Head Games

It’s obvious that Foreigner's two leaders—English guitarist Mick Jones and American vocalist Lou Gramm—shared a love of British Invasion rock ’n’ roll. That was the platform upon which they built a big, American-aggressive FM-radio sound that sold millions of hard rock albums. By this 1979 studio set (their third), Foreigner had honed their monster-riff rock into a kind of high art. Tunes such as “Dirty White Boy” (the album’s biggest hit), the title track, “Women," and “Seventeen” are unmistakably Foreigner. Jones’ simple yet relentless riffing and Gramm’s barrel-chested vocal attack simply dominate your head like they did the airwaves. Yet there are many surprises, such as the Pink Floyd–ish “Blinded by Science,” the pure keyboard-guitar pop of “Modern Day,” and the bouncy “Do What You Like,” which adds some blue-eyed soul into the pop. Roy Thomas Baker coproduced the album, and you can hear stylish bits of his work with The Cars and Queen.