BAD COMPANY (feat Brian Howe) – Fame And Fortune (Wounded Bird Records remaster)
As requested, here’s the hard to find BAD COMPANY’s “Fame And Fortune” in its only remastered version available done by Wounded Bird Records. Unfortunately the CD is out of print now, being sold for over U$D 160-.
This is the first album released by the reformed Bad Company, featuring original members Mick Ralphs (guitar) and Simon Kirke (drums), with the addition of new frontman Brian Howe (formerly of Ted Nugent’s band) substituting for original singer Paul Rodgers.
Released in 1986 say something to you? Yes, it has that ‘type of sound’. Mixed and with some tracks co-written by Foreigner’s Mick Jones, plus produced by the great Keith Olsen (Foreigner) say even more… “Fame And Fortune” sounds a lot like ’80s Foreigner.
After Paul Rodgers left Bad Company, the band was in a crossroad; broke up or continue with a new blood.
The band still had a lot to prove in the mid-Eighties – even though Ralphs openly admitted at the time that using the same band name was a record company decision. Replacing Rodgers was a gamble, but Brian Howe was a great choice. More of a Melodic Hard Rock singer than Paul Rodgers, Howe’s pipes was pitched somewhere between Lou Gramm and Ashley Holt (Warhorse).
So you had power and melody, and less bluesy touches. Anyway, the boy could sing, and was a useful songwriter.
In the four years since the band’s last studio album, Mick Ralphs for one had gathered a lot of material, and one of his most hard-rocking gems starts the album, ‘Burning Up’. The riffs are heavy and well-timed, and the voice is pretty overwhelming. A few very un-Rodgers-like screams add to the ambience.
Written by Howe, ‘This Love’ was an obvious single choice, and could’ve been a major hit – Melodic AOR was at its peak at the time. And hey, Mick Jones, Mr Foreigner, mixed this album in pleasing fashion; why wasn’t this a hit?
Title track ‘Fame & Fortune’ mid-paced, strong piece of crunch; it’s Ralphs’ tale of the original line-up’s textbook success story, with the inevitable, if anticlimactic, fall.
‘That Girl’ is a pleasingly catchy melodic rock song, with a suggestion of blues. ‘Tell It Like It Is’ ROCKS, and rock with a certain British flavor, and Howe presses all the right buttons.
Then we have the brilliant ‘Long Walk’, similar to That Girl in its bluesy feel, but even better. It has that ‘classic’ feel, and the lyrics are quite moving, accentuating the lovely guitar solos. ‘Hold on My Heart’ is more American-sounding, and pretty Foreigner-ish with Jones co-writing.
Straight 1986 AOR is ‘Valerie’ with its catchy melody and radio-friendly approach, then there’s the exquisite ballad, ‘When We Made Love’, Simon Kirke’s songwriting back at his balladeering best! A genuine 80s tear-jerker, a very grown-up number.
And the band rock out with ‘If I’m Sleeping’, which proved a live highlight.
Bad Co ’86/’87 went out as support to Deep Purple soon after the album’s release, and their stupendous performances shown to fans and critics that this second incarnation would have a prosper future (three more studio albums).
So, if you like your mid-80s melodic rock / radio friendly AOR with soaring vocals, some good powerchording (and a little blues), you’ll enjoy this cheerful album. And this WB remaster is the one to get.
Highly Recommended
Only at 0dayrox
01 – Burning Up
02 – This Love
03 – Fame And Fortune
04 – Taht Girl
05 – Tell It Like It Is
06 – Long Walk
07 – Hold On My Heart
08 – Valerie
09 – When We Made Love
10 – If I’m Sleeping
Lead Vocals, Sax – Brian Howe
Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals – Mick Ralphs
Drums, Backing Vocals – Simon Kirke
with;
Bass – Steve Price
Keyboards – Greg Dechert
Mixed By Mick Jones / Produced by Keith Olsen
TRY HERE:
www.amazon.com/Fame-Fortune-Bad-Company/dp/B0009RQRL0
