Bad Company Desolation Angels CD

Live Recording

Bad Company: Paul Rodgers (vocals, piano, guitar); Mick Ralphs (guitar); Boz Burrell (bass); Simon Kirke (drums).
Digitally remastered by Ted Jensen.
Personnel: Paul Rodgers (guitar, accordion, piano); Mick Ralphs (guitar, keyboards); Simon Kirke (drums); The Bones (background vocals).
Audio Remasterer: Ted Jensen.
Recording information: Ridge Farm, Dorking, Surrey, England.
Photographer: Hipgnosis [Design Group].
By the time Bad Company released Desolation Angels, it was evident that even Rodgers and Ralphs were getting tired of their '70s-styled, conveyor-belt brand of rock & roll, so they decided to add keyboards and some minor string work to the bulk of the tracks. Although this change of musical scenery was a slight breath of fresh air, it wasn't enough to give Desolation Angels the much added depth or distinction which was intended, and only the vocal passion of "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" really comes out on top, eventually becoming a gold single. The good news is that Desolation Angels is a noticeable improvement from 1977's Burnin' Sky, with Bad Company's sound taking on a smoother, more polished feel than its predecessor. "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Lonely for Your Love," and "She Brings Me Love" work best in Rodgers' favor, and fans did prove their loyalty, pushing the album to the number ten mark in the U.K. and to number three in the U.S. The campaign toward a new sound does cause a few of the cuts ("Crazy Circles," "Evil Wind") to appear a bit forced and overly glitzy (especially the use of electronic drums), and the album spawns a smattering of a few attractive moments rather than evolving as a complete, constructive listen. Things didn't get much better for Bad Company, and it was after the release of 1979's Rough Diamonds, a much weaker and unattached effort, that Rodgers decided to call it quits. ~ Mike DeGagne
DESOLATION ANGELS is arguably the band's best album since its bedrock laden debut. Coming in at the tail end of the '70s, Bad Company finally began to incorporate other elements to its no frills rock approach, making DESOLATION ANGELS the band's most diverse recording. The straight-ahead drive of "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" subtly employs electronic drums that merely accent rather than takeover. The acoustic based "Crazy Circles" reveals that even without pounding rock behind him, Paul Rodgers is a singer nearly without peer.
The western flavored "Evil Wind" brings Rodgers love of outlaw imagery to the fray and the band soon departs to the fully countryfied "Oh Atlanta," and gives Little Feat a run for its money. The presence of the album on FM radios across the country at the end of the decade confirmed what Bad Company laid bare five years prior--in an era where overblown art rock was revered, there was still a thirst for rock in its purest form.