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Foreigner (Foreigner album)

Foreigner is the debut studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released on 8 March 1977.[7][8] It spun off three hit singles, "Feels Like the First Time", "Cold as Ice" and "Long, Long Way from Home". It also features album tracks such as "Headknocker" and "Starrider", the latter of which features a rare lead vocal from lead guitarist and co-founder Mick Jones.

Foreigner
Studio album by
Released8 March 1977[1][2]
RecordedApril—November 1976
StudioThe Hit Factory and Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, New York.
Genre
Length38:46
LabelAtlantic
ProducerJohn Sinclair and Gary Lyons in collaboration Mick Jones and Ian McDonald
Foreigner chronology
Foreigner
(1977)
Double Vision
(1978)
Singles from Foreigner
  1. "Feels Like the First Time"
    Released: March 1977
  2. "Cold as Ice"
    Released: July 1977
  3. "Long, Long Way from Home"
    Released: November 1977

Writing and recording edit

Jones had written several songs that wound up on Foreigner prior to the formation of the band. Lead singer Lou Gramm sang three of them – "Feels Like the First Time", "Woman, Oh Woman" and "At War with the World" in his audition to form the band. After the formation of the band, Gramm and Jones worked on several other songs, including "Long, Long Way from Home" (along with Ian McDonald), "Cold as Ice" and "I Need You".[9]

McDonald claimed that although he received a writing credit only on "Long, Long Way from Home" he had a significant role in writing several of the other songs on the album. According to McDonald:

I had a lot to do with the development of the songs. And I’m still bitter about the way I was treated by some people connected to the band. I should have had co-writing credits on a lot more than just one song. And even with Long, Long Way From Home I remember telling Mick that I wanted to have a share of the writing, because of all I’d put in to making it happen, especially on the vocal arrangements. He gave me a look that said he wasn’t happy with the idea, and he reluctantly agreed. But I deserved a lot more of the credit than I was given. That’s the music business, though.[9]

Jones had wanted Roy Thomas Baker to produce the album, but he was not available. Instead, Sarm Studios owners Gary Lyons, who had worked as an engineer on several Queen albums that Baker produced, and John Sinclair served as producers along with Jones and McDonald.[9] There is some disagreement about the roles that Jones and McDonald played in producing the album. According to Lyons:

Actually, Mick and Ian did very little on the production side. Typical of musicians, they wanted their names included, but they had nothing to do with what happened on the production side, although later on they remixed the album without John and me [we shall come to this shortly]. I can show you my contract for the album. John and I are down as the sole producers.[9]

On the other hand, Jones says that:

I had already gotten a lot of experience of working in studios, through collaborating with some top producers like Glyn Johns. Both Ian and I worked closely on the way the album sounded. But it was a joint effort. I always like to involved people and get a team spirit going, which is what we did here.[9]

The first attempt at mixing the album was done at Sarm Studios, London, but as they were dissatisfied with the result, the album was re-mixed at Atlantic Recording Studios by Jones, McDonald and Jimmy Douglass.[9]

Reception edit

Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn summed up his contemporary review of Foreigner saying "The production work is crisp, the melodies are serviceable and the vocals are eager. But there is far too little point of view to make any of it commanding."[10] Hartford Courant critic Henry McNulty said "There's something good beginning here, and the sooner you get in on it the better."[11] Annison Star reviewer Mike Stamler felt that most of the songs were "sanforized, sanitized and safely sterilized into three basic chords" with "immature lyrics," leaving little variety on the album, and suggested that more instrumental solos would have been beneficial.[12]

Allmusic critic Andy Hinds said that for suburban teenagers in the 1970s the "immaculate rock sound" on Foreigner "was the perfect soundtrack for cruising through well-manicured neighborhoods in their Chevy Novas," and praised the band's "pure rock craftsmanship."[3]

PopMatters critic Evan Sawdey felt that the non-single album tracks on Foreigner were more successful than their counterparts on subsequent Foreigner albums. He explicitly called out the artiness and folkiness of “Starrider”, the "casual creep" of “The Damage is Done” and the "fiery" “I Need You”, although he did say that “Woman Oh Woman” "started skirting into cheesy ballad territory" and that its "lead synth line has not aged well at all."[13]

Billboard reviewer Gary Graff rated four of the songs from Foreigner (the three singles plus "Headknocker") among the ten greatest Foreigner songs.[14] Graff described "Headknocker" as a "gritty, stomping rocker."[14] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated three songs from Foreigner as being among the band's top 10 songs; "Feels Like the First Time", "Cold as Ice" and "Fool for You Anyway."[15] Kachejian called "Fool for You Anyway" a "great grooving ballad" with "a bit of an Eagles feel."[15]

Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated two songs from Foreigner as being among Foreigner's 10 most underrated – "Starrider" at #7 and "Long, Long Way from Home" at #4.[16] Dome calls Starrider a "beautifully developed, introspective tale of aspiration," even though it doesn't sound much like Foreigner and its lyrics "come across as 50s pulp sci fi."[16] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Eduardo Rivadavia also rated two songs from Foreigner among the band's 10 most underrated – "Fool for You Anyway" at #6 and "Long, Long Way from Home" at #2.[17]

Jones has rated four songs from the album ("Long, Long Way from Home," "Cold as Ice," "The Damage Is Done" and "Fool for You Anyway") as being among his 11 favorite Foreigner songs.[18]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Feels Like the First Time"Mick Jones3:49
2."Cold as Ice"Jones, Lou Gramm3:19
3."Starrider"Al Greenwood, Jones4:01
4."Headknocker"Gramm, Jones2:58
5."The Damage Is Done"Jones, Gramm4:15
6."Long, Long Way from Home"Jones, Gramm, Ian McDonald2:53
7."Woman Oh Woman"Jones3:49
8."At War with the World"Jones4:18
9."Fool for You Anyway"Jones4:15
10."I Need You"Gramm, Jones5:09
Bonus tracks on 2002 reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Feels Like the First Time" (Demo)Jones3:40
12."Woman Oh Woman" (Demo)Jones4:14
13."At War with the World" (Demo)Jones5:00
14."Take Me to Your Leader" (Demo) 3:40

Personnel edit

Foreigner

Additional personnel

In July 2010, the audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released this album on the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) format. It is presented in a "Mini Vinyl" replica cardboard case but omits the bonus tracks.

Production edit

  • Producers – Gary Lyons and John Sinclair, in collaboration with Mick Jones and Ian McDonald.
  • Engineer – Gary Lyons
  • Assistant Engineers – Jimmy Douglass, Michael Getlin, Kevin Herron and Randy Mason.
  • Mixing – Jimmy Douglass, Mick Jones and Ian McDonald.
  • Basic Tracks recorded at The Hit Factory and Atlantic Recording Studios.
  • Overdubs recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios.
  • Mixed at Atlantic Recording Studios.
  • Mastered by George Piros at Atlantic Recording Studios.
  • Art Direction – Bob Defrin
  • Cover Illustrations – Alex Gnidziejko

Charts edit

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[19] 9
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[20] 6
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21] 57
US Billboard 200[22] 4

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[25] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[26] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ "Foreigner [Expanded] - Foreigner | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  2. ^ "Альбом "Foreigner (Deluxe Version)" (Foreigner)" (in Russian). 1977-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  3. ^ a b c d Hinds, Andy. Foreigner: Foreigner at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Deggans, Eric (1998). "Foreigner". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 446–447.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 258.
  7. ^ "45 Years Ago Today!!! Foreigner Releases Self-Titled Debut". Discover Dade. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  8. ^ "Foreigner by Foreigner". Genius. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Dome, Malcolm (March 13, 2014). "The real story behind Foreigner's first album". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  10. ^ Hilburn, Robert (May 1, 1977). "A Fast Track for the Latest Disc Derby". Los Angeles Times. p. 70. Retrieved 2022-06-20 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ McNulty, Henry (April 3, 1977). "Fine Foreigner Arrives". Hartford Courant. p. 24F. Retrieved 2022-06-20 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Stamler, Mike (October 1, 1977). "Record Reviews". Annison Star. p. 12A. Retrieved 2022-06-21 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Sawday, Evan (November 26, 2014). "Foreigner: The Complete Atlantic Studio Albums 1977-1991". PopMatters. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  14. ^ a b Graff, Gary (October 11, 2017). "Foreigner's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  15. ^ a b Kachejian, Brian. "Top 10 Foreigner Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  16. ^ a b Dome, Malcolm. "The Top 10 Most Underrated Foreigner Songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  17. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (May 2, 2013). "Top 10 Underrated Foreigner Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  18. ^ "Mick Jones' 11 Favourite Foreigner Songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. April 26, 2017. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  19. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 116. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3693a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  21. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  22. ^ "Foreigner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Foreigner – Foreigner". Music Canada.
  25. ^ "A Warner-Pioneer Japan "gold" record award presented to Ian McDonald in 1980 for "the superlative" Foreigner album, Foreigner". Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Foreigner – Foreigner" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved July 16, 2022. Enter Foreigner in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1982 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Foreigner – Foreigner". Recording Industry Association of America.

foreigner, foreigner, album, foreigner, debut, studio, album, british, american, rock, band, foreigner, released, march, 1977, spun, three, singles, feels, like, first, time, cold, long, long, from, home, also, features, album, tracks, such, headknocker, starr. Foreigner is the debut studio album by British American rock band Foreigner released on 8 March 1977 7 8 It spun off three hit singles Feels Like the First Time Cold as Ice and Long Long Way from Home It also features album tracks such as Headknocker and Starrider the latter of which features a rare lead vocal from lead guitarist and co founder Mick Jones ForeignerStudio album by ForeignerReleased8 March 1977 1 2 RecordedApril November 1976StudioThe Hit Factory and Atlantic Recording Studios New York New York GenreRock 3 arena rock 3 power pop 4 soft rockLength38 46LabelAtlanticProducerJohn Sinclair and Gary Lyons in collaboration Mick Jones and Ian McDonaldForeigner chronologyForeigner 1977 Double Vision 1978 Singles from Foreigner Feels Like the First Time Released March 1977 Cold as Ice Released July 1977 Long Long Way from Home Released November 1977 Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic 3 Christgau s Record GuideC 5 The Rolling Stone Album Guide 6 Contents 1 Writing and recording 2 Reception 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Production 6 Charts 7 Certifications 8 ReferencesWriting and recording editJones had written several songs that wound up on Foreigner prior to the formation of the band Lead singer Lou Gramm sang three of them Feels Like the First Time Woman Oh Woman and At War with the World in his audition to form the band After the formation of the band Gramm and Jones worked on several other songs including Long Long Way from Home along with Ian McDonald Cold as Ice and I Need You 9 McDonald claimed that although he received a writing credit only on Long Long Way from Home he had a significant role in writing several of the other songs on the album According to McDonald I had a lot to do with the development of the songs And I m still bitter about the way I was treated by some people connected to the band I should have had co writing credits on a lot more than just one song And even with Long Long Way From Home I remember telling Mick that I wanted to have a share of the writing because of all I d put in to making it happen especially on the vocal arrangements He gave me a look that said he wasn t happy with the idea and he reluctantly agreed But I deserved a lot more of the credit than I was given That s the music business though 9 Jones had wanted Roy Thomas Baker to produce the album but he was not available Instead Sarm Studios owners Gary Lyons who had worked as an engineer on several Queen albums that Baker produced and John Sinclair served as producers along with Jones and McDonald 9 There is some disagreement about the roles that Jones and McDonald played in producing the album According to Lyons Actually Mick and Ian did very little on the production side Typical of musicians they wanted their names included but they had nothing to do with what happened on the production side although later on they remixed the album without John and me we shall come to this shortly I can show you my contract for the album John and I are down as the sole producers 9 On the other hand Jones says that I had already gotten a lot of experience of working in studios through collaborating with some top producers like Glyn Johns Both Ian and I worked closely on the way the album sounded But it was a joint effort I always like to involved people and get a team spirit going which is what we did here 9 The first attempt at mixing the album was done at Sarm Studios London but as they were dissatisfied with the result the album was re mixed at Atlantic Recording Studios by Jones McDonald and Jimmy Douglass 9 Reception editLos Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn summed up his contemporary review of Foreigner saying The production work is crisp the melodies are serviceable and the vocals are eager But there is far too little point of view to make any of it commanding 10 Hartford Courant critic Henry McNulty said There s something good beginning here and the sooner you get in on it the better 11 Annison Star reviewer Mike Stamler felt that most of the songs were sanforized sanitized and safely sterilized into three basic chords with immature lyrics leaving little variety on the album and suggested that more instrumental solos would have been beneficial 12 Allmusic critic Andy Hinds said that for suburban teenagers in the 1970s the immaculate rock sound on Foreigner was the perfect soundtrack for cruising through well manicured neighborhoods in their Chevy Novas and praised the band s pure rock craftsmanship 3 PopMatters critic Evan Sawdey felt that the non single album tracks on Foreigner were more successful than their counterparts on subsequent Foreigner albums He explicitly called out the artiness and folkiness of Starrider the casual creep of The Damage is Done and the fiery I Need You although he did say that Woman Oh Woman started skirting into cheesy ballad territory and that its lead synth line has not aged well at all 13 Billboard reviewer Gary Graff rated four of the songs from Foreigner the three singles plus Headknocker among the ten greatest Foreigner songs 14 Graff described Headknocker as a gritty stomping rocker 14 Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated three songs from Foreigner as being among the band s top 10 songs Feels Like the First Time Cold as Ice and Fool for You Anyway 15 Kachejian called Fool for You Anyway a great grooving ballad with a bit of an Eagles feel 15 Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated two songs from Foreigner as being among Foreigner s 10 most underrated Starrider at 7 and Long Long Way from Home at 4 16 Dome calls Starrider a beautifully developed introspective tale of aspiration even though it doesn t sound much like Foreigner and its lyrics come across as 50s pulp sci fi 16 Ultimate Classic Rock critic Eduardo Rivadavia also rated two songs from Foreigner among the band s 10 most underrated Fool for You Anyway at 6 and Long Long Way from Home at 2 17 Jones has rated four songs from the album Long Long Way from Home Cold as Ice The Damage Is Done and Fool for You Anyway as being among his 11 favorite Foreigner songs 18 Track listing editNo TitleWriter s Length1 Feels Like the First Time Mick Jones3 492 Cold as Ice Jones Lou Gramm3 193 Starrider Al Greenwood Jones4 014 Headknocker Gramm Jones2 585 The Damage Is Done Jones Gramm4 156 Long Long Way from Home Jones Gramm Ian McDonald2 537 Woman Oh Woman Jones3 498 At War with the World Jones4 189 Fool for You Anyway Jones4 1510 I Need You Gramm Jones5 09 Bonus tracks on 2002 reissueNo TitleWriter s Length11 Feels Like the First Time Demo Jones3 4012 Woman Oh Woman Demo Jones4 1413 At War with the World Demo Jones5 0014 Take Me to Your Leader Demo 3 40Personnel editForeigner Lou Gramm lead vocals percussion Mick Jones keyboards lead guitars backing vocals lead vocals 3 7 Ian McDonald keyboards guitars saxophone flute backing vocals Al Greenwood keyboards synthesizers Ed Gagliardi bass backing vocals Dennis Elliott drums backing vocals Additional personnel Ian Lloyd backing vocals In July 2010 the audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released this album on the Super Audio Compact Disc SACD format It is presented in a Mini Vinyl replica cardboard case but omits the bonus tracks Production editProducers Gary Lyons and John Sinclair in collaboration with Mick Jones and Ian McDonald Engineer Gary Lyons Assistant Engineers Jimmy Douglass Michael Getlin Kevin Herron and Randy Mason Mixing Jimmy Douglass Mick Jones and Ian McDonald Basic Tracks recorded at The Hit Factory and Atlantic Recording Studios Overdubs recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios Mixed at Atlantic Recording Studios Mastered by George Piros at Atlantic Recording Studios Art Direction Bob Defrin Cover Illustrations Alex GnidziejkoCharts editChart 1977 Peak position Australian Albums Kent Music Report 19 9 Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 20 6 Japanese Albums Oricon 21 57 US Billboard 200 22 4Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 23 Platinum 70 000 Canada Music Canada 24 Platinum 100 000 Japan RIAJ 25 Gold 100 000 Netherlands NVPI 26 Gold 50 000 United States RIAA 27 5 Platinum 5 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone References edit Foreigner Expanded Foreigner Release Info AllMusic Retrieved 2022 03 08 Albom Foreigner Deluxe Version Foreigner in Russian 1977 03 08 Retrieved 2022 03 08 a b c d Hinds Andy Foreigner Foreigner at AllMusic Retrieved April 29 2020 Deggans Eric 1998 Foreigner In Graff Gary Durchholz Daniel eds MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide Detroit Visible Ink Press pp 446 447 Christgau Robert 1981 Consumer Guide 70s F Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor amp Fields ISBN 089919026X Retrieved February 24 2019 via robertchristgau com The Rolling Stone Album Guide Random House 1992 p 258 45 Years Ago Today Foreigner Releases Self Titled Debut Discover Dade 2022 03 08 Retrieved 2022 03 08 Foreigner by Foreigner Genius Retrieved 2022 03 08 a b c d e f Dome Malcolm March 13 2014 The real story behind Foreigner s first album Classic Rock Louder Sound Retrieved 2023 01 20 Hilburn Robert May 1 1977 A Fast Track for the Latest Disc Derby Los Angeles Times p 70 Retrieved 2022 06 20 via newspapers com McNulty Henry April 3 1977 Fine Foreigner Arrives Hartford Courant p 24F Retrieved 2022 06 20 via newspapers com Stamler Mike October 1 1977 Record Reviews Annison Star p 12A Retrieved 2022 06 21 via newspapers com Sawday Evan November 26 2014 Foreigner The Complete Atlantic Studio Albums 1977 1991 PopMatters Retrieved 2023 02 05 a b Graff Gary October 11 2017 Foreigner s 10 Best Songs Critic s Picks Billboard Retrieved 2022 06 17 a b Kachejian Brian Top 10 Foreigner Songs Classic Rock History Retrieved 2023 01 20 a b Dome Malcolm The Top 10 Most Underrated Foreigner Songs Classic Rock Louder Sound Retrieved 2022 06 17 Rivadavia Eduardo May 2 2013 Top 10 Underrated Foreigner Songs Ultimate Classic Rock Retrieved 2022 01 08 Mick Jones 11 Favourite Foreigner Songs Classic Rock Louder Sound April 26 2017 Retrieved 2022 06 17 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 116 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Top RPM Albums Issue 3693a RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 6 February 2022 Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970 2005 in Japanese Roppongi Tokyo Oricon Entertainment 2006 ISBN 4 87131 077 9 Foreigner Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved 5 February 2022 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2001 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 1 May 2021 Canadian album certifications Foreigner Foreigner Music Canada A Warner Pioneer Japan gold record award presented to Ian McDonald in 1980 for the superlative Foreigner album Foreigner Retrieved 7 July 2023 Dutch album certifications Foreigner Foreigner in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved July 16 2022 EnterForeigner in the Artiest of titel box Select 1982 in the drop down menu saying Alle jaargangen American album certifications Foreigner Foreigner Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Foreigner Foreigner album amp oldid 1221572269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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