Jimmy Page - guitar
Paul Rodgers - vocals
Tony Franklin - bass
Chris Slade - drums
Formed during the early 1980s, The Firm was a blatant attempt by powers in the music industry to create a supergroup from the ashes of Led Zeppelin and the original Bad Company. Featuring Zep axe man Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers, former lead singer for both Free and Bad Company, the band had all the potential to be a monster.
Filled out by former Roy Harper bassist Tony Franklin and ex-Uriah Heep/Manfred Mann Earth Band drummer Chris Slade, The Firm had plenty of talent, but never saw the success of Zeppelin or Bad Company - mainly because the material simply wasn’t as good or memorable as that penned by those two bands during their 1970s heyday. The fact that both bands had been so commercially successful, moreover, made it nearly impossible for The Firm to live up to or exceed the expectations of fans and critics.
The group never issued any live releases so this show, originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in London, is one of the few quality concert recordings that exist of the band, which only lasted for two CDs and tours. A result of the fact that The Firm only played either material from their two studio albums or solo numbers penned by Page or Rodgers, the shows lacked any real firepower. Regardless, there is still some incredible singing and guitar playing captured on these recordings.
Highlights include the band’s modernized remake of The Righteous Brothers classic "You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling" and the band’s only radio hit, the aptly named "Radio Active." A 20-minute workout song, simply entitled "Jam," is simply that, but fun to listen to nonetheless. The show just goes to show that any band, regardless of the talent of its individual members, is always ultimately produced by something more than the mere combination of its parts.
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