Impossible to choose.
Leaning toward "Cold as Ice" because it sounded so cool when M.O.P. sampled it.
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:03 (one month ago) link
I will say Juke Box has this in a walk, perhaps I will be wrong!
― Psychocandy Apple Grey (Pyschocandles), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:06 (one month ago) link
"Waiting For a Girl Like You" is nearly perfect as well.
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:08 (one month ago) link
Noticed I missed the "Very" from the album title. Consider it a subconscious reduction due to the absence of the Fonzie tribute "Headknocker" and the 'Hey, maybe we're a Prog Band...' debut single "Starrider."
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:09 (one month ago) link
considering a real troll vote for "dirty white boy" but commenting first to see if that's one that anybody actually rides for. please make yourself known (if you exist). i judge not, but i also want to make sure it gets some representation. because, quality of the song aside, it's pretty remarkable.
― interstellar anthropologist+music philosopher, (Austin), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:11 (one month ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X2sWGdOnzQ
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:18 (one month ago) link
Unfortunately, Les Nessman grooving to "Hot Blooded" has been removed from YouTube.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:20 (one month ago) link
It will be one of the "4" singles for me, but I don't know which one. Tempted by "Waiting for a Girl Like You" for the Thomas Dolby synth part alone.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:28 (one month ago) link
Outside the "4" singles, I think it would be "Double Vision" for me.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:29 (one month ago) link
the one that sounds like pink fog
― brimstead, Monday, 22 April 2024 20:32 (one month ago) link
I liked "Hot Blooded" when I was 12, but at 52 it's either gonna be "Waiting..." or "Double Vision."
― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:36 (one month ago) link
the worst band to have ever existed, they are my kryptonite along with Toto, like mark s with Rick Wakeman I must oppose them at every turn
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:38 (one month ago) link
hot blooded is the worst. don't love "cold as ice" but that one did inspire a great m.o.p. song and an amusing scene in arrested development
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:38 (one month ago) link
Records had "Long, Long Way from Home", but since that's not here, "Head Games" over "Waiting for a Girl Like You" because it better fits the Foreigner ideal.
― Halfway there but for you, Monday, 22 April 2024 20:39 (one month ago) link
"rev on the red line"?
― scott seward, Monday, 22 April 2024 20:39 (one month ago) link
this is totally proto-incel shit
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:39 (one month ago) link
hatemarking this thread so I can address the awfulness of each option at length
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:40 (one month ago) link
lol at proto-incel shit. at my school this was total chad music.
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:43 (one month ago) link
Their elevation today to Chuck Berry-Janis Joplin-Ramones status is absurd, but that aside, "I Want To Know What Love Is" is great.
― clemenza, Monday, 22 April 2024 20:44 (one month ago) link
Like music for the boys in shop class.
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Monday, 22 April 2024 20:44 (one month ago) link
Writing in 'Long Long Way From Home'. Not a fan of this band but glad to see Ian McDonald in the hall as King Crimson should have been in years ago.
― Jeff Wright, Monday, 22 April 2024 20:45 (one month ago) link
these are not necessarily mutually oppositional! Foreigner appealed to the worst, most hateful men of all varieties
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Monday, 22 April 2024 21:14 (one month ago) link
Not that the bar for entering the Rock Hall was particularly high but they lower it a bit more
― omar little, Monday, 22 April 2024 21:21 (one month ago) link
Is Bryan Adams in yet? Well if not, step right up my friend, your path is clear.
― omar little, Monday, 22 April 2024 21:22 (one month ago) link
It's hilarious that these guys are the first real beneficiaries of the Wenner ouster.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 21:27 (one month ago) link
Foreigner appealed to the worst, most hateful men of all varieties
Nah, they were just a good-time band from the heyday of blue-collar rock. Girls in my middle/high schools were Foreigner fans too! "Waiting for a Girl" is a classic prom slow dance.
I am biased, admittedly, because Lou Gramm was the biggest star Rochester, N.Y., ever produced (give or take a Chuck Mangione). Also a mensch by all accounts. His kid was in my mom's middle school science class for a few years and Lou would show up for every parent conference and school event his kid was in, and even played a benefit show for the school.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 22 April 2024 21:56 (one month ago) link
i can hear the singles in my head but i don't really feel like figuring out which one i would vote for
― that's not my post, Monday, 22 April 2024 22:01 (one month ago) link
These lads had a formula for the videos and they stuck to it, gotta admire them for consistency
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-SpHH7qDA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzjg4v7bd1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJSRfztl_tc
― the scouse that roared (Matt #2), Monday, 22 April 2024 22:13 (one month ago) link
i feel like deep down they must also know they suck?
― budo jeru, Monday, 22 April 2024 22:37 (one month ago) link
Does Lefsetz rep for them?
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 22:40 (one month ago) link
Did Foreigner ever get a positive review during their prime?
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Monday, 22 April 2024 22:43 (one month ago) link
Self-XP
How could I forget this?
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2014/07/03/rhinofy-foreigner-primer/
And you wonder why you’re sitting at home with Pro Tools with a modicum of skills and a mediocre voice and you’re not famous…BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT MICK JONES, YOU DON’T HAVE THE PIPES OF LOU GRAMM!Decry the major label system of yore, but the truth is they had the best, and the bar to entry was high and those who made it to the top were truly talented.
Decry the major label system of yore, but the truth is they had the best, and the bar to entry was high and those who made it to the top were truly talented.
Lef should induct them.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 22:49 (one month ago) link
"4" in particular needs to be seen as part of the Mutt Lange Cinematic Universe, it was between Back in Black and Pyromania.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:22 (one month ago) link
Long, Long Way from Home is a big miss on the collection. It is my favorite one by them.
When I was a kid circa 79-81, I thought Hot Blooded was a Kiss song.
I went with Juke Box Hero.
― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Monday, 22 April 2024 23:35 (one month ago) link
Man! Some of you are triggered!
I actually love many of the early minor hits like "Long Long Way to Go" over "Cold As Ice" and "Hot Blooded."
This comes down to:
UrgentWaiting For a Girl Like YouI Want to Know What Love IsDouble VisionDirty White Boy
The later hits are pure Chicago/Bad English shit like "Say You Will"
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:37 (one month ago) link
Lou Gramm's "Midnight Blue" is best of all.
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:38 (one month ago) link
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes)
https://greilmarcus.net/2014/06/29/real-life-rock-top-10-1-9-90/
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:40 (one month ago) link
Lou Gramm is a great singer and I don't care who knows it. One of those 70s soul dudes that ended up in a rock band instead, like Mickey Thomas or Graham Bonnet or Bobby Kimball.
― the scouse that roared (Matt #2), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:45 (one month ago) link
Oh! Here's another minor hit I like "Blue Morning, Blue Day."
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:48 (one month ago) link
^^Also absent on this comp.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 22 April 2024 23:52 (one month ago) link
Yeah that is a good one too. They were such a huge band in the radio back in their hey day.
― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Monday, 22 April 2024 23:55 (one month ago) link
The instrumental Tramontane would be my addition to this, but Waiting for a Girl Like You hit back in the day on the Footloose soundtrack, so that. Perfect summer radio band, growing up.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 00:20 (one month ago) link
sorry even "Blue Morning" has terrible lyrics, altho it's passable musically
Thomas Dolby has some good stories about 4 in his autobiography
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 01:36 (one month ago) link
that's what I care about
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 01:46 (one month ago) link
Lou Gramm is an absolute king, the rest of you can shit on Foreigner as much as you like and you’d sort of not be wrong because Mick can’t help but propel them toward suckiness in every decade even WITH Loubut listen to me (and Tipsy & Alfred and matt) when I say no-one sells an otherwise crappy song w terrible lyrics like my guy Lou (cf: hot blooded) I think my vote is either Waiting For A Girl Like You, or I Wanna Know What Love Is .. both are heavy-hitters, Lou-wiseUrgent rules and has that excellent sax break JukeBox Hero was my mother in law’s favorite songCold As Ice was a beer commercial in Australia & thus rules by defaultDouble Vision is pretty boss tooLou Gramm could sing a parking ticket & it’d be amazing
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:02 (one month ago) link
Also Cold As Ice was ripped off wholesale by Madness for Embarrassment, the great songwriters know each other by instinct
― prog ain't no religious cult, prog means thinking for yourself (Matt #2), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:11 (one month ago) link
FWIW, I tried playing clips of each song in the poll to refresh my memory, and my dog left the room even though she was fine with anything I was playing earlier. I guess she hates Foreigner.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:14 (one month ago) link
Xenophobe dog
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:15 (one month ago) link
LMAO
Wish I took video. She was lying on her side then shot up and looked up at me during "Feels Like the First Time." I skipped to "Cold As Ice" and she kind of looks off into the distance like she's thinking about it, then gets up and walks out of the room.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:18 (one month ago) link
lol turns the Australian beer commercial that i rememberec that used “Cold as Ice” was not actually for beer but um … cans? as a concept? anywayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5dMfg-TqqY
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 02:26 (one month ago) link
I came here to post exactly this.
― Requiem for a Dream: The Musical! (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 03:03 (one month ago) link
What album was "Hot Blooded" on? Because the lyric "c'mon baby do you do more than dance?" pairs with the Head Games cover art so well.
― enochroot, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 11:53 (one month ago) link
I just listened to "Blue Morning, Blue Day" and, no, the lyrics are not terrible: they're more than okay.
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 11:55 (one month ago) link
pairs with the Head Games cover art so well
so it's about assaulting somebody in a bathroom?
― budo jeru, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 14:53 (one month ago) link
So many of these still turn my stomach, but I had to come around a bit after realizing the reason Ladytron's "Turn it On" seemed so familiar was it was basically "Urgent"
― sox concrète (bendy), Tuesday, 23 April 2024 15:55 (one month ago) link
XPyeah, they're both kinda casually, obliviously rape-y (which is why the proto-incel comment felt so OTM).
I did love foreigner when I was 12 though. My vote goes to Jukebox Hero, since it was so cinematic.
They were kind of the Imagine Dragons of their day.
― enochroot, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 20:08 (one month ago) link
this old Beck song also reminds me of urgenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7JD2CqTKS4
― brimstead, Tuesday, 23 April 2024 20:16 (one month ago) link
would never ever have thought 'foreigner! hall-of-fame band!' but they had hits in two different 'eras' and i honestly liked most of them well enough
happy for the new jersey mass choir i guess
anyway i would hope this obviates the need for a bad company selection, as foreigner did that thing better (and also did not have a self-titled song on their self-titled album)
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 02:09 (one month ago) link
There’s no way Paul Rodgers doesn’t end up in the HoF in some band
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 02:17 (one month ago) link
jan wenner would totally have inducted the firm
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 02:19 (one month ago) link
more hof worthy: paul rodgers or norman greenbaum
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 02:21 (one month ago) link
lol brimstead
― interstellar anthropologist+music philosopher, (Austin), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 02:26 (one month ago) link
rock n roll fantasy > juke box hero
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 03:24 (one month ago) link
bad co.'s 'r&r fantasy' is just 'shooting star' without the downer part!
fucking aldo nova is better
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 03:58 (one month ago) link
Paul Rodgers gets a bit of a pass though for Free. Those first two albums before Kossoff lost it were great.
― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 16:43 (one month ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 30 April 2024 00:01 (one month ago) link
the bad company hits are way better than the foreigner hits, c'mon
― intheblanks, Tuesday, 30 April 2024 03:20 (one month ago) link
“bad comapny hits”
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 30 April 2024 04:00 (one month ago) link
this band has a lot of near-great songs, mostly let down by Gramm's lyrics lacking any kind of sparkle or verve at all. just line after line of re-establishing the premise of the song and checking the boxes for the meter and rhyme scheme. between that and the pummeling arrangements, I'm tired of almost all these songs the moment they start.
"Feels Like the First Time" at least finds a great hook, but "I Want To Know What Love Is" actually makes a meal out of its compulsion towards bigness. that's my pick. what a monster of a song, impossible to ignore in any setting.
― not the one who's tryin' to dub your anime (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 April 2024 10:53 (one month ago) link
when I was a kid I hated that song because I took the chorus very literal and I asked my mom "why is the singer so dumb?"
― ain't nothin but a brie thing, baby (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 30 April 2024 14:55 (one month ago) link
ha! would make a good Sesame Street sketch, teaching different nouns and concepts each time.
― not the one who's tryin' to dub your anime (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 April 2024 15:47 (one month ago) link
I wanna know what cheese/time/Rome is -- I want you to shoooooow meeeeeee
― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 April 2024 19:21 (one month ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 1 May 2024 00:01 (one month ago) link
Dirty White Boy 3:38 1
8)
― interstellar anthropologist+music philosopher, (Austin), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 00:12 (one month ago) link
Pretty even spread over five songs
― Never fight uphill 'o me, boys! (President Keyes), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 00:49 (one month ago) link
I do really like “Say You Will” and am bummed it didnt get any votes but it’s also not like, great, so i get it
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 01:47 (one month ago) link
the best Foreigner song is Lou Gramm's "Just Between You and Me"
― ain't nothin but a brie thing, baby (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 01:48 (one month ago) link
also yes, i love that one too
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 02:05 (one month ago) link
I just want to shout out again the saxophone in "Urgent," maybe my favorite '80s sax song (or at least up there with "Harden My Heart").
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 02:07 (one month ago) link
amen
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 02:54 (one month ago) link
Definitely have a soft spot for "Say You Will", which my mom put on a tape we played endlessly in the car as a kid. But "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is a basically perfect song
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 1 May 2024 11:23 (one month ago) link
"Urgent" joins "Waiting On a Friend" in that short list of 1981-1982 hits with world-class jazz folx blowing sax.
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 11:34 (one month ago) link