Badfinger - Wish You Were Here
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Quite possibly the most tragic story in rock and roll, Badfinger had the world in front of them in 1968 when they were signed as the first band (known as the Iveys at the time) to the fledgling label founded by the Beatles, Apple Records. Heralded as one of the seminal power pop bands, they had all the ingredients needed to be a successful rock band.They had several big hist in the early 70’s and were involved in a number of solo projects by members of the Beatles, including Imagine, All Things Must Pass, the Concert for Bangladesh, and “It Don’t Come Easy.” Unfortunately, monetary and sustained commercial success eluded them largely due to the nefarious business practices of their manager, Stan Polley. Two of the founding members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans ended up taking their own lives as a result of their ongoing financial woes.
This album, Wish You Were Here, is the last disc by the classic line-up and finds them at the peak of the powers with the band branching out into new directions to add to their signature pop melodies and remarkable playing. Due to the financial shenanigans of their manager, the album was pulled after only seven weeks in distribution by Warner Brothers (who they had signed with after leaving Apple). Although it was little heard at the time of its release, it has since become a favorite of Badfinger fans and is almost universally considered their best album.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Prior to being signed to Apple Records, Badfinger was know as the Iveys. The signed with Apple under that name and had minor success with the single “Maybe Tomorrow.” Here’s the Iveys in a promotional video for the song. Note: Ron Griffiths is still the bassist and Joey Molland has not yet joined the band.
