The Hits: Unplugged (2011)


  
 

 1. Long, Long Way From Home
 2. Cold as Ice
 3. The Flame Still Burns
 4. Double Vision
 5. Fool For You Anyway
 6. Say You Will
 7. Starrider
 8. Waiting For a Girl Like You
 9. Feel's Like the First Time
 10.Jukebox Hero
 11.That's All Right

 

Another entry in the “please-don’t-forget-about-us” phase of Foreigner’s career. This one was originally part of the Feels Like the First Time box set, which also featured re-recordings of the band’s classics (Jukebox Heroes, anyone?) and, for some reason, the band thought it might be clever to strip everything down for an “unplugged” session. The result? Well… better than expected. But not by much.

Let’s be clear—going acoustic isn’t always the worst idea. For some artists, it’s a great way to reinterpret old favorites, breathe new life into the back catalog, or even win over a few new listeners. For Foreigner, though? It’s a bit of a mixed bag. The approach here isn’t terribly inventive. Most of the arrangements are more or less identical to their original electric counterparts. Only now, the power chords have been swapped for mellow acoustic strumming, the drums are replaced by polite congas, and solos are occasionally handed over to a violin. (Yes, a violin.) So, while nothing sounds bad, per se, it’s also pretty clear that very little time was spent reinventing the wheel.

That said, some of the tunes actually work quite well in this format. Fool For You Anyway makes a smooth transition, as does the perennial ballad Waiting for a Girl Like You. Starrider, which was always a bit of an oddball track anyway, feels right at home in this more mellow environment. And Say You Will—a hit from the tail end of their heyday—sounds surprisingly natural with the acoustic treatment. Even the new(ish) track The Flame Still Burns fits in reasonably well.

But then... there’s the rest of the record. And this is where things get a little awkward. Tracks like Juke Box Hero and Double Vision were meant to be loud, brash, arena-filling rockers. Hearing them reduced to campfire sing-alongs is not just underwhelming—it’s kind of uncomfortable. These songs simply weren’t built for unplugged arrangements. You can’t tame a lion and expect it to purr like a housecat.

It also raises the question of why they didn’t dig deeper into their catalog for more suitable material. Maybe something lesser-known but more naturally acoustic-leaning would have made for a better fit. But, of course, that wouldn’t sell as well. And this release—like so many in this band’s latter-day discography—exists almost entirely to remind people that Foreigner still exists.

So while this effort isn’t quite the train wreck that Jukebox Heroes was, it still lands squarely in the “for diehard fans only” category. A few nice moments, yes. But for the rest of us, the original versions are still sitting right there on the shelf—and they sound a whole lot better with the volume turned up.

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