Well Said...

Absolutely, some very good music came from what I’ll call Bad Co. II

I liked him better than Paul Rodgers.

@@warrenmooney9422 I loved em both but I'd have to agree with you.Brian was simply awesome no matter where he sang.

Exactly

The main riff was not played right at the start.

Paul Cullen wow!!!! Must have been an experience at least I bet!!!

All right, so it isn't Jaz or Felix (I knew it wasn't Boz).

Paul - Granted I’m replying to some of your posts that are 8-9 years old, so I’m taking that into consideration. That being said, me and about 10,000 other people also have stories that would ‘curl your toes’ about Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. The sword goes both ways, man. One of the funniest is the fact that over about the last 10 years, Simon and Paul are repeatedly on the phone with KZfaq anytime somebody attempts to put the ‘Bad Company - Behind the Music’ full video up. It offends them that some of the previous videos that were up had hundreds of posts/conversations that praised the Howe-era of the band. Obviously they couldn’t have THAT happening, so every time one of the videos is put back up, they file junctions to have it taken down - pulling a ‘Sharon Osbourne’ and trying to bury that history of the band any chance they get. 🤣 Toddler bullshit, but that’s the least of how (mainly) those 2 guys are..Then there’s the story how they both said F you to the idea of an all eras one-off Bad Company concert featuring all three singers - with proceeds going to a children’s cancer research center. Class acts..👍 Hope all is well.. peace.

I knew Brian personally back then when he was with Bad Company, Brian and Terry Thomas did all the work on those albums produced when Brian was in the band. Mick and Simon did squat. They fought Brian on everything. They didn't want to be under the name Bad Company anymore, it was the record company that demanded it. They were asshats to Brian while Brian was fulfilling the contract. I heard the messages they left Brian. Brian and Terry produced great albums.

If you know what makes the quality, range, vocal type, and power level of a voice and have a background in music you could compare it this way: Brian Howe was a 5-octave tenor (like Lou Gramm and Freddie Mercury), this is often referred to as the "unicorn" vocal type in Rock. Add to that Howe had a 5-octave "range" and could sing across the range with no loss of power and breath and you will have an idea how he compares to Rodgers, who has the most common vocal type in rock: mid-baritone. Now, also compare that Rodgers was and is now a 3-octave baritone. This means he is basically incapable of singing most of Howe's songs and you'll begin to understand why he's had a hard-on for Howe his whole career. Despite that--or because of it--that Howe saved Bad Co. literally from oblivion when Kirke and Ralphs hired Howe after hearing his voice in the hallway at Atco(Atlantic) in 1985. (I was a young reporter back then and I could tell you a lot about what happened and most of it points to Howe's bandmates deciding to act more like fruit loops than professional musicians during the 80s and 90s). During Howe's 86-94 tenure in the Band he wrote 95% of every album they put out (4 of them) which resulted in 2 Gold albums and a Platinum album (Holy Water) and 15k-25k ticket sales every night on arena tours, which the band hadn't seen since the 70s, with Howe singing all of Rodgers' 70s songs in baritone with ease like Feel Like Makin' Love, and then running back up the other end of the scale to sing his own tenor songs like Holy Water and No Smoke without a Fire without any problem or loss of quality. I could go on and on about the incredible talent of his writing, voice, and his still winning awards in Hollywood in 2018 (Hot Tin Roof), and what he did for that band so that Rodgers would even *have* a band to go back to almost 20 years after he gave up on them and left them in the dust in 83, or the quality of Howe's voice still being present in his own touring years later, right up until his death 2 months ago on 6 May 2020, at age 66, gone so too soon. But I will stop before I say several things about Rodgers, Kirke, and Ralphs which would be unladylike and unprofessional as a journalist. I am writing an article about Howe, about what happened, and am currently interviewing people who spoke with him in the weeks before his passing. I will leave the conversation with this line from Howe's song Stranger than Fiction (autobiographical) "And there ain't no ocean wide enough that can put out this flame! And he will fight for all the powers above until the world knows his name..." There sure wasn't anything that could put out that flame, and there isn't now even in death. I know Howe's *walking on Holy Water* in the next life, just as his voice and his writing will walk on Holy Water in my memories--leben (forever). Brian RIP my dude, we know your name, and we will never forget you.

R Rogers thanks a ton for such informative post. Brian Howe will live for ever in our memory!! He has a voice which rings in your ear long after you listen to him. Really amazing talent

@@RoxyWrites thx so much for this, Brian's voice is wut I remember hearing that I had fallen in love with, the original Bad Co in late 70's n 80s.

Brian Howe was writhing most of the music that Bad Co was performing at the time. The other members of Bad Co were not contributing much at all to the writing of their songs. They were also singing the wrong lyrics to some of Brian’s songs on purpose, trying to make Brian seem unprofessional. Brian stood his ground. Kirke and Ralphs were the unprofessional ones. Because Kirke and Ralphs were not doing most of the writing, and being unprofessional to Brian, he split from Bad Co. I don’t blame him for that. Everything that I’m telling you is the truth. There is information on the internet if you don’t believe me. Do the research, and you will know what I’m saying is true.

​@@RoxyWriteswhere is your article? with your permission I would love to read.

Yeah Brian is probably wondering what in the hell are you guys doing.

It seems Brian is probably losing his voice .too.

I agree with you oh God I don't think brain waa happy that night.

Paul Cullen, There's no doubt your insight verifies the long-time rumors that Howe and the group were pretty dysfunctional, and thanks for sharing that. You can't take away the succes the band had with him in front, with two gold and one platinum albums, and substantial audience response on tour. He's very likely a jerk, but the public accepted that version of the band, not much doubt about that.

Brian Jonestone For sure Brian, there was no doubt it was a successful time for BC. I actually got to enjoy some of that as the bassist. Lets give credit to Terry Thomas. He produced and wrote 90% of the songs. So then the question was, it really Bad Co? Given that Mick and Simon didn't really have that much input, I'd say not really. 7 songs on Holy Water were written by Thomas. Only a handful with Mick as co-writer, which I think was just to make them happy. Listen to Giant and Foreigner albums released in the time period produced by Thomas. Sounds like the same bands.

Which happened with unnerving frequency during Howe's tenure with bad Co leaving him and Terry Thomas to do most of the writing, production, studio recording, videos, touring organizing etc. etc. Howe worked his a** off for that band and was given nothing but crap for it, but despite Ralphs and Kirke failing to show up half the time I'm sure they appreciated all the money Brian was bringing in for them by filling 15k-25k seat arena concerts on tour, writing 95% of the songs on 2 Gold albums and the Platinum Holy Water for them during his tenure? Then when Howe died 2 months ago Rodgers made fun of his death. Unprofessional and heinous. They were unprofessional hacks all of them and they didn't deserve the level of talent or work ethic Howe brought to that band.

Simon said that he didn't have a good relationship with Brian.

Mick sat out most of the 1990 tour for family reasons. Planned absence, not a no show

@Philip Holmes Booze and blow for a long time starting in the late 70's. In fact Ralphs on Bad Co. Reunion Tour 1999, had his own touring bus because of his addictions. Rogers and Kirke shared their own 1999 Tour bus because of Ralphs addictions. Thats why Rodgers quit in 1982 and the same friction with Brian Howe. Howe was sick of Kirke and Ralphs drug and alcohol problems. Howe was doing all the work.

@Philip Holmes Yes he did. Late 2015 or 2016. Permanently disabled. Not doing good at all. Besides seeing him with Bad Co. Burning Sky Tour 1977, Reunion Tour 1999, I saw him live 1984 playing guitar for David Gilmours About Face Tour.

@Philip Holmes Of course. Followed Mott the Hoople back then. He also wrote quite a few hits for Bad Co. Everyone thinks Rodgers wrote all. Wrong. Ralphs wrote like 5-6 big hits for Bad Co. like Movin On, Good Lovin Gone Bad, Can't Get Enough to name a few off the top of my head.

@Philip Holmes Exactly!

Yeah it seems like the boys were in Hell at that time

Paul Cullen is on bass. That's who I got the tape from