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Desolation Angels | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 March 1979 | |||
Recorded | August – September 1978 | |||
Studio | Ridge Farm Studio, Surrey, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:03 | |||
Label | Swan Song | |||
Producer | Bad Company | |||
Bad Company chronology | ||||
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Singles from Desolation Angels | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C [3] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Desolation Angels is the fifth studio album by English rock supergroup Bad Company, released on March 7, 1979. [5] Paul Rodgers revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an episode to Desolation Angels) 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 .
Desolation Angels was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, England in late 1978. It is considered the last strong album by Bad Company with the original lineup, [ citation needed ] mostly because it contains their last major hit, "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", written by Paul Rodgers and inspired by a guitar synthesizer riff which Rodgers had come up with. The album reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard album charts in 1979 and went platinum in 1979 and double platinum subsequently. It was their final top ten album in both the U.S. and the UK.
In addition to "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", "Gone, Gone, Gone", written by bassist Boz Burrell, also received substantial airplay on rock stations.
A cover version of "Oh, Atlanta", written by Mick Ralphs, was recorded by Alison Krauss and appears on her 1995 album Now That I've Found You: A Collection . The original version was used in the open to The Nashville Network's 1993 broadcast of the Motorcraft 500 when ABC (which originally had the broadcast) could not find time to air the race, which had been postponed six days by a snowstorm in the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The album was remastered and re-released in 1994. In 2020, Rhino put out a deluxe edition to honor the 40th anniversary with many alternate versions and bonus tracks.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" | Paul Rodgers | 3:15 |
2. | "Crazy Circles" | Paul Rodgers | 3:32 |
3. | "Gone, Gone, Gone" | Boz Burrell | 3:50 |
4. | "Evil Wind" | Paul Rodgers | 4:22 |
5. | "Early in the Morning" | Paul Rodgers | 5:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Lonely for Your Love" | Mick Ralphs | 3:26 |
7. | "Oh, Atlanta" | Mick Ralphs | 4:08 |
8. | "Take the Time" | Mick Ralphs | 4:14 |
9. | "Rhythm Machine" | Simon Kirke, Boz Burrell | 3:44 |
10. | "She Brings Me Love" | Paul Rodgers | 4:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Smokin’ 45" (Alternative Version 1) | 3:36 |
12. | "Smokin’ 45" (Alternative Version 2) | 3:13 |
13. | "Rock Fever" (Outtake) | 3:03 |
14. | "Oh, Atlanta" (Slow Version with Fender Rhodes) | 5:07 |
15. | "Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy" (Alternative Version 1) | 3:18 |
16. | "Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy" (Alternative Version 2) | 3:19 |
17. | "Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy" (Alternative Version 3) | 3:20 |
18. | "Crazy Circles" (Alternative Version) | 3:33 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Gone, Gone, Gone" (Alternative Version) | 4:08 |
2. | "Early In The Morning" (Alternative Version) | 6:31 |
3. | "Lonely For Your Love" (Alternative Version 1) | 4:07 |
4. | "Take The Time" (Alternative Version 1) | 4:14 |
5. | "Evil Wind" (Alternative Version) | 5:11 |
6. | "Take The Time" (Alternative Version 2) | 4:15 |
7. | "Lonely For Your Love" (Alternative Version 2) | 3:34 |
8. | "She Brings Me Love" (Alternate Version) | 5:23 |
9. | "What Does It Matter" (Blues Jam) | 2:07 |
10. | "Rhythm Machine" (Alternate Version) | 3:45 |
11. | "Amen" (A cappella) | 2:02 |
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [6] | 27 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [7] | 6 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] | 27 |
UK Albums (OCC) [9] | 10 |
US Billboard 200 [10] | 3 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [11] | Gold | 20,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Bad Company is the debut studio album by Bad Company, a 1970s English hard rock supergroup. The album was recorded at Headley Grange with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio in November 1973, and it was the first album released on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records label.
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. Kirke was the only member to remain throughout the band's entire run, while he and Ralphs were the only members to appear on every studio album. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English-Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free, Bad Company, the Firm and the Law. He has also performed as a solo artist and collaborated with the remaining active members of Queen under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers, from 2004 until both parties parted ways in 2009. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2011 Rodgers received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
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