Badfinger was a
rock bandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
formed in
Swansea, WalesSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the
power popPower pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
genre. During the early 1970s the band was tagged as the
heir apparentAn heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting.An heir presumptive, by contrast, is an heir currently in line to inherit a title, but who could be displaced at any time by certain events.Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles, particularly monarchies...
to
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
, partly because of their close working relationship with the 'Fab Four' and partly because of their similar sound. However, Badfinger fell victim to some of the worst elements of the music industry, resulting in its two principal singers and
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
s committing
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
in 1975 and 1983.
The Iveys
Badfinger originated in 1961 as a band out of
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, South
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
called The Panthers. The Panthers' lineup contained
Pete HamPeter William Ham was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the group Badfinger.- Early life :...
(
lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
), Ron Griffiths (
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
), Roy Anderson (
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
), and David 'Dai' Jenkins (
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
). After a handful of moniker changes, by 1964 they settled on
The Iveys, named after a street in Swansea called Ivey Place.
In March 1965, Mike Gibbins joined as the
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
and the band graduated by also playing gigs around Swansea area opening for UK prominent groups such as the
Spencer Davis GroupThe Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England. In its heyday the group consisted of Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood, Muff Winwood and Pete York; Jimmy Miller was their producer...
,
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
,
The Moody BluesThe Moody Blues are an English band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Founding members Michael Pinder and Ray Thomas performed an initially rhythm and blues-based sound in Birmingham in 1964 along with Graeme Edge and others, and were later joined by John Lodge and Justin...
and
The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds are an English rock band, notable for starting the careers of three of rock's more famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stones' 100 Top Guitarists list...
. By June 1966, they had been taken on by a manager named Bill Collins, who was renting a home at 7 Park Avenue,
Golders GreenGolders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
, London, where the whole band moved in with another UK act called The Mojos. The group performed a few gigs as a backing band for David Garrick ("Dear Mrs. Applebee") and continued to perform as themselves across the UK throughout the rest of the decade. In 1967, Jenkins was asked to leave the group because of a lack of seriousness. He was replaced by a Liverpudlian guitarist
Tom EvansThomas Evans , was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band, Badfinger.- Early life :Evans was born in Liverpool, England. He started his music career as a member of "The Inbeateens" in 1961. Evans was a regular down at the Cavern to watch The Beatles when they would play...
of Them Calderstones.
As a well-received stage act on the London circuit, The Iveys performed a wide range of cover tunes from Motown,
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
,
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
to Top 40, psychedelic pop, and Beatles. They consistently garnered interest from record labels. Ray Davies of
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
auditioned to produce them by recording three of their songs at a demo studio in London, as Pye Records had encouraged him to do so. However, it was not until
Mal EvansMalcolm 'Mal' Evans is best known as the road manager, assistant, and a friend of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr....
(the longtime "roadie" for The Beatles and an employee of their
Apple RecordsApple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
label) took up their cause that they were finally signed on 23 July 1968, as the first non-Beatle recording artists for the Apple record company. Initially, Mal Evans had pushed several demo tape reels of the group to each of the individual Beatles and he received approval to sign them up from all four:
Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE , is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music...
,
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as...
,
Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the rock group The Beatles. When The Beatles formed in 1960, Starr belonged to another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes....
and
John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
, the latter who was said could hardly believe they were recorded using a mono "sound-on-sound" tape recorder (two individual tracks bouncing each overdub on top of the last). Each of The Iveys members were also signed to
Apple CorpsApple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by British rock band The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
' an Apple Publishing contract.
The Iveys first single was released worldwide, "
Maybe Tomorrow"Maybe Tomorrow" was the name of a song composed and sung by guitarist Tom Evans of The Iveys, which was released as the group's first worldwide single on Apple Records. It also served as the title track for the album Maybe Tomorrow, and it was also included on the Badfinger album Magic Christian...
" (a Tom Evans song), late in 1968. It did reach the Top Ten in a number of European countries (#1 in Holland) and Japan, but had only climbed to #67 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and failed to chart in the U.K. Another Evans composition, "Storm in a Teacup", was included in an Apple EP produced to promote Walls Ice Cream, with songs by other Apple artists such as
James TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer–songwriter and guitarist born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Carrboro, North Carolina...
,
Mary HopkinMary Hopkin is a Welsh folk singer. She is best known as one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label and for her 1968 single "Those Were The Days", a Top 10 hit single in the UK and the U.S....
and
Jackie LomaxJohn Richard 'Jackie' Lomax is a British guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his association with George Harrison and Eric Clapton.-History 1962 - 1970:...
.
Because of the chart success of "Maybe Tomorrow" in Europe and Japan, a follow-up Iveys single was released in those territories in July 1969, "
Dear Angie"Dear Angie" was the name of a song composed and sung by bassist Ron Griffiths of The Iveys for the album Maybe Tomorrow. It was released as the group's second single in some European markets, and it was also included on the Badfinger album Magic Christian Music.-History:Although The Iveys' first...
" (a Griffiths song). An Iveys LP, entitled
Maybe TomorrowMaybe Tomorrow was the only album released by The Iveys . It was issued in 1969 on the Apple label in Japan, West Germany and Italy. Although the album was scheduled to be released worldwide, the release in the U.S. and the U.K. at that time was halted without explanation...
, was issued only in Italy, Germany and Japan at that same time. Any plans to release the LP in the UK and U.S. were halted for reasons never made entirely clear. The most prominent rumor is that
Apple CorpsApple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by British rock band The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
president Allen Klein stopped its release because of his desire to re-organize the label at the time, besides the fact the overall quality was being seriously questioned behind the scenes.
McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE , is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music...
gave The Iveys a needed boost when he offered them the chance to record and release "
Come And Get It"Come and Get It" was the name of a song composed by Paul McCartney for the film The Magic Christian, and made popular by the group Badfinger.-McCartney/Beatles version:...
," a song he had written for the soundtrack of the film
The Magic ChristianThe Magic Christian is a 1969 film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel by U.S...
. McCartney went on to produce the song, as well as the group's original compositions of "Carry On Till Tomorrow" (commissioned as the main title theme) and "Rock Of All Ages." These three tracks would appear both in the movie and soundtrack album. Ron Griffiths became ill midway during these sessions, and Tom Evans had to play bass on "Rock Of All Ages."
Griffiths left the group shortly in October 1969. He was the only married occupant of the communal band home, now raising a new child, and this responsibility created some friction, mainly between Griffiths new wife, Tom Evans and manager Collins. After he first quit and came back, the band soon agreed to force Griffiths out. He was out of the picture by November 1969.
Badfinger: The Apple years
In October 1969, while the release of "Come and Get It" was pending, the band and Apple Records agreed that a name change was now critical. "The Iveys" were still sometimes confused with "
The Ivy LeagueThe Ivy League were a English pop trio, created in 1964, who enjoyed two Top 10 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart in 1965. The group's sound was characterised by rich, three-part vocal harmonies.-Career:...
", and the name was considered too trite for the current music scene. After much debate, the group changed their name to Badfinger. Other suggestions had included: "The Glass Onion," "The Prix", and "The Cagneys" from John Lennon, and "Home" by Paul McCartney. The name Badfinger had been suggested by Apple's
Neil AspinallNeil Aspinall was a British music industry executive. A childhood friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head The Beatles' company Apple Corps....
as a reference to "Bad Finger Boogie", an early working title of Lennon/McCartney's "
With a Little Help from My Friends"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967...
", the idea alleged by Neil Aspinall that Lennon had composed the melody on a piano using only one finger, after having hurt his forefinger. Later quotes from Paul McCartney suggest it was he who composed the song's chords and melody.
For over a month the group unsuccessfully auditioned band members to replace Ron Griffiths, chiefly bass players. With the release date of "Come and Get It" fast approaching, Badfinger finally hired Liverpudlian guitarist
Joey MollandJoseph "Joey" Charles Molland is an English composer and rock guitarist whose recording career spans four decades...
(previously with Gary Walker & The Rain, The Masterminds, and The Fruit-Eating Bears), which required Evans shift to bass guitar.
"Come and Get It" was released in December 1969 in the U.K. and January 1970 in the U.S. It reached Top 10 throughout the world, including #3 in the U.S. Billboard charts. The track was also featured in
The Magic ChristianThe Magic Christian is a 1969 film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel by U.S...
film. For the group's initial LP release, their three songs on the soundtrack LP were remixed and combined with some older Iveys tracks (including seven songs from the rare
Maybe TomorrowMaybe Tomorrow was the only album released by The Iveys . It was issued in 1969 on the Apple label in Japan, West Germany and Italy. Although the album was scheduled to be released worldwide, the release in the U.S. and the U.K. at that time was halted without explanation...
album). This was released as Badfinger's first album
Magic Christian MusicMagic Christian Music is an album by power pop band Badfinger, released in early 1970 on Apple Records. Three tracks from the LP are featured in the film The Magic Christian, which also gives the album its title...
. The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard album charts in the U.S.
New Badfinger recording sessions commenced in March 1970 with Mal Evans producing. Two songs were completed and submitted for the next single, including "No Matter What." The song was rejected by Apple staff as a potential single. Geoff Emerick then took over as their producer and they completed the album by late July 1970. The
No DiceNo Dice is a pop album by Badfinger, issued by Apple Records and released on November 9, 1970. Their second album under the Badfinger name, No Dice significantly expanded the British group's popularity, especially abroad.-History:...
LP was released in the U.S. in late 1970. It peaked at #28 on the Billboard charts. A newly re-mixed "No Matter What," was released as the single and it peaked at #8 on the
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 while achieving across-the-board Top Ten worldwide. Another track from
No DiceNo Dice is a pop album by Badfinger, issued by Apple Records and released on November 9, 1970. Their second album under the Badfinger name, No Dice significantly expanded the British group's popularity, especially abroad.-History:...
, "Without You", as covered by Harry Nilsson became an international hit in early 1972, reaching the Billboard #1 slot. The composition was eventually covered by hundreds of artists and has since become an all-time ballad "standard."
While in America in April 1970 scouting prospects for a tour, manager Bill Collins was introduced to New York businessman
Stan PolleyStanley H. Polley , is a retired entertainment manager from the 1960s and 1970s. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, singer Lou Christie, singer-producer Hank Medress, arranger Charles Calello, composer Sandy Linzer, WABC disc jockey Bob Lewis, among others.Polley served...
. Polley eventually signed the group to a business management contract in November 1970. Although Polley's professional reputation was touted at the time, his dubious financial practices would only later become known to the group and helped lead to their downfall.
Badfinger toured America for three months in late 1970 and were generally received well, although the group complained of constant comparison to The Beatles. For example, in his rave review of
No Dice in 1970, Mike Saunders, a critic for
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
opined that "it's as if John, Paul, George, and Ringo had been reincarnated as Joey, Pete, Tom, and Mike of Badfinger." Media comparisons between Badfinger and The Beatles would continue throughout Badfinger's career.
During this time, various members of Badfinger also recorded on sessions for fellow Apple Records labelmates, most notably playing acoustic guitars on tracks from
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as...
's
All Things Must PassAll Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison recorded and released after the break-up of The Beatles. The first triple album by a solo artist, the original vinyl release featured two records of rock songs, while the third, entitled "Apple Jam" was composed of informal jams led by...
and providing backing vocals on
Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the rock group The Beatles. When The Beatles formed in 1960, Starr belonged to another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes....
's single "
It Don't Come Easy"It Don't Come Easy" is a song released as an Apple Records single by Ringo Starr in April 1971, reaching #4 in both the U.S. and UK singles charts. It was Starr's first solo single in the UK, but his second in the U.S. - following the breakup of The Beatles.- Background :Starr reportedly composed...
." Evans and Molland performed on
John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
's album
ImagineImagine is John Lennon's second solo album and is considered the most popular of his solo works. Recorded and released in 1971, the album tended toward songs that were gentler, more commercial and less avant-garde than the ones he released on his more critically acclaimed previous album, John...
, and all four members of the band appeared as backup musicians throughout George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, with Ham duetting with George Harrison on "
Here Comes the Sun"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.-Origin:The song, one of Harrison's best-known Beatles contributions alongside "Something", originated from a song-writing collaboration between Harrison and close friend Eric Clapton called "Badge" , which...
".
Badfinger finished recording its third album with Geoff Emerick as producer; however the album was rejected by Apple.
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as...
then took over as producer in spring of 1971. Harrison later pulled out of the project because of his
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
commitments and the album was then completed by
Todd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer.-Early career:Rundgren was born in Upper Darby, PA. He began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based group based on the model of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. However, he left the band to...
.
Straight UpStraight Up is the third album by power pop band Badfinger, released on December 13, 1971. It is widely regarded as Badfinger's best album, spawning two Top 20 singles in the U.S. and being commercially successful in its own right...
was released in the U.S. in December 1971 and spawned two successful singles: "
Day After Day"Day After Day" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1971 album, Straight Up.The song was written and sung by Pete Ham and produced by George Harrison, who plays some of the slide guitar parts of the song along with Ham. The record also features Leon Russell on...
" (Billboard #4) and "
Baby Blue"Baby Blue" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1971 album, "Straight Up." The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records....
" (#14). The album reached #31. It included some uncredited special guest appearances from
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison MBE was an English rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian mysticism, and helped broaden the horizons of the other Beatles, as well as...
,
Leon RussellClaude Russell Bridges known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist....
and
Klaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German artist, musician, and record producer known for his long association with The Beatles, for whom he designed the cover of their album Revolver...
.
By 1972, the group was under contract to release only one more album with Apple Records. Despite Badfinger's success,
AppleApple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by British rock band The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
was facing troubled times overall and its operations were dwindling down. Label president
Allen KleinAllen Klein was an American businessman, talent agent and record label executive. His clients included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.- The accountant :...
informed Badfinger's management that the label would not be as generous regarding a new contract. Although, by this time, business manager Stan Polley was openly regarded by other clients of his, such as
Lou ChristieLugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco , known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s, including his 1965 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes."-Biography:...
and music arranger
Charlie CalelloCharlie Calello is an American, singer, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer born in Newark, New JerseyCalello attended Newark Arts High School. and Manhattan School of Music, in New York City....
, with strong suspicion for mis-management of finances (one series of allegations published in the New York Times even represented him as a one-time "bagman" for the
MafiaThe Mafia is a Sicilian criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, and the first such society to be referred to as a mafia . It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct...
), the Badfinger members and Collins continued to follow Polley's lead. There was never a clear indication by Collins nor any of the band members that they knew much of the scandals surrounding Polley at that time.
Badfinger's fourth and last album for Apple,
AssAss is the fourth and last album released on Apple Records by power pop band Badfinger. The lead track, "Apple of My Eye", refers to the band leaving the label to begin its new contract with Warner Brothers Records...
, had begun as far back as early 1972 and would continue at five recording studios over the next year. Rundgren, who was originally hired to produce, quit in a financial dispute during the first week; the band then produced itself, but Apple rejected that version of the album. Finally, Badfinger hired
Chris ThomasChris Thomas , is a British record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.-Early career:Thomas was born in Perivale,...
to co-produce and complete the album. During the recording of
Ass, Polley negotiated a deal with
Warner Brothers RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
that required an album from the group every six months over a three year period. The group signed the deal, despite a highly suspicious Evans, and the
Ass front cover featured his idea, a jackass observing a huge carrot being dangled (a metaphor of the band being enticed by the big money Warner Brothers contract.) The
Ass release was held up further by Apple because of legal wrangling, as Polley had used the leverage of Molland's unsigned song publishing as a negotiating ploy. Apple listed the writers on the LP as "Badfinger" to try and cover up discrepancies and get the LP to the market. But both
Ass and its accompanying single, "
Apple of My Eye"Apple of My Eye" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1973 album, Ass. The song was written and sung by Pete Ham, produced by Chris Thomas and Badfinger, and released on Apple Records....
", failed to reach the Billboard Top 100.
Badfinger: the Warner Brothers years
Six weeks after the
Ass sessions were completed, Badfinger entered the studio to begin recording material for their first Warner Brothers release titled
BadfingerBadfinger is the fifth album by the rock band Badfinger. The album was recorded in the autumn of 1973 and released in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records...
(the intended title,
For Love Or Money, was excluded from the album pressings).
Ass and
Badfinger were released almost simultaneously and the accompanying singles from
BadfingerBadfinger is the fifth album by the rock band Badfinger. The album was recorded in the autumn of 1973 and released in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records...
, "Love Is Easy" (UK) and "I Miss You" (U.S.), were unsuccessful. Badfinger did manage to retain some U.S. fan support as a result of several American tours. One concert at the Cleveland Agora on March 4, 1974 was recorded on 16-track tape for a possible live album release, although the performance was deemed unsatisfactory at the time.
Following the American tours, Badfinger recorded
Wish You Were HereWish You Were Here is the sixth album by rock band Badfinger and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records...
at the
Caribou RanchCaribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou...
recording studio in Colorado and AIR Studios in London. The album was extremely well-received by
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
and other periodicals upon its release in October 1974.
However, internal friction centering on band management, money and group leadership had been growing within Badfinger. Joey Molland's wife, Kathie, had been taking a more assertive role in the band's politics, which did not endear her to the rest of the group, particularly Ham. Just before the band began rehearsals for an October 1974 United Kingdom tour, Ham suddenly quit the band during a management meeting, stating that he didn't want to belong to a band managed by Kathie Molland. He was replaced by guitarist/keyboardist Bob Jackson. During Ham's three-week hiatus from the group, Polley began shopping Ham as a solo act. However, just before the tour began, Ham rejoined the group after he was pressured by Warner Brothers' position that it would have little to no interest in promoting Badfinger if Ham was gone. Jackson remained as full-time keyboardist, making the band a quintet. After the United Kingdom tour, the friction within the group continued. After some unsuccessful power plays by Molland to keep Ham out of the band, Molland quit of his own accord to pursue a solo career.
Over the previous year, Warner Brothers' publishing arm had become increasingly troubled by a lack of communication from Stan Polley regarding the status of an escrow account of advance funds. Per their contract, Polley was to put in safe-keeping $100,000 in a mutually accessible account that both Warner Publishing and the group could potentially access. But Polley had not revealed the account's whereabouts to Warners Publishing, and he reportedly ignored warnings about this. Unbeknownst to the band, threats of litigation had been going on behind the scenes.
With Molland gone and an increasingly unstable situation overall, Polley's next ploy was to press the band to go back into Apple Recording Studios to record its third album under the Warner contract, instead of a U.S. support tour. Within two weeks, tracks were cut for an album entitled
Head FirstHead First was the seventh album recorded by rock band Badfinger, and the last album to feature the original "Iveys" core of Pete Ham, Tom Evans and Mike Gibbins. It was recorded in December of 1974 at The Beatles' Apple Studios in London and remained unreleased for 25 years. Originally intended...
, and rough mixes were distributed to the musicians and Warner Brothers Records in America. Before the album was formally accepted by Warners Records, Warners Publishing had already filed a lawsuit against Stan Polley and Badfinger on December 10, 1974 in L.A. Superior Court. Polley had hoped submitting the
Head First tapes would secure at least one more album advance before the litigation, but Warner Brothers refused to accept the tapes and never paid for the sessions. The legal action led to Warners Records stopping the promotion of
Wish You Were HereWish You Were Here is the sixth album by rock band Badfinger and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records...
and they stopped distribution of
Wish You Were Here worldwide, thus completely halting Badfinger's career.
A suicide, a reunion, and another suicide
Badfinger spent the early months of 1975 trying to figure out how to proceed with the unclear legal situation at hand, including the one withdrawn album and the one rejected album. Years earlier, Polley had established Badfinger Enterprises, Inc., which signed the members to various contracts that dictated that receipts of touring, recording, publishing and even songwriter performance royalties would go into holding companies controlled by Polley. This led to a salary arrangement for the group, which various members had at times complained was inadequate compared to their gross earnings. But by April 1975, salaries were no longer arriving and panic set in, especially for Pete Ham, who had recently acquired a house and whose girlfriend was expecting a child that May.
According to their newest member, Bob Jackson, booking agents and prospective managers routinely turned the band away because of their restrictive contracts with Polley and impending legal actions. Ham tried many times to contact Polley by telephone during the early months of 1975, and was never able to reach him.
On 24 April 1975, Ham hanged himself in his garage studio in Surrey. His
suicide noteA suicide note or death note is a message left by someone who later attempts or commits suicide. It is estimated that 12–20% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depend on ethnicity, method of suicide, and cultural differences, and may reach rates as high as 50% in...
, addressed to his girlfriend and her son, seemed to blame
PolleyStanley H. Polley , is a retired entertainment manager from the 1960s and 1970s. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, singer Lou Christie, singer-producer Hank Medress, arranger Charles Calello, composer Sandy Linzer, WABC disc jockey Bob Lewis, among others.Polley served...
for much of his internal despair and he cited his lost ability to cope with his disappointments in life. The note read:
"Anne, I love you. Blair, I love you. I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better. Pete. P.S. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me." Ham had shown a growing mental illness over the past months as he burned cigarettes out on his hands and arms. Ham's daughter Petera was born a month after his death.
After Ham's death, Badfinger dissolved. Late in 1975, Evans and Jackson helped establish a group called The Dodgers. The group released three UK 45's on Island Records in 1976. "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" was the only U.S. release, but it failed to chart. Subsequently, the management of the band fired Evans for insubordination and ordered all his performances deleted from the group's album recordings that later was released as
Love On The Rebound. Molland had started a band in 1975 with Mark Clarke (
ColosseumColosseum is a British progressive jazz-rock band formed in 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves, who had previously worked together in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Dave Greenslade, on , was immediately recruited, and the line-up was...
) and Jerry Shirley (
Humble PieHumble Pie was a rock, hard rock, and rhythm and blues band from England and were one of the first supergroups from the 1970s, finding success in America and UK. They are best remembered for their dynamic live concert performances and songs such as "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor",...
) called Natural Gas. The group performed a few gigs as an opening act for
Peter FramptonPeter Kenneth Frampton is a British/American musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd, among others. In 1982 Frampton tried unsuccessfully to split his ties with A&M Records; however, he re-signed with the label in...
in 1976. They released a self-titled album and three singles, but none managed to chart. Gibbins performed session drumming for various Welsh acts, including
Bonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer. She is recognisable by her distinctive, husky voice.- Early life :...
on her international hit "It's A Heartache," which reached #3 on the U.S. charts.
By 1977, both Molland and Evans were out of the music business; Molland occasionally laid carpet while Evans briefly worked insulating pipes. Molland describes his dire economic circumstances as follows: "Thank God I had guitars and I was able to sell some of that stuff. We were flat broke, and that's happened to me three times, where my wife and I have had to sell off everything and go and stay with her parents or do whatever. I installed carpeting for a while in Los Angeles and stuff like that. You do what you've got to do to survive."
Later in 1977, U.S.-based drummer Kenny Harck and guitarist Joe Tansin recruited Molland to start a new band. When they needed a bass player, Molland suggested Evans, who joined after a visit to California in 1978. Suggestions from record companies led to the decision to rename the new band as Badfinger. Their “comeback” album
AirwavesAirwaves is an album released by Badfinger in 1979 on the Elektra label, the seventh album released that was credited to Badfinger. Anticipated as a comeback album for the group at the time, expectations were not quite realized, as the "group" now consisted of just the duo of Tom Evans and Joey...
was released in 1979. Harck was fired from the band during the sessions and Tansin left the band immediately after the album was completed.
To tour promoting the album, Molland and Evans recruited
Tony KayeTony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original pianist and organist for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
(
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
) on keyboards and Peter Clarke (
Stealers WheelStealers Wheel is a Scottish folk rock/rock band formed in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1972 by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. The band broke up in 1975 and was re-formed in 2008.-Biography:...
) on drums. The single "Love is Gonna Come At Last" from
Airwaves reached #69 on the Billboard charts. The new Badfinger then recorded and released a second album,
Say No MoreSay No More is the last studio album recorded by Badfinger that contained new material. Issued in January 1981 on Radio Records, the LP was the second and last attempt by Tom Evans and Joey Molland to recapture Badfinger's earlier market success, which was lost after the death of band founder Pete...
in 1981, with Glenn Sherba added on second guitar and Richard Bryans (Aviary) replacing Clarke on drums. This LP was distributed by
AtlanticAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
on the Radio Records label. The initial single, "Hold On," reached #56 on the Billboard charts. Ultimately, Evans and Molland split acrimoniously in 1981.
During 1982 and 1983, Molland and Evans then operated what turned out to be rival touring bands, both using the name Badfinger, which caused serious conflict in their relationship. In the summer of 1982, Evans teamed with pre-1975 Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Mike Gibbins and guitarist
Adam Allen. In the fall of 1982, Evans, Jackson and Gibbins were joined by guitarists Reed Kailing (
The Grass RootsThe Grass Roots are a U.S. rock and roll band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri....
) and
Donnie DacusDonnie Dacus is a musician best known for his work in in the band Chicago and his role as Woof Daschund in the 1979 movie Hair.-Early Life:Don Dacus was born in Galena Park, Texas on October 12th, 1951....
(
ChicagoChicago is an American pop rock/jazz fusion band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The band began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had a steady stream of hits...
). In 1983 it was Evans & Jackson joined by post-1975 Badfinger members Tony Kaye, guitarist Glenn Sherba and drummer Lenny Campanaro. Earlier that year for his Badfinger band gigs, Molland had teamed with post-1975 member Joe Tansin.
In 1982, Evans and Jackson signed a management contract with a Milwaukee businessman John Cass, which led to a disastrous tour. Both were later sued (Evans for U.S. $5 million) when they denied any responsibilities of the contract, because of their stance that management obligations had not been performed. Early in 1983, Evans and Jackson, with assistance from new member Al Wodtke(Kyx,Crow), completed four demos in Minneapolis, Minnesota under the name of "Badfinger" with David Bowie/Stevie Wonder manager Don Powell. These demos included Jackson's "I Won't Forget You," a tribute to deceased band member Pete Ham. These were briefly shopped but failed to generate strong interest.
On November 19, 1983, Evans and Molland had an extensive heated argument on the telephone regarding past Badfinger income still in escrow from the Apple era, and the "Without You" songwriting royalties Evans was now receiving, which Molland, former manager Bill Collins and Gibbins all wanted a share in. Following this argument, Evans hanged himself in the garden at his home.
In 1984, Molland, Gibbins and Jackson reunited as Badfinger, along with Al Wodtke and Randy Anderson(Jesse Brady) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and played thirty-one dates as part of a 20th Anniversary of British Invasion acts, which included Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Troggs, Billy J. Kramer and Hermans Hermits.
In 1986, Molland and Gibbins resumed touring as Badfinger playing sporadic dates, until Gibbins left for good in August 1989(see Badfinger lineups below).
Subsequent Iveys and Badfinger releases and activities
The first CD collection of Badfinger, entitled Shine On and covering the two Warner Brothers albums, was released in the UK in 1989. In 1990, Rhino Records released another Warner Brothers-era compilation, entitled
The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2, which also included material from both
Airwaves and the previously unreleased Head First.
A greatest hits collection covering Badfinger's four albums on Apple, entitled
Come And Get It: The Best Of Badfinger, was released in 1995 by EMI/Apple/Capitol. This release notably was the first since 1973's
Ass to have assigned to it a standard Apple catalogue number, SAPCOR 28. A more comprehensive collection, which included tracks from Apple and Warner Brothers, called
The Very Best Of Badfinger, was released in 2000.
In 1990 a CD was released by
RykodiscRykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
called
Day After Day: LiveDay After Day: Live is a CD release by Rykodisc in 1990 of live recordings made by the group Badfinger in 1974.During a concert tour in the Midwestern United States in 1974, Badfinger learned that the Agora venue in Cleveland, Ohio, contained a 16-track studio capable of live recordings...
. It was billed as a Badfinger live recording performed from 1974 and received mixed critical reactions. The CD had very substantial re-recording and a rearranged track order by the album's producer Joey Molland. The CD eventually sparked a lawsuit filed by Molland, after the band's accounting firm collecting for the 1985 court-order settlement had re-adjusted against Molland's Apple royalty income by deducting away the percentage amounts of that court order, and then reimbursing those amounts to the other Badfinger parties. As it was, Molland had failed to execute in the Rykodisc contract for them to receive any artist royalties contractually, as per the court order, which he maneuvered by advising Rykodisc he would take care of that distribution himself under another company name. Molland subsequently sued the other members and their estates to re-acquire back his expenses and a producer's royalty. He was awarded some money, as the judge stated the facts against Molland were not explored well enough by the opposition lawyers in court to justify a level of severe penalty. He also cited that because both parties claimed the tapes were of a poor quality, Molland had salvaged them to a commercial level, and that justified some reimbursement.
In 1988,
Straight UpStraight Up is the third album by power pop band Badfinger, released on December 13, 1971. It is widely regarded as Badfinger's best album, spawning two Top 20 singles in the U.S. and being commercially successful in its own right...
had ranked as the most-requested CD release among out-of-print albums in a readers poll for
GoldmineGoldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
magazine; it finally made it to CD in 1993. A re-mastered CD version of the album regularly sells for over $100 as does an original sealed vinyl copy.
In 1995, Molland was paid to re-record ten Badfinger songs, including their hits. The recordings have subsequently been distributed with varying packaging, often displaying the original 1970s version of the group with little or no disclaiming information, although Molland is the only member of Badfinger from that time who appears on the recordings. This has led to licensing of hundreds of various CDs which have severely polluted the market and led to countless protests. SoundScan sales have reflected tens of thousands of sales to an unknowing public and countless protests are posted on iTunes and the internet.
[http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/advancedSearchResultsartistTerm=Badfinger&songTerm=No+Matter+What&partnerId=30&partnerId=30&siteID=DkrYZ0xe5n0-zDZ0rbicn2yGNwrDtZOGww - Retrieved: 13 August 2008]
In 1997, a detailed biography on Badfinger written by
Dan MatovinaDan Matovina is known for his work as a recording engineer, record producer, author of a book on Badfinger and a music agent.Matovina was born in Cleveland, Ohio...
came out entitled
Without You: The Tragic Story Of Badfinger. It is highly acclaimed for its thoroughness by reviewers and its accuracy by its contributors. A revised edition of the book came out in 2000 with a CD of rare material and interviews.
In 2000, the "rough mix" version of
Head FirstHead First was the seventh album recorded by rock band Badfinger, and the last album to feature the original "Iveys" core of Pete Ham, Tom Evans and Mike Gibbins. It was recorded in December of 1974 at The Beatles' Apple Studios in London and remained unreleased for 25 years. Originally intended...
(that had been prepared by Apple engineer Phil McDonald in December 1974) was released on CD, after Warner Brothers refused to make the original master tapes available for remixing, despite their never paying for the original sessions.
In 2002, Mike Gibbins released a two-disk set of an October 19, 1982 Badfinger performance in Indiana made on a consumer cassette recorder, initially inaccurately entitled
Live 83 — DBA-BFR. The band at that time consisted of Evans, Gibbins, Jackson, Reed Kailing and Donnie Dacus.
In 2003 and 2006, two separate CDs of related Apple Publishing music, entitled
94 Baker Street and
An Apple A Day, were released. These CDs contain nine songs by pre-Badfinger band, The Iveys.
In 2008, another CD of Apple Publishing related songs, Treacle Toffee, was released which included two more Iveys demos.
Post-Badfinger solo activities
Since 1990, Joey Molland has occasionally performed in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as "Badfinger" or "Badfinger featuring Joey Molland". He has released three solo albums,
After The Pearl (1985),
The Pilgrim (1992) and
This Way Up (2001). He also released a CD collection of demos called
Basil (1998) on his own label Independent Artists.
In 1995, Bob Jackson joined
The FortunesThe Fortunes are an archetypal English beat group. Formed in Birmingham, The Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the American and British Top Tens...
, an English group most successful in the 1960s. Jackson sings lead as they perform three Badfinger songs consistently in the set.
In both 1997 and 1999, posthumous collections of Pete Ham home recordings were released
7 Park Avenue7 Park Avenue is the first of two posthumous CD releases of demo material recorded by Badfinger's Pete Ham. The recordings are taken from various eras, beginning with compositions he wrote during his years with The Iveys from 1967 to 1969, and running throughout his tenure with Badfinger, ending...
and
Golders GreenGolders Green is the second posthumous CD release of demo material recorded by Badfinger frontman Pete Ham. The recordings are taken from various eras, beginning with compositions he wrote during his years with The Iveys in 1968 and 1969, and running throughout his tenure with Badfinger, ending...
. In 1995, a posthumous Tom Evans CD was released,
Over You: The Final Tracks, which was produced by friend and post-Badfinger songwriting partner, Rod Roach.
In 1996, Mike Gibbins contributed two songs to the compilation CD
Young Savage FloridaYoung Savage Florida is a compilation CD of various alternative musicians created in 1996. As the title implies, each band or musician was somehow connected to the U.S...
. On October 4, 2005, Gibbins passed away in his sleep at his home in Florida from natural causes.
In May 2006, A Badfinger convention took place in
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
featuring a performance by Bob Jackson. it brought together Jackson, Griffiths, and surviving members of the Ham, Evans and Gibbins families. On 1 January 2008, the
BBC WalesBBC Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside London,...
radio station broadcast an hour-long documentary about Badfinger.
Personnel
Membership of The Iveys/Badfinger underwent numerous personnel changes and, at the end, none of the original members of The Iveys were still in Badfinger. Members of Badfinger before 1975 are in
bold.
The Iveys
1965 - 1967 |
- Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Ron Griffiths - vocals, bass
- David "Dai" Jenkins - vocals, guitar
- Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion
|
The Iveys
1967 - 1969
|
Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans - vocals, guitar, bass
Ron Griffiths - vocals, bass
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion |
Badfinger
1969 |
Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards |
Badfinger
1969 - 1974 |
Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards |
Badfinger
Oct./Nov. 1974 |
Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Bob Jackson - vocals, keyboards
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards |
Badfinger
Nov. 1974 -
April 1975 |
Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Bob Jackson - vocals, keyboards, guitar
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards |
May 1975 -
1978 |
Disbanded |
Badfinger
1978 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Tansin - vocals, guitar
Kenny Harck - drums |
Badfinger
1978 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards
Joe Tansin - vocals, guitar |
Badfinger
1979 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Bob Schell - guitar
Peter Clarke - drums |
Badfinger
1979 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Peter Clarke - drums |
Badfinger
1979 - 1980 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Ian Wallace - drums |
Badfinger
1980 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Rod Roach - guitar
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Richard Bryans - drums |
Badfinger
1980 - 1981 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, piano
Glen Sherba - guitar
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Richard Bryans - drums |
Joey's Badfinger
1981 |
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Tansin - vocals, guitar
Larry Lee - vocals, bass
Bobby Wickland - drums |
Joey's Badfinger
1982 |
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Ted Turner - vocals, guitar
Craig Howlett - bass
Bobby Wickland - drums |
Tom & Mike's Badfinger
1982 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums
Bob Evans - vocals, keyboards, guitar
Jimmy McCullogh - guitar
Steve Johns - keyboards |
Tom & Mike's Badfinger
1982 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Bob Jackson - vocals, keyboards, guitar
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards
Adam Allen - guitar, backing vocals |
Tom & Mike's Badfinger
1982 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass, guitar
Bob Jackson - vocals, keyboards, guitar
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards
Reed Kailing - vocals, guitar
Donnie Dacus - vocals, guitar |
Joey's Badfinger
1983 |
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Dave Simpson - vocals, guitar
Skip Coverdale - bass
Andrew Russell - keyboards
Steve Craiter - drums
Bob Evans - vocals, guitar, keyboards |
Tom's Badfinger
1983 |
Tom Evans - vocals, bass
Bob Jackson - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Glen Sherba - guitar
Tony Kaye - keyboards
Lenny Campanero - drums |
Badfinger
1984 |
Joey Molland - vocals, guitar
Bob Jackson - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Mike Gibbins - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards
Al Wodtke - vocals, bass
Randy Anderson - vocals, guitar |
Original albums
| Year of Release |
Title and Billboard position |
Singles |
Billboard position |
Cashbox position |
Melody Maker position |
Boss Radio position |
| 1969 |
Maybe Tomorrow Maybe Tomorrow was the only album released by The Iveys . It was issued in 1969 on the Apple label in Japan, West Germany and Italy. Although the album was scheduled to be released worldwide, the release in the U.S. and the U.K. at that time was halted without explanation...
("The Iveys") "Maybe Tomorrow" Lp unreleased in US until Apple Records CD release in 1992 (Apple/Capitol CDP 7 98692 2). |
"Maybe Tomorrow "Maybe Tomorrow" was the name of a song composed and sung by guitarist Tom Evans of The Iveys, which was released as the group's first worldwide single on Apple Records. It also served as the title track for the album Maybe Tomorrow, and it was also included on the Badfinger album Magic Christian...
" |
67 |
|
|
|
| 1970 |
Magic Christian Music Magic Christian Music is an album by power pop band Badfinger, released in early 1970 on Apple Records. Three tracks from the LP are featured in the film The Magic Christian, which also gives the album its title...
#55 |
"Come and Get It" |
7 |
6 |
4 |
15 |
| No Dice No Dice is a pop album by Badfinger, issued by Apple Records and released on November 9, 1970. Their second album under the Badfinger name, No Dice significantly expanded the British group's popularity, especially abroad.-History:...
#28 |
"No Matter What" |
8 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
| 1971 |
Straight Up Straight Up is the third album by power pop band Badfinger, released on December 13, 1971. It is widely regarded as Badfinger's best album, spawning two Top 20 singles in the U.S. and being commercially successful in its own right...
#31 |
"Day After Day "Day After Day" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1971 album, Straight Up.The song was written and sung by Pete Ham and produced by George Harrison, who plays some of the slide guitar parts of the song along with Ham. The record also features Leon Russell on...
" |
4 |
3 |
10 |
3 |
| "Baby Blue "Baby Blue" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1971 album, "Straight Up." The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records....
" |
14 |
10 |
|
16 |
| 1973 |
Ass Ass is the fourth and last album released on Apple Records by power pop band Badfinger. The lead track, "Apple of My Eye", refers to the band leaving the label to begin its new contract with Warner Brothers Records...
#122 |
"Apple of My Eye "Apple of My Eye" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1973 album, Ass. The song was written and sung by Pete Ham, produced by Chris Thomas and Badfinger, and released on Apple Records....
" |
102 |
|
|
|
| 1974 |
Badfinger Badfinger is the fifth album by the rock band Badfinger. The album was recorded in the autumn of 1973 and released in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records...
#161 |
"Love Is Easy"
"I Miss You" |
|
|
|
|
| Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here is the sixth album by rock band Badfinger and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records...
#148 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1979 |
Airwaves Airwaves is an album released by Badfinger in 1979 on the Elektra label, the seventh album released that was credited to Badfinger. Anticipated as a comeback album for the group at the time, expectations were not quite realized, as the "group" now consisted of just the duo of Tom Evans and Joey...
#125 |
"Lost Inside Your Love" |
|
|
|
|
| "Love Is Gonna Come At Last" |
69 |
|
|
|
| 1981 |
Say No More Say No More is the last studio album recorded by Badfinger that contained new material. Issued in January 1981 on Radio Records, the LP was the second and last attempt by Tom Evans and Joey Molland to recapture Badfinger's earlier market success, which was lost after the death of band founder Pete...
#155 |
"Hold On" |
56 |
|
|
|
| 1990 |
Day After Day: Live Day After Day: Live is a CD release by Rykodisc in 1990 of live recordings made by the group Badfinger in 1974.During a concert tour in the Midwestern United States in 1974, Badfinger learned that the Agora venue in Cleveland, Ohio, contained a 16-track studio capable of live recordings...
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1997 |
BBC In Concert 1972-1973 BBC in Concert 1972–1973 is a CD of live recordings by the group Badfinger released in 1997 by Strange Fruit Records and then re-released in 2000 by Fuel 2000 Records. The recordings were made for the BBC in 1972 and 1973, in two separate concerts at the Paris Theatre in London...
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2000 |
Head First Head First was the seventh album recorded by rock band Badfinger, and the last album to feature the original "Iveys" core of Pete Ham, Tom Evans and Mike Gibbins. It was recorded in December of 1974 at The Beatles' Apple Studios in London and remained unreleased for 25 years. Originally intended...
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2002 |
Live 83 — DBA-BFR |
|
|
|
|
|
Compilations
| Year of Release |
Title |
| 1989 |
Shine On (UK only) |
| 1990 |
The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2 |
| 1995 |
The Best Of Badfinger |
| 2000 |
The Very Best Of Badfinger |
External links