Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of
Pete Ham
Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and " ...
(vocals, guitar),
Mike Gibbins
Michael George Gibbins (12 March 1949 – 4 October 2005) was a Welsh musician, most notable for being the drummer of Badfinger.
Early life
Mike Gibbins was born on 12 March 1949 in Swansea, Wales. He began playing drums at age 14, and joine ...
(drums),
Tom Evans (bass), and
Joey Molland
Joseph Charles Molland (born 21 June 1947, Edge Hill, Liverpool) is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed wi ...
(guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records.
The band renamed themselves Badfinger, after the working title for the Beatles' 1967 song "
With a Little Help from My Friends
"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pe ...
" ("Bad Finger Boogie"). From 1968 to 1973, Badfinger recorded five albums for Apple and toured extensively, before they became embroiled in the chaos of Apple's dissolution.
Badfinger had four consecutive worldwide hits from 1970 to 1972: "
Come and Get It" (written and produced by
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, 1970), "
No Matter What" (produced by
Mal Evans
Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970.
In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...
, 1970), "
Day After Day" (produced by
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, 1971), and "
Baby Blue
Baby blue is a tint of azure, one of the pastel colors.
The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892.
Variations of baby blue Beau blue
Beau blue is a light tone of baby blue. "Beau" means "beautiful" in F ...
" (produced by
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
, 1972). Their song "
Without You" (1970) has been recorded many times, and became a US and UK number-one hit for
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...
and, twenty-four years later, a UK number-one for
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
.
After Apple Records folded in 1973, Badfinger struggled with a host of legal, managerial, and financial problems, leading to Ham's suicide in 1975. The surviving members struggled to rebuild their personal and professional lives against a backdrop of lawsuits, which tied up the songwriters' royalty payments for years. Their subsequent albums floundered, as Molland and Evans alternated between co-operation and conflict in their attempts to revive and capitalise on the Badfinger legacy. Evans commited suicide in 1983, and Gibbins died from a
brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
in 2005, leaving Molland as the group's only surviving member.
1961–1969: The Iveys
Early days
The Iveys formed in 1961 in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, Wales from The Panthers, whose line-up consisted of
Pete Ham
Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and " ...
(lead guitar), Ronald "Ron" Griffiths (bass guitar) (b. Ronald Llewellyn Griffiths, 2 October 1946, Swansea), David "Dai" Jenkins (rhythm guitar) (b. David Owen Jenkins, 30 October 1945, Swansea), and Roy Anderson (drums). After playing under various names, including The Black Velvets and the Wild Ones, by 1964 they had settled on The Iveys, after a street in Swansea called Ivey Place.
In March 1965, drummer
Mike Gibbins
Michael George Gibbins (12 March 1949 – 4 October 2005) was a Welsh musician, most notable for being the drummer of Badfinger.
Early life
Mike Gibbins was born on 12 March 1949 in Swansea, Wales. He began playing drums at age 14, and joine ...
joined The Iveys. The group secured concerts around the Swansea area, opening for prominent British bands such as
the Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numbe ...
,
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...
, and
The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
.
By June 1966, Bill Collins (the father of actor
Lewis Collins
Lewis Collins (27 May 1946 – 27 November 2013)"Happy Birthday Richard Hastilow, 65", ''The Times'', 26 May 2010 was an English actor, best known for his career-defining role playing 'Bodie' in the late 1970s – early 1980s British television ...
) had started to manage the group. In December 1966, the group moved into Collins's home at 7 Park Avenue,
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...
, London, sharing space with an act called
The Mojos
The Mojos were a British beat group from the 1960s, best known for their hit UK single, " Everything's Alright", with two other singles charting low in the UK Singles Chart in 1964.
Biography
The band formed under the name the Nomads as a ...
. The house was terminally overcrowded, so the only place to find any privacy was in a room equipped with a two-track recording machine.
The group performed a wide range of cover tunes on the London circuit, from
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
to
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
, psychedelia, and Beatles hits, which garnered interest from record labels.
Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...
of
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
auditioned to produce them, recording three of their songs at a four-track demo studio in London's Old Kent Road on 15 January 1967: "Taxi" and "Sausage And Eggs", songs by Ham; and Griffiths's "I Believe in You Girl". On 8 December 1966, Collins and the group signed a five-year contract giving Collins a 20% share of net receipts, the same as the individual group members, but only after managerial expenses had been deducted. Collins said at the time, "Look, I can't promise you lads anything, except blood, sweat and tears." The group performed occasional concerts backing
David Garrick
David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
while performing as The Iveys across the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
throughout the rest of the decade.
In August 1967, Dai Jenkins was asked to leave the group,
and was replaced by Liverpudlian guitarist Tom Evans, formerly of Them Calderstones (b. Thomas Evans Jr., 5 June 1947,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, d. 19 November 1983). Jenkins's departure was remembered by Griffiths as being "politely asked if he would step down," as Jenkins seemed more interested in girls than the music.
Signing to Apple
After receiving an invitation from Collins, Beatles roadie/assistant
Mal Evans
Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970.
In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...
and Apple Records A&R head
Peter Asher
Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...
saw The Iveys perform at the
Marquee Club
The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...
, London, on 25 January 1968. Evans subsequently pushed their demo tapes to every Beatle until he gained approval from all four to sign the group. The demos were accomplished using a mono "sound-on-sound" tape recorder: two individual tracks bouncing each overdub on top of the last. When Evans signed The Iveys to Apple on 23 July 1968, they became the first non-Beatle recording artists on the label. Each of The Iveys were also signed to
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Limited (informally known as Apple) is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in London in January 1968 by the members of the Beatles to replace their earlier company (Beatles Ltd.) and to form a conglomerate. Its name (pro ...
publishing contracts. The early Iveys sessions for Apple were produced by either
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...
or Evans.
The group's first single, "
Maybe Tomorrow", produced by Visconti, was released worldwide on 15 November 1968. It reached the Top Ten in several European countries and Japan, but only #67 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and failed to chart in the UK.
The US manager of Apple Records,
Ken Mansfield
Ken Mansfield (October 14, 1937 – November 17, 2022) was an American record producer who was the manager of Apple Records in the United States. He was also a high-ranking executive for several record labels, as well as a songwriter, author o ...
, ordered 400,000 copies of the single—considered to be a bold move at the time in the music business—and pushed for automatic airplay and reviews from newspapers, which he secured. Nevertheless, Mansfield remembered the problems: "We had a great group. We had a great record. We were missing just one thing ... the ability to go out and pick up people, and convince them to put their money on the counter." A second Tom Evans composition, "Storm in a Teacup", was included on an Apple EP promoting
Wall's Ice Cream Wall's is formerly an ice cream and meat products brand, now split into two businesses:
*Wall's (ice cream), a brand owned by Unilever that makes ice cream
*Wall's (meat)
Wall's is a brand of meat products in the United Kingdom, best known for i ...
, along with songs by Apple artists such as
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
,
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer-songwriter best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists ...
, and
Jackie Lomax
John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013) was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1 ...
. The chart success of "Maybe Tomorrow" in Europe and Japan led to a follow-up single release in those markets in July 1969: Griffiths's "
Dear Angie
"Dear Angie" is 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 Ch ...
", also produced by Visconti. An LP containing both singles and titled ''
Maybe Tomorrow'' was released only in Italy, Germany, and Japan. This limited release strategy was thought to be the work of Apple Corps president
Allen Klein
Allen Klein (December 18, 1931 July 4, 2009) was an American businessman whose aggressive negotiation tactics affected industry standards for compensating recording artists. He founded ABKCO Music & Records Incorporated. Klein increased profits ...
: an Apple Corps press officer, Tony Bramwell, remembered: "
lein Lein may refer to:
People with that name
* Allen Lein (1913–2003), American endocrinologist and medical school professor
*Anatoly Lein
Anatoly Yakovlevich Lein (russian: Анатолий Яковлевич Лейн; March 28, 1931 – March 1 ...
was saying, 'We're not going to issue any more records until I sort out this
pple Corpsmess.
After the unexpectedly limited releases of "Dear Angie" and ''Maybe Tomorrow'', Griffiths complained about Apple's handling of The Iveys in an interview for the ''
Disc & Music Echo
''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into ''Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972).
...
'' magazine, saying: "We do feel a bit neglected. We keep writing songs for a new single and submitting them to Apple, but they keep sending them back, saying they're not good enough."
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
read the interview and offered the song "Come and Get It" to the group, although he had written the song for the soundtrack of ''
The Magic Christian''. Before the recording on Saturday, 2 August 1969, Griffiths remembered the whole group being so excited they couldn't sleep. Producing the track in under one hour, McCartney made sure that they copied his own demo note-for-note: "They were a young band ... they said, 'We want to do it a bit different, wanna get our own thing in'. I said No'', this has gotta be ''exactly'' like this
cCartney's demo 'cos this is the hit.'"
McCartney had been commissioned to contribute two other songs to the film's soundtrack. After "Come and Get It" was successfully recorded, he offered to produce two of The Iveys' original compositions to fulfill those commissions, for which he selected "Carry On Till Tomorrow" (commissioned as the main title theme for the film) and "Rock of All Ages" (commissioned as background music for a party scene). All three tracks appeared both in the movie and on its soundtrack album. McCartney then recruited
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
to provide the string arrangement for "Carry On Till Tomorrow". As Griffiths fell ill midway through these sessions, Evans played bass on "Rock of All Ages", "Midnight Sun", and "Crimson Ship".
Name change
Pending the release of "Come and Get It", the band and Apple agreed that the name "The Iveys" was too trite for the prevailing music scene, plus The Iveys were sometimes confused with "
The Ivy League", so a name change was needed. Suggestions were put forward, including Lennon's "The Glass Onion", "The Prix",
"The Cagneys", and "Home" from McCartney. Apple Corps'
Neil Aspinall
Neil Stanley Aspinall (13 October 1941 24 March 2008) was a British music industry executive. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head the Beatles' company Apple Corps.
The Beatles employed Aspinall first as th ...
proposed "Badfinger", in 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 by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pe ...
", as Lennon had hurt his forefinger on a piano and was using only one finger. In December 1969, the band agreed on Badfinger.
Harrison would later state that the band was named after Helga Fabdinger, a stripper the Beatles had known in Hamburg.
1969–1972: Badfinger
![Badfinger performing 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Badfinger_performing_1973.png)
Departure of Griffiths and hiring of Molland
At the end of October 1969, Griffiths, who was the sole married occupant of the communal group's home and also was raising a child (b. December 1968), left the group. His responsibilities created friction, mainly between Griffiths's wife, Evans, and manager Collins. Griffiths later said: "Tommy
vans
Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...
created the bad blood. He'd convinced the others that
wasnot one of the boys anymore." Drummer Gibbins remembered that he wasn't even consulted about the decision: "I was considered a nothing head at that point. I wasn't even worth conversing with."
As the release date of "Come and Get It" was approaching, The Iveys looked for a replacement for Griffiths. After unsuccessfully auditioning a number of bassists, they hired guitarist
Joey Molland
Joseph Charles Molland (born 21 June 1947, Edge Hill, Liverpool) is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed wi ...
, who was previously with Gary Walker & The Rain, The Masterminds,
and The Fruit-Eating Bears. His addition required Evans to shift from rhythm guitar to bass.
Initial success
"Come and Get It" was released as a single in December 1969 in the UK, and January 1970 in the US. Selling more than a million copies worldwide, it reached Top Ten throughout the world: #7 on the US ''Billboard'' chart on 18 April 1970,
and #4 in the UK. Because The Iveys' ''Maybe Tomorrow'' album had only been released in a few markets, the band's three songs from ''The Magic Christian'' soundtrack album were combined with other, older Iveys tracks (including both of The Iveys' singles and five other songs from ''Maybe Tomorrow'') and then released as Badfinger's first album ''
Magic Christian Music
''Magic Christian Music'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Badfinger, released on 9 January 1970 on Apple Records. It was the first release under the band's new name as Badfinger. The band had previously released the album '' ...
'' (1970).
The album peaked at #55 on the ''Billboard'' album chart in the US. In addition, Derek Taylor commissioned Les Smithers to photograph the band in March 1970. His photograph has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery.
New recording sessions for Badfinger also commenced in March 1970, with Mal Evans producing.
Two songs were completed, including "No Matter What", which was rejected by Apple as a potential single.
Beatles engineer
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums '' Revolver'' (1966), '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road ...
then took over as producer and the band completed its second album in July 1970.
During the recordings, the band were sent to Hawaii on 4 June, to appear at a Capitol/Apple Records convention, and then flew to Italy to play concerts in Rome. ''
No Dice
''No Dice'' is the third studio album by British rock band Badfinger, issued by Apple Records and released on 9 November 1970. Their second album under the Badfinger name, but their first official album under that name, and first to include gu ...
'' was released in the US in late 1970, peaking at #28 on the ''Billboard'' album chart.
The Mal Evans-produced track "No Matter What", as re-mixed by Emerick, was finally released as a single, and reached numerous Top Ten charts around the world—peaking at #8 in the US and #5 in the UK.
An Emerick-produced album track from ''No Dice'' titled "
Without You" became even more successful after
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...
covered the song in 1972; his version became an international hit, reaching #1 on ''Billboard'' in the US, and also spending five weeks at the top of the UK chart. The song began as a merger of two separate songs, with the verses penned by Ham and the chorus penned by Evans. The song won Ham and Evans the 1972
Ivor Novello award for "Song of the Year".
Signing with Stan Polley
In April 1970, while in the US scouting prospects for a tour, Collins was introduced to New York businessman
Stan Polley,
who signed Badfinger to a business management contract in November 1970.
Polley established Badfinger Enterprises, Inc., with Stan Poses as vice-president. It bound the band members to various contracts dictating that income from touring, recording, publishing, and even songwriter performance royalties would be directed into holding companies controlled by Polley. It led to a salary arrangement for the band, which various members later complained was inadequate compared to their gross earnings. Gibbins said: "My first impression was, Stan
olley Olley may refer to:
People
* Chris Olley
Chris Olley is a Nottingham based musician and photographer. He was the lead singer and guitarist for Six By Seven and also the band's main creative influence. He studied art at Wakefield College (1990–9 ...
is a powerful guy," while Molland thought that Polley seemed more of a father-figure. At the same time, Polley was also managing
Al Kooper
Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...
, of
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...
, and
Lou Christie
Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American pop and soft rock singer-songwriter known for several hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 US chart-topper "Lightnin' Strikes" and 1969 ...
.
Although Polley's professional reputation was admired, his dubious financial practices eventually contributed to the band's downfall.
A financial statement prepared by Polley's accountants, Sigmund Balaban & Co., for the period from 8 December 1970 to 31 October 1971, showed Polley's income from the band: "Salaries and advances to client, $8,339 (Joey Molland), $6,861 (Mike Gibbins), $6,211 (Tom Evans), $5,959 (Pete Ham). Net corporation profit, $24,569. Management commission, $75,744 (Stan Polley)". Although it is not known if the band members saw the statement, Collins certainly had, as his handwriting was on the document.
Badfinger toured the US for three months in late 1970 and were generally well-received, although the band was already weary of persistent comparisons to the Beatles. "The thing that impressed me so much was how similar their voices were to The Beatles,"
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...
(producer, "Maybe Tomorrow") said; "I sometimes had to look over the control board down into the studio to make sure John and Paul weren't singing lead vocals ..." ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' critic
Mike Saunders opined in a rave review of ''No Dice'' in 1970: "It's as if John, Paul, George, and Ringo had been reincarnated as Joey, Pete, Tom, and Mike of Badfinger."
Media comparisons between them and the Beatles would continue throughout Badfinger's career.
Apple session work
Various members of Badfinger also participated in sessions for fellow Apple Records labelmates, most notably playing acoustic guitar and percussion on much of Harrison's ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...
'' triple album (1970), including the hit singles "
Isn't It a Pity
"Isn't It a Pity" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 solo album ''All Things Must Pass''. It appears in two variations there: one the well-known, seven-minute version; the other a reprise, titled "Isn't It a Pity ...
", "
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released in November 1970 on his triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. It was also released as a single, Harrison's first as a solo artist, and topped charts worldwide; it was the ...
". and "
What Is Life
"What Is Life" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album ''All Things Must Pass''. In many countries, it was issued as the second single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten hit in the Unit ...
". Ham and Evans also provided backing vocals on
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
's Harrison-produced single, "
It Don't Come Easy
"It Don't Come Easy" is a song by English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as a non-album single in April 1971. It was produced by Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who also helped write the song, although only Starr ...
". Evans and Molland then performed on Lennon's album ''
Imagine
Imagine may refer to:
* Imagination
Music Albums
* ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008
* ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002
* ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012
* ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971
** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
'' (1971), although Molland has said that their tracks were not used. Most famously, on 26 July 1971, all four members of Badfinger arrived at New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Avia ...
, to rehearse for Harrison's
Concert for Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangladesh (or Bangla Desh, as the country's name was originally spelt)Harry, p. 135. was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were he ...
, which took place on 1 August 1971. Ham duetted on acoustic guitar with Harrison on "
Here Comes the Sun
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was written by George Harrison and is one of his best-known compositions. Harrison wrote the song in early 1969 at the country house o ...
" during the concert.
''Straight Up''
In 1971, the group rented
Clearwell Castle
Clearwell Castle in Clearwell, the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, is a Gothic Revival house constructed from 1727. Built by Thomas Wyndham to the designs of Roger Morris, it is the earliest Georgian Gothic Revival castle in England predating ...
, in Gloucestershire, living and recording there.
They finished recording their third album, again with Emerick as a producer, but the tapes were once again rejected by Apple, because Apple felt that Badfinger needed a producer who could bring a more polished sound to the recordings. Thus, George Harrison himself took over as producer in spring of 1971,
including
Leon Russell
Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...
and
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer.
Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including "You're So V ...
in the sessions as well. Commenting on the recording of the dual slide guitars on "Day After Day", Molland remembered: "Pete and I had done the backing track, and George came in the studio and asked if we'd mind if he played ... It took hours, and hours, and hours, to get those two guitars in sync". However, Harrison stopped the sessions after recording just four songs because of his commitments to
The Concert for Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangladesh (or Bangla Desh, as the country's name was originally spelt)Harry, p. 135. was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were he ...
, which Harrison included Badfinger in as well. After the concert, Harrison was tied up with producing the tapes from that concert, and so was unable to resume with Badfinger. Instead, the Badfinger album was completed by
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
, who mixed the tapes from the Harrison sessions, re-recorded the songs from the Emerick sessions, and also produced some newer, previously unrecorded songs.
The album, ultimately titled ''
Straight Up'', was released in the US in December 1971,
and spawned two successful singles: "Day After Day" (''Billboard'' number four), which sold over a million worldwide, and "
Baby Blue
Baby blue is a tint of azure, one of the pastel colors.
The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892.
Variations of baby blue Beau blue
Beau blue is a light tone of baby blue. "Beau" means "beautiful" in F ...
" (US number 14).
The album reached number 31 on the US charts. However, the disintegration of Apple Records in Britain led to "Baby Blue" never being released as a UK single, although a release number and date had already been assigned to it.
The band embarked on a US tour in 1972, but after problems with Evans, Gibbins left and was replaced for the tour by drummer Rob Stawinsky, who was described as Badfinger's "solid, new drummer". Stawinsky was not used after the tour, though, and Gibbins rejoined the band in September.
1972–1984: Decline and struggles
End of Apple
At the start of 1972, Badfinger were contracted for one last album with Apple Records. Despite Badfinger's success, Apple was facing troubled times and its operations were being cut back by Klein. According to Molland, Polley told the band that Klein wanted to cut Badfinger's royalty rate and make them pay for their own studio time.
By this time, manager Polley was openly suspected of financial mismanagement by his other clients, Christie and music arranger
Charlie Calello
Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track ...
. A series of allegations also represented Polley as a one-time "
bagman
The term bagman (or bag man) has different meanings in different countries.
One group of definitions centers on the idea of traveling. In British usage, "bagman" is a term for a traveling salesman, first known from 1808.
In Australian usage, ...
" for the
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
.
Sessions for Badfinger's fourth and final album for Apple, ''
Ass'', had begun as far back as early 1972 and would continue at five recording studios over the next year. Rundgren was originally hired to produce but quit in a financial dispute during the first week. The band then produced itself, but Apple rejected their version of the album. Finally, Badfinger hired
Chris Thomas to co-produce and complete the project. In the meanwhile, Polley negotiated a deal with
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, that required a new album from the band every six months over a three-year period. By this time Evans had become suspicious of Polley's oversight, but the band nevertheless signed the deal. Released in 1973,
the ''Ass'' front cover featured Evans's idea: a jackass staring at a huge dangling carrot. The ''Ass'' release was further stalled because of legal wrangling, with Polley using Molland's unsigned song publishing as a negotiating ploy. Attempting to sweep discrepancies under the carpet to secure the LP's release Apple attributed the songwriting credits to "Badfinger". But both ''Ass'' (US number 122), and its accompanying lead single, "
Apple of My Eye", fell short of reaching the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Move to Warner Bros. Records
![Badfinger Love Is Easy trade ad 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Badfinger_Love_Is_Easy_trade_ad_1973.jpg)
After the Apple contract had been fulfilled, Polley signed the band to a management contract demanding two albums a year. Poses, as vice-president of Badfinger Enterprises Inc., repeatedly told the band not to sign the contract. Polley organised a $3 million recording contract with Warner Bros., telling the band, "You're all millionaires!"
The deal gave the band 12% of retail in the US—the price Warner Brothers received from record outlets—and 8.5% for the rest of the world, with a $225,000 advance for every album delivered.
Only six weeks after the ''Ass'' sessions had been completed, Badfinger re-entered the studio to begin recording material for its first Warner Bros. release, ''
Badfinger
Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are rec ...
'' (the intended title, ''For Love or Money,'' was omitted from the album pressings). The album was produced by Thomas, even though the songs were being written in the studio as they recorded. ''Ass'' and ''Badfinger'' were released almost simultaneously, and the accompanying singles from ''Badfinger'', "
Love Is Easy" (UK) and "
I Miss You" (US), were unsuccessful. Badfinger did manage to retain some US fan support as a result of their touring schedule. A March 1974 concert at the
Cleveland Agora was recorded on 16-track tape for a possible live album release, even though the performance was deemed unsatisfactory at the time.
Following the American tours, Badfinger recorded ''
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to:
Film, television, and theater Film
* ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland
* ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...
'' at the
Caribou Ranch
Caribou 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. The studio was in op ...
recording studio in Colorado, and at
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
's
AIR Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
in London.
The album was well received by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' and other periodicals upon its release in October 1974.
However, over the previous year, Warner Brothers' publishing arm had become increasingly troubled by a lack of communication from Polley regarding the status of an
escrow
An escrow is a contractual arrangement in which a third party (the stakeholder or escrow agent) receives and disburses money or property for the primary transacting parties, with the disbursement dependent on conditions agreed to by the transacti ...
account of advance funds. Per their contract, Polley was to deposit $250,000 into a mutually accessible account for safekeeping, which both Warner Publishing and the band could potentially access. But Polley did not reveal the account's whereabouts to Warner Publishing, and he reportedly ignored Warner's demands to do so. As a result, in a letter dated 30 April 1974, WB's publishing arm terminated its relationship with Badfinger, but, other than having the group sign some new contracts, Polley took no action to resolve Warner's publishing issue. Consistent with the termination notice, on 14 August 1974, Warner's publishing arm refused to accept the tapes of ''Wish You Were Here'', but the album was later released anyway.
Turmoil and personnel changes
Crises in band management, money, and band leadership were creating growing frictions within Badfinger. 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 band, particularly Ham. She remembered complaining that even though the band had hit records, they "still didn't have a fridge, and didn't have a TV". However, one of the band's assistants said, "Kathie was a wishful
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, animal rights activist, vegetarian cookbook author and advocate, and entrepreneur. She was the keyboardist in th ...
. If she had her way, she would have ended up part of the band." Just before the start of rehearsals for an October 1974 UK tour, Ham suddenly quit Badfinger during a management meeting, standing up and shouting "I don't want Kathie managing the band! I'm leaving". He found a cottage in Wales, where he hoped to build a studio. He was quickly replaced by guitarist/keyboardist
Bob Jackson, who was then idle after previous involvement with
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony 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 US, Canadian, and UK Top 10s. Afterwards, they had ...
.
During Ham's three-week hiatus from the band, Polley tried to interest record companies in Ham as a solo act, but under pressure from Warner Brothers, Ham rejoined the band in time for the tour, as the company made it clear that it would have little to no interest in promoting Badfinger if Ham was not a part of it. Jackson remained as full-time keyboardist, making the band a quintet. After the UK tour, Molland quit of his own accord to pursue a solo career in December 1974.
![Bob Jackson musician](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Bob_Jackson_musician.jpg)
With the Warner situation becoming increasingly unstable, Polley's next ploy was to press the band to pass up a US tour to go back into Apple Recording Studios to record its third album under the Warner Brothers contract. Because Thomas, the producer of Badfinger's last three albums, thought that the band was rushing into the studio too quickly, Polley hired
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise to produce the album. Over only 11 days at the Apple studios,
tracks were recorded for the ''
Head First
Head First or Headfirst may refer to:
Music
* ''Head First'' (The Babys album) (1979)
* ''Head First'' (Badfinger album) (recorded 1974, released 2000)
* ''Head First'' (Goldfrapp album) (2010), or its title track
* ''Head First'' (Uriah Hee ...
'' album (eventually released in 2000),
and rough mixes were distributed to the musicians and Warner Brothers Records in America. However, because Warner's publishing arm had already filed a lawsuit against Polley and Badfinger in the L.A. Superior Court on 10 December 1974, the album tapes could not be formally accepted by Warner Bros. – and Warner executives also thought the rough tapes sounded "thrown together in a hurry" in "an obvious attempt
oextract further advances from us". The legal action also led to the company stopping the promotion of ''Wish You Were Here'' after seven weeks, and ending its distribution worldwide, thus completely halting Badfinger's career.
Ham's suicide and break-up
With their current album suddenly withdrawn and their follow-up rejected, Badfinger spent the early months of 1975 trying to figure out how to proceed under the unclear legal situation. Their March 1975 salary cheques did not clear, and the April cheques never arrived. Panic set in, especially for Ham, who had recently bought a £30,000 house in
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, and whose girlfriend was expecting a child. According to Jackson, the band tried to continue without Polley's involvement by contacting booking agents and prospective managers throughout London, but they were routinely declined because of their restrictive contracts with Polley and impending legal actions. Ham reportedly tried on many occasions to contact Polley by telephone during the early months of 1975, but was never able to reach him.
On the night of 23 April 1975, Ham received a phone call from the United States, telling him that all his money had disappeared. Later that night he met Tom Evans and they went to The White Hart Pub in Surrey together, where Ham drank ten
whiskies
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor, distilled alcoholic beverage made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize ...
. Evans drove him home at three o'clock on the morning of 24 April 1975. Ham hanged himself in his garage studio in Woking later that morning. His suicide note—addressed to his girlfriend, Anne Herriot, and her son, Blair—blamed Polley for much of his despair and inability 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 died at the
age of 27. Ham had shown growing signs of
mental illness
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
over the past months, with Gibbins remembering Ham burning
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
s on his hands and arms. He was cremated at the
Morriston
Morriston (; cy, Treforys ) is a Community (Wales), community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston (electoral ward), Morriston ward. It is the largest community in Swansea county.
Morriston is sometimes ref ...
Crematorium, Swansea; his ashes were spread in the memorial gardens. Ham's daughter, Petera, was born one month after his death. In May, Warner Bros terminated its contract with Badfinger, and Badfinger dissolved. Around that time, Apple also deleted all of Badfinger's albums from its catalogue.
Post-Badfinger
Gibbins joined the Flying Aces,
and performed session drumming for various Welsh acts, including
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
's international hit "
It's a Heartache
"'It's a Heartache'" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. Written by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, and co-produced with David Mackay, the single was released in November 1977 through RCA Records. The song topped the charts in Australia ...
".
Evans and Jackson became part of a group called The Dodgers. They released three British singles on Island Records in 1976. "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" was the act's only US release, but failed to chart. Subsequently, the management of the Dodgers fired Evans in 1977 for insubordination and deleted all his performances from the group's subsequent album recordings (later released as ''Love on the Rebound''). The group finally broke up in 1978, after which Jackson joined
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
and the David Byron Band. Molland started a band in 1975 with
Colosseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world to ...
's Mark Clarke and
Humble Pie's Jerry Shirley using the moniker Natural Gas. They performed a few concerts as the opening act for
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...
in 1976. Natural Gas released a self-titled album and three singles, but none managed to chart.
By 1977, both Molland and Evans were out of the music business. Molland later described his dire economic circumstances: "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."
In London, Evans briefly had jobs insulating pipes, and driving a taxi.
Collins was having trouble paying the lease on the group's two-room rehearsal studio at No. 6
Denmark Street
Denmark Street is a street on the edge of London's West End running from Charing Cross Road to St Giles High Street. It is near St Giles in the Fields Church and Tottenham Court Road station. The street was developed in the late 17th centu ...
, London. After advertising for new occupants, he was contacted by
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...
, manager of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
, who gave Collins £650 () and a
Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...
piano as down payment.
A reunion, another break-up, and Evans's suicide
Later in 1977, United States-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. Encouragement from the
Elektra record company led to the decision to rename the new band Badfinger. Their "comeback" album, ''
Airwaves'', 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 promote the album Molland and Evans recruited
Tony Kaye (ex-
Yes) on keyboards, and Peter Clarke on drums from
Stealers Wheel
Stealers Wheel were a Scottish folk rock/ rock band formed in 1972 in Paisley, Scotland, by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. Their best-known hit is "Stuck in the Middle with You". The band broke up in 1975 and re-formed bri ...
.
The single "Love is Gonna Come at Last" from ''Airwaves'' reached No. 69 on the ''Billboard'' chart.
With Glenn Sherba added on second guitar and Richard Bryans (from the band Aviary) replacing Clarke on drums, Badfinger released their second post-Ham album, ''
Say No More'', in 1981,
with the album being distributed by Radio Records.
The second single, "
Hold On
Hold On may refer to:
Music Albums and EPs
* ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966
* ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978
* ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980
* ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987
* ...
", reached number 56 on the ''Billboard'' charts.
The Warner Brothers lawsuit against Polley lasted four years, with Polley finally being forced to pay a "substantial sum" back to the company in late 1978. However, Polley managed to retain approximately half of the original $100,000 escrow payment, representing about three album's worth of payments. In 1987, detective John Hansen, working for the
Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
District Attorney's office, started an investigation into fraudulent bank dealings by Polley.
After the failure of ''Say No More'', Molland and Evans operated rival touring bands, each using the name "Badfinger", during 1982 and 1983, which created even more personal and professional conflict. In 1982, Evans teamed with pre-1975 Badfinger members Jackson and Gibbins, first adding guitarist Adam Allen,
and then, in the fall of 1982, adding guitarists Reed Kailing of
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, two ...
and (
Chicago's)
Donnie Dacus
James O. "Donnie" Dacus (born October 12, 1951, in Pasadena, Texas) is an American guitarist, backing vocalist, actor, songwriter, and co- producer. He has been a member of the rock bands Chicago and Badfinger.
Early life
Dacus grew up in Cleb ...
.
In 1983 Evans and
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
were joined by post-1975 Badfinger members Kaye and Sherba, with drummer Lenny Campanaro. Meanwhile, for his Badfinger concerts, Molland had teamed with post-1975 member Tansin. Evans and Jackson signed a management contract with Milwaukee businessman John Cass, which led to a disastrous tour and a $5 million lawsuit, which was finally settled on 21 October 1985, in Cass's favour, although both musicians argued that their responsibilities of the contract could not be enforced because certain management obligations had not been performed. Early in 1983, Evans and Jackson, with assistance from new member Al Wodtke, completed four demos in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, under the name "Badfinger". The demos included Jackson's "I Won't Forget You", a tribute to Ham. The songs were briefly promoted but failed to generate strong interest, despite the involvement of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
/
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
manager Don Powell.
On the night of 18 November 1983, Evans and Molland had an extensive and 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 Collins and Gibbins all wanted a share of. Following this argument, Evans hanged himself in the garden at his home in New Haw, Surrey, on the morning of 19 November 1983. He was cremated at the Woking Crematorium, Surrey, on 25 November 1983.
1984–present
In 1984, Molland, Gibbins and
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
reunited as Badfinger, along with Al Wodtke and Randy Anderson, playing 31 dates as part of a "20th Anniversary of the British Rock 'N' Roll Tour", which included
Gerry and the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...
,
The Troggs
The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all o ...
,
Billy J. Kramer
William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney composition ...
and
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...
.
In 1986, Molland and Gibbins resumed sporadic touring as Badfinger, with Randy Anderson on guitar and either Mark Healey or A. J. Nicholas on bass. Gibbins left for good in February 1990 following appearances at three auto shows in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
,
West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
Histo ...
, and
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
.
All four Badfinger albums on Apple, which were deleted from release in 1975, have been reissued twice; first in the early 1990s as part of a revival of the Apple catalogue and again in 2010, when the albums were available individually or as part of the 17-disc Apple Box Set. The sole Iveys' album ''Maybe Tomorrow'' was also reissued in the early 1990s but was not part of the 2010 campaign.
Badfinger's first collection titled ''Shine On'', spanning their two Warner Brothers albums, was released in the UK in 1989. In 1990, Rhino Records released another Warner Brothers-era compilation, ''The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2'', including material from both ''Airwaves'' and the previously unreleased ''Head First''. A greatest hits collection taken from Badfinger's four albums on Apple, ''Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger'', appeared in 1995 on the EMI/Apple/Capitol label, which was the band's first release since 1973's ''Ass'' to be assigned a standard Apple catalogue number: SAPCOR 28. A more comprehensive collection, with tracks from both record labels, was the 2000s ''The Very Best of Badfinger''.
In 2013, a new compilation titled ''Timeless'' was issued by EMI/Universal both to capitalise on the use of "Baby Blue" in the finale of ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'' and to include the 2010 remastered versions of Badfinger's songs on a greatest-hits album.
In 1990,
Rykodisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...
released ''
Day After Day: Live'', billed as a Badfinger live recording from 1974.
The album underwent substantial re-recording,
and a rearranged track order by the album's producer, Molland, and had a mixed critical reaction. The album's release then sparked a lawsuit filed by Molland. The band's accounting firm, collecting for a 1985 court order settlement, had re-adjusted against Molland's Apple royalty income by deducting away the percentage amounts of that court order, then reimbursing those amounts to the other Badfinger parties. The Rykodisc contract did not include artist royalty payments, because Molland had advised Rykodisc he would take care of that distribution himself under another company name. Molland subsequently sued the other members and their estates to recoup his expenses plus a producer's royalty. He was awarded a partial settlement, as the judge stated the evidence against Molland was insufficient to justify a severe penalty, also noting that since both parties had conceded the original tapes were of poor quality, Molland's salvaging of them to a commercial level merited consideration.
After the success of
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
's recording of "Without You" in 1994, Molland and Gibbins collected an award from the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
(ASCAP) in 1995, incurring the anger of the Ham and Evans families.
While in a 1988 readers poll for ''
Goldmine'' magazine, ''
Straight Up'' (1971) ranked as the most-requested CD release among out-of-print albums, the album made it to CD only in 1993. In 1995, Molland was paid to re-record the 10 most popular Badfinger songs.
These recordings were variously packaged in the market, often showing the original 1970s line-up of the band with little or no disclaiming information, despite Molland being the only original member of Badfinger who performed. A detailed biography of Badfinger by
Dan Matovina
Dan Matovina (born October 10, 1957) is known for his work as a recording engineer, record producer, and author of a book on Badfinger.
Matovina was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Beginning in the early 1980s, his music engineering included artists such ...
was published in 1998, titled ''Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger''. The 2000 update of the book was accompanied by a CD of rare material and interviews.
In 2000, a rough mix version of ''
Head First
Head First or Headfirst may refer to:
Music
* ''Head First'' (The Babys album) (1979)
* ''Head First'' (Badfinger album) (recorded 1974, released 2000)
* ''Head First'' (Goldfrapp album) (2010), or its title track
* ''Head First'' (Uriah Hee ...
'' (taken from an open-reel tape prepared by Apple engineer Phil McDonald in December 1974) was released on CD.
(According to Dan Matovina, Warner Brothers could not locate the original master tapes for remixing at that time, but they were eventually found about 10 years later.) In 2002, Gibbins released a two-disc set of a Badfinger performance recorded in Indiana, on 19 October 1982, which had been captured on a basic cassette recorder, which was initially (and inaccurately) titled ''Live 83 – DBA-BFR''. The band at that time had consisted of Evans, Gibbins, Jackson, Kailing and Dacus.
In 2003, and again in 2006, two separate CDs of related Apple Publishing music, ''94 Baker Street'',
and ''An Apple a Day'', were released.
The CDs contain nine songs by the Iveys. In 2008, another CD of Apple-related songs, ''Treacle Toffee World: Further Adventures into the Pop Psych Sounds from the Apple Era 1967–1969'', included two more Iveys demos.
By 2013, the issue of royalty payments had been resolved in court. The main songwriter receives 32 percent of publishing royalties and 25 percent of
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
royalties. The other band members and Collins share the rest. Revenue from album sales is shared equally with 20% going to each member as well as Collins. In 1994, the year in which Mariah Carey covered the song "Without You", the royalties for Ham's estate spiked up to US$500,000.
Post-Badfinger solo activities
Following the demise of Badfinger, each of the three living former members (Joey Molland, Bob Jackson, and Mike Gibbins) continued to record and play new music. Molland has released four solo albums, ''After the Pearl'' (1983), ''The Pilgrim'' (1992), ''This Way Up'' (2001), and ''Return to Memphis'' (2013). In 1998 he released a collection of demos called ''Demos Old and New'' on his own label, Independent Artists.
In 1995, Jackson re-joined The Fortunes, where he sang lead, and they consistently performed Badfinger songs in their set. In 1996, Gibbins contributed two songs to the compilation album, ''
Young Savage Florida'' (1996). He later released four solo albums through Exile Music: ''A Place in Time'' in 1998, ''More Annoying Songs'' (featuring ex-Iveys member Griffiths singing on 2 tracks) in 2002, ''Archeology'' (Griffiths on 1 track) in 2005, and ''In the Meantime'', also in 2005.
The latter included different re-recordings of both the Badfinger hit "Come and Get It" and Gibbins's "In the Meantime", originally from the ''Wish You Were Here'' album in 1974.
Also, posthumous collections were released for both Pete Ham and Tom Evans. In both 1997 and 1999, two collections of Ham's home recordings were released: ''
7 Park Avenue'' (1997), and ''
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...
'' (1999), with extra instruments added by Jackson and Griffiths.
In 1995, a posthumous Evans album was released, ''Over You: The Final Tracks'', which was produced by Evans's friend and songwriting partner Rod Roach.
Former manager Bill Collins died in August 2002, aged 89,
and on 4 October 2005, Mike Gibbins died in his sleep at his home in
Oviedo, Florida
Oviedo ( ) is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 33,342, representing an increase of 7,026 (26.7%) from the 26,316 counted in the 2000 Census. It is part of the Orlando– ...
from a brain aneurysm. He was 56, had been married twice and had three sons.
![Badfinger 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Badfinger_2016.jpg)
In June 2006, a Badfinger convention took place in Swansea, featuring a performance by Bob Jackson. The event brought together Bob Jackson, Ron Griffiths, and some members of the Ham, Evans and Gibbins families. On 1 January 2008,
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...
broadcast a one-hour documentary about Badfinger.
On 27 April 2013 an official
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
was unveiled by the Swansea City Council to honour Pete Ham in his home town of Swansea. The public event was also attended by two former members of the original Badfinger band, The Iveys, Ron Griffiths and Dai Jenkins, plus former Badfinger member, Bob Jackson. The plaque, designed by Dan Matovina, honored Pete and all the Iveys and Badfinger members of Pete Ham's lifetime. A concert followed the unveiling of the plaque featuring former Badfinger members Bob Jackson and Al Wodtke.
Joey Molland's wife, Kathie Molland, died on 24 March 2009,
and Stan Polley died on 20 July 2009 in California.
Former member Joey Molland continues to tour under the name Joey Molland's Badfinger in the United States. In 2015, former member Bob Jackson formed his own version of Badfinger with current members Andy Nixon, Michael Healey, and Ted Duggan to honour the memory of Pete Ham, Tom Evans, and Mike Gibbins and undertook a 23 date UK theatre tour, playing to over 20,000 people.
In 2016 the band continued to play UK shows.
Members
Classic line-up
*
Pete Ham
Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and " ...
– vocals, guitar, keyboards (1961–1975; his death)
*
Mike Gibbins
Michael George Gibbins (12 March 1949 – 4 October 2005) was a Welsh musician, most notable for being the drummer of Badfinger.
Early life
Mike Gibbins was born on 12 March 1949 in Swansea, Wales. He began playing drums at age 14, and joine ...
– drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards (1965–1975, 1978, 1984; 2005)
*
Tom Evans – vocals, bass, guitar (1967–1975, 1978–1983; his death)
*
Joey Molland
Joseph Charles Molland (born 21 June 1947, Edge Hill, Liverpool) is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed wi ...
– vocals, guitar, keyboards (1969–1974)
Former members
* David Jenkins – guitar, vocals (1961–1967
* Ron Griffiths – bass, vocals (1961–1969)
*
Bob Jackson – keyboards, guitar, vocals (1974–1975, 1984)
* Joe Tansin – guitar, vocals (1978)
* Kenny Harck – drums (1978)
* Bob Schell – guitar (1979)
*
Tony Kaye – keyboards, organ, piano (1979–1981)
* Peter Clarke – drums (1979)
*
Ian Wallace – drums (1979–1980; died 2007)
* Rod Roach – guitar (1980)
* Richard Bryans – drums (1980–1981)
* Glen Sherba – guitar (1980–1981)
* Randy Anderson – guitar, vocals (1984)
* Al Wodtke – bass, vocals
Line-ups
;Molland's Badfinger
;Evans & Gibbins's Badfinger
;Bob Jackson's Badfinger
Timeline
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
As The Iveys:
As Badfinger:
Compilations/live albums
Singles
References
Sources
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External links
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Badfinger Biography BookBadfinger LibraryBadfinger-IveysJoey Molland's Badfinger siteBadfingerlinks.comBob Jackson's BadfingerJackson's Badfinger YouTubeBadfinger uk Facebook
{{Authority control
Welsh power pop groups
Musical groups established in 1969
Musical groups disestablished in 1975
Apple Records artists
Mass media and culture in Swansea
Warner Records artists
Elektra Records artists
1969 establishments in the United Kingdom
1969 establishments in Wales