Bad Company poll....

Which version of this classic band do you prefer?

It's not popular to say so but imo the Howe era is so much better. Not to diss the Rodgers era but there's only about 10 songs I like from them.

I actually really like both the Rodgers and Howe era.  
I don't actually have any of the albums they did with Robert Hart.

Brian Howe for me.

Whilst I do really like the Brian Howe era, the classic songs are all sung by Paul Rodgers imo.

I like all three and I have both albums from the Robert era. But I picked Paul because of so many classics although they seemed to get worse as time went on with only a few stand out tracks around the time of Burnin' Sky.

The Howe era was excellent and great for the 80's but a lot of it sounds the same. It's the same guitar lick over and over but I still love that stuff. Saw the Howe era Bad Co 5 or  6 times in concert. Holy Water is my favorite from that time.

I even have the first Bad Co album with Brian and while I like this song it really established them as a totally different band:



I first heard this on the radio and couldn't believe it was Bad Co. Keyboards and horns? But I liked it when it came out. Now, not so much it sounds a little dated. This album also included Boz Burrell on bass, the last he would do with Bad Co until Paul came back and they recorded a few tracks for an anthology album.

I think this one is from 97 or 98 and it definitely had the classic sound and was the complete original line-up.

And from the Robert Hart era I really liked this. I bought that album when it first came out and it has a ton of good sounding songs that sounded like the classic Bad Co.

Sorry for all the posts but I also remember Foreigner replaced Lou Gramm and at that time I had trouble telling the two bands apart as this sounds like Brian Howe era Bad Co:


And that could be because of Terry Thomas who produced both bands and wrote a lot of the songs.

One more: I think this is the last studio recording the band did in 2009. It is on a live album (I can't remember the name but i have that one too). Basically a revamped line-up with Paul, Mick and Simon with another guitarist and Rick Wills on bass (Rick played in Foreigner).



EDIT: Actually by this time Mick Ralphs was gone and Dave Cowell is on guitar. I believe Mick took time off to care for his wife. These days he does not play anymore. I heard he had a stroke and is in poor health.

And, at 1:38 in this video is that Neal Schon?

Sad part is how Mick and Simon treated Howe after Paul came back.

Black Rider wrote:Sad part is how Mick and Simon treated Howe after Paul came back.

Please elaborate.  I wasn't in secular music for a lot of years and know nothing about this situation.

They bad mouth him publicly and have tried to ignore his era. It goes both ways but it seems like once Paul came back they want to discount Brian's contributions even though they sold a ton of albums.

The Howe era was my favorite.  They had that arena rock sound similar to Brian Adams.  I also never realized until recently that their guitarist really wasn't that fast it fancy of a player, but his leads fit the songs.  There is hope for me yet!

alldatndensum wrote:

Black Rider wrote:Sad part is how Mick and Simon treated Howe after Paul came back.

Please elaborate.  I wasn't in secular music for a lot of years and know nothing about this situation.

It kind of goes both ways. Howe also said they didn't carry their weight and he was ready for it to end. 

When Howe originally joined they wanted to call the bandb a new name but Atlantic Records insisted they call it Bad Co . Again, I enjoyed it all. I remember when Robert Hart joined I thought Paul was back. The first album with him is really good. The second not so much as it is basically an unplugged album

I first heard this on the radio and couldn't believe it was Bad Co. Keyboards and horns? 

Funny that you brought that up.  I am slowly working through their early albums, and there are nearly always some keys (usually piano) and even some sax thrown in on every early album.  Granted, during the Howe era, those became more pronounced.  I think they were trying to be somewhere between Bryan Adams and Richard Marx.

I've been listening to the whole catalog of Bad Company.  The first four Rodgers era albums were amazing.  The final two were a lot more pop oriented.  It almost doesn't feel like they were even the same band.  Oh, the signature vocals and guitar leads are there, but the songs are written to be a lot softer with a lot less overdrive on the guitar.

All four of the Howe era albums were amazing.

The final studio album featuring Robin Hart (who does sound a lot like Paul Rodgers) is a really good return to form of their early days with a production more akin to the 80's and early 90's.

It's been nearly a quarter century since Bad Company's last studio project. Now, singer Paul Rodgers is hinting that the wait might finally be over.

"I'd like to create some new music. That's my focus right now," Rodgers tells Rock Band Reviews. "We're in the studio, just kicking things around and seeing what we've got."

Rodgers hasn't appeared on a Bad Company studio effort since 1982’s Rough Diamonds. He was initially replaced by Brian Howe; Robert Hart sang on their most recent LP, 1996's Stories Told & Untold. Rodgers rejoined Bad Company two years later, and the group became a consistent touring presence. Three new concert recordings have followed, capped by 2011's Live at Wembley.

Up next for Bad Company are shows with ZZ Top and Cheap Trick in May; they'll perform alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd later in the summer. "This year, we have selected to play just 20 dates, and that's all," Rodgers added. "We're going to pull back a little bit so that we can spend more time in the studio, doing a little recording."

They're moving forward, unfortunately, without fellow co-founder Mick Ralphs, after the guitarist suffered a stroke in 2016. "He's now hospitalized," Rodgers confirmed. "We're trying to take care of him from a distance. It's a lot. His family are involved a lot in taking care of him. He's doing as well as can be expected."

Not sure if I have big hopes for new stuff are not, it's been a long time.

Yes it has been a long time. I would have to hear it first if it does happen. The last studio song above, Joe Fabulous was ok but didn't really sound like Bad Co.

Black Rider wrote:It's not popular to say so but imo the Howe era is so much better. Not to diss the Rodgers era but there's only about 10 songs I like from them.

Nailed it!!!!   LOVE the Howe era, but can only take so much of the Rodgers era.


Arttie

I voted Paul Rodgers era. I think he has one of the greatest voices in rock history.
I saw Bad Company last year and he still sounds great.

The first four Bad Co. albums with Rodgers are really good.  I like almost every song.  The next two were kinda blah-blah.  The albums with Howe, I love every song.  They would have done well to continue with him at the helm.

Have to say the Paul Rodgers era because they were one of the first classic rock bands that blew me away when I heard them in the mid-70's.   And even though I am (sadly) a less-than-mediocre lead guitar player, Mick Ralphs was one of my biggest influences along with Ritchie Blackmore, Billy Gibbons, and Angus Young.