Foreigner – Can’t Slow Down (2009/Rhino DVD/CD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: B- Extras: C Concert/Music: C+
Though
they issued some concert DVDs in between, Foreigner has not issued a new studio
album in 15 years. At the time, Lou
Gramm was back as lead singer and Mr.
Moonlight bombed so badly that it seemed like the end of the band. Gramm (for health reasons) eventually left
the band for good and though Jason Bonham joining the band as a drummer for
five years offered a new opportunity for a comeback, he was gone before Can’t Slow Down was issued, though he
plays on one song. The tracks include:
1)
Can’t Slow Down
2)
In Pieces
3)
When It Comes To Love
4)
Living In A Dream
5)
I Can’t Give Up
6)
Ready
7)
Give Me A Sign
8)
I’ll Be Home Tonight
9)
Too Late
10) Lonely
11) As Long As I Live
12) Angel Tonight
13) Fool For You Anyway
Bonham
plays on track 9, which is why it is one of the only somewhat memorable
tracks. New lead singer Kelly Hansen
takes over full vocal reigns and we have seen him before on the Alive & Rockin’ DVD, which you can
read more about here:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6212/Foreigner+%E2%80%93+Alive+&+Roc
His
vocals are less energetic here than then on both the studio album and bonus
concert DVD included in this set. If he
just picked up the pace and added more energy, this could have been a better
set, but the studio album and concert just drag too much. Unlike the band Chicago’s loss of Peter
Cetera, the loss of Gramm is a very painful absence and the chemistry that made
the band a hit is vaguely there. They
have lost their edge. Of course, Gramm
was having troubles too, as our coverage of the All Access Tonight DVD will show:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1340/Foreigner+-+All+Access+Tonight+Live
At the
time, I did not know he was in pain or having health problems, just saddened
that he had lost his ability to sing like he used to. However, this set has a second CD that offers
The Remixes. These are 10 of their
biggest hits, but changed to have more bass and less background hiss. The tracks given this treatment include:
1)
Feels Like The First Time
2)
Cold As Ice
3)
Hot Blooded
4)
Blue Morning, Blue Day
5)
Double Vision
6)
Dirty White Boy
7)
Head Games
8)
Juke Box Hero
9)
Urgent
10) I Want To know What Love Is
Those who
just want to hear the songs sound different or like muddy bass will like the
disc, while those who think it is too muddy to tampers too much with the hits
will think it is a mess. I thought it
was in interesting and at least broke the monotony of all the hits sets that
have been reissued over many years.
However, those looking for actual remixes will wonder what gives and
those who have been fortunate enough to hear the multi-channel DVD-Audio
editions (both out-of-print and not cheap to come by these days) of their
self-titled 1977 debut album and 4
(1981) will find it a sad step backwards.
Too bad some of the DVD-Audio tracks were not included on the DVD
concert disc.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the DVD has staircasing and aliasing
errors all over the place to the point of being annoying, while the Dolby
Digital 5.1 and PCM 16/48 2.0 Stereo are surprisingly compressed, limited and
disappointing. Too bad this does not
have DTS, but the original mix source seems to be part of the problem. Extras include bonus performances and a band
interview.
- Nicholas Sheffo
