Customer Reviews

Definitive Collection

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Maybe this is the best compilation of Foreigner since "Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology" which was released in 2000.
This anthology has 30 songs, 17 on the first disc and 13 on the second disc. The tracklist starts with the oldest tracks to the most recent.

Tracks 1-6 --> From their debut selftitled album "Foreigner" (1977)
[5x Platinum in US]

1) Feels like the first time
2) Long, long way from home
3) Cold as ice
4) Headknocker
5) Starrider
6) At war with the world

Tracks 7-10 --> From their 2nd album "Double Vision" (1978)
[7x Platinum in US]

7) Double vision
8) Blue morning, blue day
9) Hot blooded
10)I have waited so long

Tracks 11-14 --> From their 3rd album "Head Games" (1979)
[5x Platinum in US]

11) Dirty white boy
12) Head games
13) Women
14) Rev on the red line

Tracks 15-17 and Track 1 from the 2nd Disc --> from their 4th album "4" (1981)
[6x Platinum in US]

15) Break it up
16) Juke box hero
17) Urgent
DISC 2
1) Waiting for a girl like you

Tracks 2-5 (from 2nd Disc) --> from their 5th Studio album "Agent Provocateur" (1984)
[3x Platinum in US]

2) I want to know what love is
3) Down on love
4) Reaction to action
5) That was yesterday

Track 6 --> from the solo album of the lead vocalist of Foreigner Lou Gramm "Ready or Not" (1987)

6) Midnight blue

*I was looking for that song for years

Tracks 7-9 --> from the 6th Studio album of Foreigner "Inside Information" (1987)
[Platinum in US]

7) Heart turns to stone
8) I don't want to live without you
9) Say you will

Track 10 --> I found that song on Disc 2 of "Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology"

10)Just wanna hold

Track 11 --> Another huge success from the solo career of lead vocalist Lou Gramm. This track came from his album "Long Hard Look" (1989)

11) Just between you and me

Track 12 --> From the only Foreigner album that Lou Gramm wasn't there and replaced by Johnny Edwards. "Unusual Heat" (1991)
[Gold in US]

12) Lowdown and dirty

Track 13 --> From 1992's compilation "The very best...and beyond"
[2x Platinum in US]

13. Soul doctor

-------
Enjoy it!!!

It may be hard today, given their footnote status in the history of rock, to realize how huge Foreigner once was. They were, however, one of very few groups having three albums among the top 50 best selling ones during the 70s. The records are:

22. Foreigner - Double Vision (7 Million Sales)
38. Foreigner - Head Games (5 Million Sales)
42. Foreigner - Foreigner (5 Million Sales)

Their forth album, 4, also sold as many records and actually elevated them to international super stardom. After that their album sales began dwindling but they still managed churning out a few hit singles.

Since their break up, a number of compilations by Foreigner have been released. The main ones are The Very Best...and Beyond and Complete Greatest Hits. The former one was close to being perfect with two major problems though. The first problem was the addition of 3 new songs, all of which were stinkers. Luckily those songs were the first songs on the CD so one could simply start on track 4. I know one could go on and on about such and such tracks should be included but releasing a Foreigner compilation without Long, Long Way from Home as this compilation did can't be justified. This was one of their biggest hits on Rock stations, basically a staple on such stations and also a top 20 hit. Omitting that song is similar to deleting Let the Good Times Roll on a Cars compilation, not a huge hit but a staple at Rock stations. It also omitted Blue Morning, Blue Day but that is not the same travesty. This was rectified on the Complete Greatest Hits compilation, which really has all their hits (including one of the before mention stinkers which albeit became a minor hit at Rock stations) but has one problem; the songs have been in many cases edited. The name of the compilation is thus not correct since some of the songs are not complete.

Recently Rhino released this double CD compilation which rectifies the above problems. This collection contains all the hits by Foreigner plus practically all the main album tracks. There is hardly a track I miss unless maybe a few of Double Vision, which is my favourite Foreigner album. What is maybe of even greater interest for many is the fact that most tracks are presented here in full length, I Don't Want to Live without You the only exception I noticed.

The re-mastering job is very good. Comparing the sound to the Very Best release brings forth a subtle yet clear difference in clarity. For audiophiles, the difference is still obvious.

The quality of music is great with the first CD barely striking a wrong note. The second CD is mostly fine until maybe the last few tracks, when Foreigner obviously began losing the plot. Two Lou Gramm and a Mick Jones solo tracks are also included, Midnight Blue the outstanding one of those three.

As much work that was put into the song selection and re-mastering, it is interesting how little care was taken of the artwork. The front cover is a generic version of Definite Collections by Rhino. Some information is included in the liner notes but the listing of the songs indicates in many instances that they are edited versions. From my perspective, they are full length versions and I really cannot explain what gives.

For the more casual fan, the Complete Foreigner single CD collection is the one to get, but that one has edited versions. For those who really want the full length versions and some added album cuts, this is the one to get. One does have to program CD 2 to avoid a few tracks but then again, this is really the complete collection, the clean and the dirty of Foreigner.

I remember purchasing the "Juke Box Heroes" anthology thinking that Foreigner was finally getting a compilation that would do justice to it's catalog. WRONG! So many choice cuts sliced and diced, all for the sake of what? To make room for some obscure Spooky Tooth schlock and a tad too many solo tunes from Mick Jones and Lou Gramm (they should have stopped with Gramm's wonderful "Midnight Blue"). "Definitive Collection" goes a long way to rectifying the situation. Full, album-length tracks, a tidied up song selection, and a fine remastering job. Now if they would only have carried over the anthology's first class packaging job with the CD's from this set, I could have gladly given it five stars. As it is, it's the best "Best Of" you will find for this band.

In the late-seventies and early-eighties, Foreigner was one of the top bands, placing 12 songs in the Top 40 between 1977 and 1982 including three million-selling singles. What is puzzling is why Rhino has released this latest collection which technically is simply an abbreviated version of Rhino's 2000 2-disc collection JUKEBOX HEROES. That earlier release contains all 30 tracks found on DEFINITIVE COLLECTION plus nine additional tracks including album cuts, minor singles and a couple of Spooky Tooth tracks from Mick Jones' previous band.

So do the math. How does deleting nine songs from an anthology that's still in print make it "definitive"? Answer: It doesn't!
If you're looking for the most comprehensive collection, stick with JUKEBOX HEROES. Sure it's a few dollars more, but it tells the Foreigner story more thoroughly, and it's the only anthology to include tracks from their 1995 release MR. MOONLIGHT. The music on DEFINITIVE COLLECTION is certainly first rate, but when you look at the other choices (including 2002's excellent single-disc COMPLETE GREATEST HITS), this latest release is unnecessary.

I have never bought a Foreigner album-they were so ubiquitous on the radio waves- but I came across this
double set at a reasonable price and decided to bite. I'm glad I did. The sound on both cds is the best I have
heard on any cd I own, and it's like hearing the songs for the first time (no pun intended). I had thought about
getting a Foreigner cd for some time-mainly for the songs on side 2-but resisted until I saw that this collection
contained the long lost album cut "Starrider". A truly enjoyable guilty pleasure.

Say what you will about Foreigner being "corporate rock," but there is no way to deny that they made prino radio rock in their prime. Indeed, the first 19 tracks on this 30 song/2 CD "Definitive" collection would put most bands of the 70's and 80's to shame. From the distinct voice of Lou Gramm to Mick Jones' dogged pursuit of a sound for the band, Foreigner had it together by the time the classic debut hit the airwaves in 1977.

"Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" didn't exactly break new ground, but they did lay the blueprint. Rich sounding rock with meaty choruses and ham-sized hooks. Like other bands of the same period (like Boston), Foreigner arrived ready for arena audiences. But at the time when punk was just beginning to leave its bootprint, having ambitions this obvious and songs as grandiose as "Starrider" was greeted with a fair amount of critical leering.

Like that mattered.

Because Double Vision, with its pair of pulse-pounding hits ("Hot Blooded" and the title track), became an album rock staple and then Head Games followed suit. However, "Headknocker" was not just a title of a song from the debut, but was starting to describe life in the band. With a pair of headstrong personalities such as Jones and Graham, other members began to feel like outsiders. In particular, the distinctive sounds Ian MacDonald brought to the band were being pushed aside by Jones' slicker rock ideas. By the time "Head Games" was done with its run, the band had shuffled personnel to a four piece.

Jones had become convinced that Foreigner weren't being creative in the age of new wave, so the new four member band (and guest keyboardist Thomas Dolby) teamed up with producer Robert 'Mutt' Lange and went for broke. That album, Foreigner 4, was the band's best, mixing both Jones' desire to experiment with Gramm's desire to rock harder. The still amazing "Urgent" mixed a Car's like pulse to an incendiary Junior Walker sax solo and killer hook. Dolby's keyboard washes added a sense of mystery to "Waiting For a Girl Like You." And "Jukebox Hero" is one of the great songs of rock dreams.

While 4 was their peak album moment, there was still one last piece of shear brilliance in the Foreigner passport. Agent Provocateur may not have been as coherent an album that any of its predecessors, but "I Want to Know What Love Is," backed by a full-on church choir and a classic MTV video, became the song that the band just couldn't top. It is also where the quality of "Definitive" starts to slip.

Lou Gramm's "Midnight Blue" is here, as are the best 3 songs from Inside Information. There is even one song from the mostly forgotten Gramm-less Unusual Heat and the greatest hits bonus "Soul Doctor" to shore up the latter period. (In my opinion, Mick Jones solo artist makes a better producer.) There's a decent band essay and solid sound (I was surprised at just how raw "Dirty White Boy" was). It makes a slightly better buy than the Complete Greatest Hits, not quite as good as JukeBox Box Hero and blows "Records" off the globe. How much you want depends on what you think you need, but this is a great starter kit.

I really like what Rhino's been doing recently with their re-releases/adjustments of bands greatest hits packages. They just seem to be getting it right in most cases and for we fans who enjoy the essentials so to speak, these best of's are what we want and all we need. Black Sabbath's Sympton Of the Universe release was great and some of the ELP stuff been very good as well. So bring it on Rhino!

Rhino seems to be giving us the listener, a well rounded choice of what we'd like to hear. These very nicely remastered classics are better than ever. Sound quality is very good and they seem to be focusing on the older material or shall I say the good stuff and staying away from the fluff.

Yes it's yet another Hits package, but I really like this one as it gives you more of the older tunes that haven't been showing up on most of the Foreigner greatest hits compilations.

It's just a good listen all around!

I'm posting this particular note because I've noticed for quite sometime - years - that folks complain [and accuse RHINO of ripping them off] about why RHINO RECORDS will reissue another compilation on an artist they previously reissued and downsize the track listing featured on subsequent compilation reissue. That is definitely NOT the case! RHINO Records goes to extremes to offer the FINEST QUALITY recordings in their 'reissue' programs to music fans/customers, from "remastering" to complete artwork of original albums, plus additional artist recording history/information where posssible. I'm a "Collector" of Vintage Lps/45's/Cds and have been collecting music since I was in my teens, a few decades ago. I have amassed quite a sizable collection of both Vintage Vinyl & Compact discs, numbering between 10,000 to 20,000 discs. One thing I do know, is the difference between record company labels and reissue labels, and what lies within their processing of product - believe me, I learned the hard way early on through trial and error. Before Cds came along, in the early 80's when the record 'reissue' age was beginning to really go full speed ahead, as they say, I had bought several 'reissued' of basically "out-of-print-unavailable" artist compilations on various domestic & import 'fly-by-night' reissue labels and the sound was horrific! [I felt betrayed and cheated of my hard earned $$$ and music is my ultimate love, so I've spent quite a bank's vault on it during my lifetime.] I also bought many RHINO reissues on vinyl, and was quite pleased beyond description, as I noticed the sound was perfectly well above average, even during the final years of the age of vinyl records! Little did I know then about RHINO's reissue process, but, I saw them featured a couple times on TV news magazine styled shows and did some research on Rhino Records myself. In RHINO's case, they are the ULTIMATE BEST, THE FINEST record company in the recording arts business who commit themselves to preserving mainstream and rare recordings from all genres of music for reissue when the artists' original record company no longer offers past catalogue editions or keeps them "in print" for public consumption. Too often RHINO preserves recordings better than the artists' mother label themselves! RHINO takes the ultimate PRIDE in presenting one of their reissues to the public. RHINO goes the utmost quest to locate the original master tape recordings from record company vaults & completely REMASTER them with the latest 'state of the art' technology at the time of the reissue. RHINO never uses "2nd, 3rd, 4th or umpteenth generation" tapes/metal disc 'matsers' to cut an all new reissue of a recording. It costs RHINO a good deal of money to REMASTER recordings, but, they go beyond limits to offer you the BEST, always. When you purchase a RHINO REISSUE - you are purchasing the ULTIMATE BEST in preserved SOUND! Also, once RHINO releases said product, they are only licensed by the artists' mother company to offer an initial LIMITED run of the reissue. This means, that once it's on the market, quantities are limited due to contractual licensing specifications. Now, in the case of this particular "Foreigner Definitive Collection" reissue - this is an all new edition which may appear to be downsized from RHINO's previous Foreigner reissue "JUKEBOX HEROES". Truthfully, "JUKEBOX HEROES" is "Out-of-Print" from the Rhino catalogue, and due to it's astounding sales success, RHINO obviously had to offer an all new compilation, due to demand. This also means acquiring an all new licensing rights contract from ATLANTIC RECORDS for a subsequent reissue edition - Foreigner's mother label. Keep in mind - most importantly - that RHINO is for the most part, a REISSUE company.[Yes, they also have a small stable/roster of choice artists who issue all new recordings on their private label.] They are NOT, in most cases the original record company label that the artists were signed to whom they are presenting a remastered compilation/reissued back catalogue albums, box sets, etc. RHINO leases the rights/license from the major record companies of the artists. Rhino didn't intentionally screw consumers of the extra nine tracks omitted here from "JUKEBOX HEROES", as that compilation is OUT OF PRINT...GONE FOREVER...if you can purchase a copy at some internet store, PLEASE get them while they are still out there. Once they are cut from the RHINO catalogue, they become highly collectable. Many out-of-print RHINO 2-cd set compilations are now selling for up to $100.00 if you can find them. A good case in point, for example, is the Johnny Rivers Rhino reissue from the 1990's. When it comes to "reissue/remastered" albums, I always seek out a possible RHINO RECORDS edition, because I KNOW I'm purchasing the recording in it's finest preserved state-of-the-art form, plus, I know as my ears hear, that for my money - down to the last penny, I'm acquiring the BEST available. RHINO RECORDS IS MY PREFERRED REISSUE Record company - RHINO IS THE ULTIMATE BEST! Make them yours, too!

Very pleased with the mix of old and new songs. One of the best compilation cd's I have purchased.

There really hasn't been all that much going on with rck music within the past few years. Although many acts like Styx, Chicago and R.E.O. Speedwagon have all made well-recognized greatest hits packages. Still, there are so many good records out there that still reflect the era of rock. Foreigner is definitely one of those acts. Throughout the 70's and 80's, they've brought it all the way to the top of the charts with their classic mix of rock, pop, and contemporary sounds of life and feeling, have made them a classic guilty pleasure delight. While there have been so many good records made about Foreigner, this collection has a nice expression about real Jukebox Heroes.

Foreigner's 2006 Definitive Collection is a double album showcase of Foreigner's feeling of Mick Jones, Lou Gramm and company throughout their testiment of the charts. The songs here reflect the classic mix of great tracks like Feels Like The First Time, which was recently used for a commercial for Folger's coffee, Waiting For A Girl Like You, I Want To Know What Love Is, That Was Yesterday, as well as classic rock tracks like Cold As Ice and Double Vision. The collection also reflects on Mick and Lou's solo efforts as well on Midnight Blue, and Lou's pop gem Just Between You And Me. The songs here have all been remastered very well and stretch quite gracefully. Unfortunately, the album does overlook Foreigner's last hit track, Until The End Of Time from the 1997 album Mr. Moonlight, and a few other lesser-known tracks.

All in all, Foreigner's Definitive Collection is a great collection for die hard fans of this guilty pleasure group that has been around for almost 30 years, and is sure to please. It is definitely worth a try, and absolutely worth the price, urgently.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B+

Price: B

Remastering: A-

Overall: B 1/2+