Customer Reviews

The Best Of Bad Company Live: What You Hear Is What You Get

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A misnomer is what you're getting here. Paul Rodgers put the "Bad" in Bad Co. with his earthbound, grit-rimmed vocals and climactic lyrical ad-libbing, but once replaced (and I use that term VERY loosely) by pedestrian singer Brian Howe, their shooting star fizzled. This concert cash-in on hits old and new is also minus the rock-steady bottom of bassist Boz Burrell, but Rodgers is the key omission. Better to check out the recent live Bad Co. offering MERCHANTS OF COOL, still featuring only half the original members, but at least one is ex-Free wailer Rodgers. On WHAT YOU HEAR IS WHAT YOU GET, early Bad Co. classics FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE and ROCK 'N ROLL FANTASY still rule over latter day fluff HOW ABOUT THAT and NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE, demonstrating how their songwriting also suffered after Paul's exit. As far as classic rock is concerned, this lifeless concert attempt will put you in pretty bad company.

RATING: TWO THUDS

There is a funny thing about this incarnation of Bad Co. While songs like "Holy Water" sound great, just like the studio versions, songs like "Bad Co." sound like a BAD COVER band trying to play Bad Co. I saw Bad Co 5 times between Dangerous Age and Holy Water and while the shows were great, the original songs were NOT up to par (original meaning Paul Roger songs). Paul is back!

Howe's voice sears through the grit of rigorous touring and burns the deaf ears of his critics leaving a smoking testament to his long stint as Bad Company's "master of ceremonies". The stand out tracks are the soulful, serpentine "Ready For Love" and the heartfelt "If You Needed Somebody". Mick Ralphs is in fine form, flexing his black & blue guitar muscle on tough rockers like "No Smoke Without A Fire" and the ever classic "Feel Like Makin' Love". Newer members, Bucket & Rick Wills, turn in solid performances, providing sturdy support for their front men. Simon Kirke whips along, nearly effortlessly, but stumbles a bit on the unimaginative "Fist Full of Blisters". His punchy grooves and country fried swing are flawless in the context of the songs but a drum solo was an unfortunate waste of 4 minutes. This live set would have been better served by the inclusion of "Electric Land", the long ignored but fierce "Fame & Fortune", or perhaps the rarely aired gem "Gone, Gone, Gone". All in all, this is an excellent recording that makes no excuses for it's rough edges, hence it's title. Howe's most impressive vocal theatrics, still don't match the magic of Paul Rodgers (sorely missed, also, are Rodgers' piano contributions), but here we see his voice starting to mature, at least in terms of control and range. Check out show closer "Bad Company" for proof. The more recent material faired well here, not because of it's musical strength, but because Brian Howe drove it home. Play this loud, in your car, on a summer night, and you will not be disappointed. This line up was great and their work makes up a considerable portion of Bad Company's catalog. Their mark was made here, where it counts, on stage.

Having seen Bad company live, I knew sort of what to expect from this cd, they put on a good show, with good clean sound, but not a lot of action on stage. One would think that the sound would come across on to cd. But it did not. This cd is dull. All songs are honest to the original versions, but they never come across as anything more than a different recording of the orginal. Stick with their studio recordings.

By the time this CD was released,vocalist Brian Howe had been with the band for eight(8)years so it's a bit easier to at least 'sort of' accept Bad Company the way they are.I saw Howe with Bad Co. twice and this is pretty much a typical live album.More recent tracks here include "How About That","Here Comes Trouble","Take This Town" and "If You Needed Somebody".For some reason,these tunes seem to grow on you,probably because guitarist Mick Ralphs is STILL able to pen out good songs.The older/vintage Bad Co. cuts are nicely done,considering.Like "Ready For Love","Rock&Roll Fantasy","Shooting Star",their signature love song "Feel Like Making Love"(show me a female that doesn't like this song),"Movin' On","Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and "Can't Get Enough".My only complaint is that "Shake It Up" isn't on here.Nice cover,though.

This is a great live album which showcases the best of both eras of Bad Company. Brian Howe is a great singer who takes both early songs and newer material and makes them his own. A fine performance that left me wanting more. The band is in fine form and really show some of those latter day "pretenders" how real rock should be played.... with conviction. Great versions of Ready for Love, Good Lovin' gone Bad, Can't Get Enough and Bad Company round off a great live album that makes you wish you were there. Do yourself a favour and listen to this album. Any lover of classic rock wont be disappointed. Rock on Bad Company!

I really wanted to rave about this album as I reckon that Brian Howe has had to put up with a lot of flak for not sounding the same as Paul Rodgers (who could?).

However I'm the first to admit that his voice in the live situation struggles to live up to the standard he's set himself on the studio albums.

As the line up was going through a bit of a rough patch maybe he didn't get the best of the mix that he may have if the band were staying together as a unit.

That said it does feature some great songs from both the Rodgers and Howe eras and some of Mick Ralphs guitar work is spot on for a live performance.

One for fans of the band to add to their collection, but not an out and out stunner I'm afraid.

...if you only want to hear Bad Co. with Paul Rodgers then this disc isn't for you. If you don't mind hearing another vocalist with the band then
you might actually like this disc. The disc isn't bad but it all depends on your loyalty to Rodgers, simple as that.

Excellent cd for those of us from "back in the day." I bought this one for my husband for Christmas and he loves it!

I picked this up a little while ago, not realizing Paul Rodgers was not in the band. On the jacket it says this performane is "a true live recording", in other words, no re-done parts or overdubs, everything you hear is exactly as it was performed. With that in mind, seldom have a heard such a nicely produced and well-played live recording. Only Pink Floyd comes close to this quality (and who knows if they re-do or overdub). If you like Brian Howe, this album is excellent. But I think it's almost too good - I preferred the edgier BadCo w/Paul Rodgers so this gets 4 stars, otherwise 5. Seriously, if you take out the crowd, this would sound like a studio album.