Paul Rodgers & Friends – Live At Montreux 1994 (2011)

In 1993, Paul Rodgers was a free man. The Firm had dissolved, the legendary front man was above and beyond The Law, Bad Company had become a distant, but still treasured, memory and the revered Free was long gone. Left with nothing to do, the singer with the brawny, torn-and-frayed pipes and expressive, denim-clad delivery looked again to the blues, his one true love, for inspiration. He found it in the music of Muddy Waters.
Keen to pay homage to the great man, Rodgers didn’t break character. Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters may have contained the spark of the Chicago-style electric blues that Waters once perfected, but it was powered by the blues-rock combustion of Rodgers’ work with Bad Company and Free. Not all of the tracks on Muddy Water Blues, the second of Rodgers’ solo albums, were Waters covers, but his spirit haunts the record, inhabiting its grooves and inspiring Rodgers and his collaborators. In 1994, a year after Muddy Water Blues’ arrival, Rodgers brought much of that record to life in a blustery, sweaty concert at Montreux, where he was joined onstage by the likes of Journey guitarist Neal Schon, drummer Jason Bonham, guitarist Ian Hatton and bassist John Smithson, as well as several guests, including Queen’s Brian May, Toto’s Steve Lukather and blues veterans Luther Allison, Eddie Kirkland, Sherman Robertson, Robert Lucas and Kenny Neal.

Though a star-studded affair, Live at Montreux 1994 has more of a blue-collar feel. This is a workingman’s record, with dirt under its fingernails and calluses on its hands. Sprinkled with plenty of songs that Rodgers made famous with Free and Bad Company, Live at Montreux 1994 also finds Rodgers digging his hands into the earthy soil of blues classics like Waters’ “Louisiana Blues,” which simmers with menace and pure nastiness on the stove here, letting all the rich flavors – including a particularly tasty guitar solo – sink into its meaty textures. In a surprising turn, May gets down and dirty on the Sonny Boy Williamson number “Good Morning Little School Girl,” his distorted guitar becoming a careening crop duster that dives and climbs with all the daring of pilot with a death wish. The highlight of a sensational set, “Good Morning Little School Girl” is simply mean, burning with intensity and passionate playing. To finish off the night, Rodger and crew slam into Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” and the closer, “Hoochie Coochie Man” by Willie Dixon, with all the force of a hurricane. The guitars sound like switchblades on and cut deeply with every note on “Crossroads,” as the rhythm section works up a mean, mean thirst crawling through the gutter on “Hoochie Coochie Man.”
Three of the songs Dixon wrote for Waters, including 1954’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “I’m Ready” and 1961’s “Let Me Love You Baby,” are included here and performed with all the righteous fervor of a tent revival ministry, as is Booker T. & the MGs’ “The Hunter.” Just as propulsive and muscular are the Rodgers’ classics “All Right Now,” the old Free hit, and rust-covered Bad Company diamonds “Can’t Get Enough (of Your Love)” and “Feel Like Making Love.” Ever the professional, Rodgers’ nuanced vocals add richness and depth to each track, while his handpicked group of hired guns plays the daylights out of this material almost all the way through, with the exception of the rare uninspired moment. The recording quality is pretty sound and world-class music writer Malcolm Dome does the show justice with well-written, informative liner notes. All of this makes you wonder if, or when, Rodgers will delve even deeper into the blues down the road. (by Peter Lindblad)

What a line-up, what a concert. what a night … it was another night, the legends came out to play !

Personnel:
Jason Bonham (drums)
Ian Hatton (guitar)
Eddie Kirkland (guitar)
Steve Lukather (guitar)
Brian May (guitar)
Claude Nobs (harmonica)
Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar)
Neil Schon (guitar)
John Smithson (bass)

Tracklist
01. Travelling Man (Kossoff/Kirke/Rodgers/Fraser) 3.27
02. Wishing Well (Bundrick/Kossoff/Kirke/Rodgers/Yamauchi) 3.57
03. Louisiana Blues (Morganfield) 5.00
04. Fire And Water (Rodgers/Fraser) 4.07
05. Muddy Waters Blues (Rodgers) 5.07
06. Good Morning Little School Girl (Williamson) 4.14
07. I’m Ready (Dixon) 3.37
08. Little Bit Of Love (Kossoff/Kirke/Rodgers/Fraser) 3.34
09. Mr. Big (Kossoff/Kirke/Rodgers/Fraser) 5.17
10. Feel Like Making Love (Ralphs/Rodgers) 5.43
11. Let Me Love You Baby (Dixon) 4.40
12. The Hunter (Cropper/Dunn/Jackson/Wells/Jones) 4.27
13. Can’t Get Enough ( Of Your Love) (Ralphs) 3.52
14. All Right Now (Rodgers/Fraser) 6.57
15. Crossroads (Johnson) 4.41
16. Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) 7.35

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Paul Rodgers – Cut Loose (1983)

After the disappointing 1982 release Rough Diamonds, Bad Company split up and vocalist Paul Rodgers focused on his solo album Cut Loose. It’s a “solo” album in every sense of the word; Rodgers wrote, produced, sang, and played every single note. Yep, besides highlighting his miraculous voice, Cut Loose features Rodgers playing guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, and drums. It’s a competent release and it features some good songs, but one wonders how much better it could have been if he had interacted with other musicians. In a way, Cut Loose is almost like a demo tape. Sometimes individual songs lack dynamics because Rodgers bases them on repeating guitar or piano lines, and his bass playing is effective, but his drumming is rudimentary. “Fragile” is a decent, midtempo rock & roll song. “Cut Loose” has an upbeat, funky feel with a guitar riff that doubles Rodgers’ vocals. “Rising Sun” is the most sophisticated and impressive song on the album; its fast, dramatic piano lines and biting guitar solo stand out. The breezy “Morning After the Night Before” is based on clever lyrics about life on the road. (It’s an interesting companion to Bad Company’s “Movin’ On,” which was written by guitarist Mick Ralphs.) The haunting arrangement on “Northwinds” is also noteworthy. The piano and organ parts add depth to Rodgers’ gut-wrenching vocals. Two songs on Cut Loose have interesting histories. “Superstar Woman” is a re-recorded version of a previously unreleased Bad Company tune. (It was finally issued on 1999’s The ‘Original’ Bad Company Anthology.) Also, Rodgers and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page re-recorded “Live in Peace” for the Firm’s 1986 album Mean Business. (by Bret Adams)

Paul Rodgers (with Jimmy Page), 1983

Personnel:
Paull Rodgers (vocals, all instruments)

Tracklist
01. Fragile 4.31
02. Cut Loose 3.37
03. Live In Peace 5.00
04. Sweet Sensation 3.16
05. Rising Sun 4.09
06. Boogie Mama 3.10
07. Morning After The Night Before 4.12
08. Northwinds 3.55
09. Superstar Woman 4.59
10. Talking Guitar Blues 4.04

All songs written by Paul Rodgers

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Single “Cut Loose”

Paul Rodgers – Live At The BBC (1971)

Anyone into ’60s rock would consider Free together with Cream and Led Zeppelin among the key blues-influenced bands. Formed in 1968, Free’s original lineup included drummer Simon Kirke, bassist Andy Fraser, vocalist Paul Rodgers and guitarist Paul Kossoff.
When Free disbanded in 1973, it has been reported that Rodgers was offered the lead vocalist slot with Deep Purple which he turned down. He then joined Kirke, Boz Burrell (King Crimson) and guitarist Mick Ralphs (Mott The Hoople) to form Bad Company.
Before Bad Company and during a fallout from Free, Rodgers also fronted Peace, which featured Stewart McDonald and Mich Underwood.
Here are three tracks Peace performed live at the BBC in 1971. These tracks were later recorded by Free and Bad Company.

Personnel:
Stewart McDonald (bass)
Paul Rodgers (guitar, vocals)
Mick Underwood (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Heartbreaker (Rodgers)
02. Like Water (Rodgers)
03. Seven Angels (Rodgers)

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