The #48 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Bad Company" by Bad Company

This summer, Inside the Rock Era is featuring The Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*, revealing one per day so we can discuss it and give it its proper due.  Today, it is time for #48--it is the self-titled debut album from Bad Company.


The album reached #1, had two weeks at #2 and 2 at #3.  It had a relatively brief stay in the Top 10 with 8 weeks, but did spend over a year (64 weeks) on the chart.  To date, Bad Company has sold 5 million copies.





It has a solid Track rating of 9*.  That was helped certainly by the success of singles "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On" but, as we've realized over and over again in this special, these albums are far more than the singles the public hears on the radio.  This album is probably one of the finer examples of that, that shows how a debut album can attain the high status of #48 All-Time*.  The title song of the album, "Rock Steady", "Seagull" and "Ready for Love" are all some of The Top Underrated Songs of All-Time*.  "Don't Let Me Down" is another outstanding track.

Bad Company was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards for their work on this great album.




Bad Company:


Side one
1.  "Can't Get Enough" (Mick Ralphs) --4:16
2.  "Rock Steady" (Paul Rodgers) --3:46
3.  "Ready for Love" (Ralphs) --5:01
4.  "Don't Let Me Down" (Rodgers, Ralphs) --4:22


Side two

1.  "Bad Company" (Rodgers, Simon Kirke) --4:50
2.  "The Way I Choose" (Rodgers) --5:05
3.  "Movin' On" (Ralphs) --3:21
4.  "Seagull" (Rodgers, Ralphs) --4:06



Bad Company was:  Paul Rodgers on lead vocals, guitar and piano, Mick Ralphs on guitar and keyboards, Simon Kirke on drums and bassist Boz Burrell.  Mel Collins played saxophones and Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie sang backing vocals on "Don't Let Me Down".


Bad Company was recorded in November, 1973 at Headley Grange (Led Zeppelin's famous recording spot) in Earl Hampshire, England with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio.  The album was engineered and mixed by Ron Nevison and mastered by Barry Diament and Steve Hoffman.  Hipgnosis did the photography and sleeve design for the album and Bob Wynne was the Art Director.  The album was released June 26, 1974 on Swan Song Records.

Bad Company's tremendous album is at #48 All-Time.