RIP Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. He was 81.
I was a latecomer to Mott the Hoople, but I sure became a Mich Ralphs fan through Bad Company. As the first signing to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song vanity label, his muscular riffing was all over that self-titled debut. More than 50 years later, it’s impossible to ignore the intro to “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love,” the subdued threat of “Bad Company,” and the Mott cover “Ready for Love.”
After following Bad Co. through Straight Shooter, Run with the Pack, Burnin’ Sky, and Desolation Angels (that intro to “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy” is still awesome), I did a big Mick Ralphs/Ian Hunter/David Bowie rewind, discovering Mott. The first stop, of course, was “All the Young Dudes,” the Bowie song gave to Mott so the band wouldn’t break up. That rock’n’roll spelunking paid off handsomely.
Ralphs was one of those 70s guitarists you recognized immediately, yet he didn’t enjoy the same level of notoriety of a Page, Clapton, or Van Halen. But those Bad Company records still sound great, even at their great age. If you’re unfamiliar with Ralphs, do his memory a solid and list to a few Bad Company songs today.
