Disco de Bad Company: “Live in Albuquerque 1976”

Early in 2007, the news of the Release of a Live Bad Company Show from The 1976 {The "Run With The Pack" Tour} was for me a Big Deal. I was in attendance for the San Francisco Show at Winterland and saw The Chaps in all their Full Glory. The Big Deal at this Point in Time was The Nation's 200th Birthday Party, But for a lot of us this a chance to see Bad Company {At this Time at the Peak of Popularity} was EVEN MORE important! This was the Most Expensive Ticket I had ever purchased for a Winterland Show at $5.00, and as it would seem like quite the Bargain today, this raised lot's of debate amoung my fellow Concert Pals at the time!

I remember Boz in his Big Hat, Mick Ralphs {My Guitar Hero} with a Big Smile on his Face, Simon was Shirtless & Sweaty Behind his Drumkit and Paul Rodgers with a Piano with a Skull & Crossbones Flag drapped over it (Jolly Rodgers, Get it?}. Besides Led Zeppelin, in 1976, Bad Company could have been the Most Popular Rock Band on the Planet. Selections from all Three Zillion Selling Albums were Played that Night. The Third LP: "Run With The Pack" could be heard Everywhere over the Summer of 1976.

Now here we are Late into 2007, and I was able to Purchase a Copy of: "Live Albuquerque, NM, USA-1976". Even with Two CD's there is a Problem...This is not The Entire Show! My Favorite Song of this Concert is not included herein and that was a Pristine reading of: "Silver, Blue and Gold". Also Missing from the Encore is: "Movin' On". Yeah, I was at Winterland and not in New Mexico, but Bad Company played the very same Set every night, and I'll Bet you that the Band Performed these Tunes in Alburquerque. I have a Theory as to why they are not here and that is that The Source Tape of this Show that Mick Ralphs recieved from the Sound Board is a Standard Cassette 90, Tape. The Total Time of the Two CD's of this Release are just over 91 Minutes in Total Length {You always get up to 2 Extra minutes overlap on each Side of an Cassette}. "Silver, Blue & Gold" was in the Middle of my San Francisco Concert {Right before, the band played; "Run With The Pack". They Flipped the Tape right in the Middle of: "Siver, Blue & Gold", so because of a Tape Gap that couldn't be Corrected it was left off this release. The Loss of: "Movin' On" is easier to explain as the Cassette ran out of Time before it was Played at the very end of The Show.

This might seem like a Minor Point to you, But, if your are planning to Spend $100.00 or more for a copy of this "Un-Official" Release, {How, Many of these ARE out there?} it is of concern. I also thought after all the Five Star Reviews, raving of the Greatness of these CD's that the Sound Quality would be Stellar, well it Ain't, but it is Passable in the Sonic Department {It Sounds like a High-Quality Bootleg Copy}. And My next Theory is that Mick's 30 Year Old Cassette Tape was not Mixed as well as it should have been on the Board at the Night of this Show. I would also like to say that Angel Air, most likely Worked their Butt's off to get the Source Recording to sound this Good.

Mick wanted this one to see a Proper Release, but Paul Rodgers Vetoed that from taking place as he wasn't Happy with Some of the Vocals you Hear {And he is Looking out for his Bandmates, as The Backing Vocals are The Problem, NOT the Lead Vocals!}.

This was a Pricey Purchase, but as Plenty of Inferior Bootlegs of Live Bad Company have been out there for 30 Years now, as of right now this is THE Live Bad Company Set to Own.

The Other Reviewers are NOT gonna be Too Pleased with my Comments, But this is The Truth. I would not consider my Review of this release to be Helpful to others if I Just 'Gushed-On' about it's Greatness and didn't give you The: "Straight Shooter", Facts about this Package. It's getting: 3.5 Stars from me. I'm glad to Own it...But, The Definitive, Live Bad Company Show isn't available on CD... Well, Yet!

Excellent CD...I was lucky enough to pick it up back in June when it was released on ANGEL AIR which distributes all of MICK RALPHS solo CD's. So, to refute the claims by the previous reviewer who claims to be all up tight with the brilliant Mr. Rodgers, this CD was put out by THE BAND'S GUITARIST! I'm sure Paul didn't authorize it, so it was withdrawn, but to make perfectly clear, THIS WAS RECORDED BY MICK HIMSELF! IT IS NOT A BOOTLEG!!!

I bought this set about a year ago and have not stopped loving it yet, i dont care whats not on it I love what is. i saw this tour in 76 in Pittsburgh and I now have something better than a very small t-shirt to remember the show. Bad Co. (my favorite band of all time & Paul Rodgers my favorite vocalist of all time) are in great form here, the sound quality is Great the songs are great I dont think this should be graded on "a complete set" enjoy what we have. This is a great package for hardcore Bad Co. fans or anyone that did not get a chance to see this GREAT band at their peak. I had a bootleg of Bad Co. live in Boston 76 but this is far superior (and by the way the booklet and photo's are fantastic. I only hope there's some film of 70's Bad Co. floating around out there. Buy this package (it's pricey) before it disappears.

I snagged this Double CD primarily because it was the only Live set that I've ever seen from Bad Company (it wasn't cheap!). Kudos to Mick Ralphs for putting this out. It is a shame that the original line up of BC never put out a Live Album during their hey days in the 70s. Especially after Desolation Angels came out!

After a listen to this set, which is a good mix of tunes coming of the release of "Run with the Pack," One can easily deduce why Mick Ralphs choose this show as a live sampler of Bad Company. Ralph's is on fire during this show. I've never considered Ralphs as one of the elite guitar players, but his performance at this show showcases the best of what this outfit offered as a band and he as a player. The rhythm section is tight. However, Paul Rodgers performance can be summed up as a tad lazy. Paul Rodgers on an off night is better than 90% of the rock world on a good night, but his performance here is not at the top of his game. One can especially note that on "Good Loving Gone Bad," "Seagull" and "Run with the Pack." Not that they're bad mind you, just that their not great and rather unispired! Then again, Rodger's performance on "Simple Man," "Deal with the Preacher" and the killer extended show closing "Bad Company" expresses why Mr. Rodgers is one of the very best rock vocalists around. Some of the more uninspired songs by Rodgers may be the main reason Rodgers wanted the CD pulled from publication... Again, in context with the band, it is all in all a great record of a live performance due mostly by the fact that there aren't any others out there. If you're a BC fan, you'll appreciate the power of this show and the historical significance of the offering. It won't be cheap if you can find it, but it's one that you'll play often once it's in your possesion.

The only real negative that I can articulate about the recording is that there is a pretty prounced hiss on the CD. Consisreing that 70s recording technology is not what it is today makes that forgivable. All in all, the quality is good. There is a weird pager like beeping sound that apears for a second about 3 minutes into Deal with the Preacher that makes you harken back to the days in your teens and live shows in the 70s when you heard all sorts of strange sounds during these events... whether perceived or actual!!! LOL!

Again, if you're lucky enough to find this offering available, are willing to put up the coin and are a BC fan, you won't regret it! Rest in peace Boz Burrell, your legacy lives on!

If you can find one Buy It !

Great OOP Document.

Thank You Mick Ralphs...Long Overdue.