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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 23:44)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: DTS 5.1 Surround
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • Photo gallery
  • Animated menus
  • Behind the scenes footage
  • Interviews
  • Web access
  • Discography
Bad Company - Merchants of Cool in Concert
Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 91 mins . E . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Bad Company formed in England in 1973 when former Free lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke got together with Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. They had all been respected musicians in their own right and after recording their first album had instant chart success throughout the world with the memorable single Can't Get Enough. They went on to record several multi million selling albums over the next few years, until they decided to take a break after the release of the album Rough Diamonds in 1979.

In 1986 Ralphs and Kirke decided to get Bad Company back up and running and enlisted former Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe to replace Paul Rodgers. The new line up went on to record four albums, with varying degrees of success. In 1993 they decided to become a quintet and enlisted bassist Rick Wills and guitarist Dave Colwell. They released the albums The Best of Bad Company Live... What You Hear is What You Get, The Company of Strangers and Stories Told and Untold, over the next three years. In 1998 the original line-up of Rodgers, Kirke, Burrell and Ralphs reunited to record a few tracks for The Original Bad Company Anthology and toured.

Recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Denver and The Grove in Anaheim in January 2002, this concert release features the current line-up of Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Dave Colwell and Jaz Lochrie and they sound better than ever. Paul Rodgers is without doubt one of the best blues vocalists of all time and his voice seems to have improved over the years, if that's possible. During his time away from Bad Company, Rodgers enjoyed reasonable success as a solo artist and also worked with Jimmy Page on the side project The Firm.

I must admit that I have always liked Bad Company, but would never have considered myself a fan as such. So going into viewing this show my only expectation was to see them perform classic hits like Feel Like Makin' Love and Can't Get Enough but this show really blew me away. Apart from the band looking and sounding terrific, the amount of songs recognised was very much a surprise. They perform the classic Free song All Right Now and even throw in a couple of Beatles tracks in a short medley. There are a few other tracks in there also that are instantly recognisable from hearing, but not necessarily from the song name. There are also guest appearances from a couple of friends of the band, namely Neal Schon from Journey and Slash from Guns 'N' Roses.

Track listing:

Burning Sky
Can't Get Enough
Good Lovin' Gone Bad
Feel Like Makin' Love
Rock Steady
Movin' On
Seagull
Ready For Love
Deal With the Preacher
Rock and Roll Fantasy
All Right Now
Wishing Well
Bad Company
Silver, Blue and Gold
Run With the Pack
Shooting Star
Joe Fabulous

To sum this show up in one word, I would have to say "awesome"! They sound great and most viewers will be surprised at how many songs they recognise. The band seem to enjoy playing their music more than ever and are looking towards the future. Paul Rodgers is not only one of the best lead singers of all time, but he is also a great front man. He is backed by some more than able musicians and we can only hope they are around for a long time to come.

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and not 16x9 enhanced, this transfer looks great. Picture is sharp throughout, but the most notable aspect is the depth of blacks, they do look really good. Being a concert there are the odd instances of aliasing and lack of detail, but these are extremely minor and shouldn't cause the viewer any distraction. There is a layer change at 23:44, which is very early on and although it is very noticeable, it is placed between songs so doesn't cause too much trouble. There are no subtitles supplied on this release.

There is a nice choice of audio tracks for this release - they are Dolby Digital 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS. The DD 2.0 is a little restricted for this type of performance and would only be the choice if the viewer had neither of the other options available. The DD 5.1 and DTS tracks are very similar with the DTS offering a slightly fuller sound. Whether your choice is the DD 5.1 or the DTS track, you won't be disappointed. Sound and vocals are clear at all times with no synch problems whatsoever. This very bass driven concert pushes the subwoofer into overdrive at times and you are helpless to resist the urge to headbang or play air guitar just a little. Separation is used well to add the concert feel with the majority of rear speaker use being for crowd noise and to add to the whole ambience of the show.

Quite a few nice extras accompany this awesome concert.

Biography
This feature contains a few pages of text on the important events in the history of the band.

Track By Track Comments
Members of the band make comments about each song in a series of text pages.

Discography
Simply a picture of each Bad Company album released so far.

Photo Gallery
Made up of 25 photos, mostly from concerts and a couple of posed shots, this is a nice feature with some great shots.

Interviews
With a total running time of 25 minutes, this section consists of interviews with band members on the topics of Bad Company Today, On Paul Rodgers, On Simon Kirke, On Dave Colwell, On Jaz Lochrie and The Early Years.

Behind the Scenes
Through the use of a Handycam, this feature takes the viewer backstage before and after a show to give a great insight into the band off stage. It runs for a total of 6:26 and although not of fabulous quality, it's still great fun.

Famous Friends
A number of friends of the band give their views. These famous faces include members from bands such as Styx, Heart, Deep Purple, Foreigner, Journey and Guns 'N' Roses.

Web Links
Simply three links for more info on the band and lead singer Paul Rodgers.

Easter Egg
There is a very nice hidden Bonus Track supplied and for instructions on finding it, please refer to our Easter egg page.

Overall this is an awesome show from an awesome band. Fans of Bad Company will love this release, as will fans of good bluesy rock and roll in general. With a concert running for 90 minutes and some great extras thrown in, this is well worth the purchase.


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  •   And I quote...
    "Bad Company is anything but bad in this kick arse concert!"
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS305
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DE685
    • Speakers:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Surrounds:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony SAVE815ED
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