![]() Ralphs, as well as he plays on this record, really doesn't come close. Strangely, Bad Company lacks an instrumental virtuoso. Burrell, it should be mentioned, is usually well hidden in Bad Company's tracks - an interesting contrast to too many other raucous groups that delight in an overamplified bass in pursuit of "heaviness." The two finish the song unaccompanied - a minor touch that works well. At the song's end Rogers and Ralphs drop out, leaving only Simon Kirke - strong, as usual, throughout the record - drumming behind Burrell, whose meaty bass aggressively punctuates the beat. Or there's Boz Burrell's role in "Live for the Music." Here the bass player overdubs melodic harmony lines and borrows one of Larry Graham's popping ascending phrases: the primal arrangement takes on a new flair. And they sacrifice nothing in the process. The remake of the Coasters' "Young Blood," for example, is a limited song adapted to a limited genre - so Bad Company makes it the shortest thing here, a neat and powerful 3:27. The members of Bad Company realize, however, that a constantly reiterated mode or even a single song constructed on only one framework can easily bore an audience - hence, some wise arranging. ![]() This is also the first Bad Company song written solely by Ralphs that doesn't explode in some way - he usually sticks to gangbusters like "Sweet Lil' Sister." Similarly, he plays a positively sweet solo on the gentle "Silver, Blue & Gold" and sports a slide on the countryish "Do Right by Your Woman." On "Simple Man," Ralphs combines acoustic and electric guitars (an approach he mastered on Straight Shooter's "Feel like Makin' Love") to produce a primitive but imaginitive result. Ralphs repeats this successful tack (not unlike Andrew Gold's) elsewhere here. His ringing fills on the title track are ideal foils for the son's rawness. It's simpler and infinitely more effective than his old approach. "Live for the Music" is basically a three-note riff repeated over and over and echoed through a tape loop. No longer does Ralphs wallow in lengthy, overly bassy, vibrato-laden forays. But here he shines in what had been his weak area: soloing. Ralphs is still one of the dirtiest and crudest rock chordists his thick distortion sustains almost endlessly. And it matters less that certain songs here resemble earlier works ("Honey Child" and "Sweet Lil' Sister" are kin to "Can't Get Enough" and "Movin' On") than that each of the new bears its own vitality and originality. Paul Rodger's voice and Mick Ralph's guitar continue to be the quartet's foundation - about half of Run with the Pack is the loud abrasive rock they are best known for. Bad Company's is a purely musical triumph. Maybe most importantly, the record is refreshing proof that rockers don't have to produce literature in their lyrics or cultivate personae to create good art. The remainder of the group, now known as "Bad Company UK" because they had a legal battle over the name as there was a band in the 70's also called Bad Company, consists of Maldini and Wojicky.Run with the Pack, Bad Company's third and best album, reiterates the raw, rowdy style of their debut, Bad Co., solidifies the loose ends that marred Straight Shooter, and adds new directions of its own. Darren White continues to produce under the name D-Bridge, Jason Maldini and Michael Wojicky under Maldini and Vegas, respectively. Dan Stein (Fresh) had left Bad Company to pursue several solo projects under different labels like: Ram Recordings, Breakbeat Kaos, V-Recordings and Valve. Today, however, the group is somewhat dissolved. Bad Company went on to produce four LPs and various singles which were acclaimed with similar success, most notably was "The Book of Bad" LP (2000) which had the crowd and dj favorites "Miami Flashback", "Planet Dust", and "Mind Games". The group is well known in the drum and bass industry for their 12" single: The Nine / the Bridge (BCR001). ![]() They formed in 1999 from the ashes of Renegade Hardware act Future Forces. Bad Company is the stage name of drum and bass producers Jason Maldini, Darren White (D Bridge), Dan Stein (Fresh) and Michael Wojcicki (Vegas). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |