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It takes just as long to get over the poor band name choice, despite their 70's context. I can't imagine the individual albums miss much from these Beatles devotees, so this is the one to hold onto. It may take awhile for you to really appreciate the songcraft. However, Pete Ham provides enough divine moments in this wonderful collection.
But Badfinger deserves it's own place in rock history and I'm extremely thankful to them for these songs. Pete and Tom are tragically no longer with us and this music belongs only to history. I loved The Beatles as much as any Beatlemaniac alive but Badfinger was always seen as their grown offspring. They always struggled to escape the shadow of Apple records. It was just bad timing. A couple of these tunes are taken from the time after their split from Apple and it's great stuff - especially Should I Smoke.
Missing from this collection is their bittersweet dear John letter (pun intended) "Apple Of My Eye" which was a fine tune and a chord progression that has been pinched by both Stone Temple Pilots in "Lady Picture Show" and well as the Christian band Building 429 in "Glory Defined". They were seen more as protégés of the greatest music phenomenon of the 60's and some considered them a lacluster substitute for their defunct Beatle parents. But they weren't a substitute. I can't help but wonder how popular Badfinger would have been without any ties to the Fab Four and what their careers would have been like without a scheming manager.Pete's vocals are beautiful. Just as Badfinger was starting to shine The Beatles were going separate ways and I think many thought the fabs were saying okay we're done, here's another Liverpool band (though I'm told they were from Wales) to keep you warm. Maybe you would have had to be in high school in the early 70's to love this album as much as I do but I still maintain that this was a really great band.
Pete Ham's vocals are somewhat McCartneyisque and the early productions were steered by Paul and George themselves. The guitar playing is gritty and sharp and the drumming is heavy and full.
In addition to those previously mentioned, I also really enjoyed the Iveys song "Maybe Tomorrow," and the sweet ballad, "Without You." I am not a diehard Badfinger listener. So this album suits my needs quite well. Having not lived in the '60s and '70s when these recordings were first made, this collection is outstanding for me, as it not only combines albums from two different record labels onto one CD, but it also features every song I know by Badfinger.I saw Joey Molland at Hippiefest in 2007, and his 15-minute set featured four songs: "Baby Blue," "Come and Get It," "Day After Day" and "No Matter What." I know a little about Badfinger, but not so much as what songs come off of what albums, or what songs could've/should've been put on this disc but weren't.What I can say is, I love a lot of the songs on this CD. I just like to hear a few of their songs once in a while.
Without a doubt, the remastered audio on this disc is superior to anything else out there.It sure would be great if whoever remastered this collection would go back and do the rest of the catalog.As evident by the other reviews, there are a lot of fabulous tracks that didn't make this compilation. I have slogged thru all the available domestic and import Badfinger discs, including all the Japan mini-sleeves. However, the great audio makes this CD certainly worth the purchase.
It was, in fact, Paul McCartney who suggested that they change their name to Badfinger, it was McCartney who wrote & produced their first major hit "Come and Get It". "Without You" is actually two songs put together (another unfortunate similarity to Lennon & McCartney); Ham wrote the verses & couldn't finish it & Evans wrote the chorus but couldn't finish it. recordings together. Such is the case here. Badfinger was also signed to the Apple label which was the Beatles own. In recent years, though, many labels have come together with their competitors to give the fan comprehensive collections that include songs from more than one label. Ham wrote most of the hits that were products of the group. Pete Ham was the principal vocalist & writer, very capable in both capacities.
The only other song in this collection that will be familiar is "Without You" (Ham, Evans). Even George Harrison served as a producer for them. All the big hits are here: "No Matter What" (Ham) #8 on the charts, "Day After Day" (Ham) #4 on the charts, "Baby Blue" (Ham) #14 on the charts & "Come and Get It" (McCartney) #7 on the charts. They actually had two more songs that received chart action but aren't included here: "Love Is Gonna Come at Last" (Molland) at #69 & "Hold On" (Evans, Tansin) at #56.Unless you're a big fan of Badfinger many of the songs beyond the four major hits won't be familiar. This song wasn't ever issued as a single by Badfinger but Harry Nilsson would record it later & have a huge hit with it going to #1 in 1972.
Those were the BIG hits. And though they suffered in comparison to the Beatles, they were, nevertheless, a talented unit in their own right. It would always be split down the lines of the songs that were recorded for whichever label. Comparisons between the two versions leaves one without little doubt as to the why one was a hit & the other wasn't. Oh, I knew who they were, their early period has some monster hits. So, they did as Lennon & McCartney sometimes did, put their two pieces together in order to make a complete song.The only other outstanding song on this cd is "Carry on Til Tomorrow" (Evans, Ham). I remember when they first hit it big, it was discussed how similar Joey Molland & McCartney looked & the slight similarity that Pete Ham & John Lennon shared.
Like most groups that have been contracted to more than one label in their career, the fan wasn't able to get a best of or greatest hits collection that covered their entire career. I would very much like to commend the recording industry for coming together in this manner, I feel, at the very least, that this cooperation had the fan in mind.I was never a big fan of Badfinger, never owned anything that was issued in their name. In one way it's sad that Badfinger would have the misfortune to be compared to the greatest rock group ever.Badfinger is, perhaps, the first group that got tagged as being power-pop, nothing wrong with that. The booklet has some decent liner notes & has several photographs including two of the Iveys. There are some songs here that won't particularly interest the casual fan of Badfinger. The biggest advantage of this single disc set is that it brings together the Apple & Warner Bros. Of course, being a big Beatle fan, I knew this group was closely associated to them.
Charting also was "Maybe Tomorrow" (Evans) #67 on the charts (actually recorded by the Iveys).
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