Seems
Rhino have finally announced this. It was actually pretty much ready to go in
May/June (2019) but it was held back for some reason. Quite funny really as it
now gets a 41st anniversary re-issue, not 40th. But at least it is coming out.
Available in January it is released as a 2CD, 2LP and digital download. The
vinyl is 180g and all the others have been great quality, so this will be no
exception. Compiled by Hugh Gilmour and myself, I also did the sleeve notes.
Never my favourite Bad Company album, but it has expanded very well and there
is some nice 'bonus' material on this new set.
The
press release is below with the CD track listing. Interestingly it notes "Desolation
Angels was recently remastered from the original multi-track tapes"
when it fact no multi-tracks were used at all. This actually all comes from the
original quarter inch mix tapes. All sounding very good indeed. They'll be an
FAS issue next year to go along with it.
----------------------------------------------------
Bad
Company Expands ‘Desolation Angels’ For 40th Anniversary
Bad
Company will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1979 album, Desolation
Angels, with a newly expanded edition. The Dec. 6 announcement notes the
release will include many previously unreleased recordings from the original
studio sessions. The new edition, available on 2-CDs or 2-LPs, arrives Jan. 10
via Rhino.
Desolation
Angels
continued the classic rock band’s significant commercial success. The LP was
the British supergroup’s fifth studio album and became a double-platinum hit,
peaking at #3 on the U.S. album charts, thanks to the success of “Rock ’n’ Roll
Fantasy,” the best-selling single of the band’s career.
Desolation
Angels was
recently remastered from the original multi-track tapes for Bad
Company‘s The Swan Song Years 1974-1982, a boxed set
that was released in 2019. That remastered version of the album is also used in
this new anniversary collection.
In
the late summer of 1978, Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke and Boz Burrell
spent several weeks recording songs for Desolation Angels at Ridge
Farm Studio in Surrey, England. The album – named after Jack Kerouac’s 1965
novel – was released in March 1979, and spawned two singles, “Rock ’n’ Roll
Fantasy” and “Gone, Gone, Gone.” The album also introduced fan favorites like
“Evil Wind” and “Rhythm Machine.”
The
second disc that accompanies the 40th anniversary edition presents unreleased
versions of seven album tracks. Highlights include alternate takes for “Rock
’n’ Roll Fantasy,” “Early In The Morning” and “She Brings Me Love.” Also, the
version “Oh, Atlanta” included here is played at slower tempo and adds a Fender
Rhodes keyboard into the mix.
In
addition to alternate versions of album tracks, the new collection also
features two unreleased outtakes from the sessions. The first is “Smokin’ 45.”
(This version is different from the one that appeared on the 1999 compilation The
Original Bad Co. Anthology.) The second outtake, “Rock Fever,” has never
surfaced on any Bad Company release until now.
Desolation Angels 40th Anniversary Edition CD Track Listing
Disc One
01. Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy
02. Crazy Circles
03. Gone, Gone, Gone
04. Evil Wind
05. Early In The Morning
06. Lonely For Your Love
07. Oh, Atlanta
08. Take The Time
09. Rhythm Machine
10. She Brings Me Love
11.
Smokin' 45 (Alternative Version 1)
12.
Smokin' 45 (Alternative Version 2)
13.
Rock Fever (Unreleased)
14.
Oh, Atlanta (Slow Version with Rhodes)
15.
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy (Alternative Version 1)
16.
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy (Alternative Version 2)
17.
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy (Alternative Version 3)
18.
Crazy Circles (Alternative Version)
Disc
Two
01. Gone, Gone, Gone (Alternative Take)
02.
Early in the Morning (Alternative Version 1)
03.
Lonely for Your Love (Alternative Version 1)
04.
Take the Time (Alternative Version 1)
05.
Evil Wind (Alternative Version)
06.
Take the Time (Alternative Version 2)
07.
Lonely for Your Love (Alternative Version 2)
08.
She Brings Me Love (Alternative Version)
09.
What Does It Matter (Blues Jam)
10.
Rhythm Machine (Alternative Version)
11.
Amen (A cappella)
The
final Extra Large 56 Page full colour issue covering the complete history of
the band from April 1969 to the end of December 1969. 
