Foreigner
's most lucrative years came during their first four albums, with their guitar-driven
arena rock
flair settling in nicely with the rest of the late-'70s music scene. Twelve of
's 16 Top 40 singles are from a six year span, between 1977 and 1982, which is why
Records
makes for such an entertaining collection of the band's early work. With cuts stemming from
,
Double Vision
Head Games
, and
4
lines up ten of their first 11 hit singles, somehow leaving out 1979's
"Blue Morning, Blue Day."
But even with this minor deletion, the album is agreeably brief, and it's the most opportune route in exploring
's best material. Both
"Cold As Ice"
and
"Double Vision"
are stellar examples of
Lou Gramm
's vocal gusto and
Mick Jones
' bang-on guitar playing, while favorites like
"Urgent"
(with
Junior Walker
on sax ),
"Head Games,"
"Feels Like the First Time,"
with its shiny keyboard segments, are unblemished radio-
rock
standards. The live cut of
"Hot Blooded"
is a nice addition as well, as is the band's second-best
ballad
in
"Waiting for a Girl Like You,"
outdone only by 1984's
"I Want to Know What Love Is."
While
fits the bill as a compact summation of all of
's pre-
Agent Provocateur
hits, it also makes for one great driving album. ~ Mike DeGagne