Search - Inside Bad Company 1974-1982 on DVD

Not a bad documentary, but no bonus footage

08/18/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a worthwhile documentary from the standpoint of covering material on BAD COMPANY's first two albums; discussion of later albums is given short shrift and trails off very quickly, perhaps because the producers had no footage from later albums to support the discussions. Nevertheless, the performance clips from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert circa '74 are very good, albeit shrunken to compensate for the wide-screen presentation, which is a real shame.

Important Note: I must emphasize that these are CLIPS! No complete performances of any song are ever shown on this DVD.

Also worth noting, some of the interview sections contain intemittant amplified noise, at least on Dolby stereo/surround track. This is rather disconcerting and may make you think that your audio system has developed problems, but the distortion was apparently recorded accidentally during the taping of certain interviews, so it comes and goes during various segments. However, it smacks of shoddy production values & QC that this wasn't corrected in post.

The best parts of this documentary next to the all-to-brief performance clips are the interview segments with Simon Kirke (Free/Bad Co., drums) and the various instrumental demonstrations showing how the songs were written and played; these are interesting even if you aren't an aspiring guitarist.

Otherwise, this Classic Rock Productions release (AKA Classic Rock Direct; Music Reviews Limited) is pretty much a wash. The energetic performance footage is quite good, what there is of it, but unfortunately there isn't nearly enough of that. Had all of the clipped performances been included in their entirity as a BONUS, formated for full screen (4:3), it might've elevated this from an okay documentary to an indispensible, must-have historical collectable. Alas, this is not the case.

That's why I consider this Inside/Critical Review only worth about 2 & 1/2 stars (for fans of Bad Co.) to perhaps 3 stars for those curious, who never had the opportunity to see this group in their prime and would like to know what the fuss is all about. It's a good enough starting point, like an hors d'oeuvre with lots of garnish, but less substance than the expected main course."

Bad Company entusiasts only

Working Man | Atlanta, Georgia | 03/02/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Interesting, but how many times can you watch anyone doing a review. A good item for the true Bad Company fan who (no pun intended) can't get enough of Paul Rodgers.

The best parts of course are the live performances taken from Don Kirshners Rock Concert. While there isn't a complete song on the DVD there are a couple of clips that aren't too short and enjoyable and it's good to see what the band looked like back in their prime.

I saw Bad Company at Madison Square Garden on their Run with Pack tour and I love to see a complete concert or at least some complete songs from the band from their early days. I can only hope that Don Kirshner releases his shows on DVD some day soon. I don't know of any other video of the band from this time period."

Not great

Kenneth D. Mcgee | 10/02/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I would have preferred a concert video instead of this documentary. Lots of talking, not enough jamming."