In the Spring of 2015, the first two Bad Company records — the solid-rocking 1974 self-titled debut and its equally snappy 1975 follow-up Straight Shooter — were reissued with extra tracks. Six months later, Rhino put together a Bad Company retrospective with 19 of the band’s best songs from their first seven albums along with two unreleased tracks. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy: The Very Best Of Bad Company spans 1974 and 1982 and features songs like, “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy.”
Because the four members of Bad Company were seasoned players from Free, Mott The Hoople and King Crimson, anticipation ran high when the first album came out. The compact hard-rocking songs featuring Paul Rodgers smooth bluesy voice and the tight musical triad of guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell, wielded hit after hit the minute the album dropped, resulting in A Number One album and four radio staples — “Bad Company,” Movin’ On and “Ready For Love” — that fill the first four slots of this compilation. Of course, “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy” are among those that fill out the track list. Throw in previously unreleased alternate versions of “Easy On My Soul” and “See The Sunlight,” different than the ones that appeared on the Spring reissues, and Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy: The Very Best Of Bad Company becomes a must-have for any Bad Company fan.
~ Shawn Perry
