Customer Reviews

Dangerous Age

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album got some decent airplay in the late 1980s on rock stations; understandable, since it fit the sound of the times with that polished, melodic guitar rock sound. Certainly not the best of that genre, but pretty decent. However, it is not at all like the Paul Rodgers-era Bad Company. Brian Howe is now on vocals, and the style is totally different.

"One Night" is a solid rocker to lead off the album that got some airplay. "Shake It Up" is generic and a marginal song. "No Smoke Without A Fire" is a fine rocking song that got a lot of airplay. The title track is catchy and a lot of fun. "Rock Of America" is a good melodic anthem. "Something About You" is a nice ballad--the only one on the album.

I do like this album and its follow-up "Holy Water" of a couple of years later. (The rest of the Brian Howe Bad Company era is marginal in my book.) Just don't expect that classic sound of the '70s but simply some decent late '80s polished rock and roll.

I know I'm in the minority here, but as much as I enjoy the early Paul Rodgers albums, the late 80's/early 90's albums with Brian Howe on vocals are my favorite Bad Company releases. They were just completely slick, catchy, melodic (and yes commercial) AOR albums, and Howe's voice was perfect for that style of music. The AOR/melodic rock sound was getting its second wind (and plenty of airplay) at that time, and Howe helped Bad Company capitalize on that.

Despite the fact that Howe joined the band with 1986's Fame and Fortune, 1988's Dangerous Age is really the first Bad Company album with the new AOR sound. Gone was the bluesy, soulful sound typically associated with Bad Company. Instead the band served up ultra polished, made-for-radio commercial rock, relying on catchy melodies and Brian Howe's arena rocking voice. Now, if you hate that kind of music (and there are plenty who do), nothing I say is going to convince you otherwise. I happen to love this kind of music, and for me, Dangerous Age, Holy Water, and Here Comes Trouble are all essential albums. No Smoke Without a Fire was the hit single from this album, and the ballad Something About You should have been. The rest of the songs are hit and miss. There are some really good melodic rockers, and some obvious filler tracks.

Overall this is a solid AOR album and the start of a new age for Bad Company. The band's 1990 album Holy Water is an even better example of the new Bad Company sound.

If you're looking for a "classic" Bad Company album, this isn't it. If you're a fan of the late 80's AOR/melodic rock style, you'll definitely want to check out the Howe era Bad Company albums, and Dangerous Age is a great place to start.

Edition Notes: Wounded Bird reissued Dangerous Age in 2010. Like all of their reissues, it has not been remastered nor does it include any bonus material. If you already own a copy of Dangerous Age, there's no need to replace it.

If you are one of those people that mourns the loss of their "band" when they go and change their format through the years by becoming more mainstream and not "rockin' like they used to"......think REO Speedwagon, Aerosmith, Metallica, U2,....then this CD is NOT for you. The songs on this CD don't even sound like the same band that did "Can't Get Enough of Your Love." But, put your feelings of betrayal aside--I know it's hard, I'm still mourning the loss of the old Metallica myself--and check this out. Not the same sound but the same great guitar jammin', drum bangin', and music composin'. Keep in mind: it got A LOT of airplay went it came out.

The opening groove to "Shake It Up" is the tasty beginning to an amazing collection of late '80's hard rock from Mick Ralphs and Brain Howe. The new revamped Bad Company seemed like a joke at first. Their first album "Fame and Fortune" sounded so much like mid '80's Foreigner that the two were almost the same band. But something happened on Dangerous Age. The production got a little more raw. The sweet keyboards were gone. Replacing them were killer power chords masterfully played by Ralphs and sung to perfection by Howe. The combination along with some excellent hooks and some great AOR songwriting make this one of the most memorable products of the period. You may not like the idea of a Paul Rodgers-less Bad Co. hitting stride, but this is a winner. Check out "Shake It Up", "Bad Man", "That's The Way That It Goes" and the amazing "No Smoke Without A Fire". These tunes stick in your brain long after you hear them. This is also one of the most politically incorrect album covers in rock music history. Get this on CD and get the bonus track "excited". This album simply rocks!

This album illustrates the true talent of Mick Ralphs, which has taken a back seat to Paul Rodgers in the past.

We are confronted here with a very in-your-face incarnation of Bad Company that owes more to AC/DC than to the Paul Rodgers era;this album comes as a total surprise-great riffs,smokin'grooves,top notch vocals from Brian Howe:one helluva ride!

"No Smoke without a fire" is the best track. "One night" and "Bad Man" are good.

When 'Holy Water' went huge with radio airplay they decided to stick to a winning formula and it worked big time

the same dark bluesy performance of catchy hit songs continues here
'One Night' 'No Smoke Without A Fire' 'The Way It Goes' and my favorite 'Shake It Up' makes this a winning album

the upside - from start to finish this is one hit song after another,the songwriting is fantastic,my favorite tracks are 'Shake It Up' and 'The Way It Goes' and 'No Smoke Without A Fire'

the downside - the only small complaint is that it sounds almost identical to 'Holy Water' but it's not really a bad thing,it just shows they found their style and wanted to stick with it

the bottom line - if you love great rock and roll with catchy hooks and great lyrics,this is the album for you...donutman says so!!!

No, this is not like the soulful hard rock sounds of the Paul Rodgers fronted Bad Company. No, this is not the 1970's either.
An overhaul was needed after the album "Fame and Fortune" failed to really ignite. Despite what some might say, this incarnation and the music it produced was solid, melodic, and enjoyable.
Guitarist Mick Ralph's and drummer Simon Kirke updated the sound and swagger and it suited the late 80's and 90's to a T.
Stand out tracks: One Night, Shake it up, No smoke without a fire, Bad Man, and Dirty Boy.
Slick and overproduced, but a joy to listen to at High DB's.

the brian howe era is the best from bad company...very melodic music and this cd is not the exception...very very good, like Holy Water or Here Comes Trouble...excellent