LOU GRAMM Says MICK JONES Is Sitting On 'Eight Or Nine' Unreleased Song Ideas They Worked On Decades Ago: 'They're Just About Ready'

In a new interview with Joe Rock of the WBAB radio station, former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm was asked if the previously unreleased songs he co-wrote with FOREIGNER founder Mick Jones will ever see the light of day. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'd be surprised if they ever saw the light of day. And I'm hoping they don't see the light of day with someone else singing them, which is always a possibility, I think.

"Those are some really very, very good ideas," he continued. "Mick and I were really on the same level at that point, same page. And our writing relationship was locked in. And I think those song ideas are some of the best things we've ever written together."

As for who has a copy of the songs that he worked on with Mick, Lou said: "I spoke to FOREIGNER's manager, and he mentioned to me that Mick couldn't find his copy of the song ideas. So I told him I had two and I sent him one of mine. Well, the other one that I thought was my copy was something completely different. So now Mick has the copy of the songs, and I don't. And I asked the manager if he could make me a copy, and he said, 'We'll see.' So it's done a complete turnaround where I gave Mick my copy and now I don't have a copy of the songs. And they're obviously not willing to give me one. I had the only copy and I was willing and did send Mick a copy. Now I can't get a copy when I need one."

He added: "It doesn't have to be like that after all these years of working together. And if those songs are ever gonna see the light of day with me involved, I ought to have a copy, don't you think?"

According to Gramm, the unreleased FOREIGNER songs are "not that far away from being done. I believe there's eight or nine songs," he revealed. "And you could release an album with eight or nine songs; they don't have to be 10 or 11 songs. They just need a little polishing up. And I think they're just about ready. And I think, depending on what label it was released on and if the promotion was good, I think it could be a big record."

Back in January 2020, Jones told WBAB that putting out the previously unreleased FOREIGNER songs he worked on with Gramm was just a matter of time. "We just haven't had the time to sit down and listen to them together," he said at the time. "It's hopefully gonna happen at some point. And in the meantime, [we're] just sitting tight waiting for that opportunity to arise."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

The 73-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

Gramm and Jones's June 2013 performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Juke Box Hero" at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City marked the first time the pair performed together in a decade after Gramm left FOREIGNER for a second time. Hansen has fronted the group for the past 18 years.

FOREIGNER's last album, "Can't Slow Down", was the only full-length collection of new songs to have been released by the band since Hansen took over vocals. The album entered the Billboard Top 30, driven by the radio singles "In Pieces" and "When It Comes To Love". The band also has released a series of live albums and compilations, including 2016's "In Concert: Unplugged" and 2017's "40".