In 2024 Foreigner had been inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor Of Fame. Band founder and inventive lynchpin Mick Jones was unable to attend the ceremony, however authentic frontman Lou Gramm did, thanking Jones onstage and remembering how the pair “hit it off” throughout their first songwriting session. In 2013, we requested Jones, Gramm and one other founding member, the late Ian McDonald, to replicate on a debut album that “opened the floodgates for what adopted”.
Mick Jones remembers the music traits as being stacked in opposition to Foreigner, after they launched their self-titled, debut album in 1977. “Disco was at peak, and punk and new wave had been simply hitting. So issues didn’t have a look at all good for what we had been doing!”
You also needs to keep in mind that we’re speaking a couple of band who struggled to get any curiosity from file corporations.
“We had been turned down by at the least three labels – and certainly one of these was Atlantic!” Even producer Roy Thomas Baker rejected the prospect of engaged on Foreigner’s debut album. All of which makes its subsequent, astonishing success extra of a triumph in opposition to all the percentages.
“I imagine we set the bar for the multi-million promoting albums that dominated the following decade,” says guitarist/vocalist Jones concerning the first Foreigner file. “Solely Boston offered at a comparable stage to us with their debut album, and this opened the floodgates for what adopted.”
Born in Portsmouth, Mick Jones had been in bands because the early 60s, and had achieved a modicum of success when he lived in France and labored with Johnny Hallyday.
“He was – and nonetheless is – handled just like the French Elvis,” says Jones. “And being in his band gave me the chance of assembly so many greats, like Jimmy Web page [who played on the Hallyday single A Tout Casser] and Otis Redding, who came to visit to show Johnny find out how to sing soul. It was an unimaginable grounding, which taught me rather a lot. I name it my ‘French Interval’.”
In 1973, Jones attached with Gary Wright to begin Wonderwheel.
“Then Island Data requested us to get Spooky Tooth again collectively [Wright had been an original member of the band], and that lasted about three years. However when Spooky Tooth broke up I used to be left excessive and dry in New York. Nevertheless, I received the prospect of becoming a member of the Leslie West Band [who released one self-titled album in 1976]. Working with Leslie was such a privilege; he was an important guitarist and songwriter, regardless that there have been harrowing experiences at instances. Nevertheless it ready me to do my very own factor.”
In 1976, Jones started to deliver to fruition a imaginative and prescient he’d been harbouring secretly for a very long time.
“What I needed to do was a British tackle American music. I had gotten into R&B and likewise beloved soul music. I used to be very snug with the thought of doing rock with a soulful really feel – and that was the muse for the brand new band.”
One of the vital essential individuals concerned on this venture from the start was Bud Prager. The pair had met as a result of Prager managed Leslie West, however now they started to grasp there was a synergy between them, one that may later show to be mutually helpful.“We challenged each other,” laughs Jones. “I threw down the gauntlet to him to show he might be an efficient supervisor for me, and he dared me to show that I may truly put collectively my very own band and make my musical dream come true. It was an important partnership.”
“I understood from the beginning that Mick wasn’t simply an artist, however one who had the self-discipline to make issues occur,” Prager as soon as mentioned. “Our relationship was greater than only a supervisor and his shopper. I knew that first album would promote at the least one million copies even earlier than it was recorded, as a result of I had full religion in Mick.”
The search for Jones was to place collectively a band who may deliver his concepts to life, and he started with two Englishmen whom he already knew. “I had met Ian McDonald earlier than the band concept ever got here up,” Jones says, “and so it appeared logical to ask him to be a part of this from the beginning.”
Multi-instrumentalist McDonald (who had been a part of the early King Crimson) has a barely totally different recollection on the timing of his recruitment.
“So far as I can recall, Mick already had a few musicians on board by the point he contacted me. I imagine Al [Greenwood, keys] was already within the line-up, and there was yet another as properly, though I can’t now recall who this could have been. However Mick and I received on very properly, so working with him was the smart factor to do.”
The chance is that drummer Dennis Elliott was already concerned when McDonald was introduced in, as a result of his arrival is seen as essential by Jones.
“I had performed with Dennis on Ian Hunter’s first solo album [1975’s Ian Hunter],” says Jones, “and he impressed me rather a lot by way of the path the band ought to take. He had a extremely particular really feel in the best way that he performed, and I beloved that. Dennis acted as a sounding board for my concepts, and I’d say he was a serious a part of Foreigner. In reality, he was the spirit of the band so far as I used to be involved.”
However Jones was additionally decided to usher in younger abilities who elicited a freshness and vitality. Musicians who weren’t tainted by years of failure or bitterness.
“Al Greenwood and [bassist] Ed Gagliardi each got here from the New York space, and whereas they’d been in native bands for a number of years, they’d not had any important success. However each fitted in with what I used to be after.”
The American duo had been each discovered by a sequence of in depth auditions held at a rehearsal studio within the constructing the place Prager’s workplace was situated.
“The studio had been constructed by Felix Pappalardi of Mountain, when he labored with Bud [the two effectively co-managed Mountain], so we simply primarily based ourselves there for 9 months whereas the line-up got here collectively.”
The largest downside they confronted was discovering the best vocalist. Ultimately, round 50 hopefuls had been auditioned.
“We tried out so many. And all of them had been younger guys who had been unknowns on the time; I don’t suppose any of them went on to have success, although. There have been a number of who had been good – however not ok. You see, I had an concept in my head of how the singer ought to come throughout. I’d hear a Robert Plant or Paul Rodgers doing the songs, and I stored on singing to myself to get an concept of what labored. So I wasn’t ready to accept lower than somebody who actually knocked me out.”
Two excessive profile vocalists had been virtually supplied the prospect to entrance the band. One was American Ian Lloyd, who had topped the US singles chart in 1973 with Brother Louie, whereas he was a member of Tales.
“Ian was a pal of mine, and he helped us out through the auditions. And I got here very near asking him if he needed to be the vocalist within the band. He was actually good, and it felt proper when he did the songs.”
Lloyd would find yourself doing backing vocals not solely on this album, but additionally subsequent Foreigner recordings. The second chance, in the meantime, was just a little extra far-fetched.
“I had gotten to know Steve Winwood when Spooky Tooth toured with Site visitors,” says Jones. “And whereas we had been nonetheless struggling to discover a appropriate vocalist, I went on vacation to Wales with a pal. Steve was staying very shut by, and we frolicked for a number of days. I used to be at all times a fan of his voice, and was very tempted to ask him if he’d take into account becoming a member of the band. However I may by no means fairly deliver myself to ask him. I simply thought he would inevitably flip down the entire concept, so it remained a kind of ideas you by no means put into motion. Nonetheless, I do generally surprise if he may need agreed to offer it a go!”
Nevertheless, all such ideas had been dispelled when Lou Gramm entered the story. Previously with Rochester, New York band Black Sheep (who had launched two albums), Gramm was requested to audition by Jones.
“What occurred was that when Mick was nonetheless in Spooky Tooth, they performed in Rochester, New York, the place Black Sheep had been primarily based,” says Gramm. “So we went alongside to the present, and since our supervisor labored for A&M Data [to whom Spooky Tooth were signed in America], we received to fulfill the band afterwards, and gave them copies of our two albums [1974’s self-titled debut and the following year’s Encouraging Words].
“Then we had a serious piece of dangerous luck. We’d been chosen to open for Kiss, however after the primary gig in Boston our van hit a patch of ice, which not solely destroyed the van however most of our tools as properly. That meant we needed to pull out of the Kiss tour, and are available off the street for ages.
“In April 1976, Mick tracked me down and requested if I’d wish to audition for his new band. However I turned the supply down, as a result of I used to be dedicated to Black Sheep. Anyway, Mick mentioned he’d name once more in two weeks to see if I’d modified my thoughts. Now, once I talked about the supply to the remainder of the fellows, they informed me to go forward and audition, as a result of Black Sheep could be out of motion for a very long time. So when Mick did name again, I accepted his supply.”
McDonald says that Jones took a whole lot of convincing earlier than he lastly plumped for Gramm as singer.
“Mick placed on the primary Black Sheep album, and as quickly as I heard the vocals I simply knew Lou was the person for us. I mentioned so on the time to Mick, however he insisted that we needed to undergo the entire strategy of auditioning him. I stored on at Mick, telling him we needed to seize this man earlier than another person did, and at last he agreed with me. He was very cautious about it, although.”
Jones, although, suggests he was gained over by Gramm virtually instantly.
“As quickly as he got here in to the audition, I realised we’d discovered our man. He sounded precisely the best way I needed the band’s singer to come back throughout. Lou was simply so a lot better than anybody else we had tried out. He introduced every little thing to a brand new stage.”
Watch On
Gramm sang 4 songs in his audition: Feels Like The First Time, At Battle With The World, Lady, Oh Lady and Take Me To Your Chief. And these had been the identical songs the newly cemented sextet elected to file for the demo that they hoped would get them the all-important file deal. This was lower in the identical rehearsal room the place the auditions had been held, and within the case of Feels Like The First Time it featured Gramm’s very first attempt at doing the tune.
“The audition actually put me on the spot,” smiles Gramm. “I walked in, they performed me an instrumental model of Feels…, Mick sung over it straight to me, then gave me a lyric sheet, and I had just a few minutes to be taught it, earlier than singing it! My vocals had been recorded and added to what the band had already carried out, and that was the model used on the demo.”
However getting label curiosity was to show a torturous course of for them – as Jones remembers with a slight trace of resignation.
“Between us, Bud and I knew Jerry Moss, who was president of A&M Data on the time; Clive Davis, the boss at Arista; and Ahmet Ertegun, who ran Atlantic Data. However we determined to not use these contacts, however simply to ship the tape in to the labels’ A&R departments, as a result of we had a lot religion in what we had been doing. However all of them turned us down!”
Nevertheless, there was to be a swift volte face by Atlantic, because of an aspiring A&R govt named John Kalodner. Kalodner would go on to turn out to be one of the high-profile music enterprise personalities of the 80s, working with bands like Aerosmith and Whitesnake, however in 1976 he was within the press division on the Atlantic New York workplace, and simply getting began on the A&R division, when he got here throughout the demo.
“It was the tune Feels Like The First Time that grabbed me,” Kalodner remembers. “I informed Jerry Greenberg [president of the company] that the label needed to rethink their determination and signal this band. Jerry informed me that he thought it was Bud Prager’s time to have a success band, so he went with me to see them in rehearsals, together with Bud, regardless that John Delahant [the director of A&R] was in opposition to signing them.
“We simply felt the facility of the band, heard how Mick may play and what a voice Lou had… And that was the clincher. We supplied them a deal.”
“We owe a lot to John Kalodner,” says Jones. “He was such a champion on our behalf on the label. He turned every little thing round for us and received the whole firm on our facet. However we may have ended up at A&M, truly. Jerry Moss had been away when our tape was rejected by them. On his return, Jerry heard it and beloved what we had been doing. He received in contact to supply us a deal, however by then we had been dedicated to Atlantic. And, to be trustworthy, I had at all times dreamed of being on Atlantic, due to their nice historical past, in order that’s the place I needed the band to go anyway.”
Now, when the band recorded their demo they weren’t known as Foreigner. They had been utilizing the title Set off, which nearly persuaded Kalodner to not even hassle listening to them! “I’d solely just lately seen a band known as Set off from New York,” remembers Kalodner, “they usually stunk [this was the band who released a self-titled album through Casablanca in 1978, which has since become a cult classic]. So once I noticed a tape from Set off I assumed it was the identical one, and practically ignored it!”
“I by no means favored the title Set off anyway,” admits Jones, “and all of us agreed that it ought to be modified. We had pages and pages of concepts, and a whole lot of them had been embarrassing. Finally, I instructed Foreigner, as a result of we had three Englishmen and three People, so wherever we went there would at all times be a international ingredient within the band. We did briefly toy with the thought of calling ourselves Alien, which is one other means of claiming we had been foreigners, but it surely by no means sounded proper.”
“So far as I can recall, we had been by no means actually often called Set off,” insists McDonald. “It was simply certainly one of a number of names we had been fascinated by when doing the demo. And I’ve to confess I by no means favored the thought of being known as Foreigner. Nevertheless, there have been no higher names on our checklist.”
By the point Foreigner had their deal signed with Atlantic, Jones says he had each tune ready.
“I had all of them written from a really early stage. And I used to be definitely getting higher as a songwriter on a regular basis. My confidence was undoubtedly rising. I had rather a lot expertise by then of working with all-time nice artists like George Harrison and Peter Frampton, in addition to Leslie West, Jimmy Web page and John Paul Jones, and their affect definitely rubbed off on me. I used to be additionally listening rather a lot on the time to Paul McCartney, and I used to be an enormous Beatles fan, so the significance they gave to a tune’s refrain had an impression on what I used to be doing.
“However I additionally needed to be sure that Lou was included within the writing course of. In spite of everything, he was the man who needed to sing these songs. I labored carefully with him to make sure he was snug with every little thing. When he did these tracks they needed to sound real, which is one thing he may solely ship if the lyrics and melodies made sense to him.”
Watch On
Jones is credited on the album as the only author on 5 tracks, and as co-writer on the remaining, with Gramm getting a writing acknowledgement on 4 of those. However McDonald solely will get a credit score for Lengthy, Lengthy Method From House, and this nonetheless rankles.
“I had rather a lot to do with the event of the songs,” he says. “And I’m nonetheless bitter about the best way I used to be handled by some individuals linked to the band. I ought to have had co-writing credit on much more than only one tune. And even with Lengthy, Lengthy Method From House I bear in mind telling Mick that I needed to have a share of the writing, due to all I’d put in to creating it occur, particularly on the vocal preparations. He gave me a glance that mentioned he wasn’t proud of the thought, and he reluctantly agreed. However I deserved much more of the credit score than I used to be given. That’s the music enterprise, although.”
Gramm has fond recollections of engaged on the songs with Jones.
“We hit it off instantly, and located it straightforward to put in writing collectively. The primary two songs we labored on had been Lengthy, Lengthy Method From House and I Want You.”
Jones needed Roy Thomas Baker to provide the Foreigner album, primarily on account of his work with Queen.
“I used to be an enormous Queen fan,” admits Jones, “and beloved the best way their vocal harmonies labored, and likewise the general sound Roy had gotten for them. I wasn’t trying to do precisely the identical factor with Foreigner, however I believed he may make my imaginative and prescient for the band come to life. Nevertheless, he wasn’t obtainable.”
As an alternative, Gary Lyons and John Sinclair had been introduced in, two Englishmen who owned Sarm Studios in London.
“We co-owned it on the time with [producer/engineer] Barry Ainsworth and my uncle,” remembers Lyons. “Roy had carried out a whole lot of work on the studio with Queen, and I’d been concerned with various the periods. So, when Roy turned down Foreigner due to different commitments, he beneficial me to the band.
“Bud Prager known as and requested me to come back out to New York to do the album. Now this was an enormous step for me, as a result of I had little or no expertise as a producer and had by no means been to New York earlier than. To be trustworthy, I used to be terrified of the entire deal, so I requested if John Sinclair, additionally my cousin, may come out with me to do the album.”
The manufacturing credit on the album cite not simply Lyons and Sinclair, but additionally Jones and McDonald. So, how did this quartet work collectively?
“Truly, Mick and Ian did little or no on the manufacturing facet,” insists Lyons. “Typical of musicians, they needed their names included, however they’d nothing to do with what occurred on the manufacturing facet, though afterward they remixed the album with out John and me [we shall come to this shortly]. I can present you my contract for the album. John and I are down as the only producers.”
“I had already gotten a whole lot of expertise of working in studios, by collaborating with some prime producers like Glyn Johns,” says Jones, who disagrees with Lyons’ model of occasions. “Each Ian and I labored carefully on the best way the album sounded. Nevertheless it was a joint effort. I at all times wish to concerned individuals and get a staff spirit going, which is what we did right here.”
Gramm feels the presence of Lyons and Sinclair was essential for the band.
“They had been glorious to work with. The 2 had been a bit like Yin and Yang. John got here up with the concepts, whereas Gary made them work.”
The band spent 4 months in two New York Studios – Document Plant and Atlantic – recording the album.
“It was a time of extra,” laughs Jones.”And we had been a part of that. So, there was no actual time strain on us. However what we did have was an absence of finances. Luckily, we had a very good pal in Eddie Germano on the Document Plant, and he gave us a very good deal to work in there.”
“So far as Atlantic Studios was involved, we went in throughout their down time,” provides Lyons. “So, when there was no paying shopper working we’d be in there, which often meant beginning at one thing like 10pm and going by to 7am.”
Whereas many of the course of was easy sufficient, Lyons remembers being sad with one tune scheduled for inclusion.
“I can’t bear in mind the title of the observe [McDonald believes it was Take Me To Your Leader], however this didn’t slot in with the remainder of the album. I needed to come again to London to do one thing with Elton John and Kiki Dee, so I instructed to the band that they need to attempt to write one other tune to interchange it.”
“I went residence after Gary mentioned this, sat down at my piano and out got here the riff for Chilly As Ice,” says Jones. “And the remainder of the tune flowed from there.”
“Once I received again, they performed me Chilly As Ice and it labored for me ,” says Lyons. “So we went into Atlantic Studios one night time to chop it.”
And in a kind of odd twists of coincidence, it turned out to be a really intriguing session.“Gary and I had been in there all night time engaged on the vocals,” reveals McDonald. “And once we received out of the studio we found {that a} blizzard had been raging. In all places was lined in snow, and we heard on the radio that it had been coldest night time in New York on file! One way or the other that gave the impression to be a very good omen for the tune.”
One fascinating side of the album is that Jones truly does lead vocals on two tracks, these being Starrider and Lady Oh Lady. However because it seems, for Gramm this was no downside.
“On each of those Mick did the lead vocals for the verses and I sang the choruses. However they had been efficient, as a result of each tunes fitted in with Mick’s vocal type. The rationale he needed to do Starrider was as a result of it was a tune that was particular to him, and he did an important job.”
Nevertheless, after they heard the combo that Lyons and Sinclair despatched them of the album, their optimistic vibes ebbed away.
“What occurred was that Gary and John went again to London to do the combo at Sarm Studios,” explains Jones. “Now on the time I couldn’t depart America, as a result of I used to be ready for my inexperienced card to come back by. I used to be successfully an unlawful alien, and was anticipating to be arrested and deported at any time. Due to this fact, I needed to keep in New York. However Ian did make the journey over to London to take heed to what they had been doing.”
“I heard the combo and it was horrible,” sighs McDonald. “And I phoned Mick from the management room to inform him how dangerous it was. However Gary and John had been standing there, within the room, once I known as Mick. I needed to one way or the other inform him what I considered the combo with out hurting their emotions. So, there was a whole lot of ‘Yeah’ and ‘No’ feedback from me, as I received Mick to know it simply wasn’t acceptable.”
Jones and McDonald took the tapes into Atlantic Studios and labored with engineer Jimmy Douglas on getting a remix carried out, one which captured the magic of the recordings. Lately Lyons is slightly sanguine about all of it.
“They didn’t like the unique combine. No downside, as a result of on the finish of the day, Mick and Ian had been the musicians, and in the event that they had been sad with what John and I had carried out, then that was their selection. And I suppose that as a result of they remixed the tapes, the pair of them felt they’d the best to have a manufacturing credit score.”
Watch On
Jones recollects being delighted with the ultimate album, however not precisely anticipating the stratospheric gross sales that had been to comply with.
“Every part on the album went past my imaginative and prescient. I actually thought we’d carried out one thing particular, however at greatest I hoped we’d promote a small variety of information and begin to get a following. So, when Feels Like The First Time started to get critical radio airplay, and the album [released in March 1977] offered enormous quantities, it took us all without warning. We had been simply not prepared for that type of publicity.”
McDonald, although, disagrees with Jones’ perceived humility over the album’s business expectations.
“I used to be satisfied it will be an enormous vendor, so when that began to occur I wasn’t in any respect shocked,” he says. “Possibly I had extra confidence than Mick on the time. However then, I by no means had any doubts about what we had been doing. Even once we received rejected by labels, I knew it will all come collectively.”
There was additionally one important Atlantic govt within the UK who was completely gained over by what Foreigner had achieved on their self-titled album.
“Dave Dee, who was the top of A&R on the label, was so excited by the album,” says Lyons. “He informed me it will undoubtedly promote greater than one million copies – and he was proper.”
However Lyons’ religion was examined by Bud Prager, and was discovered considerably missing, because the co-producer ruefully remembers.
“On the time, I had fallen out with John Sinclair,” Lyons says, “and was within the strategy of negotiating the sale of my share of Sarm Studios. Now, Bud strongly urged me to offer John my share of the studio for nothing, in trade for him signing over to me all of the manufacturing rights on the Foreigner album. He informed me this could make a fortune. However the dialog was earlier than the file got here out, and I offered my share of Sarm, and let John maintain on to his manufacturing royalties. I remorse that now!”
The statistics on the album are exceptional, given the period by which it was launched. It received to No.4 within the US charts, promoting over 5 million copies. And three singles – Feels Like The First Time, Chilly As Ice and Lengthy, Lengthy Method From House – had been all High 20 hits within the US, the primary two making the High 10. Each Feels… and Chilly… had been additionally High 40 within the UK, the latter being their greatest success right here till 1981’s Ready For A Lady Like You hit No.8.
“It was the fastest-selling album within the Atlantic label’s historical past,” says a proud Jones. “Not even Zeppelin or the Stones had ever carried out what we did. I really like that! And I’m nonetheless so pleased with the album, what it did for the band and likewise for melodic rock.”
“It’s important to bear in mind the instances we had been in again then,” concludes Gramm .“It was 1977, when rock bands simply weren’t purported to promote in any respect. What we had been doing wasn’t trendy, and critics slammed us as a result of we had no ‘picture’ and had been seen as only a faceless bunch. So when the album offered in its hundreds of thousands, it opened up the best way for the rock brigade. I’d wish to really feel we modified the entire notion for rock not simply in America however internationally.”
This was initially revealed in Basic Rock Presents AOR difficulty 11, revealed in June 2013.
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