Bad Company ‘Desolation Angels 40th Anniversary Edition’ detailed

2 CD and 2 LP editions available Jan 10th

Bad Company’s incredible commercial success continued in 1979 with the British supergroup’s fifth studio album, Desolation Angels. A double platinum hit, the album peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. album charts and took radio by storm with “Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy,” the best-selling single of the band’s career.

Bad Company will celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary with a newly expanded version that boasts 19 unreleased songs taken from the album’s recording sessions. Desolation Angles was recently remastered from the original multi-track tapes for The Swan Songs 1974-1982, a boxed set that was released this summer. That remastered version of the album is also used in this new anniversary collection.

Desolation Angels: 40th Anniversary Edition will be available on January 10th as a 2 CD set and a 2 LP set on 180-gram vinyl via Rhino Records. The music will also be available from digital outlets and streaming services.

In the late summer of 1978, Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke and Boz Burrell spent several weeks recording songs for Desolation Angels at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England. The album – named after Jack Kerouac’s 1965 novel – was released in March 1979, and spawned two singles, “Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy” and “Gone, Gone, Gone.” The album also introduced fan favorites like “Evil Wind” and “Rhythm Machine.”

The second disc presents unreleased versions of seven album tracks. Highlights include alternate takes for “Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy,” “Early In The Morning” and “She Brings Me Love.” Also, the version “Oh, Atlanta” included here is played at slower tempo and adds a Fender Rhodes keyboard into the mix.

In addition to alternate versions of album tracks, the project also features two unreleased outtakes from the sessions. The first is “Smokin’ 45.” This version is different from the one that appeared on the 1999 compilation, The ‘Original’ Bad Co. Anthology. The second outtake, “Rock Fever,” has never surfaced on any Bad Company release until now.

2 CD | 2 LP

[one_half]CD 1:

1. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy
2. Crazy Circles
3. Gone, Gone, Gone
4. Evil Wind
5. Early In The Morning
6. Lonely For Your Love
7. Oh, Atlanta
8. Take The Time
9. Rhythm Machine
10. She Brings Me Love
11. Smokin’ 45 (Version 1)*
12. Smokin’ 45 (Version 2)*
13. Rock Fever*
14. Oh Atlanta (Slow Version with Rhodes)*
15. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy (Version 1)*
16. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy (Version 2)*
17. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy (Version 3) *
18. Crazy Circles (Version 1)*[/one_half]

[one_half_last]CD 2: More Bonus Tracks – Alternative Takes

1. Gone, Gone, Gone*
2. Early In The Morning (Version 2) *
3. Lonely For Your Love*
4.Take The Time*
5. Evil Wind (Version 2)*
6. Take The Time*
7. Lonely For Your Love*
8. She Brings Me Love (Version 2)*
9. What Does It Matter (Blues Jam)*
10. Rhythm Machine*
11. Amen (a cappella)*[/one_half_last]

*previously unreleased

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com