‘Quietly Impressed’: Bad Company Talks Upcoming Tribute Album ‘Can’t Get Enough’

Some musical admirers who can’t get enough of Bad Company are living out a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy as part of a new tribute album.

Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company comes out Oct. 24 on Primary Wave Music, just two weeks before the group’s Nov. 8 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. The first taste is the Struts’ version of Bad Company’s top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” for which the group has also uploaded a video of its studio recording session. HARDY, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Charley Crockett and Dirty Honey also take a whack at some of the group’s biggest hits, while the Pretty Reckless contribute a version of Bad Company predecessor Free’s “All Right Now.”

The 10-track set also features several collaborations with Bad Company’s surviving members: frontman Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke join Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen on a rendition of “Seagull” from 1974’s self-titled debut album; Rodgers teams with Halestorm on 1975’s “Shooting Star”; and Rodgers, with Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor, are part of Blackberry Smoke’s take on the title track to 1976’s Run With the Pack.

“It has been very interesting listening to other musicians interpret our songs,” says Rodgers, who co-founded Bad Company with Free partner Kirke, late Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell during 1973 in London. “I spent time listening and found myself smiling a lot. I am quietly impressed that these artists wanted to pay tribute to Bad Company. We are thankful that everyone played from every inch of their hearts on this release. You can hear it.”

“It’s an honor to have these artists perform our songs,” Kirke adds. “It means that the music has endured and has transcended multiple generations. It’s a salute to the songwriting.”

Can’t Get Enough was the brainchild of Primary Wave, which aligned with Bad Company in 2022, and was executive produced by the company’s Robert Dippold and Adam Lowenberg, along with colleague and Bad Company fan Gary Spivack. The team worked for more than 10 months recruiting and assembling the tracks from the individual acts. Dippold, partner and president of digital strategy, says the tribute album idea surfaced during Primary Wave’s earliest days with the band.

“Putting together this tribute album to Bad Company has truly been a labor of love,” Dippold explains. “We came up with the idea for a proper tribute album a couple of years ago after partnering with Paul Rodgers, when we realized that there had never been a covers or tribute album dedicated to his incredible band and song catalog. 

“Bad Company and Free have influenced countless musicians and bands over the decades, both as bands and through the individual impact of their members. We hope this release introduces Bad Company to a new generation of music lovers while honoring their loyal fanbase. This is just one of many projects we’re working on with Paul and his team as we continue to develop creative marketing initiatives around his catalog and brand, finding new ways to bring greater awareness to his songs and further showcase the depth of this incredible body of work.”

Rodgers says that he was particularly impressed by Primary Wave’s approach, “which was not to go to our rock ‘n’ roll comrades to record the songs, but rather draw from an eclectic group of musicians from varied brands of music. Mick and I wondered how the songs would sound, and what application would be given to them.” Rodgers says Ralphs heard the Struts track before he passed away on June 23 and pronounced it “‘fabulous.’ We both felt that it is great when musicians feel passionate enough about a song to lend their creative spirit to it and record it.” He also credits his wife, Cynthia, with the idea of having him and Kirke being part of some of the songs.

“I really wasn’t sure what her vision was until we were in the studio. The tracks were so complete within themselves. I did not want to put myself in the mix too much and interfere with the groove already created, so I kept my participation to a limit and added just a bit, which was her plan. It was a good creative exercise for me.”

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale says Bad Company is a longtime influence and calls Rodgers in particular “the ultimate rock voice. It was specifically his insertion of soul into the rock sound that was highly influential to me…. It’s the honor of a lifetime that Paul joined us on (‘Shooting Star’). I grew up listening to this song; it’s tattooed on my heart and soul, so when we found out it was an option, we jumped on it…. We did it separately but just to have our voices intertwined on this epic song is a dream come true.”

Kirke says that in joining Elliott and Collen, “it was cool to perform on ‘Seagull.’ I never saw it as a song near drums before, but once I got over that, it was a breeze.” Elliott seconds the notion, explaining that, “I’ve loved Bad Company since the very beginning, a phenomenal combination of two of my favorite bands, Free and Mott the Hoople…what a privilege it is for myself and Phil to cover one of my favorite Bad Company songs, with Paul and Simon.”

Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr says many key Bad Company songs were already selected when his band signed on, but when he heard “Run With the Pack” was available, “I said, ‘That’s It!’ It’s just such a perfectly written song; it’s economical, and it’s got that swagger. They start laying down that runka-runka groove, that’s where my heart lives. That’s the groove Blackberry Smoke lives in. We went into the studio and cut it in an afternoon. Then I got a question about three days after we sent the mix, ‘Is it OK with you if Paul sings on it?’ I said, ‘I think you know the answer to that question — always yes.'”

HARDY, who opens the album with “Ready For Love,” says that Bad Company comes from “a short list of bands my dad played for me as a young boy that shaped my love for rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a very cool and surreal moment to be part of this project.”

Kirke calls Free’s “All Right Now” a “relevant and welcome inclusion. (It) kind of started the whole ball rolling, didn’t it?” Rodgers, who’s also working on a memoir, adds that the song “marked the beginning of this musical life for Simon and I. I started to add it into our Bad Company set about the last five years that Bad Company toured, and it became an integral part of our set and our story. That song never disappoints…it still has a way of engaging people and lifting you up.”

Primary Wave is looking forward to more Bad Company-related initiatives riding the momentum of their Rock Hall induction. “(Can’t Get Enough) is just one of many projects we’re working on with Paul and his team as we continue to develop creative marketing initiatives around his catalog and brand,” Dippold says, “finding new ways to bring greater awareness to his songs and further showcase the depth of his incredible work.”

Can’t Get Enough will be available in a variety of formats, including limited edition silver vinyl, CD and digital download. Information on the various packages and updates can be found via BadCompany.com.

The track list for Can’t Get Enough:

“Ready For Love,” HARDY
“Shooting Star,” Halestorm featuring Paul Rodgers
“Feel Like Makin’ Love,” Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
“Run with the Pack,” Blackberry Smoke featuring Paul Rodgers and Brann Dailor
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” The Struts
“Bad Company,” Charley Crockett
“Rock Steady,” Dirty Honey
“Burnin’ Sky,” Black Stone Cherry
“Seagull,” Joe Elliott and Phil Collen featuring Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke
“All Right Now,” The Pretty Reckless