Now Available: Deluxe Reissues of Bad Company’s Self-Titled Debut and Straight Shooter

Way back in 1974, a couple of guys from Free and a couple of guys from Mott the Hoople got together and started a rock 'n' roll band, and - as you might expect from credentials like those - they rocked rather well indeed. The band in question, of course, was Bad Company, and if you've ever held your lighter aloft to songs like “Can't Get Enough,” “Bad Company,” “Shooting Star,” or “Feel Like Makin' Love,” then you'll be excited at this news: we've just reissued the band's first two albums - 1974's Bad Company and 1975's Straight Shooter - in newly remastered deluxe editions.

Not coincidentally, these reissues come on the heels of the band having rediscovered the original multi-track tapes from those particular albums, which included previously-unreleased tracks, takes, and mixes from those sessions. Under the watchful eye of founding member Paul Rodgers, both Bad Company and Straight Shooter were remastered using those original tapes, so they sound better than ever. The deluxe edition of the band's first album features eight previously-unreleased recordings, including the demo for “The Way I Choose,” an early take of “Bad Company,” and also an early version of “Superstar Woman,” a song which is likely familiar to fans not for the band's version but for the one recorded by Rodgers for his 1983 solo album, Cut Loose. Meanwhile, Straight Shooter's bonus material includes a stripped-down version of “Shooting Star,” a unique remix of “Good Lovin' Gone Bad,” and two songs you've almost certainly never heard before: “See the Sunlight” and “All Night Long.”

In case you're wondering, yes, these remastered versions will be available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl, but in regards to the bonus material, the vinyl won't include all of the material, only a sampling of it. Still, at least there'll be some of it there for your listening enjoyment, and it'll sound fantastic.

Available here at rhino.com.

Here's the full track listing of the reissues, just so you've got all the details:

Bad Company (1974)

Disc One
1. "Can't Get Enough"
2. "Rock Steady"
3. "Ready For Love"
4. "Don't Let Me Down"
5. "Bad Company"
6. "The Way I Choose"
7. "Movin' On"
8. "Seagull"

Disc Two
1. "Can't Get Enough" (Take 1)
2. "Little Miss Fortune" (Demo Reel 1)
3. "The Way I Choose" (Demo Reel 1)
4. "Bad Company" (LMS Studio Reel 2-73 Session)
5. "The Way I Choose" (Version 1 Inc. F/S)
6. "Easy On My Soul" (Long Version)
7. "Bad Company" (LMS Studio Reel 8-73 Session)
8. Studio Chat/Dialogue
9. "Superstar Woman" (Long Version)
10. "Can't Get Enough" (Single Edit)
11. "Little Miss Fortune" (B-side of "Can't Get Enough")
12. "Easy On My Soul" (B-side of "Movin' On")

Straight Shooter (1975)

Disc One
1. "Good Lovin' Gone Bad"
2. "Feel Like Makin' Love"
3. "Weep No More"
4. "Shooting Star"
5. "Deal With The Preacher"
6. "Wild Fire Woman"
7. "Anna"
8. "Call On Me"
Disc Two
1. "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" (Alternate Vocal & Guitar)
2. "Feel Like Makin' Love" (Take Before Master)
3. "Weep No More" (Early Slow Version)
4. "Shooting Star" (Alternate Take)
5. "Deal With The Preacher" (Early Version)
6. "Anna" (Alternate Vocal)
7. "Call On Me" (Alternate Take)
8. "Easy On My Soul" (Slow Version)
9. "Whiskey Bottle" (Early Slow Version)
10. "See the Sunlight"
11. "All Night Long"
12. "Wild Fire Woman" (Alternate Vocal & Guitar)
13. "Feel Like Makin' Love" (Harmonica Version)
14. "Whiskey Bottle" (B-side of "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" )