Foreigner was a band assembled by studio guitarist and label A&R man, Mick Jones, after he received favorable response to a demo tape of new material he had sent to various NY labels. Jones had been a member of the prog-rock outfit Spooky Tooth, and played in the Leslie West Band which came after Mountain disbanded. After working as an A&R Exec for manager Bud Prager’s indie label, Jones felt the urge to return to writing, recording and performing. A new band called Trigger was built in 1976 around him, and soon included former King Crimson founding member and keyboardist/ saxophonist…entire summary

Lou Gramm - vocals
Mick Jones - guitar, vocals
Dennis Elliott - drums
Ed Gagliardi - bass
Ian McDonald - keyboards, sax, flute
Al Greenwood - keyboards

Foreigner was a band assembled by studio guitarist and label A&R man, Mick Jones, after he received favorable response to a demo tape of new material he had sent to various NY labels. Jones had been a member of the prog-rock outfit Spooky Tooth, and played in the Leslie West Band which came after Mountain disbanded. After working as an A&R Exec for manager Bud Prager’s indie label, Jones felt the urge to return to writing, recording and performing. A new band called Trigger was built in 1976 around him, and soon included former King Crimson founding member and keyboardist/ saxophonist Ian McDonald and ex-Ian Hunter drummer Dennis Elliott.

Americans Ed Gagliardi on bass and Al Greenwood on keyboards were then added for an international mix. It took months to find a vocalist, until Jones remembered the lead singer for a band called Black Sheep that had opened for Spooky Tooth on a U.S. tour. His name was Lou Grammatico, but after he was convinced to join this new dynamic group (now re-named Foreigner), he would become Lou Gramm.

This recording was done in 1978, after the band had toured for their incredibly popular eponymous debut album, and was about to release Double Vision, a sophomore album that was surprisingly received even better than the first. Originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, this seven-song set features most of the big hits from the band’s first two albums, including “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” “Double Vision,” “Feels Like The First Time” and “Headknocker” which clocks in at nearly 12 minutes on this performance. This show is a real treat for fans of early Foreigner.

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