Mr. Moonlight (album)
Mr. Moonlight is the eighth studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released by Arista Records in Europe on 24 October and by BMG Entertainment in Japan on 23 November 1994. In the United States and Canada, it appeared in early 1995 on the Rhythm Safari label. Recorded at seven different studios across the States, the album was produced by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, and Mike Stone, with an additional production by Phil and Joe Nicolo. It was Foreigner's last studio release until Can't Slow Down (2009).
| Mr. Moonlight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 24, 1994[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1993-1994 | |||
| Studio | Pre-production - EH Recording Studio, Owned and operated by John Jackson
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:17 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Foreigner chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Mr. Moonlight | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Rolling Stone |  [4] |
The album was the first since Inside Information (1987) and appeared to be the final to date full-length release with original lead singer Lou Gramm, who had left the group in 1990 but returned two years later. Prior to starting work on Mr. Moonlight, he was the lead vocalist on three newly recorded tracks from Foreigner's compilation The Very Best ... and Beyond (1992). Mr. Moonlight was also the first album in fifteen years without bass guitarist Rick Wills, who joined the band in 1979, and drummer Dennis Elliott, who was a founding member.
Supposed to be a comeback release, Mr. Moonlight was a commercial disappointment, only peaking at number 136 in the Billboard 200 chart,[5] and ranked as Foreigner's worst-selling studio album.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "White Lie" | 4:16 | |
| 2. | "Rain" | Gramm, Jones, Bruce Turgon | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Until the End of Time" | Gramm, Jones, Turgon | 4:52 |
| 4. | "All I Need to Know" | 4:45 | |
| 5. | "Running the Risk" | Gramm, Jones, Jeff Jacobs | 5:09 |
| 6. | "Real World" | 6:22 | |
| 7. | "Big Dog" | Gramm, Jones, Jacobs, Turgon | 4:47 |
| 8. | "Hole in My Soul" | 5:08 | |
| 9. | "I Keep Hoping" | Gramm, Jones, Jacobs | 5:10 |
| 10. | "Under the Gun" | 4:16 | |
| 11. | "Hand on My Heart" | Gramm, Jones, Turgon | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 54:17 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Crash and Burn" | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 58:54 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Under the Gun" | 3:50 | |
| 2. | "Rain" | Gramm, Jones, Turgon | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Until the End of Time" | Gramm, Jones, Turgon | 4:52 |
| 4. | "White Lie" | 4:16 | |
| 5. | "Big Dog" | Gramm, Jones, Jacobs, Turgon | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Real World" | 6:22 | |
| 7. | "All I Need to Know" | 4:45 | |
| 8. | "Hole in My Soul" | 5:08 | |
| 9. | "I Keep Hoping" | Gramm, Jones, Jacobs | 5:10 |
| 10. | "Running the Risk" | Gramm, Jones, Jacobs | 5:09 |
| 11. | "Hand on My Heart" | Gramm, Jones, Turgon | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 53:51 | ||
Personnel
Foreigner
- Mick Jones – acoustic piano, guitars, backing vocals
- Lou Gramm – lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion
- Jeff Jacobs – acoustic piano, organ, keyboards, backing vocals
- Bruce Turgon – bass, backing vocals
- Mark Schulman – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Randy Cantor – keyboards and additional guitars (on "White Lie" and "Rain")
- Duane Eddy – lead guitar (on "Until the End of Time")
- Billy Bremner – additional guitars (on "All I Need to Know")
- Luis Enriques – percussion (on "Real World" and "Running the Risk")
- Scott Gilman – saxophone, recorder, backing vocals
- Ian Lloyd – backing vocals
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (on "I Keep Hoping")
- Robin Clark – backing vocals (on "I Keep Hoping")
- Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (on "I Keep Hoping")
Production
- Mick Jones – producer
- Lou Gramm – producer
- Mike Stone – producer, engineer, mixing (at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York, and Soundtrack Studios in New York, New York)
- Phil and Joe Nicolo – additional production, mixing ("White Lie" and "Rain", at Studio 4 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- David Bianco – mixing ("Real World")
- Mark Stebbeds – mixing ("Big Dog", at Track Record Studios in North Hollywood, California)
- Ted Jensen – mastering (at Sterling Studios in New York, New York)
- Danny Clinch – photography
- John Pitter – illustrations
- Red Herring Design – design
Charts
| Chart (1994-1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] | 69 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 60 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 21 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] | 73 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 17 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 59 |
| US Billboard 200[5] | 136 |
References
- "Mr Moonlight".
- Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. ISBN 9780862415419.
- Parisien, Roch. Foreigner: "Mr. Moonlight" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- Evans, Paul (2004). "Foreigner". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (Completely Revised and Updated 4th ed.). New York: Fireside. p. 307. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- "Foreigner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9077". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- "Swisscharts.com – Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- "Foreigner | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
