All things considered, I would have bet good money on Bad Company reissuing Desolation Angels last year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its original release. As it turns out, the 2020 copyright date on the back cover makes it arguably 41 years since the album’s original release back in March 1979, but fans likely won’t quibble over this detail. (And since I really didn’t wager any actual cash over this, I’m OK with it too.)
The original album was well recorded, so it’s not surprising the remaster is fine as well. In fact, I might even suggest that, much like Deep Purple’s classic Machine Head, similarly Desolation Angels might be a little too clean and perfect for rock ‘n’ roll.
In context, though, one has to remember that 1979 saw the explosion of punk and new wave in both the U.K. and here in North America, as well. The rock audience was starting to get used to things being more than a little rough around the edges, but the rise of Desolation Angels to No. 3 on the album charts really indicates that there was still a market for the kind of solid playing and production being made by Bad Company and other such rock veterans.
The reissue also contains quite a few alternative tracks and curios, some highlights being: a slow take on “Oh, Atlanta” that is markedly different from the version that eventually showed up on the original album; the B-side “Smokin’ 45” in a couple of alternate versions; and an unreleased track called “Rock Fever.” Other than that, it’s the usual multiple working versions of album tracks and jams which are mildly interesting and then immediately dispensable.
So, I guess the only question left is whether or not Bad Company will reissue Rough Diamonds, the 1982 album which would prove to be the final studio platter by the original quartet. (I know – not including the four-song reunion recordings on 1999’s ‘Original’ Bad Co. Anthology.) For some reason, Rough Diamonds was universally disliked, although these days it seems to be of a piece with their body of work as a whole.
I guess Bad Company has until 2022 to figure out if Rough Diamonds deserves to get its own 40th anniversary repackaging. In the meantime, Desolation Angels is a good place to stop for a bit and remember the days when vinyl didn’t cost the proverbial arm and a leg.
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