Foreigner [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Foreigner
Artist: Ian Lloyd
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Foreigner includes: Mick Jones (vocals, guitar); Lou Gramm (vocals); Ian McDonald (guitar, horns, keyboards, background vocals); Al Greenwood (keyboards, synthesizer); Ed Gagliardi (bass, background vocals); Dennis Elliott (drums). Additional personnel: Ian Lloyd (background vocals). Producers include: John Sinclair, Gary Lyons, Mick Jones, Ian McDonald. Compilation producer: David McLees. Engineers include: Gary Lyons, Mick Jones, Ian McDonald. Recorded at The Record Plant, New York, New York in November 1976. Includes liner notes by Bruce Pilato. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Ian McDonald (vocals, guitar, horns, keyboards); Mick Jones (vocals, guitar); Ed Gagliardi, Lou Gramm (vocals); Al Greenwood (keyboards, synthesizer); Dennis Elliott (drums). Audio Mixers: Ian McDonald; Mick Jones . Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Bruce Pilato. Photographer: Waring Abbott. Unknown Contributor Role: Michael McConnell. Along with bands like Styx, Journey, and Boston, Foreigner was one of the first hard rock acts to add overt Top-40 pop sensibilities to the mix. The result was mass crossover success, something that both the pop and rock audiences could easily latch onto. Foreigner's self-titled debut from 1977 is the epitome of classic rock: big guitar hooks, melodicism, simple driving rhythms, and sexually charged lyrics. Two of Foreigner's best-known tracks, "Double Vision" and "Cold as Ice," are included here, as are such strong album cuts as "Long Way From Home." FOREIGNER was a multi-platinum success--with just one try, the band found itself at the top of the hard rock heap. Along with bands like Styx, Journey, and Boston, Foreigner was one of the most popular 1970s arena rock acts to add overt Top 40 pop sensibilities to the mix. The result was massive crossover success, something that both the pop and rock audiences could easily latch onto. Foreigner's self-titled debut from 1977 is the epitome of classic rock: big guitar hooks, melodicism, simple, driving rhythms, and sexually charged lyrics. Two of Foreigner's best-known tracks, "Double Vision" and "Cold as Ice," are included here, as are such strong album cuts as "Long Way From Home." FOREIGNER was a multi-platinum success--with just one try, the band found itself at the top of the AOR heap. 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. [The expanded edition adds four demos: "Feels Like the First Time," "Woman Oh Woman," "At War With the World," and "Take Me to Your Leader."] ~ Andy Hinds

With their accessible AOR sound, Foreigner made it OK for pop fans to listen to hard rock in the '70s. American singer Lou Gramm and UK guitarist Mick Jones (formerly of Spooky Tooth, not to be confused with the Clash guitarist) are responsible for some of classic rock's most instantly recognizable anthems ("Hot Blooded," "Cold As Ice," etc.); however, mammoth hit ballads like the sinisterly seductive "Waiting For a Girl Like You" and the anomalous, gospel-inflected "I Want to Know What Love Is" launched a second life for the band in the 1980s as purveyors of soft rock ballads.

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