They were a very hot band at the time and something to compete with. The first break, really, was getting to tour with the Doobie Brothers. “We did some club dates and a few bits of tours here and there with Ted Nugent and Uriah Heep. Hitting the road near the release of Foreigner rapidly built the fan base. It was a nice surprise, I have to say! Those were very giddy times.” We’d hear all of these incredible stats about sales and airplay, but it was so far beyond our expectations. As corny as it sounds, it did feel like the first time! I couldn’t believe it, really. It was the first song that I’d written by myself for several years. “When I look back on ‘Feels Like the First Time,’ it was a very pivotal start. We had to earn our association with him, and it had a lot do with staff being very into the album. “He was busy with the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. “We didn’t get special treatment from Ahmet at that time,” said Jones, who’s now 72. But Foreigner would soon become a priority. Atlantic’s staff loved Foreigner, but since the band was a new signing, it hadn’t attracted much attention from founder Ahmet Ertegun, who was focused on his superstar acts, not using his power and influence to open doors. And we were lucky to find a champion at the record company in John Kalodner.” There were problems finding the right makeup of the band, but we overcame them. “Everything that happened was crazy,” he added. We were prepared to slog it out and try to build a reputation.” I thought they were really good album tracks and there might be a shot at a single, but there were no high expectations. Jones’ ’59 Strat embodies the influence of Buddy Holly on his playing. This Les Paul and Les Paul Custom and have long been among Jones’ preferred stage guitars. Looking back, Jones recalls feeling that the album was a solid collection of songs, and he was cautiously optimistic a hit single could emerge. Its style evident from the beginning, success was almost instantaneous as Foreigner shot up the charts and saturated airwaves. So I had an arsenal to dig from,” said Jones.įoreigner’s blend of riffs, power chords, hypnotizing hooks, and melodies appealed to rockers and pop fans alike. “I’d gotten used to the life around the excitement of stage, studio, and producing. A lineup quickly solidified and the group eventually signed with Atlantic Records. Manager Bud Prager found rehearsal space for Jones to audition members of a new band, and among those to show up was vocalist Lou Gramm. Form a band!’ That was really the start of it and it just started growing from there. I thought, ‘What am I going to do with these? Oh, of course. I was thinking of going back to England, when suddenly I started writing a bunch of songs. “I’d been floundering around in New York and had to make a living. “Everything somehow came together in my life,” he recalled. For a quick few months in ’76, he was a member of the Leslie West Band before being left nearly broke in New York. The Brit spent years making his bones in bands like Nero and the Gladiators before backing Johnny Hallyday (the “French Elvis”), then joined Spooky Tooth in ’73/’74. In 2017, Foreigner marked the 40th anniversary of its self-titled debut album with a tour, the two-disc compilation 40, and Jones’ autobiography, A Foreigner’s Tale.ĭespite Foreigner’s rapid rise, Jones was hardly an overnight success. Thanks to nearly 20 mega-hit singles, 75 million units sold, and legions of fans, the band has earned a solid place in pop-music history.įounder, guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Mick Jones guided the group to dizzying heights from the late 1970s through the late ’80s as it created some of the most popular songs of the era – “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Long, Long Way from Home,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Head Games,” “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Break it Up,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “That Was Yesterday,” “Say You Will” and “I Don’t Want to Live Without You.” Somewhere in the world right now, a Foreigner song is playing on the radio.
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