Foreigner - A Dual-Nation Band
There are very few bands in the world with members from multiple nations. In fact, there are a few whose members were a mixture of Brits and Americans. One prime example of such a band was Foreigner. Established by Spooky Tooth alumn Mick Jones (not to be confused with The Clash guitarist of the same name).
It all started in the mid 70s when Mick Jones (guitar) joined forces with King Crimson guitarist/keyboardist Ian McDonald. The two met in New York City and saught to form a band. The pair quickly recruited their neighbor, drummer Dennis Elliot as well as keyboardist Al Greenwood and bass player Ed Gagliardi.
The band initially went under the name of Trigger and were searching for a lead singer. It wasn't until Mick Jones heard a song by a band called Black Sheep. Right away, Jones noticed the voice of the lead singer belonged to none other than Louis Grammatico (aka Lou Gramm) and invited him down to NYC to meet his soon-to-be bandmates. (By the way Gramm, at the time, was cleaning the Rochester, NY public safety building).
After a brief audition the sextet Trigger officially formed and cut a demo featuring a disco-esque version of what would be their first single, Feels Like The First Time. As luck would have it, nearly all the major record companies rejected it. However, the sun shone when John Kalodner, an A&R Man for Atlantic Records noticed the demo tape. He put it on and noticed it was labeled Trigger.
"I saw the tape, it was labeled Trigger. Now I'd just been to a band called Trigger last night and I could tell this was a different band who sounded much better than the band I went to see."
-John Kalodner
Kaldoner agreed to a record deal provided that the group changed its name since there was already a Trigger band. Jones came up with the name Foreigner as the band was 50% British and 50% American (Jones, McDonald, and Elliot were Brits while the rest were Americans) and so Jones thought that they would be foreigners anywhere they went.
Released on Internation Woman's Day of '77, Foreigner's self-titled debut album was rather successful. It featured hits: Feels LIke The First Time, Cold as Ice, Starrider, Headnocker, Long, Long Way From Home (which Gramm penned about his coming to NYC to audition for Foreigner), and AOR numbers The Damage is Done, and Fool for you Anyway. As expected the band went on tour which Jones said was difficult to do as the band only had ten songs (the first album) and so needed to record more.
In 1978 Foreigner played at California Jam II whilst recording their next album. My second favorite, Double Vision, was released at the beginning of the summer of 1978. The album's opening track, Hot Blooded is regarded as their signature songs. Other hits from the album were the title track, and Blue Morning Blue Day. The tour was pretty rough and Dennis Elliot injured his hand after an argument to be replaced by Ian Wallace for several Australian dates.
Foreigner's third record, Head Games (1979) was the only one produced by Roy Thomas Baker of Queen production fame. Lou Gramm stated that this record is "Foreiger's grainiest." The album was a bit more rock-oriented as seen on the lead single, Dirty White Boy (I wonder if the "yeeaaah" at the end was influenced by Roger Daltrey). The title track, and yet another harder-rocking ballad Women, were the second and third singles respectively.
Mick Jones decided to step up his authority in the early 1980s. At a meeting, a decission was made to let McDonald and Greenwood go and to replace Gagliardi (who fainted in 1979) and to replace him with Bad Company's Rick Willis.
Released in the summer of '81, 4 (my favorite Foreigner record) showed some great changes. It was so named not just for being the fourth Foreigner album, but because the band was cut down to a quartet. With the Jones-Gramm-Elliot-Willis lineup, Jones was able to recruit session musicians. Larry Fast contributed keyboards on some of the tracks as did Thomas Dolby. The lead single from the album, another one of their signature songs, Urgent, features saxophone work from Junior Walker (of Motown fame Junior Walker and the All Stars who had a hit in 1964 with Shotgun). Another hit from the album was the rock anthem Jukebox Hero. A greatest hits package from the past four albums, Records, was released in 1982.
In the 1980s Foreigner really developed a thing for ballads. The 1981 record 4 featured the ballad WAiting For a Girl Like You, but that wasn't all. The band's 1984 record, Agent Provocateur featured the band's signature ballad, I Want to Know What Love Is. It featured guest appearances from Jennifer Holiday and the New Jersey Mass Choir. Thereafter, Jones and Gramm recorded solo albums and Gramm had a hit with Midnight Blue.
Throughout 1985 and 1986, many feared that Foreigner may have broken up even though Jones and Gramm. Finally in 1987 a new record, Inside Information was released. The album featured yet another ballad the 1988 hit I Don't Want to Live Without You. Jones released a solo album in 1989 and even collaborated with Billy Joel on Joel's 1989 record Stormfront.
In the early 90s, Lou Gramm had a hit with Just Between Me and You. The Foreigner 1991 album Unusal Heat did not feature Gramm who had allegidly left Foreigner. Instead Johnny Edwards was the lead singer. Unusal Heat only featured one single, Lowdown and Dirty. Otherwise, it was very badly received.
In 1992, when many did not even dream of a Jones-Gramm reunion anymore, Jones and Gramm got together in a downtown Los Angeles hotel amid the ongoing riots to write new songs. Jones and Gramm each contributed one solo hit and the band as a whole recorded Soul Doctor, the opening track from the 1992 record The Very Best...And Beyond. Anohther rather unsucessful record, Mr. Moonshine followed in 1995 after which Dennis Elliot exited the band to become a painter in 1996.
All along fans had been hoping for a reunion tour. However, in 1997, Lou Gramm was found to have a brain tumor. The tumor was not cancerous and even so it was successfully removed. Foreigner did tour briefly in the early 2000s, though Gramm ultimately exited himself around 2002.
As of 2005, former Hurricane lead singer Kelly Hansen has become the lead singer of Foreigner. The band experienced a heavy rotation of members and at one point even worked with brother of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason Bonham.
The band's latest album was Can't Slow Down (2009). As for a new album, Jeff Pilson (bass) said no such thing to be expected anytime soon.
It all started in the mid 70s when Mick Jones (guitar) joined forces with King Crimson guitarist/keyboardist Ian McDonald. The two met in New York City and saught to form a band. The pair quickly recruited their neighbor, drummer Dennis Elliot as well as keyboardist Al Greenwood and bass player Ed Gagliardi.
The band initially went under the name of Trigger and were searching for a lead singer. It wasn't until Mick Jones heard a song by a band called Black Sheep. Right away, Jones noticed the voice of the lead singer belonged to none other than Louis Grammatico (aka Lou Gramm) and invited him down to NYC to meet his soon-to-be bandmates. (By the way Gramm, at the time, was cleaning the Rochester, NY public safety building).
After a brief audition the sextet Trigger officially formed and cut a demo featuring a disco-esque version of what would be their first single, Feels Like The First Time. As luck would have it, nearly all the major record companies rejected it. However, the sun shone when John Kalodner, an A&R Man for Atlantic Records noticed the demo tape. He put it on and noticed it was labeled Trigger.
"I saw the tape, it was labeled Trigger. Now I'd just been to a band called Trigger last night and I could tell this was a different band who sounded much better than the band I went to see."
-John Kalodner
Kaldoner agreed to a record deal provided that the group changed its name since there was already a Trigger band. Jones came up with the name Foreigner as the band was 50% British and 50% American (Jones, McDonald, and Elliot were Brits while the rest were Americans) and so Jones thought that they would be foreigners anywhere they went.
Released on Internation Woman's Day of '77, Foreigner's self-titled debut album was rather successful. It featured hits: Feels LIke The First Time, Cold as Ice, Starrider, Headnocker, Long, Long Way From Home (which Gramm penned about his coming to NYC to audition for Foreigner), and AOR numbers The Damage is Done, and Fool for you Anyway. As expected the band went on tour which Jones said was difficult to do as the band only had ten songs (the first album) and so needed to record more.
In 1978 Foreigner played at California Jam II whilst recording their next album. My second favorite, Double Vision, was released at the beginning of the summer of 1978. The album's opening track, Hot Blooded is regarded as their signature songs. Other hits from the album were the title track, and Blue Morning Blue Day. The tour was pretty rough and Dennis Elliot injured his hand after an argument to be replaced by Ian Wallace for several Australian dates.
Foreigner's third record, Head Games (1979) was the only one produced by Roy Thomas Baker of Queen production fame. Lou Gramm stated that this record is "Foreiger's grainiest." The album was a bit more rock-oriented as seen on the lead single, Dirty White Boy (I wonder if the "yeeaaah" at the end was influenced by Roger Daltrey). The title track, and yet another harder-rocking ballad Women, were the second and third singles respectively.
Mick Jones decided to step up his authority in the early 1980s. At a meeting, a decission was made to let McDonald and Greenwood go and to replace Gagliardi (who fainted in 1979) and to replace him with Bad Company's Rick Willis.
Released in the summer of '81, 4 (my favorite Foreigner record) showed some great changes. It was so named not just for being the fourth Foreigner album, but because the band was cut down to a quartet. With the Jones-Gramm-Elliot-Willis lineup, Jones was able to recruit session musicians. Larry Fast contributed keyboards on some of the tracks as did Thomas Dolby. The lead single from the album, another one of their signature songs, Urgent, features saxophone work from Junior Walker (of Motown fame Junior Walker and the All Stars who had a hit in 1964 with Shotgun). Another hit from the album was the rock anthem Jukebox Hero. A greatest hits package from the past four albums, Records, was released in 1982.
In the 1980s Foreigner really developed a thing for ballads. The 1981 record 4 featured the ballad WAiting For a Girl Like You, but that wasn't all. The band's 1984 record, Agent Provocateur featured the band's signature ballad, I Want to Know What Love Is. It featured guest appearances from Jennifer Holiday and the New Jersey Mass Choir. Thereafter, Jones and Gramm recorded solo albums and Gramm had a hit with Midnight Blue.
Throughout 1985 and 1986, many feared that Foreigner may have broken up even though Jones and Gramm. Finally in 1987 a new record, Inside Information was released. The album featured yet another ballad the 1988 hit I Don't Want to Live Without You. Jones released a solo album in 1989 and even collaborated with Billy Joel on Joel's 1989 record Stormfront.
In the early 90s, Lou Gramm had a hit with Just Between Me and You. The Foreigner 1991 album Unusal Heat did not feature Gramm who had allegidly left Foreigner. Instead Johnny Edwards was the lead singer. Unusal Heat only featured one single, Lowdown and Dirty. Otherwise, it was very badly received.
In 1992, when many did not even dream of a Jones-Gramm reunion anymore, Jones and Gramm got together in a downtown Los Angeles hotel amid the ongoing riots to write new songs. Jones and Gramm each contributed one solo hit and the band as a whole recorded Soul Doctor, the opening track from the 1992 record The Very Best...And Beyond. Anohther rather unsucessful record, Mr. Moonshine followed in 1995 after which Dennis Elliot exited the band to become a painter in 1996.
All along fans had been hoping for a reunion tour. However, in 1997, Lou Gramm was found to have a brain tumor. The tumor was not cancerous and even so it was successfully removed. Foreigner did tour briefly in the early 2000s, though Gramm ultimately exited himself around 2002.
As of 2005, former Hurricane lead singer Kelly Hansen has become the lead singer of Foreigner. The band experienced a heavy rotation of members and at one point even worked with brother of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason Bonham.
The band's latest album was Can't Slow Down (2009). As for a new album, Jeff Pilson (bass) said no such thing to be expected anytime soon.
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