Ranking the Studio Albums of Foreigner

Welcome to another edition of the Rank Machine series! I'm Panos Antypas, in each episode I present you the back catalogue of one of my truly beloved rock bands ranked from worst to best album according to my opinion. In this video: my beloved Foreigner! A group that gave us great songs that I truly enjoyed during the second decade of my life One of the most airplayed bands in the eighties with many great songs during the 80's. The band's leader, main composer, mastermind and only constant membe

r throughout its life and guitar player Mr. Mick Jones, who along with Ian McDonald, ex-King Crimson, and lead singer Lou Gramm they formed Foreigner. Jones came up with the band's name as himself, McDonald and drummer Dennis Elliott were British, while Lou, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi were American meaning at least half of the band would be foreigners in any country wherever they were. Pretty fair and nice name... So, I begin the show right away with... "Unusual Heat" from

1991. After "Inside information" from 1987, Lou Gramm left the group for a while, giving way to professional hard rock singer Johnny Edwards, with tenure in groups such as Buster Brown, Montrose, King Kobra, Wild Horses, etc. But, if you consider that he remains in rock history mainly for the one and only album he recorded with Foreigner, ie. for "Unusual Heat" then you understand that as good or as bad he is as lead singer probably didn't deserve to become something bigger than what he managed

. He didn't last more than two years in Foreigner "Unusual Heat" is very weak, lacking any kind of interest, I can't remember anything from this Johnny himself didn't match Foreigner and I think there is no point in saying anything more about this album... "Can't Slow Down" from 2009 The most out of date Foreigner album, comes 15 whole years after “Mr. Moonlight”, is the one and only featuring Kelly Hansen on lead vocals, the band's last singer, who replaced Lou Gramm in 2005. Their voices are v

ery close in timbre, they have the same intensity and dynamics, but in the slow tracks you may understand a difference between them, but in any case I prefer Lou. For the most part of the album you know you're listening to Foreigner, it's a decent album, but you won't hear anything you haven't already heard from Foreigner. "In peaces", "When it comes to love", "Ready", "Give me a sign", "Too late" are very good tracks. "Mr. Moonlight" from 1994 After the defeaning commercial and artistic failure

of “Unusual heat”, after two solo albums by Lou Gramm with moderate commercial success and supposedly for Foreigner's sake, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm bridged the differences between them, and the latter returned on lead vocals. But also “Mr. Moonlight" was definitely the last album he would record with the band. It was also the first album without the founding member Dennis Elliott on drums, and first without for the last 15 years bassist Rick Willis. It was supposed to be a comeback album, but

it was also another huge commercial disappointment, only reaching number 136 on the Billboard album chart and being one of Foreigner's worst-selling albums. "White lie" is catchy and first single, "Until the end of time" is a very sweet slow song, "All I need to know" is a pretty good deep cut, the something like instrumental "Big dog" is quite special and fuzzy, somewhat out of Foreigner's standards. overall, is another decent album. "Inside Information" from 1987 the best track from this recor

d is “Say you will”! I recall overplaying it when it came out that summer of '87, and I strongly recall that this was happened during my summer holidays in Naxos island. The ballad "I don't want to live without you" is nice, but if you compare it to their previous songs of the same style, you feel its mediocrity. The title track "Inside information" is quite rhythmic, cheerful and danceable. I also like "Heart turns to stone", "Can't wait", "Counting every minute". Not a great album, but also qu

ite underestimated, in all respective lists circulating the web it's towards the end... "Head Games" from 1979 3rd album for the 3rd consecutive year, the band's sound matures, the only change to the original line up is Rick Willis on bass instead of Ed Galgiardi. The well-known Foreigner's hard rock – AOR strongly continues, "Dirty white boy" is one of their heaviest tracks, "Love on the telephone" is "Cold as ice" Part 2, in "Women" they strongly remind me of Credence Clearwater Revival, "I'll

get even with you" , “Seventeen”, “Head games”, “The modern day”, “Rev on the red line” very good and powerful tracks, generally an album that doesn't have a single weak track... "Double Vision" from 1978 About the same style as the debut comes the sophomore of course "Hot blooded", "Blue morning, blue day" and "Double vision" are excellent tracks. The heartbreaking and desperate ballad "You're all I am" is good, but unbearable, the instrumental "Tramontane" is nice "Lonely children" has a grea

t riff on guitar. The songs that Mick Jones does the lead vocals "Back where you belong" and "I have waited so long" are indulgently average as Mick is not for lead vocals. Self-titled album, debut album, 1977, Foreigner introduced us from the beginning with the kind of music they wanted to play, that is melodic hard rock - AOR. From the beginning, they also did a huge success with the mega hit "Cold as ice", which IS one of their best and reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Feels like the

first time", "Starrider", "Headknocker", "The damage is done" are great tracks "Fool for you anyway" one of their first loving song, and the fantastic rocky closing track "I need you". A really great debut album! "Agent Provocateur" from 1984 Well, in here there is the super mega hit, their only No.1 single "I want to know what love is" which when time came to dance slow blues to our parties back in the 80's we played again and again... For me this is a fantastic album I love it, I had melted it

in its time. I strongly remember that I have bought this disk from a record shop in Dekeleias Str., New Philadelphia ran by a then friend of mine, Vassilis Anastopoulos an iconic kid in Kato Patisia during late 70's, early 80's, may he's well, wherever he might be. Now, apart from “I want to know what love is” I like all songs on the album: the hard rockers “Stranger in my own house”, “Reaction to action”, “Tooth and nail”, “She's too tough” But also the soft melodic tracks such as "That was ye

sterday", "A Love in vain", "Down on love" and "Two different worlds"... ...and of course at the top couldn't be other than their fourth album, named "4", from 1981. in which there are some of their best tracks such as the fantastic hits "Urgent", "Juke box hero", "Break it up", the super danceable "Night life", "Luanne". the super looser slow blues "Waiting for a girl like you", one of the most classic slow blues not only of its time, but generally in rock music the also slow "Girl on the moon"

, but even the deep cuts "I'm gonna win", "Woman in black", "Don't let go" they're so good and fit so well with the others giving such a great album! there is no filler in this album, Foreigner's "4" is one of the best and one of the most classic albums in rock music. Top to bottom is excellent. Foreigner is one of my beloved bands that was my "worst to best" Foreigner's nine albums Stay safe and I wait for you in another edition of the "Rank Machine" series.