March 8, 1977 - Foreigner and Foreigner

Another new band joins my library this year as Foreigner released their self-titled debut album on March 8, 1977,  of which I have the first two songs only: "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice", both of which were very successful singles. But who is Foreigner? They were a 6-piece pop-rock band with members from both New York and London. They consist of lead singer Lou Gramm, lead guitarist Mick Jones, bassist Ed Gagliardi, keyboardist Al Greenwood, drummer Dennis Elliott and rhythm guitarist/saxophone player Ian McDonald, formerly of King Crimson! I think it's very strange that McDonald wound up in a pop-rock band but I am nonetheless excited to hear him once again. 

The album kicks off with "Feels Like The First Time" and Jones plays guitar while Greenwood plays some pretty quick keyboards to open it up. The verse is pretty quiet, led by Gramm's great-sounding vocals. He has a wonderful voice as he sings some classic pop-rock love-y dove-y lyrics. The chorus is just the title repeated over and over and louder. The keyboards keep it interesting thankfully as this is normally not my cup of tea. They move into a slower, keyboard-led part that sounds alright before returning to the chorus again. Jones flies off with a guitar solo and it's a pretty damn good one! He plays some really quick stuff that sounds really good, then it's off to the chorus again to jam out the end of this huge radio hit. The next song, "Cold As Ice" was also wildly popular and it's easy to see why as Jones plays a wicked lead piano riff. Gramm's voice sounds pretty awesome in this one I must admit and Greenwood plays some cool synths that sound great alongside the lead piano. The lyrics are about an abrupt break-up, another relatable thing that perfectly fits the pop-rock notion. The backing vocals sound pretty cool as well and Jones also spices it up with a little guitar solo! This leads right into a new cool slow part that has the vocals echoing back and forth. They also jam out the chorus several times over until the song finally fades to an end. Both these songs were very catchy and memorable, but I won't be delving deeper than these two. Until the next one!

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