Dinosaurdays - Bad Company

Bad Company took the rock world by storm when they were formed by ex-Free members, vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell and Mott the Hoople guitarist/vocalist Mick Ralphs in 1973. This debut album was extremely successful on both sides of the Atlantic, as were quite a few of their later albums, although it was apparently felt that they started a slow decline after their second album. They split in 1983 and reformed in 1986, with ex-Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe replacing Rodgers, who went on to The Firm and others. This arrangement lasted for four albums before Howe was replaced by the very talented Robert Hart, with Ralphs being the only original remaining member. The classic Bad Co line-up reformed in the late nineties, and an excellent double "best of" compilation, containing a number of brand new studio songs, was released in 1999. The band undertook a number of successful touring dates during 1999 as well. Let's hope that we'll be hearing more from this great UK band.

Bad Company
Bad Company - Good Lovin' Gone Bad, from "Straight Shooter" in 1975, their second album. UK outfit Bad Company were formed in 1973 by vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex-Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex-Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). The band had its debut in Newcastle in 1974 and was managed by Peter Grant of Led Zeppelin fame. Bad Company's debut album, released in 1974, topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, with the singles "Can't get Enough" and "Feel like Makin' Love" doing extremely well in many countries. The initial line-up remained together for a further eight years and four albums before splitting in the early 80's. Ex-Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe was drafted in for the band's reunion in 1986 and appeared on that year's "Fame and Fortune" album (Paul Rodgers formed The Firm in 1985 with Jimmy Page, Chris Slade and Tony Franklin. He also featured with The Law and recorded a number of solo albums). Although Howe was a good enough singer with a powerful voice and a good range, it was generally felt that further albums such as "Dangerous Age", "Holy Water" and "Here Comes Trouble", paled in comparison to the band's earlier work (a sentiment that we don't necessarily agree with. "Holy Water", which featured guitarists Geoff Whitehorn and Dave Colwell, was a particularly good album). Simon Kirke had previously had a short stint with Wildlife and Mick Ralphs released a fairly good solo album. Later Bad Company albums included "Stories Told & Untold", the excellent live "What you hear is what you get" and the essential double "Anthology" album, released in 1999, and featuring a few new numbers from the now reformed (Rodgers, Ralphs, Kirke and Burrell) Bad Company. Bad Company are an important link in the UK classic rock scene. Another good site is this one.

(If you have more info on this band, please e-mail us)

Biography by Jason Ankeny
Formed in 1973, the British hard rock outfit Bad Company was a supergroup comprised of ex-King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, both previous members of Free. Powered by Rodgers' muscular vocals and Ralphs' blues-based guitar work, Bad Company was the first group signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song vanity label. Bad Company's eponymous 1974 debut was an international hit, topping the U.S. album charts and scoring with the number one single "Can't Get Enough of Your Love."

Straight Shooter, issued the following year, was another major success, notching the hit "Feel Like Makin' Love," while 1976's Run With the Pack was Bad Company's third consecutive million-selling record. After 1977's Burnin' Sky, Bad Company recorded 1979's Desolation Angels, which embellished the group's sound with synthesizers and strings; a three-year hiatus followed before the release of Rough Diamonds, the group's final LP in its original incarnation.

In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke resurrected the Bad Company name, enlisting former Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe to replace Rodgers. The reconfigured unit's debut, Fame & Fortune, was a commercial failure, but 1988's Dangerous Age became a minor hit. Released in 1990, Holy Water fared even better, as the power ballad "If You Needed Somebody" became a Top 20 success. Here Comes Trouble, issued in 1992, achieved platinum status, and earned another Top 40 hit with "How About That." On their 20th anniversary, Bad Company expanded into a quintet with the addition of bassist Rick Wills and rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell, and released the live retrospective The Best of Bad Company Live...What You Hear Is What You Get.

Two more LPs — 1995's The Company of Strangers and the next year's Stories Told and Untold — followed, and in 1998 the original lineup of Rodgers, Ralphs, Kirke, and Burrell reunited to record a handful of new tracks that surfaced alongside past material early the following year on The Original Bad Company Anthology. A reunion tour followed that spring.

Paul Rodgers
Robert Hart
Boz Burrell
Dave Colwell
Brian Howe
Simon Kirke
Mick Ralphs
Rick Wills

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