Foreigner

I've been into these guys for a LONG time, since the late 70's at least! In fact some of my earliest purchases on crappy vinyl were of Foreigner records, though I've succeeded in upgrading all the "vital" ones to CD (even that one Lou Gramm did.)

"Foreigner"

  1. "Feels Like the First Time" (3:49)
  2. "Cold as Ice" (3:19)
  3. "Starrider" (4:01)
  4. "Headknocker" (2:58)
  5. "The Damage is Done" (4:15)
  6. "Long, Long Way from Home" (2:53)
  7. "Woman oh Woman" (3:49)
  8. "At War with the World" (4:18)
  9. "Fool for You Anyway" (4:15)
  10. "I Need You" (5:09)

Some good songs on this one.

"Double Vision"

  1. "Hot Blooded" (4:20)
  2. "Blue Morning, Blue Day" (3:06)
  3. "You're All I Am" (3:19)
  4. "Back Where You Belong" (3:20)
  5. "Love Has Taken Its Toll" (3:25)
  6. "Double Vision" (3:40)
  7. "Tramontane"--instrumental (3:52)
  8. "I Have Waited So Long" (4:04)
  9. "Lonely Children" (3:31)
  10. "Spellbinder" (4:43)

Definitely the worst of the early Foreigner albums, though not nearly as putrid as their most recent stuff! Some classic tracks, of course, but some of the ballads are sooooo cheesy.... I think it's cool how "Double Vision" found new life in a Burger King commercial. :)

"Head Games"

  1. "Dirty White Boy" (3:37)
  2. "Love on the Telephone" (3:18)
  3. "Women" (3:25)
  4. "I'll Get Even with You" (3:40)
  5. "Seventeen" (4:43)
  6. "Head Games" (3:37)
  7. "The Modern Day" (3:26)
  8. "Blinded by Science" (4:54)
  9. "Do What You Like" (3:58)
  10. "Rev on the Red Line" (3:35)

"Dirty White Boy" is my favorite Foreigner song ever, coz it describes me perfectly! "Women" is probably my second-favorite song, "Love on the Telephone" and "Seventeen" are also awesome...need I say more? Unfortunately the last three songs really drop off in quality. "The Modern Day" is sung by Mick Jones instead of Lou Gramm and sounds a lot like the Steve Miller Band!

"4"

  1. "Night Life" (3:48)
  2. "Juke Box Hero" (4:18)
  3. "Break it Up" (4:11)
  4. "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (4:49)
  5. "Luanne" (3:25)
  6. "Urgent" (4:29)
  7. "I'm Gonna Win" (4:51)
  8. "Woman in Black" (4:42)
  9. "Girl on the Moon" (3:49)
  10. "Don't Let Go" (3:48)

This was the VERY FIRST CRAPPY VINYL RECORD I ever bought (well...actually K-Tel's Dimensions was the first, but I'd rather not mention that!) so it is quite special. According to the liner notes, keyboards on this album were performed by Thomas Dolby before anyone knew who the hell he was.

"Agent Provocateur"

  1. "Tooth and Nail" (3:54)
  2. "That Was Yesterday" (3:46)
  3. "I Want to Know What Love Is" (4:58)
  4. "Growing Up the Hard Way" (4:18)
  5. "Reaction to Action" (3:57)
  6. "Stranger in My Own House" (4:54)
  7. "A Love in Vain" (4:12)
  8. "Down on Love" (4:08)
  9. "Two Different Worlds" (4:28)
  10. "She's Too Tough" (3:07)

This was an album I anticipated eagerly, and my first lesson in musical disappointment. The first two songs start off well, but then comes the abominable "I Want to Know What Love Is" (ack...that title!!) which of course became a smash #1 hit that singlehandedly ruined Foreigner's image as a hard rock band. In fact, most of the hard rock numbers here ("Reaction to Action", "Stranger in My Own House") are noisy and underproduced, while the slower songs ("Love in Vain", "Two Different Worlds") drown themselves in wimpy synthesizers. "She's Too Tough" is kind of a cute song, ending the album at least on a positive note, but suffice to say that the band hasn't been worth crap since.

"Inside Information"

  1. "Heart Turns to Stone" (4:29)
  2. "Can't Wait" (4:27)
  3. "Say You Will" (4:12)
  4. "I Don't Want to Live Without You" (4:52)
  5. "Counting Every Minute" (4:11)
  6. "Inside Information" (4:09)
  7. "The Beat of My Heart" (5:10)
  8. "Face to Face" (3:53)
  9. "Out of the Blue" (4:42)
  10. "A Night to Remember" (4:07)

Bought this purely as a vinyl upgrade, and I'm not sure that was a good idea. This album sucks much worse than I remember -- even worse than Agent Suckateurd, in parts. Many songs here would actually be good, if it weren't for a) bad arrangement, or b) totally insipid lyrics. Only "Heart Turns to Stone" and "A Night to Remember" manage to be more than halfway decent, while "Say You Will" has got to be their WORST song ever, at least on any CD that I own.

"Classic Hits Live"

  1. "Double Vision" (4:49)
  2. "Cold as Ice" (6:23)
  3. "The Damage is Done" (4:32)
  4. "Women" (4:19)
  5. "Dirty White Boy" (3:57)
  6. "Fool for You Anyway" (4:29)
  7. "Head Games" (4:03)
  8. "Not Fade Away" (3:39)
  9. "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (5:39)
  10. "Juke Box Hero" (5:42)
  11. "Urgent" (6:00)
  12. "Love Maker" (6:47)
  13. "I Want to Know What Love Is" (6:11)
  14. "Feels Like the First Time" (7:39)

A collection of live songs taken from various points in the band's career (and therefore of widely varying quality!) Good album though, well put together.


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