Great Rock Albums of 1980: Foreigner- Head Games

Call it karma, coincidence or whatever but it turns out the my 200th post here on 80smetalman's blog is the first album I visit in the golden decade. I chose "Head Games" by Foreigner because it was the first new album I listened to in that year. An old marine buddy had it on 8-track and it was one of our many cruising albums. I also remember every time I went into the Enlisted Men's Club in the January, "Dirty White Boy" or some other song from this album would be playing.    I thought now as I did then, it was a great way to begin the year or the decade for that matter.

Following one good album is tough enough for a band, but following two is a colossal challenge. Foreigner had to follow up their debut album and their fantastic second album "Double Vision," both great albums. "Head Games for me, does a great job in doing so. I love the hard rock, early metal sound of "Dirty White Boy" and "Women is also a classic rocker for me as well and of course the title cut. In the months that followed, the title cut became sort of my anthem song for the time as I concluded that the Marine Corps was good a playing those types of games.

Unlike some of their future albums, there is nothing really to what I would call a ballad. The closest is the track "Blinded by Science," but even that isn't really what I would call a proper ballad. Instead, you get the hard rocking sound that defined Foreigner in those early days. Not only with the classic songs but the rest of the album provides a feel good factor when you're rocking away to it.

Track Listing:

1. Dirty White Boy

2. Love On the Telephone

3. Women

4. I'll Get Even With You

5. Seventeen

6. Head Games

7. The Modern Day

8. Blinded by Science

9. Do What You Like

10. Rev on the Red Line

Foreigner

Dennis Elliot- drums, vocals

Lou Gramm- vocals, percussion

Al Greenwood- synthesizer, keyboards

Mick Jones- guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals

Ian McDonald- guitar, keyboards, drums, vocals

Rick Willis- bass, vocals

Foreigner have been described as an Anglo-American rock band because members come from both countries. History shows us what Anglo-American cooperation can do in wartime but in music, they can produce things even greater. Foreigner and the album "Head Games" is proof of that.

Next post: Styx- Cornerstone

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