Inside Information (album)


Inside Information is the sixth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on December 8, 1987. The album hit #15 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and was certified Platinum in the U.S. for sales exceeding one million copies. Although a huge standard by any country's charting method, the band's sales were certainly plummeting since the release of 4 in 1981. It was the last album to feature the 80's core lineup of Gramm, Jones, Wills and Elliott.
"Say You Will" was released as the album's first single. Allmusic later noted that the single was a "good example" of the band's "balancing act" as "the guitar-heavy style of their early work gave way to slick arrangements that pushed electronics to the fore...temper its rock guitar edge...and Lou Gramm's quasi-operatic vocals...by thick layers of chiming synthesizers and an array of electronic textures." The single reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their fourth #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, holding the top spot for four weeks. The song also became the band's third-highest charting hit in Germany, where it reached #22, faring even better in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and particularly Norway, where it reached #4. A rare CD single featured an extended remix version of the track.
The second single, "I Don't Want to Live Without You", reached #5 on the Hot 100. Markedly softer than any of their work to date, the record was their first and only #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, after the more rousing ballads "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "I Want to Know What Love Is" had reached #5 and #3 on that chart respectively. Allmusic would later observe that while "the end result lacked the distinctive rock touches of past Foreigner ballads, "Lou Gramm" contributes a lead vocal that avoids histrionics in favor of an emotional but very smooth delivery" over "washes of synthesizer...fleshed out by some meditative electric piano riffs". Nevertheless, the song charted at mainstream rock radio, where it peaked at #18. The #5 Hot 100 peak was their best showing in six singles, yet despite being followed up by more impassioned, up-tempo material it would be their last major pop hit to date.
Further singles from the album included "Heart Turns to Stone", which had peaked at #7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in an earlier non-commercial release only to rock radio but only managed #56 on the Hot 100 several months later, and the harder "Can't Wait", which matched the #18 Mainstream Rock Tracks charting of "I Don't Want to Live Without You" but failed to crack the Hot 100. "Out of the Blue" was also released as a single, but it did not chart. However, it was notable for being the only song in the band's catalogue to be credited to all four members from the classic 80's lineup. The following year saw a successful solo album and singles from Lou Gramm and found Mick Jones releasing an album and producing for artists including Billy Joel.

Track listing

Personnel

Foreigner

Charts

Album - Billboard
Singles - Billboard
YearSingleChartPosition
1987"Heart Turns to Stone"Mainstream Rock Tracks7
1987"Say You Will"Mainstream Rock Tracks1
1987"Say You Will"The Billboard Hot 1006
1988"Can't Wait"Mainstream Rock Tracks18
1988"Heart Turns to Stone"The Billboard Hot 10056
1988"I Don't Want to Live Without You"Adult Contemporary1
1988"I Don't Want to Live Without You"Mainstream Rock Tracks18
1988"I Don't Want to Live Without You"The Billboard Hot 1005