Are you randy and have nowhere to vent your frustrations? Purchasing Bad Company's 10 From 6, a compilation of the band's greatest hits, will have you feeling good in no time. Perfect if you "Feel Like Makin' Love" or are "Ready for Love," this album is overflowing with testosterone-charged sexual tension and other social issues that even today's college student can relate to. "Run With the Pack" celebrates a Thursday night jaunt on frat row; "Electric Land" could very well be the tale of a Friday night at Avalon. The songs on 10 From 6 come from six of their previous albums: Bad Company, Straight Shooter, Run With The Pack, Burning Sky, Desolation Angels, and Rough Diamonds.
Pure classic rock is the only way to describe the music of Bad Company - from the typical male rock band lyrics to the hard-edged guitar chords, this is a '70s band through and through. Listening to the CD you can just tell each member had long hair at one time or another. The name of the band came from the 1972 film called Bad Company, and the name fits their hard-rock, bad boy persona.
The group's sound is characterized by guitarist Mick Ralph's chugging riffs. The guitar playing never becomes very technically complicated, but that's not what the band was going for - Bad Company is a feel-good band led by the soulful, mood-manipulating vocals of Paul Rodgers.
Since Bad Company formed in 1974 it has been destined for success: Rodgers formerly belonged to the successful band Free (remember the song "All Right Now"?) and guitarist Ralph had belonged to Mott The Hoople. These original members, accompanied by drummer Simon Kirke and guitarist/vocalist Boz Burrell, helped define the now-classic rock sounds of the '70s alongside such groups as Led Zeppelin and Foreigner.
Swan Song, Bad Company's record label, was formed by none other than the members of Led Zeppelin. Being the first band to sign to Swan Song, Bad Company faced intense pressure to create quality music that would sell. With their first album, Bad Company, the band rocketed to number one on the British charts. The rest of the world soon followed. The backbone of the album was "Can't Get Enough," a track laced with despair about female troubles, but at the same time upbeat enough to make you want to go for a drive with the windows down and stereo blasting.
Peter Grant, who served as manager for both Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, directed the band's career and led it to success. The original Bad Company lineup (there would be a few more attempts at putting together a "Bad Company") was shattered by the death of John Bonham, Zeppelin's drummer. Grant was hugely impacted and could no longer lead the band as firmly as he had before.
These men had a talent for writing songs about women, liquor, and the music industry. "Shooting Star" was a standard Bad Company song, a slow rock ballad telling a story with a moral. The story started with "Johnny was a schoolboy..." and went on to tell of Johnny's rise to stardom, his subsequent abuse of drugs, and finally his death. The song dealt with the casualties of rock music and how the industry ruined many talented artists.
Bad Company seemed to stay healthy among the hard rocker casualties of the day, however, ruling the airwaves and concert stages as the '70s went on. The band consistently sold out venues and expanded its fan base beyond the traditional rock audience. Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals attracted fans, and some even compared his voice to Otis Redding's.
The original lineup lasted less than a decade, but the band made six albums together that had lasting quality. Another compilation entitled The Original Bad Company Anthology covers most of the material on the original six records.
Bad Company is still alive today, and even toured last year with the fourth lineup used since its inception. Fans of classic rock not familiar with the work of Bad Company should check out the work of a band that has worked hard to define the genre.
