Badfinger (Official Thread)

Stout

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badfinger.jpg

1115-1974-badfinger.jpg


Badfinger Official Website
Badfinger on Wikipedia

Discography

1969 Maybe Tomorrow
1970 Magic Christian Music
1970 No Dice
1971 Straight Up
1973 Ass
1974 Badfinger
1974 Wish You Were Here
1979 Airwaves
1981 Say No More
1990 Day After Day: Live
1997 BBC in Concert 1972-1973
2000 Head First
2002 Live 83 — DBA-BFR


A highly , and criminally underrated band who never got their justly due. It is regrettable they are known for the tragedy that happened
Badfinger made some of the finer albums of the early1970`s and some of the more enduring songs of that era. Written off by critics as counterfeit Beatles, there was a hell of a lot more depth to the band than that. Pete Ham was one of the finer songwriters of all time, having written classics such as Day After day, baby Blue, No matter What(one of the great rock classics), The Name of the Game. These are just examples of ham`s stellar songwriting. The man had a terrific vocal side and was quite adept on piano, and especially guitar. I have seen footage and I cannot believe how vastly underrated Ham was.
Mike Gibbons was a fine , steady drummer, while Tommy Evans and Joey Molland were no slouches as songwriters themselves. It was Evans that co-wrote `Without You' with Pete Ham , and this became a monster hit when harry Nilsson covered it, and later, Mariah Carey.
Due to horrendous managerial and financial woes, Pete Ham hung himself, as did Tommy Evans in later years.
Their story is way too long for me to recount here, but a book worth seeking out about the band is `Without You; the tragic story of Badfinger.
One of their albums that is a highly underrated gem, is `Wish You were Here'(1974), one of the great lost classics of the `70`s. this was pulled from the shelves, by their record company due to their management`s misdeeds.
 
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Stout

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Re: Badfinger.

And to add further to this thread, by all tales told, Pete ham was one of the nicer guys in the music business, generous to a fault,hardworking, and humble, which makes his suicide all the more sadder when you read about it.
 

0000

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Re: Badfinger.

Good to see a thread for this band, I have No Dice and like it a lot:grinthumb
 

ThinLizzyFan

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Re: Badfinger.

agreed... I saw them twice in 1981 and they were great.. saw them open for Cheap Trick also..

I liked their sound.. very sweet
 

0000

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Re: Badfinger.

agreed... I saw them twice in 1981 and they were great.. saw them open for Cheap Trick also..

I liked their sound.. very sweet

yeah,, completely unique to them... I've heard a lot of people call them just another Beatles rip off, and I can hear why, but they really aren't... even on songs you can tell were directly influenced by them, it's their own...

did Harrison or McCartney produce a Badfinger album or something, or am I mixing up something else I read?:heheh:
 

ThinLizzyFan

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Re: Badfinger.

yeah,, completely unique to them... I've heard a lot of people call them just another Beatles rip off, and I can hear why, but they really aren't... even on songs you can tell were directly influenced by them, it's their own...

did Harrison or McCartney produce a Badfinger album or something, or am I mixing up something else I read?:heheh:

Im not sure.. I think they covered a Beatles song or two.. they became big on the older Beatles sound as the Beatles were ending..it was more timing that Beatles fans liked their sound
 

Stout

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Re: Badfinger.

yeah,, completely unique to them... I've heard a lot of people call them just another Beatles rip off, and I can hear why, but they really aren't... even on songs you can tell were directly influenced by them, it's their own...

did Harrison or McCartney produce a Badfinger album or something, or am I mixing up something else I read?:heheh:
McCartney had written a song that he decided to give them, `Come and get it', their first major hit, but it came to a point where they rather not have performed it. It was seen as an albatross around their necks, because of the Beatles connection.
George Harrison produced some songs on the `Straight Up' album, but he had to bow out due to other commitments Todd Rundgren took over producing.
Badfinger did appear alongside Harrison at the concert for Bangladesh.
 

Stout

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Re: Badfinger.

I haven`t quite mastered the art of embedding videos, but here are two examples of Badfinger at their finest.
No Matter What - Badfinger - Live! - Pete Ham


Suitcase - Badfinger - Live -
 

Odysseus

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Re: Badfinger.

Straight Up is an excellent album and they have many other gems in their catalog.

Attached is an interesting article about Badfinger from our local city magazine, December 09. It begins with the usual early band history but goes into depth chronicling Badfinger's horrible misadventures in Milwaukee and the midwest in the early 80's.

Prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll - Features - Milwaukee Magazine

I remember them being advertised once or twice around that time but I do regret not going. In the early 80's, classic bands would roll into town, show up at the local dive, festival or Deliverance tap in the woods. We'd go, all excited to see Foghat, Guess Who, Buckinghams or whoever only to be disappointed that there was just one original band member. Occasionally, we'd be rewarded with a smokin set from the original Rare Earth or Iron Butterfly, but most were embarrassments, marginally competent cover bands. So yeah, in retrospect, I should have caught Badfinger when they were in my backyard.:wa::bonk:
 

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