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Foreigner - Double Vision

Editor's Choice...

And this time, "Double Vision" - "Foreigner's" second album, released on June 20, 1978.


"Foreigner" got its name due to the fact that it is an Anglo-American band whose half members are British while the other half comes from the USA. In 1976 Mick Jones suddenly finds himself out of work. His band "Spooky Toth" disbanded and another band - "Leslie West Band" he later joined, also disintegrated. He decided to take things into his own hands and start a new group. In the recruiting process the musicians he chose to accompany him, were keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and singer Lou Gramm - the "American" half, while former multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald from "King Crimson", drummer Dennis Elliott and Mick Jones himself was the British half.

"Foreigner" first album was released in 1977 and was an immediate success. The album produced hits like "Cold as Ice", "Feels Like the First Time", "Long, Long Way from Home", "Starrider and more, which soon made it one of the best-selling debut albums in the US. The band members, who did not expect such dizzying success, suddenly realized that they had to write more material in order to fill the setlist for a full-length performance, and thus were born the first songs written for their second album.


One of these songs was the theme song "Double Vision" which was written back in 1977 during the tour that accompanied the first album. The idea for the song came to singer Lou Gramm while watching a game of the New York Rangers hockey team. During the game, one player collided violently with goalkeeper John Davidson in a way that forced the latter out of the game. The broadcaster noted that the unfortunate goalkeeper is suffering from "Double Vision" and boom! Lou Gramm had an idea for a song that also became the album's theme song.


This album continues the excellent formula of the previous album. Melodic, energetic, and sweeping hard rock pieces that combine all the goodness of "Led Zeppelin", "Styx" and "Bad Company", alongside saccharine ballads on the verge of pop. This album just drips sex from start to finish. Mick Jones noted in a 2009 interview that "Foreigner" is a band that has always written about feelings and relationships and that he does not remember ever writing about serious topics like politics. The lyrics of the songs Graham wrote and composed for this album will prove that Mick Jones is absolutely right.


Songs like "Double Vision" with Jones' bouncy reef, Ed Gagliardi's beating bass, and Dennis Elliott's thunderous, rolling drumming that just pulls this whole cart after him, the opening song of the album "Hot Blooded" whose riff reminds us of the band "Free" And that Lou Gramm's poetry in it corresponds with that of Paul Rodgers in the band mentioned and in "Bad Company", or "Blue Morning, Blue Day" which fantastically combines hard rock and pop, all songs are dealing with sex and the relationship between him and her.


Have we already mentioned ballads? It is interesting to note that the two most prominent on this album were written by Jones exclusively and without the help of Lou Gramm and the other members. The track "You're All I Am" sung by Graham in his deep and delicate voice reminds us of the soft-rock or pop-rock bands like Chicago. The second track "I Have Waited So Long" is sung by Mick Jones and the influences of Paul McCartney and the Wings scream from every note of his.


Ahh, and this album features the only instrumental piece by the band "Tramontane" written by keyboardist Al Greenwood and the multi Instrumentalist - ex "King King Crimson" - Ian McDonald.


This album continued the momentum of the previous album and despite the cold reviews it even surpassed the previous album in terms of success and sales, and to this day it is considered the band's best-selling studio album.

It is interesting to note that this album was recorded in the mythical studio "Sound City" where many masterpieces were recorded such as "Fleetwood Mac, "Appetite for Destruction", "Undertow", "One Hot Minute", "System of a Down", "Rated R", "Rage Against The Machine", "Holy Diver", "After the Gold Rush", "Nevermind" and more and more.

For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music


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