Bad Company, "Straight Shooter"
Ken pitches a record that went straight up to number 3
Ken’s Pitch:
Take two parts Free (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke), one part King Crimson (Boz Burrell), and one part Mott The Hoople (Mick Ralphs), then gently mix with former Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, and you’ve got yourself a supergroup! I get it though; Bad Company is no one’s favorite band. They weren’t the same draw as some of their 1970’s counterparts. Having said that, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that really digs ‘70s rock that doesn’t enjoy some of the band’s bigger hits.
Bad Company’s second album, Straight Shooter is a classic from beginning to end. To steal Mitch’s system, there are three tracks that are fantastic “Good Lovin Gone Bad”, “Feel Like Makin Love”, and “Shooting Star”, three more that are solid deep cuts with “Deal with the Preacher”, “Wild Fire Woman”, and “Call on Me”, and a couple of fillers that finish it out. Overall, it’s a great, easy-to-listen-to record full of fun, some solid guitar work, and the essential Bad Company sound.
I saw Bad Company play with Damn Yankees at Compton Terrace (owned at the time by Stevie Nicks’ father) just south of Phoenix with my friend Tracy. I don’t recall if they were very good, but I remember not caring too much because most of the original members had left the band. The only thing I remember was that a feisty Ted Nugent (of then Damn Yankees) took out a bow and arrow halfway through their set and shot a wooden sign with Saddam Hussein’s picture that hung above and behind the drum kit. Such a stupid stunt from such a stupid guy.
So forget early ‘90s Bad Company, they clearly suffered from the loss of their heavyweight lead-singer Rodgers. The loss was clearly so bad that they convinced him to come back in the late ‘90’s for another 10 year run.
But in 1975, they were rolling nothing but 7s and 11s.
CJ’s Response:
When the Hollywood writers went on strike, I was very excited for the signs on the picket lines. The Tinseltown scribblers did not disappoint. Among the best were “Succession without writers is just The Apprentice” and “Please don’t make me move back to Ohio.” But the one that stuck with me was the sign that read “ChatGPT doesn’t have childhood trauma.”
The truth behind those words runs deeper than just a snappy headline. Throughout history, the best art has come from personal experience with joy, sadness, anger and regret. Despite its ability to create new work based on existing work, AI can’t yet replicate the human condition. As a result, movies, books and music created by AI are always going to be deficient.
Back in 1975, the music industry didn’t have AI (as far as we know). But they did have executives whose sole purpose was to duplicate success. These tastemakers looked at the artists who were dominating the charts and did their best to create other versions of those bands. Sometimes their studio-manufactured acts had a couple of hit songs or maybe even a best-selling album. Other times they flopped completely. Regardless of the financial results, these bands never engendered the kind of fan passion as bands that came together organically.
Bad Company is ‘70s-era AI-generated music.
Sure, I recognized several of the songs on Straight Shooter. Many of them are classic rock staples. In fact, if you had a scene in a TV commercial that called for a classic rock track – say, a 50-something guy on a riding mower – any one of these songs would do the trick. And therein lies the problem. By assembling members of average rock bands, Peter GrantGPT created (surprise!) an average rock band. Bad Company are vaguely bluesy because blues rock was in vogue at the time. They sing cautionary tales about rock stars who got too much too fast for the same reason. And they remastered this album in 2015 I guess because all the other kids were doing it.
Where’s the childhood trauma in that?
Pitch Failed (Why hasn’t Viagra used “Feel Like Making Love” in a TV spot? That feels like a huge missed opportunity.)
Mitch’s Response:
Hardly a day goes by without someone saying, “Hey, Mitch, what’s your favorite sequel?” fully expecting that I’ll respond with “Godfather II”. I then zag and say “Cool Ranch Doritos” because: a) Cool Ranch Doritos are delicious, and just as good as Original Nacho flavor, and b) the Reno timeline just doesn’t hold up as well as the Old Vito timeline, but that’s a debate for another day.
Sadly for Bad Company, they’re more of a Godfather III level of spin-off, meaning they’re both unnecessary and disappointing, because we already had Led Zeppelin, and no one was looking for an Ultimate Cheddar flavored Zep.
Led Zeppelin might not be everyone’s favorite band, but you can certainly make the argument that they’re the best rock band ever - featuring a virtuoso at every instrument. Bad Company? Well, they sure have some fun songs about being in Bad Company.
Consider this difference: Robert Plant politely invites a fair maiden to squeeze his lemon until the juice runs down his leg, even though she done did him wrong. Paul Rodgers, on the other hand, just declares that he feels like making love (ewww) and then picks an unwitting target, and threatens her with non-stop loving.
Bad Company, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the hotels, I don't want you near my house. When you see our mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there. You understand?
Pitch Failed (I feel like taking a shower)
Ken’s pitch crapped out and Bad Company’s Straight Shooter will be exiled from Newbury St. What’s your take? What Top 20 album from 1975 would you have picked? Please let us know in the comments section.
Please join us next week as the EONS time machine jumps to 1983 with Mitch’s pitch for Men at Work’s Business As Usual.