Foreigner

Essential Albums

  • 4 (Expanded Version) [2002 Remaster]
    4 (Expanded Version) [2002 Remaster]

    The Mick Jones and Lou Gramm–led band were hugely successful yet deceptively songwriterly. They could outline moments, even if those moments involved a bad breakup or a night of unrequited sexual longing. This 1981 album features riffy hits (“Jukebox Hero” and “Urgent,” which features Junior Walker on sax), some old-fashioned rockers (“I’m Gonna Win,” “Woman in Black”), a prom-night weeper (“Waiting for a Girl Like You”), and a Knack-like popper (“Luanne”). Streaks of synthesizers appear but never at the expense of Jones’ heavy riffing, and each tune is reinforced by Gramm’s vocals, which effortlessly alternate between the muscular and the tender.

  • Head Games (Bonus Track Edition)
    Head Games (Bonus Track Edition)

    It’s obvious that Foreigner's two leaders—English guitarist Mick Jones and American vocalist Lou Gramm—shared a love of British Invasion rock ’n’ roll. That was the platform upon which they built a big, American-aggressive FM-radio sound that sold millions of hard rock albums. By this 1979 studio set (their third), Foreigner had honed their monster-riff rock into a kind of high art. Tunes such as “Dirty White Boy” (the album’s biggest hit), the title track, “Women," and “Seventeen” are unmistakably Foreigner. Jones’ simple yet relentless riffing and Gramm’s barrel-chested vocal attack simply dominate your head like they did the airwaves. Yet there are many surprises, such as the Pink Floyd–ish “Blinded by Science,” the pure keyboard-guitar pop of “Modern Day,” and the bouncy “Do What You Like,” which adds some blue-eyed soul into the pop. Roy Thomas Baker coproduced the album, and you can hear stylish bits of his work with The Cars and Queen.

  • Double Vision (Expanded Version)
    Double Vision (Expanded Version)

    Foreigner’s Keith Olsen–produced second album plays pretty much like all of their records: soaring vocals, thick Bad Company–like riffs, several tenderhearted moments for the girls and a few headbangers for the boys. It’s very arena rock circa the late ’70s. Besides the three hit singles (the title song, “Blue Morning, Blue Day,” and the crazily infectious “Hot Blooded”), highlights include a proggy instrumental (“Tramontane”), a rocker with baroque-y backbone (“Back Where You Belong”), a late-night comedown (“I Have Waited So Long”), a Toto-ish ballad (“You’re All I Am”), and a scorching non-LP live version of Betty Wright’s soul chestnut “Love Maker.”

  • Foreigner (Deluxe Version)
    Foreigner (Deluxe Version)

    Foreigner’s 1977 debut album was a fist into the face of American hard rock radio. It sold more than 5 million copies and set the English-American band on a hitmaking track that lasted years. Buoyed by ubiquitous riff-verse-chorus-riff hits such as “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” the album truly rewards with the deeper cuts. “Starrider” (featuring guitarist Mick Jones on lead vocals) winks to early-’70s prog and ’60s psych-pop; “Woman Oh Woman” recalls John Lennon. “At War with the World” rattles the foundations, while “Fool for You Anyway” is a folkish ride into the sunset.

Albums

Artist Playlists

Singles & EPs

Live Albums

Compilations

About Foreigner

Foreigner became arena rock stars in the ‘70s and ‘80s by seamlessly combining British and American musical influences and constantly evolving their sound to keep up with the zeitgeist. Formed in 1976 in New York City, the group originally centered around the bluesy rock of English songwriter Mick Jones, a former member of Spooky Tooth and Johnny Hallyday's band. Just as Fleetwood Mac moved away from their harder Peter Green era, Foreigner soon added prog-leaning keyboard flourishes, the multi-instrumental prowess of King Crimson co-founder Ian McDonald, and a radio-friendly sheen courtesy of producers such as Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars). Their distinguishing factor, however, was singer Lou Gramm, who added eclectic, theatrical flair to the band's early hits. His swaggering urgency drove the come-hither classic "Hot Blooded," the ELO-esque "Cold As Ice," and the muscular "Juke Box Hero," a fist-pumping ode to rock 'n' roll's power.Thanks to their unique blend of inspirations and instrumental mastery, Foreigner had an easier time adapting to rock's glossier ‘80s trends than many of their peers. Gramm turned in tender, soulful performances on the synth-glazed 1981 single "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and 1984's chart-topping power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is," and unleashed a gentle croon on 1988's adult contemporary hit "I Don't Want to Live Without You." Although Jones remains the sole founding member in Foreigner, the band's fervent spirit lives on through newer additions such as vocalist Kelly Hansen, who puts his own fiery spin on Gramm's vocal delivery. As ever, they know what fans want to hear—and how to deliver it.

HOMETOWN
New York, NY, United States
FORMED
1976

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