Top Artists – Foreigner

Foreigner – Double Vision

More of the Music of Foreigner

  • This vintage copy will show you just how good Foreigner’s second album can sound on vinyl, with a KILLER Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A++) side one mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side two
  • If you own the Half-Speed or any modern reissue, you won’t believe how much bigger, clearer and more energetic this pressing is
  • Keith Olsen produced and engineered – he’s the man behind the amazing sound of Buckingham/Nicks and Fleetwood Mac (1975)
  • Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these Classic Rock records – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
  • 4 stars: “Foreigner promptly followed up its blockbuster debut with the equally successful Double Vision LP in 1978, which featured the FM mega-hits ‘Hot Blooded’ and the driving title track.”
  • If you’re an Arena Rock fan, this title from 1978 is surely a Must Own

As I’m sure you know, there is a Mobile Fidelity Half-Speed Mastered version of this album currently in print, and an older one from the days when their records were pressed in Japan (052).

We haven’t played the latter in years; as I recall it was as lifeless and sucked-out in the midrange as most of the other MoFis of that period, notably The Doors (051) and Trick of the Tail (062). Is there any doubt that the new MoFi will be every bit as bad or worse? If any of our Hot Stamper customers have purchased the current release, I would be interested in hearing how you think it stacks up against this copy. (more…)

Letter of the Week – “Your Hot Stampers have changed the game for me.”

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Foreigner Available Now

One of our good customers had this to say about some Hot Stampers he purchased recently:  

Hi Tom,

Recently I purchased Double Vision by Foreigner White Hot stamper 3/3. I also have the MoFi #1-052 copy. Using your notes, I did a comparison of the two copies.

Double Vision WH stamper 3/3, absolutely mind bending on my system and every bit as described in the notes. WOW!

On the other hand, the MoFi copy is just like the rest of the early MoFi copies I have. They are nothing special!

The low end sounded like the sound was underwater! The midrange is smeared, harsh and very hard to listen to, especially at loud volumes. The high end (cymbals) were there but nothing special. The voice sounded like it was on a 2 dimensional plain. No depth or space around it. No extension from top to bottom, no space or air between the instruments. No 3-D to the voice.

If I had never listened to a Hot Stamper in my life, especially WH or NWH copies, I probably would have thought the sound was great.

However, your Hot Stampers (WH & NWH) have changed the game for me. I do have a system that will blow your mind and probably your socks off too.

The sound is absolutely awesome and mind bending and what an incredible spiritual experience!

Thx, Mike

Mike followed up the next day with this additional thought:

One thing I want to add to my comments. One of the most important aspects of the Hot Stamper vs MoFi….

Absolutely NO energy from the MoFi copy and TONS of energy from the WH stamper!

Yeah baby!

Dear Mike,

It’s amazing how many audiophiles do not seem to notice that Half-Speed mastered records almost always are seriously lacking in energy and musical drive, especially the rock titles.

What good is a compressed, lifeless Foreigner record? Their music lives and dies by how lively it is. The MoFi we played years ago was dead on arrival. Seems yours is too.

And if you start pulling out all the MoFi pressings in your collection, you are going to find that the other titles you own have a lot in common with your Foreigner MoFi — they’re guaranteed to bore you to tears.

Clear out that crap and put the money towards records that have real life in their grooves. Those are the ones we sell, but you can find your own using our shootout approach and the advice we give out here on the blog.

Thanks for writing.

Best, TP

Mike read this post and added the following the next day:

Read your blog, thank you for your feedback.

Recently I mentioned to Fred regarding the fact that I will no longer buy a vinyl pressing from anyone but you guys. He mentioned it is a common refrain from many of your best customers.

It is like a man being blind his whole life and suddenly being given sight! That is how powerful the experience is with Hot Stampers versus the boring…

Soon, I will start listing albums from my collection I purchased over the last 5 years uninformed by the machine (record companies) just how funny and crappy their records sound!

(more…)

Foreigner – 4

More Foreigner

  • Superb sound for this radio rock classic, with both sides earning solid Double Plus (A++) grades or BETTER
  • Side one was sonically very close to our Shootout Winner – you will be shocked at how big and powerful the sound is
  • It’s the impossibly rare copy that’s this lively, solid and rich… drop the needle on any track and you’ll see what we mean
  • Rockers like “Juke Box Hero” and “Urgent,” along with the heartfelt ballad “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” are guaranteed to sound better than you ever imagined or your money back
  • 4 1/2 stars: “In producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange – fresh off his massive success with AC/DC’s Back in Black – guitarist and all-around mastermind Mick Jones found both the catalyst to achieve [a grand slam of a record] and his perfect musical soulmate… All things considered, 4 remains Foreigner’s career peak.”

What’s key to the sound of Foreigner’s records?

Obviously, the big one would have to be ENERGY, a subject we discuss at length on our blog. Next would be punchy ROCK BASS, followed by clear, present vocals.

Those are the big ones, and we are happy to report that this copy had the best Foreigner sound in all three areas.

Problem Areas

Number one: Too many instruments jammed into too little space in the upper midrange. When the tonality is shifted-up, even slightly, or there is too much compression, there will be too many elements — voices, guitars, drums — vying for space in the upper area of the midrange, causing congestion and a loss of clarity.

With the more solid sounding copies, the lower mids are full and rich; above them, the next “level up” so to speak, there’s plenty of space in which to fit all the instruments comfortably, not piling them one on top of another as is so often the case. Consequently, the upper midrange area does not get stuffed and overwhelmed with musical information.

Number Two: edgy vocals, which is related to Number One above. Almost all copies have at least some edge to the vocals — the band seems to want to really belt it out in the multi-tracked choruses — but the best copies keep the edge under control, without sounding compressed, dark, dull or smeary.

(more…)

Double Vision – MoFi Reviewed

More of the Music of Foreigner

Sonic Grade: D

An Audiophile Hall of Shame pressing and another MoFi LP reviewed [decades ago] and found seriously wanting.

There is a Mobile Fidelity Half-Speed Mastered version of this album currently in print, and an older one from the days when their records were pressed in Japan (#052).

We haven’t played the latter in years; as I recall it was as lifeless and sucked-out in the midrange as many of the other famous MoFis of that period, notably The Doors (#051) and Trick of the Tail (#062). Is there any doubt that the new MoFi will be every bit as bad or worse? (more…)

Foreigner – Self-Titled

More Foreigner

More Debut Albums of Interest

  • Stunning sound for Foreigner’s debut LP, with both sides earning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • A truly superb recording with huge, powerful, dynamic sound – the Tubey Magical richness of these sides will have your jaw on the floor
  • Includes two of the biggest FM hits from 1977 – “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice” – and we guarantee you’ve never heard them with as much rock and roll energy as they have on this copy
  • 4 stars: “As pure rock craftsmanship goes, Foreigner was as good as it got in the late ’70s.”

These Nearly White Hot Stamper pressings have top-quality sound that’s often surprisingly close to our White Hots, but they sell at substantial discounts to our Shootout Winners, making them a relative bargain in the world of Hot Stampers (“relative” meaning relative considering the prices we charge). We feel you get what you pay for here at Better Records, and if ever you don’t agree, please feel free to return the record for a full refund, no questions asked.

Vintage covers for this album are hard to find in exceptionally clean shape. Most of the will have at least some amount of ringwear, seam wear and edge wear. We guarantee that the cover we supply with this Hot Stamper is at least VG

What’s key to the sound of Foreigner’s records?

Obviously, the big one would have to be ENERGY, a subject we discuss at length on our blog. Next would be punchy ROCK BASS, followed by clear, present vocals.

Those are the big ones, and we are happy to report that this copy had the best Foreigner sound in all three areas.

(more…)

Foreigner – What’s Good About the Sound of Their Albums?

Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Foreigner Available Now

Mobile Fidelity Half-Speed mastered this album back in the day when their records were pressed in Japan (#1-052).

We haven’t played it in years. As I recall it was as lifeless and sucked-out in the midrange as most of the other MoFis of that period, notably The Doors (#051) and Trick of the Tail (#062).

What’s key to the sound of Foreigner’s records?

Obviously, the big one would have to be energy, a subject we have discussed at length here on the site.

Next would be punchy bass, followed by clear, present vocals.

Those would be the big three.

But those are qualities that are almost never found on Half-Speed mastered records!

The remastering of those records usually leaves them lifeless and compressed, with sloppy bass and recessed vocals.

For some reason, audiophiles — including the audiophiles who produce them — like that sound.

We do not. In fact we can’t stand it. Which is why we will not be auditioning MoFi’s newest remastered pressing. If you are feeling adventurous (and have $30 to throw away) and want to do the shootout for yourself, please let us know how it went.

The sound of the best pressings were jumping out of our speakers. Have you ever heard a Half-Speed do that?

Almost never, and we’ve played them by the hundreds.

Foreigner – Head Games

More Foreigner

More Rock Classics

  • This outstanding copy of the band’s third album earned outstanding Double Plus (A++) grades on both sides
  • One of the better copies from our recent shootout – big, bold and lively with a punchy bottom end 
  • With plenty of energy, killer rock bass, and clear, present vocals, this pressing has all the key qualities we look for in a Foreigner record
  • 4 stars: “Foreigner continued its platinum winning streak on Head Games, the band’s third album… and the supergroup’s successes would continue well into the ’80s.”

This copy showed us just how good this album can sound — BIG, rich and ENERGETIC.

As I’m sure you know, there is a Mobile Fidelity Half-Speed Mastered version of this album currently in print and I can only imagine how terrible it sounds. If any of our Hot Stamper customers have purchased the current release, I would be interested in hearing how you think it stacks up against this copy.

What’s key to the sound of Foreigner’s records? Obviously, the big one would have to be ENERGY, a subject we have discussed at length here on the site.

Next would be punchy ROCK BASS, followed by clear, present vocals. Those would be the big three. (more…)

Foreigner – Agent Provocateur

More Foreigner

More Rock Classics

  • You’ll find outstanding Double Plus (A++) sound from first note to last on this copy of Foreigner’s fifth studio album – quiet vinyl too
  • Exceptionally open, clear, and resolving, this pressing presents the music as it was meant to be heard
  • With the band’s biggest hit single, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” this is a vital addition to any Foreigner fan’s collection
  • “It would be difficult to find a band that had more success from 1977 to 1981 than Foreigner, as all four albums released during that time frame would chart Top 5, with the album 4 becoming the band’s first Number One album… Even now, more than 30 years after [Agent Provocateur] was released, I think there are several tracks that stand up pretty well with the rest of the band’s best material… “

What to Listen For (WTLF)

Smoother and sweeter sound with less of the grit and congestion that plagues the average copy. (more…)