10/12/2009

Bad Company - Straight Shooter (1975) (Japan Min LP 2008)


Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.2008

One year after Bad Company's multi-platinum self-titled debut, the British band returned to London to record a follow-up. Utilizing material written earlier in 1973, vocalist and songwriter Paul Rodgers wrote two acoustic-based rock ballads that would live on forever in the annals of great rock history. "Shooting Star" and the Grammy-winning "Feel Like Makin' Love" helped Straight Shooter rise quickly through the charts to reach Billboard's number three spot both in the U.S. and U.K. However, critically and commercially the album never achieved the tremendous success of its predecessor, largely due to the lack of strong follow-up singles and supporting tracks. Simon Kirke stepped out from behind the drum-set to help produce and write "Anna" and "Weep No More," two slower and less aggressive ballads indicative of the overall diminishing quality of the album. Following the release of Straight Shooter, Bad Company headlined their first North American tour...G. Baksi

Released in 1974, Straightshooter is regarded by many as being Bad Company's strongest album. It has the bluesy feel of its predecessor (Bad Co) but has the band turning their amps up 11 and rocking out the strongest set of songs of the band's career. Do not forget that Bad Co was a supergroup with 2 guys out of Free (Rodgers and Kirke), the bass player from King Crimson (Boz Burrell) and Mott the Hoople's guitarist (Mick Ralphs). They should have been huge, of course, but suffered from having to play second fiddle to Swan Song stablemates Led Zeppelin. The songs were great, their sound: a sort of supercharged, sexy blues-rock without the pretention of Led Zep. What let them down perhaps was their lyrics, some of which make Spinal Tap look like Leonard Cohen, but if you can take that - and I can - this album is a great listen from beginning to end. Bad Company were also one of the few hard rock bands that wrote great ballads (Anna), though it was Straightshooter's high-octane rockers like Good Lovin' Gone Bad, Feel Like Making Love and Shooting Star that helped secure them a place in rock history. Bad Company were a good, tight band, but I would recommend anyone to listen to them purely to hear Paul Rodgers' masterful rock vocals. New to Bad Company? Get this one first, and then Bad Co...Mo. Mons

320 @
261 MB

Tracklist:

01 Good Lovin' Gone Bad 3:35
02 Feel Like Makin' Love 5:12
03 Weep No More 3:59
04 Shooting Star 6:14
05 Deal with the Preacher 5:01
06 Wild Fire Woman 4:32
07 Anna 3:41
08 Call on Me 6:03

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