Agent Provocateur (album)

Agent Provocateur is the fifth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on December 14, 1984.[5] The album was the band's first and only number one album in the United Kingdom, and it reached the top 5 in the United States. Although album sales were lower than their previous work in the US, it contains the band's biggest hit single, "I Want to Know What Love Is", which is their only #1 single in the UK and the US, staying at the top spot for three and two weeks, respectively. The follow-up single, "That Was Yesterday", also proved to be a sizeable hit, peaking at #12 in the US. The album was certified Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA.[6]

For other uses, see Agent provocateur (disambiguation).
Agent Provocateur
Studio album by
Foreigner
ReleasedDecember 14, 1984
RecordedOctober 1983−July 1984
StudioThe Hit Factory and Right Track Recording (New York, NY)
GenreRock
Length42:23
LabelAtlantic
ProducerMick Jones, Alex Sadkin
Foreigner chronology
Records
(1982)		 Agent Provocateur
(1984)		 Inside Information
(1987)
Singles from Agent Provocateur
  1. "I Want to Know What Love Is"
    Released: November 1984
  2. "That Was Yesterday"
    Released: March 1985[1]
  3. "Reaction to Action"
    Released: May 1985[2]
  4. "Down on Love"
    Released: August 1985[3]
  5. "Growing Up the Hard Way"
    Released: September 1985[4]

Recording

Within nearly two years of releasing 4, writing and preproduction for this album began as early as June 1983 in New York, with producer Trevor Horn.[7][8] Then, once writing had been completed in September that year, official recording began in early October in London with Horn.[7][8] Eventually, things started to fall apart around the time of the Christmas holidays – even though co-producer & guitarist Mick Jones recalled that it began after a day of recording – due to Horn being more concerned about the performance of the singles he had produced in Europe (for bands such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood) than the Foreigner record.[7][8] Eventually, another month was spent trying to look for another producer to fill his shoes, subsequently hiring Alex Sadkin, who was busy finishing the Thompson Twins' Into the Gap album.[8][9] Sadkin helped rekindle the project when it was on the verge of total collapse, but despite that, according to Jones, recording still never seemed to end: the sessions had been dogged from the very start and continued to remain unfocused.[8] Sadkin agreed when reminiscing on the project in 1987:

"The Foreigner project a couple years back, on the other hand, just seemed to go on and on. Everyone, including the band, got really pissed off with it. They’re used to it, though, and I wasn’t, so it just threw me. I couldn’t believe what was going on! There was a problem with people not coming in; Mick [Jones], who is the leader, not showing up for hours and hours, and so that obviously would really slow it down. Then the songs wouldn’t be really ready. While the album was being mixed the lyrics were still being written! Things were being changed right up to the last minute, and that is what took a long time. That is why I don’t want to go into the studio when somebody wants to write the stuff there; it just takes too long and it isn’t worth it, it doesn’t come out right. You can’t write properly in the studio because you’re under pressure. How can you really be creative when you’re watching the clock going round burning up the money?"[10]

Even though the extent of Horn's contributions to the record is unclear, he claims to have done most of the backing tracks, including for "I Want To Know What Love Is".[11] According to singer Lou Gramm, owing to the difference in production styles between Sadkin and Horn, only two of the tracks that had been cut with the latter were kept on the record, though it is unclear which ones.[7] A total of nine months had been spent on recording the album.[9]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]

By the time of Agent Provocateur, Foreigner was frequently savaged by the contemporary rock music press. A review in Creem read: "On this, their latest excursion into the gaping jaws of pulverizing mediocrity, our boys continue to wrestle with an all-too-turgid identity crisis — they still can't decide whether it's stupider to aspire to poor man's Led Zep status or settle for being a weightier version of Chicago. Some swinging choice, huh? Either way they lose and this record is simply jammed with one dull defeat after another."[14]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Eduardo Rivadavia rated "A Love in Vain" as Foreigner's fifth-most underrated song, calling it a "synth-powered cry of desperation" and a "dark-horse favorite of fans."[15]

Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated two songs from Agent Provocateur as being among Foreigner's 10 most underrated – "Stranger in My Own House" at #6 and "Tooth and Nail" – which he describes as "the antidote to 'I Want to Know What Love Is'" – at #2.[16]

Billboard said that in "Tooth and Nail" the band flex "post-punk power chords with gusto."[17]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tooth and Nail"Lou Gramm, Mick Jones3:54
2."That Was Yesterday"Jones, Gramm3:46
3."I Want to Know What Love Is"Jones5:04
4."Growing Up the Hard Way"Jones, Gramm4:18
5."Reaction to Action"Jones, Gramm3:57
6."Stranger in My Own House"Jones4:54
7."A Love in Vain"Jones, Gramm4:12
8."Down on Love"Jones, Gramm4:08
9."Two Different Worlds"Gramm4:28
10."She's Too Tough"Jones, Gramm3:07

Personnel

Foreigner

Additional personnel

  • Wally Badarou – analog and digital synthesizers
  • Tom Bailey – synthesizers on "I Want to Know What Love Is"
  • Brian Eddolls – synthesizers
  • Larry Fast – synthesizers
  • Dave Lebolt – synthesizers
  • Bob Mayo – keyboards, acoustic piano, backing vocals
  • Jack Waldman – synthesizers
  • Mark Rivera – saxophone, backing vocals
  • Thompson Twins – backing vocals
  • Ian Lloyd – backing vocals
  • Don Harper – backing vocals on "I Want to Know What Love Is"
  • Jennifer Holliday – backing vocals and arrangement on "I Want to Know What Love Is"
  • New Jersey Mass Choir of the GMWA – backing vocals on "I Want to Know What Love Is"

Production
  • Producers – Mick Jones and Alex Sadkin
  • Chief Engineer – Frank Filipetti
  • Additional Engineers – Josh Abbey, Larry Alexander, Jason Corsaro, Joe Ferla and Howie Lindeman.
  • Assistant Engineers – Bobby Cohen, Tim Crich and Scott Mabuchi.
  • Original Mastering and Digital Remastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC.
  • Art Direction and Design – Bob Defrin
  • Management – Bud Prager, E.S.P. Management Ltd.

Charts

Certifications
Album certifications for Agent Provocateur
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[34] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[35] Platinum 500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Gold 7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[37] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[39] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 302. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. "Foreigner singles".
  3. "Foreigner singles".
  4. "Foreigner singles".
  5. "BPI".
  6. RIAA database Archived May 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Hunt, Dennis (April 21, 1985). "High profile is foreign to group's singer". The Sacramento Bee.
  8. Sharp, Keith (1988). ""What's in a name?"". Rock Express Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  9. Grein, Paul (January 26, 1985). "Foreigner still loyal to records". Billboard magazine. pp. 41 & 43.
  10. Buskin, Richard (April 1987). "Alex Sadkin-Send In the Fire Extinguishers". Musician. US. pp. 45–49, 110.
  11. Schmidt, Torsten (2011). "Trevor Horn". redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. Adams, Bret. Foreigner: Agent Provocateur at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  13. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 258.
  14. Zeller, Craig (April 1985). "Foreigner: Agent Provocateur (Atlantic)". Creem. Retrieved July 25, 2018 – via Rock's Backpages.
  15. Rivadavia, Eduardo (May 2, 2013). "Top 10 Underrated Foreigner Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  16. Dome, Malcolm (17 June 2016). "The Top 10 Most Underrated Foreigner Songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  17. "Reviews". Billboard. December 15, 1984. p. 72. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 116. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0503". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  22. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  23. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – F". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Foreigner from the menu, then press OK.
  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  25. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Foreigner".
  26. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  27. "Charts.nz – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  28. "Norwegiancharts.com – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  31. "Foreigner | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  32. "Foreigner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  33. "Top Selling Albums of 1985 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  34. "French album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 9 September 2021. Select FOREIGNER and click OK. 
  35. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Foreigner; 'Agent Provocateur')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  36. "New Zealand album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Recorded Music NZ.
  37. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Foreigner; 'Agent Provocateur')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  38. "British album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  39. "American album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Recording Industry Association of America.
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