Agent Provocateur (album)

Agent Provocateur is the fifth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on December 7, 1984. 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 U.S., 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 U.S., 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 U.S. The album was certified Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and triple Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.[2]

Agent Provocateur
Studio album by Foreigner
Released	December 7, 1984
Recorded	April−September 1984
Studio	The Hit Factory and Right Track Recording (New York, NY).
Genre	Rock
Length	42:23
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Mick Jones, Alex Sadkin
Foreigner chronology
Records (1982) Agent Provocateur (1984) Inside Information (1987)
Singles from Agent Provocateur
"I Want to Know What Love Is" Released: November 13, 1984 "That Was Yesterday" Released: February 1985 "Reaction to Action" Released: April 1985 "Growing Up the Hard Way" Released: May 1985 "Down on Love" Released: September 1985

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Track listing

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

Personnel

• Lou Gramm – lead vocals, percussion
• Mick Jones – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, bass
• Rick Wills – bass, backing vocals
• Dennis Elliott – drums

Additional personnel

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

Production

• Producers – Mick Jones and Alex Sadkin
  • Trevor Horn originally worked as producer on the album, before leaving the project[3]
• 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.

Critical reception

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."[4]

Charts and certifications

Charts Album Chart (1985) Peak position Australian Albums Chart (Kent Music Report)[5] 2 Austrian Top 75 Albums[6] 10 Canadian Top 100 Albums[7] 3 Finnish Album Charts[8] 5 French Top Albums[9] 15 German Albums Chart[10] 1 Netherlands Top 100 Albums[11] 12 New Zealand Top 40 Albums[12] 4 Norwegian Top 40 Albums[13] 1 Swedish Top 60 Albums[14] 1 Swiss Top 100 Albums[15] 1 UK Albums Chart[16] 1 US Billboard 200[17] 4 US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[17] 49 Singles and other charting songs Year Single Chart Position 1984 "I Want To Know What Love Is" Billboard Hot 100 1 Mainstream Rock Chart 1 Adult Contemporary 3 Hot R&B/Hip Hop 85 1985 "That Was Yesterday" Billboard Hot 100 12 Mainstream Rock Chart 4 Adult Contemporary 24 "Reaction to Action" Billboard Hot 100 54 Modern Rock Chart 44 "Down On Love" Billboard Hot 100 54 "Tooth and Nail" Mainstream Rock Chart[18] 47 Certifications Album Region Certification Certified units/sales France (SNEP)[19] Gold 100,000^* Germany (BVMI)[20] Platinum 500,000^^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[21] Platinum 50,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Platinum 300,000^^ United States (RIAA)[23] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^^ ^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Adams, Bret. Foreigner: Agent Provocateur at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
2. RIAA database Archived May 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
3. http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/trevor-horn-buggles-in-the-bassbin-2
4. Zeller, Craig (April 1985). "Foreigner: Agent Provocateur (Atlantic)". Creem. Retrieved July 25, 2018 – via Rock's Backpages.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
7. "100 Albums". RPM. 42 (3): 5. March 30, 1985. ISSN 0315-5994. Archived from the original (PHP/PDF) on 2012-10-23. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
8. http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.com/2015/08/fis-fra.html
9. "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original (PHP) on 2008-08-20. Find "FOREIGNER" under the drop-down menu to see statistics.
10. "Album – Foreigner, Agent Provocateur" (ASP). Media Control Charts (in German). Retrieved July 26, 2011.
11. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
12. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
13. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
14. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
15. "Foreigner – Agent Provocateur (Album)" (ASP). Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
16. "All the Number One Albums: 1985". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
17. "Agent Provocateur – Foreigner". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
18. "Foreigner Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
19. "French album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur" (in French). InfoDisc. Select FOREIGNER and click OK. 
20. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Foreigner; 'Agent Provocateur')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
21. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Foreigner; 'Agent Provocateur')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
22. "British album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Agent Provocateur in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
23. "American album certifications – Foreigner – Agent Provocateur". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.