With the benefit of a half century’s hindsight, it can be argued that despite massive creativity and talent, Badfinger was star-crossed nearly from its start.
Though the British-Welsh band were protégés of the Beatles, that connection only got them so far. The vicissitudes of the record industry and other factors combined to blunt the potential of the band. But along the way – and despite the odds – they would leave a body of work filled with gems. Unlike Big Star – a group to whom they’re sometimes compared – Badfinger was prolific, releasing six albums during the band’s original run, and scoring four Top 40 singles in the U.S., Canada and the UK.
The best history of Badfinger’s complicated and ultimately tragic story is Dan Matovina’s Without You. Originally published in 1999 and now long out of print, it sells on the used market for upward of $150 (there have been rumors of an imminent updated version, but nothing official has been announced). Suffice to say that the band’s saga was filled with occasional highs, frequent lows, managerial malfeasance and two suicides.
Badfinger’s music – especially its lyrics, written variously by all its members – reflects much of that turmoil, and at least from an artistic perspective, it’s more the better for it. But in the group’s earliest days, when the foursome was still known as the Iveys, much of the emotional upheaval that characterized their work was still ahead of them.
The Iveys landed a contract with the Beatles’ nascent Apple Records, and released a now very hard to find LP called Maybe Tomorrow. At that point, the group featured guitarist Pete Ham, guitarist Tom Evans, drummer Mike Gibbins and bassist Ron Griffiths. For reasons never fully understood – but likely involving Apple’s then-president Allen Klein – the group’s debut (and only) album, Maybe Tomorrow would be released only in Italy, Japan and West Germany. Unsurprisingly, it flopped. The album was a patchwork affair, compiled from sessions headed by two different producers, Beatles roadie Mal Evans and Tony Visconti (the latter to gain fame as one of the best producers in the business).
Maybe Tomorrow got its limited release in July 1969. But things changed quickly: by January 1970 the group had a hit single, a new name and a new bassist. Griffiths had left the band, the Paul McCartney-produced-and-written single “Come and Get It” became a hit for the newly-christened Badfinger. And to capitalize on the success of the single, Apple put together Magic Christian Music.
Named after the movie that featured the “Come and Get It” single, Magic Christian Music had little if anything to do with the movie. Seven of its tracks are remixed versions of songs from The Iveys’ Maybe Tomorrow. With the addition of the previously-released “Come and Get It” and its b-side, (the group-composed and McCartney-produced “Rock of All Ages”) the new album would only feature only a handful of new tracks. But to the wider listening public, Magic Christian Music was for all intents and purposes a new record.
The American release of Magic Christian Music had 12 tracks, while the UK release featured 14. And the running orders differed. But both shared the patchwork character of Maybe Tomorrow. On the upside, the album showcased group’s stylistic breadth. But for a new and largely unknown act, it presented a somewhat confusing collection of songs: some listeners may have wondered, “What kind of band is this Badfinger after all?”
They may have wondered as well who was in the band. By the time of the album’s release, Joey Molland had joined as lead guitarist. But he’s not on the LP. The reason for Molland’s absence is easy to explain: he wasn’t in the group when the songs were recorded (not even “Come and Get It” and “Rock of All Ages”) and apparently he didn’t join in time to be included in a photo session. So though he’s listed on the sleeve, that’s the only connection he has to Magic Christian Music. He’d assume a larger role on Badfinger’s second album, No Dice, released in November 1970, and would remain a key composer throughout the group’s most prominent period.
by Bill Kopp, January 28, 2020
1. Come And Get It (Paul McCartney) - 2:23
2. Crimson Ship (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) - 3:43
3. Dear Angie (Ron Griffiths) - 2:41
4. Fisherman (Tom Evans) - 2:26
5. Midnight Sun (Pete Ham) - 2:47
6. Beautiful and Blue (Tom Evans) - 2:41
7. Rock of All Ages (Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins) - 3:18
8. Carry On Till Tomorrow (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) - 4:49
9. I'm In Love (Pete Ham) - 2:28
10.Walk Out In The Rain (Pete Ham) - 3:28
11.Angelique (Tom Evans) - 2:28
12.Knocking Down Our Home (Pete Ham) - 3:41
13.Give It a Try (Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins, Ron Griffiths) - 2:32
14.Maybe Tomorrow (Tom Evans) - 3:01
15.And Her Daddy's A Millionaire (previously unreleased alternate version) (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) - 2:26
16.Mrs. Jones (remix) (Pete Ham) - 2:20
17.Sali Bloo (previously unreleased mono mix) (Pete Ham) - 2:46
18.See-Saw Granpa (previously unissued mono mix) (Pete Ham) - 3:34
19.I've Been Waiting (previously unreleased unedited remix) (Pete Ham) - 5:58
*Pete Ham - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Tom Evans - Guitar, Vocals, Bass
*Ron Griffiths - Bass, Vocals
*Mike Gibbins - Drums, Vocals
With
*Paul McCartney – Piano, Percussion
*Nicky Hopkins – Piano
*Bill Collins – Piano
