Foreigner- Head Games
(Numbered 180G Vinyl LP) * * *
Track List
1. "Dirty White Boy" (Jones, Gramm) – 3:37
2. "Love on the Telephone" (Jones, Gramm) – 3:18
3. "Women" (Jones) – 3:25
4. "I'll Get Even with You" (Jones) – 3:40
5. "Seventeen" (Jones, Gramm) – 4:43
6. "Head Games" (Gramm, Jones) – 3:37
7. "The Modern Day" (Jones) – 3:26
8. "Blinded by Science" (Jones) – 4:54
9. "Do What You Like" (McDonald, Gramm) – 3:58
10. "Rev on the Red Line" (Greenwood, Gramm) – 3:35
ForeignerHead Gameson Numbered Edition 180g LP from Mobile Fidelity
Foreigner's 1979 Effort Its Edgiest, Heaviest, Hardest-Hitting Album
"Head Games," "Dirty White Boy" Continue Group's Hit Streak
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Roy Thomas Baker's Original Production Shines Like Never Before
The momentHead Gamesbegins, a nastier, grittier tone is established, and it becomes apparent thatForeigneris bringing something new to the table. Namely, an edgier, leaner sound built around stronger guitars and harder rhythms.The heaviest record of the band’s career, the 1979 effort functions as irrefutable proof that the quintet rocked as hard as anybody in the mainstreamand did so without losing sight of the melodies that put it at the top of the charts. And withHead Games, thereForeignerwould stay.
Mastered from the original master tapes,Mobile Fidelity’scollectible audiophile edition of this longtime favorite classic-rock staple bursts with tremendous dynamics, soaring vocal timbres, punchy dynamics, and newfound instrumental separation. With more emphasis placed onMick Jones’guitar riffs and meatier grooves, you may just find yourself investing in a new power amp to get every last degree of detail that’s been uncovered! Longtime fans will be thrilled to hear the subtle nuances now fully discernible amidst a gargantuan soundstage.
Joined by new bassistRick Wills, and guided byQueen producer Roy Thomas Baker,Foreignergoes for broke, ratcheting up the muscularity on hard-hitting fare such as the hit single “Dirty White Boy,” “Seventeen,” and the aptly titled “Rev on the Red Line.” However, the group maintains its trademark equilibrium, pushing the limits on toughness yet retaining a diamond-in-the-rough smoothness that allows the band’s hummable choruses and winding hooks to take hold.
Moreover, the band expands its use of synthesizers to wonderful effect. The smash title track, through which mesmerizing keyboard passages coarse, is a prime example ofForeigner’sslight albeit thrilling sonic evolution, the net result upping the drama, fanfare, and color. At the time, the combination was a breakthrough idea. Is it any wonderHead Gamessold more than 5 million copies?
None, however, sound anywhere near as lifelike, involving, and rich asMobile Fidelity’sreissue. Part of the reason why late 70s arena rock remains beloved, and why it’s so fun, owes to the go-for-broke nature of the arrangements, decibel-clearing volume levels, and free license to just let loose. By digging in and revealing all the musical information the master tapes provide