This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Bad Company's "One Night"

OK, so this isn't Bad Company at all but the late-'80s hard rock band composed of that '70s supergroup's original guitarist and drummer, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke, respectively. They may have used the original name to put out music with Brian Howe, the sort of latter-day Lou Gramm/John Parr picked to replace original frontman Paul Rodgers, but there's little musical resemblance between the two groups despite similar personnel.

I take the time to make this statement because once you grasp it as the truth, you may find yourself enjoying the somewhat sleazy, strip club-appropriate hard rock of 1988's Dangerous Age release. "One Night" in particular makes the most of Ralphs' instantly recognizable lead guitar style and hums along quite well as a mid-tempo hard rock song relatively typical of the era. That doesn't mean this is not perfectly serviceable music for those who really enjoy punchy mainstream rock, but just don't expect any revelations here, especially lyrically. Still, I freely confess to playing the hell out of this cassette two decades ago; I could have been doing much worse, that much I can promise you.

• Listen to "One Night" and view its music video here.
• Compare prices on Brian Howe-era Bad Company here.
• Top 10 Most Notable Band Splits of the '80s

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Atco