Badfinger - The Very Best of Badfinger
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Free Music Notes for The Very Best of Badfinger
Free Music Review: Badfinger
Hit: 5 Stars
I went to a Badfinger concert in the 1970s and loved it. This CD brought back a lot of memories of that concert.Free Music Review: Excellent!
Hit: 5 Stars
It was great! Arrived when promised, my husband listens to it constantly!
Thanks!
Free Music Review: A review for a different 'best-of' collection.
Hit: 4 Stars
[...]
Badfinger is most definitely a band who's music is preceeded by it's legend, because, yes, they've had one of the saddest stories of any band you could think of. I won't recount it here, but it's messed up and sad for a band of such immense talents.
Now these guys weren't visionaries or anything. They just wrote solid Beatles style songs and they didn't particularly innovate with anything. They were however set apart by extraordinary melodic sense and song-writing ability. Consumate professionals and none-too-shabby musicians, there is no real reason why they should not have been successful. I also don't think people can complain too much about all the Beatles comparisons being 'unfair' or 'unjustified' because most of Badfinger's songs sound pretty much like mid-early period Beatles, which is not a bad thing, it still takes a lot of talent, especially melodically speaking.
And though it isn't good, Pete Ham and Tom Evan's respective suicides certainly have created this kind of...sad mystique around a lot of the songs. I mean, many of the lyrics are transformed into very heavy statements indeed. 'Without You' is truly one of the saddest, most melancholy, hopeless songs you'll hear.
Harry Nilsson's version was a double-edge sword, because while it made the song a 'standard' in the pop world with huge popularity, it overshadowed the original makers. And Mariah Carey's version, well, she goddamn BUTCHERED it! I grew up HATING this song, because my sister would play 'Without You' by Mariah Carey and I couldn't stand the crappy, emotionally void poppy sheen of it. She wails 'I can't lliivvvee'...compare that to the short, cold, desperate cry in the original. So much more effective. The original is heart-breaking, and should be the version that history remembers as the definitive take. I fear that Mariah Carey forever ruined this great song. And the meaning is different when Pete says 'I can't live if living is without you'. Without what? Success? Recognition? A helping hand? Or maybe it really is a stilted lover...whatever, it's powerful. 'You always smile but in your heart your sorrow shows'...
As for others, 'No Matter What' is prime Beatles style material. Catchy to a fault and heavenly tone. 'Carry On Till Tommorrow' gets you with it's 'when I was young, I told myself, my life would be my own'. There's that hindsight again. Their catchiest song in my opinion is 'Baby Blue'...what a slice or pure pop glory!
In conclusion, I know I'm looking at a different best-of here, but Badfinger were simply a great pop rock band. Not by todays god-awful pop rock standards, back when songwriting was songwriting and people had the guts to put a little authenticity into the preceedings. You can't go wrong with this great band.
Free Music Review: Once Almost Great, Then Sad
Hit: 4 Stars
Badfinger was a memorable group in the early years of the 70s. After the Beatles disbanded at the turn of the decade, Badfinger seemed to be an heir apparent to the style of the Beatles. Badfinger was signed to the Apple label, which belonged to the Beatles, and there was involvement in the group by various Beatles, most notably Paul McCartney, and involvement by the group in various Beatles projects. A string of hits in the early 70s powered the group along and all seemed well in the world for Badfinger. Unfortunately, politics, personal differences, and critics spelled the end of the group, forever. However, the music remains; a testament to a group that seemed on the verge of dripping gold.
Most of these songs have a strong Beatles flavor to them. In some cases, the group sounds just like the Beatles. Fortunately, the group was very good and was much more than Beatles imitators. "No Matter," "Day after Day," "Baby Blue," and "Come and Get It" were all successful singles for the group, and were indications of what the group could have been. The Badfinger penned song "Without You" became one of Harry Nilsson's biggest hits, winning Harry a Grammy award.
Moving beyond the well known songs, "Carry On Til Tomorrow" is a psychedelic song with lovely harmonies reminiscent of the Beatles and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The vocal on "Midnight Caller" sounds eerily like Paul McCartney. "We're for the Dark" sounds much like the songs released as singles, and is similarly enjoyable. "I'll Be the One" sounds like a Beatles song. The song even sounds like the Beatles are singing it. Yet another song that falls in this category is "Love Time."
Most of the songs on this album are mellow and friendly. As I keep pointing out, these songs frequently sound much like those of the Beatles. If you like the Beatles, and you like the singles you have heard from Badfinger, then you are going to like this collection. You might even want to move on to buying their albums.
Badfinger had a lot of potential. Just when the group was moving forward they had a falling out with Apple Records. Then the wife of one of the members attempted to exert control over the group. Soon the members of the group were disagreeing, and the group disintegrated. Eventually two members of the group committed suicide. Another member of the group has also passed away. Each time I listen to this CD I enjoy the music so very much. I have to wonder what might have happened if the members of the group would have remained together as they were; what kind of greatness might they have achieved? Then I become a little sad.
Free Music Review: It's Okay.
Hit: 4 Stars
I'll begin by saying that I have very mixed feelings about this collection. As a single-disc compilation, it is obviously not as comprehensive as the two previous volume of "The Best of Badfinger". On the other hand, it does condense their Apple and Warner Brother years onto one tidy disc for the first time ever. For anybody who's never really experienced Badfinger, this collection is probably a good place to start. Yes, many people have heard several of the hits before, but they don't know who sang them. Play this at any gathering and I guarantee that everybody will know at least two or three of these songs (you may even create some new Badfinger fans).Now for the critique...
The compilers pretty much culled all of the essential tracks from their album as the Iveys and from their first album as Badfinger (except for maybe "Crimson Ship" from _Magic Christian Music_) The same goes for the tracks from their second album, _No Dice_. One can never tire of the likes of "No Matter What" or "We're for the Dark". The inclusion of the "rare" "I'll Be the One" is a nice surprise.
The selections from _Straight Up_ and _Ass_ are, however, highly suspect. Yes, we have "Day After Day", "Baby Blue" (simply the best power-pop song ever recorded by anyone), and "When I Say". But what possessed the producers to replace the majestic piano-driven _Straight Up_ take of "Name of the Game" with a highly inferior guitar-based recording from the same sessions? This is NOT the way for the casual listener to be introduced to such a great song!
As for _Ass_, why does Capitol insist on mistreating this highly underrated album so much?! First, they choose not to reissue it in the U.S., then they practically ignore it on this collection. "When I Say" is a great song, but what about "Apple of My Eye", "I Can Love You", or "Timeless"?
The big news here, of course, is the inclusion of several WB tracks, all of which are worth the price of admission, especially "Love Time" and the stunning medley "Meanwhile at the Ranch/Should I Smoke".
I recommend this collection to anyone who's never really heard Badfinger aside from there few hits. From here, though, the listener is advised to check out their individual albums, especially _Straight Up_, _Ass_ (good luck!), and _Wish You Were Here_.