# Mean Business

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mean_Business
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mean_Business.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Business
> Source revision: 1337620024
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

***Mean Business*** is the second and final studio album by [The Firm](/source/The_Firm_(rock_band)), released by [Atlantic Records](/source/Atlantic_Records) on 3 February 1986. Repeating the same bluesy formula as on the first album, *[The Firm](/source/The_Firm_(album))* (1985), *Mean Business* did not achieve the same commercial success.

One of the album's tracks, "Live in Peace", was first recorded on [Paul Rodgers](/source/Paul_Rodgers)' first solo album in 1983, *[Cut Loose](/source/Cut_Loose_(album))*. The versions differ in that [Chris Slade](/source/Chris_Slade) played the drums at half tempo compared to the original version, apart from the ending. Paul Rodgers has recently played a new version on his new compilation album Live in Peace.

The album's title was intended to have a double meaning: that the music business is a hard one, and that the band was serious about its music ("The Firm mean business"). Following the album's release and a brief supporting tour, Page and Rodgers disbanded the Firm, believing that it had served its purpose.[1]

The album peaked at #22 on the [*Billboard* 200](/source/Billboard_200) albums chart.[2] and at #46 on the [UK Albums Chart](/source/UK_Albums_Chart). The single "All the King's Horses" spent four weeks at the top of *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))'*s [Mainstream Rock Tracks](/source/Mainstream_Rock_Tracks) chart.[citation needed]

"Fortune Hunter" was originally co-written by Page and [Chris Squire](/source/Chris_Squire) for the aborted [XYZ](/source/XYZ_(UK_band)) project in 1981. Squire was not credited on The Firm's version.

## Personnel

### Band

- [Paul Rodgers](/source/Paul_Rodgers) – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, producer
- [Jimmy Page](/source/Jimmy_Page) – acoustic and electric guitars, producer
- [Tony Franklin](/source/Tony_Franklin_(musician)) – fretless bass, keyboards, synthesizer, rhythm guitar on "Dreaming", vocals
- [Chris Slade](/source/Chris_Slade) – drums and percussion

### Other

- [Julian Mendelsohn](/source/Julian_Mendelsohn) – producer
- Aubrey Powell Productions – cover design
- Barry Diament – mastering

## Charts

Chart (1986) Peak position Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[3] 43

## References

1. Wall, Mick (February 11, 2020). ["The story of The Firm: the band that saved Jimmy Page"](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-the-firm-the-band-that-saved-jimmy-page). *Louder*. Retrieved September 23, 2025.

1. ["The Billboard 200 - 15 March 1986"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140712033932/http://www.billboard.com/charts/1986-03-15/billboard-200). *Billboard*. Archived from [the original](http://www.billboard.com/charts/1986-03-15/billboard-200) on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2009.

1. ["Mean Business"](https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Firm+%5BRock%5D&titel=Mean+Business&cat=a). [Sverigetopplistan](/source/Sverigetopplistan). Retrieved 20 September 2024.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mean Business](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Business) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Business?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.