I didn’t hear “Desolation Angels” until I purchased it (along with the self-titled debut and “Straight Shooter”)  from a record fair in the 2000’s.

The Paul Rodgers cut “Rock’N’Roll Fantasy” opens the album. Before dropping the needle on the album, I remember reading countless stories in magazines about how Bad Company had been written off by the late seventies.

They had success with their first three albums, released over three years (1974,1975 and 1976). Then “Burnin’ Sky” came out in 1977 and it was competing with the first three albums for sales. They saturated and cannibalised their own market. And the album was ignored (compared to the first three), because for people of the era, the first three albums were still new releases.

But, then in 1979, they came out firing with a modern sound and a catchy song.

I love the music and I love to see the crowd
Dancing in the aisles and singing out loud, yeah

Rock N Roll music became an escape from the daily grind of life. The people attended the shows and the acts lapped it up. And rock and roll grooved, like this song. Because rock artists ruled over manufactured pop music artists, the record labels had no other option but to allow the rock artist to be creative.

And before music television, there was radio and we lived at the record store. A trip there was everything. Going to the concert was an event to let your hair down and connect with the music, whereas these days, people go to say and show they have been.

It’s their biggest single, but it’s never on those classic rock compilations.

If you want to hear dangerous, check out that bad boy sleazy riff from 1.15 to about 1.33. it’s dripping in rock and roll intoxication with its staccato style of playing.