Bad Company were an English rock supergroup that was formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke, guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
John Douglas Lord was an English keyboardist and composer. In 1968, Lord co-founded the hard rock band Deep Purple, and he became regarded as its leader in the early years. Lord performed on most of the band's most popular songs; he and drummer Ian Paice were the only continuous members in the band between 1968 and 1976, and also from when it was re-established in 1984 until Lord's retirement in 2002. He also spent time in the bands Whitesnake, Paice Ashton Lord, the Artwoods, the Flower Pot Men and Santa Barbara Machine Head.
Raymond "Boz" Burrell was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for being the vocalist and bassist of King Crimson from 1971 to 1972 and the original bassist of Bad Company, formed in 1973, with whom he stayed until 1982 before re-joining for a reunion of the original line-up during 1998 to 1999. He died of a heart attack in Spain in 2006, aged 60.
Michael Geoffrey Ralphs is an English retired musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.
Desolation Angels is the fifth studio album by English rock supergroup Bad Company, released on March 7, 1979. Paul Rodgers revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard that the album's title came from the 1965 novel of the same name by Jack Kerouac. The title was almost used 10 years previous to name the second album from Rodgers' previous band, Free, which in the end was called simply Free.
Rough Diamonds is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Bad Company. The album was released in August 1982. Rough Diamonds, like its predecessor, Desolation Angels, was recorded at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England, in March and April 1981 and engineered by Max Norman.
"Bad Company" is a song by the hard rock band Bad Company that was released on their debut album Bad Company in 1974. Co-written by the group's lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, the song's meaning comes from a book on Victorian morals. Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw described the song as having a "western vibe" and Rodgers has said that it has "an almost biblical, promise-land kind of lawless feel to it."
Fame and Fortune is the seventh studio album by British rock band Bad Company, released in 1986. It was the first album released by the reformed group, featuring original members Mick Ralphs (guitar) and Simon Kirke (drums), with the addition of new frontman Brian Howe substituting for original singer Paul Rodgers. While original bassist Boz Burrell appears credited as part of the line-up, the liner notes reveal that session player Steve Price played on the album.
In Concert: Merchants of Cool is a live album and DVD by English hard rock band Bad Company. It was recorded principally at The Paramount Theater, Denver, Colorado and The Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, California, in January 2002. It features hits from both Bad Company and precursor band Free as well as two new studio tracks, "Joe Fabulous" and "Saving Grace". It is their only album not to feature guitarist Mick Ralphs; longtime session guitarist Dave “Bucket” Colwell, who had previously appeared on the Here Comes Trouble album, plays in Mick’s place. Additionally, Jaz Lochrie plays bass instead of Boz Burrell. The band covers two songs from the Beatles, "Ticket to Ride" and "I Feel Fine" in a medley with "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", as well as one from Paul Rodgers' and Simon Kirke's former band Free, "All Right Now".
Live in Albuquerque 1976 is a live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company featuring all four original members. The recordings were made by Mick Ralphs, who regularly taped the group's shows in the 1970s, so the band could use them to finely tune their set and performances. The album was released on Angel Air Records in 2006, 30 years after it was recorded. The band did not release an official live album in the 1970s. Mick Ralphs also supplied photos from the 1970s and 1980s for the booklet, taken from his personal archive. It would be the last Bad Company release to feature original bassist Boz Burrell, who died from a heart attack on 21 September 2006 in Spain.
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, at various times also known as Velvet Opera, was a British rock band active in the late 1960s. Members of the band, Richard Hudson, John Ford and Paul Brett, would later become members of The Strawbs, Hudson Ford and Stretch.
Stretch were a 1970s British rock band that grew from the collaboration between vocalist Elmer Gantry and guitarist Kirby Gregory. Gantry had been the frontman of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, and Kirby had been a member of Curved Air.
First of the Big Bands is a studio album by Tony Ashton of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, released in April 1974 by Purple Records in the UK and Europe and Warner Bros. Records in the US. The project was Ashton's and Lord's brainchild and continuation of their working relationship after Ashton Gardner & Dyke helped out on Jon Lord's soundtrack album The Last Rebel from 1971. Stylistically, First of the Big Bands was the precursor to Paice Ashton Lord's Malice in Wonderland album from 1977. Most of the album was recorded at Air and Apple Studios, London, with additional work being completed at De Lane Lea and Island.
"Gone, Gone, Gone" is a song by English rock band Bad Company. The song was released as the second and final single from the band's fifth studio album Desolation Angels. The song peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 25, 1979.
"Electricland" is a song by English hard rock supergroup Bad Company. The song was released as the only single from the band's sixth studio album Rough Diamonds. It is the last single released by the band to feature their original line-up, as well as being the last to feature lead singer Paul Rodgers until 1999's "Hey Hey".
Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 is a double live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company, released on CD and as an mp3 download in 2016. It is an archival album with recordings taken from two concerts from their tours in 1977 and 1979. Disc one contains material from a concert at The Summit in Houston, Texas on May 23, 1977. Disc 2 contains material from a concert at Wembley Arena in London on March 9, 1979.
Hard Rock Live is a live album and video by the English hard rock band Bad Company released in 2010. It was recorded at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on August 8, 2008, and marked the first time original members Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke had performed together, since their brief reunion in 1999.
Live at Wembley is a live album by the rock band Bad Company released in 2011. It was recorded on April 11, 2010 from a concert at the Wembley Arena in London, England.
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy: The Very Best of Bad Company is a compilation album released by Bad Company in 2015 on Atlantic Records. The 19-track collection spans 1974 through 1982 and features many of the group's best-known songs, like "Can't Get Enough", "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy".
Mulgrave Street is an album released by the band Amazing Blondel in 1974. It is their first album on the DJM Records label after leaving Island Records.
