Bad Company: Live At Wembley Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
Recorded live at the prestigious Wembley Arena in London in 2010, these celebrated musicians are at the top of their game, playing their beloved songs as hard as ever in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd. Founding members vocalist Paul Rodgers, lead guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke (bassist Boz Burrell died in 2006) are supplemented by guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Lynn Sorensen.
Earlier this year I picked up a number of rock albums that are becoming more and more difficult to track down. I purchased Jagged Edge U.K.'s Trouble (1990), because I love their cover of Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Dolly", and the band's superb Fuel for Your Soul (1991). I also picked up an import copy of Giant's debut album Last of the Runaways (1989), which was recently repressed. Their "I'll See You In My Dreams" was one of the greatest ballads to come out during the 1990s.
The best album I picked up, however, was The Law, Paul Rodgers and drummer Kenney Jones' (Small Faces, The Who) experiment from 1991, which was recently remastered and rereleased with the hard to find bonus track "That's When You Fall In Love". The Law is one the most underrated albums Paul Rodgers has contributed to yet in my opinion one of the very best. The singer is now back with Bad Company – with founding members Mick Ralphs (guitar) and Simon Kirke (bassist Boz Burrell passed away in 2006) and new members guitarist Howards Leese and bassist Lynn Sorensen – touring the world and performing in front of enthusiastic crowds.
This Blu-ray disc captures the legendary band during their stop at Wembley Arena in April 2010, performing some of their greatest hits. Led by Paul Rodgers, Bad Company looks fantastic here, full of energy and visibly excited to be in front of their fans.
"Can't Get Enough" and "Honey Child" get the crowd going, followed by solid performances of "Run With The Pack" and "Burnin' Sky" (with superb opening solo). After "Young Blood", Paul Rodgers shines again with "Seagull". The harder "Gone, Gone, Gone" and "Electric Land" are next, followed by the legendary "Simple Man" (one of the highlights for the night) and the crowd pleaser "Feel Like Making Love". "Shooting Star" and "Rock and Roll Fantasy" get the crowd singing again with Paul Rodgers. They are quickly followed by "Movin' On" and the fantastic "Ready For Love" (a special, very inspired performance). The classic "Bad Company" is next, followed by the cool "Deal with the Preacher", which warps up this terrific concert.
Bad Company: Live At Wembley is a truly outstanding release, one that I believe will surprise a lot of the band's hardcore fans. In fact, I would go on record here and claim that this is the best live show I've seen from a classic rock band to be released on Blu-ray. These guys truly are in top form, and believe it or not, they sound a lot better here than they do on a lot of their legendary studio albums.
Feel Like Makin' Love
Tracklisting:
1. Can't Get Enough
2. Honey Child
3. Run With The Pack
4. Burnin' Sky
5. Young Blood
6. Seagull
7. Gone, Gone, Gone
8. Electric Land
9. Simple Man
10. Feel Like Makin' Love
11. Shooting Star
12. Rock And Roll Fantasy
13. Movin' On
14. Ready For Love
15. Bad Company
16. Deal With The Preacher
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer,
Bad Company: Live At Wembley arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.
Filmed in high-definition, Bad Company: Live At Wembley looks very good on Blu-ray. Detail is outstanding throughout the entire show, while motion-judder is never an issue of concern. Furthermore, the various strategically positioned cameras offer multiple consistent looks at the elaborate stage, the band, and the crowd - there is no excessive noise or shadow issues when they switch. I also did not see any macroblocking patterns to report in this review. Lastly, there are no purely transfer specific anomalies either. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are three audio tracks on this Bu-ray disc: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 delivers the type of quality we have come to expect from Eagle Rock Entertainment. First, the balance between Paul Rodgers and the band is very good - there is no overlapping or problematic dynamic fluctuations and the crowd noise is never overpowering. Second, the sound is consistently is crisp and clear. Third, the loseless track captures the energy in the venue exceptionally well and there are absolutely no echo issues whatsoever. Indeed, this is one expertly mixed show that sounds very impressive on Blu-ray.
I did a few quick comparisons with the LPCM 2.0 track listening to "Simple Man" and "Bad Company". As expected, the depth and fluidity from the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track are missing. On "Bad Company", the piano has a tendency to stick out and then move back or disappear. On "Simple Man", the guitar solos sound a lot richer with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Interviews - a collection of short interviews with the members of Bad Company in which they talk about their love for rock music, the tour, the success of their latest album, the fans and their reactions to the band performing live again, etc. There are a few short interviews with excited fans as well. In English, with optional English, German, Spanish, and French subtitles. (20 min, 1080i).
Booklet - a booklet containing a short article by Jeb Wright (ClassicRockRevisited.com)
Bad Company: Live At Wembley is a fantastic release. I absolutely loved it. The legendary rockers are in top form here, performing some of their greatest hits with impressive energy. "Simple Man", "Feel Like Makin' Love", "Ready For Love", and "Bad Company" still sound amazing. As it is the case with all Eagle Rock Entertainment Blu-ray releases, the quality of the presentation is of exceptionally high quality. You cannot afford to miss this one, folks. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
When legendary classic rockers Bad Company performed at the historic British venue Wembley Arena in London on a beautiful April 2010 spring night, high-definition cameras captured the whole evening in all its glory. On June 28, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release ...
Bad Company: Live At Wembley Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
