Definitely...Lou left and went solo and brought that guitar driven rock back from the Foreigner days of the late 70s and early 80s. Agent Provocateur was laced with songs with synthesizer. 1st 3 singles I Want To Know What Love Is, That Was Yesterday and the 3rd single Down On Love were loaded with keyboards/synthesizer. The 4th single Reaction To Action Bombed because by then momentum was gone and the album went away. I'll never figure out why Reaction To Action wasn't the first single released. Tooth And Nail would have been another great rock hit. 80s were full of ballads...those were the money makers unfortunately for top 40 radio.
Incredible how Lou explains it perfectly where we the guitar fans did not want the proliferation of the keyboard sound ...same goes for the '80's Foreigner, Rush, Triumph and even Stevie Ray Vaughn etc,,,!
It was clearly Lou's iconic vocal and the Choir that sent I want to know what love is into Rock history. That was his own vocal design, not hampered by Mick's nitpicking.
It’s a shame and surely very sad for Lou, for sure. A knife in the heart. Hug Lou. And thank you for your music. Hope you’re doing well. ❤❤❤ from Melbourne Australia.
Lou one of the greatest singer of all times got to see foreigner twice feels like the first time tour and head games both were great shows in Memphis Tennessee
I just cannot belive man....when he said he got no benefits from I want to know what love is.... How sad man.... Ahhhh😔.... But he has out support more than ever around the world because we all know hes the one that made that song famous❤ Mutch love Lou❤
Keyboards have their place, however when they are the base of the song it’s time to reevaluate. They usher in mellow and push out good heavy guitar. I totally agree with Lou.
I could NEVER have imagined that one of my heros and one of the very best rock singers EVER had insecurities like he did. He didn't seem to understand that he could have left the band at any time after the "4" album or maybe even after the Hot Blooded hit seasons and gone solo and been bigger and better than anything that happened after "4"!! He was INCREDIBLE!
Very, very true indeed 👌 Lou said in 1987 once he (and Foreigner) completed recording an album , that he was a "FREE AGENT ". Yes , he could've left at anytime.
Agreed! It's a shame Shadow King was stepped on after being released with no tour and promotion from Atlantic. Unfortunately Mick went to the top and said to stop it. If they would have succeed he'll never come back. Kinda shady on Mick's part.
@@jerryhuffar6561 Shadow King did do only one live concert. It's on TH-cam recorded live at the ASTORIA in England 🇬🇧 on December 13, 1991 (a Friday night). They sound better than anyone would expect.. It's not the full show but you can still enjoy the concert. It was the next day that Lou and the band found out they were sabotaged. They went to a record store (in England) to sign autographs and greet fans. The store owner told them the CD and tapes never arrived. I'm amazed Lou went back to Foreigner after accusing Mick and Atlantic records of stopping his band. Even the 2017 40th Reunion was a mess . Kelly Hansen wouldn't let Lou talk on stage. Lou told John Beaudin on Rock History that Hansen "was just bouncing off the walls and wouldn't shut up ". Lou keeps running back to his biggest pain 👉 FOREIGNER.
I feel lucky I saw them in 1977 Springfield, Ma with 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd who would crash the plane just two weeks later. The headliners LS were on the last leg of the tour and were not in great form the night I saw them, but both other bands were just wicked good that night! I feel lucky to seen them, but feel old now!!
@@skythelimit8316I’ve seen some really incredible bands in my life. But if I could have seen just 2 more it would have been the original Doors and any skynyrd lineup before the plane crash. Preferably with Ed King in the lineup. Those first two albums are my favorite but all Skynyrd’s albums with Ronnie are incredible.
I read Lou’s book. I believe what he says, but I’d guess it’s mostly because he was so pissed off about receiving 0 writing credit on “I wanna know what love is”. He’d have a rough idea about how much money that cost him. He should have fought harder for some writing credit, he knew that after it hit huge, by then it was too late. He never got over that animosity.
I agree im not myself a so called keyboard fanatic! Vanhalen was another thing all together ok keyboard later on but with pure magic guitar solos! That made people accepting the keyboard it still rocked thanks to eddies guitar playing!
If you watch "VH1 behind the music", Mick even admits that he was an ass****, but he says it with a smile, as if he doesn't care. Tells me all I need to know. It must have been tough for Lou back then.
Lou's album READY OR NOT was much better than Head Games. Lou should've stayed solo after INSIDE INFORMATION. He never had another hit in Foreigner after leaving in 1990 or rejoining in 1992.
@@jefffaust89 Jeff ?? (1) "Heaven our side" (2) "Prisoner of love " (3) Soul doctor" were 3 new songs 🎵 on Foreigner-BEST AND BEYOND a compilation album on Atlantic which was released in 1992 the year Gramm officially returned to Foreigner. Mr.Moonlight was released in 1994-95 on a new label called RHYTHM SAFARI a rap label. "Until the end of time "was the single and Lou's last Foreigner album. It bombed badly in America 🇺🇸.
@@lanceduponte8241 I like both albums too but READY OR NOT is a better album . Lou regained his rock credibility and proved he had it as songwriter in his own right on READY OR NOT. "Midnight Blue " charted at #5 on Billboard in 1987 and was the most listened to/requested song 🎵 on American radio in 1987 a buzz Foreigner songs never got . Lou actually brought "Midnight Blue" to Foreigner first and Mick Jones rejected the song and he had been rejecting Lou's song ides for years and it became apparent Mick was pushing for ballads in the mid 80s and that combined with rejecting Lou's songs plus cutting Lou out of the songwriting "partnership" led to Lou making READY OR NOT. Mick years later admitted he was jealous of how successful and how well READY OR NOT turned out for Lou.
Well it's obvious that "Jump" By Van Halen Success really Steered the Hard Rock Genere towards Featuring Keyboards . Even Bon Jovi at the same Time made "Runaway" featuring Keyboards . Piano Keyboard Ballads by Rush , Reo Speed Wagon , Styx , and Journey were popular around 1984 In Hard Rock . So For Lou Gramm to be Oblivious to that Hard Rock Music Transition is Surprising . It's pretty clear Lou Stuck around Foreigner as long as he could even tho he hated it because the Money was better in Foreigner than having his Solo Career be half as Successful Financially .
Atlantic was deliberately trying to NOT promote Lou's solo albums and they sabotaged Shadow King to keep Lou in Foreigner because it financially benefited Mick Jones and Atlantic records. All Lou wanted was to get his ideas for songs 🎵 on Foreigner albums and Jones wouldn't allow it. Jones' greed and selfishness caused this whole rift between Lou and Jones. Lou getting no credit and absolutely NO money for I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS speaks volumes. Lou wanted freedom to be creative as a songwriter. Not a singing puppet controlled by Jones. 14:01
@@waltersimmons946 Maybe so about the Albums Promotion and everything Deep Sixxing Lou's Solo Albums . But let's not act like Lou was some Hit Song Writing Machine . He wasn't . Lou was stuck in the 1970s with the "Boston" or "Aerosmith" Like Hard Rock Bands . He was the Voice of Foreigner but not the Visionary for it's future . Mick Jones clearly was the Song Writing Genius , Producer , and Visionary in that Band if he was churning out Smash Love Ballads . This is the same Mick Jones that Produced that Smash Hit Album for Van Jalen , " 5150 " . I actually believe Mick would have loved to have Sammy Hagar in Foreigner TBH . They could both churn out the Love Ballad Hits . Lou could have kept Touring Solo and made it work if his Solo Stuff was Really better than Foreigner's material . But it wasn't , and he didn't .
@@Mysterio-Solar Again, it was lack of promotion. If Lou's music was NO good then they should've let the public decide that by sales or not. But they blocked Lou's potential fearing he would never return to Foreigner if he actually left. So they weren't very confident either and Lou was growing as a songwriter. He already proved himself as a drummer turned singer. Lou was not trying to prove he was A better songwriter than Jones because Lou always acknowledged Jones ideas were strong. Jones never reciprocated in the "partnership" thats a fact. Lou simply just wanted to get his song ideas on Foreigner albums and Jones wouldn't allow it. The partnership was one sided and Lou was treated like a subordinate. "Ready or not " is a better album than HEAD GAMES and quite many rock pundits said the same thing. Mick Jones is a good songwriter/guitar player but he didn't write LOVE HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL, DO WHAT YOU LIKE or ZALIA. Those were written by Gramm and Ian McDonald. Also though Al Greenwood and Ian McDonald were fired during the beginning stages of the 4 album , Ian McDonald also helped cowrite WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU but he got no credit for it because he also loved the band. Mick Jones was not the only talented person in Foreigner. He was simply the most SELFISH.
@@waltersimmons946 Well that's what you get back in the 1980s . The Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy , Dio and his Wife , Steve Perry Firing Most of the Original members of Journey to get Most of the Touring Money , Mick Jones Music Material Stealers and Selfish Greedy Band Leaders .
@@Mysterio-Solar Lol 😆 😂 🤣 😅 😄 😜 😆 😂 🤣 😅 😄 can't argue with that. Mick really could've treated Lou better. But now Mick has PARKINSONS DISEASE so it may be way too late for mending fences.
I just listened to Agent Provocateur for the first time last year. I was unimpressed. The local rock station at the time played Tooth & Nail which is the only great song on the album.
The weak filler song's on PROVOCATEUR are evidence that Mick cut Lou out of the songwriting and ironically Lou gets sole credit on TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS . Mick, for years rejected Lou's input and song 🎵 ideas. Mick regretted it by rejecting "Midnight Blue" telling Lou "it's not a good song". Lou put together a solo band, recorded that song. "Midnight Blue " charted at number 5 in 1987 and was the most requested/listened to song in America that year. Mick got scared that Lou was going to quit Foreigner forever and went whining to Atlantic records. The pricks backed off promotion of READY OR NOT. The title Track has a video to it and it was the follow up to "Midnight Blue". They sabotaged promotion by siding with Mick Jones. It happened with LONG HARD LOOK and with SHADOW KING. They didn't want Lou to grow or advance his career . Just be the puppet singer in Foreigner who brings 💰 💰 as Mick Jones would get the lion share of everything as he had been doing for years.
I absolutely HATE I want to know what love is. It is very much in the Air Supply vein. I liked “Waiting for A Girl Like You” was cool. It was different but still a rock song. I Want To Know What Love Is was smaltsy. If a hard rock band does a ballad, it should be the third single released on the album. If it comes out first, their hard rock fans will think they’ve gone soft. The new fans will think they’re a ballad band and be disappointed by hard rock material. It becomes the beginning of the end.
Because Boston never had rock hits with heavy keys and acoustic guitar. It's possible to write rock songs with tools other than Gibson, Fender and Marshall
Nonsense. If Lou didn't like the keyboard songs and the big hits that came with them then why does he still perform them? Why not go do some of the hard rock stuff and leave the ballads behind? Sounds bitter to me.
I remember when this guy played Universal Studios well past his prime, telling the audience if they took pictures of him, he would confiscate their cameras.
He performs them because that's what fans want to hear. If you don't play the big hits, most fans won't turn out. Remember that half or more of the fans at shows are greatest hits buyers. They're what I call posers. If you lose half of the door, then you'll get pushed into smaller venues, which means a huge loss financially. Can't have that happen on the road, that's where you make the most money since there isn't much of a recorded music market anymore. So no matter how much you hate it, you play the hits.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Seeing Foreigner in the beginning seems like a dream almost. They were awesome on stage. When Lou left the band, so did I.
Definitely...Lou left and went solo and brought that guitar driven rock back from the Foreigner days of the late 70s and early 80s. Agent Provocateur was laced with songs with synthesizer. 1st 3 singles I Want To Know What Love Is, That Was Yesterday and the 3rd single Down On Love were loaded with keyboards/synthesizer. The 4th single Reaction To Action Bombed because by then momentum was gone and the album went away. I'll never figure out why Reaction To Action wasn't the first single released. Tooth And Nail would have been another great rock hit. 80s were full of ballads...those were the money makers unfortunately for top 40 radio.
Incredible how Lou explains it perfectly where we the guitar fans did not want the proliferation of the keyboard sound ...same goes for the '80's Foreigner, Rush, Triumph and even Stevie Ray Vaughn etc,,,!
It was clearly Lou's iconic vocal and the Choir that sent I want to know what love is into Rock history. That was his own vocal design, not hampered by Mick's nitpicking.
It’s a shame and surely very sad for Lou, for sure. A knife in the heart. Hug Lou. And thank you for your music. Hope you’re doing well. ❤❤❤ from Melbourne Australia.
Lou one of the greatest singer of all times got to see foreigner twice feels like the first time tour and head games both were great shows in Memphis Tennessee
I just cannot belive man....when he said he got no benefits from I want to know what love is....
How sad man....
Ahhhh😔....
But he has out support more than ever around the world because we all know hes the one that made that song famous❤
Mutch love Lou❤
Keyboards have their place, however when they are the base of the song it’s time to reevaluate. They usher in mellow and push out good heavy guitar. I totally agree with Lou.
I could NEVER have imagined that one of my heros and one of the very best rock singers EVER had insecurities like he did. He didn't seem to understand that he could have left the band at any time after the "4" album or maybe even after the Hot Blooded hit seasons and gone solo and been bigger and better than anything that happened after "4"!! He was INCREDIBLE!
Very, very true indeed 👌 Lou said in 1987 once he (and Foreigner) completed recording an album , that he was a "FREE AGENT ". Yes , he could've left at anytime.
Agreed! It's a shame Shadow King was stepped on after being released with no tour and promotion from Atlantic. Unfortunately Mick went to the top and said to stop it. If they would have succeed he'll never come back. Kinda shady on Mick's part.
@@jerryhuffar6561 Shadow King did do only one live concert. It's on TH-cam recorded live at the ASTORIA in England 🇬🇧 on December 13, 1991 (a Friday night). They sound better than anyone would expect.. It's not the full show but you can still enjoy the concert. It was the next day that Lou and the band found out they were sabotaged. They went to a record store (in England) to sign autographs and greet fans. The store owner told them the CD and tapes never arrived. I'm amazed Lou went back to Foreigner after accusing Mick and Atlantic records of stopping his band. Even the 2017 40th Reunion was a mess . Kelly Hansen wouldn't let Lou talk on stage. Lou told John Beaudin on Rock History that Hansen "was just bouncing off the walls and wouldn't shut up ". Lou keeps running back to his biggest pain 👉 FOREIGNER.
Im so glad I got to see the real Foreigner.
I feel lucky I saw them in 1977 Springfield, Ma with 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd who would crash the plane just two weeks later. The headliners LS were on the last leg of the tour and were not in great form the night I saw them, but both other bands were just wicked good that night! I feel lucky to seen them, but feel old now!!
@@skythelimit8316I’ve seen some really incredible bands in my life. But if I could have seen just 2 more it would have been the original Doors and any skynyrd lineup before the plane crash. Preferably with Ed King in the lineup. Those first two albums are my favorite but all Skynyrd’s albums with Ronnie are incredible.
I'm also glad that I got to see Foreigner in the original line up.
Saw their first album tour in Nashville.
Saw Double Vision in Boston. Outstanding
I read Lou’s book. I believe what he says, but I’d guess it’s mostly because he was so pissed off about receiving 0 writing credit on “I wanna know what love is”. He’d have a rough idea about how much money that cost him. He should have fought harder for some writing credit, he knew that after it hit huge, by then it was too late. He never got over that animosity.
Betrayal...nothing short of betrayal..If I was Lou I would not participate in anything with Mick from that point forward.
☆☆☆☆‼️LOU GRAMM‼️☆☆☆☆
I agree im not myself a so called keyboard fanatic! Vanhalen was another thing all together ok keyboard later on but with pure magic guitar solos! That made people accepting the keyboard it still rocked thanks to eddies guitar playing!
I love Lou honesty
I think midnight blue was better than anything foreigner did in the 80s. I think foreigner in the 70s were top notch.
Lou Honest As They Come ! Mick Jones Selfish And Full Of Himself!
If you watch "VH1 behind the music", Mick even admits that he was an ass****, but he says it with a smile, as if he doesn't care. Tells me all I need to know. It must have been tough for Lou back then.
Mick seems like a sociopath
Thats what $$$ does to a personn y@simonajugarih3620
Lou's album READY OR NOT was much better than Head Games. Lou should've stayed solo after INSIDE INFORMATION. He never had another hit in Foreigner after leaving in 1990 or rejoining in 1992.
I think Lou with Foreigner if I’m not mistaken had a video and single for the song “ With Heaven On Our Side” from Mr. Moonlight in 1995.
@@jefffaust89 Jeff ?? (1) "Heaven our side" (2) "Prisoner of love " (3) Soul doctor" were 3 new songs 🎵 on Foreigner-BEST AND BEYOND a compilation album on Atlantic which was released in 1992 the year Gramm officially returned to Foreigner. Mr.Moonlight was released in 1994-95 on a new label called RHYTHM SAFARI a rap label. "Until the end of time "was the single and Lou's last Foreigner album. It bombed badly in America 🇺🇸.
Head games is Foreigner guy the Ready or Not is great there both great 👍 👌
@@lanceduponte8241 I like both albums too but READY OR NOT is a better album . Lou regained his rock credibility and proved he had it as songwriter in his own right on READY OR NOT. "Midnight Blue " charted at #5 on Billboard in 1987 and was the most listened to/requested song 🎵 on American radio in 1987 a buzz Foreigner songs never got . Lou actually brought "Midnight Blue" to Foreigner first and Mick Jones rejected the song and he had been rejecting Lou's song ides for years and it became apparent Mick was pushing for ballads in the mid 80s and that combined with rejecting Lou's songs plus cutting Lou out of the songwriting "partnership" led to Lou making READY OR NOT. Mick years later admitted he was jealous of how successful and how well READY OR NOT turned out for Lou.
Final VH tour - they ended with JUMP - confetti - light show - so fitting .
I love keyboards in New Wave, but in hard rock, if used at all they belong in the background doing fills.
Well it's obvious that "Jump" By Van Halen Success really Steered the Hard Rock Genere towards Featuring Keyboards . Even Bon Jovi at the same Time made "Runaway" featuring Keyboards . Piano Keyboard Ballads by Rush , Reo Speed Wagon , Styx , and Journey were popular around 1984 In Hard Rock . So For Lou Gramm to be Oblivious to that Hard Rock Music Transition is Surprising . It's pretty clear Lou Stuck around Foreigner as long as he could even tho he hated it because the Money was better in Foreigner than having his Solo Career be half as Successful Financially .
Atlantic was deliberately trying to NOT promote Lou's solo albums and they sabotaged Shadow King to keep Lou in Foreigner because it financially benefited Mick Jones and Atlantic records. All Lou wanted was to get his ideas for songs 🎵 on Foreigner albums and Jones wouldn't allow it. Jones' greed and selfishness caused this whole rift between Lou and Jones. Lou getting no credit and absolutely NO money for I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS speaks volumes. Lou wanted freedom to be creative as a songwriter. Not a singing puppet controlled by Jones. 14:01
@@waltersimmons946 Maybe so about the Albums Promotion and everything Deep Sixxing Lou's Solo Albums . But let's not act like Lou was some Hit Song Writing Machine . He wasn't . Lou was stuck in the 1970s with the "Boston" or "Aerosmith" Like Hard Rock Bands . He was the Voice of Foreigner but not the Visionary for it's future . Mick Jones clearly was the Song Writing Genius , Producer , and Visionary in that Band if he was churning out Smash Love Ballads . This is the same Mick Jones that Produced that Smash Hit Album for Van Jalen , " 5150 " . I actually believe Mick would have loved to have Sammy Hagar in Foreigner TBH . They could both churn out the Love Ballad Hits . Lou could have kept Touring Solo and made it work if his Solo Stuff was Really better than Foreigner's material . But it wasn't , and he didn't .
@@Mysterio-Solar Again, it was lack of promotion. If Lou's music was NO good then they should've let the public decide that by sales or not. But they blocked Lou's potential fearing he would never return to Foreigner if he actually left. So they weren't very confident either and Lou was growing as a songwriter. He already proved himself as a drummer turned singer. Lou was not trying to prove he was A better songwriter than Jones because Lou always acknowledged Jones ideas were strong. Jones never reciprocated in the "partnership" thats a fact. Lou simply just wanted to get his song ideas on Foreigner albums and Jones wouldn't allow it. The partnership was one sided and Lou was treated like a subordinate. "Ready or not " is a better album than HEAD GAMES and quite many rock pundits said the same thing. Mick Jones is a good songwriter/guitar player but he didn't write LOVE HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL, DO WHAT YOU LIKE or ZALIA. Those were written by Gramm and Ian McDonald. Also though Al Greenwood and Ian McDonald were fired during the beginning stages of the 4 album , Ian McDonald also helped cowrite WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU but he got no credit for it because he also loved the band. Mick Jones was not the only talented person in Foreigner. He was simply the most SELFISH.
@@waltersimmons946 Well that's what you get back in the 1980s . The Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy , Dio and his Wife , Steve Perry Firing Most of the Original members of Journey to get Most of the Touring Money , Mick Jones Music Material Stealers and Selfish Greedy Band Leaders .
@@Mysterio-Solar Lol 😆 😂 🤣 😅 😄 😜 😆 😂 🤣 😅 😄 can't argue with that. Mick really could've treated Lou better. But now Mick has PARKINSONS DISEASE so it may be way too late for mending fences.
I just listened to Agent Provocateur for the first time last year. I was unimpressed. The local rock station at the time played Tooth & Nail which is the only great song on the album.
The weak filler song's on PROVOCATEUR are evidence that Mick cut Lou out of the songwriting and ironically Lou gets sole credit on TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS . Mick, for years rejected Lou's input and song 🎵 ideas. Mick regretted it by rejecting "Midnight Blue" telling Lou "it's not a good song". Lou put together a solo band, recorded that song. "Midnight Blue " charted at number 5 in 1987 and was the most requested/listened to song in America that year. Mick got scared that Lou was going to quit Foreigner forever and went whining to Atlantic records. The pricks backed off promotion of READY OR NOT. The title Track has a video to it and it was the follow up to "Midnight Blue". They sabotaged promotion by siding with Mick Jones. It happened with LONG HARD LOOK and with SHADOW KING. They didn't want Lou to grow or advance his career . Just be the puppet singer in Foreigner who brings 💰 💰 as Mick Jones would get the lion share of everything as he had been doing for years.
I absolutely HATE I want to know what love is. It is very much in the Air Supply vein. I liked “Waiting for A Girl Like You” was cool. It was different but still a rock song. I Want To Know What Love Is was smaltsy. If a hard rock band does a ballad, it should be the third single released on the album. If it comes out first, their hard rock fans will think they’ve gone soft. The new fans will think they’re a ballad band and be disappointed by hard rock material. It becomes the beginning of the end.
Yes the solo album wasn't exactly a guitar festival..it was actually fruity n chock full o fillers
Because Boston never had rock hits with heavy keys and acoustic guitar. It's possible to write rock songs with tools other than Gibson, Fender and Marshall
Nonsense. If Lou didn't like the keyboard songs and the big hits that came with them then why does he still perform them? Why not go do some of the hard rock stuff and leave the ballads behind? Sounds bitter to me.
Agreed!!! He’s turning into a cranky old rock singer!!!! Truly sad!!
I remember when this guy played Universal Studios well past his prime, telling the audience if they took pictures of him, he would confiscate their cameras.
He performs them because that's what fans want to hear. If you don't play the big hits, most fans won't turn out. Remember that half or more of the fans at shows are greatest hits buyers. They're what I call posers. If you lose half of the door, then you'll get pushed into smaller venues, which means a huge loss financially. Can't have that happen on the road, that's where you make the most money since there isn't much of a recorded music market anymore. So no matter how much you hate it, you play the hits.
Yes very bitter and sad! I mean this doesn’t look good as far as getting into thr RRHOF
Because of the audience demand for them.