Lou Gramm is BACK!!!

[G.I.Jim]

... otherwise he would have posted a link to Amazon and at least added a sentence or two about it on the homepage. YOU HEAR THAT ANDREW??? WE NEED PEOPLE TO SEE A LINK!!!

What? Drew hasn't announced Gramm's new cd?

He did announce it a while back, but people should know that they can download it right now! Also would be good if he could post something about the cd release party this month. I really hope there's a good turn out for Lou. He could use a good show!

[DrFU]

The subject matter may not be for all - but it's a stronger album than I anticipated.

Would you prefer an album about.... SAAAAAAATAN?!?!?

that's been done to death ...

[G.I.Jim]

The subject matter may not be for all - but it's a stronger album than I anticipated.

Would you prefer an album about.... SAAAAAAATAN?!?!?

that's been done to death ...

You're right. Of course people on the other side could say the same about religeous music. I hope we get more albums like this from him!

[StoneCold]

Gramm brings his quality song writing to a different style. Lot of hooks in these songs.

I'll admit the kids chanting in that one song, "So Great?" gave me the creeps.

After a few listens, this is easily one of the best 5 Christian based rock albums I've ever heard.

As good as Holy Soldier's first album which is more of a metal album but very listenable.

Here's a couple samples:

Lies - Holy Soldier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yr_Hp3gtek

Stranger - Holy Soldier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRv3eMS1Kc

[Jubilee]

So, Jim, I followed your link and I listened to the tracks. Not bad. I have no problem with Christian Rock. I don't know if I'm just so happy to see Lou Gramm back, or what, but I really did enjoy several tracks from the new CD:

Baptized By Fire

(I Wanna) Testify - thought it was a really fun song

So Great - (very vintage Foreigner-esque)

I'd give "You Saved Me" and honorable mention. The only thing missing from this CD, in my not so sophisticated opinion, was a lush, sensuous ballad type song a la "I Wanna Know What Love Is". I thought "You Saved Me" was going to be it, but it never really happened. All in all, not bad. I'm hoping this will find its niche and RnR fans won't be frightened away by the "Christian Rock" label, and conversely, Christian Rock fans won't be turned away because of Lou's RnR pedigree.

[StoneCold]

Played this on my bike ride today and those tunes are sounding better and better.

Did a quick news search and found an article about Gramm and Jones bein in Vegas within days of each other.



LAS VEGAS SUN
Foreigner unlikely to hang around town to reunite with ex-singer
Apr 14, 2009

Foreigner founder Mick Jones and former lead singer Lou Gramm barely speak.

So, they probably don’t even know their bands will soon pass through Las Vegas within days of each other.

Foreigner performs Friday at Texas Station’s Dallas Events Center. The Lou Gramm Band plays on a bill of ’80s rockers at the Thomas & Mack Center on April 25.

“Lou and I don’t see each other much, almost never,” Jones says from his home in Manhattan. “There was a rift that caused the breakup and that hasn’t been addressed. Who knows, time will tell.”

Jones formed Foreigner in 1976 with fellow Brits Ian McDonald and Dennis Elliott and Americans Gramm, Alan Greenwood and Ed Gagliardi.

Jones and Gramm had a tumultuous — though productive — partnership for 26 years. They wrote many of the band’s hits together, and Gramm was the lead vocalist for “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” “Double Vision,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Head Games,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Say You Will” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

Tension between Gramm and Jones finally came to a head. Gramm split from Foreigner in 1989 to pursue a solo career but rejoined the band in 1992. He had a brain tumor removed in 1997 and spent two years recovering before rejoining the band. He left for good in 2003 and eventually formed the Lou Gramm Band.

Jones has remained the one constant in Foreigner. It was his baby from the start. He wrote or co-wrote every song and produced or co-produced every album.

“My initial musical vision for Foreigner was to combine blues and R&B with British rock and make it sound soulful and authentic,” he says. “I’d grown up in England and had the English influence but I was also inspired by many elements of American music, from Mississippi blues to country and western. Foreigner was the vehicle to get that musical blend across.”

Jones began playing guitar in his early teens in his native London and formed a blues-rock group that opened for the Rolling Stones in pubs. In 1964 he moved to Paris, where he played with French singer Sylvie Vartan and was musical director for French rock icon Johnny Hallyday. Jones returned to England in the early ’70s, re-forming Spooky Tooth with Gary Wright and recording with George Harrison and Peter Frampton.

Outside of Foreigner, Jones has written songs with artists as diverse as Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton (the Grammy-winning “Bad Love”). He also produced best-selling albums for Billy Joel (“Storm Front”) and Van Halen (“5150”).

After 33 years Foreigner continues a heavy tour schedule, though not as heavy as it was in the band’s heyday, and not with the same musicians, except for Jones.

Jones says Foreigner has had ups and downs during its long history.

Jones says he’s especially happy with the band’s latest lineup, which includes lead singer Kelly Hansen (formerly of Hurricane), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken), multi-instrumentalist Thom Gimbel (Aerosmith) and keyboardist Michael Bluestein (the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” house band).

“My aim with the new band is to reestablish it and to get some of the prestige back we had in the earlier years and to remind people that Foreigner is still there and pretty vital,” he says.

Jones says Foreigner grew up in the public eye.

“The band evolved over the first five albums, I think,” he says. “We were going from starting at ground zero and through those first five albums kind of did our growing up in public, in a way. If you listen to the first five or six albums you can hear the evolution in the sound and in the approach to the music. The records were so incredibly successful. There was a lot of pressure.

“Somehow we’ve managed to keep it alive. Our popularity took a dive in the ’90s, as anything non-grunge did.”

Foreigner is working on a new album, a three-disc set that includes a new album, another with remixes of 10 old songs and a live DVD.

The Las Vegas gig is part of a short “pre-tour” through May. The band is set to tour Europe this summer.

“When you go out on the road a whole bunch of stuff needs to be taken care of when you get back,” he says. “But mainly, I’m with my family. Time with the kids is very important.”

[G.I.Jim]

Played this on my bike ride today and those tunes are sounding better and better.

Did a quick news search and found an article about Gramm and Jones bein in Vegas within days of each other.



LAS VEGAS SUN
Foreigner unlikely to hang around town to reunite with ex-singer
Apr 14, 2009

Foreigner founder Mick Jones and former lead singer Lou Gramm barely speak.

So, they probably don’t even know their bands will soon pass through Las Vegas within days of each other.

Foreigner performs Friday at Texas Station’s Dallas Events Center. The Lou Gramm Band plays on a bill of ’80s rockers at the Thomas & Mack Center on April 25.

“Lou and I don’t see each other much, almost never,” Jones says from his home in Manhattan. “There was a rift that caused the breakup and that hasn’t been addressed. Who knows, time will tell.”

Jones formed Foreigner in 1976 with fellow Brits Ian McDonald and Dennis Elliott and Americans Gramm, Alan Greenwood and Ed Gagliardi.

Jones and Gramm had a tumultuous — though productive — partnership for 26 years. They wrote many of the band’s hits together, and Gramm was the lead vocalist for “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” “Double Vision,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Head Games,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Say You Will” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

Tension between Gramm and Jones finally came to a head. Gramm split from Foreigner in 1989 to pursue a solo career but rejoined the band in 1992. He had a brain tumor removed in 1997 and spent two years recovering before rejoining the band. He left for good in 2003 and eventually formed the Lou Gramm Band.

Jones has remained the one constant in Foreigner. It was his baby from the start. He wrote or co-wrote every song and produced or co-produced every album.

“My initial musical vision for Foreigner was to combine blues and R&B with British rock and make it sound soulful and authentic,” he says. “I’d grown up in England and had the English influence but I was also inspired by many elements of American music, from Mississippi blues to country and western. Foreigner was the vehicle to get that musical blend across.”

Jones began playing guitar in his early teens in his native London and formed a blues-rock group that opened for the Rolling Stones in pubs. In 1964 he moved to Paris, where he played with French singer Sylvie Vartan and was musical director for French rock icon Johnny Hallyday. Jones returned to England in the early ’70s, re-forming Spooky Tooth with Gary Wright and recording with George Harrison and Peter Frampton.

Outside of Foreigner, Jones has written songs with artists as diverse as Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton (the Grammy-winning “Bad Love”). He also produced best-selling albums for Billy Joel (“Storm Front”) and Van Halen (“5150”).

After 33 years Foreigner continues a heavy tour schedule, though not as heavy as it was in the band’s heyday, and not with the same musicians, except for Jones.

Jones says Foreigner has had ups and downs during its long history.

Jones says he’s especially happy with the band’s latest lineup, which includes lead singer Kelly Hansen (formerly of Hurricane), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken), multi-instrumentalist Thom Gimbel (Aerosmith) and keyboardist Michael Bluestein (the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” house band).

“My aim with the new band is to reestablish it and to get some of the prestige back we had in the earlier years and to remind people that Foreigner is still there and pretty vital,” he says.

Jones says Foreigner grew up in the public eye.

“The band evolved over the first five albums, I think,” he says. “We were going from starting at ground zero and through those first five albums kind of did our growing up in public, in a way. If you listen to the first five or six albums you can hear the evolution in the sound and in the approach to the music. The records were so incredibly successful. There was a lot of pressure.

“Somehow we’ve managed to keep it alive. Our popularity took a dive in the ’90s, as anything non-grunge did.”

Foreigner is working on a new album, a three-disc set that includes a new album, another with remixes of 10 old songs and a live DVD.
The Las Vegas gig is part of a short “pre-tour” through May. The band is set to tour Europe this summer.

“When you go out on the road a whole bunch of stuff needs to be taken care of when you get back,” he says. “But mainly, I’m with my family. Time with the kids is very important.”

Does the three-disk set sound familiar or what? I am excited to hear some new tunes from them. Awesome find SC!

[Don]

Sounds like it's someone else's turn to get a big slice of pie, courtesy of Wamart.

Are retreads considered remixes now or are they going to change up the arrangements to make them sound newer so they can release them as singles again?

[G.I.Jim]

Sounds like it's someone else's turn to get a big slice of pie, courtesy of Wamart.

Hey...I'll be 1st in line at Wal-Mart again and love it! Well, I guess there wasn't a line when I bought Journey's album, but I'm just sayin'...I WOULD stand in line!

[Don]

Sounds like it's someone else's turn to get a big slice of pie, courtesy of Wamart.

Hey...I'll be 1st in line at Wal-Mart again and love it! Well, I guess there wasn't a line when I bought Journey's album, but I'm just sayin'...I WOULD stand in line!

The problem with these deals is what happens on the followup album. Do you go from 3 discs at 12 bucks back to 1 disc at $9.99?
How do you outsell the last release doing that?

[G.I.Jim]

Sounds like it's someone else's turn to get a big slice of pie, courtesy of Wamart.

Hey...I'll be 1st in line at Wal-Mart again and love it! Well, I guess there wasn't a line when I bought Journey's album, but I'm just sayin'...I WOULD stand in line!

The problem with these deals is what happens on the followup album. Do you go from 3 discs at 12 bucks back to 1 disc at $9.99?
How do you outsell the last release doing that?

I think it's a plus for these bands, because it's a casual buy for the consumer. So many people will see that set there on the shelf and think "damn...I remember those guys, and what an awesome buy!". The next thing you know...they see ads for them playing a show in their area, and they go to a concert. It's a win-win. These deals also attract a lot of people that haven't really heard them before. It's just a good thing for all involved. Hopefully by the time they do a follow-up, they'll have a LOT more people checking their websites and keeping up with them. Just my thought on it, but I could definitely be wrong.

[G.I.Jim]

So fucking pissed right now!!! I just got home, checked emails, and saw one from ticketmaster...The cd release party has been cancelled! WTF??? I went to the website... nothing! I'd like to know what the hell's going on. Ticket sales? Illness? WTF is it? VERY pissed right now!!!

[weatherman90]

So fucking pissed right now!!! I just got home, checked emails, and saw one from ticketmaster...The cd release party has been cancelled! WTF??? I went to the website... nothing! I'd like to know what the hell's going on. Ticket sales? Illness? WTF is it? VERY pissed right now!!!

That's very strange, it is gone from the website as well with the release date pushed back to June 2.

[journey361]

Maybe Gramm has taken Steve Perry's advice.

[Don]

Maybe Mick called.

[StoneCold]

Maybe Mick called.

That wouldn't surprise me at all.

[StoneCold]

So fucking pissed right now!!! I just got home, checked emails, and saw one from ticketmaster...The cd release party has been cancelled! WTF??? I went to the website... nothing! I'd like to know what the hell's going on. Ticket sales? Illness? WTF is it? VERY pissed right now!!!

Could be any number of factors. As long as you get refunded, don't sweat it. Unless Lou got sick, it'll probably be rescheduled.

[StoneCold]

"Single Vision" has quickly become my favorite tune on this album.

Sounds like the Lou of old.

http://www.last.fm/music/Lou+Gramm/_/Si ... ?autostart

[NealIsGod]

The master is back! see this is the real deal. Get rid of the current poser singing in Foreigner. Get Lou Gramm back, singing the songs the way they should be done.

Wow, it's amazing how people's desire for the past clouds their ability to judge the present. Anyone can sound good in the studio,but I don't think Lou sounds very good on any of these clips, as much as I want him to. Gramm sounds horrible live. Remember those recent clips on youtube?

[StoneCold]

The master is back! see this is the real deal. Get rid of the current poser singing in Foreigner. Get Lou Gramm back, singing the songs the way they should be done.

Wow, it's amazing how people's desire for the past clouds their ability to judge the present. Anyone can sound good in the studio,but I don't think Lou sounds very good on any of these clips, as much as I want him to. Gramm sounds horrible live. Remember those recent clips on youtube?

Have you listened to the whole album or just the clips?

I was surprised how good he sounds when compared to the youtubes.

Even though he's not 100 percent, there are times you can hear touches of the old Gramm.

Perry on TBF was vastly more removed from his Frontiers vox than Gramm is from his pre-surgery days.

If Mick and Lou could see eye to eye, I'd take Lou back in the band for another album.

Kelly can tour it if that's a sticking point.

[weatherman90]

Gramm sounds great on this album, there's no doubt about that.

However, what Foreigner has accomplished over the last few years is remarkable. They're embarking a very expansive world tour with a new single and an new DVD (and likely a new album in the works).

I don't know the details of the rift between Lou and Mick, but right now the timing is not right for those two to re-join.

[StoneCold]

Gramm sounds great on this album, there's no doubt about that.

However, what Foreigner has accomplished over the last few years is remarkable. They're embarking a very expansive world tour with a new single and an new DVD (and likely a new album in the works).

I don't know the details of the rift between Lou and Mick, but right now the timing is not right for those two to re-join.

How can any time be the wrong time for the original lead to front the band?

Do expect Hansen to get them on the charts?

[weatherman90]

Gramm sounds great on this album, there's no doubt about that.

However, what Foreigner has accomplished over the last few years is remarkable. They're embarking a very expansive world tour with a new single and an new DVD (and likely a new album in the works).

I don't know the details of the rift between Lou and Mick, but right now the timing is not right for those two to re-join.

How can any time be the wrong time for the original lead to front the band?

Do expect Hansen to get them on the charts?

A few weeks away from releasing a solo album is definitely the wrong time to front the original band.

I do think that if Foreigner released an album with Hansen later this year, or perhaps early next year, it would chart in the US on the 200. Some more TV appearances in the lead-up to its release....I think it could have it open at #30 or better.

[StoneCold]

Article about Lou's album:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/gospelsoundch ... rds-c.html

Foreigner's Lou Gramm records Christian rock album

Billboard.com reports that Lou Gramm, former frontman for the rock group Foreigner, has finished recording his first Christian rock album.

Gramm, a native of Rochester, NY, recorded the album in his hometown with his band, which includes his two talented brothers, Richard Grammatico on bass and guitar (an original member of Black Sheep); top session musician Ben Grammatico on drums; and fellow Black Sheep alumnus, guitarist Don Mancuso.

Gramm tells Billboard that the reaction to news he's doing a Christian album has been mixed:

"I'm not sure what people think -- that by doing a Christian rock album you suddenly become a completely different person or your creative self changes? It really just means that a lot of the subject matter changes; a lot more thought goes into the lyrics and not a ton of songs about popping that girl after the show."

He makes a great point, doesn't he?

Gramm suffered a benign brain tumor in the late '90s and that experience was the catalyst for many of the album's faith-based songs.The yet untitled album will release in the fall by Spectra Records.

Gramm's band is currently touring.