In Concert: Merchants of Cool

Performer: Bad Company
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Full title: Bad Company In Concert: Merchants Of Cool. Bad Company: Paul Rodgers (vocals, arranger, guitar, piano); David "Bucket" Colwell (guitar); Jaz Lochrie (bass); Simon Kirk (drums, percussion). Principally recorded live at The Paramount Theater, Denver, Colorado; The Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim, California, in January 2002. This release includes a bonus DVD. Oddly enough, on this 2002 live recording by Bad Company, vocalist Paul Rodgers sounds younger than he ever has on record. And no, that's not necessarily a good thing. Bad Company's original members number two: Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke; bassist Jaz Lochrie and guitarist Dave Colwell have replaced Boz Burrell and Mick Ralphs, who were smart enough to bail after the obligatory reunion tour that resulted in a previous live album. True enough, Bad Company was once able to inspire legions of rock fans with their melodic, memorable, tough, and lean bluesy paeans to lovers, losers, gamblers, and ramblers, and one would hope that even with a new lineup some of that inspiration and fire remained. But those days are long, long gone. One wonders why anyone, even a die-hard fan, would appreciate this tired, plodding, going-through-the-motions set of hits. The singalong on "Can't Get Enough" is nauseating, and the redone "Feel Like Makin' Love" sounds like a cover band in a bar doing Bad Company songs. This should have been called Former Merchants of Cool Ready for the Old Rock Stars' Home. ~ Thom Jurek Sanctuary's 2002 release In Concert: Merchants of Cool captures a latter-day lineup of Bad Company fronted by Paul Rodgers running through their big hits circa 2001 (the album is culled from dates at the Paramount Theatre in Denver and the Grove of Anaheim, but no specific dates are mentioned). The performances are sturdy, solid, and, at times, even a little spirited; though this couldn't be mistaken for the band at their peak in the mid-'70s, it will certainly entertain those who have stuck with them ever since then. In addition the concert tracks, there are two new studio tracks that are the equal of the live cuts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

With key members hailing from such storied bands as Mott the Hoople and Free, Bad Company had its hard-rock credentials very much in order from the get-go. On the strength of Paul Rodgers's throaty vocals and Mick Ralphs's simple but memorable power-chord riffs, they became one of the most successful acts of the 1970s.

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