When
Foreigner played a sold-out show at London's Rainbow Theatre in April of 1978, they were riding high. Their self-titled debut album from the previous year was a huge hit and had spawned many hit singles, they spent almost a year touring increasingly larger arenas, and had a second album in the can that would go on to top their first in most regards. This long-buried, almost pristine recording captures a swaggering, almost heroic set made by young dudes riding the rocket of success and loving every minute. Vocalist
Lou Gramm sounds as pleased as punch with the reception the band is getting, and his confidence seems to grow song after song; the rest of the band play with swashbuckling fire and also seem to be having a blast. They run through their big hits like "Long Long Way from Home," "Cold as Ice," and "Feels Like the First Time"; take time out for ballads ("Woman Oh Woman," "Fool for You Anyway"); and preview some future classics from their soon-to-be-released
Double Vision album. The audience goes wild for both "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision," which makes sense since they are great songs and the band deliver knockout versions of them here. The whole night sounds like an amazing slice of late-'70s AOR magic that should have been released much sooner. Luckily, Rhino decided it was time and, after remastering the tracks from the film that was made of the night, made this treat available for the first time. It's an exciting, invigorating slice of late-'70s rock & roll that's untouched by punk, too rowdy to be corporate, and a blast from start to finish. ~ Tim Sendra