"Angel With A Dirty Face" by Lou Gramm

Born Lou Grammatico in Rochester, New York, Lou Gramm was the powerhouse vocalist behind Foreigner. He racked up plenty of top 40 smash hits through the 70s and 80s with the band, but also tried his hand at a solo career and as the vocalist for lesser known groups called Shadow King in the early 90s and Black Sheep in the early 70s.

Gramm always wanted Foreigner to rock more, which often put him at odds with his co-founding bandmate Mick Jones. Gramm got to flex those muscles a bit more on his two solo records from the 80s, but also stayed true to melody and kept more than enough power ballads in the mix.

Gramm's first solo outing arrived in 1987 with a big hit out of the gate in "Midnight Blue," which went to #5. Surprisingly, the only other charting single from this effort was the scorching rocker "Ready Or Not," which only got to #54. Gramm reunited with Foreigner to put out their successful 1987 record "Inside Information," then jumped back into solo mode.

He completed his second solo record in 1989, "Long Hard Look," which kicked off with another top 10 hit, "Just Between You And Me" (#6). Confirming his love of the word "blue," the second single, "True Blue Love," stalled at #40 and became his last chart appearance. The excellent "Angel With A Dirty Face" rocks a bit more and fooled me into thinking he'd hit the top 10 again.

"The Modern Day" by Foreigner

First invading the charts in the late 70s, the 80s belonged to Foreigner. With big hits like "Urgent" (#4), "Waiting For A Girl Like You" (#2), "I Want To Know What Love Is" (their only #1), "Say You Will" (#6), and "I Don't Want To Live Without You" (#5), this British-American group featuring Lou Gramm and Mick Jones became the 45th most successful act of the 80s.

By the late 80s, however, Gramm and Jones were dabbling in solo careers, with Gramm ultimately leaving to form the band Shadow King. He'd rejoin in 1992 to complete a handful of songs for another greatest hits compilation and the band's "Mr. Moonlight" record released in 1995. That album contained their last charting hit, "Until The End Of Time," which featured Duane Eddy on lead guitar and reached #42. Gramm would leave the group again in 2003, being replaced by Kelly Hansen from the band Hurricane.

The hits were well-deserved, but the band's back catalogue is filled with hidden gems that were overshadowed by the classics. "The Modern Day," for example, from 1979's record "Head Games," is an irresistible piece of happy pop rock. This tune is one of the few (only?) sung by Jones instead of Gramm.