Foreigner – 4

While quite a few arena rock acts of the '70s found the transformation into the '80s quite difficult, several acts continued to flourish and enjoyed some of their biggest commercial success: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, and especially Foreigner. Foreigner's leader from the beginning has been British guitarist Mick Jones, who first broke into the music biz as a "hired gun" of sorts, appearing on recordings by George Harrison and Peter Frampton, and as part of a later-day version of hard rockers Spooky Tooth.

Rhino released a double-disc Foreigner anthology called Jukebox Heroes in 2000, so why did they release a double-disc anthology called No End in Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner a mere eight years later? Well, No End in Sight's release does tie into a new tour from Foreigner, but it also bears a significantly cheaper price point than Jukebox Heroes (the 2000 release retailed at $31.98; the 2008 release at $18.98). These are two good practical reasons for a new compilation, but there's another significant difference between the two sets: this new one focuses on Foreigner alone, cutting off the early Spooky Tooth tracks, Lou Gramm hits, and Mick Jones singles that made Jukebox Heroes comprehensive.

Released as a celebration of Foreigner's 40th birthday – its title and album were designed to evoke memories of 4, the band's biggest album – 40 is the third double-disc compilation of the group's classic years to arrive since Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology…

Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock bands in the world, racking up scores of smash hits, multi-platinum albums and sold out concert tours. From 'Cold As Ice' to 'Hot Blooded', 'Urgent' to 'Juke Box Hero' and 'Waiting for a Girl Like You'. Foreigner's thrilling mix of blustery blues and impeccably crafted pop continues to captivate generation after generation of music fans. Today, over 80 million albums later, Foreigner is an ensemble of talented musicians each adding their individual credentials to make the band stronger and more powerful than ever. Besides founding member and leader Mick Jones on lead guitar and vocals, the band s line up consists of Kelly Hansen (Ex-Hurricane) as lead singer, Tom Gimbel ( Aerosmith) on guitar, saxophone, flute, and backing vocals; Jeff Jacobs on keyboards, Jeff Pilson (Ex-Dokken, Dio and MSG) on bass; and Jason Bonham (son of Led Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham) on drums.

Over the course of their first three late-'70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journey and Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album…

Over the course of their first three late-'70s albums, Foreigner had firmly established themselves (along with Journey and Styx) as one of the top AOR bands of the era. But the band was still looking for that grand slam of a record that would push them to the very top of the heap. Released in 1981, 4 would be that album. 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 this and his perfect musical soulmate…