Classic Rock Bottom

ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 417 FOREIGNER - AGENT PROVOCATEUR (1984)

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

Foreigner is in the spotlight this week with their 1984 release Agent Provocateur.  It was the band's fifth studio release, following up the mega hit 4.  Agent Provocateur only sold about half as much as it's predecessor, but three million albums is nothing to sneeze at.  The album reached number 4 in the U.S. and spawned two Top 20 singles. That Was Yesterday climbed as high as number 12, but I Want To Know What Love Is attained the top spot on the chart and was huge.  

AP is still in print and can be found for just under 11 dollars in a remastered format on Amazon, if you are interested.

Tracks:

1. Tooth And Nail

2. That Was Yesterday

3. I Want To Know What Love Is

4. Growing Up The Hard Way

5. Reaction To Action

6. Stranger In My Own House

7. A Love In Vain

8. Down On Love

9. Two Different Worlds

10. She's Too Tough

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I love this band… I remember the day my brother brought home their debut album, he bought that and Van Halen’s debut on the same day. Yuge day in my musical life. Those two albums are forever linked because of that. Then I seen them headline for the first time on their Double Vision tour. What a concert! … and so it went, hit after hit, album after album … Soundtrack of my youth!

But then came their 40th anniversary tour this past year. You recall, the original members were going to be at some stops, this is the tour Cheap Trick would open for them but only if they guaranteed at least one original member on stage with them. Then they came to Charlotte, no original members cameo’d here, and no Mick Jones either. While the replacement players are prolific and excellent musicians, maybe even better than the originals, it wasn’t really a Foreigner concert and no one on that stage had anything to do with their successes throughout those 40 years, these guys were a cover band IMO. And then there’s Kelly Hansen… I really liked him as he sounded great, but live?!! He’s a very annoying front man. Talks way too much, drags the songs out too long and is way too hyper, to the point of being aggravating to watch. And its not just a me thing, almost everyone around us was like what is going on here? I won’t get suckered into this version of the band again…

That said, the catalog remains a great piece of my musical life and I was so looking forward to this album. I mean 4 was massive and this was the follow-up! I wasn’t sold on the ballad, but chicks dug it, so OK! And That Was Yesterday was at least up-tempo if not extremely keyboard… but you can really hear a divide on this one. Kind of a Mick versus Lou vibe with Mick coming out the victor because of the keyboards and Lou’s songs have an unfinished feel to them. But still its Foreigner and the album still gets attention from me from time to time, but not like the previous 4…

Apologies for the rant, that concert still feels wrong to me .

As usual, I'm the first to respond!

Actually, this was going on my list of albums to listen to while driving to work NEXT week, but guess I'll just listen to it this week. 

Just not right now.

This is the album where all the ragin' rockers opened and closed each side. Don't know why they did that, but they did! It was also a letdown after 4, but has one of the greatest songs so it's not a complete waste. I saw them in concert for this album while in England, was only a couple rows back from the stage and became deaf for awhile. Also saw them on the 4 tour and then you could get cool tear shirts with the 3/4 sleeves and writing on both sleeves. Wonder if they make those anymore. Also had one for Journey from their Escape tour. Anyway, think they really came back with the followup to this, but by then a lot more people didn't care. 

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