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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Uptight Critics Weren't Alone in Longing for New Directions, June 16, 2004
"Desolation Angels" will probably never be mentioned in the list of rock albums in history that bridged the gap between strong hard rock and Southern flavors, and that's a real shame since this record is one of Bad Company's finest releases.
It's not just because the set was propelled by the greatest, most addictive hit the group ever had, 'Rock and Roll Fantasy,' but because it showcases a hard rocking band in a straight, competent state of mind, obviously dying to move their trademark sound into different territories. Which explains the trips into the old West and rural country hills, imagery that appears on great tracks like 'Evil Wind' and, more evidently, 'Oh Atlanta.' Acoustic guitars have an important role, like in the melodic 'Crazy Circles,' but electricity is never forgotten, such as the worthwhile 'Gone Gone Gone.'
Intriguingly titled, "Desolation Angels" is proof that the critics of the 70s were not the only ones who longed for a change in the FM hard rock format, and Bad Company would try their best to stay on this road on their next album, the unjustly ignored "Rough Diamonds" a long three years later.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PROBABLY THE LAST BEST ALBUM BY BAD COMPANY, January 8, 2005
Here is where MICK RAPLHS and PAUL RODGERS' new guitar sounds definitely shine on this album, but the synthesizer is probably, if not definitely, unnecessary. A mellotron would have sounded a whole lot better. Meanwhile, PAUL'S ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY that says is all is definitely an outstanding opener for the album. PAUL's flangering (an excellent sound effect) guitar intro really gets his ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY off the ground, along with SIMON KIRKE'S drum playing, BOZ BURRELL'S bass guitar riffs, the organ, and the harmony vocals by the band. The next song CRAZY CIRCLES that features no electric guitars, except for the bass guitar, is an excellent acoustic ballad. BOZ'S GONE, GONE, GONE that features excellent rhythm and slide guitar and excellent harmony vocals is a great guitar rock song. EVIL WIND, on the other hand, is a excellent rock tune with the guitar riffs, and the tone of MICK'S lead guitar solo really shines on EARLY IN THE MORNING. LONELY FOR YOUR LOVE, despite PAUL'S voice on this song, is a good rhythm and blues song by MICK, but I like his next two songs better. I love how PAUL plays the harmonica and the piano on OH ATLANTA where MICK plays excellent rhythm guitar on a FENDER STRAT and lead guitar on a GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD through a MARSHALL amplifier. MICK'S acoustical ballad TAKE THE TIME with his slide guitar and the band's harmony vocals is excellent too. The next two songs with MICK and PAUL on guitar are excellent too. MICK plays excellent slide guitar on RHYTHM MACHINE, but I am now wondering if PAUL plays the lead guitar solo on this song too. I think SHE BRINGS ME LOVE would have sound a whole lot better if the rest of the band itself would have sung the harmony vocals instead of the female singers, but it strongly reminds me of their earlier song DON'T LET MY DOWN from their 1974 debut album.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
**3/4. Bland, February 8, 2004
After their first two albums, "Bad Co." and "Straight Shooter", Paul Rodgers and Bad Company never really hit their stride again. Sure, there were good songs on most of their albums, sometimes even great ones, but there were a lot of mediocrity as well, and the same thing goes for "Desolation Angels".
The best songs here are "Rock n' Roll Fantasy", "Gone, Gone, Gone" and the bluesy, harp-driven "Oh, Atlanta", but unfortunately they're also the only really remarkable songs here. The rest just sort of blends together, offering no great highlights, no memorable lyrics, hooks, riffs or anything.
It's not that this music is bad, it's just uninspired, and not nearly as distinctive as Bad Company's first two albums, or the output of Paul Rodgers' first band, Free.
All in all, "Desolation Angels" remains a mediocre record.
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