Some bands and musical artists have been part of our soundscape our entire lives. I recall sitting in a car when I was in high school straining to reach the vocal heights of bands like Styx, Reo Speedwagon and Foreigner. The veins in my face and neck may have sustained permanent damage from my attempts to hit the scream at the end of “Jukebox Hero,” but I know I wasn’t the only one.
As the voice of Foreigner, Lou Gramm brought a range and a tonal quality to rock that has challenged singers and cover bands ever since.
Gramm and Foreigner this month celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary with an April 23 show at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Key West’s Island Youth Choir joined the band on stage that night for the iconic hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and the band made a donation to the kids’ choir.
In honor of their 50th anniversary, Foreigner performed their best-known album, “4,” in its entirety, including “Jukebox Hero,” “Waiting for A Girl Like You,” “Don’t Let Go” and “Night Life.”
The album’s origin story is well documented. It was produced by the legendary Mutt Lange, who was also responsible for AC/DC’s “Back in Black” in 1979, Def Leppard’s “Pyromania” in 1983, and the Cars’ “Heartbeat City” in 1984.
Lange’s experimental recording techniques included the introduction of Thomas Dolby on synthesizer in a meticulous one-note-at-a-time recording technique. By running Dolby’s synthesizers through guitar recording gear, Lange created a sound that had never been heard before, but then became unmistakable in the intro to the track, “Urgent.”
Pioneering though it was, Lange’s techniques caused long delays and extended recording times. The recording and production of the album “4” took over a year, undoubtedly causing untold stress in record company board meetings.
Foreigner had announced that the album budget itself had surpassed a million dollars. That put the band in league with other top albums of the time such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” and the Eagles “In the Long Run.”
I recently had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Foreigner co-founder and frontman Lou Gramm, before their show here in Key West. I asked him about working with Mutt Lange and the pressure that builds when creative people collaborate in a high-pressure situation.
“For some songs, Mutt and I were right on the same page,” Gramm recalled. “But on others, I could hear that he wanted us to sound like AC/DC. I explained that we are not them. We start the song a bit more grooving and by the time we hit the chorus we are up there.”
This style is demonstrated in the pacing of “Jukebox Hero” and the band’s earlier hit, “Hot Blooded.”
Lou Gramm’s vocal range is one of Foreigner’s most notable characteristics. From 1978’s “Double Vision,” until today, Gramm is regarded as one of rock’s most consistent and authentic frontmen. When asked about older artists who might now rely on technology to help them in live performances, Gramm didn’t mince words. “I don’t know how you call yourself a vocalist or a singer if you’re playing that game,” he said.
While many of us might assume a singer who uses auto-tune and pitch correction during live performances is making up for a lack of ability, Lou has a different perspective. He believes it has more to do with physical ability and stamina.
“It is sometimes done with vocalists who are well respected, but they just don’t have the stamina to sing at that level for three nights in a row — one night off, three nights on — for months. You must find a way to do that, or touring could be a losing battle for you,” he said, adding that sacrifices must be made for the sake of the performance quality.
“In the mid 1980s I came off all drugs and alcohol,” he said. “I knew I sounded better when I was rested and healthy, and I always want to give the best performance I can with the grueling schedule.”
Even today, 50 years after co-founding Foreigner, Lou Gramm, an undeniable rock star, still takes vocal lessons — from a well-known opera teacher. “You would think the styles would be at odds, but with the lessons Jim Carsons teaches, I am able to sing my rock parts better than I ever have before.”
Along with the constant lessons, a daily regimen of warm-up and breathing exercises allows the 75-year-old singer to not only belt out the hits we all know, but even release a new album. “Release” came out in March.
Although he possesses one of rock’s highest vocal ranges, Lou said he finds “Hot Blooded” one of the most difficult songs to sing, as it starts out high and gets higher. Sustaining that range for the whole song at the end of a three-hour show can be tough.
So what’s his favorite song to perform live? “Jukebox Hero,” Gramm says, partly because of its dynamics. “The verses start out kind of low and undercut. The b section offers a whole different mood, and when we hit that chorus…it blows people away.”
Indeed it does. After all these years.
