JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Badfinger

I was a "tween" when I first heard Badfinger. They were the obvious replacement for the disbanding Beatles and I was excited about them. "We don't need no stinking Beatles, we've got Badfinger".
Two suicides of band members and talk of organised crime within the management of the group brought these lofty ideas to an end.
I still enjoy their music and wonder what other Beatles fans of that period of time thought of the band. Did you think the Beatles were setting them up as their predecessors? Did the Beatles even care? Were the the execs at Apple just trying to maintain a chart topping band?
It seems to me that fame and fortune was handed to them on a silver platter. But they did have the talent to deserve it. They had emotional and management problems that brought them down.
I will leave a Wikipedia link and a You Tube link. Notice a young Kenny Rogers on the You Tube link. Ben

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badfinger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C53QAuOoSgc&feature=related

I loved Badfinger, despite the similarities in sound to the Beatles. There were other bands out there trying to capture the Beatles sound, but Badfinger had Paul to show them the way. I have heard early stuff before Paul was involved and their sound was already forming its trademark characteristics.

I think they were extremely talented artistic types that were ripped off blind by their manager. It set them into a tailspin that none of them ever recovered from , and led to suicides. They trusted their manager as a friend and partner, and he took literally everything they had.

Paul McCartney helped them with their first huge hit, having written and arranged it, but he did it because he was a businessman and recognized the talent. As the Beatles were disintegrating it helped him keep his hand in the game before he started his solo career. Paul was always the most business-minded of the Beatles.

Interesting read Ben.

We often never think of the people behind the music and what lives they lead.
They often just meld into the background.
Sad story of these fine talented musicians. Unfortunately it is all to common.

This is very coincidental...

Last night I went to a Tribute to George Harrison concert here in Minneapolis. The headliners were the band Shakespeare's Pipe, featuring Joey Molland of Badfinger and his brother Doug Molland. I sell them pizzas all the time. Doug tells me stories about watching the recording sessions for "All Things Must Pass" featuring members of Badfinger, Eric Clapton, Phil Spector, etc. Sometimes Doug makes me feel really jealous.

Badfinger was a marvelous band, as all the Beatles agreed, and we still hear their songs constantly played on classic rock stations. Truly the most tragic rock band story of them all. The money still is not finding its way back to the band.

Read your contracts, folks.

Hey Mark,
Let's take them both out for beers sometime, I'd love to hear their stories

Better save up our money then, Steve...they're from Liverpool. :O

Fun show at Famous Dave's Uptown Blues Club.

I still do a Badfinger song live, "No Matter What", love it and my bass player nails the vocal pretty well,I do the falsetto harmony(knock down the old gray wall, be a part of it all) and well I love a challenge...those guys were loaded with talent and just fell on so much bad luck I think someone was pointing a bad finger at them...(couldn't resist that one though I know it was bad)...met the brothers at a club gig in Mobile,AL.way back, nice enough guys...Steve, Lyle sells them beer...ha....see ya...Moker

Actually Badfinger was from Whales, one member was from Liverpool.

You're right, Ben...and that's Joey Molland.

They were not from Whales they were Welsh.

We do a couple of Badfinger songs as well.

I've read that Wiki page before. I look up tons of artists to read about their careers there. It's really the best resource of it's kind for that sort of thing. Most folks don't know they wrote "I can't live" which was made famous first by Harry Nilsson which was far superior to Mariah Carey's even more famous version. Their version is way different. So they weren't just some hack band using other people's songs. They were the real deal.

To Mark:

1. You sell pizzas? What brand?

2. One of the Badfinger members lives near you? We should do an interview with him for the newsletter.. would be a really interesting perspective and perhaps he'd have thoughts on what led to his bandmembers demise. With the high profile death of JPF Member Brad Delp and the recent overdose of JPF Member Ike Turner it seems to be in the same theme.

3. What's up with the whales? hahahaha

Brian

Hey Brian,

I run the Joey Nova's Pizzeria in Tonka Bay, Minnesota...about five minutes away from where you had the Twin Cities Road Rally, before I knew you existed. Stop on in next time, pizza's on me:

http://www.joeynovas.com/pages/home

About Joey Molland...let me see what I can do. I talk with his brother Doug all the time, even jammed informally with him at a music store where he works, but I haven't gotten to know Joey. He was in Badfinger from 69-74...not there from the beginning, but definitely in the glory years. Could be interesting.

Dylan Thomas came from whales.

-Mark

Mark The only decent thing from whales is blubber!

Mark The only decent thing from whales is blubber!

Excuse me Big Jim did I spell Welsh wrong? What are you offended about if you are offended at all? You are not the JPF Know-it all and it is about time for you to quit trying to tweak others sensibilities. It's growing old and you are getting unpopuler. Stop this [naughty word removed] and either be a friend or go somewhere else. Ben

Big Jim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC0JgU9sTCg

Mark,
The Wiki had Joey living in the Twin Cities too. Maybe they got it wrong.

I am a very big Badfinger fan.
Of course, I was just barely alive when the Beatles broke up, but no matter... great songs are great songs. And Badfinger had great songs.

I'm sure that many of you knew that the big Harry Nillson hit "Without You" was actually a cover of a Badfinger tune.

And for those of you who did not know, now you do.
Those guys could write. And sing. And play.

Sorry Ben...thought it was all just silly. Maybe sometimes we go too far. You're a good man and I hope you don't take my "whales" jokes as anything more than a cheap laugh...definitely not a stab at you. I'm pretty sure Big Jim is just funning around too.

Sorry! -Mark

Yes, I'm pretty sure both Joey and his brother Doug live in Excelsior.

How did you know that I was Welsh?

The last name Huh?

I didn't...but earlier in the thread you misspelled Wales as Whales...then the jokes started flying...

Sorry Big Jim, I'm a little sensitive right now. Ben

Sorry to read about your Dad, Ben...

Another Badfinger fan here. I've got one CD with about 20 or so of their songs. Really good music, even the stuff that's not so familiar.

I'm curious, though. Is it so bad that the band sounds (or sounded) like the Beatles? A couple comments above, while praising Badfinger for their talent, seemed to suggest that even though they sound like the Beatles, we won't hold it against them. Or did I completely misinterpret what I read?

As for Wikipedia, the kids are pretty much forbidden from using it as a resource in school, but I love it! And Brian's right, it's probably one of the best sources of information about nearly any band or artist you may be interested in.

Greg

Saw a documentary on Badfinger some time ago, I believe on VH1. Totally a heartbreaking tragic story. It was interesting that the two songwriters of "Can't Live", wrote the verses and chorus separately.

Ben sorry to hear about your Dad. We were only having a laugh at the typo NOT YOU. No malice intented. Certainly nothing personal. Badfinger coming from Whales is funny you have to admit. Painted a funny mental image. Well just my sense of humour. Sorry but when me and Mark get gowing we can take things to limits but never ever do either of us mean any harm I can guarantee that. I am thick skinned and can take a lot of banter so can Mark. We sometimes forget that some people take evrything so literally and serious. I had no idea you were from a Welsh background. However I bet even you are glad you are not from whales. LOL

I think you might have been responding to my comment. No, I do not hold it against them that they sounded Beatlesque because their sound was that way anyway. I did have an issue with a number of other inferior groups in that era that blatantly tried to take the Beatles sound, but I believe the sound of Badfinger was what it was because of what they wrote and how they sang anyway. I do think Paul took them in the studio and gave it some of the Beatles studio treatment, as well, and if he is okay with it I sure cannot complain.

I could have worded it better not to imply that I did not like their similarity to the Beatles. I actually thought they sounded great.

They had a lot of Beatle-esque elements to their sound, especially with the production of backing vocals. Bravo, I say. Their first hit was a letter-perfect reproduction of a Paul McCartney demo (hear that demo by McCartney on the Anthology CD)...George Harrison produced an album for them...they were Apple recording artists.

But anyone who knows me knows I think "sounds like the Beatles" is a compliment.

Hey Jim , I got itchy under the collar and there was no reason to take it out on you. Yes I'm Welsh but my family has been here since before the civil war so there is no reason for me to be touchy about it.
The ol' man aint' doin' so good and I should really think before I lash out at people for preconceived ideas that I get before actually knowing that things were meant to be in a humorous vein. I guess my own sense of humor comes back to haunt me sometimes. I said it and I can't take it back so please accept my apology. Ben

Ben
I know I said it already but I am sorry to hear about your Dad. It isn't an easy thing to deal with.
I lost my Natural father in 1997 and My Stepfather last year.. Fortunately both went quick but it was still a rough time.

Ben forget it. However you buy the first beer if/when we meet.
I lost my father back in 94 two days before Christmas. My thoughts go out to you and yours. What is meant to be is meant to be. He is lucky to have a son like you.

Thanks guys, back to Badfinger now.

Well, I still want to have beers with the boys.
Mark, get on it! Maybe we can hold back pizza unless they talk to us.....

Just saw a video of the Iveys doing "Maybe Tomorrow". I didn't know that that was Badfinger in the early days. I had the "Magic Christian" album when I was a kid but never realised that they were the same group.

I have Magic Christian Music on vinyl. What a great album!

Actually, I can't remember the name of one of my favorite songs on it but it has the line "I know you think it's funny that you're taking all my money but I don't".

A very good band!

Scott

"Crimson ship" is a cool song.

Tragically most of their catalog got put on the cutting room floor and the band leader had the same fate.
Stories like that turned me from an avid synth samplist into an aimless originalist.

Flip that damn badfinger right to the machine!!

That's why I brought the subject up Matt. Why did this Super group spiral down ? I know Hamm's suicide happened early, but why did this band have such a bad fate? Was it because of organised crime? Or was it because of the expectation to be as good as The Beatles?

Most likely both.
I guess Sinatra and the Kennedy's even had connections to the mafia.
But fortunately, at least a couple of those recordings that were not put out were finally put out on cd.
Hell, they probably thought they would have dominated the scene too much.

But I was'nt even born yet when they came out.
It is just beyond me why the record company would'nt put it out from the little I have heard.

On 24 April 1975, Pete Ham, financially broken and despairing, hanged himself in his garage studio in Surrey. His suicide note, addressed to his girlfriend and her son, blamed Stan Polley for his misfortunes: 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's daughter was born one month after his death.

Ya know...In all I've read about these guys, I just get the feeling that there was never a period of OK this is how it's going to be, no comfort zone to really expand the creativity, the talent was there though on that we all agree...Moker

Basically their downfall began and ended with Stan Polley as far as I can tell. He could not do much for them after awhile because his bad deeds were catching up with him, so no one wanted to do business with him. He had the band so sewed up in their contract that they could not get to their own money if they tried without his doling it out and the depression that set in from financial worries, combined with some personality clashes drove Pete over the edge. Until Polley came on board they had a good thing going with the Beatles, but Allen Klein wanted nothing to with him, so he tried to move them to another label.

On the Welsh debate, I wanted to comment on Wales, and the Welsh people I met when I was over there. I loved Northern Wales. It is one of the more beautiful places I have ever seen, and the Welsh people are some of the most friendly people I ever met. Very humble and honored that an American would come and visit their homeland. I also love to listen to their singsong voices. I cannot understand a single word, but I enjoy listening anyway.

Badfinger wrote and sang a song called Blodwyn which was about a young Welshman showing his love for a girl by hand carving a wooden spoon and offering it to her. If she accepts it, then they become engaged. It is an old Welsh tradition.

Thanks Jack, like I said my welsh ancestors came over before the civil war (You know, the war of northern aggression) and there is no reason for me to get offended. Big Jim got me on that one and I owe him one. Paybacks are hell BJ. I was a little over sensitive which is rare but it happened. Ben

THAT'S BECAUSE YER WELSH!


...oops...

I though the Irish had tempers.

Scottsmen just sit around in dresses.... and pass gas.

LOL - I am mostly Irish.

Well you cannot say we are mean cause we pass everything around including gas so everyone can share.