FOREIGNER – OREGON STATE FAIR 1996 SOUNDBOARD (CD-R)

Description

L.B. Day Amphitheater, Salem, OR, USA 31st August 1996

　The prestigious “Krw_co” label, which has been releasing previously unknown soundboard recordings one after another, presents its latest discovery project: a recording of the reunited FOREIGNER.

　This album contains a recording of the “Salem concert on August 31, 1996,” in stereo soundboard format. The mid-90s for Foreigner was a turbulent turning point, marked by the serious event of Lou Gramm’s brain tumor diagnosis. What was the position of this album within that context? Let’s begin by exploring the overview of their activities at the time.

●1995
(Mark Schulman/Scott Gilman leave → Tom Gimbel/Ron Wixo joins)
– February 24: West Hollywood performance
– March 8 – April 4: Europe (20 performances)
– April 22 – May 15: Oceania/Japan (9 performances)
– May 19 – September 3: North America #1 (36 performances)
●1996
– July 3 – September 2: North America #2 (43 performances) ←★HERE★
– December 7 – 29: North America #3 (3 performances)
●1997
– January 24: Philadelphia performance
– June 21: Maryland Heights performance
(Lou Gramm undergoes surgery for craniopharyngioma)
(Ron Wixo leaves → Brian Tichy joins)

[Lou Gramm’s last major tour where he truly shone]
　This was FOREIGNER from 1995 to 1997. In 1995, they embarked on a world tour as the world demanded, and Lou’s final performance in Japan also took place. In 1996, they also conducted a large-scale tour, “North America #2,” albeit in limited regions. The Salem performance featured in this recording is the 42nd and final show of that tour. It was also Lou’s last major tour where he truly showcased his talent before his brain tumor was discovered.

　This recording, unearthed from such a show, is a never-before-seen soundboard recording. The recording was released by the prestigious label “Krw_co.” Like the simultaneously released “PAUL RODGERS – LINCOLN CITY 2014 SOUNDBOARD (Uxbridge 2803),” it is the latest in their ongoing series of unearthed soundboard recordings.

　The sound is a raw, unfiltered soundboard recording directly from the mixing console. While it’s tightly put together, it’s an unprocessed, unedited live performance poured into your brain, as if it were not intended for playback on home audio systems. The excitement of the venue is only a distant ripple, and there’s no sense of a concert experience at all, but the sheer pleasure of having the instrumental sounds and vocals fill your skull is a sensation you can’t get from official live albums or broadcast recordings.

[Greatest Hits Presented with Ultra-Realistic Soundboard Recordings]
　This ultra-direct sound captures a concentrated collection of their greatest hits, a condensed version of their most glorious songs. While there’s also the official video “LIVE AT DEER CREEK” from their reunion era, this collection is similar yet distinct. Let’s compare and contrast them here.

●6-member era (8 songs)
– Glorious Journey: Long, Long Way From Home / Cold As Ice / Feels Like The First Time
– Double Vision: Double Vision / Hot Blooded
– Head Games: Head Games / Dirty White Boy (★) / Women (★)
●4-member era (4 songs)
– 4: Waiting For A Girl Like You / Urgent / Juke Box Hero
– Provocateur: I Want To Know What Love Is
*Note: Songs marked with “★” were not available on the official ‘LIVE AT DEER CREEK’.

…And that’s how it is. “Dirty White Boy” and “Women” are repertoire that weren’t included on the official “LIVE AT DEER CREEK” album. From the early “Long, Long Way From Home” to “I Want To Know What Love Is,” this is a concentrated 75 minutes that condenses the most delicious period of their glorious career.

　From the prestigious “Krw_co” new discovery series comes this first-ever soundboard recording of Lou Gramm’s final, full-fledged tour, showcasing his true potential. Experience the exhilarating feeling of having his golden greatest hits poured into your brain with raw sound directly from the mixing console, a performance so fulfilling that you could never have imagined the tragedy that was looming. Please enjoy this newly discovered recording to the fullest.

(75:21)
1 Intro
2 Long Long Way From Home
3 Double Vision
4 Head Games
5 Cold as Ice
6 Waiting for a Girl Like You
7 Feels Like the First Time
8 Urgent
9 Juke Box Hero
10 Dirty White Boy
11 I Want to Know What Love Is
12 Women
13 Hot Blooded
14 Thank You Goodnight

Mick Jones guitar keyboard, backing vocals
Lou Gramm vocals percussion
Bruce Turgon bass backing vocals
Jeff Jacobs keyboards backing vocals
Thom Gimbel guitar woodwinds saxophone backing vocals
Ron Wikso drums

STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING