THE AL GROH BODY COUNT: AN URGENT EMERGENCY

Yeah, but “I Want to Know What Love Is” was a classic. The superfluous insertion of a gospel choir into the song wasn’’t a remotely cliche occurrence in mid 80’s pop.

Viva la Permullet!

“Damn right I’m a dirty white boy!” – Meatwad

Foreigner, awesome! I saw those guys in the Meadow Lands with Bryan Adams; that was a kickass show! I totally copped this feel off this passed out broad when they were playing ‘Urgent’. Every time I hear ‘Urgent’ on the radio I think of that girl’s boobs…covered in vomit.

Damn, why won’t it work?

Because, Err, those are Loverboy songs. And Loverboy has always sucked.

Ben Folds and Sufjan Stevens, at least, off the top of my head, will still rock the lonely trumpet/brass interlude. Though with Stevens’ inability to limit all the genius-y stuff behind it, it’s not always so lonely.

And what about the Mighty Mighty Bosstones? The Bosstones, Orson, the Bosstones!

the passing of michael hutchence and the relevance of INXS seriously diminished rock sax. when clinton showed up on arsenio, it could never be taken seriously again. except for bleedin’ gums, of course

Foreigner 4 was quality stuff with such instant classics as Juke Box Hero and Waiting for a Girl Like You. Pair that album with REO Speedwagon’s Hi-Infidelity and you got yourself a party.

The Saxophone Extermination Act was drafted but never signed. By 1990, with the release of the band Chicago’s twentieth album, entitled “Twenty,” the saxophone and surviving brass band rock instruments had been thoroughly extinguished due to overuse.

Peter Cetera bears 85% of this blame, but I’m knocking it down to 80% due to the uninintentional comedy of his solo career producing “Glory of Love (Theme to Karate Kid Part II)”.

I’d give up to five US dollars to see a Foreigner/REO/Styx/Journey megatour to come together. Who else is with me?

Only if Styx is the headliner, Doreblogger. Then I’m definitely in.

how is it that the rock sax is dead, but the moustache is making a comeback? Potential comeback synergy?

There’s enough power ballads in that lineup to use up every BiC lighter ever made.

I’ve always loved Juke Box Hero…but seeing this video just reminds me that the best thing to come out of the 80s is U2. Hard to believe they were making albums at the same time as Foreigner.

And is it just me, or are our rock stars more fit than those guys were 25 years ago. Just like our athletes are bigger and faster, it seems our rock stars (at least the ones who aren’t junkies) seem to be in better shape.

Doreblogger- I’m there on two conditions… 1. Journey must include Steve Perry and 2. It must be an all day event at an outdoor stadium in the middle of summer. Hello Tangerine Bowl. Just like the old days.

Glad to know that I’m not the only person that sees the name Foreigner and still thinks of one of the greatest episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force ever made.

“I don’t need no instructions on how to rock.”

And what about the Mighty Mighty Bosstones? The Bosstones, Orson, the Bosstones!

I’d say that you’ve got to give the nod to the much less famous fellow Bostonians of the Bosstones: The Allstonians. Now that was was a horn section.

Please, the Groh’d (pronounded like Homer) can’t hold a candle to the Croomed.

Hey! Watch out what you say about saxaphones. I’m a child of the fifties and almost all of the great Rock ’n Roll songs of my era had saxes “cleaning up the muddy breaks” (to steal a lyric from Jimmy Buffet)

I agree that the Trumpet interlude is missed. Cake used it in the late 90’s but unless you dig the Salsa y Merengue you are hearing very little trumpet…which is sad.

Hey! I was only 13 when I bought that Foreigner album (yes, album). All the kids were doing it, I just wanted to fit in. But nobody espoused the concept of a “gateway drug” back then, and before I knew it, I was buying Kansas and Journey. From there it was a slippery slope that led me to the horrors of Molly Hatchett. Much better now, though.

Oh, and this post inadvertently reminded me of one of my favorite early 80’s punk songs: Fear’s “New York’s Allright if You Like Saxophones”.

How the hell does Al Groh still have a job?

Let’s ease off the glockenspiel, kids.
You may recall it was “instrumental” in spinging from cages on Highway 9, chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected and steppin’ out over the line.

1. Yeah, back in the 70’s and early 80’s the E street and Silver Bullet bands made some damn fine use of the sax. Though my favorite is probably Pink Floyd. The didn’t overuse the instrument, but it put songs like “Us and Them” over the top.

Damn, I laughed at the ATHF references.

I for one am so proud that I got home from a long day, see a Foreigner post, and knew, just knew, that I would be hours too late to make the ATHF comments. I don’t know if you all can see this, but I’m doing it as hard as I can.