Customer Reviews

Firm

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this album a couple years after it was released and I learned it contained the classic "Satisfaction Guaranteed".

As I've been a long-time Zeppelin and Bad Company fan, it should come as no surprise that I consider this (along with the follow-up "Mean Business") to be one of my favorite albums. There's just something about Page's guitar work combined with Rodgers vocals that I never tire of hearing.

I don't know why people have bashed this collaboration. Granted, not every song is a "hit" and some riffs *are* borrowed, but the tracks are anything but formulaic. Given that Page brought the passionate, nine-minute "Midnight Moonlight" to the table, and Rodgers reportedly wrote the toe-tapping, rock-radio-friendly "Radioactive"...the album is a true sampling of each artist's style, and I think that makes it a good (if not great) album.

I'm not one for nostalgia, so the cover of "You've lost that lovin' feeling" is my least favorite track. That song is so Been there, done that...a million times over. Given the talents involved, I always wondered why they bothered to waste studio time on this.

Out of the hundreds of CDs I've bought over the years, this one is still in regular "rotation" through my players, which I think is a testament to its staying power and the talents of all involved. If you want to sample the power of Page and Rodgers, "The Firm" is highly recommended.

When announced that Paul Rodgers of Bad Company and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin (Swansong's 2 biggest superstars) were forming an all-star rock group entitled "The Firm", the rock fans were extremely eager to hear what these 2 brilliant musicians would produce. Critics and alot of hardcore fans of Led/Company were mostly disappointed. But you would be disappointed mainly if you were looking for a sound somewhat rebirthing Led/Company. But from a mainstream point of view, this was an excellent rock deliver because every song (including and edited version of Midnight Moonlight) sounds like you could hear it on the radio at any time. I personally think this album sounds more Bad Company, but I can hear somewhat Led Zeppelin screaming out of the music.

Short Summary of each song:
Closer - Excellent and really funky starting at 1:38 and carrying on for 10 more seconds.
Make Or Break - Riff is dragged on throughout song, but still is good.
Someone To Love - Team of Franklin/Slade bring this one out.
Together - Page/Rodgers' lyrics could have been better. Chorus is excellent.
Radioactive - My all time favorite song due to Rodgers' overall work on this weird masterpiece.
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Very unnecessary but very worthy cover.
Money Can't Buy - Firm's darkest song but keyboards, vocals, and guitar solo dominate.
Satisfaction Guaranteed - Excellent song in every way. Borderline love ballad.
Midnight Moonlight - The Firm's "Stairway To Heaven"...Glad Page brought this along with him.

I give this 5 stars because in mainstream, this is one of the best classic rock albums ever...and also forgotten.

Being a big Zepplin fan I bought this album when it came out - I prefer it to the second album which to me sounds more popish. The musicians all have chops which is the most interesting thing about it for me. Tony Franklin plays like a fusion player which makes him more interesting, or at least more upfront than most rock bassists. The drums are driving but interesting rhythms. Page plays restrained/tasty/smoltering guitar. I was never a Bad Company fan but I liked Paul Rodgers on this album. The album has some 80s upbeat influence.

This is good stuff - worth 3 very strong stars! Paul Rodgers (ex Free, ex Bad Company) has one of the best voices in the business. The rest of the band are Jimmy Page (ex Led Zeppelin), Tony Franklin (later to join John Sykes' Blue Murder), and Chris Slade who became AC/DC's drummer later on. The music can be described as a hybrid between Bad Company and Led Zeppelin. Outstanding songs are: "Radioactive", "Closer", "Midnight moonlight" and a good version of "You've lost that loving feeling".

Rodgers went on after a follow up album: "Mean business", and formed a band (?) called The Law. They released a self titled album (before they quit) that is equally good as this one by The Firm. You might find The Law difficult to get, but keep on looking - it's a gem!

My experience with musicians that create new sound and songs pursue it for their own satisfaction. Once a sound is created many can copy it but finding that sound is the work. Maybe the listeners circa 1980's found the Firms sound not what they expected. When I combine the music offered to me from that generation I find this album stands above many. I wish the "Bad Company and Led Zeppelin" sound could go on forever with new material offered every couple years but that wasn't meant to be. Thank God for Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. It just takes the right combination of individuals to bring a sound back with new material. Listen to the Allman Brothers lately? Fantastic recreation!
I accept this album for it's time capsule sound and I enjoy a break once in a while from the 21st century.

I felt compelled to review this album because I truly believe that a lot of rock n roll fans are missing out on good, good album. It is worth buying to hear the fantastic interplay of Jimmy Page and Tony Franklin, but also worthwhile to hear one of the great (and probably underrated) blues/rock n roll singers of any generation.

There is just something about the tone of Pagey's guitar on both of The Firm albums that gives me the quivers. He has the tone of legends and just like Robert Plant once said, "plays a little left of heaven". In the end this is a solid album from a very talented band and I thank all involved for the music!!

Being a big Zepplin fan I bought this album when it came out - I prefer it to the second album which to me sounds more popish. The musicians all have chops which is the most interesting thing about it for me. Tony Franklin plays like a fusion player which makes him more interesting, or at least more upfront than most rock bassists. The drums are driving but interesting rhythms. Page plays restrained/tasty/smoltering guitar. I was never a Bad Company fan but I liked Paul Rodgers on this album. The album has some 80s upbeat influence.

Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page unite and come up with one of the most under rated albums of the eighties. Great tracks like, "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Radioactive", "Money Can't Buy" and "Closer", ROCK! The Firm was never a favorite of the rock critics because of the great bands Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page were with before. Any fan of Original Bad Company or Paul Rodgers, should get this CD!

THE FIRM is an excellent 80s recording by former members of Led Zeppelin (lead guitarist Jimmy Page) and Bad Company (lead singer/guitarist Paul Rodgers), plus Manfred Mann's Earth Band drummer Chris Slade and unknown bassist/keyboardist Tony Franklin. The album, along with the first couple of Robert Plant solo albums, indicates what direction Led Zeppelin might have taken had drummer John Bonham not drank himself to death in September of 1980. The best songs here are "Radioactive" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed", but the overall quality is very high. The only lowpoints are "Midnight Moonlight" and a cover version of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", both of which are totally unnecessary. These are just minor issues, as the rest of the CD is great, vintage-style rock, a rarity in an era of Duran Duran and Robert Palmer.

A MUST BUY. If you like LED ZEPPLIN and BAD COMPANY, then this should make you happy. PAUL ROGERS and JIMMY PAGE with help from others, make an original sound that doesn't seem to grow old after 20 or 30 plays, I've had the album for years and still play it often. It's the first of only two the band did so you might want to add it to the collection before they're as hard to get as live dinosaurs.