Badfinger (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Badfinger
Type = Album
Artist = Badfinger


Released = February 1974
Recorded = 1973
Genre = Power pop
Length = 40:05
Label = Warner Bros. Records
BS 2762
Producer = Chris Thomas
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wgke4j670waq link]
Last album = "Ass"
(1973)
This album = "Badfinger"
(1974)
Next album = "Wish You Were Here"
(1974)

"Badfinger" is the fifth album by the rock band Badfinger. The album was recorded in the autumn of 1973 and released in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records. It was the first of two albums released by the band on the Warner label.

History

As Badfinger was completing work on its last album for Apple, "Ass", Badfinger's manager, Stan Polley, signed the band to a three-year, six-album deal with Warners. As a result, shortly after the band and producer Chris Thomas completed recording of "Ass", they found themselves back in the studio making a new album for Warners.

Although the album is technically untitled, it is referred to as "Badfinger" as this is its only identification outside its matrix number. The intended title, "For Love Or Money," was misplaced by the label at the time of production and was never used. The intended title referred to Badfinger's label change from Apple Records to Warner Brothers.

The album features the return of Pete Ham and Tom Evans as the group's principal writers, as they contribute 7 songs to Joey Molland's 4 and Mike Gibbins' 1. Despite this, like "Ass", "Badfinger" received weak reviews in the influential American music magazine "Rolling Stone" upon its release. A UK single released prior to the album, "Love Is Easy," failed to chart. A subsequent single released in the U.S., "I Miss You," also failed.

The album only reached #161 in the Billboard Hot 200, making it Badfinger's lowest charting album. Part of the reason for the poor chart performance was that, due to litigation with Apple Records, this album and "Ass" came out within months of each other; in fact, in the UK, "Badfinger" actually came out before "Ass".

The album was re-released on CD format in the 1990s in Japan and Germany only. However, many tracks from this album have subsequently been released on various Badfinger compilation records and CDs.

Track listing

#"I Miss You" (Ham) - 2:36
#"Shine On" (Ham, Evans) - 2:52
#"Love Is Easy" (Molland) - 3:08
#"Song For A Lost Friend" (Ham) - 2:52
#"Why Don't We Talk?" (Evans) - 3:45
#"Island" (Molland) - 3:40
#"Matted Spam" (Ham) - 3:09
#"Where Do We Go From Here?" (Evans) - 3:25
#"My Heart Goes Out" (Gibbins) - 3:16
#"Lonely You" (Ham) - 3:48
#"Give It Up" (Molland) - 4:34
#"Andy Norris" (J & K Molland) - 2:59

Personnel

*Pete Ham – Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Tom Evans – Bass, Vocals
*Joey Molland – Guitar, Vocals
*Mike Gibbins – Drums, Vocals

Sources

Dan Matovina, "Without You: The Tragic Story Of Badfinger".