Bad Company - Straight Shooter (1975)

Bad Company's straight-slammin' 1974 debut may be the best point of entry for the listener unfamiliar with Paul Rodgers's post-Free work. But it's this follow-up that really captures the band in their full glow.

To me, it's an essential part of my "sonic youth"... those years of early teenhood when I was excitedly soaking up all kinds of musical noise. It's also an album that showcases Rodgers as one of the finest rock singers ever. The bunch of memorable songs here, which include classics like 'Feel Like Makin' Love' and 'Shooting Star', still never fail to evoke the mood of the good ol' rockin' '70s.