Invading the United States with a kickoff concert at a well respected Washington nightclub now gone, Foreigner was a band trapped between metal and pop in the mid 1970s. The group’s self-titled debut album soared up the charts, spawning multiple FM radio-friendly hits while competing against the beginnings of disco and light pop from acts such as The Captain and Tennille.
More albums followed, and the band, led by British songwriter-producer Mick Jones and Robert Plant-wannabe Lou Gramm, quickly joined Styx, REO Speedwagon and Kansas in the new power pop subgenre that formed around
a light rock sound that was still accessible to mainstream audiences and carried none of metal’s baggage. After one final monster hit, I Want To Know What Love Is, the group’s best-selling efforts ended, but they continue touring and working on projects today.