"Run With The Pack" by BAD COMPANY – January 1976 UK and US Third Studio Album on Swan Song Records featuring Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke (May 2017 UK Swan Song '2-CD Expanded Edition' with The Album Remastered on CD1 and CD2 Containing 14 Previously Unreleased Tracks – Jon Astley Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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RATING: ****

"...Silver, Blue & Gold..."

After the barn-storming of the self-titled "Bad Co." debut album in 1974 and especially "Straight Shooter" in 1975 with its two huge hits "Good Love Gone Bad" and "Feel Like Making Love" – it seemed that the ex-Free mob known as Bad Company could do no wrong. Island's coolest Rock Band seemed to take the best of what made Free (before them) so damn special and enhance that simple Rock sound for the rest of that halcyon decade. 

Then the Classic Seventies Rock band made the (perceived at the time) more than slightly lacklustre "Run With The Pack" and by early 1976 – that initial twofer outburst was already dust. Despite healthy chart positions of No. 4 in the UK and No.5 in the States where the album secured one-million sales – the writing seemed already on the washed-out wall for Bad Co. Their third studio effort was always the first LP fans would part with when hitting secondhand record shops and even in 2024 its less than £2.00 price-tag speaks volumes. The two studio efforts that followed "Burnin' Sky" and "Desolation Angels" (1977 and 1979) got lost in the Punk and New Wave explosion that made Bad Co music sound dated and tired in a cheesy macho way.

But – and this is always the big but – in hindsight - and with this toppermost 2017 Remaster and a slurry of very cool outtakes on CD2 (all fourteen of them unissued) – it is time to do right by your mangy cur once again. 

Deep LP dives like "Simple Man", "Silver, Blue & Gold" and "Do Right By Your Woman" are fabulous Bad Co tunes and sound suddenly HUGE on this '2-CD Expanded Edition' from Rhino/Swan Song. Throw in an inspired cover version of an Coasters Fifties R&B tune on Atlantic Records ("Young Blood"), the kicking radio-friendly opener "Live For The Music" and a couple of power ballads on either side – and "Run With The Pack" might just be one of those guilty-pleasure albums you return to more than the lauded pieces in their catalogue. Maybe its rainbow is overdue – to the Young Blood…

UK released 26 May 2017 – "Run With The Pack" by BAD COMPANY on Swan Song 081227953645 (Barcode 081227953645) is a '2-CD Expanded Edition' with the 10-Track Album Remastered on CD1 and 14 Previously Unreleased Tracks on CD2 that pans out as follows:

CD1 "Run With The Pack" Original Album Remaster (36:39 minutes):
1. Live For The Music [Side 1]
2. Simple Man
3. Honey Child
4. Love Me Somebody
5. Run With The Pack
6. Silver, Blue & Gold [Side 2]
7. Young Blood
8. Do Right By Your Woman
9. Sweet Lil' Sister
10. Fade Away 
Tracks 1 to 10 are their third studio album "Run With The Pack" – released January 1976 in the UK on Island ILPS 9346 and Swan Song SS 8415 in the USA. Produced by BAD COMPANY – it peaked at No.4 in the UK LP charts and No.5 in the USA.

CD2 "Run With The Pack" Bonus Tracks (51:09 minutes):
1. Live For The Music (Take 1, Alternative Guitar and Vocal) 3:35 minutes
2. Simple Man (Take 3, Early Mix) 3:41 minutes
3. Honey Child (Early Mix, Alternative Guitar Sound) 3:20 minutes
4. Run With The Pack (Extended Version, Alternative Vocals) 6:00 minutes
5. Let There Be Love (Take 1, Previously Unreleased Outtake) 4:11 minutes
6. Silver, Blue & Gold (Take 1, Early Mix) 5:14 minutes
7. Young Blood (Alternative Vocal) 2:45 minutes
8. Do Right By Your Woman (Alternative Vocal) 2:55 minutes
9. Sweet Lil' Sister (Live/Studio Backing Track) 4:31 minutes
10. Fade Away (Early Mix, Alternate Guitar Solo) 2:54 minutes
11. Do Right By Your Woman (Acoustic Version) 2:57 minutes
12. (I Know) I'm Losing You (Studio Jam, Previously Unreleased Outtake) 3:22 minutes
13. Young Blood (Alternative Version) 2:44 minutes
14. Fade Away (Island Studios Demo) 3:00 minutes

BAD COMPANY was:

PAUL RODGERS - Lead Singer, Keyboards, Guitar (Harmonica on "Do Right By Your Woman")

MICK RALPHS - Lead Guitar

BOZ BURRELL - Bass

SIMON KIRKE - Drums

These '2-CD Extended Editions' all come in a gatefold card Digipak - a threeway foldout two Swan Song logo CDs and usually a flap depicting the original master tape boxes (same here). The 16-page booklet features new liner notes from DAVID CLAYTON who promptly declares "Run With The Pack" as a bit of a guilty-pleasure nay even favourite. The text is peppered with rare Euro Picture Sleeves (Germany, Turkey), Tour Posters, Trade Adverts, Publicity Photos and interviews with Singer Paul Rodgers and Drummer Simon Kirke. It's a nice job done and Remaster Engineer JON ASTLEY who did much of The Who catalogue has done a fabulous job with the Remasters. In fact I can't stop playing CD2 as an alternate album - the outtakes and alternate versions are that good. 

Of the fourteen on CD2 fans will leap to Track 5 "Let There Be Love" - an unreleased Ralphs smoocher that is mid-tempo - its good without being great - but is a definite asset here. Better is the extended mix of "Run With The Pack" which has more guitar but they were right to tighten it up. Fans will thrill to a genuine fave like "Silver, Blue & Gold" having a Take 1 on here - it's remarkably similar to the finished version but just as lovely and lilting (time it takes for a love to go cold). Ralphs does cool guitar strums that smack of such musicality - a rainbow overdue. And dig those end-of-song vocal interplays they didn't use on the LP mix. 

Their grungy cover version of The Coasters 1957 Atco Records B-side "Young Blood" gets a grittier take - the call and response voices not as witty as the finished version (they were still working it out). But it is so well recorded - the band Funky as they Rock. Then the magic hammers home - an Alternate of "Do Right By Your Woman" - it's not as 'produced' as the finished version but that gorgeous Free/Bad Co. lilt is still there in its seductive flange sway. You get an Acoustic Version of "Do Right..." later (Track 11) which has a count-in and gorgeous audio - slide acoustics - I dig this the most even if it feels like they probably dubbed the original vocals over re-recorded acoustic guitars. And then a Harmonica echoed and lonesome. The second genuine outtake comes in a studio jam on piano doing "(I Know) I'm Losing You" - the old Motown hit the Faces turned into a Rock-Soul anthem. It's ramshackle for sure but damn is it cool to hear them still sound so good (even on a throwaway). And I prefer the Demo of "Fade Away" to the finished LP cut - feels more genuine.

These 'Deluxe Editions' are a hit and miss affair especially if the core album doesn't have the greatest reputation in the pantheon of Rawk Glory. But Bad Company's "Run With The Pack" in this 2-CD Expanded Edition form from 2017 is a winner. And as I say, I keep going back to Disc 2 as my go-to Play. Fantastic stuff really...