the pathetic caverns - music by artist - Foreigner
eclectic reviews and opinions
Foreigner was dumber than a pile of rocks, and didn't have any flashy instrumentalists. Their vocalist was competent, but sadly lacking in personality. But so what? You can still hum along with "Hot Blooded," can't you?
This 25th anniversary remastered reish demonstrates just how gormless they could be: if you think modern acts like Linkin Park sound a little calculated, just watch as Lou Gramm, Mick Jones and co. try to cover all the bases: there's the vaguely sci-fi hippie wank of "Starrider" (think very early Styx), the unconvincing Chuck Berry-gone-glam workout "Headknocker" (Mott the Hoople never would've stooped so low), and "War with the World," an equally unconvincing attempt at an aggression-heavy rocker (like refried Blue Oyster Cult). And then there's the pair you probably remember: "Cold as Ice" and "Feels Like the First Time," which come closest to the mid-tempo, blunt riffy tunes that would become their stock in trade (when they weren't penning sappy ballads, that is). "Long, Long Way from Home" and "The Damage is Done" still sound like pretty good tracks to me; so maybe I'm feverish -- check it and see?
But what's really perversely great about this package is that it includes four of the demos on the "strength" of which the band was supposedly signed. And they are real stinkers -- not just less glossily recorded, but substantially less evolved as songs, they suggest that the producer/engineer team of John Sinclair and Gary Lyons might be under-credited for the record's eventual success.
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