One of the better installments was the one they did for Badfinger. This was far and away one of the best and truly saddest stories they tackled. While every other profile at least suggested that there was hope after the big crash, the Badfinger story started about elbow high, then sank steadily. There was no big career arc here, outside of getting discovered by the Beatles via their roadie Mal Evans, which probably did as much work against them as for them. They sported a truly great songwriter in Pete Ham, a guy who loved nothing more than writing songs and making records. And when the music business took that away from him, he hung himself.
It really is a shame, since they started with such promise. They also started with a different lineup and sound. Signed to Apple under the name The Iveys, they recorded a pleasant pop album with more than a little Beatle influence, if closer to the Bee Gees. Due to the first of what would be continual record company shenanigans at the band’s expense, Maybe Tomorrow was released only in Germany, Italy, and Japan, but not in the UK or the US.
The album’s kinda all over the place, starting with the rocking “See-Saw Grampa” (with Nicky Hopkins on piano) into the more sentimental “Beautiful And Blue”. From Ron Griffiths’ extra sweet “Dear Angie” through Tom Evans’ lilting “Fisherman”, “Angelique”, and the title track, it’s the sound of a group finding its own pop sound in a time when that was becoming passé for a rock band. Drummer Mike Gibbins even gets a hand in with the middling “Think About The Good Times”. Pete’s “Yesterday Ain’t Coming Back” and “They’re Knocking Down Our Home” and Tom’s “I’m In Love” are music hall-style trifles, a genre they were wise to abandon going forward, but “Sali Bloo” and “I’ve Been Waiting” show a desire to rock heavy.
Within a year Ron left the band, but first they were given the assignment of replicating a Paul McCartney demo for the soundtrack of a movie Ringo was in. Despite its lyrical brevity, “Come And Get It” was a catchy hit, and the band (now called Badfinger) were allowed to contribute a couple more songs to the film. The resulting Magic Christian Music album included those songs, plus seven tracks (six in the U.S.) from Maybe Tomorrow, some of which were remixed for the better.
Pete still hadn’t quite emerged as a songwriter yet, though “Midnight Sun” is a good excuse to rock and “Walk Out In The Rain” has intricately arranged harmonies. He and Tom collaborate on “Crimson Ship” (which sports a great chorus and guitar to match, even if it doesn’t make much sense), the more dramatic “Carry On Till Tomorrow”, and “Rock Of All Ages” (with McCartney bashing away on piano and adding occasional whoops), which join the songs brought forward to show the two sides of Tom. “Give It A Try”, a power pop template left off the U.S. LP, is a full band collaboration.
Despite the respect and royalties the band and estates finally received over the years, their digital legacy is just as confusing as their vinyl catalog. Both Maybe Tomorrow and Magic Christian Music (with the two songs left off the U.S. release) were included in the first CD versions of the Apple catalog, but only the latter album was featured in the 2010 rollout. As a further complication, the new CD offered different bonus tracks than the first time, with a further selection available only as either digital downloads or in a massive box set covering all the main Apple artists. (This was the only way to replicate the Maybe Tomorrow album in this century.)
Iveys Maybe Tomorrow (1969)—3
1992 CD reissue: same as 1969, plus 4 extra tracks
Badfinger Magic Christian Music (1970)—3
1992 CD reissue: same as 1970, plus 4 extra tracks
2010 CD reissue: same as 1970, plus 7 extra tracks
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