Category: SACD

Title: Foreigner – Head Games (1979) [MFSL 2013]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Foreigner continued its platinum winning streak on Head Games, the band’s third album. By the time Head Games was released, FM radio had fully embraced bands like Foreigner, Journey, and Boston, whose slick hard rock was tough enough to appeal to suburban teens, but smooth enough to be non-threatening to their parents. Tailor-made for the airwaves, “Dirty White Boy” and “Head Games” kept Foreigner at the top of the arena rock heap as the decade came to a close; and the supergroup’s successes would continue well into the ’80s.

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Title: Foreigner – Foreigner (1977) [MFSL SACD 2010]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Although punk rock’s furious revolution threatened to overthrow rock’s old guard in 1977, bands like Foreigner came along and proved that there was plenty of room in the marketplace for both the violent, upstart minimalism of punk and the airbrushed slickness of what would be called “arena rock.” Along with Boston, Journey, Heart, and others, Foreigner celebrated professionalism over raw emotion. And, looking back, it’s easy to see why they sold millions; not everyone in the world was pissed off, dissatisfied with the economy, or even necessarily looking for a change. In fact, for most suburban American teens, Foreigner’s immaculate rock sound was the perfect soundtrack for cruising through well-manicured neighborhoods in their Chevy Novas. The album spawned some of the biggest FM hits of 1977, including the anthemic “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” both of which were anchored — like most of Foreigner’s songs — by the muscular but traditional riffing of guitarist Mick Jones, the soaring vocals of Lou Gramm, and the state-of-the-art rock production values of the day, which allowed the band to sound hard but polished. As pure rock craftsmanship goes, Foreigner was as good as it got in the late ’70s.

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Title: Foreigner – Double Vision (1978) [MFSL SACD 2011]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

While the U.S. was being swept up by disco mania in 1978, Foreigner issued another hard rock tour de force, Double Vision. It was unthinkable that the sextet could outdo its solid 1977 self-titled debut, but it somehow did. Lou Gramm and company issued another set of rock radio staples and rock-steady album tracks, the best-known being such perennial arena rockers as “Hot Blooded” and the title track. But the highpoints didn’t just stop there – such oft-overlooked compositions as “Blue Morning, Blue Day,” “Lonely Children,” and “I Have Waited So Long” are just as strong. Double Vision solidified Foreigner’s standing as a ’70s rock sensation. Foreigner promptly followed up its blockbuster debut with the equally successful Double Vision LP in 1978, which featured the FM mega-hits “Hot Blooded” and the driving title track. Opting not to mess with a good formula, the band wisely sticks to the polished hard rock sound that made its first record such a hit. Aside from the big singles, other highlights include the swaggering “Love Has Taken Its Toll” and the more restrained “Blue Morning, Blue Day.” As always, Lou Gramm’s impeccable rock vocals lead the way, supported by Mick Jones’ tasteful, arena-sized guitar riffs.

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Title: Foreigner – 4 (1981) [MFSL 2013]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Over the course of their first three late-’70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journey and Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album. In producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange — fresh off his massive success with AC/DC’s Back in Black — guitarist and all-around mastermind Mick Jones found both the catalyst to achieve this and his perfect musical soulmate. Lange’s legendary obsessive attention to detail and Jones’ highly disciplined guitar heroics (which he never allowed to get in the way of a great song) resulted in a collaboration of unprecedented, sparkling efficiency where not a single note is wasted. “Nightlife” is only the first in a series (“Woman in Black,” “Don’t Let Go,” the ’50s-tinged “Luanne”) of energetic, nearly flawless melodic rockers, and with “Juke Box Hero,” the band somehow managed to create both a mainstream hit single and a highly unique-sounding track, alternating heavy metal guitar riffing, chorused vocals, and one of the ultimate “wanna be a rock star” lyrics. As for the mandatory power ballad, the band also reached unparalleled heights with “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” One of the decade’s most successful cross-genre tearjerkers, it has since become a staple of soft rock radio and completely eclipsed the album’s other very lovely ballad, “Girl on the Moon,” in the process. And last but not least, the surprisingly funky “Urgent” proved to be one of the band’s most memorable and uncharacteristic smash hits, thanks to Junior Walker’s signature saxophone solo. Through it all, vocalist Lou Gramm does his part, delivering a dazzling performance that confirmed his status as one of the finest voices of his generation. Three years later, Foreigner would achieve even greater success on a pop level with the uneven Agent Provocateur, but by then Jones and Gramm were locked in an escalating war of egos that would soon lead to the band’s demise. All things considered, 4 remains Foreigner’s career peak.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Foreigner – 4 (1981) [Japanese SACD 2011]
Genre: Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Over the course of their first three late-’70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journey and Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album. In producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange — fresh off his massive success with AC/DC’s Back in Black — guitarist and all-around mastermind Mick Jones found both the catalyst to achieve this and his perfect musical soulmate. Lange’s legendary obsessive attention to detail and Jones’ highly disciplined guitar heroics (which he never allowed to get in the way of a great song) resulted in a collaboration of unprecedented, sparkling efficiency where not a single note is wasted. “Nightlife” is only the first in a series (“Woman in Black,” “Don’t Let Go,” the ’50s-tinged “Luanne”) of energetic, nearly flawless melodic rockers, and with “Juke Box Hero,” the band somehow managed to create both a mainstream hit single and a highly unique-sounding track, alternating heavy metal guitar riffing, chorused vocals, and one of the ultimate “wanna be a rock star” lyrics. As for the mandatory power ballad, the band also reached unparalleled heights with “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” One of the decade’s most successful cross-genre tearjerkers, it has since become a staple of soft rock radio and completely eclipsed the album’s other very lovely ballad, “Girl on the Moon,” in the process. And last but not least, the surprisingly funky “Urgent” proved to be one of the band’s most memorable and uncharacteristic smash hits, thanks to Junior Walker’s signature saxophone solo. Through it all, vocalist Lou Gramm does his part, delivering a dazzling performance that confirmed his status as one of the finest voices of his generation. Three years later, Foreigner would achieve even greater success on a pop level with the uneven Agent Provocateur, but by then Jones and Gramm were locked in an escalating war of egos that would soon lead to the band’s demise. All things considered, 4 remains Foreigner’s career peak.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

(more…)