“Always On The Run”
>Bad Company: 1974 -1982<
PsychoGello Vinyl Radio Show
Article 2-B August 2017
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0
This time round we’re going to cover one of De Dee’s favorite bands; BAD COMPANY. A British Super-Group Managed by Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin’s Manager & on the L.Z. ‘Swan Song’ label, it’s rumored they took their name from the (Oct) 1972 Jeff Bridges film “Bad Company”
The band was born out of 3 other British bands starting with the band ‘FREE’ who released 7 LPs from Mar 1969 to Jan 1973 when the band split, Vocalist Paul Bernard Rodgers (17 Dec 1949; Middlesbrough UK) & Drummer Simon Kirke (Simon Frederick St George Kirke (28 Jul 1949: London UK).
*Trivia Time: Tommy Bolin liked ‘FREE’ so much he frequently covered 2 of their songs “Walk In My Shadow” & “I’m A Mover”. Paul Stanley: KISS (& to a lesser extent Ace Frehley) sited ‘FREE’ Guitarist Paul Kossoff (1950 -1976) as one of his favorites, Frehley & Stanley together, recorded a cover of “Fire & Water” in 2016 & one of the few cover songs Paul Stanley jammed on with any regularity was “All Right Now”.
And with Guitarist Mick Ralphs (Michael Geoffrey Ralphs 31 Mar 1944; Herefordshire UK) from the band ‘Mott the Hoople’ who played on 7 LPs for the band from 1969-1973 , and with Bassist/ Vocalist “Boz” Raymond Burrell (1 Aug 1946: Lincolnshire UK – 21 Sep 2006) from the band ‘King Crimson’ 1971 -1973 he toured with the band & played on1 LP in ’71.
>Turn On Your Light: 1974 -1975<
The 4 came together in Fall of ’73, to start recording their 1st LP & performed their 1st concert in Apr ’74. The band released 6 albums from 1974 to 1982 & 13 Single 45s with 3 Non-LP songs. beginning with ‘Bad Co.’ in Jun 1974, a #1 album on the Billboard Charts, most of the songs were written by Rodgers & or Ralphs. They released 2 singles ”Can’t Get Enough b/w Little Miss Fortune (Non-LP B-Side)” a #5 hit in Nov ’74, followed by the next 45 single “Movin On b/w Easy On My Soul (Non-LP B-Side)” a #19 hit in Mar ’75. Here is a set list from a show they performed in the Mid-west on the 1st album tour:
26 Aug 1974 Monday in Des Moines, Iowa @ Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium
Deal With The Preacher
Rock Steady
Little Miss Fortune
Ready For Love
Easy on My Soul
Don’t Let Me Down
Bad Company
Palace Of The King
Movin On
Can’t Get Enough
The Stealer
Oddly enough just like Grant’s other clients ‘Led Zeppelin’ there were almost no TV appearances, by this band, however they did make an appearance on: (video footage exists of this show)
“Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” (Season 2 Episode 4) Fall 1974 (29min)
Bad Company
Ready For Love
Little Miss Fortune (Non-LP B-Side)
Rock Steady
Can’t Get Enough
The Stealer (FREE)
The band’s 2nd LP ‘Straight Shooter’ is released in Apr 1975 a #3 album on the Billboard Charts with 6 of the songs being written again by Rodgers & or Ralphs, the other 2 were written by Kirke. They release 2 singles “Good Lovin Gone Bad b/w Whiskey Bottle (Non-LP B-Side)” a #36 hit in May ’75, followed by one of their most well known songs; “Feel Like Makin Love b/w Little Miss Fortune” a #10 hit in Oct ’75. Strangely, one of their most famous songs (in my area of the country anyway), was not even a single, that being “Shooting Star”.
> Color OF The Sky, I’m Told: 1976 – 1977<
The band is on a roll with their first 2 LPS, however they are considerably more popular in the USA than in the UK, where they are from, their 3rd LP ‘Run With The Pack’ is released in Jan 1976 a #5 album on the Billboard Charts once again the main song writers are Rodgers & or Ralphs. They release the 45 Single; “Young Blood b/w Do Right By Your Woman”#20 hit in May ’76. In an unusual move the song they promote on TV is not even a single, in the summer of ’76 I saw a video montage of photos, to the song “Run With The Pack” on the TV Show “In Concert”, well it worked it got me to spend my hard earned allowance on this LP.
I vividly remember their 4th LP ‘Burnin Sky’ coming out in Mar 1977, as I lived in Jackson, MS. that summer of ’77 it seemed like the sky was burning, not doing as well as their other releases this one goes to #15 on the Billboard Charts, this LP has a major shift in song writing as Rodgers wrote most of the material on this album. About this same time Boz Burrell performs backing vocals on Ted Nugent’s album ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ recorded in Mar ’77.
>Painted Horses Riding Up & Down: 1979 -1982<
After a major tour the band takes 2 years off, something most artists dare not do at the time for fear of falling off the listener’s radar. Their 5th LP ‘Desolation Angels’ is released in Mar 1979 & ends up being their 2nd #3 album on the Billboard Charts this album is back to most of the songs being written by Rodgers & or Ralphs, however Burrell beings to contribute more to the song writing team with 2 contributions. The 45 Single “Rock N Roll Fantasy b/w Crazy Circles” hits #13 on the charts in Jun ’79.
The 6th & final LP ‘Rough Diamonds’ is released in Aug 1982 with the single “Electricland b/w Untie The Knot” & ends up being their lowest charting album at #26, for this final album from the original line-up, all 4 members contribute equally, I read an article at the time that stated “A fight erupted between Kirke & Rodgers, & Rogers being a black belt, came out on top” leading up the Rodgers leaving the band & releasing a Solo LP “Cut Loose” in Oct ’83.
Their Manager Peter Grant despised “Live” & “Compilation” releases therefore no “Live” albums were released during their hey-day in the 70s. However noteworthy are 4 CDs that were released a “Hits” collection ’10 From 6′ in Dec1985, & ‘Anthology’ in Mar 1999 with 6 B-Sides & Out-Takes & 4 New Tracks, eventually 2 “Live” CDs were released from the 70s heyday; ‘Albuquerque ’76’ (recorded 10 Mar 1976 in New Mexico) 2 CDs @ 16 Tracks released in 2006, & later ‘In Concert 1977 & 1979’ (recorded on 23 May 1977 in Houston @ the Summit & 9 Mar 1979 in London @ Wembley& 29 Jun 1979 in Largo,DC @ Capitol Centre) 2 CDs @ 30 Tracks, released in 2016. I never got to see the “Original Bad Company, I did see “Version 2” with Brian Howe in 1989 & I saw Simon Kirke in Ringo’s “All-Starr Band” in Jul 2000 where he sang “All Right Now” & “Shooting Star”. I also saw & met Rodgers Solo in 2002, & when I asked him to sign my “Run With The Pack” LP he said “For me, no thanks, I already have one” & handed it back.
*Be sure to tune into my Vinyl Radio on WDGY 740AM & 92.1FM & Streaming 103.7 Sunday mornings at 10am for my upcoming “Bad Company Show” featuring 1 song from each of Bad Company’s Vinyl Releases.
Don’t you know you are a shooting star …. MrZerr0
Mr. Zero’s *Est. 2009
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Roseville, MN. 55113
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Bad Company: 1974
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