"Honaloochie Boogie" by Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople was an English rock band that broke onto the American charts in 1972 with their classic, "All The Young Dudes." The tune, written by David Bowie, reached #37 and is now in the R&R Hall of Fame. Their name is taken from a 1966 comic novel by Willard Manus, whose protagonist (Norman Mott) is an independent rebel.

The band poked their head onto the bottom of the chart twice more, when "One Of The Boys" and "The Golden Age Of Rock 'N' Roll" both peaked at #96.

When they weren't doing covers, the songwriting was primarily driven by singer Ian Hunter and guitarist Mick Ralphs. The pair wrote some intriguing and influential material, but most of it failed to connect with popular radio. Hunter left in 1976 and moved onto an equally inconsistent solo career, while Ralphs found fame and fortune as a member of Bad Company. You can hear some of his Hoople riffs and songs (including "Ready For Love") in the Bad Company catalogue.

If the boys wrote more tunes like the catchy "Honaloochie Boogie" from 1973, they might have stood a better chance of becoming a more permanent fixture on US radio. The tune features Andy Mackay of Roxy Music on saxophone (he also played sax on their other classic tune, "All The Way From Memphis").

"I'm Back" by Brian Howe

Brian Howe took over vocal duties after Paul Rodgers left Bad Company in 1986. After a string of hits in 70s, Bad Company was losing steam and Brian Howe breathed new life into the band with his raspy vocals and melodic songwriting. Previously, in 1983, Howe sang on the Ted Nugent record "Penetrator."

After four successful albums with Bad Company, Howe left in 1994 and pursued a solo career. He released "Tangled In Blue" in 1997, a marked turn towards more adult contemporary fare that went nowhere. In 2010, Howe returned to melodic rock and released "Circus Bar," which is one of the most enjoyable records from the genre that year.

Kicking off the record is the aptly named "I'm Back," and it showcases how Howe's powerful vocals hadn't changed a bit. I wish this record would have given Howe the comeback he deserved.

"Someone To Love" by The Firm

Supergroups are no guarantee of success - sometimes the whole seems less than the sum of its parts. Expectations were riding high for The Firm, which consisted of giant talents like singer Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), guitarist Jimmy Page (Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), drummer Chris Slade (Manfred Mann), and bassist Tony Franklin. The group had an instant hit with the groovy classic rocker "Radioactive," which reached #28 in 1985, but failed to top that performance.

That is not to say they didn't write songs that were not worthy of a higher position on the charts. "Someone To Love" struck me as a song that would have done well back then.

The Firm released "Satisfaction Guaranteed," but it stalled at #73. The short-lived supergroup parted ways in 1986, but not after one more song hit the chart - "All The Kings Horses" hit #61 on the band's way out the door.

"Why You Call" by Bucket & Co

In 2010, Dave "Bucket" Colwell released a unique project featuring some big name vocalists from bands like Thunder, The New York Dolls, The Quireboys, Iron Maiden, and more. For those who don't know, "Bucket" played guitar for Bad Company and FM among others. His 2010 all-star album was a labor of love for him, over two years in the making.

The project was named after the kickass starter, "Guitars, Beers & Tears". Bucket's playing is the one constant among these tracks, each sung by a different guest. Despite the change in singers, the record is remarkably cohesive and should appease fans of melodic hard rock. 

Perhaps one of the more unexpected guests on the record is pop folk artist Edwin McCain, who was a staple on late 90s radio with hits like "I'll Be" (which hit #5 in 1998) and "I Could Not Ask For More" (which hit #37 in 1999). On the Bucket & Co project, he sings a tune called "Survive" and one of my favorites from the record, "Why You Call".

"Little Angel" by Bad Company

There aren't too many bands willing or able to move forward after the lead singer decides to leave. Many people probably figured Bad Company was done with the departure of Paul Rodgers in 1982 after six albums, but the band experienced a rebirth with the addition of new vocalist, Brain Howe. Howe used to sing for Ted Nugent but joined forces with original Bad Company members Mike Ralphs and Simon Kirke in 1985. By then, Rodgers was busy singing with The Firm. 

"Fame and Fortune" was the first record with Howe, which failed to generate any major action on the charts. Filled with keyboards to play to 80s trends, the sound was quite askew from the guitar-driven work that fans were expecting. But by the next album, "Dangerous Age", this new version of Bad Company was attracting a new fanbase comprised of melodic rockers falling in love with the remarkable range of Brian Howe.

"Holy Water" (1990) would be the watershed moment for the Brian Howe-era Bad Company. Howe wrote most of the album and it catered to the popular hairband arena rock of the day. "Holy Water" did a number on the charts and marked a huge comeback for the band.

The follow-up record, Howe's last with Bad Company, was released in 1992. While it didn't match the stunning success of "Holy Water", "Here Comes Trouble" did rather well given the dynamic music scene at the time. 

"Here Comes Trouble" reached #40 on the Billboard Top 200 and went gold.

The first single, the excellent "How About That", got to #38, but the power ballad follow-up, "This Could Be The One", died out at #87. "Little Angel" is a catchy mid-tempo rocker that probably would have done well if released a couple years earlier.