Head Games (album)

Head Games is the third studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on 10 September 1979 by Atlantic Records. Recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York, with additional recording and whole mixing taking place at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, it was the only Foreigner album co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker, best known for working on Queen's classic albums. It marked the first appearance of new bass guitarist Rick Wills (formely of Jokers Wild and Small Faces) who replaced Ed Gagliardi (who was fired from the band), and was the last album with founding members Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood who would leave the band after the recording.

Head Games
Studio album by
Foreigner
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1979
RecordedJune - July 1979
Studio
GenreHard rock
Length38:12
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Foreigner chronology
Double Vision
(1978)		 Head Games
(1979)		 4
(1981)
Singles from Head Games
  1. "Dirty White Boy"
    Released: August 1979 (US)
  2. "Head Games"
    Released: October 1979 (US)
  3. "Women"
    Released: February 1980 (US)
  4. "Love on the Telephone"
    Released: February 1980 (Holland)
  5. "I'll Get Even with You"
    Released: 12 September 1980 (UK)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Cover art

The model in the photograph on the front cover is American actress and film producer Lisanne Falk.

Release

In August 1979, the release of the album was preceded by its first single, the thunderous hard rock song "Dirty White Boy", which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] The album itself continued Foreigner's popularity, climbing to number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart[5] and receiving a Platinum certification four months after it hit the stores. By now, Head Games has gained a 5x Multi-Platinum status for selling at least 5 million copies in the United States.[6] The next singles were the title track and "Women", which reached number 14 and 41, respectively.[4]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dirty White Boy"Mick Jones, Lou Gramm3:38
2."Love on the Telephone"Jones, Gramm3:18
3."Women"Jones3:24
4."I'll Get Even with You"Jones3:40
5."Seventeen"Jones, Gramm4:36
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Head Games"Gramm, Jones3:37
7."The Modern Day"Jones3:26
8."Blinded by Science"Jones4:55
9."Do What You Like"Ian McDonald, Gramm3:59
10."Rev on the Red Line"Al Greenwood, Gramm3:35
Total length:38:12
2002 Rhino Records remastered edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Zalia"McDonald, Gramm2:34
Total length:40:50

Personnel

Foreigner

Technical personnel
  • Roy Thomas Baker – producer
  • Geoff Workman – engineer
  • George Marino – mastering (at Sterling Sound, New York)
  • Ted Jensen – 1995 digital remastering (at Sterling Sound, New York)
  • Dan Hersch – 2002 digital remastering
  • Shawn R. Britton – 2013 MFSL mastering (at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Sebastopol, California)
  • Sandi Young – art direction
  • Chris Callis – front cover photo
  • David Alexander – back cover photo
  • William Coupon – booklet photos

Charts
Chart (1979-1980) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 39
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 38
US Billboard 200[5] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Hinds, Andy. Foreigner: "Head Games" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Evans, Paul (2004). "Foreigner". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (Completely Revised and Updated 4th ed.). New York: Fireside. p. 307. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. "Foreigner – Chart history". Billboard Hot 100 for Foreigner. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. "Foreigner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. "American album certifications – Foreigner – Head Games". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 January 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7866a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Foreigner – Head Games" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  9. "Charts.nz – Foreigner – Head Games". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
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