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FOREIGNER – Records, Volume 2 ? (What If!?)

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Another list of “volume 2″s. Back when record companies made multiple compilations out of 4, 5, or 6 albums. The first FOREIGNER albums was the band’s golden era, and as a fan of those early albums, for me, their was a big drop off after the band’s first release of ‘hits’, titled Records in 1982. The band had a strong pile of hit singles by that point. But, there was a lot of other lesser hits, live favorites, and fan favorites from those four albums, which I’ve compiled below to make a Records: Volume 2. I think a Volume 3 would be songs from the studio albums that came after 1982, frankly a list that would be a bit harder for me. The band hasn’t released an album of all new songs since 2009, and since then, (continuing on with just Mick Jones (til more recently) it’s been a steady bunch of live albums and compilations. The most worthwhile releases being 2008’s No End In Sight: The Very Best Of Foreigner, which covered the band’s entire career up til then, and more so the 2019 DVD/Blue-ray/CD release of Live At The Rainbow ’78. There was also Foreigner 4 Live, released earlier this year (as well as being part of the Foreigner 4 box set). Would be nice to get a few more ‘official’ live recordings from the band’s glory days (Where is the 1979 Atlanta show?)

Anyway, if you have any different choices, please drop them in the comments.

Tramontane **

An instrumental piece on side 2 of Double Vision, written by Greenwood, McDonald, and Jones. A great opener, as used for the band’s intro tape on the Head Games tour. (Was it used on the Double Vision tour?). Used as a B-side to the band’s huge hit “Hot Blooded”.

Headknocker

Hard to believe this wasn’t a single! A great rocker from the band’s 1977 debut, written by Gramm & Jones. Has been a live set regular and fan favorite, appearing on a few live releases and a number of compiations.

Break It Up *

The 4th worldwide single from Foreigner 4, and 4th top 30 hit from the album. Written by Mick Jones. One of my favorites from 4.

Love On The Telephone *

An underrated classic from Head Games. Love the intro and melody of this one. Released as a single in The Netherlands, where it became a top 40 hit. In the US “Women” was chosen as the 3rd single instead. Also written by Jones & Gramm.

The Damage Is Done **

The last track on side one of the first album, written by Jones & Gramm. A classic Foreigner ballad. Great vocal, guitars, synths, and production. This was used as the B-side to the hit single “Long Long Way From Home”. Another one from that album that could’ve been a hit.

Rev On The Red Line **

From 1979’s Head Games. This is my favorite Foreigner album, and I know there was other singles from it that I could have included, but this is just one of the coolest Foreigner tracks, and another that makes one wonder ‘why wasn’t this a single!?’. Written by Gramm and Ian McDonald. One of Lou Gramm’s best performances, and outstanding solo from Mick Jones. Used as a B-side to the hit “Dirty White Boy”.

Blue Morning, Blue Day*

Another cool rocker. This one from Jones & Gramm, and was issued as the 3rd single from 1978’s Double Vision. Imagine that this gem made it to #15 in the US and still didn’t make the cut for Records compilation!

Girl On The Moon **

Another Gramm / Jones song, from 1981’s Foreigner 4. It’s a ballad, which I much prefer to the one that was the big hit from this album! Buried as the 2nd last track on the album, and issued as a single in the Netherlands. Dig the slide guitar here, classic underrated Foreigner track.

I’ll Get Even With You *

A Mick Jones song, from Head Games. Just another great rock tune from this album. Love the chorus and synths. A shame this would be the last with Ian McDonald, who contributed so much to this song and album, even credited as co-producer with Jones and Roy Thomas Baker. Released as a single in the UK, 1980. Honestly had a hard time picking this one or it’s B-side “Blinded By Science”.

Starrider

From the debut album, written by Jones and Al Greenwood. Though not released as a single, this became a highlight of the band’s live show over the years, with Mick Jones taking lead vocals on much of this, and stretching out his guitar solo on occasion. Kind of a throwback to the early 70s, with the mix of acoustic guitars, harmonies, keyboards, and flute. Absolute masterpiece, and would fit perfectly to end such a compilation. There’s an excellent live version of this on the No End In Sight compilation.

LOU GRAMM – new album ‘Released’ coming in March.

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Cherry Red released the Lou Gramm‘s ’80s solo material in 2021, as Questions And Answers (The Atlantic Anthology 1987-1989). Prior to that the last release of ‘new’ music from the original FOREIGNER singer was 2009’s Lou Gramm Band CD, which is well worth finding. This upcoming collection, strangely titled ‘Released‘, comes out March 27 through Cherry Red Records/HNE (UK). Check out details & tracklisting below in the press info.

Both Released and 1987’s Ready Or Not are being reissued on color vinyl through Friday Music, for details click on the titles.

The first single from Released is an instantly likeable upbeat 80s pop-rock track title “Young Love”, which features Vivian Campbell on guitar.

Released is the long-awaited new solo album from legendary vocalist Lou Gramm, best known as the iconic voice of Foreigner. Arriving in March 2026,​the album presents ten original songs written by Lou alongside former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon, capturing the classic AOR sound that has defined Lou’s career while delivering a powerful sense of rediscovery and completion. 

Lou says: “My new album ‘Released’ is a collection of unreleased songs that were recorded in the 1980s during the production of my 2 previous solo albums. These are powerful, heartfelt songs with a great vintage sound taken right from my old multitrack tapes. This new album was a long time coming and it’s a real nostalgia trip. When I pulled these songs out of the vault, I knew I had to finish them for my fans around the world, so they can experience what I did when I first heard them after all these years. It means a lot to me to finally see this album released, to be taken back in time when I hear this music again, to remember working with all these great musicians, and to feel that my catalog is now complete.”

Produced by Lou Gramm himself, Released features appearances from an outstanding cast of musicians, including Tony Franklin on bass for “Long Gone” and Vivian Campbell on guitar for the opening track “Young Love”, alongside long-time collaborators such as Lou’s brother Ben Gramm on drums. The result is a collection that feels both timeless and deeply personal, rooted in the era that made Lou one of rock’s most recognizable voices.

Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Lou Gramm emerged from a highly musical family before forming Black Sheep, whose two albums for Capitol Records have since become cult favourites. A pivotal meeting with Mick Jones in 1975 led to the formation of Foreigner the following year, launching a career that produced a run of multi-platinum albums and hit singles. Foreigner famously became the first band since The Beatles to see their first eight singles reach the US Top 20.

Alongside his work with Foreigner, Lou enjoyed major solo success with Ready Or Not​(1987), featuring the hit “Midnight Blue”, followed by Long Hard Look (1989), which included “Just Between You And Me”. Now, with Released, Lou delivers his third solo studio album, completing a vital chapter in his solo catalogue while standing proudly alongside both his earlier solo work and his defining recordings with Foreigner.

The album also includes “True Blue Love (Unplugged)”, originally appearing on Long Hard Look, and follows recent high-profile collaborations with Foreigner connected to the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. Lou Gramm will be touring throughout 2026 in support of Released, with dates announced in March.

TRACKLISTING

1 Young Love 
2 Lightning Strikes 
3 Walk The Walk 
4 Long Gone 
5 Heart And Soul 
6 Long Hard Look 
7 True Blue Love (Unplugged) 
8 Deeper Side of Love 
9 Time Heals The Pain 
10 Word Gets Around

Formats
Digital Album
Dolby Atmos Album
CD (HNE Recordings / Cherry Red Records)
Vinyl (Friday Music)

LINKS:

https://www.lougrammofficial.com/

https://www.instagram.com/LOUGRAMMGRAM

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FOREIGNER – Head Games (1979)

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The band formed and lead by British guitarist, songwriter & producer Mick Jones was something of a ‘supergroup’, and who’s massive success started with their 1978 debut album, Jones had previously recorded 3 albums with SPOOKY TOOTH, as well as played with Leslie West. Ian McDonald had been in KING CRIMSON, (drummer) Dennis Elliott had recorded a number of albums with British band IF, and relatively unknown singer Lou Gramm had recorded 2 albums with Rochester based BLACK SHEEP.. Prior to the 3rd album, bass player Ed Gagliardi was replaced with Pete Wills, who’d played with Peter Frampton, among others.

While Foreigner and Double Vision had elements of prog on them, and were very 70s sounding (in retrospect), Head Games took on a bit of a fresh modern AOR / hard rock approach. It’s like a big step forward into the ’80s, with the production. The first hit single off this album was the hard-rockin’ lead off track “Dirty White Boy”, while the hit (single) title track lead side 2. But beyond these 2 stand-outs, Head Games featured a number of classics such as “Love On The Telephone”, “The Modern Day” (sang by Mick Jones), the ballad “Blinded By Science”, and the classic closing cut “Rev On The Red Line” (the best song here, IMO). The record went to #5 in Canada and the US.

Head Games was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Mick Jones, and Ian McDonald, with Jones writing (or cowriting with Gramm) almost every song and being credited for ‘musical direction’ .

Head Games is my most played album of the band’s catalogue, and although Foreigner 4 was their massive hit (#1) album, I thought it all downhill after this, as the band dropped 2 members (becoming ‘4’), and going in a more pop and ballad direction. 4 I liked, though I don’t need to hear “Juke Box Hero” or “Waiting For A Girl Like You” ever again, Agent Provocateur I just never got into.

J2P and P2J Ver 1

Lou Gramm – ’80s Solo Recordings coming in 3CD set.

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Foreigner was a band I liked before I started buying albums! Those first 4 albums were huge, and all over the radio. But when Agent Provocateur came out after the massive success of Foreigner 4 I lost interest, the singles were a turn off for me.

Foreigner peaked commercially at 4, but those first 3 albums were an amazing set, with lots of great rock songs, 4 was a pop album, albeit a very good and incredibly successful one. A shame it lead to more pop albums, much less memorable.

According to Lou Gramm’s book “Juke Box Hero” [2013], things were no longer equal and as they were years in the beginning between Mick Jones and himself, with Mick taking charge of the band’s direction. Gramm needed to get out and doing something on his own. Gramm teamed up with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon [then of Warrior], who would co-write as well as play bass, rhythm guitar, and keyboards. Also brought in was Nils Lofgren on lead guitar, and British producer Pat Moran as co-producer and engineer. The album Ready Or Not, released in early ’87 was a big success, boasting 2 hits, most notably the Top 10 “Midnight Blue”, which along with the title track got lots of radio play. Overall it was a solid album with other upbeat tracks like ” Heartache”, “Arrow Thru Your Heart”, and “Time”.

Foreigner would release one more album late in ’87, and I thought Inside Information was a slight improvement over it’s predecessor but the band had clearly become more pop-hit driven with Gramm seeing little reason to contribute to the creative process, and the band content to coast along, as Jones had also become a producer of other bands in the ’80s; this allowed plenty of time for Gramm to start on a 2nd album.

Ready Or Not was followed up in 1989 with Long Hard Look. The title was likely what Gramm was thinking about his future at that point!? Austrian born producer Peter Wolf [also known for playing on a few Frank Zappa albums] handled production, as well as co-wrote some tracks and played keyboards on a few. This album featured more players, such as guitarists Vivian Campbell, Dann Huff, Peter Maunu, and Nils Lofgren. Bruce Turgon returned to co-write some songs, and play bass on most of the album, and [brother] Ben Gramm played the drums. Long Hard Look featured the top 10 hit “Just Between You And Me” [co-written with Holly Knight, who co-wrote a pile of hits in the ’80s for the likes of Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Heart, and Kiss, among others]. It also featured the top 40 hit “True Blue Love”, punchy opener “Angel With A Dirty Face”, as well as a cover of Small Faces’ “Tin Soldier”. Though not as big as Ready Or Not, Long Hard Look still charted and was a fine follow up. Following this Gramm would team up with Vivian Campbell to form Shadow King.

Gramm’s ’80s solo albums, along with a 3rd disc of single edits, remixes, an interview, and the track “Lost In The Shadows” [from The Lost Boys soundtrack], are all compiled in a box due out next month. These are a must-have for any Foreigner fan. Interesting to note that without Lou, Foreigner struggled on with one more album, and Mick Jones’ 1989 solo album bombed, so the band really needed him more than he needed them; after all – Gramm was one of the most recognizable and premier rock singers of that late ’70s-early ’80s hard-rock / AOR era [along with Steve Perry and perhaps the late Brad Delp]. Following major health issues Lou Gramm would return to recording and performing , including another stint in Foreigner, as well as his excellent 2009 album The Lou Gramm Band. The package come with a 16 page books with quotes and liner notes from Malcolm Dome.

For more info & pre-order : Lou Gramm: Questions And Answers – The Atlantic Anthology 1987-1989, 3CD – Cherry Red Records

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