Customer Reviews

Bad Company

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

This album has to be played loud! If you have neighbours or family who might complain, play it through headphones or play it in the car. But to do this album justice, don't play it quietly in the background. The drums sound particularly good on this remastered edition.

Bad Company almost defined stadium rock. Always more highly regarded in the US than in their native England, the band was formed from the remnants of Free, whom many believed had been the greatest British blues-rock band. Their final album, 'Heartbreaker' (1972), was a masterpiece whose qualities have become increasingly clear over the years. I remember my astonishment at the time that the sublime (but dead) Paul Kossoff was effectively being replaced on guitar by Mick Ralphs from the rather lightweight Mott the Hoople. And who was this Boz Burrell on bass? Which King Crimson albums had he actually played on?

It turned out that these niggles didn't matter. What held Bad Company and late Free together was the multi-talented Paul Rodgers. He didn't just have arguably the strongest voice. He also played both piano and a great guitar -- all the guitars and solos on the epic Free single 'Wishing Well', for example, are his. He continued on piano and 2nd guitar for the debut 'Bad Company', which for me is their equal best LP alongside the follow-up 'Straight Shooter'.

The title track is my favourite. It magnificently accentuates the image of outlaw drifters which their manager Peter Grant (of Led Zeppelin fame) worked hard to promote. It would seem to be the ideal soundtrack for an introspective cowboy Western, but I've yet to see the movie.

If this album has any minor flaws, or a song that isn't quite as superb as the rest, the problem can be resolved by playing this loud, or when drunk, or at any time when you want to enjoy rather than be super-critical. The high-quality production values shine through on this good-time rock CD.

The first time I ever saw this album cover, I was totally taken aback. It was 1974, and I was in 6th grade. I sat next to a girl whose brother was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and she had an 8 track tape by a rock group by the name of Bad Company. The all black album cover, with its white lettering, really caught my attention. In fact, I was even a little bit intimidated by the name and the austere look of the tape. Over the years, I've come to admire the starkness of this album cover. Give Bad Company credit, they did it long before AC/DC came up with "Back in Black." As you can probably guess, the music has the same hard edge to it.

When you buy this album, you get five well-known Bad Company hits: "Can't Get Enough," "Rock Steady," "Ready For Love," "Bad Company," and "Movin' On." That should be motive enough to buy it, as I'll usually purchase an album even if it just has two or three good songs on it. I have both the original CD, as well as the remastered one. I actually prefer the original, because it seems a little darker to me. The remastering seems to have taken just a little tiny bit of the bite out of it.

I've been a drummer for many years; let me tell you about the drumming on this album. I sat down and listened critically to all three of my Bad Company CDs, taking notes on the playing so I can improve my own abilities. This album has some very tasteful rock drumming on it. Simon Kirke does a fine job of keeping a solid rhythm, but yet also keeping it innovative. He adds some nice touches, but he doesn't overdo things. The drumming on "Straight Shooter" (1974) is a notch below this, as Kirke seems content to just keep a good solid rhythm, but without the variety. The same goes for "The Best of Bad Company Live...What You Hear Is What You Get" (1993). As far as this album goes, let's also give some credit to Simon Kirke for co-authoring the title track "Bad Company" along with Paul Rodgers. Kirke is not just a drummer, he's also a songwriter!

I like "Straight Shooter," but I differ with those who say that it is Bad Company's best work. In my opinion, this is the definitive Bad Company album. It is loaded with big hits and it has a great album cover. There is one word that sums up this album to me: IMPACT!

Sets the standard for every rock group of the 70's and 80's. Every track, ROCKS! If you're going to buy any Bad Company album start with this one! Tracks like "Rock Steady", "Ready For Love", "Can't Get Enough" and "Bad Company" say it all.

This album/cd has rocked steady for me since the mid 70's. I have worn out an album, a couple or three cassettes and now have 2 cds. One I keep in the jeep and one in the house. This is one of the BEST EVER CDs put out by any band. It's as good today as it was over 30 years ago. Listened to this in my Army days. It doesn't get any better than that, (except maybe Led Zeppelin). I am a major Led Zeppelin fan also. "Bad Company" has such a unique style of music, it will flow through the ages.

"BAD CO by Bad Company"

Bad Company (1974) is the self-titled debut album from the British rock n' roll supergroup that included vocalist Paul Rodgers (Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (Mott The Hoople), bassist Boz Burrelll (King Crimson) and drummer Simon Kirke (Free). It was the first album ever to be released on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song record label, and was a smashing critical and commercial success; it reached #1 on Billboard's pop album chart that same year.

The album is loaded with potent electric-guitar rock and classic songs like the catchy hit single Can't Get Enough and their piano-anchored renegade theme song, Bad Company.

Rebel souls...
Deserters we are called
Chose a gun
And threw away the sun

Paul Rodgers is one of the most expressive and soulful singers in rock music history, and his gutsy vocal performance here is the guiding force on hard driving R&B-flavored rockers like Rock Steady and Movin' On. The achingly yearning Ready For Love was written by Mick Ralphs and previously recorded by Mott The Hoople (it's on All The Young Dudes). Bad Company made the song an enduring classic with this heartfelt version.

All my dues surely must be paid
Many miles and many tears
Times were hard but now they're changing
You should know that I am not afraid

Bad Company isn't complicated. It's not artsy. This is bluesy and soulful working-class rock n' roll. The album was a historically significant debut and one of the true classics of the 1970s. It quietly closes with the acoustic and somber Seagull.

Seagull you fly across the horizon
Into the misty morning sun
Nobody asks you where you are going
Nobody knows where you are from

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! This is Bad Company's finest effort, by far! It's an incredible debut album by a supergroup; Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar, piano) & Simon Kirke (drums), both from Free, Mick Ralphs (lead guitar) from Mott the Hoople & Boz Burrell (bass) from King Crimson. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the album reached #1 on the charts. It's also hard to believe that there were only two singles released from this classic album, "Can't Get Enough" which peaked at #5 & "Movin' On" made it to #19 (and this last song isn't anywhere near the best from here).

The album opens with "Can't Get Enough", a classic. "Rock Steady" comes next & was another instant classic. It's hard to believe that this wasn't a hit. "Ready for Love" follows & once again we have a classic song that wasn't released as a single. These are the three best songs on the album & might be three of the best songs Bad Company ever did. "Ready for Love" was written by Mick Ralphs while he was still with Mott the Hoople. The lead singer for Mott, Ian Hunter, nixed it saying it didn't sound like a song that they would record. Hunter was probably right about that but he missed & misjudged on that decision. Then comes the ballad "Don' Let Me Down", a modest song at best. Then comes the irrepressible "Bad Company", another song that could have been a hit. "The Way I Choose" is the weakest song on the album & the only misstep here. "Movin' On" is next. The album closes with "Seagull". It's really a Paul Rodgers solo effort, he's the only person on the song.

Unfortunately, Bad Company would plummet fast from these heights. Oh, they still sold plenty of records but the quality would never be this good again. Paul Rodgers, though, has certainly been one of rock's greatest vocalists, capable of doing different things. It's just a shame that this talented group wouldn't ever release an album anywhere near this good again.

In the blur that was the 70's some things are crystal clear. One of those things was the excitement surrounding the release of Bad Company's first album. They took America by storm and immediately was a must have in everybodys collection. It was one of those rare albums that was not only listenable from start to finish but completely enjoyable too.

The whole album played so much at all the parties that to this day I have no idea which songs became charting hits! They were all hits as far as I was concerned.

Knowing full well that nobody from my generation doesn't know Bad Company or their work, unless they've been in a coma or a cave for the last 32 years, this review is probably only being perused by today's young generation that is disenchanted with todays music and wants to find out what they've missed from the past. Well, you just found a very large piece of what you missed. Yes, this was your Daddy's Rock and Roll. Millions of us fifty somethings can't all be wrong. Some of us can't remember too much is all (too many bongs).

Alot of bands from that era produced music that was dated. Happens all the time, even today. But Bad Company's music is timeless, and sounds as fresh to a newbie today as it did to us way back when. Unless you think music isn't music without synthesizers that is. Give it a whirl. You'll find your head bobbing irresistably to the beat, as well as other body parts. Your Hip Hop loving friends might not be so understanding though. It's better for all if you just keep them out of the loop...

It's hard, nearly twenty-eight years on, to remember the enormity of this album's impact in 1974. In a music scene then-dominated by progressive rock, glam rock, singer-songwriters, hard rock slash heavy metal and top forty, and rife with self-indulgence (musical and otherwise), Bad Company's debut blew in like a fresh spring breeze.

It was the perfect melding of musical talents, and armed with a strong batch of songs, Bad Company created one of the best chart-topping albums ever. 'Bad Company' was a primer on the value of economy, of soulful simplicity, of unadorned arrangements that let three instruments and one very powerful voice do the talking.

Neither the band nor the album changed the course of rock 'n roll, or served as touchstones to a burgeoning movement the way Iggy & The Stooges or the New York Dolls did, but in their way, Bad Company created an album more enduring than either of them. Were it not so well-known, it could easily be confused for one of last Tuesday's new releases.

While many critics of the day dismissed them for what were seen as chest-thumping, "I'm a man, baby" lyrics (hardly appropriate at the dawning of the age of the Sensitive Male), the utter beauty and power of this album's eight songs remain undiminished, and expose those criticisms as the nitpicking they are.

'Bad Company' is as timeless as a black turtleneck.

I just want to say that this is my favorite Bad Company album because of the
song Seagull.I don't think that there is more beautifully recorded song in
this whole world!The pure spirit of it lifts you as if you were on wing,
lifting high then shot down grace and all from life's brutal lessons.Light
and dark this will always be my favorite.