![]() ![]() With the group striving for nothing less than exemplary material (as Mick Jones one stated: “I always set out to make albums that you could listen to from beginning to end, without filler”), they came up with the standout singles Juke Box Hero, Urgent and Break It Up, helping 4 find a space between the hard rock riffage of the group’s past and the synthesiser hooks of their future. Unsurprisingly, then, 4 doesn’t sound like a “safe” record. Characterised by countless takes and sleepless nights – and numerous missed deadlines and budget overspends – the 4 sessions nevertheless resulted in a high-water mark for both band and producer. Lange’s legendarily fastidious techniques came to the fore during the album’s recording, which took place at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios – a facility originally commissioned by Jimi Hendrix – and, from pre-production through to the final mix, spanned the best part of ten months. “I always set out to make albums without filler” But it’s his efforts on 4 that sowed the seeds for such greatness. ![]() Selling over seven million copies and holding the Billboard No.1 spot for ten weeks, its pop-rock sound was boosted by producer Robert “Mutt” Lange (along with assistance from several session musicians, including a young Thomas Dolby), whose own arena-filling sound was undergoing a crucial development from the hard-rock production style found on AC/DC’s Highway To Hell and Back In Black albums to the career high of Def Leppard’s Hysteria. Released on 2 July 1981, 4’s impact was immediate. With the loss of guitarist/keyboardist Ian McDonald and keyboardist Al Greenwood, the new line-up – Lou Gramm (vocals), Mick Jones (guitar, keyboards), Rick Willis (bass) and Dennis Elliott (drums) – made a permanent departure from the blues-based classic-rock sound of their previous work and began looking instead toward the synth-oriented made-for-radio hits that would define the group’s work throughout the decade. Listen to Foreigner’s ‘4’ here.Ĥ was aptly named in more ways than one, as the formerly six-piece Foreigner found themselves two members down at the time of its recording. With 80 million record sales to their name, the group have long been mainstays of popular music for many fans, however, it began with their simply titled fourth album, 4 – Foreigner’s first US No.1 and the record that cemented their appeal in the neon-drenched 80s. British-American rock supergroup Foreigner may be best known for their hit 1984 ballad, I Want To Know What Love Is, but their wide-ranging discography includes everything from blues workouts to synth-infused arena-rock anthems. ![]()
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