“Burnin Sky” by Bad Company

"Burnin' Sky" gave Bad Company's fourth studio album its name and, in 1977, its second and last single, and Paul Rodgers made most of it up on the spot: he turned up at the studio with little more than the chords and a rough idea, then improvised the bulk of the lyrics while they cut it in a single take. The band produced it themselves, with Chris Kimsey engineering.

It's the supergroup trying on a new suit. Cash Box singled out the thunder-and-lightning opening, the funky strut, the filter on Rodgers' voice, a prominent electric piano and a cleaner guitar sound. Later critics keep it high on their lists of the band's best: Malcolm Dome in Classic Rock pointed to its ominous, near-dark mood and heavy-hitting playing, and Janey Roberts heard a rhythmic feel the band had never tried before.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.