Foreigner – The Very Best Of Foreigner

Foreigner, so-called due to the disparate nationalities in their original line-up, were universally recognised for their slickly produced, enduring power ballads and catchy, guitar-heavy hard rockers. Effectively a core duo - with inconstant personnel surrounding them in the studio as well as on stage - comprised of British guitarist Mick Jones and American frontman Lou Gramm, Foreigner’s sustained productivity across an entire decade was assignable to their early fiery, hook-laden anthems and later even more successful soft rock offerings. Gramm’s semi-operatic vocals were so crucial to Foreigner’s arena-filling sound that his departure in 1990 would all but stall the band’s career, sending it into a tailspin when a replacement failed to be anything but a pale imitation. Much has been said with regards to Gramm’s decision to go solo, namely his desire to return to the bands roots, i.e. the conventional rock approach, which, in the ‘80s, defied the direction that so many bands had taken in order to adapt. Without Jones’ foresight of the changing musical landscape and his embracing of electronic textures and greater melodicism, Foreigner would certainly not have continued to receive airplay throughout the ‘80s.

Predictably, a compilation was duly released to observe the band's rise and fall without delving too much into their discography. All sixteen tracks from this compilation are individually notable and collectively enjoyable, with not a dud amongst them. From the raucous, biting “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Hot Blooded,” new wave-inflected “Head Games,” and “Juke Box Hero” to glossy AOR standards “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Urgent,” and one of the lushest love songs ever recorded “I Want To Know What Love Is”, this sharp selection is catered to meet the needs of the easily distracted, aka extremely casual fans who only want to hear the instantly appealing adult style hits they are familiar with, not deep cuts that would interfere with the album’s consistent momentum.

“The Very Best of Foreigner” more than adequately accommodates consumers with a preference for value over completeness; this no-frills overview is the clear-cut choice for anyone seeking to expand their limited knowledge of Foreigner’s two distinct phases, which, in the case of this disc, fortunately excludes the post-Lou Gramm incarnation. Containing ten firmaments of their classic pure rock output and six forays into contemporary pop rock at a budget price, “The Very Best of Foreigner” is chronologically sequenced to establish the band’s evolution, and unlike later, more exhaustive compilations, it is a dynamic listening experience that maintains your interest throughout.

Rating: 5/5