ROCK MOMENT Foreigner – Head Games
Milk crates full of vinyl, a box or 27 full of cassette tapes and more CD’s than anyone could imagine. Bands of so many genres. One of my favorites for decades, a band that I always want to see live when they come to town is Foreigner.
One of my favorite albums is Head Games. So many great songs.
When Foreigner entered Atlantic Studios in early 1979 to begin work on Head Games, the band found themselves at a crossroads. Their first two albums had gone multi-platinum, but the constant touring had created pressure—and that energy seeped into the recording process. Working with producer Roy Thomas Baker, known for his booming, layered approach with Queen and The Cars, Foreigner wanted a leaner, tougher sound. Mick Jones later said they aimed for something “more stripped-down, more street,” moving away from the more polished textures of Double Vision.
Baker’s method of stacking vocal harmonies and driving the guitars forward gave the album its distinct punch. Lou Gramm’s vocals were recorded with extra aggression, often in late-night sessions where his voice carried the rawness the band felt at the time. The recording environment was intense but productive, and by summer 1979, the band had captured one of their most hard-edged records.
The album produced several standout hits. ‘Dirty White Boy,’ a gritty rocker with a contagious riff, became a Top 20 single and a concert staple. The title track ‘Head Games’ followed, climbing the charts with its urgent rhythm and Gramm’s emotionally charged performance. ‘Love on the Telephone,’ though not as commercially dominant, received heavy airplay and became a favorite among fans for its melodic strength. And then, there’s ‘Seventeen’, Rev On The Red Line’, & ‘Love On The Telephone’.
But it was the album cover that sparked as much conversation as the music. Shot by photographer David Alexander, the cover featured teenage model Lisanne Falk in a men’s restroom, wiping graffiti from a stall. The concept was meant to visualize emotional turmoil—playing “head games.” The setting was intentionally gritty and claustrophobic, aligning with the album’s themes. Some retailers found it too provocative, masking it with sleeves, but the controversy only made it more iconic.
Head Games ultimately went platinum and solidified Foreigner as one of rock’s major forces heading into the 1980s—bold in sound, bold in imagery, and unafraid to push boundaries.
I need to dig out my cassette tape. I’m sure it won’t play anymore. Maybe I can put it in a shadowbox and hang it on the wall.
