North American syndicated rock radio show and website InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 40th anniversary of Bad Company’s sophomore smash, Straight Shooter.                          

The year 1974 must have seemed quite a whirlwind for Brit blues-rockers Bad Company. As former members of Free, singer/songwriter Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, along with ex-Mott The Hoople guitarist/ songwriter Mick Ralphs and bass player Boz Burrell (who had a stint with King Crimson), had all tasted success in the UK early in their respective careers, tagging them with the blessing/curse of “supergroup” upon the formation of Bad Company.

Bad Company had elbowed their way to the forefront of the rock world by the April 1975 release of their second album Straight Shooter, delivering the timeless hits “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”, “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Shooting Star” and avoiding a sophomore jinx.

In an interview with InTheStudio host Redbeard, Ralphs, Kirke, and Paul Rodgers recall how the Grammy nominated “Feel Like Makin’ Love” single, originally composed during Paul’s time in Free but never finished, ended up on Bad Company’s Straight Shooter album.

“We had come off a very heavy tour... We needed material, come to think of it... so I started to play it and I said to Ralphsy, ‘It needs a chorus, something to come in heavy here.’ So he says, ‘How about this?’ (hums guitar part of chorus). Weird isn’t it? It came together like almost by accident. It might still have been floating around in my head today if we hadn’t like needed a song desperately, you know.” - Paul Rodgers

Bad Company /InTheStudio interview is available now at this location.

 

 

Bad Company has influenced bands from Bon Jovi to Five Finger Death Punch, who recently had a #1 hit with their cover of the song “Bad Company”. They have also helped shaped the sound of an entire rock era with iconic powerhouse rock anthems “Can’t Get Enough”, “Rock Steady” along with the ever popular ballads “Ready For Love”, “Seagull” and Grammy-nominated “Feel Like Makin’ Love”. The British rockers recently unearthed the original multi-track tapes from their first two albums and discovered previously unreleased tracks, takes, and mixes from those sessions.

For the first time ever, the band has remastered Bad Company (1974) and Straight Shooter (1975) using the original tapes to create new Deluxe Editions. It was paramount to founding member Paul Rodgers that the CD and LP be copied from the original tapes to guarantee the best sound possible. Each set includes a newly remastered version of the original album, along with a number of rare and unreleased recordings. The CD versions of these Deluxe Editions include all of the newly discovered bonus tracks, while their 180-gram vinyl counterparts offer a selection of the bonus material.

Deluxe Editions of Bad Company and Straight Shooter are available now. The titles are also available digitally.

Singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Rodgers, along with guitarist/songwriter Mick Ralphs, bassist Boz Burrell, and drummer Simon Kirke recorded the band’s eponymous debut in November 1973 using Ronnie Lane’s mobile studio at Headley Grange, the former poorhouse where Led Zeppelin recorded frequently. When Bad Company was released the following year, the album went to #1 in America during the band’s first U.S. tour and was eventually certified 5x platinum thanks to hits like “Can’t Get Enough,” “Bad Company,” “Ready for Love,” and “Movin’ On.”

The second disc of the Deluxe Edition features 12 tracks, including eight previously unreleased recordings such as the demo for the ballad “The Way I Choose,” a take of “Bad Company” recorded right before the album version, and an unedited version of “Superstar Woman,” a song that Rodgers later recorded in 1983 for his solo album Cut Loose. Also featured is the single edit of “Can’t Get Enough,” and the b-sides “Little Miss Fortune” and “Easy On My Soul.”

The band released its second album Straight Shooter in April 1975, 40 years to the month of the new deluxe edition. The album rose to #3 on the US album chart and was certified 3x platinum behind the hit singles “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” as well as the rock radio staple “Shooting Star.”

Of the 14 bonus tracks, all are previously unreleased except the b-side “Whiskey Bottle.” Among the standouts is a stripped-down version of “Shooting Star,” a remix of “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” with alternative guitar and vocals tracks, as well as two lost gems, never released before: “See The Sunlight” and “All Night Long.”

Tracklistings:

Bad Company (1974)

 

 

Disc One

“Can’t Get Enough”
“Rock Steady”
“Ready For Love”
“Don’t Let Me Down”
“Bad Company”
“The Way I Choose”
“Movin’ On”
“Seagull”

Disc Two

“Can’t Get Enough” (Take 1)*

“Little Miss Fortune” (Demo Reel 1)*

“The Way I Choose” (Demo Reel 1)*

“Bad Company” (LMS Studio Reel 2-73 Session)*

“The Way I Choose” (Version 1 Inc. F/S)

“Easy On My Soul” (Long Version)

“Bad Company” (LMS Studio Reel 8-73 Session)*

Studio Chat/Dialogue

“Superstar Woman” (Long Version)*

“Can’t Get Enough” (Single Edit)

“Little Miss Fortune” (B-side of “Can’t Get Enough”)*

“Easy On My Soul” (B-side of “Movin’ On”)*

Straight Shooter (1975)

 

 

Disc One

“Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”
“Feel Like Makin’ Love”
“Weep No More”
“Shooting Star”
“Deal With The Preacher”
“Wild Fire Woman”
“Anna”
“Call On Me”

Disc Two

“Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” (Alternate Vocal & Guitar)*

“Feel Like Makin’ Love” (Take Before Master)*

“Weep No More” (Early Slow Version)*

“Shooting Star” (Alternate Take)*

“Deal With The Preacher” (Early Version)*

“Anna” (Alternate Vocal)*

“Call On Me” (Alternate Take)*

“Easy On My Soul” (Slow Version)

“Whiskey Bottle” (Early Slow Version)

“See the Sunlight”
“All Night Long”

“Wild Fire Woman” (Alternate Vocal & Guitar)*

“Feel Like Makin’ Love” (Harmonica Version)

“Whiskey Bottle” (B-side of “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” )

* Tracks featured on Deluxe Edition LPs