Foreigner will revisit the pivotal 1979 album Head Games with a newly remixed and remastered Super Deluxe Edition featuring unreleased recordings, a complete 1979 concert and Dolby Atmos audio.
by Paul Cashmere
Foreigner will release an expanded Super Deluxe Edition of Head Games on October 30, 2026, extending the band’s 50th anniversary catalogue campaign with a new stereo remix of its 1979 third album, previously unreleased studio material, alternate versions, a complete concert from the Head Games tour and a Dolby Atmos presentation.
The collection follows last year’s expanded edition of Foreigner 4 and occupies an important position in the band’s early catalogue. Head Games was released in September 1979, between 1978’s Double Vision and 1981’s Foreigner 4, documenting the group at a transitional point before its commercial peak.
The new edition has been overseen by bassist Jeff Pilson and longtime production collaborator Wyn Davis. The CD and Blu-ray package will include the original 10-track album in a new stereo remix, a second disc of outtakes and alternate versions, and a previously unreleased live recording from Rochester, New York, captured on October 27, 1979. The Blu-ray also contains Dolby Atmos and stereo versions of the remixed studio album.
The principal new studio discovery is “Trouble”, recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York during the Head Games sessions in May 1979. The recording was originally co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and has now been remixed for commercial release. Peter Frampton, a longtime friend of Mick Jones, contributes a newly added guitar part.
“Trouble” is also being issued as a limited 7-inch single with “Zalia”, another non-album recording associated with the Head Games period. The single is available digitally, while the physical edition is being offered through direct-to-consumer channels.
Head Games was recorded in New York and Los Angeles and represented another rapid step in Foreigner’s development following the success of the band’s 1977 debut and Double Vision. The album introduced bassist Rick Wills to the lineup, replacing Ed Gagliardi, while founding members Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood would subsequently leave the band. It was also the final Foreigner album to feature Jones as a lead vocalist, with his performance on “The Modern Day”.
The original lineup on Head Games comprised Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, Al Greenwood, Rick Wills and Dennis Elliott. The album was produced by Jones, McDonald and Baker, whose association with Queen had established him as one of the leading studio producers of the period.
Commercially, Head Games reached No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified five-times platinum in the United States. “Dirty White Boy” became a Top 20 US single, while “Head Games” and “Women” also charted. The album’s performance maintained Foreigner’s momentum before the substantially larger commercial breakthrough that followed with Foreigner 4.
The chronology is significant. Double Vision had established Foreigner as a major album-rock act only a year after the debut. Head Games retained that momentum while reshaping the personnel, songwriting and production team. Foreigner 4 then followed in 1981 with “Urgent”, “Waiting For A Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero”, taking the band’s profile to another level.
The new Super Deluxe Edition places the original album within that progression while providing material from the sessions and the band’s live performance at the end of the 1979 touring cycle. The Rochester recording includes songs from across Foreigner’s first three albums, offering a document of the group before its next major transformation.
A new essay by music journalist and author Ken Sharp is also included, providing additional documentation of the album’s creation and place in Foreigner’s catalogue. The release will be available on 3CD and Blu-ray, standalone black vinyl, digital formats and Dolby Atmos configurations.
For listeners following Foreigner’s catalogue chronologically, Head Games remains the bridge between the breakthrough established by Double Vision and the larger international success of Foreigner 4. The expanded edition adds studio and stage material to that historical record while presenting the 1979 album in newly remixed formats.
Head Games Super Deluxe Tracklisting
Disc 1: Head Games 2026 Stereo Re-Mix
Dirty White Boy
Love On The Telephone
Women
I’ll Get Even With You
Seventeen
Head Games
The Modern Day
Blinded By Science
Do What You Like
Rev On The Red Line
Disc 2: Outtakes, Rough Mixes & Alternative Versions
Trouble (2026 Remix Featuring Peter Frampton)
Zalia (2026 Remix)
Love On The Telephone (Aka Slip Away)
Zalia
Happy Hour With Al
Rev On The Red Line (Early Version)
Rev On The Red Line (Complete With Lead Vocals)
Blinded By Science (Complete With Edit)
Head Games (Early Version)
Dirty White Boy (Early Version)
Rev On The Red Line (Aka Go Down)
Blinded By Science (Alternate Take)
Seventeen (Early Mix)
I’ll Get Even With You (Aka Low Blow)
I Want You II (Take 35)
The Modern Day (Aka If I Don’t Have You)
Disc 3: Head Games Tour 1979, Live At Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY, October 27, 1979
Long, Long Way From Home
Blue Morning, Blue Day
I’ll Get Even With You
Head Games
I Need You
The Modern Day
Women
Cold As Ice
Feels Like The First Time
Dirty White Boy
Starrider
Double Vision
Love On The Telephone
Headknocker
Hot Blooded
Disc 4: Blu-ray Audio
Atmos Mix
Dirty White Boy
Love On The Telephone
Women
I’ll Get Even With You
Seventeen
Head Games
The Modern Day
Blinded By Science
Do What You Like
Rev On The Red Line
2026 Stereo Remix
Dirty White Boy
Love On The Telephone
Women
I’ll Get Even With You
Seventeen
Head Games
The Modern Day
Blinded By Science
Do What You Like
Rev On The Red Line
Bonus Track
Trouble (2026 Remix Featuring Peter Frampton)
Head Games Super Deluxe Edition will be released October 30, 2026 on 3CD and Blu-ray, with black vinyl and digital editions also available.
“Trouble” is available digitally, with a limited 7-inch single pairing the recording with “Zalia”.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
