Way back when I got into Bad Company in my high school days, I went down to the used record store (before they knew me on a first-name basis) and grabbed the two Bad Company albums I could afford at the time, one of them being their third album Run With The Pack. (I vaguely remember hearing the title track a few weeks previous at a concert I had attended.)

Unlike their previous two efforts, this release didn't have a smash top-40 single, and Mick Ralphs and crew dared to go past the traditional hard rock that had catapulted the band into superstardom. This could be why Run With The Pack has not held up as well.

The album opens up with "Live For The Music," a song that I can't believe made it onto the post-breakup/pre-reunion greatest hits album, 10 From 6. The song lacks a cohesive rhythm unit - indeed, it sounds like the guitar, bass and drum lines were thrown together. This is a mishmash that just doesn't work. Surprisingly, Paul Rodgers and band bounce back on the very next track with "Simple Man," a rock ballad that has more emotion than you could imagine in Rodgers's vocals.

While Run With The Pack has been criticized for proving that Bad Company was a formula band, it is when they turn to the rock side that this formula works the best. "Honey Child" and "Sweet Lil' Sister" are the unsung classics on this one, the latter being a personal favorite. However, when they turn to a doo-wop standard on "Young Blood," they fall flat.

Another hidden gem on this one is the track "Silver, Blue & Gold," which merges the vocal talents of Rodgers with Ralphs's subdued guitar lines. Simon Kirke adds just the right touch on the drums, as does Boz Burrell on bass.

As for ballads, well... let's just say they need a little more work. "Do Right By Your Woman" is a pretty number, while "Fade Away" almost succeeds... and "Love Me Somebody" simply blows. Oh well... two out of three ain't bad.

For those who are intrigued to hear what Bad Company had to offer past the "best-of" set, Run With The Pack is an okay effort, but is probably not the best place to start exploring.

Rating: C+

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