Bad Company: Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Mick Ralphs (guitar); Boz Burrell (bass); Simon Kirke (drums).

Engineers include: Robin Black, Ron Nevison, Chris Kimsey.

Recorded between November 1973 and November 1998. Includes liner notes by John McDermott.

Digitally remastered by Steve Croxford, Jack "Jacko" Adams, and Walter Coehlo

(Masterpiece Mastering, London, England).

1974's BAD COMPANY laid the groundwork for much of the mainstream hard rock that would dominate FM radio and album sales in the 1970s and '80s. In contrast to the expansive canvases of psychedelic music and the virtuoso excesses of prog rock, Bad Company's debut stripped the blues-rock model down to its essentials, playing muscular, amped-up power chords over driving 4/4 beats. Though the singing of vocalist Paul Rodgers (who had previously been in the blues-based band Free) has a rather flat affect, it is powerful and distinctive, meshing perfectly with the bluesy riffs of guitarist Mick Ralphs.

The tightly structured songs are cut from similar cloth, but the exuberant "Can't Get Enough," the snarling "Bad Company," and moody, spectral "Ready For Love" provide enough variety to keep things interesting. The gentle "Seagull," though uncharacteristically introspective for the band, is one of Rodgers/Ralphs's finest compositions. Subsequent Bad Company albums would rework the same basic themes, but BAD COMPANY, the group's opening salvo, was their defining work. It remains a classic of straightforward, blues-based rock.

Bad Company's formation in 1973 signaled the arrival of a blues-rock supergroup. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke came from Free, guitarist Mick Ralphs was Ian Hunter's foil in Mott The Hoople and Boz Burrell had done time with King Crimson. ANTHOLOGY collects many of their well-known hits/classic rock staples ("Can't Get Enough," "Shooting Star," "Rock And Roll Fantasy") on two discs alongside four new tracks recorded in 1998.

Bad Company was the first signing to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label. Songs such as "Bad Company" and "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" benefited from his Paul Rodger's rich, bluesy vocal delivery. Much of the band's material reflected a fascination with the Old West, particularly numbers such as "Deal With The Preacher" and "Whiskey Bottle." Other, overlooked numbers include "Silver, Blue And Gold" and "Oh Atlanta" (a favorite of Alison Krauss, who's been known to do it in concert). The newly recorded material finds the band returning to their blues-rock roots as they prepare to saddle up for the new millennium.