8
KALEIDOSCOPE
April,
1979
REVIEWS
FOREIGNER:
Start
of
something
big
by
YVETTE
LINCOLN
It
was
1976
and
future
prospects
for
Mick
Jones,
guitarist
and
vocalist,
seemed
rather
dim.
He
had
spent
the
preceding
twelve
years
playing
guitar
and
singing
for
such
groups
as
Nero
and
the
Gladiators,
Wonder-wheel,
Johnny
Hallyday
and
Leslie
West
but
he
had
always
occupied
an
unnoticed
role
in
every
group
he'd
been
in.
Instead
of
giving
up
what
looked
like
an
unprofitable
future,
Mick
Jones
visioned
a
group
in
which
he
would
be
mastermind.
He
began
to
compose
seriously
and
enlisted
several
accomplices
to
aid
him
in
creating
his
vision.
In
total
there
were
six
of
them:
keyboardist-guitarist
Ian
Mac-donald,
keyboardist
Alan
Greenwood,
vocalist
Lou
Gramm,
drummer
Dennis
Elliot,
bassist
Ed
Gag-liardi
and
Mick
Jones
himself.
Together
they
were
an
actual
group
and
as
a
result
they
became
a
success
overnight.
They
called
themselves
"Foreigner".
The
group's
debut
album,
Foreigner,
remained
in
the
top
twenty
long
after
having
been
recorded;
in
addition
songs
such
as,
"Feels
like
the
first
time'
and
"Cold
as
Ice"
reached
the
top
ten
hits
shortly
after
their
release.
Inspired
by
the
overwhelming
success
of
their
first
album,
the
group
went
on
to
produce
a
second
album
called
Double
Vision.
This
record
was
released
in
late
spring
of
1978
and
became
as
successful
as
their
first.
Every
song
on
the
album
has
its
own
special
meaning
but
the
basic
theme
featured
throughout
the
record
is
women,
love,
and
hurt
that
follows.
An
example
of
this
comes
from
the
song,
"Back
where
you
belong":
You
treat
me
like
a
fool
but
you're
so
wrong
I'm
going
to
send
you
back
where
you
belong
I
put
my
trust
in
you,
but
I
was
wrong
I'm
going
to
send
you
back
where
you
belong
.
.
I
never
had
any
doubt
in
my
mind
Now
you
have
shown
me
that
love
can
make
you
blind
.
.
.
Most
of
the
tunes
imitate
this
basic
pattern.
Other
examples
of
this
are
"Spellbinder,"
"Lonely",
"Bluemorning,
Blueday",
"I
have
waited
so
long",
"You're
all
I
am,"
and
"Love
has
taken
its
toll."
Almost
every
song
throughout
the
album
portrays
a
fear
of
being
taken
advantage
of
and
being
left
alone.
What
makes
these
songs
so
striking
is
that
they
illustrate
a
reality
that
can
be
related
to
everyday
life
and
one
can
sympathise
with
the
storyteller.
The
only
songs
which
don't
follow
this
same
route
are,
"Tramontine",
which
is
an
instrumental
and
"Double
Vision"
which
is
coincidentally
the
title
of
the
album.
A
few
lyrics
and
the
chorus
are
as
follows.
Feeling
down
and
dirty
Feelin
kind
of
mean
I've
been
from
one
to
another
extreme
It's
time
I
had
a
good
time
Ain't
got
time
to
waste
I
wanna
stick
around
till
I
can't
see
straight
Fill
my
eyes
with
that
Double
Vision
No
disguise
for
that
Double
Vision
Ooh,
when
it
gets
through
to
me
It's
always
new
to
me
My
Double
Vision
is
the
best
of
me.
The
idea
behind
this
piece
is
that
two
years
ago
Mick
Jones
had
a
vision
that
became
a
reality.
Now
the
group
has
a
second
album
which
is
their
double
vision.
With
a
little
bit
of
knowledge
of
the
group's
background
one
can
relate
to
the
song's
meaning.
It
portrays
the
real
life
struggle
of
a
few
individuals
who
wanted
to
play
well
and
make
a
name
for
themselves.
The
results
are
obvious.
Although
the
lyrics
are
a
very
important
aspect
of
the
record,
they
do
not
hold
the
album
together
alone.
The
listener
must
remember
that
the
music
itself
has
the
final
impact
and
without
its
powerful
and
distinct
tunes
the
words
would
mean
nothing.
The
group
has
come
to
a
strong
realization
of
this
and
the
music
and
lyrics
have
been
kept
in
harmony.
Foreigner
looks
like
a
strong
contender
in
the
music
world
but
they
have
yet
to
prove
themselves
capable
of
sustaining
the
success
they've
had
so
far.
As
time
goes
by
one
hopes
that
success
does
not
rob
"them
of
the
qualities
that
they
already
have
and
that
they
need
to
continue
down
the
long
and
shakey
road
of
fame.
MY
OWN
WAY
TO
ROCK:
a
masterpiece
by
LEONA
MATTE
The
former
leader
of
the
late
"Guess
Who"
has
made
it
magnificently
on
his
own,
which
is
quite
obviously
apparent
in
his
success
as
an
individual
performer.
As
well
as
being
one
of
Canada's
top
rock'in
roll-pop
male
vocalists,
his
unique
down-to-earth,
rock
style
has
also
earned
him
a
reputable
position
in
the
music
scene.
across
the
border.
Burton
Cummings'
combination
of
rock'n
roll,
soul,
jazz,
and
honky-tonk
sound,
creates
a
magnetic
style
which
infiltrates
his
music
from
his
slow
sensual
love
songs
to
the
rowdy,
bold,
swinging
rock'n
roll
which
makes
him
so
original.
My
Own
Way
To
Rock
is
a
clever
combination
of
his
styles,
with
the
emphasis
on
bawdy,
down-to-earth
rock,
and
relatively
simple
lyrics
of
encounters
with
women,
girlfriends,
'groupies',
the
law,
and
just
everyday
experiences.
Cummings'
mastery
over
the
piano,
which
tinkles
and
rolls
throughout
all
his
songs
alone
creates
a
unique
influence
of
honky-tonk
in
the
songs
sometimes
as
the
ac-companier
and
sometimes
as
the
driving
spirit
behind
the
swaggering,
carefree
music.
Cummings'
former
partner
from
the
"Guess
Who",
Randy
Bachmann,
has
combined
with
Cummings
in
some
of
the
songs
and
his
talent
as
an
electric
guitarist
comes
through
in
the
powerfully,
intensive,
rock'n
roll
instrumentals.
The
album
excellently
displays
Cummings
and
his
groups
talents
and
capabilities
for
playing
a
strong,
alluring
rock
that
has
the
power
to
totally
absorb
one's
body
and
mind.
This
style
abounds
from
"My
Own
Way
to
Rock",
which
combines
potent
rock'n
roll
with
the
swaggering
tenor
saxophone,
while
Cummings
bellows
out
the
simple,
care-free
lyrics
of
a
guy
who
loves
to
rock'n
roll
in
between
girlfriends.
"Come
on
By",
written
by
Bob
Seger,
is
perhaps
one
of
the
most
open
and
honest
songs
about
the
'groupie'
scene
of
bands
using
the
adoring
female
fans
for
a
'good
time',
which
is
summed
up
in
"Your
Mama
won't
know
so
your
Mama
won't
mind."
The
cheap
relationships
of
repeated
one-night
stands
comes
across
well
in
the
subtly,
aggressive,
yet
honest
suggestions
of
the
propositioning
lyrics.
"Never
Had
a
Lady
Before"
a
loud,
fast,
swinging
number,
is
the
confession
of
a
man
who
reveals
his
excited
emotions
of
having
for
the
first
time
a
real
lady
as
a
lover.
Cummings'
various
encounters
with
the
law
inspire
his
damning
and
enranged
ballad,
"Framed",
in
which
"I
never
do
nothin
...
but
I
always
get
blamed."
On
the
other
side
of
the
scale,
to
balance
the
swinging
rock,
is
"Timeless
Love"
a
beautiful
love
ballad
to
a
lover
gone
away.
The
music
is
soft
and
sensual,
with
a
strange
com
bination
of
vocal
harmonies.
The
lyrics
depict
the
sad
state
of
a
man
possessed
with
a
broken
love
a
'timeless
love.'
I'll
sing
about
you
in
the
morning
sun
And
I'll
sing
about
you
when
my
music's
all
done.
Then
I'll
smile,
cause
it
feels
good
even
Missin'
ya.
"A
Song
For
Him"
is
a
sensitive
and
compassionate
ode
to
a
lifetime
friend
that
seems
to
flow
off
the
keys
of
the
piano
in
a
calming,
yet
earnest
melody.
The
sentimental
lyrics
reveal
to
the
full
the
serious
and
deeply
sensitive
composer
in
Burton
Cummings.
MY
OWN
WAY
TO
ROCK
is
certainly
a
dedication
and
a
tribute
to
iock,
and
completely
displays
Cummings'
musical
capabilities
for
creating
a
rock'n
roll-pop
style
that
abounds
with
a
magnetic
vitality.
BOSTON:
New
rock
band,
old
rock
ideas
by
JOHN
M.
BURKE
BOSTON,
the
electrifying,
crowd-moving
power
house,
after
only
two
years
is
considered
by
most
rock
lovers
to
be
one
of
the
few
recent
rock
bands
that
is
continuing
old
rock
traditions
with
new
and
original
sounds.
Like
most
rock
bands
they
started
at
the
bottom
and
like
a
dream
became
an
overnight
success,
overnight
being
the
only
word
that
describes
what
happened.
The
band
was
given
four
to
five
days,
after
their
first
record
was
released,
to
start
a
six
month
tour,
which,
inci-dently,
took
them
to
over
one
million
fans
in
forty
different
cities.,
This,
of
course,
was
a
surprise
to
R.
L.
Barry
Goudreau,
Sib
Hashian,
Fran
Sheehan,
Tom
Schalz
and
Brad
Delp,
who
are
members
of
the
band.
BOSTON
is
responsible
for
the
creation
and
release
of
two
albums
in
the
last
two
years,
Don't
Look
Back
and
Boston.
The
quality
of
the
records
and
sound
balance
are
good.
This
is
to
be
expected
since
the
records
were
produced
by
one
of
the
leading
record
companies
in
the
world,
Columbia.
The
music
and
lyrics
produce
an
easy
going
atmosphere,
which,
in
turn,
creates
a
feeling
of
enjoyment
and
have
a
good
time
(party
music).
This
easy
listening,
good
flowing
characteristic
is
what
I
relate
to
as
being
the
basic
rock
tradition.
BOSTON
has
music
and
lyrics
that
produce
images
and
impressions
such
as
love
is
beautiful,
the
world
is
round
and
everybody
cares.
BOSTON
is
a
five
piece
band
consisting
of
a
bass
player,
rhythm,
lead,
keyboard
player
and
drummer.
Technically
the
majority
of
their
music
is
difficult
especially
to
copy
because
they
have
a
unique
distortion
style
which
is
characteristic
of
the
group's
music.
This
distortion
is
powerful,
rhythm
creating
and
yet
it
is
not
blurred
or
muddy.
It
is
best
described
by
the
word
controlled.
The
song
that
I
think
best
portrays
the
style
of
BOSTON
is
LONG
TIME,
which
shows
their
technical
professionalism,
variety
and
control.
The
use
of
distortion
and
feedback
are
executed
to
peak
efficiency
in
this
song.
Other
songs
such
as
MORE
THAN
A
FEELING,
PEACE
OF
MIND
and
HITCH
A
RIDE
are
also
typical
of
the
group.
On
the
whole
BOSTON
is
original
and
professional
and
does
not
use
freaky
make-up
jobs
to
impress
an
audience'
they
simply
play
their
songs.
This
is
proved
by
their
record
sales
which
have
now
exceeded
two
million
copies.
This
is
an
average
of
one
million
per
year
and
to
the
members
of
the
band
it
is
simply
a
dream
come
true.