Foreigner Band Qualitative Evaluation

Although a few rock bands from the 1970s survived the transition into the 1980s, it is important to remember that it was a difficult period for many acts. And if it was a difficult time for most acts, there were many singers and rock bands that endured and even thrived with some great shows and songs that were both soul-touching and dear to their fans' hearts. The 1970s and 1980s produced some of the greatest band hits of all time, which are still known as memorable acts today. The ability to move crowds with performances was a critical thing during this period, and not many bands were able to do this except a selected few. Some of the bands that made it through the period and flourished included bands like Styx, REO Speedwagon, Journey, and one of the all time favorites Foreigner. From the beginning, Foreigner was led by their all-time leading member Mike Jones who is has been their British guitarist from the start of the formation of the band. Mike Jones started out as a “hired gun, and appeared in different recordings by Peter Frampton and George Harrison, and also featured in the latter-day hard rockers known as the Hard Rockers. In the mid-1970s, Mike Jones moved to New York and was briefly part of the music group Leslie West. Afterward, he had the urge to create another band which would have the ability to invent and use the different elements of progressive rock, pop, R&B, and combined them into single interconnected style (Nea, 2014, Oct 26). With this, he was able to form his band and named it the Foreigner where he teamed up with other artists and band members including Al Greenwood (Keyboards), Ian McDonald (Sax Player), Dennis Elliot (Drummer), Lou Gramm (Vocals), and finally Ed Gagliardi (Bass). Jones and Gramm were able to find their music writing chemistry and were responsible for writing most of the Foreigner Band songs. The paper will be evaluating the different performances and theme songs that have made Foreigner one of the most appreciated bands in the past decades.                The band has been known for its very realistic and deep heart-warming songs that can be related closely to real life experiences of the fans. In one of the songs “Juke Box Hero” the band was inspired by one of their fans who had been waiting in the rain without a ticket. The group soon decided to take the fan behind the scenes before their performance and got to experience them performing. It is a song that shows the band’s real world perception and how close they are to their fans. It indicates the connection that band has always had with their musical fans and how they create music that the fans themselves can identify with in a literal sense. It is perhaps one of their greatest strengths, and they have continued to perform music that is inspired by the fans themselves.                Foreigner Band has always prided themselves with their live performances which they have kept doing for the last few decades. To their fans, it has always been a way of getting close to the action and watching their legends perform up close and personal. They have been involved in numerous performances around the world. One such live performance is when they visited Nashville, Tennessee in the year 2010 and gave one of the most memorable performances of the greatest hits among them Juke Box Hero. In the video sourced from Youtube, it shows how the band has a great impact in the way that they move their fans and how their fans also inspire the band’s performance by creating a mutual interaction in the way that they relate to each other (Foreigner Band, 2014, Oct 26). It is a true form of artist and fan connection and shows how these two affect and impact on each other. On the one hand, the artist receives inspiration and motivation from the fans to continue giving their best in their performances, and the artists move the fan with a continuous sedation of deep and inspirational music that they can relate and identify with in their life. Some of the music they have been able to compose seems to have been written by the fans themselves in the way they relate to the human aspect of the everyday life.Foreigner Band has been accused of being one of the few bands that have remained unchanged and very true to their approach in music as opposed to other music groups. The group has resisted the dark influences of the world of music that has long been responsible for the perishing of different bands from their era. In an interview, Mike Jones explained that his music content and relationship with the fans has always been genuine and unchanging (Kawashima, 10 Mar. 2017). His passion has always been led by his love for music and has always enjoyed playing music with his band. Before Lou Gramm left, they were responsible for the writing of the music and also contributing to the lyrics (Niesel, 09 Mar. 2017.). It shows how band members can have an impact on the way that they stay faithful to the music content and resist the influences from the outside world when they work in perfect coordination. In a way, the band has always relied on the unity between these two leading members for the way they produce and maintain their music style. They say that change is good, but for music, there are those who argue that it is still good to retain that original aspect of the music production and composition (Mason, 2014, Dec 28). Foreigner Band has achieved this notion of originality in their music performances, and that has been their biggest strength and remains a favorite band among their diehard fans and other fans of music worldwide.In some of their performances, the crowds have been seen to be carried away by the music due to the way that they have established themselves in the rock music fraternity. The group performances have always been inspired by their fans and are formed in the form of their cohesive style in their music. The group has over the years managed to provide rock flair performances throughout the years and enticed their fans with music that they can feel attached to and also feel personally connected to in their experiences. Numerous songs have been dedicated to ensuring that they can reach out to their fans and also achieve the long traditional legacy they started from the beginning of the launch of their band.ReferencesForeigner (Band), & Nea Z. (Producer), (2014, Oct 26). Foreigner – Juke Box Hero 2010. [Live Video HD]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE-ZsGvUAR4"Foreigner reviews, music, news - sputnikmusic. (2017) " Foreigner reviews, music, news - sputnikmusic. Sputnik Music, 5 July 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Kawashima, D. (2017). "Special Interview: Rock Legend Mick Jones of Foreigner Talks About Writing The Band’s Classic Songs." Songwriter Universe | Songwriting News, Articles & Song Contest. N.p. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Mason, A (Interviewer), and Jones, M (Founder/Lead Guitarist), & CBS Sunday (Producer). (2014). Mike Jones of Foreigner Interview 2014 with CBS Sunday. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMhwwsXkdCUNiesel, J. (2017). "Foreigner Singer Kelly Hansen Reflects On the Classic Rock Band's Enduring Legacy." Cleveland Scene. Cleveland Scene. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.