It took many, many years for me to come around to Badfinger. I loved the hits. Who doesn't? But I found the albums too uneven. I still feel that way about most of them, especially "Magic Christian Music," which is a Frankenstein monster anyway. But the real revelation was when I discovered "Wish You Were Here," only a few years ago. It had been sitting in my collection since the 70's, virtually unplayed. Big mistake. "Straight Up" gets the nod from many, and it is a damn good record. But "Wish You Were Here" takes the cake for most consistent. This six pack has two from "Wish You Were Here," including the heartbreaking Pete Ham song for his son "Dennis," which becomes even more heartbreaking when you think about how Pete's life ended. There's one from "Straight Up," one each from their two weakest releases, "Ass" and "Badfinger," respectively, and the closer, "We're For The Dark," from "No Dice," a song that on certain days might be my single favorite Badfinger tune.
TRACKLIST
Know One Knows
I Can Love You
Perfection
Lonely You
Dennis
We're For The Dark
zip
Six Pack One: Squeeze
Six Pack Two: XTC
Six Pack Three: The Hollies
Six Pack Four: Hall & Oates
5 comments:
Sal, you're right on the mark with Wish You Were Here as their most consistent album.
We're For The Dark is absolutely my favorite Badfinger song.
Great post, thanks!
Randy
"Perfection" is my favorite. Say it out loud - if Ham's songs had dominated the records (or if they had each had only one producer), they would have been a lot more consistent. Contrast them with the Raspberries' records, where the non-Eric Carmen songs fit the whole better.
For me, the many tragedies that mark the band's history, from the suicides of Pete Ham and Tom Evans, the business wrangles & disputes, add an extra poignancy to a lot of their songs, enhancing the melancholy and darkness to certain tunes and lyrics. Having said that, "Perfection" is absolutely that: perfection. So thanks for the six pack and cheers!
Sal, I'm with you on "We're for the Dark." I saw them at the Schaeffer Music Festival in Central Park in the early '70s, and that song was a highlight of the show, as I remember it.
George
One of my all time faves of their's is the In the Meantime/Some other Time on the Wish You Were Here. Joey's still out there slugging away on the road.
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