ROUGH DIAMONDS

Bad Company: Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar); Mick Ralphs (guitar); Boz Burrell (bass); Simon Kirke (drums). Recorded at Ridge Farm Studios, Dorking, Surrey, England in April 1981. Digitally remastered by Ted Jensen. Personnel: Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar, accordion, piano); Mick Ralphs (guitar, keyboards); Mel Collins (saxophone); John Cook (keyboards); Simon Kirke (drums). Recording information: Ridge Farm Studios. After five albums in as many years, massive worldwide success, and frequent global touring, Bad Company wrapped up the '70s nearly exhausted. Singer Paul Rodgers insisted that the band take some time off to re-energize before hitting the studio again, a decision that proved professionally disastrous for the band. Three years slipped by, virtually an eternity, before Bad Company released ROUGH DIAMONDS in 1981. Perhaps it was the new decade, the onset of new wave icons propelled by the unstoppable rise of the then burgeoning MTV, or simply the fact that the album wasn't up to the band's previous standards. Whatever the reasons, Bad Company was viewed as an anachronism and the album quietly dropped out of sight. Rodgers soon left the band, thus ending Bad Company's original line up. It's a bit of a shame, as there are rewarding moments on ROUGH DIAMONDS, notably the slinky "Untie the Knot," which perhaps prophetically details Rodgers' dissatisfaction with a relationship from which he wishes to escape. The funky "Downhill Ryder" is a telling reminder that even when not firing on all cylinders, Bad Company is a force to be reckoned with.