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Foreigner – 4 (50th Anniversary Edition)

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What does it sound like?:

Whatever happened to White Arena Rock? Back in the seventies and eighties, almost any white rock band with a hit could fill a stadium, especially in the States. Think of Europe, Journey, Styx and Survivor. Both Michael Jones, guitar, and Lou Gramm, vocals, are original Foreigner members continuing to take an interest in the band but Jones’s Parkinson’s restricts his ability to tour and Gramm only makes the occasional appearance for one or two songs. Effectively, the Foreigner of today is their own glorified tribute act with high quality musicians and inflated prices for tickets. The Rolling Stones are another perfect example of a heritage act still filling stadiums, with just two original members, both in their dotage. Black Sabbath have just said an emotional farewell in their home town and, now, the Prince of Darkness has gone to another place. Oasis are relative youngsters performing songs that are a juvenile thirty years old. Dave Grohl has hit his mid fifties. Chris Martin isn’t far behind. White Arena Rock has become a nostalgiafest.

4 was Foreigner’s fourth album, released in 1981, at a time when the band reduced in number from six to four, ousting keyboardist Al Greenwood and Ian McDonald, a man who played more instruments on In The Court Of The Crimson King than anyone. The downsizing simplified the sound, moving towards a more commercial product. Jones took control, writing the bulk of the songs and co-producing. They drafted in some top notch players to help, including Thomas Dolby, Larry Fast, Michael Fonfara, Hugh McCracken and Junior Walker. ‘Mutt’ Lange produced with Jones. Classic Rock declared it to be their masterpiece. Business boomed. The album sold six million copies in the US alone. Its first three singles broke into the Billboard top five. The power ballad, Waiting For A Girl Like You, remains a feature of FM radio over forty years later. It is second only to I Want To Know What Love Is in Foreigner’s trophy cabinet. The deluxe box set is, surprisingly, the first expanded edition of the album. It includes a new stereo mix, four previously unreleased songs, 14 early and alternative versions, 15 instrumental mixes, plus 15 live tracks recorded on the ‘4’ tour in Birmingham, Germany and Anaheim in 1981 & 1982. One of the previously unreleased songs in the box, Fool If You Love Him, has been completed with a new verse written and sung by Gramm. The Blu-ray is under-utilised, including just a new Dolby Atmos mix by Paul Klingberg, the stereo remix from disc 1 and a stereo remix of ‘Fool If You Love Him’. A single black vinyl LP edition consists of just the new stereo remix. A new tour has been announced.

It’s a shock, listening to it again after forty-four years, to discover how tame it all is. This a long way from blood and thunder hard rock where they started. There is undoubtedly a skill in creating hits that appeal to a large audience and 4 is well constructed with some notable ear worms and a few big choruses. The musicians are on point, the vocals are impressively histrionic and there is plenty of room for guitar solos. But, this is safe music without any risky artistic adventure. If anything, the remix makes it more Middle-of-the-Road, music for the masses, not just for exclusive elite music listeners. It certainly achieved what it set out to; shift millions of units and maximise ticket sales. Disc two consists of out and early takes. As usual, they made the right choices at the time. The four previously unreleased songs didn’t make the cut because they aren’t as good as the songs that did. Nevertheless, it has curiosity value. Disc three is all instrumental, which even the most ardent Foreigner fan is likely to lose interest in, though a DJ might find a useful soundbed in there. The fourth disc presents takes from three different venues as if a single concert. It’s very effective. They could certainly put on a show, expertly controlled by a solid rhythm section, Ian Elliott on drums and Rick Willis on bass, and two vibrant frontmen. In his prime, Gramm had a voice that could move mountains, the element that made Foreigner special. The crowd are wild from the start, enjoying the cathartic pleasure of a collective experience. The reduction in personnel gives the music a raw, edgy feel. In this context, a horned hand salute would not be out of place. No doubt, if you were one of the tens of thousands in the audience back in the day, something will stir within you listening to this.

As with almost all these kinds of boxed set, the target audience is existing fans. They will find discs one and two interesting but will be delighted with disc four.

What does it all *mean*?

White boys with guitars once ruled the world. Now, they’ve turned into old men with ‘guitar techs’. Where’s the youth, the young people with talent from places like Aston in Birmingham where the Sab Four spent their formative years, or Peckham, where Ian Elliott, grew up? The local venues have closed and they can’t afford the kit. The ladder has been drawn up behind these kinds of bands and there is no new blood coming through. Are we witnessing the dying embers of Arena Rock?

Goes well with…

A stereo that goes up to eleven.

Release Date:

12/09/2025

Might suit people who like…

Arena Rock. Catch it while you can.

7

Comments

  3. I’m not sure what anniversary this is celebrating as the album was released in 1981 but the sound is very much the template for what Mutt Lange perfected on Def Leppard’s subsequent records.
    Forgive me for asking but who is the Peckham born Ian Elliott you mention?

    • Designer’s original drummer, who is called Dennis not Ian. (I think!)

      It is released to promote the 50th Anniversary tour of the band’s formation. I guess I should have labelled as just a Deluxe Edition.

      Sorry. I was in a bit of a fluster this morning. The albums photos wouldn’t lose and I ended up rushing.

  5. This reminds me that I saw ‘Foreigner’ at the O2 supporting Led Zeppelin in 2007. Wikipedia confirms they were there….well, almost… ‘The performance billed as “Foreigner” was in fact only Mick Jones performing “I Want to Know What Love Is” with St. Lukes C of E secondary school as the choir and former Foreigner drummer Brian Tichy and the Rhythm Kings as the backing band’.

  7. They were really good live in 1982, although it wasn’t just the core quartet. There’s at least three extra musicians here, situated behind the drums. The sax player actually comes out front but there’s keyboards, guitars and so on happening. I took a keen interest in this, because Mick Jones was playing a Les Paul that my Dad reckoned was originally his. (there is a connection via Birmingham band Nero and the Gladiators.)

  8. I think the report of the demise of guitar rock is a bit previous. We just haven’t heard of the bands. Ask Twang Jr and he can reel off numerous new heavy rock bands. It’s certainly true that it no longer has pride of place as it used to – the modern market is much too fragmented.

    Back to the OP I don’t think I’ve ever heard it but I’ll give it a spin.

    • I agree; there seem to be a shedload of young guitar bands around, but they are not directed to old blokes like us. Some of this is social media algorithms making sure we get more of what we look at, and part is that we wouldn’t like ‘em anyway.
      There seem to be more bands of all sorts around, more than ever, and of all ages. Most make little dent on fame and the money isn’t there any more, doing it for love or obsession. And that’s fine.
      I particularly like the number of old geezer bands about. Mostly unfashionable and defiantly anti-commercial. Two that show distinct appeal are the Ugly Guys, remnants of the Kursaal Flyers refusing to die, and the Guilty Men, Clive Gregson and other old buggers, deciding retirement is boring.

      • My point is about Stadium Rock. These young bands are all over the place, often with a core of fanatical followers, but they are playing small to medium venues, not stadiums. Unless I’ve missed something, which is distinct possibility.

  9. Just gave it a spin. I did know the hits of course. Horrible 80s instruments and production though it came out in 1980 so maybe it is guilty for the prevalent sound that followed. All gated reverbs, cheesy synths and a load of compression. Awful.

    Compare it to “Damn the torpedos” which came out a few months earlier, 4 sounds awful and dated and DTD still sounds brilliant. Actually a Tig review of DTD would be great.

    • I think the Mutt Lange sound (not the hard rock sound) survives today – almost all of chart country music is basically this with rap influences over the top. Not relevant over in the UK really, but still – this is where you find that stuff.

      Tom Petty did do his share of bad-sounding music, but that was a bit later and was mercifully brief. He went the other extreme eventually, with one of the best-sounding rock albums (Wildflowers), which is interestingly the influence on the more hip country like Margo Price and so on.

      • Yes, in the Mike Campbell autobiography he says that one of their later albums they recorded the basic tracks and they all sounded brilliant and then they succumbed to ’80s tropes in the mixing and the resulting album didn’t sound that great.

  10. This plodding forced third division rock was dire, and I’m not one to dismiss 70s shite generally. Take Styx – especially in the mime trousers era, – a camp classic Kiss or Angel could not sponge the velvet flares of. But when stadium rock gets “sincere”, it’s gloves-off (yes, Paul Rogers fans, this does mean you). Foreigner produced dreadful cocaine decision music selling to the millions who found good stadium rock too druggy, sexy, noisy, camp, up-itself clever, or widdly. Yes, I can see why Foreigner went down a storm with the 35s and over suburban Americans also into REO Speedwagon. But they all like MAGA country rock now. Maybe that’s even worse. Please don’t encourage this humourless shite.

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