Rumor has it that in their prime, Paul Rodgers and Bad Company rivaled even Led Zeppelin as hard-rock’s biggest hedonists, so it was only fitting that they called Zep’s own Swan Song label home. As songwriters, the band didn’t exactly tackle the deepest subject matter—“Ready for Love,” “FeelLike Makin’ Love” and “Can’t Get Enough” (of, you guessed it, your love) are just a few of the classics—but, as a live unit, they brought the wood, so to speak, in a primal display of bludgeoning riffs that gave Rodgers ample room to show off his silk-and-sandpaper vocal chops. Strangely enough, this is Bad Co.’s first official live album, and it offers up some hidden gems that shocked Rodgers himself when he heard the tapes. Of the two dates spread over two discs, the Houston show from ‘77 stands out; guitarist Mick Ralphs gets a punchier sound and trades gutsy licks with Rodgers, especially on the extended vamp that closes “Live for the Music.” Relative rarities are the outstanding “Leaving You” (in a higher key, with more fire than the original Burnin’ Sky version) and “Simple Man,” which finds Rodgers testing his limits over the muscular rhythms of the late Boz Burrell on bass and Simon Kirke on drums. Back when an arena full of rock fans—some pleasantly stoned, some decidedly otherwise—would spark their lighters and sway as one, this is the music that brought them together.