Bad Company In the Studio For 'Desolate Angels' Anniversary

02-26-2024

The 45th anniversary of Bad Company's "Desolate Angels" album is being celebrated by the syndicated radio show In The Studio With Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.

Redbeard shared this synopsis for the episode: It's the forty-fifth anniversary of Bad Company's Desolation Angels, released in early March 1979. Five years after their 1974 debut album made them a "super group", there was real concern that Bad Company had augered in with a collective faceplant, due to a dearth of strong material plus sheer exhaustion from a non-stop cycle of recording and touring. After three consecutive million-sellers in as many years, the British foursome consisting of ex-Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, King Crimson bass player Boz Burrell, and Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, half of blues-rockers Free, all were as Rodgers told me, "burnt" by the time they recorded 1977's spotty Burnin' Sky album, no pun intended.

After a much needed two year hiatus, Bad Company re-emerged with their strongest batch of songs since that impressive debut, including the electrifying "Rock'n'Roll Fantasy", "Evil Wind", and "Crazy Circles" all from Paul Rodgers, chronicling life on tour; Burrell's simple but intoxicating groove on "Gone, Gone, Gone"; and the mid-tempo rocker "Oh Atlanta" from Mick Ralphs.

My guests In the Studio Rodgers, Ralphs, and Simon Kirke share a humorous, touching tribute to the late Boz Burrell, plus you will hear the original Bad Company's final recording, "Hammer of Love". Stream the episode here.