Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology
From the late '70s to the late '80s, Foreigner put together a string of  commercial hit singles and albums, and they're all here on this Rhino Records  compilation. Such platinum hits as "Double Vision," "Cold as Ice," "Feels like  the First Time," and the one and only "Hot Blooded" are but 4 of the 39 songs  featured on this anthology. In addition, severalSpooky Tooth(Mick Jones and  Gary Wright) songs are included, as well as some solo material from Lou Gramm.Hardworking, journeyman British guitarist Mick Jones and American vocalist Lou  Gramm hit upon a formula for success and proceeded to churn out hit after hit.  The precedent for the group's sound had been set previously by such British  blues/rock bands asLed  ZeppelinandFree.  Simple, riff-oriented melodies sung with gruff sincerity and swagger (suggestive  of the great American black soul singers), matched up with a sledgehammer rock  beat and short, to-the-point, electric guitar solos, were just what teens from  that period wanted to hear. Fellow British cohortsBad Companyalso were mining  the same vein (although with less success): sexy love songs sung with some grit,  merging British pop sensibilities with a hint of black sensuality. Of course,  the plodding predictability of these songs became their downfall, too, as  Foreigner were one of several hit machines from that period tagged as "corporate  rock," which helped foster the punk and New Wave "revolutions."Although it's easy in hindsight to deride groups like Foreigner, it's crucial to  judge them on their own terms. Mick Jones just wanted "to fuse an attention to  melody with some hefty rock stuff, hoping it would stand up next to a Zeppelin  or Traffic or a Free record and hold its own. That's the standard I have to  reach." From that standpoint, they succeeded and more, as their lifelong fans  undoubtedly would agree.--Wally Shoup