Is Foreigner underrated?

If you can't distinguish between Foreigner, Journey and Styx then you should see an audiologist or otolaryngologist.

 

Nope, not underated. Good band, their peak was 77-85. Their first four albums were really good, but a casual fan could get by with owning "Records" and would have all the biggest hits except for I Want to Know What Love Is.

 

Never paid attention to them so if something from that era comes on I can only guess which band it is. They simply didn't speak to me.

 

Maybe your otolaryngologist knows how to tell them apart.

 

Probably nothing, he just shined me on. I had great conversations with his keyboardist Andy Knoll and his guitarist Don Mancuso. A very nice couple of regular guys.

 

An artist's attitude has a lot to do with the way people view his music. Foreigner is OK, but they don't stand out as some other groups do.
I know Lou had brain surgery and it obviously has affected him. It's a miracle that he can still perform competently. With all the k-rap he went through before the surgery, he probably feels a lot better now. In talking to his band members, they steer clear of him too.

 

They peaked early. I didn't get Dirty White Boy and by Juke Box Hero I was out.

 

This was exactly what I was getting at.....

 

that was 1987. I think some good stuff hit after that

 

I really do blame his medical problems. I saw them in concert soon after his surgery, and he was forgetting words to the songs, stumbling on stage. At one point, I thought he was going to pass out.

I don't know what he was like before all that, but, head traumas, brain tumors, strokes, heart attacks, and neurosurgery, and anti-seizure meds can affect and change your personality in profound ways.

 

I was shocked when they put out "Dirty White Boy". Not that they did the song, but that they thought America was ready for that kind of thing in 1979.

 

TV shows and films set in the 70s and 80s will probably play Foreigner because they were popular back then. I imagine most popular acts have been featured in film (so long as their music can be licensed).

 

Yes and no - depends whether you like them or not.

 

Despite their British connection, Foreigner never appeared popular in the UK until 4 and Agent Provocateur (their early albums were before my time, but none of them charted well in the UK). They still aren't thrift store regulars. It's weird how some acts become successful only on one side of the Atlantic.

 

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Yes, but to an extent.

 

Another reason Records is good!

 

Lou has no apologies to make as a vocalist on that tune but, to my ears, it's pandering fluff. They pandered extremely well and it gave them their only #1 Pop hit. "That Was Yesterday" was the far better single from that record in my opinion.

Ed

 

Converse to this, I've seen interviews with him - many - and he comes across as a very nice guy.

Ed

 

Appropriately rated. Some decent if derivative tunes, in the middle of the pack for their kind of music. A footnote in musical history.

 

Here's a thumbnail guide for telling them apart:

Foreigner: Bad Company produced by David Foster
Styx: Yes Goes Broadway!
Journey: the distaff Jefferson Starship

 

Foreigner's debut was in 1977. Disco was already HUGE especially in the major markets (NYC/NJ/PHL/CA) way before Foreigner existed. Maybe you lived in one of those area's that took another year or 2 to catch up with the trends. Rock The Boat, The Hustle, KC + Sunshine band, Bee Gees etc started in 1974/1975.

 

I'm not sure if your trying to be funny in these comparisons or not? You know, sometimes humor gets lost on the internet.

Well, Foreigner or Bad Company sound zero alike. Foreigner used way to many keyboards early. Bad Company was more of a guitar band.

You must have never heard the Wooden Nickel stuff to make this comparison with Yes. Secondly, as much as I like Yes and consider them a better band, they never did an album like Equinox.

Journey? Distaff? Interesting word though I have no idea what it pertains here too. Spinning? Spin off maybe? Maybe to Santana because that is where Schon and Rollie came from. The sound certainly was not similar. Again, Journey with Perry sounded nothing like Starship................oh just in my opinion..........

 

I'm not sure what radio had real DJ's then means? They still had a play list and had to play it. I have a very good friend in 3 different types of radio market in his life. Country, pop and AOR. They still had to play the standard singles. He still works in the industry today. That is where my information comes from.

Well, more varied and focused. I'm not sure where songs like Starrider, Damage is Done, Headknocker, At War with The World and I Need You fit in. Ballads, mid tempo's and rockers. You can't find more varied than that. I wish I knew what more focused meant? Double Vision or 4 have not the deep tracks of the self-titled. It is your opinion the songs are more memorable and I do not agree. That is OK. I thought Double Vision was a let down from the first, though, I still liked it. Agree to disagree here.

I'm not telling you anything. My experience came from two of the bigger DC/Baltimore area radio stations. That is all I was saying. If you heard it fine. I didn't and still don't hear "all" these songs anytime.

and these were the same things being played here. Yes, I am 55 and also was in high school then also. I had to run a cable to the back of the TV to get FM stations. It was extremely cool to be able to do it or have good FM then in the mid to late 70's.

 

Sure, a casual fan could get by with "Records", but Foreigner had 16 top 40 hits, and "Records" only includes 10 of them. You'd be missing (with US chart peak):

I Want to Know What Love Is ....... #1
That Was Yesterday ...................... #12
Say You Will ................................... #6
I Don't Want To Live Without You... #5
Blue Morning, Blue Day .................. #15
Break it Up ...................................... #26

Foreigner also had 9 top 10 hits, and Records gives you 6 of those.

So with Records, you'd be missing 38% of their Top 40 hits, and 33% of their Top 10 hits. IMO, that's a big chunk of hits to be missing out on, even for a casual fan.

 

I would say my descriptions were "accurate digs". To aid in your understanding:

Foreigner: I presume you're unfamiliar with the horrors wrought by David Foster? Go look up his production credits on Wikipedia, then you'll get it.
Styx: The only material I like by these guys is from when John Curulewski was in the band, but that era's not relevant here. Still, even then they seemed unsure of whether they wanted to be Yes or Head East.
Journey: "Distaff" also means "concerning, or characterized by, women; feminine".