Bad Company

Paul Rodgers has such a gutsy rock voice, so much so that pretty much anything he sings is worth listening to. But, from a lyrical perspective, he only writes about wanting to fuck. Just said in different words from song to song, album to album, and band to band. Though on this record there is a mellow track about a seagull. Does he want to fuck it? Probably.

Bland Company. Short average dad rock. Not bad but not memorable.

Supergroups. Why are there always supergroups. All of the playing is good, and all of the songs are forgettable. Supergroups always sound way too polished, too over-produced, and too ironed to me. While great bands often feel like like more than the sum of their parts, Bad Company feel like far less. Don't let me Down is shockingly dull.

This was definitely an album in heavy heavy rotation in my house during my middle school days - 4 or 5 of these songs were so prominent on radio through the 80s that even if you didn't have the record, you knew most of it. Not much to analyze here - it's prototypical "Classic Rock" with very little wiggle room into anything else, and whether that's a pro or con is (as everything) up to personal taste, but for that quality (limitation?) this is almost as good as it gets. Paul Rodgers is or was *the* classic rock voice of the 70s/early 80s. There's nothing overly creative or experimental in terms of production and that's likely what makes it still work today - guitar/bass/drums and occasional piano/keys. It's also hard not to think of the movie "Almost Famous" when listening to this and also looking at the band (see the cover for "Burnin' Sky" and it seems pretty obvious where the movie writers got inspiration for the controversial t-shirts!) Deserving of an isolated comment is the bass playing of Boz Burrell on this album - to my ears he was the secret weapon on many of these songs, most of which have a simple and potentially dull chord progression but Burrell's fluid lines tied them together brilliantly. In particular check out the work on "Movin' On" Funny that when this came up I smiled but wasn't too excited to revisit it...if I'd written this before playing it again i would have said something like: "...even though I'm unlikely to go out of my way to listen to this again, that's just as much due to my having heard it hundreds of times as changing tastes..." but damn if it hasn't been fun listening to this album again. In the end, for what it is...it really is great from start to finish, and sometimes you just need uncomplicated straight up 70s guitar rock.

Mediocre company I’d say. Carried through by the good bits!

I’ve written more than I care to about the weird symbiosis I’ve had with the Random Album Generator over the last 8 or so months, but I wouldn’t keep bringing it up if it didn’t keep happening. So, on today’s installment of “The Matrix is Real”, we have Bad Company’s self titled debut record. Every Tuesday night, for the better part of the last 15 years, I’ve listened to The Best Show (with Tom Scharpling). It started its life as call-in comedy radio show during the tail end of the Clinton Administration on New Jersey’s WFMU, the greatest radio station in America - a free form, listener supported station…you can and should stream it sometime. By the mid-aughts, the radio show was being podcast the next day after the show aired on terrestrial radio. In 2013, Tom Scharpling left WFMU to do the show independently as a streaming call-in show/podcast. Currently, The Best Show still operates as podcast, but also streams on Twitch each Tuesday night. If you like indie rock and comedy, the Best Show should be right up your alley: they have live in studio performances from the likes of Lou Barlow, The Black Lips, Mike Watt, and more; comedic guests like Patton Oswald, Marc Maron, Matt Berry; weekly calls from Superchunk/Mountain Goats/Bob Mould drummer Jon Wurster, where he calls in as a fictional character, typically from the fictional town of Newbridge, NJ; and, of course calls, from listeners on a variety of lighthearted and funny topics - a personal favorite was “Who is the dumbest member of CSNY?”. It’s one of my favorite things on earth. It’s truly the *best* show around. Right now, you’re thinking “holy fuck, dude, get to the point”…hang on, I’m almost there. One of the staples of The Best Show, for the last decade plus, is the song Bad Company by Bad Company from the album we are here to discuss, “Bad Company”. The premise is simple, but might take a minute to explain. Because the Best Show is a call-in show, sometimes they get great callers, sometimes they get mediocre callers and, you guessed it, sometimes they get truly awful callers. When a truly awful or especially boring caller calls in, Tom will often lose interest and/or patience with them, and that is where Bad Company comes in. While an insufferable caller is rambling on about something off topic or idiotic, Scharpling will discreetly begin to fade in the song Bad Company (”Company…always on my mind”) into the background of their call. With the studio setup, everyone but the caller can hear the opening strains of the song kicking in. Listeners become giddy, because they know what’s coming. Scharpling will deftly keep the caller rambling, feigning interest in their tale, pushing them closer and closer to the first chorus of the song. Then, as Paul Rodgers sings “That’s why the call me…[snare hits] Bad Company!”, Scharpling hangs up of the caller, often mid-sentence. It is unbelievably hilarious to me and, at the same time, maybe the dumbest thing that makes me laugh…It never fails to make me laugh. [there’s a super cut of people getting Bad Company’d on YouTube, if you’re interested.] Anyway, that the generator recommended this record on a Tuesday, the day I always listen to/watch the Best Show is just another coincidence in a long line of increasingly specific coincidences I’ve experienced during this project. If there was ever a song I associated with Tuesday’s, it’s “Bad Company”. Who knows, maybe I thought this project would be a good way to pass some time, but it’s actually going to be the thing that causes a mental breakdown. Who knows. At this point, I’m just here for the ride. Oh, and you should listen to the Best Show. Tuesday nights on Twitch, BestShow4Life, the next day on the podcast platform of your choice and archives of the first 14 years over at WFMU.org. There’s literally like 24 years worth of shows you can listen to and, let’s face it, if you’re doing this project, you’ve probably got some other time you’re looking to kill.

Shite

If this album doesn’t make you feel like a badass idk what to tell you

Huh. If you'd asked me yesterday if I'd ever gone through a Bad Company phase, I would've said, no. But as soon as I saw the track listing of this album, I remembered owning this on cassette. And a quick perusal of their album covers made me remember I had at least two others. So, I guess I had a bit of a Bad Co. phase and I forgot! Anyway, this album is great! When I think of Classic Rock, this is exactly what I'm thinking. While I love just about every song on here, my two favorites are the gentle ballads Don't Let Me Down and Seagull. It's so great to hear them again! Thanks so much for jogging my memory, 1001!

Bad comapany...til the day I dieeeee

I feel like I need to talk about this album outside of it's title track. There's a reason this album is an absolute classic as it's a great example of 70's blues rock. There's really not a mediocre song on the album. Favorite Songs: Can't Get Enough, Bad Company

Hell yeah.

Wow, this is an exceptional album, just brimming with classics. Six of these songs are classic rock staples and the remaining two are top notch deep tracks. Consider for a moment just how rare that is. There isn't a bad song on here. It's warm, sexy, bluesy rock for the ages. Bad Company are the standard bearers for blues-based rock in the 1970s and 80s. This band and these songs set the bar for how rock would sound for years with countless bands attempting and failing to catch their sound. The band is a murderer’s row of musicians hailing from some really great groups – Free, Mott, King Crimson. This is also probably one of the best executed albums I have ever heard. The compositions are tight, flawless. Not an extraneous note or overly long solo to be found. The band has a steadiness and intensity to their sound without all the showboating some of their peers were prone to. Lyrically, they manage to come off as tough, but with enough sensitivity to pull off a song like "Ready for Love" without sounding silly. Paul Rodgers' warm and soulful vocals are ridiculously good. He really is one of the best rock vocalists ever, and criminally underappreciated. Fave Songs: Rock Steady, Ready for Love, Can't Get Enough, Bad Company

Straight forward, clean, melodic rock. The album is strong from start to finish, with several absolute bangers in there. Couldn't ask much more from a rock record. Paul Rodgers has such a great voice for this style. Loved it.

Loved this album. It's short and full of good tracks. Pretty standard 70s and 80s rock vibe. Spotify ends up recommending a lot of great music if you start here

Excellent album

Quintessential 70s! I always imagine the band in Almost Famous as a version of Bad Co. What happens when a bar band is really good!

Classic

Good, solid, earnest, old fashioned dad rock.

I mean, it sounds like what it is: a rock album from the 70s. It's kind of a slow chug through chunky riffs with rough vocals over top. If that's what you came for, you'll be happy with what you get. Otherwise, it's just kinda meh.

Never herd of this group so it may be interesting… The album starts with can’t get enough, I mean it’s alright to be fair it’s just a generic rock song. No real hate towards it though. Rock steady is still generic as fuck but it has nicer guitar works so that’s a plus. Man this album is so bland yet listenable, ready for love has it’s moments on the instrumental department but just feels like a song that’s only in it for the pay cheque. Don’t let me down at least provides a nice pace change it’s actually a really nice piano track great closer for side one especially for this album. Then the band/ albums title track ( bad company) all of the elements of the song are interesting but it’s just like so many bands have done songs like this before so it’s just not the best. Then is the way I choose it’s okay, very okay just a bit slower than the others going for a kinda romantic feel. It’s alright ( It’s just hard to find ways to describe these songs seeing they’re so mid level). Movin’ on is a nice enough penultimate track, reminds me of can’t get enough but more enjoyable and although it’s not a favourite of all time this one is actually a really fun listen I can’t deny! Seagull makes sense as a closer just a nice acoustic song maybe a favourite but just because it’s so different to the rest of the album. 5 really generic songs, a good song halfway then two good ones at the end I must say not my favourite album. Only 8 tracks lasting 35 minutes from a group who have all had musical experience being a supergroup, doing nothing special sounding like they’re only in it for the money. If you like that then okay. Ps. I didn’t hate it it’s just generic, not unique enough to be a 4 not horrendous enough to be a 2.

6/10. Glad to see that sometimes people do name a song, an album, and their band all the same thing. Pleasant enough to listen to, but it really slipped into the background a lot.

Enjoyable enough, straight down the middle cheesy 70s rock. Have to give them a shout out for pulling off the trifecta of naming your band "Bad Company", titling your album "Bad Company" and having a song called "Bad Company". Rarefied air: https://www.stereogum.com/928281/20-songs-named-after-the-bands-that-played-them/lists/

Escuchado hoy 2021, no parece gran cosa

In the 70s this album was considered good. If I was still 14 I might think so, but I'm an adult and it's generic blooze rawk. Awful.

SLAMS!!! The old man has listened to them for years so this was a nice treat.

Classic rock vibes. Easy to listen to.

I remember sitting in my dad's old truck fumbling through cassette tapes. He had the all the classics, including Bad Company. Such a great album!

That voice!

Amazing. Seagull, enough said

Pretty good

Venga, le voy a dar un 5

What a great 70's hard rock album! Nearly every song is a hit. Favorite Tracks: "Can't Get Enough" "Rock Steady" "Don't Let Me Down" "Bad Company"

its deffo good. something middle aged men love for sure.

Surpise! Not hip hop at all! 😂

Nice discoverment

Really good

Never heard of the band but really enjoyed the album

Getting some real southern metal vibes here

Pretty much what you would want from a classic rock album!

Fantastic. Classic rock!

That's a classic rock block. A octuple shot of Bad Company. For real though, it is a pretty solid effort. I appreciate the softer moments, shows a more well-rounded version of the band than you get from classic rock radio. Which classic radio does a totally disservice to so many bands, reduced down to a couple surface-level hits from yesteryear. Maybe that's the problem with most classic rock stations, they aren't run by music nerds, people who want to hear songs like Bad Co.'s "Don't Let Me Down". Solid album, should have tuned those guitars before they did "Seagulls".

Lige præcis sådan jeg regner med at min 70'er rock skal lyde! Mon sangen Bad Company med gruppen Bad Company fra pladen Bad Company var grunden til at de lavede en helt plade?

This is a poster child for 3 stars. Solid music, but ultimately pretty forgettable. Seagull was probably my favorite track.

Decent classic rock album

If these songs weren’t played nonstop on the radio maybe I’d appreciate it more. Some classics but so overplayed.

This is rock and roll from the early 70s although they clearly weren't in the same league as The Who, the Stones or Led Zep. The lead guitarist and bass player are quite good at playing their instruments but the songs aren't very interesting. I can't understand why they would think it was a good idea to make a song titled (and having the slowly sung chorus) "Don't Let Me Down" given Lennon's classic was released only a few years earlier. This album has aged like a 1974 Chateau le Vinaigre.

Bland. I rather listen to Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult than this.

Beetje standaard jaren 70-spul. Niet echt slecht, maar het heeft een grote 'waarom moet ik dit eigenlijk luisteren?'-factor. Daarmee ben je nog geen classic album, kortom.

honestly, that was just boring. i'm sure in its time, it was fine, but...it just conjures visions of budweiser in pull-tab cans, and a bunch of stupid people standing around thinking they're deep. it's possible i'm projecting a little here.

Generic 70s rock. Unremarkable.

Bad Company is what ChatGPT would sound like if you asked it to compose “Dad Rock.” Devoid of imagination, plodding, lame. Too soft to go hard, too hard to be soft. The auditory equivalent of a “half chub.” Bad Company is the Imagine Dragons of 70’s Rock. Granted, if they were the entertainment in a bar that only serves Bud Lite, I’d think they sound pretty good, given that this is clearly their hobby. Everything they do well, a hundred artists do better. This album has no business being a “must hear.”

There are a couple of hits on here but it’s boomer rock and doesn’t add anything special to the genre. People joke that the Eagles are bland and haven’t added to the genre. This is a far more bland album than anything the Eagles have put out. I see almost no impact to the music world if this album hadn’t been made. This list doesn’t need this album.

I didn’t expect this to be a 5, but I didn’t expected it to be a 1 either. A long while back I gave an LCD Soundsystem record a 1 and called it “gruel for millennials”. This here is gruel for boomers. If you took all the Classic Rock in the world and averaged it and flattened it out into one thing, it would be this. Most of what I previously knew about Bad Company is that whenever the Rock and Roll HOF announcements come out, people get mad BC isn’t in there. That is so funny now that I’ve actually listened to them. It’s like insisting that plain rice crackers should be in the Chips Hall of Fame.

Not bad for a lad from brambles farm in Middlesbrough

extremely surprised, this has that real good emotion and touches of soul I loved. I was really invested with the singer's performance and lyrics

Blues rock. Me ha gustado bastante. ¿Hasta vinilo? Venga, va.

Venga, le voy a dar un 5.

I really love this album. It's just good rock and roll from way back in the day.

Favourite songs: Can't Get Enough, Rock Steady, Bad Company, Movin' On, Ready for Love Least favourite songs: The Way I Choose 5/5

Awesome

You can make a fantastic album that isn't three days long. Some great rock ballads, anchored by Ready for Love.

Vraiment tr`s bon. Une bonne rrecette pour du bon rock, j'ai écouté 2 fois de suite 5

Great 70’s rock

a great early rock record

One of my favorites

So many good songs

Solid classic rock.

amazing album - 10/10 whoever that singer is, he has the voice of a god

A favorite from the end of my teenage years. Thanks for reminding me.

Excellent album. Solid rock tunes.

Rebel souls Deserters we are called Chose a gun And threw away the sun Now these towns They all know our name 6 gun sound is our claim to fame I can hear them say Bad company And I won't deny Bad, bad company Till the day I die 5/5

Great album! I was familiar with "Can't Get Enough," "Ready for Love," and the title track, but a couple of the others sounded slightly familiar as well. "Rock Steady" was a standout - reminded me of a 70's Whitesnake song. Good old rock 'n' roll!

Absolutely fire classic rock

I've heard of the title track, but otherwise am largely un-familiar with the rest of their music. I am loving the classic 70's rock sound they are putting out. Another surprise 5/5.

Listened to this album many times in my youth so its like putting on an old coat, still comfortable and full of memories. Good quality straight down the line rock songs here, not much filler

Blues rock. Me ha gustado bastante. ¿Hasta vinilo? Venga, va.

A fantastic album with a fantastic track list. Absolutely legendary.

Балдеж, на альбоме есть как рок триллеры, так и много лиричнлй музыки, одноименная песня однозначно хит!

I haven’t listed to record in several decades. SEVERAL. I had pretty much written off most “classic rock” after hearing this stuff ad nauseum growing up as a kid. I wasn’t looking forward to listening to this. Objectively, I gotta say this record is fucking fantastic. Rodgers vocals set the template for a rock lead: from soulful to stone hard. The backing vocals blend, support, and enhance. Ralph’s guitar is huge and heavy with solos that shine but don’t seek the spotlight. If I were to nitpick… I would cut the saxophone. But that’s a tiny distraction in a nearly flawless record that should only be listened to at speaker shaking levels. A totally unexpected 5 for me.

interesting good

Best album so far

Paul Rodgers is a classic. His voice never gets old. This record is at once of its time and timeless!

One of the best debut albums of all time. True classic rock classic.

Great album. I much prefer this over Free. Less blues. More rock. It really rocks! Miles better than the average album from the 21th century.

Great album. Masterpiece for a debut album

I love the music from this album….

classic and cool

An amazing piece of music overall. Has the right amount of distortion to musicality with a good voice to boot. Every song is very well done and mixed.

cool

Sometimes you get an album to listen to that you haven't heard the whole album before (that's me with this one) but by the time you're done you realize you know 3/4 of the album because it got so much airplay. This album is full of great songs from beginning to end. Staight up rock, done extreemly well. Good stuff here, will listen to again and again.

Fantastic album beginning to end.

Although I may have seen this band in concert in my younger years, but I don't think that I was ever a fan. Listening now, I am totally puzzled as to why. This album was simply awesome!

classic

Paul Rodgers is my absolute, number one, most favorite voice of all time. He can do no wrong. That is all.

This is classic and well-craft rock n roll.

I was exposed to this in my youth through my sister's record collection, but I wasn't terribly attracted to it then. Back then I would listen to "Can't Get Enough" but generally didn't listen long too much after that. It felt too "grown up" for me. I guess I'm grown up now, because I really love all of this. Very well done 70s rock that makes me feel like the cool kid I always wanted to be. I loved sitting back with the lights low and chilling out to this album. Definitely has earned a place in my permanent rotation.

Wow! Forgot how great this album and this band are!

Kamalt El Hadra 7 Me Rbo3 Etheleth Men 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. Kamalt Sawrt Clip A3melli3lik. My first bank account.

Lot of good classic songs. Worth repeating