Bad Company - Bad Company (1974)
Bad Company - Bad Company (1974)
Biography by Jason Ankeny
Formed in 1973, the British hard rock outfit Bad Company was a supergroup comprised of ex-King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, both previous members of Free. Powered by Rodgers' muscular vocals and Ralphs' blues-based guitar work, Bad Company was the first group signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song vanity label. Bad Company's eponymous 1974 debut was an international hit, topping the U.S. album charts and scoring with the number one single "Can't Get Enough of Your Love."
Straight Shooter, issued the following year, was another major success, notching the hit "Feel Like Makin' Love," while 1976's Run With the Pack was Bad Company's third consecutive million-selling record. After 1977's Burnin' Sky, Bad Company recorded 1979's Desolation Angels, which embellished the group's sound with synthesizers and strings; a three-year hiatus followed before the release of Rough Diamonds, the group's final LP in its original incarnation.
In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke resurrected the Bad Company name, enlisting former Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe to replace Rodgers. The reconfigured unit's debut, Fame & Fortune, was a commercial failure, but 1988's Dangerous Age became a minor hit. Released in 1990, Holy Water fared even better, as the power ballad "If You Needed Somebody" became a Top 20 success. Here Comes Trouble, issued in 1992, achieved platinum status, and earned another Top 40 hit with "How About That." On their 20th anniversary, Bad Company expanded into a quintet with the addition of bassist Rick Wills and rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell, and released the live retrospective The Best of Bad Company Live...What You Hear Is What You Get.
Two more LPs -- 1995's The Company of Strangers and the next year's Stories Told and Untold -- followed, and in 1998 the original lineup of Rodgers, Ralphs, Kirke, and Burrell reunited to record a handful of new tracks that surfaced alongside past material early the following year on The Original Bad Company Anthology.
"Bad Company's self-titled 1974 debut release was the first album to come out on the Swan Song label other than Led Zeppelin. Fortunately it proved to be one of the better debut albums of the decade representing good old fashioned back to the basics rock 'n' roll. "Can't Get Enough" with its catchy guitar lick was the big hit off of the album, but my fav track is still the moody title track (i.e., "Bad Company" off of Bad Company's "Bad Company" album). Bad Company was a supergroup, with singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke coming from Free, guitarist Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople, and Boz Burrell from King Crimson and having more success than all of those groups put together with this first album. Following the Led Zeppelin model, strong vocalist Rodgers and blues-based guitarist Ralphs provide the heart and soul of the music, giving Bad Company its signature sound. Meanwhile, do you think AC/DC got their idea for the cover of "Back in Black" from this one? Unfortunately it was all downhill for the group from this first effort, with "Straight Shooter" being a step down and "Run with the Pack" continuing the slide. If you pick up their hits collection "10 from 6" (which ignores one of the first six albums anyhow) you will get the four best tracks from this one, which is the only album from Bad Company that really stands alone." (amazon.com)
Tracklist:
1. Can't Get Enough 4:14
2. Rock Steady 3:45
3. Ready For Love 4:59
4. Don't Let Me Down 4:19
5. Bad Company 4:47
6. The Way I Choose 5:03
7. Movin' On 3:20
8. Seagull
Bad Company - The Original Bad Company Anthology (1999)
This two-disc set features most of their best songs, plus worthy outtakes.
This retrospective includes all of the essential Bad Company hits from the original band's 1970's heyday, plus unreleased material and four new tracks recorded in 1998.
Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Can't Get Enough 4:16
2. Rock Steady 3:47
3. Ready For Love 5:00
4. Bad Company 4:47
5. Movin' On (Single Mix) 3:22
6. Seagull 4:03
7. Superstar Woman (Original Unused Track) 5:05
8. Little Miss Fortune (Single Mix) 3:53
9. Good Lovin' Gone Bad 3:36
10. Feel Like Makin' Love 5:14
11. Shooting Star 6:16
12. Deal With The Preacher 5:02
13. Wild Fire Woman 4:35
14. Easy On My Soul (Single Mix) 4:12
15. Whiskey Bottle (Single Mix) 3:45
Disc 2
1. Honey Child 3:18
2. Run With The Pack 5:22
3. Silver, Blue And Gold 5:04
4. Do Right By Your Woman 2:52
5. Burnin' Sky 5:02
6. Heartbeat 2:37
7. Too Bad 3:53
8. Smokin' 45 3:33
9. Rock And Roll Fantasy 3:19
10. Evil Wind 4:22
11. Oh Atlanta 4:09
12. Rhythm Machine 3:45
13. Untie The Knot 4:09
14. Downhill Ryder 4:14
15. Tracking Down A Runaway 3:40
16. Ain't It Good 3:07
17. Hammer Of Love 5:23
18. Hey, Hey 2:48