the Powerslave tour).

Around the 7th or 8th song, Kelly introduced the band, acknowledging the senior member to be Thom somebody (he played sax, flute, guitar). 20 years.

After he'd finished, he said that "Mick Jones hadn't been well, and that he'd missed some shows......but he was feeling much better now..."

Man, the place went freaking crazy!

Mick came out, guitar strapped on, and the place was literally vibrating under your feet. A solid five minutes of nonstop thunder from the crowd. I'm getting goosebumps just typing it, same as I did Saturday night.

When it finally settled a bit, Kelly did something completely classy. He thanked Mick for giving so much great music to the people, and for giving him (Kelly) so much music to sing, and he was overwhelmed and honored to be a part of Foreigner.

And with that, Mick tore into Feels Like The First Time. He stayed on for the remainder of the show, which clocked in at just under two hours.

My only disappointment was they didn't do Starrider or The Damage Is Done (my favorite cut).

All in all, at 79.00 per ticket, it was money very well spent.



*EDIT*

I forgot to tell you, before the show, there were kids selling Foreigner Live cds for 20 bucks. The incentive was the chance to win a guitar autographed by the entire band. The proceeds (not sue what percentage), plus 500 bucks from Foreigner went towards some sort of Grammy/music/youth program, to keep music programs alive. Sorry, but I don't remember exactly what it was.

Anyhow, I looked on You Tube, and this is the actual footage from the show we were at, of those kids coming out on stage to sing with the band. Apparently, they're (Foreigner) is doing this the entire tour.

This is the Middle Township High School Advanced Choir, from New Jersey:



Can you imagine? That's a cool memory those kids will always have.
 
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Magic

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Foreigner’s mick jones looks back on ‘i want to know what love is’

Ultimateclassicrock.com



“I don’t know where it came from. I consider it a gift that was sent through me. I think there was something bigger than me behind it. I’d say it was probably written entirely by a higher force.”

So begins Mick Jones‘ story of how he wrote the No. 1 Foreigner smash ‘I Want to Know What Love Is,’ recently recounted for Classic Rock Magazine. But even if he doesn’t know exactly where it came from, Jones has plenty of memories about the way the song ultimately came together — including the day he shepherded 30 members of the New Jersey Mass Choir into the studio to record their backing vocals.

“We did a few takes, and it was good, but it was still a bit tentative,” recalled Jones. “So then they all got round in a circle, held hands and said The Lord’s Prayer. And it seemed to inspire them, because after that they did it in one take. I was in tears, because my mum and dad were in the studio too, and it was so emotional.” That emotion carried over to a special listening session held for Ahmet Ertegun, president of the band’s label at the time, Atlantic Records. “This is somebody who discovered Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, so his opinion was quite important. So we sat there and listened, and after the first chorus I looked over in his direction and tears were rolling down his cheeks. I thought: ‘My God! I’ve done it!’ He was away with the music.”

Jones really had done it, at least as far as Top 40 radio programmers were concerned; released as a single from Foreigner’s ‘Agent Provocateur’ LP, it went on to become one of the band’s signature songs. “It was No.1 worldwide,” Jones said proudly. “I doubt there are many people who haven’t heard it. It was played on the radio all around the world. And I started getting letters from people who weren’t necessarily fans but had found comfort in that song at times of suffering and sadness. Everybody took their own meaning from it. And that’s all you can hope for as a writer.”
 

Fever

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According to Lou Gramm's autobiography,he didn't want to do I Want To Know What Love Is and neither did bass player Rick Wills.He said he liked singing it,but that it did "irreparable damage to our rock image".Lou thought they were selling their souls and wanted to play rock and roll instead of ballads,but it was basically Mick's band so it was his way or the highway.
Lou said this was where they had their creative differences and suffered their Lennon-McCartney,Jagger-Richards type split.


For me personally,I like the song,but I could probably list 30 Foreigner songs I like better and Foreigner is in my top 10 of my favorite bands
 

LG

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I was kind of disappointed with "Agent Provocateur" when it came out, but I've always liked I Want To Know What Love Is. Good background story about how it all came together, it's too bad Mick and Lou had such a rough partnership over the years.
 

Segue Myles

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I love this band!

Will rank the albums from best to worst:

1. Foreigner 9/10
2. Can't Slow Down 9/10
3. Inside Information 8.5/10
4. Head Games 8/10
5. Magic Moonlight 8/10
6. 4 8/10
7. Double Vision 8/10
8. Unusual Heat 7/10
9. Agent Provocateur 6/10
 

Ar-Pharazon

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I was kind of disappointed with "Agent Provocateur" when it came out, but I've always liked I Want To Know What Love Is. Good background story about how it all came together, it's too bad Mick and Lou had such a rough partnership over the years.

Those kind of partnerships always result in the most incredible music, but also the most acrimonious splits.
 

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