Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age Of Wireless (1982) plus 'She Blinded Me With Science' - Extended Version (12" Single) 1982

(U.K 1979 - Present)

The Golden Age of Wireless is the debut album from Thomas Dolby released in May 1982 on Venice in Peril / EMI Records. It was produced by Thomas Dolby and Tim Friese-Greene. The album reached number 68 and spent 10 weeks on the U.K. chart.

One unique feature of this album is the number of reissues available on both vinyl and CD, all with varying track orders and/or track lengths and in some cases different versions of songs (ie Radio Silence) or new songs (ie. "The Wreck Of The Fairchild" instead of "She Blinded me With Science"). For more details see: PostPunkMonk and TheCDProject

This is a fantastic album - way ahead of its time. Musician magazine literally called the album "the best damned synth-pop record ever, period,"

Even rock-oriented Rolling Stone magazine called the album "one of the most impressive debuts" of the year (see 1982 review below). Even so, the album didn't even make that magazine's list of the top 100 albums of the decade. This album was released many times in the early '80s with varying tracks, sequencing, and album artwork. I don't feel like recapping that for you, but if you're interested, there's always wikipedia. What sets Dolby apart from other early synthpop pioneers is his musicianship. He's a better keyboard player than most and seems to have quickly developed a working knowledge of harmony and theory. And Dolby's pop songwriting skills aren't to be overlooked, either.

Thomas Dolby

With this intellectual approach to modern pop, his boffin persona came to an artistic zenith with ‘She Blinded Me With Science’, a catchy slice of electro-funk noted for its cameo from everyone’s favourite mad professor Dr Magnus Pyke. Bizarrely, the record failed to go Top 40 in Britain but became an American Top 5 hit.

1984 signalled Thomas Dolby’s shift away from electronics with his biggest UK hit ‘Hyperactive!’ and its parent album ‘The Flat Earth’ which showcased a more jazzy, laid back approach as represented by the title track and his cover of Dan Hicks’ ‘I Scare Myself’.

1985 saw Dolby gain the respect of his elders and he was invited to play alongside Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder at The Grammy Awards and David Bowie at Live Aid. 

In an interview with ElectricCityClub Dolby recalls the event:

It was a great experience. To be able to play with somebody like Stevie Wonder or David Bowie who had been my heroes during my teenage years at my most malleable, to get the acknowledgement of your heroes is a very flattering and gratifying thing. In both cases, it came together very quickly.

With Bowie, the first time I’d ever spoken to him in my life was 9 days before Live Aid and he was in a bit of a fix because his regular touring band were off doing other things and he was busy filming ‘Labyrinth’. This thing came up and I think it took him a while to get his round the scope of the event. It was obviously something that he wanted to do but I don’t think he really grasped the full significance of it until the days went on and the event got closer.

We only had about four rehearsals. In the first couple, he was saying “we’ll be promoting my new single ‘Loving The Alien'” but as it got closer, he realised it wasn’t about promotion, it was about doing something iconic and anthemic. And that’s why we ended up with the songs we did. Because we had so little rehearsal, we’d never actually played the songs through in the order that we did them.

Live Aid Stage

I was quite terrified that we were going to mess it up, especially on things like ‘TVC15’ where I had to do the actual harmonising. And ‘Heroes’ which on a certain level, I know inside out but songs that go along with just one or two variations here and there are sometimes harder than songs that have complicated chord sequences… at least once you’ve learnt it, you know where you are! But once I got up there on stage at Wembley, my fingers did the walking really. I looked out at the crowd and thought “God, I’m on stage with DAVID BOWIE at Live Aid!

At the end of the performance, speaking over the music, Bowie thanked the band for getting together so quickly to do this show for him and would be forever in their debt.”

The fact that Bowie was willing to take a chance with a young band with very little rehearsal was a ballsy move on his part, I was just very proud that it was us."

Rolling Stone Album Review
(by Don Shewey)

Thomas Dolby's 'The Golden Age Of Wireless' is one of the most impressive debuts so far this year. Dolby, who played on Foreigner IV and wrote "New Toy" for Lene Lovich, takes after the Bowie side of Gary Numan. Even his most enigmatic songs ("Leipzig", "Radio Silence") have Bowie's substance and narrative completion. Yet he manipulates studio hardware with Numan's eerie familiarity. Several tracks have a submerged, barely audible layer of almost random sound that serves as a constant (and disturbing) subtext, occasionally erupting into the song - like the descending quintet of notes that interrupts the melody of "Weightless" whenever "the empty feeling" is mentionaed. This sonic underworld is all part of Dolby's mechanical wizardry; one can imagine him as a boy genius alone in the basement with his tapes and wires and synths and rhythm macvhines, making this dense,dazzling record and sticking in weird, subliminal noises to amuse himself.

The results are hardly hermetic. The jaunty pulse of "Europa and the Pirate Twins", in which a lad tries to contact a childhood friend who's now a celebrity, hooks you into the album immediately. "Windpower","Radio Silence" and "Flying North" are as irresistibly melodic as Paul McCartney's work. And unlike many synthesizer bands from England, Dolby eschews morbid, droogy drones.

"Cloudburst at Shingle Street", the possibly apocalyptic number that closes the album, faces annihilation with a vision that is positively ecstatic.

Dolby's PPG Wave Computer

On ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’, Dolby had a PPG Wave Computer named ‘Henry’. It was his main tool in producing the sounds unique to this album, instead of other computer instruments like the Fairlight CMI, Synclavier and the Crumar GPS.

In an interview with ElectricCityClub Dolby explains:

"The Fairlight had barely shown up in the UK at that point so there was no easy way to sequence things at all. The PPG was the first sequencer I’d seen… it had a drum module that sounded pretty good and gave me the option of tuning the samples. There’s a clap sound that shows up on ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’ which is actually its snare drum slowed down a lot. Shortly after that, I bought the module for a Simmons drum kit and I was able to trigger those sounds from the PPG sequencer.

Henry (PPG Wave Computer)

On top of that, the PPG also had a wavetable synthesizer in it which had some pretty extraordinary sounds. Some of the wavetables were so disparate that you’d hit a key and the note had a sort of rhythm inherent to it… like the bassline in ‘Windpower’ which has this slapback effect. I think I actually wrote that song because I’d dialled up that sound. That’s what I made the song with."

Sadly, ‘Henry’ fell down a lift shaft on an American tour and was replaced by ‘Henry The Second’, a Fairlight…

In reality, about half the songs on ‘The Golden Age Of Wireless’ were band based, with a three piece band of bass, drums and guitar plus my keyboards. They weren’t played with sequences, they were played as a band and I added electronic thrills on top.

Thomas Dolby On Stage at the Marquee, London

There were others like ‘Windpower’, ‘Flying North’ and the electronic version of ‘Radio Silence’ which were more obviously sequenced and more into that synthpop kind of mould.

I think because I was capable of doing more instantly accessible, quirky pop stuff, the tendency of the record company was to say “Oh there’s your single Thomas, right there… that’s going to be instantly catchy on the radio!”. But it’s quite hard to get them to put as much weight behind the more personal and intimate stuff because they knew I could do it. And I think the moment I had some commercial success with songs like ‘Hyperactive!’ and ‘She Blinded Me With Science’, there was no persuading them".

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl copies (LP & 12" Single) and includes full album artwork and label scans. One unique feature of my Australian pressing is the label on the top-left LP front cover which states: Including "She Blinded Me With Science".  After extensive searching in DISCOGS I have been unable to find any Front Cover artwork with this label on any of the 95 versions available (at the time of this posting). 

Now, with respect to the many versions of this album that have been released (with varying track listings, track sequences and track lengths), I am providing a brief listing of these below. My album matches the first Australian 1982 EMI release (See Below *)

As a bonus, I am also including the 3 tracks "Leipzig","The Wreck Of The Fairchild" and "Urges" which have appeared on overseas releases but are missing from this Australian release.

Finally, I have chosen to include a FLAC rip of my 12" single of  "She Blinded Me With Science (extended version)" and the B-Side "One Of Our Submarines (extended version)", as a special bonus. 

Track Listings:

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st UK LP [1982]

[Venice In Peril Release]

Flying North 3:50

Commercial Breakup 4:15

Weightless 3:45

Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18

Windpower 4:20

The Wreck Of The Fairchild 3:30

Airwaves 5:12

Radio Silence 3:43

Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

* “The Wreck Of The Fairchild” only appeared on this 1st UK pressing of the album. 

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st US LP [1982]

[Harvest Release]

Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18

Flying North 3:50

Weightless 3:45

Leipzig 3:52

Windpower 4:20

Commercial Breakup 4:15

Urges 3:39

Airwaves [7″] 3:35

Radio Silence [version] 4:32

Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 1st AUST LP [1982] *

[Parlophone / EMI Release]

She Blinded Me With Science 3:43

Radio Silence 3:48

Airwaves 5:16

Flying North 3:53

Weightless 3:47

Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:20

Windpower 4:20

Commercial Breakup 4:18

One Of Our Submarines 5:14

Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

* My Aust 1982 release is available HERE (302Mb)

Thomas Dolby: Golden Age Of Wireless 2nd US LP [1983]

[Capitol Release]

She Blinded Me With Science [ext.] 5:09

Radio Silence [version] 4:32

Airwaves [7″] 3:35

Flying North 3:50

Weightless 3:45

Europa + The Pirate Twins 3:18

Windpower 3:38

Commercial Breakup 4:15

One Of Our Submarines 5:11

Cloudburst At Shingle Street 5:45

Band Members:

Thomas Dolby - Synthesizer [Wave Computer] & Drum Programs

Justin Hildreth - Drums, Percussion

Matthew Seligman - Moog Bass

Mark Heyward-Chaplin - Bass

Kevin Armstrong - Guitar

David Birch - Guitar

Miriam Stockley, Kevin Armstrong, Lesley Fairbairn, Bruce Woolley, 

Akkiko Yono, Les Chappell, Lene Lovich, Judy Evans, James Allen & 

Mutt Lange - Backing Vocals

Simon House - Violin

Simon Lloyd - Flute, Brass

She Blinded Me With Science 

[12" Single] 1982

Track Listing

01 She Blinded Me With Science [Ext Version] (5:13)

02 One Of Our Submarines [Ext Version]  (7:21)

12" Single Link (70Mb)

REPOST: Greg Quill - The Outlaw's Reply (1975) plus Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1970 - 1978, 1999 - 2012)
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Gregory Raymond "Greg" Quill (18 April 1947 – 5 May 2013) was an Australian-born musician, singer-songwriter and journalist.

Quill stands as one of the foremost figures in the local folk-country scene, and his invigorating love of involvement with his music is one reason why he commands the respect of Australia's top musicians and music writers. He ran The Shack (a popular Sydney folk haven) for four years, and at the age of 19 took on the Warrngah Shire Council to the Supreme court when they attempted to close down the club. He was president of  the folk club at the University of Sydney where he graduated from with a BA in English Literature and Languages (shades of Kris Kristofferson). As a guitar teacher he has taught the music and written it (once a top-rate journalist for Go-Set and Daily Planet) (Extract from Go-Set Magazine, May 25, 1974 p6 - thanks to Woodynet)

He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and was an entertainment columnist at the Toronto Star newspaper from the mid-1980s until his death in May 2013. In Australia he came to popular fame as a singer-songwriter for the country rock band, Country Radio (1970–73). Their biggest hit, "Gyspy Queen", was released in August 1972 and was co-written by Quill with band mate, Kerryn Tolhurst, which peaked at No. 12 on the Go-Set National Top 40. After getting an arts grant, Quill travelled to Toronto in 1974 and by mid-1980s had become a journalist at the Toronto Star. By 1983 he was married to Ellen Davidson, a public relations executive.

In 1974, Quill recorded a solo studio album, The Outlaw's Reply, with the financial backing of Sydney-based executive producer and Trafalgar Studios owner Charles Fisher. It was produced by John L Sayers and featured Country Radio alumni: Blanchflower, Bolton, Du Bois, Hinton and Tolhurst, plus former collaborator Jones on keyboards. Also appearing on the album were Barry Leef on backing vocals, Chris Neal on synthesisers and Peter Walker on guitar. Two singles from the album were issued during 1975: "She Do It to Me" (April) and "Blackmail" / "The Outlaw's Reply" (September).

The album included the Quill song "Almost Freedom", which had previously been covered by former Company Caine singer Gulliver Smith on his 1973 solo LP The Band's Alright But The Singer Is .... During 1974 Festival also released a compilation album, 'Gypsy Queen', credited to Greg Quill & Country Radio, contained selection of album tracks, and A- and B-sides of singles. It included Quill's cover of the country classic "Singin' the Blues", which featured Renee Geyer on backing vocals and Stacpool on guitar. In May 1975 Quill promoted the release of The Outlaw's Reply by a performance at the Sydney Opera House, backed by the musicians who had contributed to the album. The Dingoes and Richard Clapton were also part of the first all-Australian country-rock show to take place on the Opera House's main stage. It was Quill's final performance in Australia for almost four years. [extract from wikipedia]

Greg Quill died on 5 May 2013 at his home in Hamilton. His family announced that he had "passed away suddenly but peacefully from complications due to pneumonia and a recently diagnosed case of sleep apnea". Aged 66, he was still an entertainment journalist for the Toronto Star at the time of his death.

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This post consists of FLACs  ripped from Vinyl and full album artwork for both vinyl and CD.  If you were a fan of Country Radio and the Dingoes, then you will really enjoy this unique gem.  My interest in this album extends even further with the appearance of Ex-Bakery guitarist Peter Walker who adds some great backing guitar work.  Bonus tracks ripped from vinyl singles.
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NEW IMPROVED RIP + Additional Bonus Tracks

Track Listing

01 - She Do It To Me
02 - Terry's Tune
03 - Almost Freedom
04 - So Now, Lady
05 - Where Elephant's Go To Die
06 - Seven Years Of Silence
07 - Crazy People
08 - The Outlaw's Reply
09 - Blackmail

10 - Been So Long (Bonus Track) *
11 - I Wonder Why (Bonus Track) *

12 - Been So Long (Bonus remix)

13 - I Wonder Why (Bonus remix)
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* Greg Quill and Southern Cross

Producer: John Sayers.
Executive producer: Charles Fisher
Recorded at Trafalgar Studios Sydney, Australia, November 1974 - February 1975

.The Band:
Greg Quill, vox, acoustic guitars; 
Kerryn Tolhurst, lap steel, mandolin, dobro, acoustic and electric guitars; 
Tony Bolton, drums; 
John Bois, bass; 
Chris Blanchflower, harmonica; Peter Jones, keyboards; 
Peter Walker, electric guitar, clavier; 
Russell Hinton, acoustic and electric guitar; 
Terry Walker, pedal steel, 
Barry Leef, harmonies and harmony arrangements. 
String arrangements: Peter Jones.
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Greg Quill Link (321Mb) New Link 04/07/2025
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W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman - Kinky Boots (1964, 1983) 12inch Single

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

The Avengers was a British espionage television series that aired from 7 January 1961 to 21 April 1969. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Ian Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin.

The series screened as one-hour episodes for its entire run. The first episode, "Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961. The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 April 1969 in the United States, and on 17 May 1969 in the United Kingdom.

The Avengers was produced by ABC Weekend TV, a contractor within the ITV network. After a merger with Rediffusion London in July 1968, ABC Weekend became Thames Television, which continued production of the series, subcontracted to ABC Television Films. By 1969, The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. ITV produced a sequel series, The New Avengers (1976–1977), with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners. In 2004 and 2007, The Avengers was ranked No. 17 and No. 20 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.

The Avengers was marked by different eras as co-stars came and went. The only constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee.

Patrick MacNee as The Avenger's John Steed

Series 2-3 (1962-64)

The first episode broadcast in the second series (1962) introduced Steed's female partner who would change the show into the format for which it is most remembered. Honor Blackman played Mrs. Cathy Gale, a self-assured, quick-witted anthropologist who was skilled in judo and had a passion for leather clothes.

Steed & Gale

Catherine Gale was unlike any female character seen before on British TV, and she became a household name, mainly for her all leather outfit which she regularly wore during the show.

During the first series, there were hints that Steed worked for a branch of British Intelligence, and this was expanded in the second series. Steed initially received orders from different superiors, including someone referred to as "Charles", and "One-Ten" (Douglas Muir). By the third series, the delivery of Steed's orders was not depicted on screen or explained. The secret organisation to which Steed belongs is shown in "The Nutshell", and it is Cathy Gale's first visit to their headquarters.

During the Gale era, Steed was transformed from a rugged trenchcoat-wearing agent into the stereotypical English gentleman, complete with Savile Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella, with clothes later designed by Pierre Cardin. The bowler and umbrella were soon revealed to be full of tricks, including a sword hidden within the umbrella handle and a steel plate concealed in the hat.

Steed in his Pierre Cardin Suit

With his impeccable manners, old-world sophistication and vintage car, Steed came to represent the traditional Englishman of an earlier era.

By contrast, Steed's partners were youthful, forward-looking and always attired in the latest mod fashions. Catherine Gale's innovative leather outfits suited her many athletic fight scenes. Honor Blackman became a star in Britain with her black leather outfits and boots (nicknamed "kinky boots") and her judo-based fighting style. Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman even released a novelty song called "Kinky Boots". Some of the clothes seen in The Avengers were designed at the studio of John Sutcliffe, who published the AtomAge fetish magazine.

Series scriptwriter Dennis Spooner said that the series would frequently feature Steed visiting busy public places such as the main airport in London without anyone else present in the scene: "'Can't you afford extras?' they'd ask. Well, it wasn't like that. It's just that Steed had to be alone to be accepted. Put him in a crowd and he sticks out like a sore thumb! Let's face it, with normal people he's weird. The trick to making him acceptable is never to show him in a normal world, just fighting villains who are odder than he is!"

Series 4-5 (1965-67)

Dianna Rig as 'Emma Peel'

With Honor Blackman's exit in 1964 to pursue other acting roles: the Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964) and Julia Daggett in Shalako (1968), a new female partner for John Steed needed to be found. After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, Diana Rigg's screen test with Patrick Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together. Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) debuted in October 1965 and her character name in the show was derived from a comment by writers, during development, that they wanted a character with "man appeal". 

In contrast to the Gale episodes, there is a lighter, comic touch in Steed's and Mrs. Emma Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier series had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel visibly enjoy topping each other's witticisms. The layer of conflict with Catherine Gale—who on occasion openly resented being used by Steed, often without her permission—is absent from Steed's interaction with Emma Peel.

Also, the sexual tension between Steed and Catherine Gale is quite different from the tension between Steed and Emma Peel. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners is left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they please, and it is not uncommon for scenes to suggest that Steed had spent the night at Catherine Gale's or Emma Peel's home, or vice versa. Although nothing "improper" is displayed, the close chemistry between Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel constantly suggests intimacy between the two.

According to Patrick Macnee in his book The Avengers and Me, Diana Rigg disliked wearing leather and insisted on a new line of fabric athletic wear for the fifth series. Alun Hughes, who had designed clothing for Diana Rigg's personal wardrobe, was suggested by the actress to design Emma Peel's "softer" new wardrobe. Pierre Cardin was brought in to design a new wardrobe for Macnee. In the US, TV Guide ran a four-page photo spread on Diana Rigg's new "Emmapeeler" outfits (10–16 June 1967). Eight tight-fitting jumpsuits were created, in a variety of bright colours and made of the stretch fabric crimplene.

The Avengers began filming in colour for the fifth series in 1966. It was three years before Britain's ITV network began full colour broadcasting.

The Cybernauts

Science fiction and fantasy elements (a style later known as Spy-Fi) also began to emerge in storylines. The duo encounters killer robots ("The Cybernauts"), telepaths ("Too Many Christmas Trees") and giant alien carnivorous plants ("The Man-Eater of Surrey Green"). Stories were increasingly characterised by a futuristic, science-fiction bent, with mad scientists and their creations wreaking havoc. The duo dealt with being shrunk to doll size ("Mission... Highly Improbable"), pet cats being electrically altered to become ferocious and lethal "miniature tigers" ("The Hidden Tiger"), killer automata ("Return of The Cybernauts"), mind-transferring machines ("Who's Who???") and invisible foes ("The See-Through Man").

Diana Rigg was initially unhappy with the way she was treated by the show's producers. During her first series, she learned that she was being paid less than the cameraman. She demanded a raise to put her more on a par with her co-star, or she would leave the show. The producers gave in, thanks to the show's great popularity in the US. At the end of the fifth series in 1967, Diana Rigg left to pursue other projects. This included following Honor Blackman to play a leading role in a James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as James Bond's wife Tracy Bond.

Series 6 (1968-69)

When Diana Rigg left the series in October 1967, the British network executives decided that the current series formula, despite resulting in popular success, could not be pursued further. Thus, they decided that a "return to realism" was appropriate for the sixth series (1968–69).

Linda Thorson as 'Tara King' 

20-year-old newcomer Linda Thorson, was chosen as the new female co-star and given the name Tara King for her character. Linda Thorson played the role with more innocence in mind and at heart, and unlike the previous partnerships with Cathy Gale and Emma Peel, the writers allowed subtle hints of romance to blossom between Steed and Tara King. Tara King also differed from Steed's previous partners in that she was a fully fledged (albeit initially inexperienced) agent working for Steed's organisation.

Tara debuts in dynamic style: when Steed is called to Headquarters, he is attacked and knocked down by trainee agent Tara King, who mistakes him for her training partner.

The revised series continued to be broadcast in the US. The episodes with Linda Thorson as Tara King proved to be highly rated in Europe and the UK. However, in the US, the ABC network chose to air it opposite the number-one show in the country at the time, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Steed and Tara King could not compete, and the show was cancelled in the US. Without this vital commercial backing, production could not continue in Britain either, and the series ended in May 1969. 

[Extracts from wikipedia]

This month's WOCK post consists of FLACs ripped from a 12" Single release (thanks to Sunshine) which features picture labels and a glossy green cover (artwork included).  

The Avengers was one of my favourite T.V shows during the late 60's and early 70's (re-runs), especially series 4-5 featuring Emma Peel. As an impressionable and hormonal teenager during this time, the show contained all of the attributes and sex appeal that a young boy desired, and Emma Peel certainly fitted the bill.

The single 'Kinky Boots' definately ticks the K box for this month's WOCK on Vinyl and although the pressing used is from 1983, the original recording was made in 1964 making it rather Obscure as well.

And because this 12" release also features the Theme Music from The Avengers show, it makes it even more desirable, in my opinion. I hope this month's WOCK post brings back fond memories for you as much as it did for me.

Track Listing

01 Kinky Boots

02 Let's Keep It Friendly

03 The Avengers Theme

Kinky Boots Link (46Mb)

Bad Company - 10 from 6 (1985) plus Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1973-1982, 1986 -1999, 2001-2002, 2008-2019)

Few groups entered the rock arena in the mid-70's with as much initial success, both critically and commercially, as Bad Company. Fewer still have been able to weather a period of rapidly shifting musical tastes and trends, much less maintain the popular base, as Bad Company has. It has been more than 50 years since the band formed in 1973 - with Paul Rodgers emerging from Free and Mick Ralphs leaving Mott The Hoople at its peak, to be joined by bass player Boz Burrell (ex Free) and drummer Simon Kirke (ex King Crimson).

The way Mick Ralphs has explained it: "People needed a band like ours. At the time there wasn't anybody doing what we were. Everybody was too much into theatrics. It was getting a bit sour, so we came in as a complete opposite to that".

From their first rehearsal at Paul's country home in September 1973, it was apparent that they shared a special chemistry. As song writers, Ralph and Rodgers complimented each other's strengths. Brightest of all was the quality of new songs both had in store. "Mick had 'Can't Get Enough' when we started the band," states Rodgers. "I remember him playing it for me. I was absolutely certain that it was a hit. It was one of the reasons why I thought we had a future together, Mott The Hoople wouldn't play it because it wasn't their style. I told him I would sing that song".

Paul-Rodgers-and-Mick-Ralphs

Determined to establish Bad Company on solid footing, Paul decided to call Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant. Grant said "Yes, I'm interested in managing Paul Rodgers", to which Rodgers replied "I come with a band". Peter was still interested. At the time we were a trio and were still auditioning bass players down at the village hall.

Grant recognised the group's potential and a handshake agreement between he and Rodgers secured his position as manager. Grant then signed them to Led Zeppelin's fledgling Swan Song label. With proper management in place, the trio turned its focus to securing a bassist to round out the group.

As a search for a suitable bassist continued, signature songs such as "Rock Steady","Movin' On", and "Bad Company" were developed and refined. With momentum building towards a public launch, the group finally recruited former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell to fill the position, sporting a fretless bass and an easy going personna.

Bad Company 1974

With Burrell in tow, the group prepared to record their debut album, using led Zeppelin's mobile studio at Headley Grange. The eight tracks recorded at Headley Grange clearly defined the band's sound. Rock, blues and country influences were marbled skillfully within all their songs.

"We were influenced by people like Jimi Hendrix, Cream and to a certain extent, the Beatles", explains Rodgers. "I don't think that Bad Company was particularly blues influenced as a band, although I probably brought that in. We were just trying to play what felt good and natural and I think that is what gave us our identity.

Bad Company 1975

Despite the commercial potential of their music, the group had to wage a battle with Swan Song over their name. The group chose 'Bad Company', inspired by the 1972 film of the same name directed by Robert Benton. "I had to fight to get the management and record company to accept the name 'Bad Company', explains Rodgers. "They thought it was a terrible name. Peter Grant called a meeting and the band met beforehand. I told them that I had been through this before with Free (Island had wanted to call the band the Heavy Metal Kids or something corney like that). We agreed to go in and tell them that we were called Bad Company and that was the end of the story. As soon as Grant heard how strongly I felt about the name, he became very supportive and turned the record company around".

Taking full benefit of Swan Song's visibility and Grant's press and marketing skills, Bad Company made their formal debut at Newcastle City Hall in March 1974. The rousing response they enjoyed from fans and critics in the UK propelled the group towards America brimming with confidence. "In America, we opened for Edgar Winter," remembers Rodgers. "The response to Bad Comany was overwhelming, night after night. When we started out on tour, the album 'Bad Co.' had just broken into the charts. Three months later we were number one. We were received with open arms. We were finally on our way".

Bad Company's First 6 Albums

Bad Company has enjoyed a streak of gold and platinum records, from their debut  'Bad Co.', through 'Straight Shooter', 'Run With The Pack', 'Burnin' Sky', 'Desolation Angels', 'Rough Diamonds' and the hugely successful Best Of '10 from 6' LP's.

Singles such as "Can't Get Enough","Movin On","Feel Like Makin' Love","Young Blood" and "Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy" have consistently placed the group at the top of the charts.

A Young Mick

RIP Mick Ralphs (24/06/2025)

extract from ultimateclassicrock.com

Mick Ralphs, a founding member of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, has died. He was 81.

Paul Rodgers, his former Bad Company bandmate shared,

 "Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground. He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humor.

"Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh but it won't be our last. There are many memories of Mick that will create laughter. Condolences to everyone who loved him especially his one true love, Susie. I will see you in heaven."

Drummer Simon Kirke also issued a statement, noting, "He was a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply."

In 2016, following a tour with Bad Company, Ralphs was hospitalized with a stroke. He officially retired from performing after that. According to a press release announcing his death, "Ralphs gave his final performance with Bad Company on Oct. 29, 2016, at London’s O2 Arena. Just days later, he suffered a debilitating stroke and remained bedridden until his passing."

Ralphs was born in England in March 1944 and began playing in local bands in the early '60s. In 1969, he helped form Mott the Hoople, remaining with the band until 1973, contributing to all of the band's studio albums in some capacity.

He also played on all of Bad Company's albums, even though he didn't always tour with them.

The band's 1974 self-titled debut album included the hit single "Can't Get Enough," which was written by Ralphs. He also wrote and sang "Ready for Love" on Mott the Hoople's 1972 album, All the Young Dudes. Bad Company covered the song on their first LP.

Over the years, Ralphs played with other artists, including a spot on David Gilmour's 1984 About Face tour and as a guitarist with former Mott the Hoople bandmate Ian Hunter. He also released a handful of solo albums over the decades in addition to a couple with the Mick Ralphs Blues Band.

Ralph's death comes just months after Bad Company was finally announced as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction class this year.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD and includes full album artwork for both CD and Vinyl media, along with label scans.  I was tempted to rip my vinyl for this post, but I'm time poor at the moment, so digital it is.

Now, as this is a tribute to Mick Ralphs, I wanted to post a Bad Company album but couldn't make up my mind which one - becase they are all good.  So in the end, I decided to post their 'Best Of' compilation from 1985,  10 from 6

Now, while digging deeper into the track selection on this compilation, I discovered that even though the album title implies the 10 tracks were taken from their first 6 LP's, there are no tracks from their 4th LP  'Burnin' Sky'.   I understand why they couldn't fit more than 10 tracks on the LP compilation, but maybe they could have substituted one of their choices (ie. 4 tracks taken from their debut album)

So I have decided to remedy this by including a couple of bonus tracks with this post, "Everything I Need" (from Burnin' Sky) and "Young Blood" (from Run With The Pack).

And now that there are 12 tracks, perhaps the album should be titled:

'12 from 6' instead. Therefore, I'm also including additional edited CD artwork to accomodate this for those who want it.

Track Listing

01 Can’t Get Enough  4:17

02 Feel Like Makin’ Love  5:14

03 Run With the Pack  5:11

04 Shooting Star  6:12

05 Movin’ On  3:23

06 Bad Company  4:50

07 Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy  3:19

08 Electric Land  5:29

09 Ready for Love  5:02

10 Live for the Music  3:59

11 Young Blood (Bonus Track)  2:41

12 Everything I Need (Bonus Track)  3:23

Bad Company were:

Paul Rogers: Vocals, Guitar

Mick Ralphs: Guitar

Boz Burrell: Bass

Simon Kirke: Drums

Bad Company Link (332Mb)

Tootsie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1982)

 (Various Artists U.S)

Tootsie is a comedy that hits all the right notes—smart, funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt. Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, a gifted but difficult actor who reinvents himself as “Dorothy” to land a role in a soap opera.

New York actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is a talented perfectionist who is so hard on himself and others that his agent (Sydney Pollack) can no longer find work for him. After a soap opera audition goes poorly, Michael reinvents himself as actress Dorothy Michaels and wins the part. What was supposed to be a short-lived role turns into a long-term contract, but when Michael falls for his castmate Julie (Jessica Lange), complications develop that could wreck everything.

Interesting Fact: Dustin Hoffman tried out his role as Dorothy by passing himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy at a parent/teaching evening at her school.

Hoffman (as Dorothy)

The Story Line

Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) was a successful actor...that is until his reputation for being difficult caught up with him. The movie starts with Dorsey struggling to find work and waiting tables to make ends meet. He then sees a role come up on a soap opera called Southwest General, only it's for a woman. In desperation he puts on a dress and uses the name Dorothy in order to land the job. Dorothy proves employable and lands the job, and now Hoffman has to learn about the world of being a woman.

Hoffman (as Michael Dorsey) and his roommate (Bill Murray)

This task increases in difficulty when his character takes off as a feminist icon. Bill Murray appears as a playwright and pal, and Dabney Coleman as the soap director, Jessica Lange and Geena Davis as actresses on the soap, Teri Garr as his best friend... talk about a great cast! It's handled surprisingly sensitively considering this was 1982 and I was impressed with the depth of character provided for Dorothy. This movie is not just a silly one-note gag, it's quite a journey of growth, as well as a love story in a way and yes, and loads of laughs of course.

Michael Dorsey's girlfriend and fellow actor (Teri Garr)

It's a good comic situation, a character masquerading as something they are not. But the film doesn't presume that a man dressed up as a woman is intrinsically funny. But Hoffman gets quite excited about buying dresses and there is a lot of rhetoric about him getting into contact with his feminine side. And at work he (or she) is sassy and doesn't put up with the bullshit and the sexism and makes his/her character in the soap opera tougher: in Kramer vs. Kramer Dustin Hoffman showed that men can be better mothers than women, in Tootsie he shows men are just stronger and better women than women.

Julie (Jessica Lange) and Dorothy (Hoffman)

One of the things that bothers Dorothy is the way the soap opera’s chauvinist director (Dabney Coleman) mistreats and insults the attractive young actress (Jessica Lange) who plays Julie, a nurse on the show. Dorothy and Julie become friends and finally close confidants. Dorothy’s problem, however, is that the man inside her is gradually growing uncontrollably in love with Julie.

Julie's widowed father Les Nichols (Charles Durning) takes a liking to Dorothy

There are other complications. Julie’s father (Charles Durning), a gruff, friendly, no-nonsense sort, lonely but sweet, falls in love with Dorothy, as does Dr Van Horn in the soap opera cast, who plays the over sexed doctor in charge. Michael hardly knows how to deal with all of this, and his roommate (Bill Murray) isn’t much help. Surveying Dorothy in one of her new outfits, he observes drily, “Don’t play hard to get.”

Dorothy with Dr John Van Horn (George Gaynes)

“Tootsie” has a lot of fun with its plot complications; we get almost every possible variation on the theme of mistaken sexual identities. The movie also manages to make some lighthearted but well-aimed observations about sexism. It also pokes satirical fun at soap operas, New York show business agents and the Manhattan social pecking order. And it turns out to be a touching love story, after all – so touching that you may be surprised how moved you are at the conclusion of this comedy (but don't quote me ;-) [extracts from rogerebert reviews]

Stephen Bishop

Stephen Bishop (born November 14, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and guitarist. His biggest hits include "On and On", "It Might Be You", and "Save It for a Rainy Day". He contributed musically and appeared in many motion pictures including a cameo roile in National Lampoon's Animal House.

In 1967, he formed his first group, the Weeds, a British Invasion-style band. After the Weeds folded, Bishop moved to Los Angeles in search of a solo recording contract. During a lean eight-year period, where he was rejected "by nearly every label and producer," he continued to write songs eventually landing a $50-a-week job with a publishing house.

Stephen Bishop 

Bishop's break came when a friend, Leah Kunkel, gave Art Garfunkel one of Bishop's demo tapes. Garfunkel chose two of his songs, "Looking for the Right One" and "The Same Old Tears on a New Background", to record for his platinum album Breakaway. Via Garfunkel's patronage, Bishop finally secured a recording contract with ABC Records in 1976. His first album, Careless, included two of his biggest hits. The first single released, "Save It for a Rainy Day", introduced Bishop to the listening public and was number 22 on the Billboard singles chart. The next single, Bishop's highest charting to date, "On and On", peaked at No. 11. The album itself rose to number 34 on the Billboard albums chart. Eric Clapton, Garfunkel, and Chaka Khan all contributed their talents to the album.

Bishop has written and performed music for many feature films. In 1978, he contributed the original songs "Dream Girl" and the titular theme to National Lampoon's Animal House, both of which he sang in falsetto. In 1980, he contributed backing vocals to "This Must Be Love", from Phil Collins' debut solo album Face Value. 

Bishop's next hit, charting at number 25 in 1982, was "It Might Be You", the theme from the movie Tootsie, unusual in that it was not penned by Bishop. Written by Dave Grusin, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Four of the 10 tracks on the soundtrack were performed / written by Stephen Bishop, including the main theme.

[extract from Wikipedia]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from original vinyl pressing (purchased immediately after I saw the movie at the cinemas) and includes full album artwork and label scans.  Perhaps one of my favourite movies starring Dustin Hoffman (next to Papillon), I think what really appealed to me at the time (and still does) was the great soundtrack that played in the background. 

For this reason, I have decided to share this musical masterpiece with you today, and if you haven't already seen the movie, then hunt it down now - it's a classic.

Track List:

A1 Stephen Bishop – It Might Be You (Theme From "Tootsie")  4:12

A2 Dave Grusin – An Actor's Life (Main Title) 4:33

A3 Dave Grusin – Metamorphosis Blues (It Might Be You) 

        (Instrumental)  4:05

A4 Dave Grusin – Don't Let It Get You Down 3:54

A5 Stephen Bishop – Montage Pastorale (It Might Be You) 3:24

B1 Stephen Bishop – Tootsie 4:15

B2 Dave Grusin – Working Girl March  3:51

B3 Dave Grusin – Sandy's Song 4:21

B4 Dave Grusin – Out Of The Rain 3:58

B5 Stephen Bishop – Media Zap 2:20

Tootsie Link (206Mb)