Bad Company (album)
Bad Company is the debut studio album by the English hard rock supergroup Bad Company. The album was recorded at Headley Grange with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio in November 1973,[1] and it was the first album released on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records label.[8]
Bad Company | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 June 1974 | |||
Recorded | November 1973 | |||
Studio | Headley Grange, East Hampshire, England[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:45 | |||
Label | Island (UK) Swan Song (US) | |||
Producer | Bad Company | |||
Bad Company chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bad Company | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Christgau's Record Guide | B–[5] |
Rolling Stone | favourable[6] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
Reception and legacy
The album reached the top of the US Billboard 200.[9] Since then, the album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA, and became the 46th best selling album of the 1970s.[10] The album spent 25 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, entering at No. 10 and reaching its highest position of No. 3 in the second week.[11] Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 40 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[12][13] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[14] In 2000 it was voted number 323 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[15]
The singles "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On" peaked at No. 5 and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[16] "Rock Steady", "Bad Company" and "Ready for Love" (the last originally recorded by guitarist Mick Ralphs during his tenure with Mott the Hoople on their 1972 album All the Young Dudes) are also classic rock radio staples.[17]
Versions
The album was remastered and re-released in 1994. In 2006 an audiophile mastered 24K gold CD was released by Audio Fidelity.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Can't Get Enough" | Mick Ralphs | 4:17 |
2. | "Rock Steady" | Paul Rodgers | 3:47 |
3. | "Ready for Love" (Mott the Hoople cover) | Ralphs | 5:03 |
4. | "Don't Let Me Down" | Rodgers, Ralphs | 4:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Bad Company" | Rodgers, Simon Kirke | 4:51 |
6. | "The Way I Choose" | Rodgers | 5:06 |
7. | "Movin' On" | Ralphs | 3:24 |
8. | "Seagull" | Rodgers, Ralphs | 4:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Can't Get Enough (Take 8)" | Ralphs | 4:21 |
2. | "Little Miss Fortune (Demo Reel 1)" | Rodgers, Ralphs | 3:58 |
3. | "The Way I Choose (Demo Reel 1)" | Ralphs | 6:39 |
4. | "Bad Company (Session Reel 2)" | Rodgers, Kirke | 4:40 |
5. | "The Way I Choose (Version 1 Inc. False Start)" | Ralphs | 7:16 |
6. | "Easy on My Soul (Long Version)" | Rodgers | 6:15 |
7. | "Bad Company (Session Reel 8)" | Rodgers, Kirke | 5:33 |
8. | "Studio Chat / Dialogue" | 0:23 | |
9. | "Superstar Woman (Long Version)" | Rodgers | 6:11 |
10. | "Can't Get Enough (Single Edit)" | Ralphs | 3:30 |
11. | "Little Miss Fortune (B-Side of "Can't Get Enough")" | Rodgers, Ralphs | 3:51 |
12. | "Easy on My Soul (B-Side of "Movin' On")" | Rodgers | 4:41 |
13. | "Can't Get Enough (Hammond Version)" | Ralphs | 4:23 |
Personnel
- Bad Company
Per sleeve notes[1]
- Paul Rodgers – vocals, rhythm (1) and acoustic (8) guitars, piano (4, 5), tambourine (8)
- Mick Ralphs – lead guitar (all but 8), keyboards (3, 6)
- Boz Burrell – bass (all but 8)
- Simon Kirke – drums (all but 8)
- Additional personnel
Per sleeve notes[1]
- Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie – backing vocals (4)
- Mel Collins – saxophones (6)
- Ron Fawcus – tape operator
- Hipgnosis – sleeve design, photography
- Ron Nevison – engineer, mixing
- Steve Hoffman – mastering
- Barry Diament – mastering
- Beverly Taddei – production co-ordination
- Bob Wynne – art direction
Charts
- Album
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (RPM)[18] | 7 |
Norway (VG-lista)[19] | 17 |
UK (The Official Charts Company)[20] | 3 |
US Billboard 200[9] | 1 |
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
New Zealand (RIANZ)[21] | 27 |
- Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | "Can't Get Enough" | Pop Singles | 5 |
1975 | "Movin' On" | Pop Singles | 19 |
References
- Bad Company (Vinyl sleeve). Bad Company. Island Records. 1974. back cover.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Moskowitz, David V. (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. ABC-CLIO. p. 27. ISBN 9781440803406.
- "The Top 30 British Blues Rock Albums Of All Time". Classic Rock. Future plc. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- Baksi, Gautam. Album review Bad Company at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- Scoppa, Bud. "Album review Bad Company". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- Reiff, Corbin (7 May 2014). "The History of Swan Song Records". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- "Bad Company – Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- "Bad Company RIAA certification". www.riaa.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- "Official Charts Company – Bad Company Bad Company". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- Johnson, Howard (21 January 1989). "Bad Company 'Bad Company'". Kerrang!. 222. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd.
- O'Neill, Andrew (2017). A History of Heavy Metal. Headline. p. 63. ISBN 9781472241467.
- Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 131. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- "Bad Company – Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- Berman, Eric. "Song Of The Day – "Ready For Love" by Bad Company". internetfm.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Steffen Hung. "Bad Company – Bad Co". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- "1974-06-22 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 22 June 1974. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- Steffen Hung. "Bad Company – Bad Co". charts.nz. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
External links
- Queen + Paul Rodgers cover of "Can't Get Enough" (live, official video) on YouTube
- Lyrics of covers by Queen + Paul Rodgers at Queen official website: "Can't Get Enough" (from Return of the Champions), "Seagull", "Bad Company" (from Live in Ukraine)
- Bad Company - Bad Company (1974) album review by Thomas Erlewine, credits & releases at AllMusic
- Bad Company - Bad Company (1974) album releases & credits at Discogs
- Bad Company - Bad Company (1974, Deluxe Edition, 2015 Remaster) album to be listened as stream on Spotify