Foreigner

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• Genre: AOR
• Hometown: New York City
• Foreigner Website

About

From 1977 to 1982, Foreigner was a hit-making machine, selling a bazillion records while creating power ballads and shiny hard rock tunes that may forever live in our collective consciousness. Their most obvious counterpart is Journey -- both bands possessed overtly dramatic and distinctive lead vocalists, while also featuring guitar masterminds who played second fiddle to said singers. And like the boys from the Bay Area, Foreigner were on the track to the big bucks beginning with their eponymous debut album, which featured the hit tracks "Feels Like the First Time" and "Cold As Ice." Straightforward classic rock was further refined on Double Vision (1978), while Head Games (1979) offered some welcome sleaze with the song "Dirty White Boy" and the silly, sexist album art. On Agent Provocateur (1984) the band dished out their most well-known power ballad, the gospel-ized "I Want to Know What Love Is." Singer Lou Gramm left the band to pursue a solo career shortly after but returned in 1992 and recorded the album Mr. Moonlight. Gramm left the band again in 2002 and a replacement was found for touring purposes only. By this time sole original member Mick Jones was surrounded by Jason Bonham, Kelly Hansen, Jeff Jacobs, Jeff Pilson and Thom Gimbel.

- Will Lerner