Bad Company is one of sneaky those good bands. They aren't one of the first bands you think of when you think of '70s rock, but they had four top ten albums and six Top 40 hits between 1974 and 1979, and probably about 10 songs that are regularly played on classic rock radio. Five of the eight songs on this album fall into that last category.
1. "Can't Get Enough"
The album starts off strong with this classic rock radio staple. It's catchy, it rocks, it has everything a song should.
2. "Rock Steady"
This one is another one of those that you hear and say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that one" when you're inevitably having Bad Company-centered debate at work tomorrow. It's another sold, straightforward rock song with a catchy repeating riff.
3. "Ready for Love"
"Ready for Love" is kind of a brooding song, like the singer doesn't really want to be ready for love. The dark mood and minor key of the song don't match what seem to be relatively upbeat lyrics. It's like the opposite of a Smokey Robinson song.
4. "Don't Let Me Down"
This one is a soulful ballad, complete with female back-up singers and a sax solo. Thankfully, Paul Rodgers has the voice to pull it off. It could easily be a Joe Cocker song. Then again, pretty much all of Joe Cocker's songs were other people's songs, so this really could be a Joe Cocker song if he wanted it.
5. "Bad Company"
Ahh, the rarist of the rare: a self-titled song on a self-titled album. By about the second piano note, it's instantly recognizable. This song uses the crescendo nicely, building from a soft into, adding drums, then guitars, then bam, you're at the chorus and Rodgers is telling you he's bad company. He always seemed like a nice guy, so I don't quite buy it. That said, it's a great rock song.
6. "The Way I Choose"
This is another slow, soulful song that could very well belong on a Badfinger album rather than a Bad Company album. I guess you had to balance the rockers with the ballads if you didn't want all dong your audience.
7. "Movin' On"
This is probably the catchiest song on the album. The interplay between the guitars and cymbals in the intro seem to simulate a train, which makes sense since trains are fucking awesome.
8. "Seagull"
The seagull is often referred to as "the dumbest fucking thing in the sky." Thus, it's no surprise that Bad Company would want to end their first album with a song about one of them. "You fly through the sky / Never asking why / And you fly all Around / 'Til somebody shoots you down." I guess they shoot seagulls in England.
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