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.[9]

For the 2002 film soundtrack album, see Bad Company (soundtrack).

Bad Company
Studio album by
Bad Company
Released26 June 1974
RecordedNovember 1973
StudioHeadley Grange, East Hampshire, England[1]
Genre
Length34:45
LabelIsland (UK)
Swan Song (US)
ProducerBad Company
Bad Company chronology
Bad Company
(1974)		 Straight Shooter
(1975)
Singles from Bad Company
  1. "Can't Get Enough"
    Released: 10 May 1974 (1974-05-10)
  2. "Movin' On"
    Released: 1974
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[6]
Rolling Stonefavourable[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]

Among the songs recorded during the album sessions were two covers of tracks originally by members' previous bands — specifically, Mott the Hoople's "Ready for Love" (recorded while Mick Ralphs was with the band and released on their 1972 album All the Young Dudes) and "Easy on My Soul" (recorded by Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke with Free and released on Heartbreaker in 1973). The latter did not make the final album, but was released as the B-side to second single "Movin' On".

Reception and legacy

The album reached the top of the US Billboard 200.[10] Since then, the album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA, and became the 46th best selling album of the 1970s.[11] The album spent 25 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, entering at No. 10 on June 15, 1974, and reaching its highest position of No. 3 in the second week.[12] Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 40 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[13][14] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[15] In 2000 it was voted number 323 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[16]

The singles "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On" peaked at No. 5 and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[17] "Rock Steady", "Bad Company" and "Ready for Love" are also classic rock radio staples.[18]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw named four songs from Bad Company – "Bad Company", "Can't Get Enough", "Ready for Love" and "Seagull" – to be among Bad Company's 10 greatest songs.[19]

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
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Can't Get Enough"Mick Ralphs4:17
2."Rock Steady"Paul Rodgers3:47
3."Ready for Love"Ralphs5:03
4."Don't Let Me Down"Rodgers, Ralphs4:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Bad Company"Rodgers, Simon Kirke4:51
6."The Way I Choose"Rodgers5:06
7."Movin' On"Ralphs3:24
8."Seagull"Rodgers, Ralphs4:04
2015 Reissue Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Can't Get Enough" (Take 8)Ralphs4:21
2."Little Miss Fortune" (Demo Reel 1)Rodgers, Ralphs3:58
3."The Way I Choose" (Demo Reel 1)Ralphs6:39
4."Bad Company" (Session Reel 2)Rodgers, Kirke4:40
5."The Way I Choose" (Version 1 Including False Start)Ralphs7:16
6."Easy on My Soul" (Long Version)Rodgers6:15
7."Bad Company" (Session Reel 8)Rodgers, Kirke5:33
8."Studio Chat / Dialogue" 0:23
9."Superstar Woman" (Long Version)Rodgers6:11
10."Can't Get Enough" (Single Edit)Ralphs3:30
11."Little Miss Fortune" (B-Side of "Can't Get Enough")Rodgers, Ralphs3:51
12."Easy on My Soul" (B-Side of "Movin' On")Rodgers4:41
13."Can't Get Enough" (Hammond Version)Ralphs4:23

Personnel
Bad Company
Additional personnel

Charts
Album
Chart (1974/75) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 6
Canada (RPM)[21] 7
New Zealand (RIANZ)[22] 27
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 17
UK (The Official Charts Company)[24] 3
US Billboard 200[10] 1
Weekly chart performance for Bad Company
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[25] 30
Year-end charts
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] 24
Canada (RPM)[27] 40

References
  1. Bad Company (Vinyl sleeve). Bad Company. Island Records. 1974. back cover.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. Erlewine, Stephen (n.d.). "Bad Company Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  3. "The Top 30 British Blues Rock Albums Of All Time". Classic Rock. Future plc. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. 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.
  5. Baksi, Gautam. Album review Bad Company at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  6. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. Scoppa, Bud. "Album review Bad Company". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  8. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  9. Reiff, Corbin (7 May 2014). "The History of Swan Song Records". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  10. "Bad Company – Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  11. "Bad Company RIAA certification". www.riaa.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  12. "Official Charts Company – Bad Company Bad Company". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  13. Johnson, Howard (21 January 1989). "Bad Company 'Bad Company'". Kerrang!. Vol. 222. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd.
  14. O'Neill, Andrew (2017). A History of Heavy Metal. Headline. p. 63. ISBN 9781472241467.
  15. Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  16. Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 131. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  17. "Bad Company – Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  18. Berman, Eric. "Song Of The Day – "Ready For Love" by Bad Company". internetfm.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  19. Wardlaw, Matt (17 December 2011). "Top 10 Bad Company Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  20. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 24. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  21. "RPM Top Albums - October 5, 1974" (PDF).
  22. Hung, Steffen. "Bad Company – Bad Co". charts.nz. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  23. Hung, Steffen. "Bad Company – Bad Co". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  24. "1974-06-22 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 22 June 1974. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  25. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 41. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  26. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 426. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  27. "RPM Top 100 Albums of '74 - December 28, 1974" (PDF).
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