Straight Shooter (Bad Company album)
Straight Shooter is the second studio album by British supergroup Bad Company. The album was released in April 1975, a month after the release of the single "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and four months before the album's second single "Feel Like Makin' Love" (see 1975 in music).[1]
The album became a hit in America, making the top ten on the Billboard 200[3] and was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America a month after its release.[4]
Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke revealed on In the Studio (which devoted an episode to Straight Shooter) that the track "Shooting Star" (which told the story of a rock star who died early) was lyrically inspired by the drug and alcohol related deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.
Background
In June 1974, Bad Company released their self-titled debut album.[1] Three months later, the band and recording engineer Ron Nevison recorded at least eight songs at Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire, England. Sometime later Nevison mixed the songs for Straight Shooter at Air Studios in London. The sleeve for the album was designed by Hipgnosis, who also designed their debut album.[2]
The first single from the album, "Good Lovin' Gone Bad", was released in March 1975[1] and reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] The album was released in April.[1] The album's final single "Feel Like Makin' Love" was released in August[1] and reached #10 on the Hot 100.[5]
Critical reception
Straight Shooter received different reviews from different music critics. Gautam Baksi's review of the album for Allmusic said that the album's popularity was attributed to the acoustic ballads "Shooting Star" and "Feel Like Makin' Love", while the two songs written by Simon Kirke—"Anna" and "Weep No More"—as well as the album not having enough supporting songs and follow-up singles, were what made the album less successful than its predecessor.[6] Robert Christgau felt that although Straight Shooter was better than its predecessor, it should not be labeled hard rock because Paul Rodgers did not have either a strong voice—which is needed to be a rock singer—and because the album is not played at the right speed.[7] Ed Naha's feeling of the album, as stated in Rolling Stone magazine, was much more favorable than Christgau's. Naha thought that, with their second album, Bad Company was proving that they would not end up like Mott the Hoople, Free, or King Crimson—bands who Bad Company's members used to be part of. Naha also thought that Simon Kirke's "Anna" was as bad as it was when it was first recorded, but that "Weep No More" showed that he was progressing as a writer, while Boz Burrell was also making progress on the bass.[8]
Track listing
Side one
- "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" (Mick Ralphs) – 3:35
- "Feel Like Makin' Love" (Paul Rodgers, Ralphs) – 5:12
- "Weep No More" (Simon Kirke) – 3:59
- "Shooting Star" (Rodgers) – 6:16
Side two
- "Deal With the Preacher" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 5:01
- "Wild Fire Woman" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 4:32
- "Anna" (Kirke) – 3:41 [9]
- "Call on Me" (Rodgers) – 6:03
Non-album tracks
- "Whiskey Bottle" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 3:45
- Released as the b-side to the "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" single.
Personnel
Charts
Album
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1975 |
"Good Lovin' Gone Bad" |
Hot 100 |
36 |
| 1975 |
"Feel Like Makin' Love" |
Hot 100 |
10 |
References
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| Studio albums |
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