"Anthology: Jukebox Heroes"
Rhino Records
By Vinnie Apicella I remember back around '77 or '78, after I'd already heard this tune "Cold as Ice," I wanted to know who it was and where I could find it. At that point, Kiss was all I knew but slowly and steadily the soon to be classic rock groups were making their way into my collection… Boston, Kansas, The Cars, and now… Foreigner! So when I finally dug up enough money to grab their self-titled debut, there I had it, "Cold as Ice," and then of course "Feels Like the First Time" which wasn't one of my favorites but "Long Long Way from Home" definitely was. How old am I anyway? Well, most know how things turned out for this band afterwards-for the next ten or so years they dominated the rock charts with one hit single after another! But many of us do not know all that untapped footage behind the scenes of this hit-making machine. Imagine your second album shipping platinum? And far from being a sophomore slump, "Double Vision" would do just that to many an eager fan incalculably influenced by this new supergroup taking the market by leaps and bounds. "Double Vision" as a song really did it for me-how many times did you hear it on the radio, then, and even now and still you have to listen! Well anyway, like most, Foreigner, had their ride for about four or five records but then the wheels came off for a while and now they're back-and with core members Jones and Graham again firmly entrenched at the command station, look for bigger things from this dynamic duo who've always done better together than apart… Although, this anthology leaves no stone unturned in capturing the glory days of a band in its prime, once separated, and even some one time excess baggage that never before saw the light of day till it was recently uncovered. This two-disc juggernaut features not only the very best and beyond, but check out the extra rarities taken from Mick Jones' pre-Foreigner work from Spooky Tooth, plus his own and Lou Gramm's solo material and you have a complete family history… almost, but it'll keep you busy for hours anyway! Personally, I thought they bowed out a little too calmly a few years back when the rock and roll shorelines weren't always so welcoming, but thankfully today, Foreigner seems recharged and ready to react-reaction to action?-to all this resurgent rock and roll karma that's been unleashed by many of their peers. "Jukebox Heroes," a name that forever will be associated with them and one of their biggest hits from their biggest selling record, "4," as an anthology can't be touched. There's plenty of memories held within the two disc, 40-song set along with the cleverly presented and colorful pages that accompany the collection. Covering the band since their inception, on through their leaner years and up to the present, this massive anthology represents a classic rock band at their best, maybe their worst, and all points in between, that seems in recent years to have been too soon forgotten. And now the story can rightly be told of their trip to and from the stars as they embark on yet another journey to the center of the jukebox and beyond… |
More from the Online Metal Journal |
 |
|
|
|