Bad Company: Holy Water CD Track Listing

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Bad Company Holy Water (1990)
Originally Released June 12, 1990 (May 31, 1990)\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Bad Company's last platinum album, Holy Water is a formulaic yet reasonably engaging collection of AOR hard rock. Although the only original members on Holy Water are guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, the band does a fair job of approximating the sound of classic Bad Company while adding enough elements of '80s pop-metal to make the record appealing to teenagers who grew up on power ballads. And the band does turn in a first-rate power ballad with "If You Needed Somebody," which rose all the way to number 16 on the singles chart. Surprisingly, that was one of three hits from the album -- "Holy Water" and "Walk Through Fire" also received a fair amount of airplay. What that success signals is not a creative rebirth for Bad Company, but that the group knew how to follow a formula very well. Holy Water hasn't aged as well as their original hit albums -- instead of the clean, ballsy attack of Bad Company and Straight Shooter, it's awash in echo and synths -- but it is a finely crafted, big-budget record of the late '80s and early '90s. It's just as indicative of its era as Bad Company is. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBad Company is Paul Rodgers, October 1, 2005\nReviewer: W. Jarkousky\nBeing about 30 years old now this album was how I was introduced to Bad Co. The songs were good and fit the time. None of them stood the test of time like the songs on the first few Bad Co records, that is obvious because we can't escape them today 30 years later. The title track is the best song on the CD followed by the heavy blues number Stranger, Stranger. There is a bland love ballad that I'm sure everyone over the age of 20 has heard (If you needed somebody), how did Bryan Adams get on this record? The big problem with this 1990 release is by the time you get to track 6 or 7 you have heard the whole record. There really is no stand out track after 5. If you were to come up with a best of CD of all the Brian Howe era bad company CD's you'd have a bunch of really good songs that all sound the same, well, a few slower ballads and some real good rockers. Maybe someone will release that, until then get the 4 CD's including this one. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe Last Good Album For Bad Company Mark II, February 14, 2005\nReviewer: The Footpath Cowboy "rockerusa2002" (Suffern, NY United States)\nHOLY WATER is the last really good album that Bad Company made with Brian Howe on lead vocals. It's just as good as DANGEROUS AGE, even if it doesn't quite match the first five albums with Paul Rodgers. The first half is consistent from soup to nuts, but the most riveting moment is the first song in the second half, "Boys Cry Tough." That song, a tale of a young man who dies in a gang fight, leaving his bride-to-be all alone, motivates me to look at pictures of my favorite female celebrities to inspire me not to act dangerously. There are a couple of other good tracks in the second half, and it seemed as if the group could continue forever with their new, slick sound featuring Howe's pop-oriented vocals. Unfortunately, their next two albums were relative letdowns musically and commercially, and they didn't really regain their footing until they got yet another new vocalist and recorded COMPANY OF STRANGERS.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA Far Cry From Vintage Bad Company, March 28, 2003\nReviewer: G. J Wiener (Westchester, NY USA)\nComparing Paul Rodgers era Bad Company to post Rodgers Bad Company would be like comparing a good quality steak in a reputable restaurant to the cheap meat you would get at a low grade fast food restaurant. In other words, there is nothing like the real thing.\nListening to this Holy Water recording is truly a chore and at times excruciating. Technically the lead vocalist, Brian Howe is not a bad singer. He stays on key and you certainly can here him loud and clear. However the man hardly varies his style over the first twelve songs of this recording. Constant high pitched siren like vocals with little variation of tone can really grate on the nerves. By the sixth song I am saying to myself, "Someone please call 911 to remove Mr. Howe from behind the microphone." Maybe someone actually listened to my advise on the 13th track as Simon Kirke's lead vocal is so much better as he actually sings the otherwise mediocre 100 Miles as opposed to Siren Man's constant overpowering screams.\n\nBesides the grating vocal performance, the overall arrangements are a constant bore. Heavy handed guitar riffs delivered with minimal passion. One solo sounds like the next. Ordinary drumming with little in the order of drive or special effects. The background vocals also are stuck in the same rut as Howe's siren. \n\nWhat is most annoying of all about this recording is the total lack of originality of the performance. The music sounds like a cross between Survivor and Foreigner with a little bit of an edge. This is not a good thing as the two previously mentioned bands offered a nothing special style. The Original Bad Company featuring Paul Rodgers was certainly not the most diverse band on the planet. But in those days at least that Bad Company had the good sense to emphasize Paul Rodgers colorful vocals and threw in a few varying tones on the guitars and keyboards to make the listening experience enjoyable.\n\nAnyway, I would avoid this recording at all costs. The title track is a pretty good song and that Stranger Stranger tune seems to have a semi memorable chorus in spite of the annoying synthesizer effect. However, two maybe three pretty good tunes out of thirteen reflects a .230 average. That is bad for baseball, horrible for basketball, and unacceptable for a music CD.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nCompany That's Overstayed It's Welcome, March 18, 2002\nReviewer: birddogger5150 (Roseville, MN USA)\nI'm not saying that there's anything wrong with corporate rock (my collection of Foreigner and Journey CD's will attest to that), but "Holy Water" is certainly one of the more bland offerings in that much maligned subgenre. I guess if you're familiar with any of the singles from this album and you like them, go ahead and pick it up because you're guaranteed more of the same. If that still doesn't scratch your itch, pick up "Fame And Fortune" (1986), "Dangerous Age" (1988), and "Here Comes Trouble" (1992). You'll be well on your way to having a CD collection that is the musical equivalent of Cheez Whiz.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe Best of Howe, June 19, 2001\nReviewer: greverio "greverio" (Falls Church, Virginia United States)\nBrian Howe did a good job taking Bad Co. into the 90's. This album marks the group's best 90's effort, with a softer, but still rockin' sound. From the title track to the hit "If you needed somebody", the does it's job as a solid piece of work. No one expected the impact like their earlier albums, but the true fans (old and new) embraced the band through change.\n\nHalf.com Product Notes: Top \nBad Company: Simon Kirke (vocals, acoustic guitar, drums); Brian Howe (vocals); Mick Ralphs (guitar)\n\nAdditional personnel: Terry Thomas (guitar, Hammond organ, percussion, background vocals); Rick Smith (accordion); Felix Krish (bass); Lea Hart, Tim Egan (background vocals).\n\nRecorded at Farmyard Studios, Little Chalfont, England.\n\nWith classic rock radio reaching its apex of popularity in the early-'90s, Bad Company issued arguably their best non-Paul Rodgers release, HOLY WATER, in 1990. A surprisingly consistent album, HOLY WATER does a fine job of showcasing singer Brian Howe's talents (who has no problem alternating between blues, heavy metal, and ballads), as evidenced such standouts as "I Can't Live Without You" and "100 Miles."\n

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