Black sabbath hanging out and freaking each other out in a spooky castle leading up to sabbath bloody sabbath sounds like a crazy scooby doo episode lol. Or oasis 'be here now' not an album I necessarily enjoy but it's not hard to imagine noel in the studio coked out his face and ego let loose thinking he was creating a beatles/Phil specter album but not realising it's out of control and he's waaay out of his depth is both kinda interesting & funny.
Thank you for this review, Abby. Badfinger are one of my top bands of all time. The best albums, IMHO, are Straight Up and Wish You were here. I knew the late Dan Matovina, in fact He signed my copy of his Badfinger book, which I bought directly from him. On a side note: happy 50th anniversary today to Dylan’s masterpiece, Blood On The Tracks!
Somebody very kindly gifted me that book back when it was in print and not $$$ but I had to sell it when I needed money. Hated to. Glad I kept the CD at least.
@@moodringcinema839 straight up was the album i (foolishly) passed on, hopefully i’ll see it again someday you’re very lucky to have a copy of without you, and even luckier to have known dan. he did so much for both badfinger and mal evans’s legacies, he’s sorely missed in the beatleverse
Extra British context for the Goosberry clarification: a Goosberry is someone who tags along with a couple, often socially or on a trip. They are not always unwanted by the couple, but they can feel awkward or out of place because they are the third wheel.
Wow! Abigail's comparison of Badfinger's Magic Christian Music to the Kinks style is more apt than to the Beatles. I never thought of that before. Badfinger's Mal Evans produced single "No Matter What" though is definitely Beatles influenced though. I hope there is a review/analysis of their Straight Up or Wish You Were Here albums (they are both superb, classic gems) as they found & refined their own sound by that time.
"No notes", huh? Well, I do have some - but not for the first sections with the history, because every time I thought of a point you should cover, you covered it. Very well done! About the only point I wish you'd mentioned in that section is that the US version of the album is a throwback to the Capitol records "fourteen songs on a British LP, twelve songs on a US one" philosophy; they dropped "Angelique" and "Give It A Try" (good decision on both IMO) and moved "Fisherman" to side 2, track 4, where it works very well. The choices to remix several of the "Maybe Tomorrow" album tracks were good ones, removing the more overtly British music-hall touches ("I'm In Love" really suffered from this originally), although we lost a very funny final chorus on "Fisherman". I also wish they'd included "And Her Daddy's A Millionaire" on this album, although the unreleased version on the Apple Records Box Set CD is NOT the same as the great version from the "Maybe Tomorrow" album; thanks so much for mentioning the song. In your track-by-track review, I did have some notes. First, to my knowledge, "Knocking Down Our Home" is indeed a Pete Ham composition; he sings lead on it, and Badfinger tended to follow the Beatles' model of having the composer of a song sing lead most of the time. Next, in "Crimson Ship", the line is "noughts and crosses", which is the British term for the game Tic-Tac-Toe. Also, I don't think the line "Our father lost his mother's son" is a clunker at all; the guy lost himself, and it's a very clever turn of phrase to state that. As for "Midnight Sun", I DO have lyrics for the song (in a contemporary volume "The Apple Song Book"), and you got the "gooseberry" reference correct, for what it's worth. And while I don't really hear that much "Good Day Sunshine" influence in "I'm In Love", wait till you get to "Believe Me" on Abbey Road - sorry, No Dice - for a REAL Beatles borrowing. And speaking of borrowing, if Badfinger borrowed from anybody with that closing guitar riff on "Walk Out In The Rain", it's Spirit and "Taurus"; apparently the library book was still available when Led Zeppelin got to it two years later. (But I frequently quote Tom Lehrer and his song "Lobachevsky" - "Plagiarize, plagiarize, only remember to call it, please, RESEARCH!") Badfinger's story IS a sad one, but there are plenty of villains to go around, not just Allen Klein: the inability of a producer to stick with them for an entire album until Chris Thomas on "Ass"; Bill Collins passing the management of the group to the despicable Stan Polley; both Apple and Warner Brothers failing to promote their albums or release singles with a chance of chart success. But a group that recorded "Come And Get It", "No Matter What", "Baby Blue", and composed "Without You", which Harry Nilsson took all the way to number one (largely thanks to HIS producer, R.I.P. Richard Perry), has nothing to be ashamed of. But speaking of clunker phrases: 26:16 - "The most 70s song to ever 60s" - ?!?!? (Though it IS a fun phrase, and that's what this album and review are about.)
Badfinger had some pretty big hits back in the day like No Matter What, Day After Day and to a lesser extent. Baby Blue. Their songs sounded great on AM radio. Too bad they couldn’t stick it out. They were well-loved and respected in their time, and had a great influence on power pop and Brit pop artists of the 80’s and 90’s. I was glad to learn more about the band. This UA-cam video has been a welcome distraction from this dark timeline we’re stuck with. Thanks, Abby
Considering it's -3 degrees outside, what's going on at 38.9072 N, 77.0369 W, I need the Marvelous Devoe today. She has the ability to make me feel like I'm 20 years old again.
Another song which protested the enforced suburbanisation of Londoners is "Get 'em Out By Friday" by Genesis (1972). It must have been a big deal at the time, to inspire multiple protest songs.
I think you're going to have to tackle at least "Straight Up" eventually. I was a live music consumer, and "Baby Blue/Day After Day" absolutely ruled the AM airwaves upon release. The "Straight Up" LP is still a bit of a collector's item despite multiple re-releases over the decades.
Great Band! Wish You Were Here is my favorite album by them (no relation to the Pink Floyd album with the same name). Straight Up and No Dice are also killer albums by them.
Im a huge badfinger fan i own all of the albums that features pete ham such a great band its such a shame that bad management killed the band and allen klien as well in a short degree great video Abbey ❤❤❤ keep it up i hope you can get a copy of straight up its their best album
Great show Abby, glad to see one of my all-time favorite bands on your channel at last. I still got all their Apple vinyl albums in my collection. Got to see them on tv several times, on shows like midnight special & Don Kirshner's rock concert. Had no idea of the sad events behind the scene that would lead to tragedy. Only way to know what was happening was radio television and magazines, and the band kept a brave front during the few interviews i saw & heard always seemed to be happy during their TV appearances. The follow-up to their last hit (Baby Blue), took a couple of years to be released. Apple of my eye, great single, but it flops. That year, 74, they released 3 new albums. At the time I didn't know that was unusual, i just thought wow, they're as prolific as the Beatles. I was so shielded from what was really going on, like all badfinger fans at the time, that i didn't know about Pete Ham's death till about 1977, when a FM DJ played one of their hits and casually said the late Pete Ham & badfinger. Figured he died in a car crash. Two years later I found out it was a suicide. That's how it was back then in those days without the internet....
Another GREAT overview / review / music history lesson ; ) Thanks. And, by reading the notes below, I finally found out what a "Gooseberry" is! I liked this album immediately back when it came out, but "No Dice" and "Straight Up" were even better (to me, of course). After that, I guess things got even crazier, if that's even possible, in the Badfinger world...but there are still some great songs. I saw that Head First has been released as a lovingly remastered version, but it seems to be sold out everywhere at the moment. Thanks for all you bring to this great channel! I wish all of the original band members, and Mal, could see this.
I'm so happy that you're doing Badfinger. One of my favorite bands since the early 1970's. I have a copy of "Without You." It's supposed to have a CD with it that has rarities and interviews with band members. When buying used copies the CD is usually not with the book.
Ringo's Apple film production was called "The Magic Christian" (1969). Badfinger has songs on the film soundtrack. The film was written by Terry Southern (who wrote the original comic Novel 'The Magic Christian' in 1959. Southern was involved with Jack Nicholson on the movie "The Trip" and "Head" by the Monkees (which you reviewed). The 'Magic Christian' film stars Peter Sellers and has an amazing amount of cameos, including Harry Nilsson, John and Yoko etc..
That point in the video where you mention Metal Machine Music and you're smiling while talking is BRILLIANT. Reviews of all Badfinger albums, please. This band deserves nothing less.
I thought "Knocking Down Our Home" was written by Pete Ham not Tom Evans. I never read the book but all others sources claim Ham as author. Just wondering. 9:04
Straight Up is a great album. Bought mine for a dollar years before prices shot up. Never thought of exploring this band further until I watched this. Never thought I'd buy a Sonic Youth or look for a MC5 pick either. Thanks for sharing your uplifting enthusiasm .
Badfinger always reminds me of being a kid playing snooker against my dad in the garage, he would always have a classic radio station on playing, badfinger, elo, carpenters. etc. Thank you for the review🌟🙋♂️
Thanks, Abigail. Badfinger deserved better. I love the scope of your musical knowledge and interests. I have all of their CDs, including the one from "Without You." Great musicians and, especially, song writers. On another note, I noticed that you were gifted my favorite Brian Eno album, "The Taking of Tiger Mountain by Strategy." It's an amazing album and play, of sorts, about the Chinese Revolution and civil war to the founding of the present regime. Very abstract, very funny, very Eno. The title is named after one of only a handful of actual plays allowed in Communist China. Blew my mind when I first heard it. Still love listening to it.
Badfinger made four records for Apple Records and this is my favorite 🍏 Come and Get It is the single of this album for a reason because it’s a catchy Paul tune with Badfinger as the band but Dear Angie and Arthur from the bonus tracks are added to my favorite tracks
Thanks Abby another well done video I enjoy when you flash album covers cause it makes me happy if i have it 91 likes 384 views posted 43 mins ago what a wonderfull of music
Wonderful! Speaking of bands who were shafted and neglected by their record label, leaving a masterpiece twisting in the wind......Big Star's Number 1 Record. The label's ineptitude is legendary.
ABBY!! You said all the things I've been saying to my friends. Badfinger was hugely influential on mid-70s pop and rock. LIsten to how they influenced Big Star (compare "We're For the Dark" to "Watch the Sun Rise," or "Had to Be" and "Money" to "What's Going Ahn" and "Daisy Glaze"). "Maybe Tomorrow" is a ringer for Air Supply. "Give It a Try" sounds like a mid-70s RSO AM hit. I'd go so far as to says that Badfinger sounds more like the Wings albums which came after than the Beatles which came before. Who influenced who? Although Straight Up is the best-sounding album, I feel the writing and sequencing is less consistent than other records. Wish You Were Here is a powerful and tuneful triumph. I adore "Dear Angie" and would list it as my second favorite song, but Pete Ham's "Dennis" from Wish... is both wildly ambitious and heart-breakingly autobiographical. I also would rate No Dice higher for its consistency and song-craft. Magic Christian is completely charming, and their self-titled album is at least the equal to Straight Up - although S/T has bizarre production choices, the songs are soulful, and it ends with two angry/desperate songs by Joey Molland railing against the group's management. Thank you for understanding the sadness behind "Knocking Down Our Home." Mike Gibbons is a powerful piston of a drummer - amazing. As the years went on, Tom Evans's production decreased and Joey Molland became the band's under-appreciated backstop, filling up the albums with hook-filled rock when the others leaned too hard on ballads. One request - MORE BADFINGER! (Please...!) Great job, Abby!
Loved and love Badfinger. Still have original pressings of No Dice and Come and get it it (Greatest Hits). Also have THE BOOK, but didn't realise it was collectable now. Fave tracks from the band are Day after Day, No matter what and Without you (forget Nillson, listen to the OG).
I was watching THE MAGIC CHRISTAIN last night and thought to myself "Hmmm, wish I know more about the band named Bad Finger featured in this film" and now here we are! Sweet!
Thank You Abby! MOBY GRAPE 🐳🍇 also had a Mess History, but should have been great!! From San Francisco scene, late sixties,at least their first 3 albums are legendary!
Nice mention of Blur on this episode. A band that never got their due in the U.S. but i think they're great (especially Park Life. self titled and 13).
Abbie, Abbie, Abbie. You don’t have weird hands. Just Badfingers. 😬 Seriously, thanks for mentioning the similarities to the music of the Kinks. I had missed that and will need to listen more carefully. Also, if you’re interested in shining a light on another band deserving of recognition, please check out Fanny.
Time to break out your Googlefinger, Abby. There's a long form article in Milwaukee magazine from 2009 called "Prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll" that does a deep dive into their... well, being held prisoner in the Cream City. Absolutely gutwrenching, but worth a read.
Great Job on this one!! It is a cruel twist of fate that Brian Epstein did not live a few years longer as he really could have made Apple a complete success in every way, and Badfinger would have definitely benefited from his involvement and vision for Apple. When Badfinger first hit the AM airwaves I loved their music and always felt they rocked harder then the Beatles when they wanted too. Check out the release last month of their last album Head First from 1975 finally getting a proper release, It is Great!.
Initially Apple Computer Inc. said to the label - look we just make computers nothing to worry about. Then by the 90's Apples were being used to make music. then the iTunes store, then Apple Computer becoming Apple, Inc.
@@brianmiller1077 Apple Corps (the Beatles company) did sue Apple Computer over the use of the name in 1981. The case was settled for the whopping sum of $80,000 US!
it was a likeable album on the first two listens to me, the antecedents very strong. but on the third listen i got the enjoyment from it that was easy to collect all along. strong influences can still allow something fresh to flourish: flamin' groovies 'shake some action',and yes the lemon twigs both of which stake their own claims if you just reject the but but buts because you can spot the influences. and let's face it through time nothing is ever exactly the same. even a rip off of a Georgio de Chirico! come and get it is the work of a master, commercial, craftsman so when they try to make a match of it with the strong crimson ship, i'm applauding them. maybe tomorrow, wether it should be there or not i don't know, but it shows they are not afraid of going for the big romantic ballad and we all know the heights they would reach in that genre. a lot of fans will appreciate this showcase for a fav band. songs for swingin lovers.
Had to go and listen to Dear Angie,I found it torturous,Badfinger got immortalized by Walter White and Breaking Bad,with Baby Blue,I still have to hear that a couple times a week
Great seeing Badfinger getting some well deserved love. Sadly their entire history is one of the most depressing and sad history of ever heard. They were actually more of cameo artists at George Harrison's Concert for Bangaladesh . I wish George would have given them a piece of the spot light.
Jimmy has said over the years that he had been playing around with "Stairway" while he was still with the Yardbirds. So, it makes sense that if The Ivies opened for the Yardbirds then the guys might have overheard Jimmy messing around with it and they accidentally borrowed some of it. I love Badfinger. I think they should have been bigger.
I know you say nothing personal: I'm not famous in any way, but I have acquired a couple of stalkers over the years throughout my Social Media journey. They have forced me off of Social Media and chased me around UA-cam. That's why I have to take frequent breaks from posting. Despite many letters of complaint to Mark, Elon and Google they have done nothing about it. So, I take long breaks (because they have hacked other channels here) so they won't do the same here or my other favorite channels. Feel free to delete once you read this. I love this community and don't want anything to happen to you or this channel.
By the way, The Magic Christian, a novel by Terry Southern (that the movie is based on) is a very funny black-humore, satirical novel. You should check it out.
True! Terry Southern's novels "Magic Christian" & "Candy" were fun, wicked '60's satires! Movies... not so good, BUT worthwhile as cultural artifacts. Get the DVD's while you can!
She must be from like a fairly privileged family, or have a good job on the side to get those record shelves and all those records. I mean either that or she reviews websites (I think you get free music to review if you do that).
Lol I wonder if I'm the only one who was unaware of the album title and thought the thumbnail meant you were covering "magic Christian music" as a genre
though not the band’s best album (i think albums like, “no dice,” and, “straight up,” are better), it’s my go-to badfinger album when i’m in the mood for their music
Badfinger.....arguably the most doomed group in rock history. Certainly in the top ten. While I think No Dice and Straight Up (nice Fab tribute to the With the Beatles album cover) are better than Magic Christian Music....there are gems here (especially the song they got from The Cute One.) It's a shame that their career collapsed the way it did.....oddly Allen Klein wasn't the main villain in their demise. Great video once again!
this is the only time I ever paid any attention to this band, probably because I didn't like their "come and get it " hit , and didn't take it past that. I am not knowledgeable about any record history to answer the question posed .
TRUE, unfortunately. The Magic Christian movie was EPICALLY AWFUL. Although it did feature a brief early appearance by Graham Chapman & John Cleese pre Monty Python. I thought the bit about collecting only the noses of dusty old oil portraits was amusing, the whole point of the novel & movie was what people WOULDN'T do for money. "Candy" was a satirical update of "Candide," which itself was a satirical look at the Royal world of Voltaire's 18th Century. The Terry Southern novel was good, but the movie was a screaming disaster. James Coburn, Richard Burton, Marlon Brando--all leering like smirking babboons, smitten by the woefully out-of-her-depth Swedish twist Ewa Aulin. Blame the whole mess on brat young "director" Michael Sarne who did a decent '60's reckless youth movie "Joanne", which got him the ticket to do "Candy," which was disastrous. Sarne began "making it up on set," shooting without a script & ignoring any budget or professional limitations. This was how the '60's died. No surprise the film they salvaged was a trainwreck. I can never forgive how cavalierly Sarne flippantly abused Steppenwolf's hit single "Rock Me," carefully crafted by the band for this project, and just basically crumpled up & discarded by Sarne in the movie. SHAMEFUL! There WERE some good "troubled youth" movies made during the '60's, my first pick is "The Sweet Ride" starring Jacqeline Bisset, Michael Sarrazin, Bob Denver (YES-Gilligan), Tony Franciosa, & featuring a special performance by the hot, happening teen sounds of Moby Grape. Title song by Jackie DeShannon. VERY dated YES & NOT for everyone, but I personally like it enormously.
It’s so frustrating with Badfinger you want to build a Time Machine and go back and keep certain people away from the band. So they avoid all the nasty stuff to come. I’m sure you feel the same way with the MC 5.
what’s your favorite album with an eventful/chaotic/controversial/otherwise messy history? comment below!
Defiantly The Rolling Stones ",Exile On Main St" album fit's that description perfectly. 😊
Has to be the White Album
Liege and Lief
Black sabbath hanging out and freaking each other out in a spooky castle leading up to sabbath bloody sabbath sounds like a crazy scooby doo episode lol.
Or oasis 'be here now' not an album I necessarily enjoy but it's not hard to imagine noel in the studio coked out his face and ego let loose thinking he was creating a beatles/Phil specter album but not realising it's out of control and he's waaay out of his depth is both kinda interesting & funny.
@@tudormiller887 My inner English prof loves when people write defiantly when they mean something else because sometimes it fits perfectly lol
"A band two years too late and five years too early." Badfinger, the Welsh Big Star.
This.
Brilliant.....
Perfect comment and the best comparison.
Thank you for this review, Abby. Badfinger are one of my top bands of all time. The best albums, IMHO, are Straight Up and Wish You were here. I knew the late Dan Matovina, in fact He signed my copy of his Badfinger book, which I bought directly from him.
On a side note: happy 50th anniversary today to Dylan’s masterpiece, Blood On The Tracks!
Somebody very kindly gifted me that book back when it was in print and not $$$ but I had to sell it when I needed money. Hated to. Glad I kept the CD at least.
@@moodringcinema839 straight up was the album i (foolishly) passed on, hopefully i’ll see it again someday
you’re very lucky to have a copy of without you, and even luckier to have known dan. he did so much for both badfinger and mal evans’s legacies, he’s sorely missed in the beatleverse
Extra British context for the Goosberry clarification: a Goosberry is someone who tags along with a couple, often socially or on a trip. They are not always unwanted by the couple, but they can feel awkward or out of place because they are the third wheel.
amazing, thank you for the insight. kinda love the term “gooseberry” now lol
@@abigaildevoe It's rather sweet and fantastic, isn't it!
Wow! Abigail's comparison of Badfinger's Magic Christian Music to the Kinks style is more apt than to the Beatles. I never thought of that before. Badfinger's Mal Evans produced single "No Matter What" though is definitely Beatles influenced though. I hope there is a review/analysis of their Straight Up or Wish You Were Here albums (they are both superb, classic gems) as they found & refined their own sound by that time.
The Magic Christian was co-written by Terry Southern, based on his book, who also appears on the cover of Sgt. Pepper.
"No notes", huh? Well, I do have some - but not for the first sections with the history, because every time I thought of a point you should cover, you covered it. Very well done! About the only point I wish you'd mentioned in that section is that the US version of the album is a throwback to the Capitol records "fourteen songs on a British LP, twelve songs on a US one" philosophy; they dropped "Angelique" and "Give It A Try" (good decision on both IMO) and moved "Fisherman" to side 2, track 4, where it works very well. The choices to remix several of the "Maybe Tomorrow" album tracks were good ones, removing the more overtly British music-hall touches ("I'm In Love" really suffered from this originally), although we lost a very funny final chorus on "Fisherman". I also wish they'd included "And Her Daddy's A Millionaire" on this album, although the unreleased version on the Apple Records Box Set CD is NOT the same as the great version from the "Maybe Tomorrow" album; thanks so much for mentioning the song.
In your track-by-track review, I did have some notes. First, to my knowledge, "Knocking Down Our Home" is indeed a Pete Ham composition; he sings lead on it, and Badfinger tended to follow the Beatles' model of having the composer of a song sing lead most of the time. Next, in "Crimson Ship", the line is "noughts and crosses", which is the British term for the game Tic-Tac-Toe. Also, I don't think the line "Our father lost his mother's son" is a clunker at all; the guy lost himself, and it's a very clever turn of phrase to state that. As for "Midnight Sun", I DO have lyrics for the song (in a contemporary volume "The Apple Song Book"), and you got the "gooseberry" reference correct, for what it's worth. And while I don't really hear that much "Good Day Sunshine" influence in "I'm In Love", wait till you get to "Believe Me" on Abbey Road - sorry, No Dice - for a REAL Beatles borrowing. And speaking of borrowing, if Badfinger borrowed from anybody with that closing guitar riff on "Walk Out In The Rain", it's Spirit and "Taurus"; apparently the library book was still available when Led Zeppelin got to it two years later. (But I frequently quote Tom Lehrer and his song "Lobachevsky" - "Plagiarize, plagiarize, only remember to call it, please, RESEARCH!")
Badfinger's story IS a sad one, but there are plenty of villains to go around, not just Allen Klein: the inability of a producer to stick with them for an entire album until Chris Thomas on "Ass"; Bill Collins passing the management of the group to the despicable Stan Polley; both Apple and Warner Brothers failing to promote their albums or release singles with a chance of chart success. But a group that recorded "Come And Get It", "No Matter What", "Baby Blue", and composed "Without You", which Harry Nilsson took all the way to number one (largely thanks to HIS producer, R.I.P. Richard Perry), has nothing to be ashamed of.
But speaking of clunker phrases: 26:16 - "The most 70s song to ever 60s" - ?!?!? (Though it IS a fun phrase, and that's what this album and review are about.)
Being a gooseberry is being the third person with a couple who are interested in each other
Badfinger had some pretty big hits back in the day like No Matter What, Day After Day and to a lesser extent. Baby Blue. Their songs sounded great on AM radio. Too bad they couldn’t stick it out. They were well-loved and respected in their time, and had a great influence on power pop and Brit pop artists of the 80’s and 90’s. I was glad to learn more about the band. This UA-cam video has been a welcome distraction from this dark timeline we’re stuck with. Thanks, Abby
Considering it's -3 degrees outside, what's going on at 38.9072 N, 77.0369 W, I need the Marvelous Devoe today. She has the ability to make me feel like I'm 20 years old again.
Wow! We’re neighbors! I’m in Haywood, VA.
@@thermionic1234567 I'm right above Akron, Oh. That's the latitude and longitude of D.C. Something happened there today. Something scary.
"Hi, I'm Abby. I have a lot of records and..."
(she holds up her finger)
Me: ...there's something in the air? The revolution's here?
Abby i respect your efforts to go through an entire video about badfinger without mentioning breaking bad once.
A gooseberry means a third person when two people want to be alone, like when you find yourself somewhere with a couple and it's a bit awkward.
Your reviews make me curious about albums I've never heard. Thank you Abby ! 🙂
The Lemon 🍋 Twigs are a fine band indeed.
Another song which protested the enforced suburbanisation of Londoners is "Get 'em Out By Friday" by Genesis (1972). It must have been a big deal at the time, to inspire multiple protest songs.
love that song
Dearest Abby, you are awesome. Great work once again. I do like a few of Badfingers songs. Fun to sing and play. Sad ending for that band though.
Interesting trivia about Thunderclap Newman, thier guitarist Jimmy McCollugh went on to join Paul McCartney & Wings..
I think you're going to have to tackle at least "Straight Up" eventually. I was a live music consumer, and "Baby Blue/Day After Day" absolutely ruled the AM airwaves upon release. The "Straight Up" LP is still a bit of a collector's item despite multiple re-releases over the decades.
Great Band!
Wish You Were Here is my favorite album by them (no relation to the Pink Floyd album with the same name).
Straight Up and No Dice are also killer albums by them.
Im a huge badfinger fan i own all of the albums that features pete ham such a great band its such a shame that bad management killed the band and allen klien as well in a short degree great video Abbey ❤❤❤ keep it up i hope you can get a copy of straight up its their best album
Great show Abby, glad to see one of my all-time favorite bands on your channel at last. I still got all their Apple vinyl albums in my collection. Got to see them on tv several times, on shows like midnight special & Don Kirshner's rock concert. Had no idea of the sad events behind the scene that would lead to tragedy. Only way to know what was happening was radio television and magazines, and the band kept a brave front during the few interviews i saw & heard always seemed to be happy during their TV appearances. The follow-up to their last hit (Baby Blue), took a couple of years to be released. Apple of my eye, great single, but it flops. That year, 74, they released 3 new albums. At the time I didn't know that was unusual, i just thought wow, they're as prolific as the Beatles. I was so shielded from what was really going on, like all badfinger fans at the time, that i didn't know about Pete Ham's death till about 1977, when a FM DJ played one of their hits and casually said the late Pete Ham & badfinger. Figured he died in a car crash. Two years later I found out it was a suicide. That's how it was back then in those days without the internet....
Another GREAT overview / review / music history lesson ; ) Thanks. And, by reading the notes below, I finally found out what a "Gooseberry" is! I liked this album immediately back when it came out, but "No Dice" and "Straight Up" were even better (to me, of course). After that, I guess things got even crazier, if that's even possible, in the Badfinger world...but there are still some great songs. I saw that Head First has been released as a lovingly remastered version, but it seems to be sold out everywhere at the moment. Thanks for all you bring to this great channel! I wish all of the original band members, and Mal, could see this.
I'm so happy that you're doing Badfinger. One of my favorite bands since the early 1970's. I have a copy of "Without You." It's supposed to have a CD with it that has rarities and interviews with band members. When buying used copies the CD is usually not with the book.
Ringo's Apple film production was called "The Magic Christian" (1969). Badfinger has songs on the film soundtrack. The film was written by Terry Southern (who wrote the original comic Novel 'The Magic Christian' in 1959. Southern was involved with Jack Nicholson on the movie "The Trip" and "Head" by the Monkees (which you reviewed). The 'Magic Christian' film stars Peter Sellers and has an amazing amount of cameos, including Harry Nilsson, John and Yoko etc..
Ond word to describe Badfinger , Awesome 👌
Badfinger always put a smile on my face with the infectious melodies.
I have all of Badfinger’s albums on vinyl
That point in the video where you mention Metal Machine Music and you're smiling while talking is BRILLIANT.
Reviews of all Badfinger albums, please. This band deserves nothing less.
I thought "Knocking Down Our Home" was written by Pete Ham not Tom Evans. I never read the book but all others sources claim Ham as author. Just wondering. 9:04
It's Pete's song.
Straight Up is a great album. Bought mine for a dollar years before prices shot up. Never thought of exploring this band further until I watched this. Never thought I'd buy a Sonic Youth or look for a MC5 pick either. Thanks for sharing your uplifting enthusiasm .
Badfinger always reminds me of being a kid playing snooker against my dad in the garage, he would always have a classic radio station on playing, badfinger, elo, carpenters. etc. Thank you for the review🌟🙋♂️
OMGGGG BADFINGER MENTIONEDDDDD
I love “Magic Christian” i downloaded the MP4 movie on my pen drive… Great cameos from the 2 Pythons…
Ai says "Calling someone a gooseberry is an informal British idiom that means they are an unwanted third party in a romantic relationship."
Just came on here to say that
Thanks, Abigail. Badfinger deserved better. I love the scope of your musical knowledge and interests. I have all of their CDs, including the one from "Without You." Great musicians and, especially, song writers.
On another note, I noticed that you were gifted my favorite Brian Eno album, "The Taking of Tiger Mountain by Strategy." It's an amazing album and play, of sorts, about the Chinese Revolution and civil war to the founding of the present regime. Very abstract, very funny, very Eno. The title is named after one of only a handful of actual plays allowed in Communist China. Blew my mind when I first heard it. Still love listening to it.
Badfinger made four records for Apple Records and this is my favorite 🍏
Come and Get It is the single of this album for a reason because it’s a catchy Paul tune with Badfinger as the band but Dear Angie and Arthur from the bonus tracks are added to my favorite tracks
I'm hearing a lot of "Sorry Suzanne" era Hollies in this music. And Magic Christian Music sounds GREAT back to back with #1 Record by Big Star.
Love Badfinger. Their music is exceptional
Metal Machine Music? On Patreon? I’d love to watch a review of that
Thanks Abby another well done video
I enjoy when you flash album covers
cause it makes me happy if i have it
91 likes 384 views posted 43 mins ago
what a wonderfull of music
OH MY JESUS PHYSICAL GRAFFITI
Impressive review! Can't wait to check out more! Thank you!
Wonderful! Speaking of bands who were shafted and neglected by their record label, leaving a masterpiece twisting in the wind......Big Star's Number 1 Record. The label's ineptitude is legendary.
ABBY!! You said all the things I've been saying to my friends. Badfinger was hugely influential on mid-70s pop and rock. LIsten to how they influenced Big Star (compare "We're For the Dark" to "Watch the Sun Rise," or "Had to Be" and "Money" to "What's Going Ahn" and "Daisy Glaze"). "Maybe Tomorrow" is a ringer for Air Supply. "Give It a Try" sounds like a mid-70s RSO AM hit. I'd go so far as to says that Badfinger sounds more like the Wings albums which came after than the Beatles which came before. Who influenced who?
Although Straight Up is the best-sounding album, I feel the writing and sequencing is less consistent than other records. Wish You Were Here is a powerful and tuneful triumph. I adore "Dear Angie" and would list it as my second favorite song, but Pete Ham's "Dennis" from Wish... is both wildly ambitious and heart-breakingly autobiographical. I also would rate No Dice higher for its consistency and song-craft. Magic Christian is completely charming, and their self-titled album is at least the equal to Straight Up - although S/T has bizarre production choices, the songs are soulful, and it ends with two angry/desperate songs by Joey Molland railing against the group's management.
Thank you for understanding the sadness behind "Knocking Down Our Home." Mike Gibbons is a powerful piston of a drummer - amazing. As the years went on, Tom Evans's production decreased and Joey Molland became the band's under-appreciated backstop, filling up the albums with hook-filled rock when the others leaned too hard on ballads.
One request - MORE BADFINGER! (Please...!) Great job, Abby!
insane timing on this, i literally finished breaking bad for the first time two days ago
Loved and love Badfinger. Still have original pressings of No Dice and Come and get it it (Greatest Hits). Also have THE BOOK, but didn't realise it was collectable now. Fave tracks from the band are Day after Day, No matter what and Without you (forget Nillson, listen to the OG).
I was watching THE MAGIC CHRISTAIN last night and thought to myself "Hmmm, wish I know more about the band named Bad Finger featured in this film" and now here we are! Sweet!
Thank You Abby! MOBY GRAPE 🐳🍇 also had a Mess History, but should have been great!!
From San Francisco scene, late sixties,at least their first 3 albums are legendary!
Knocking Down Our Home is my favorite on the album.
Nice mention of Blur on this episode. A band that never got their due in the U.S. but i think they're great (especially Park Life. self titled and 13).
Abbie, Abbie, Abbie. You don’t have weird hands. Just Badfingers. 😬
Seriously, thanks for mentioning the similarities to the music of the Kinks. I had missed that and will need to listen more carefully.
Also, if you’re interested in shining a light on another band deserving of recognition, please check out Fanny.
Time to break out your Googlefinger, Abby. There's a long form article in Milwaukee magazine from 2009 called "Prisoners of Rock 'n' Roll" that does a deep dive into their... well, being held prisoner in the Cream City.
Absolutely gutwrenching, but worth a read.
Great thorough review as usual.
I have to say when I saw the Magic Christian, admittedly many years ago, I enjoyed it.
Great Job on this one!! It is a cruel twist of fate that Brian Epstein did not live a few years longer as he really could have made Apple a complete success in every way, and Badfinger would have definitely benefited from his involvement and vision for Apple. When Badfinger first hit the AM airwaves I loved their music and always felt they rocked harder then the Beatles when they wanted too. Check out the release last month of their last album Head First from 1975 finally getting a proper release, It is Great!.
I think of computers when she says “Apple”. Can’t shake the association.
Initially Apple Computer Inc. said to the label - look we just make computers nothing to worry about. Then by the 90's Apples were being used to make music. then the iTunes store, then Apple Computer becoming Apple, Inc.
@@brianmiller1077 Apple Corps (the Beatles company) did sue Apple Computer over the use of the name in 1981. The case was settled for the whopping sum of $80,000 US!
Badfinger, the band that could have been the biggest in the world. In the words of Les McQueen from The League of Gentlemen , It's a Sh1t Business
Please let the next Badfinger album you review be Wish you were here, its an extremely underrated album
Badfinger is one of my all time favorite bands. Badfinger and The Raspberries invented power pop.
This is the Biopic I want to see! The story is very shakespearen.
it was a likeable album on the first two listens to me, the antecedents very strong. but on the third listen i got the enjoyment from it that was easy to collect all along. strong influences can still allow something fresh to flourish: flamin' groovies 'shake some action',and yes the lemon twigs both of which stake their own claims if you just reject the but but buts because you can spot the influences. and let's face it through time nothing is ever exactly the same. even a rip off of a Georgio de Chirico!
come and get it is the work of a master, commercial, craftsman so when they try to make a match of it with the strong crimson ship, i'm applauding them. maybe tomorrow, wether it should be there or not i don't know, but it shows they are not afraid of going for the big romantic ballad and we all know the heights they would reach in that genre.
a lot of fans will appreciate this showcase for a fav band. songs for swingin lovers.
🌠ABBY BEAR ROCKS ..LOVE BADFINGER...
Metal machine music? Oh boy i never thought we could get something stranger than trout mask on this channel but 75k will be crazy!
At 100K she’ll review “Mrs. Miller’s Greatest Hits” 🤣
Had to go and listen to Dear Angie,I found it torturous,Badfinger got immortalized by Walter White and Breaking Bad,with Baby Blue,I still have to hear that a couple times a week
Great seeing Badfinger getting some well deserved love. Sadly their entire history is one of the most depressing and sad history of ever heard. They were actually more of cameo artists at George Harrison's Concert for Bangaladesh . I wish George would have given them a piece of the spot light.
Jimmy has said over the years that he had been playing around with "Stairway" while he was still with the Yardbirds. So, it makes sense that if The Ivies opened for the Yardbirds then the guys might have overheard Jimmy messing around with it and they accidentally borrowed some of it. I love Badfinger. I think they should have been bigger.
I know you say nothing personal: I'm not famous in any way, but I have acquired a couple of stalkers over the years throughout my Social Media journey. They have forced me off of Social Media and chased me around UA-cam. That's why I have to take frequent breaks from posting. Despite many letters of complaint to Mark, Elon and Google they have done nothing about it. So, I take long breaks (because they have hacked other channels here) so they won't do the same here or my other favorite channels. Feel free to delete once you read this. I love this community and don't want anything to happen to you or this channel.
By the way, The Magic Christian, a novel by Terry Southern (that the movie is based on) is a very funny black-humore, satirical novel. You should check it out.
True! Terry Southern's novels "Magic Christian" & "Candy" were fun, wicked '60's satires! Movies... not so good, BUT worthwhile as cultural artifacts. Get the DVD's while you can!
Ray Davies actually wrote 2 albums about compulsory purchase, arguably 4 ^^
One of the saddest rock band stories
Omg I love your respect for British history
I love the Beatles
that was highly enjoyable and well done. What a great band. But ..faces only a mother would love
Does anybody else say (in their head) “Let’s take the plastic off” every time they play an album now?
I read the book The Magic Christian many years ago, but I don't think I ever saw the movie.
I've heard that Apple was started for away for people to help themselves, which they finally did.
Love it.....beautiful hands....
Hi Abby!!
She must be from like a fairly privileged family, or have a good job on the side to get those record shelves and all those records. I mean either that or she reviews websites (I think you get free music to review if you do that).
i’ve started collecting when albums were still cheap(ish) and got VERY lucky with 2 full-collection acquisitions (shoutout to craigslist!!)
Lol I wonder if I'm the only one who was unaware of the album title and thought the thumbnail meant you were covering "magic Christian music" as a genre
Fantastic tbh
though not the band’s best album (i think albums like, “no dice,” and, “straight up,” are better), it’s my go-to badfinger album when i’m in the mood for their music
Thank you.
Badfinger.....arguably the most doomed group in rock history. Certainly in the top ten. While I think No Dice and Straight Up (nice Fab tribute to the With the Beatles album cover) are better than Magic Christian Music....there are gems here (especially the song they got from The Cute One.) It's a shame that their career collapsed the way it did.....oddly Allen Klein wasn't the main villain in their demise. Great video once again!
Have BF greatest hits album, and listen to it regularly. It's great POP music. Sad about Peter Hamm.
"Badfinger" is a great british band,but they don't have the recognition they deserve as a great band on their time.
Whatever happened to Mary Hopkin?
❤
this is the only time I ever paid any attention to this band, probably because I didn't like their "come and get it " hit , and didn't take it past that. I am not knowledgeable about any record history to answer the question posed .
The soundtrack is way better than the movie, which is almost unwatchable.
Nipple
TRUE, unfortunately. The Magic Christian movie was EPICALLY AWFUL. Although it did feature a brief early appearance by Graham Chapman & John Cleese pre Monty Python. I thought the bit about collecting only the noses of dusty old oil portraits was amusing, the whole point of the novel & movie was what people WOULDN'T do for money.
"Candy" was a satirical update of "Candide," which itself was a satirical look at the Royal world of Voltaire's 18th Century. The Terry Southern novel was good, but the movie was a screaming disaster. James Coburn, Richard Burton, Marlon Brando--all leering like smirking babboons, smitten by the woefully out-of-her-depth Swedish twist Ewa Aulin. Blame the whole mess on brat young "director" Michael Sarne who did a decent '60's reckless youth movie "Joanne", which got him the ticket to do "Candy," which was disastrous. Sarne began "making it up on set," shooting without a script & ignoring any budget or professional limitations. This was how the '60's died. No surprise the film they salvaged was a trainwreck. I can never forgive how cavalierly Sarne flippantly abused Steppenwolf's hit single "Rock Me," carefully crafted by the band for this project, and just basically crumpled up & discarded by Sarne in the movie. SHAMEFUL!
There WERE some good "troubled youth" movies made during the '60's, my first pick is "The Sweet Ride" starring Jacqeline Bisset, Michael Sarrazin, Bob Denver (YES-Gilligan), Tony Franciosa, & featuring a special performance by the hot, happening teen sounds of Moby Grape. Title song by Jackie DeShannon. VERY dated YES & NOT for everyone, but I personally like it enormously.
I know you do classic rock but have you ever thought of talking about Beach House?
And the prize for the most beat up album cover in Vinyl Mondayverse goes to...
only the OGs remember the woodstock/harvest/willie and the poor boys jackets falling apart in my hands
maybe some Roxy Music album ;) ?
What is my favorite album that is controversial messy history? Easy Live Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page.
Gooseberry is the odd boy or girl out boy N girl plus gooseberry
Badfinger might be one of the unluckiest rock bands ever
I'm glad you gave them the spotlight
It’s so frustrating with Badfinger you want to build a Time Machine and go back and keep certain people away from the band. So they avoid all the nasty stuff to come. I’m sure you feel the same way with the MC 5.
So they're basically the Beatles minus all the fascinating Avant Garde experiments . Hmm not sure I like that.
Collest Channel Ever!
magic Christian good movie. badfinger had good songs.