FOREIGNER – Head Games [Limited Edition MFSL / SACD remastered] FULL

Many of you were impressed by the excellent quality audio of FOREIGNER‘s album ‘4’ in its Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi) remaster treatment on Hybrid SACD featured here some weeks ago. Now we have the band’s previous album “Head Games [Limited Edition MFSL / SACD remastered]”, also with the MoFi mastering.

“Head Games” is Foreigner third album and continued their incredible success by reaching the Top 5 on the charts and selling over five million copies. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, “Head Games” has a grittier sound than its predecessors, with driving rock elements and sprinkles of synthesized embellishments.
But what truly makes this album unique among Foreigner albums is the fact that the best material is not the popular radio tracks, but found within the mostly unheralded songs in the heart of the LP.

The pure rocker with unrelenting drive and slightly controversial lyrics “Dirty White Boy” opens the album as the hardest rocking song Foreigner had done to that point. Still, the track was accessible enough to reach the Top 20, peaking at #12 on the Pop charts.
“Love On the Telephone” revives the more traditional sound of Foreigner. Here Mick Jones switches from guitar to his piano skills, holding down the rhythm with highly melodic vocals and multiple synths floating on top.

The wild, picked, single note riff introduces “Women”, a track with some bluesy flavorings. The mostly classic rock arrangement has no real verse/chorus structure, just a uni-directional drive with a few bridge sections. Lou Gramm’s vocals are very reserved through the first verses but grows in intensity through the latter part of the song.
“I’ll Get Even with You” starts with a bright guitar riff with synth accents through the intro and into the melodic verses with simple hooks, while the title track has a sweeping, synth-driven approach which was ahead of the 1980s style it would help inspire. A catchy tune where Gramm’s melodic vocals pretty much carry this track completely.

“The Modern Day” is quite poppy, almost new wave with acoustic textures during the bridge, which seem to be added for pure fun and unique entertainment in this mid-tempo pop song.
By contrast, “Blinded by Science” is dramatic and theatrical. Built with Jones’ minor-key piano chords beneath Gramm’s soaring vocals, this multi-part mini-suite returns to the opening hook between the various sections, which feature multiple synth textures and just the right enough of guitar riffing for effect.

As great a songwriter that is Mick Jones, the two finest overall songs on the album were written by Gramm and lesser known composers in the band. “Do What You Like” was co-written by McDonald and is the best unheralded song that Foreigner ever recorded. McDonald provides the core of this upbeat, acoustic number, accented by the bouncing bass lines and the steady beat with rolling drum fills by Dennis Elliot. Then comes all the extra sonic flavorings, Gramm’s strong but melancholy lead vocals, synth accents, a potent lead riff, and a plethora of background vocal choruses, which all combine to make this one the best song on the album.

This leaves “Rev On the Red Line” as the second best song on the album. Co-written by keyboardist Dennis Elliot, this closing track is a classic rock, car song about drag racing with dynamic vocals by Gramm and a great musical vibe throughout.

Mastered from the original tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s hybrid SACD version of “Head Games” sounds great.
Sure, it isn’t impressive as ‘4’, but that’s simply because of the limitation of the original production: Mutt Lange still wasn’t behind the desk.
However, this MoFi treatment delivers the best sounding version you can get from this really, really good and underrated Foreigner album.
Highly Recommended

01 – Dirty White Boy
02 – Love On The Telephone
03 – Women
04 – I’ll Get Even With You
05 – Seventeen
06 – Head Games
07 – The Modern Day
08 – Blinded By Science
09 – Do What You Like
10 – Rev On The Red Line

Lou Gramm – lead vocals
Mick Jones – guitar, piano, backing vocals, lead vocals (7)
Ian McDonald – guitars, keyboards, vocals
Al Greenwood – keyboards
Dennis Elliott – drums
Rick Wills – bass, vocals

BUY IT !
musicdirect.com/optical-disc/foreigner-head-games-numbered-limited-edition-hybrid-sacd
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