Foreigner is one of those bands that can't help but make an appearance when you buy hundreds of random records, 90% of which are from the 1970s. On an artistic level, it is no secret if you have heard any of their omnipresent singles on classic rock radio that this group has no taste. The lyrics are at best generic ("You're as cold as ice/You're willing to sacrifice our love") and at worst are banal and pretentious ("I would climb any mountain/Sail across a stormy sea"). They rip off a lot of better 70s bands and don't write particularly memorable riffs or choruses to make up for it. But as much as it sucks if looked at from a certain perspective, "
Cold as Ice" at least is also kind of a great song. The combination of over-the-top vocal delivery, staccato piano riff, double-tracked choirs, and triumphant guitar fanfares turn what should be generic 70s rock into something surprisingly enjoyable.
So on the relative strength of "Cold as Ice" and the cock rock anthem "
Feels Like the First Time," Foreigner's
Foreigner avoids the blue bin. But I would be remiss if I said I didn't consider jettisoning it. For when they try to be Queen, they do alright, since Queen basically followed the same formula of adding a lot of bombast to classic rock material with shitty lyrics (of course, Queen had much more songwriting, playing and singing talent). But when they try to be Kansas and try their hand at plaintive, pseudo-progressive balladry (see "
Starrider"), the results are nauseating. There is a fine line between being campy and just being shitty, and Foreigner, for me at least, falls right on the line.
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