“Juke Box Hero”, “Urgent”, “Waiting For A Girl Like You”: Foreigner’s 4 as a hybrid stereo SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series. The ten original tracks play straight through – from Thomas Dolby’s floating synthesizer introduction to Junior Walker’s saxophone solo on “Urgent”.
A quartet starts again
In 1981 the plain title 4 stood for more than a place in Foreigner’s discography. The band had slimmed down from six members to Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Rick Wills and Dennis Elliott. With Robert John “Mutt” Lange co-producing alongside Jones, the quartet combined big choruses, guitars and painstaking arrangements – and the album spent ten weeks at the top of the American album chart.
Work began in 1980 and ran into the spring of 1981. After a first spell at Atlantic Studios, the sessions moved to Electric Lady in New York. Behind the familiar singles lies patient work on small details: sketches grew into songs, arrangements were rethought and vocals were layered. That mix of immediate appeal and careful craft is at the heart of the record’s story.
Two guests with their own colours
Thomas Dolby created the floating introduction to “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, working with sustained synthesizer notes and several tape tracks. A late-night studio session produced a passage that sets its own mood before the song even begins. Dolby was still on the way to his breakthrough as a solo artist, and his contribution brought an unexpected colour into Foreigner’s rock vocabulary.
“Urgent” draws on a different tradition. Junior Walker brought his Motown experience to the saxophone solo, while Mark Rivera played the saxophone riff. Between synthesizer and soul saxophone you can hear how many personalities shaped the finished album: the quartet provides the identity, and carefully chosen guests widen its range.
More than three hit singles
“Juke Box Hero”, “Urgent” and “Waiting For A Girl Like You” have led long lives on the radio. On the album they sit next to “Night Life”, “Break It Up” and “Girl On The Moon”. Heard in full, the familiar songs return to their original surroundings, and the partnership of Jones and Gramm moves between assertive rock and more restrained writing.
With a record this well known, the secondary parts are especially rewarding: a keyboard texture sliding into a chorus, bass and drums working together, the moment a guest instrument takes the lead. It is an invitation to hear an old favourite with fresh attention – and to give the whole sequence its time.
The Atlantic 75 hybrid stereo SACD
CAPA 069 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the ten tracks of the original album.
You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.
More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series
Also in another edition: 4
More SACDs by Foreigner: Foreigner
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Musicians
Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.
- Lou Grammlead vocals, percussionParticipation: Album personnel
- Mick Joneslead guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocalsParticipation: Track assignments unconfirmed
- Rick Willsbass, backing vocalsParticipation: Track assignments unconfirmed
- Dennis Elliottdrums, backing vocalsParticipation: Track assignments unconfirmed
- Thomas Dolbymain synthesizer, MinimoogParticipation: Track assignment unconfirmed
- Larry Fastsequencer synthesizerParticipation: tracks 2, 3, 10
- Bob Mayokeyboards (additional textures)Participation: tracks 3, 4
- Michael Fonfarakeyboards (textures)Participation: tracks 6, 9
- Hugh McCrackenslide guitarParticipation: track 9
- Mark Riverasaxophone, backing vocalsParticipation: tracks 3, 6
- Junior Walkertenor saxophone soloParticipation: track 6
- Ian Lloydbacking vocalsParticipation: Track assignments unconfirmed
- Robert John „Mutt“ Langebacking vocalsParticipation: Track assignments unconfirmed
Lou Gramm (lead vocals, percussion) · Mick Jones (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) · Rick Wills (bass, backing vocals) · Dennis Elliott (drums, backing vocals). Guests: Thomas Dolby (synthesizers) · Larry Fast (sequential synthesizer; tracks 2, 3, 10) · Bob Mayo (keyboards; tracks 3, 4) · Michael Fonfara (keyboards; tracks 6, 9) · Hugh McCracken (slide guitar; track 9) · Mark Rivera (saxophone; tracks 3, 6; backing vocals) · Junior Walker (saxophone solo; track 6) · Ian Lloyd, Robert John “Mutt” Lange (backing vocals). Personnel as credited on the original sleeve; no track-by-track assignment is documented for the band members, Dolby, Lloyd and Lange. Recorded 1980–81 at Electric Lady Studios, New York. Produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Mick Jones · Engineers: Dave Wittman, Tony Platt (basic tracks), Brad Samuelsohn; assistants Edwin Hobgood, Michel Sauvage · Cover: Bob Defrin.
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