Foreigner (Japanese Edition)

Blissful feelings arise at the mention of 70s arena rock. It gives listeners permission to have fun, sing along to aircraft-hangar-size choruses, play air guitar solos, forget about any troubles, recall the experience of a first kiss, and quite simply, rock out. Few albums better instill these pleasures than Foreigner's 1977 self-titled debut album, a five-times platinum blockbuster chock full of salacious riffs, soaring vocals, edgy beats, and lyrics that practically demand to be shouted. And while the record has always boasted clean, immediate production, it explodes with dynamic intensity and rich transparency on Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g 33RPM LP. This is what rock n' roll dreams are made of.
Spearheaded by guitar hero Mick Jones, fresh off success with Spooky Tooth, Foreigner rallied around a talented collective pulled from the U.S. and U.K. Joining up with former King Crimson instrumentalist Ian McDonald and drummer Dennis Elliott, as well as keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi, Jones completed the puzzle with the addition of extraordinary singer Lou Gramm, whose vocal timbre and limitless pipes remain one of the most instantly identifiable combinations in music.
Before long, two eternal radio classics – "Feels Like the First Time" and "Cold As Ice," composed on a miniature piano and inspired by Hollywood star Joan Crawford – were in the bag. Eight more tunes, each as solid as those that came before, followed, and Foreigner quickly became an overnight rock sensation.