4.5 stars - Severely underrated

Agent Provocateur (1984.) Foreigner's fifth album.

Following the release of their 1981 album, 4, Foreigner took a break from recording for a while. The band had recorded four incredible classic rock albums, so they deserved a rest. By now, the spotlight had shifted elsewhere in the music industry, and the band wasn't nearly as popular as they once were. But this wasn't going to stop the band from rocking. In 1984, the band released its fifth studio album, Agent Provocateur. Read on for my review.

To put it in the simplest terms possible, this album is not up to the standards of the "classic four" Foreigner albums, but it's solid nonetheless. With this album (as well as the follow-up effort, Inside Information), the band shifted its sound toward something that fused classic rock with power rock. For the most part, the fusion of the two styles works. Although this album was never nearly as popular as the band's seventies albums or their early eighties effort 4, it DOES contain the band's biggest hit in terms of chart position - I Want To Know What Love Is. Sure, this song isn't the band's most popular song, but it's their only song to ever hit number one on the pop charts! Sadly though, it proved to be the only really popular song on the album. That's a shame, because it was far from being the only good one present. The opening rocker, Tooth And Nail, brings back memories of the band's earlier days. That Was Yesterday and Growing Up The Hard Way are interesting tracks in that they combine synthesizers with the band's usual rock stylings - and they greatly help the sound. The straight-up rock stylings of Reaction To Action make it another excellent song that is well worth listening to. From start to finish, Agent Provocateur is an excellent album. It doesn't top anything from the band's former days of glory, but it's still damn good.

THIS TEXT REFERS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN CD RELEASE OF THE ALBUM, AND WAS WRITTEN ON MAY 25, 2004. Unlike the first four Foreigner albums, nothing the band recorded past 1981 has gotten the remastering and rereleasing treatment. This sucks, because these versions of the albums not only don't sound as good as the remasters of classic four albums, they also are out of print and difficult to find. If the record company can remaster and rerelease Foreigner, Double Vision, Head Games, and 4, and put bonus tracks on them, why can't they do the same for Agent Provocateur, Inside Information, Unusual Heat, and Mr. Moonlight? And who wants to hunt down these albums if their sound quality is weaker than the remasters and they don't contain bonus tracks? Obviously, no one but Foreigner die-hards.

In the end, Agent Provocateur is a damn fine classic eighties rock album. It's not the place for Foreigner newbies to start (they should start with the hits compilation, Complete Greatest Hits), but if you're a fan of the band and you want to see what they accomplished after their days of great fame, this is well worth picking up, and I think the overall quality of the album will surprise you.

A perfect blend of classic rock and pop rock elements

Agent Provocateur(1984). Foreigner's fifth studio album.

After the band's pinnacle release of the "4" album in 1981, Foreigner decided to implement more keyboards into their traditional classic rock sound, and came off with Agent Provocateur three years later. While not the huge success that "4" was, it did spawn the band a couple of chart topping classics in the form of "That Was Yesterday" and the famous ballad "I Want To Know What Love Is". The rest of the album measures up very nicely as well. Most fans tend to only look at the softer Foreigner material from the 80's, but the period did also sport numerous rockers. Foreigner is generally a band which critics love to hate, but why is this album still loved by many fans? Let's see:

1) Tooth And Nail- Excellent mid-paced rocker which kicks off the album. Comparable to some of the band's earlier material. 9/10

2) That Was Yesterday- The album's sleeper hit, a very melodic mid-paced semi-ballad, which contains a strong synth melody. Excellent. 10/10

3) I Want To Know What Love Is- Foreigner's very first #1 single. A slow ballad which builds up the background vocals as the chorus draws in. Nicely done. 10/10

4) Growing Up The Hard Way- One of my two favorite rockers off the album. Mostly a synth/rock number, but it's still very underrated in Foreigner's catalogue. 10/10

5) Reaction To Action- My other favorite rocker here. The keyboards take backseat to an all out classic electric guitar anthem. Also very underrated. 10/10

6) Stranger In My Own House- Here's where the album takes a slight downhill turn. This song is slower, but still rocking, similar to what the band Loverboy would do. 8/10

7) Love In Vain- Another mid-paced keyboard driven tune, almost like the track "Growing Up The Hard Way". Very catchy. 9/10

8) Down On Love- This track is more of an optimistic ballad, which stands out a little from some of Foreigner's sad ballads. Not bad. 8/10

9) Two Different Worlds- Yet another ballad, but more mellow like "I Want To Know What Love Is". Good, but not outstanding. 8/10

10) She's Too Tough- The album closes with a faster pop rock track which also sounds like a Loverboy song. Upbeat and catchy. 9/10

Overall, Agent Provocateur is a noteworthy Foreigner album, which gets 4.5 stars. It may not be as hard rocking as some of their earlier 70's albums, but it is still a strong collection of rockers and ballads which offer a bit of variety throughout the disc. If you're just a casual fan getting into Foreigner, I recommend listening to "4" first, and then proceeding onto this album and the others. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Also, check out their 1987 album, Inside Information.

Foreigner Keep On Rockin'

After the massive success of 1981's "4" and it's subsequent tour, Foreigner took a couple of years off before returning in 1984 with "Agent Provocateur." Although it didn't do the business that "4" did (and how could it have?), "Agent Provocateur" was still a big hit album for the band, and it finally gave them their long sought-after #1 single in the form of "I Want To Know What Love Is." With the exception of that beautiful ballad plus a few others, "Provocateur" has an even more rocking feel to it than it's legendary predecessor, with Mick Jones' scorching guitar and Lou Gramm's full-throttle lead vocals at the forefront. Ah, but Foreigner wouldn't be Foreigner without their trademark keyboards or the band's fine sense of melody, which "Provocateur" has both of in great abundance, too. Once again, Foreigner rock the house in great style on songs like "Tooth And Nail," "Growing Up The Hard Way," "Reaction To Action," "Stranger In My Own House," and "She's Too Tough." And the softer, keyboard-led stuff is wonderful too---"I Want To Know What Love Is" is an instant Foreigner classic, and "That Was Yesterday" (a Top 20 hit), "A Love In Vain," "Down On Love," and "Two Different Worlds" are also great songs. Powerful rockers and ballads throughout, excellent production work, and electrifying performances from the band, not only Jones & Gramm but also bassist Rick Wills and drummer Dennis Elliott. From end to end, "Agent Provocateur" is a solid Foreigner album.