Foreigner and former frontman Lou Gramm have been completing and releasing previously unreleased material from the band’s archives in recent years. Fans can expect to hear more tracks from the vault, including songs recorded during sessions for two of Foreigner’s classic albums.
“There’s quite a bit, and my assistant musical director, Tim Pedersen, is working on some of this material,” bassist Jeff Pilson told Ultimate Classic Rock. Pilson said the pair are close to finishing an unreleased song from the sessions for 1979’s “Head Games.”
“There’s another track from the ‘Head Games’ period that is a spectacular track. Lou wants to add a couple of harmonies to it, which he’ll probably do soon, between now and when we do the Foreigner 4 shows. Then it will be ready to be mixed,” Pilson said.
Pilson added that they found seven tracks from the “Agent Provocateur” album sessions. “I don’t think we’re going to finish all seven, but certainly five of them are worth finishing up,” he said. “So there’s more to go through. There are two from ‘Head Games’ that will be finished and, as I mentioned, probably five from ‘Agent Provocateur.’ Then there are other pieces of songs that Lou and [guitarist] Mick Jones wrote over the years, which we plan on finishing. There’s a lot of material in the pipeline.”
Pilson said the band’s busy touring schedule often makes it difficult to find time in the studio, which is why Pedersen is assisting with pre-production. “He’s a very capable musician and producer on his own, so he’s able to make a lot of progress,” Pilson said. “I can’t give you dates on when it’s going to come out, but know that we’re working on it.”
The British-American rock band recently released a five-disc box set commemorating the 1981 album “4,” which features previously unreleased material, including live recordings, session takes, alternate versions, and a new song completed with Gramm, “Fool If You Love Him.”
According to Pilson, the band plans similar reissues for other classic albums from their catalog. “That’s the objective,” he said. “Some of these songs are really high quality. The ‘Head Games’ one that’s coming out is a great song. It was kind of ahead of its time for 1979, and Ian McDonald, by the way, had a lot to do with this track. I’m excited about it, and Lou is really excited about it. This is a song that’s every bit as good as anything else on ‘Head Games.’ It was just ahead of its time, so I’m glad it’s coming out.”
Foreigner begins a Canadian tour Saturday, Oct. 21, marking its first proper outing with new lead singer Luis Maldonado. Maldonado, who joined the band in 2021 as guitarist and vocalist, was recently named the replacement for longtime frontman Kelly Hansen, who played his final concerts with the group earlier this month.