With the imprimatur of Led Zeppelin, Bad Company was poised for success - a promise which the band fulfilled, yielding five U.S. top 20 albums and six top 20 singles. Rhino has recently celebrated the legacy of the supergroup formed by vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke of Free, guitarist Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople, and bassist Boz Burrell of King Crimson with a number of expanded reissues. Now, the label is taking a different approach with a simple packaging of the band's core albums including two new remasters.
The Swan Song Years 1974-1982, a 6-CD box set, is due from Rhino on August 2. Housed in a clamshell case, it includes the six albums recorded by the first lineup of the band, all of which were originally issued on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label:
- Bad Company (1974) (2015 remaster)
- Straight Shooter (1975) (2015 remaster)
- Run with the Pack (1976) (2017 remaster)
- Burnin' Sky (1977 (2017 remaster)
- Desolation Angels (1979) (2019 remaster); and
- Rough Diamonds (1982) (2019 remaster).
Each album has been remastered from the original analogue multi-track tapes, including newly remastered versions of Desolation Angels and Rough Diamonds. The 2015 and 2017 remasters were previously issued on expanded editions of each title; the bonus discs have been dropped from this back-to-basics set.
Bad Company, featuring original members Rodgers and Kirke, will take to the road this summer for a North American tour.
www.badcompany.com/tour
Look for The Swan Song Years 1974-1982 on August 2 from Rhino!
Bad Company, The Swan Song Years 1974-1982 (Swan Song/Rhino, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: Bad Company (2015 Remaster) (Swan Song SS 8410, 1974)
- "Can't Get Enough"
- "Rock Steady"
- "Ready For Love"
- "Don't Let Me Down"
- "Bad Company"
- "The Way I Choose"
- "Movin' On"
- "Seagull"
CD 2: Straight Shooter (2015 Remaster) (Swan Song SS 8502, 1975)
- "Good Lovin' Gone Bad"
- "Feel Like Makin' Love"
- "Weep No More"
- "Shooting Star"
- "Wild Fire Woman"
- "Anna"
- "Call On Me"
CD 3: Run with the Pack (2017 Remaster) (Swan Song SS 8415, 1976)
- "Live For The Music"
- "Simple Man"
- "Honey Child"
- "Love Me Somebody"
- "Run With The Pack"
- "Silver, Blue & Gold"
- "Young Blood"
- "Do Right By Your Woman"
- "Sweet Lil' Sister"
- "Fade Away"
CD 4: Burnin' Sky (2017 Remaster) (Swan Song SS 8500, 1977)
- "Burnin' Sky"
- "Morning Sun"
- "Leaving You"
- "Like Water"
- "Knapsack (The Happy Wanderer)"
- "Everything I Need"
- "Heartbeat"
- "Peace Of Mind"
- "Passing Time"
- "Too Bad"
- "Man Needs Woman"
- "Master Of Ceremony"
CD 5: Desolation Angels (2019 Remaster) (Swan Song SS 8506, 1979)
- "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy"
- "Crazy Circles"
- "Gone, Gone, Gone"
- "Evil Wind"
- "Early In The Morning"
- "Lonely For Your Love"
- "Oh, Atlanta"
- "Take The Time"
- "Rhythm Machine"
- "She Brings Me Love"
CD 6: Rough Diamonds (2019 Remaster) (Swan Song 90001, 1982)
- "Electricland"
- "Untie The Knot"
- "Nuthin' On The TV"
- "Painted Face"
- "Kickdown"
- "Ballad Of The Band"
- "Cross Country Boy"
- "Old Mexico"
- "Downhill Ryder"
- "Racetrack"
John Phillips says
Hesitant to purchase, already bought the first four 2 disc editions.
Bruce Padgett says
Agreed. Strange that no standalones of the final pair, with accompanying bonus discs, weren’t issued. What’s up with that?
Jacob Hudson says
I was really hoping for a Desolation Angels deluxe edition. Hopefully it will still happen.
mcflyy says
I hold out hope for the last two "classic era" Bad Co albums to get the deluxe treatment. As much of a drop off "Rough Diamonds" was compared to "Desolation Angels", I still like it and I'll take whatever they offer as I enjoy this version of Bad Company over everything that came after.
David G Owens says
Won't buy this since I'm waiting for the last two original lineup Bad Company albums to be given the same deluxe treatment like they did for the first four. Release "Desolation Angels" and "Rough Diamonds" in a two disc expanded edition and I'm there.
Joe Marchese says
Hi David, “Desolation Angels” has been released as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition. See here:
https://theseconddisc.com/2020/01/17/release-round-up-week-of-january-17-2/