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Good times, Bad Company
By John Benson
The term supergroup first emerged in the late ’60s with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
It wasn’t until the early ’70s that the next all-star act arrived with Bad Company, which featured Free’s Paul Rodgers (vocals), Mott The Hoople’s Mick Ralphs (guitar), Free’s Simon Kirke (drums) and King Crimson’s Boz Burrell (bass).
“I think we were one of the supergroups,” said Rodgers, calling from British Columbia. “It became labeled as that, but we didn’t really set out to form such a thing. We tried to get the best musicians possible. It was just a natural chemistry.”
That chemistry produced platinum results. During the ’70s, the talented act created a catalog of platinum albums and memorable hits including “Can’t Get Enough,” “Bad Company,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Shooting Star.”
For those old enough to remember, early on Bad Company had a marketing buzz unlike any other band. Because the group was signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song record label, its association with the “Stairway to Heaven” act was viewed as an endorsement. So right out of the gate, Zeppelin followers were intrigued enough to give the band’s 1974 self-titled album a listen. Apparently, those fans liked what they heard.
“Absolutely, that was the case. Led Zeppelin wouldn’t sign anyone they wouldn’t like,” Rodgers said. “That was a huge boost for us. It encouraged people to listen. And if you could deliver the goods at that point, that’s a really good step forward.”
Rodgers told a great story about being signed to Swan Song. When the group first formed, Led Zeppelin had rented the mansion Headley Grange to record what would become its 1975 album “Physical Graffiti.” However, the group was slow to get to work, so Bad Company, using Zeppelin’s mobile recording studio, set up in Headley Grange and recorded the foundation of what would become its debut effort. Among the songs Rodgers remembers recording in the unique venue were “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” and “Seagull.”
“We had no idea whether it was good, but we liked it,” Rodgers said. “There was kind of an innocence about it.”
That innocence and honesty is what enthralled fans until the group’s 1982 breakup. Though Rodgers left the act, Bad Company continued on for the next decade and a half with different members. Then in 1998, Rodgers and the original members reformed and have been together ever since.
To celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary, the group has announced a summer run alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd. The bill plays First Niagara Pavilion on Friday.
One thing that never changed over the years was Bad Company’s presence on the radio. In fact, one could argue they’re heard today on classic-rock radio as much as they were back in the day.
“Classic-rock radio, and radio in general across the nation, has been fantastic to us,” Rodgers said. “For some reason, we seem to have made radio-friendly records. That wasn’t intentional. That’s just the way it happened. I think there’s this simplicity and kind of vulnerable innocence to the songs. You almost listen to them and say that could have been better recorded — that could have been better performed. But it just is what it is. It’s very natural, and it sounds spontaneous even now when you listen to it. It sounds like it was just recorded in somebody’s garage.”