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Agent Provocateur 1984
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Agent Provocateur

When Foreigner embarked on the creation of their fifth studio album, Agent Provocateur, the process was anything but linear. The band began writing and pre-production in June 1983 in New York, under the initial guidance of producer Trevor Horn. However, the collaboration became complicated around December of that same year, when the group traveled to England to continue recording. Horn felt his creative visions diverged from those of the band, and furthermore, he decided to prioritize his work with Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Drummer Dennis Elliott commented that Horn was seeking a more electronic sound than they desired. Following this disengagement, the search for a new producer led to the hiring of Alex Sadkin, who was finishing Thompson Twins' album Into the Gap. Although Sadkin helped re-channel the project, the recording sessions, which extended until July 1984, were described by Mick Jones as a process that seemed to have no end, marked by a lack of focus and constant improvisation.

Year
1984
Songs
10
Duration
41 min 42 seg
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About the album

Agent Provocateur, according to DoReSol

The recording sessions for Agent Provocateur, which took place at The Hit Factory and Right Track Recording in New York, spanned a total of nine months. According to Alex Sadkin, the lack of punctuality of some members and the writing of lyrics even during the mixing stage caused significant delays, questioning the effectiveness of composing under pressure in the studio. Despite the difficulties, the album, released on December 14, 1984, achieved a notable impact. It reached the number one spot on the UK album charts and positioned itself among the top five on the US Billboard 200. While US sales were lower than on previous works, Agent Provocateur contains "I Want to Know What Love Is", their most successful single, which topped the UK charts and the US Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks. Another standout track was "That Was Yesterday", which also received a good reception on the US charts. The album was certified Platinum in the UK and triple Platinum in the United States.

Discography

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