Customer Reviews

Double Vision [Expanded]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For many music acts who make a big commercial splash with their debut album, they usually fall victim to the "sophomore jinx" when they release their 2nd album (i.e. the 2nd album sells poorly, and the artist subsequently vanishes without a trace). Who knows what causes it? All *I* know is that it takes a very special 2nd album to keep the masses coming back for a second helping. The mighty rockers known as Foreigner, led by the unique, powerful voice of Lou Gramm, and the masterful guitar & vocals of Mick Jones, avoided the sophomore jinx just fine, thank you very much, with their 2nd album, 1978's "Double Vision," which sold even more copies than their self-titled debut from the previous year. It's all about quality, folks: "Double Vision" is another great album of melodic rock as only Foreigner can do it. Great stuff all over the place on this one: the classic head-bobbers "Hot Blooded," the title song, and "Blue Morning, Blue Day," and wonderful ballads like "You're All I Am," "Back Where You Belong" & "I Have Waited So Long." There's even a strong, rare Foreigner instrumental, "Tramontane," and more kick-butt numbers like "Love Has Taken It's Toll," "Lonely Children," and the awesome finale, "Spellbinder." This new version of "Double Vision" also contains a pair of cool bonus tracks: a live version of "Hot Blooded," and a live performance of a rare song, "Love Maker." Foreigner *totally* rock the house with this pair of live tracks. Featuring top-notch, catchy tunes from end to end, and performed to perfection by the band, Foreigner's "Double Vision" is an instant rock classic.

Foreigner was one of those bands that "just couldn't get no respect." Like many of their colleagues in the so-called "corporate rock" pigeon hole, the reality is that Foreigner's music is listenable when bad and tremendous when good. For their second album they came up with a great set, only outdone (arguably) by "4", which sold far better and got some grudgingly good reviews. Double Vision very quietly remains a classic of power-chord, blues-derived manrock in the Bad Company mold. But Foreigner is lent an unusually high degree of cross-gender acceptability owing to Lou Gramm's unique and expressive sandpaper vocals, and a heavier dash of keyboards than most of the contemporary competition. Foreigner's love songs (at least from '77) are full of resolve for better or worse more than trite wistfulness, and "Love Has Taken Its Toll" and "You're All I Am" both, for different reasons, ring truer than any random dozen Top 10 luv songs. The power-pop singles have that instant-classic flavor you can't resist, among which "Blue Morning Blue Day" is especially rugged, and "Hot Blooded" the acknowledged classic. Foreigner albums always have a few I-hate-dangerous-women because I-love-dangerous-women songs (e.g. "Spellbinder"). These are usually effective without offending because the characters seem real and Mr. Gramm is always saying how stupid he was and warning you male listeners to watch out for femme fatales before they getcha. Being scared of difficult (intelligent, powerful, cunning) women is very different from advocating their destruction or even their suppression, and Foreigner's being branded "misogynist" from time to time is really ridiculous if you look at what's actually being sung. "Lonely Children" is one of the more compelling kids-in-the-street fables, underpinned by another memorable and often-copied Mick Jones riff. All in all, a great rock record full of inspired singing, top production, and nary a bad tune.

Foreigner's second album in 1978 including their major hits such as HOT BLOODED, BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY, and DOUBLE VISION is an excellent example of late 70's melodic rock. They made a sensatiojal debut in 1977 and this follow-up consequently secured their status in American pop scene. In addition this album should be noted as the work that helped propell the melodic rock genre into prosperity. Their crisp, catchy, palpable pop rock style caught wide attention and eventually influenced a number of rock-stars-to-be that followed including Survivor and 38 Special. Magic of songwriting might have come from Mick Jones (an archirival of Jim Peterik) who had previously worked with top-level musicians including Gary Wright.

This album has a number of mid-tempo power ballads such as YOU ARE ALL I AM (lyrics are wonderful!) BACK WHERE YOU BELONG, LOVE HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL as well as an instrumental TRAMONTANE that alone can be the reason to buy this album.

Highly recommended for late 70's pop rock fans and Survivor, Journey, TOTO, and Kansas fans.

Foreigner took a nice step forward with their second album, Double Vision. Mick Jones knows a good hook when he hears one and the album is full of them. "Hot Blooded" has one of the chunkiest guitar riffs around and the keyboards on the title track perfectly pulsate underneath another meaty guitar hook. Although those two songs hit number three and number two respectively, the third single from the album, "Blue Morning, Blue Day" is superior to them both. With a punchy beat and a first rate Lou Gramm vocal, the song perfectly combines hard rock and pop. The album contains some other fine songs like the instrumental "Tramatone", "Spellbinder" and "Back To Where You Belong".

This was Foreigner's second album and there was no let down from the first. This is another collection of well-written rock songs. Melodies you can sing along to, guitar riffs you can play air guitar with and Lou Gramm's amazing voice. "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision" were the big hits but there honestly isn't a bad song on the CD. Even the instrumental, "Tramontane" is an excellent song, eery and haunting. They also did a nice job with their ballads, slowed them down, but still made them a rock n' roll song. A great CD.

THIS IS THE FOREIGNER ALBUM THAT YOU NEED TO OWN. MORE WELL-ROUNDED THAN 4, MORE DIVERSE THAN HEAD GAMES, THIS IS THE BAND AT THEIR BEST. "TRAMONTANE" IS A GREAT INSTRUMENTAL ROCK SONG, "SPELLBINDER" IS A SUBTLE DIG AT ALL THOSE WOMEN YOU ARE STILL TRYING TO FORGET. THROW IN THE ASSORTED SINGLES ("HOT BLOODED","DOUBLE VISION") AND THE RARELY HEARD TRACKS LIKE "LOVE HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL" AND YOU HAVE A TERRIFIC ALBUM. COMMENTS WELCOME AT nick82e@hotmail.com

This album together with "4" represent the best work that Foreigner has ever done. After a competent but not too spectacular debut album, "Double Vision" followed and represented a high point of their early 6-member line up. For starters, 2 of Foreigner's and classic rock music in general's best ever tracks are on this album: "Hot Blooded" and especially "Double Vision". The other album tracks are slightly better than your average filler material but the strength of those two monster hits alone were enough to carry the rest of this album along.

This version of the album is a treat for fans as the sound quality is very good following some good remastering work done and there are two bonus live tracks included as well. Although the mini-lp replica sleeve design isn't the best that I've seen as the cardboard used is thin and not as good as other mlps designs that I've seen e.g. the Bob Dylan and Hall & Oates mlps designs, the plus point is the very well designed booklet that's included. This 20-page booklet has an excellent essay written by Jerry McCulley and all the lyrics in both English and Japanese all on good quality paper too. The inner sleeve which houses the cd is also very well designed. Imagine just how perfect this would be if they paid the same amount of attention to the quality of the outer cardboard sleeve too. Overall, this has to be the best version of the album that is out there right now. Recommended.

As highly as I hold Foreigner's debut album, I feel they OUTDID it with this one. EVERY SONG is a winner, with "Hot Blooded", "Blue Morning, Blue Day", "Double Vision" and "Lonely Children" all being among their best rockers. They also hit the romantic ("I Have Waited So Long") the ominous ("Spellbinder") and the moody ("Tramontaine", their only instro track-- even THAT is a stand-out!). Sometimes a band does an album so good it virtually sums up their whole essense, and like Fleetwood Mac's RUMOURS, Blue Oyster Cult's SPECTRES, E.L.O.'s OUT OF THE BLUE and BOSTON's debut. For Foreigner, DOUBLE VISION was it! Definately a part of what made the late 70's great.

What could we say about this "new" Foreigner effort?
Thanks first of all to the guys at Rhino for the remastered versions of classic songs as "Hot Bloodied" "Double Vision" and "Spellbinder" and so on, then thanks again for having added some live tracks that could have been lost on a dusty shelf somehwere!
The album is a step forward from their eponymous one, a further demonstration of creativity that brought something fresh and new on the world's stage!
The live versions of "Hot Bloodied" and "Love Maker" gave me goosebumps!
These two versions, coming from two different live perfomances in different years (Hot bloodied recorded at Anaheim stadium 7-17-82, and Love Maker recorded in chicago 7-1-77), really showed what the band could be like on a stage!
Flamboyant!
If you have only the LP version, the only thing to do is,GO and get one copy now! go and get it!
You better Run!

Side One
1. Hot Blooded
2. Blue Morning, Blue Day
3. You're All I Am
4. Back Where You Belong
5. Love Has Taken Its Toll
Side Two
6. Double Vision
7. Tramontane
8. I Have Waited So Long
9. Lonely Children
10. Spellbinder