Badfinger
Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in 1961 in Swansea. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records.[1][2]
This article is about the band. For their eponymous album, see Badfinger (album).
Badfinger
The Iveys (1961–1969)
Swansea, Wales
- 1961–1975
- 1978–1984
- Pete Ham
- Ron Griffiths
- Joey Molland
- Tom Evans
- Mike Gibbins
- Bob Jackson
Initially known as the Iveys, the band renamed themselves Badfinger, after the working title for The Beatles' 1967 song "With a Little Help from My Friends" ("Bad Finger Boogie"). From 1968 to 1973, Badfinger recorded five albums for Apple Records and toured extensively, before they became embroiled in the chaos of Apple's dissolution.
Badfinger had four consecutive worldwide hits from 1970 to 1972: "Come and Get It" (written and produced by Paul McCartney, 1970), "No Matter What" (produced by Mal Evans, 1970), "Day After Day" (produced by George Harrison, 1971), and "Baby Blue" (produced by Todd Rundgren, 1972). Their song "Without You" (1970) has been recorded many times, and became a US and UK number-one hit for Harry Nilsson in 1971 and a UK number-one for Mariah Carey in 1994.
After Apple Records folded in 1973, Badfinger struggled with a host of legal, managerial, and financial problems, leading to Ham's suicide in 1975. The surviving members struggled to rebuild their personal and professional lives against a backdrop of lawsuits, which tied up the songwriters' royalty payments for years. Their subsequent albums floundered, as Molland and Evans alternated between co-operation and conflict in their attempts to revive and capitalise on the Badfinger legacy. Evans died by suicide in 1983 and Gibbins died from a brain aneurysm in 2005, leaving Molland as the group's only surviving member.
1969–1972: Badfinger[edit]
Departure of Griffiths and hiring of Molland[edit]
At the end of October 1969, Griffiths, who was the sole married occupant of the communal group's home and also was raising a child (b. December 1968), left the group. His responsibilities created friction, mainly between Griffiths's wife, Evans, and manager Collins. Griffiths later said: "Tommy [Evans] created the bad blood. He'd convinced the others that [I was] not one of the boys anymore."[10] Drummer Gibbins remembered that he wasn't even consulted about the decision: "I was considered a nothing head at that point. I wasn't even worth conversing with."[32]
As the release date of "Come and Get It" was approaching, the Iveys looked for a replacement for Griffiths. After unsuccessfully auditioning a number of bassists, they hired guitarist Joey Molland, who was previously with Gary Walker & the Rain, the Masterminds,[33] and the Fruit-Eating Bears.[34] His addition required Evans to shift from rhythm guitar to bass.[33]
Initial success[edit]
"Come and Get It" was released as a single in December 1969 in the UK, and January 1970 in the US. Selling more than a million copies worldwide,[35] it reached Top Ten throughout the world: #7 on the US Billboard chart on 18 April 1970,[36][18] and #4 in the UK.[26] Because the Iveys' Maybe Tomorrow album had been released in only a few markets, the band's three songs from The Magic Christian soundtrack album were combined with other, older Iveys tracks (including both of the Iveys' singles and five other songs from Maybe Tomorrow) and then released as Badfinger's first album Magic Christian Music (1970).[37] The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard album chart in the US.[38] In addition, Derek Taylor commissioned Les Smithers to photograph the band in March 1970. His photograph has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery.[39]
New recording sessions for Badfinger also commenced in March 1970, with Mal Evans producing.[40] Two songs were completed, including "No Matter What", which was rejected by Apple as a potential single.[40] Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick then took over as producer and the band completed its second album in July 1970.[41] During the recordings, the band were sent to Hawaii on 4 June, to appear at a Capitol/Apple Records convention, and then flew to Italy to play concerts in Rome.[42] No Dice was released in the US in late 1970, peaking at #28 on the Billboard album chart.[37] The Mal Evans-produced track "No Matter What", as re-mixed by Emerick, was finally released as a single,[36] and reached numerous Top Ten charts around the world—peaking at #8 in the US and #5 in the UK.[40] An Emerick-produced album track from No Dice titled "Without You" became even more successful after Harry Nilsson covered the song in 1972; his version became an international hit, reaching #1 on Billboard in the US, and also spending five weeks at the top of the UK chart.[43] The song began as a merger of two separate songs, with the verses penned by Ham and the chorus penned by Evans. The song won Ham and Evans the 1972 Ivor Novello award for "Song of the Year".[44]
Signing with Stan Polley[edit]
In April 1970, while in the US scouting prospects for a tour, Collins was introduced to New York businessman Stan Polley,[33] who signed Badfinger to a business management contract in November 1970.[45] Polley established Badfinger Enterprises, Inc., with Stan Poses as vice-president.[10] It bound the band members to various contracts dictating that income from touring, recording, publishing, and even songwriter performance royalties would be directed into holding companies controlled by Polley.[10] It led to a salary arrangement for the band, which various members later complained was inadequate compared to their gross earnings.[10] Gibbins said: "My first impression was, Stan [Polley] is a powerful guy," while Molland thought that Polley seemed more of a father-figure. At the same time, Polley was also managing Al Kooper, of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Lou Christie.[10]
Although Polley's professional reputation was admired, his dubious financial practices eventually contributed to the band's downfall.[46] A financial statement prepared by Polley's accountants, Sigmund Balaban & Co., for the period from 8 December 1970 to 31 October 1971, showed Polley's income from the band: "Salaries and advances to client, $8,339 (Joey Molland), $6,861 (Mike Gibbins), $6,211 (Tom Evans), $5,959 (Pete Ham). Net corporation profit, $24,569. Management commission, $75,744 (Stan Polley)". Although it is not known if the band members saw the statement, Collins certainly had, as his handwriting was on the document.[47]
Badfinger toured the US for three months in late 1970 and were generally well-received, although the band was already weary of persistent comparisons to the Beatles. "The thing that impressed me so much was how similar their voices were to The Beatles," Tony Visconti (producer, "Maybe Tomorrow") said; "I sometimes had to look over the control board down into the studio to make sure John and Paul weren't singing lead vocals ..."[48] Rolling Stone critic Mike Saunders opined in a rave review of No Dice in 1970: "It's as if John, Paul, George, and Ringo had been reincarnated as Joey, Pete, Tom, and Mike of Badfinger."[49] Media comparisons between them and the Beatles would continue throughout Badfinger's career.
Apple session work[edit]
Various members of Badfinger also participated in sessions for fellow Apple Records labelmates, most notably playing acoustic guitar and percussion on much of Harrison's All Things Must Pass triple album (1970), including the hit singles "Isn't It a Pity", "My Sweet Lord". and "What Is Life".[50] Ham and Evans also provided backing vocals on Ringo Starr's Harrison-produced single, "It Don't Come Easy".[51] Evans and Molland then performed on Lennon's album Imagine (1971), although Molland has said that their tracks were not used.[52] Most famously, on 26 July 1971, all four members of Badfinger arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, to rehearse for Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, which took place on 1 August 1971.[53] Ham duetted on acoustic guitar with Harrison on "Here Comes the Sun" during the concert.[46]
1972–1984: Decline and struggles[edit]
End of Apple[edit]
At the start of 1972, Badfinger were contracted for one last album with Apple Records. Despite Badfinger's success, Apple was facing troubled times and its operations were being cut back by Klein. According to Molland, Polley told the band that Klein wanted to cut Badfinger's royalty rate and make them pay for their own studio time.[69][33] By this time, manager Polley was openly suspected of financial mismanagement by his other clients, Christie and music arranger Charlie Calello. A series of allegations also represented Polley as a one-time "bagman" for the Mafia.[70]
Sessions for Badfinger's fourth and final album for Apple, Ass, had begun as far back as early 1972 and would continue at five recording studios over the next year. Rundgren was originally hired to produce but quit in a financial dispute during the first week. The band then produced itself, but Apple rejected their version of the album. Finally, Badfinger hired Chris Thomas to co-produce and complete the project.[71] In the meanwhile, Polley negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. Records,[72] that required a new album from the band every six months over a three-year period. By this time Evans had become suspicious of Polley's oversight, but the band nevertheless signed the deal. Released in 1973,[37] the Ass front cover featured Evans's idea: a jackass staring at a huge dangling carrot.[73] The Ass release was further stalled because of legal wrangling, with Polley using Molland's unsigned song publishing as a negotiating ploy. Attempting to sweep discrepancies under the carpet to secure the LP's release Apple attributed the songwriting credits to "Badfinger". But both Ass (US number 122),[74] and its accompanying lead single, "Apple of My Eye", fell short of reaching the Billboard Hot 100.[18]
1984–present[edit]
In 1984, Molland, Gibbins and Jackson reunited as Badfinger, along with Al Wodtke and Randy Anderson, playing 31 dates as part of a "20th Anniversary of the British Rock 'N' Roll Tour", which included Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Troggs, Billy J. Kramer and Herman's Hermits.[127] In 1986, Molland and Gibbins resumed sporadic touring as Badfinger, with Randy Anderson on guitar and either Mark Healey or A. J. Nicholas on bass. Gibbins left for good in February 1990 following appearances at three auto shows in Columbus, Ohio, West Allis, Wisconsin, and Flint, Michigan.
All four Badfinger albums on Apple, which were deleted from release in 1975, have been reissued twice; first in the early 1990s as part of a revival of the Apple catalogue and again in 2010, when the albums were available individually or as part of the 17-disc Apple Box Set. The sole Iveys' album Maybe Tomorrow was also reissued in the early 1990s but was not part of the 2010 campaign.[128]
Badfinger's first collection titled Shine On, spanning their two Warner Brothers albums, was released in the UK in 1989. In 1990, Rhino Records released another Warner Brothers-era compilation, The Best of Badfinger, Vol. 2, including material from both Airwaves and the previously unreleased Head First. A greatest hits collection taken from Badfinger's four albums on Apple, Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger, appeared in 1995 on the EMI/Apple/Capitol label, which was the band's first release since 1973's Ass to be assigned a standard Apple catalogue number: SAPCOR 28. A more comprehensive collection, with tracks from both record labels, was the 2000s The Very Best of Badfinger.[129] In 2013, a new compilation titled Timeless was issued by EMI/Universal both to capitalise on the use of "Baby Blue" in the finale of Breaking Bad and to include the 2010 remastered versions of Badfinger's songs on a greatest-hits album.[130]
In 1990, Rykodisc released Day After Day: Live, billed as a Badfinger live recording from 1974.[33] The album underwent substantial re-recording,[131] and a rearranged track order by the album's producer, Molland,[132] and had a mixed critical reaction. The album's release then sparked a lawsuit filed by Molland. The band's accounting firm, collecting for a 1985 court order settlement, had re-adjusted against Molland's Apple royalty income by deducting away the percentage amounts of that court order, then reimbursing those amounts to the other Badfinger parties. The Rykodisc contract did not include artist royalty payments, because Molland had advised Rykodisc he would take care of that distribution himself under another company name.[133] Molland subsequently sued the other members and their estates to recoup his expenses plus a producer's royalty. He was awarded a partial settlement, as the judge stated the evidence against Molland was insufficient to justify a severe penalty, also noting that since both parties had conceded the original tapes were of poor quality, Molland's salvaging of them to a commercial level merited consideration.[134]
After the success of Mariah Carey's recording of "Without You" in 1994, Molland and Gibbins collected an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1995, incurring the anger of the Ham and Evans families.[135]
While in a 1988 readers poll for Goldmine magazine, Straight Up (1971) ranked as the most-requested CD release among out-of-print albums, the album made it to CD only in 1993. In 1995, Molland was paid to re-record the 10 most popular Badfinger songs.[136] These recordings were variously packaged in the market, often showing the original 1970s line-up of the band with little or no disclaiming information, despite Molland being the only original member of Badfinger who performed. A detailed biography of Badfinger by Dan Matovina was published in 1998, titled Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger. The 2000 update of the book was accompanied by a CD of rare material and interviews.[137]
In 2000, a rough mix version of Head First (taken from an open-reel tape prepared by Apple engineer Phil McDonald in December 1974) was released on CD.[37] (According to Dan Matovina, Warner Brothers could not locate the original master tapes for remixing at that time, but they were eventually found about 10 years later.) In 2002, Gibbins released a two-disc set of a Badfinger performance recorded in Indiana, on 19 October 1982, which had been captured on a basic cassette recorder, which was initially (and inaccurately) titled Live 83 – DBA-BFR. The band at that time had consisted of Evans, Gibbins, Jackson, Kailing and Dacus.[138]
In 2003, and again in 2006, two separate CDs of related Apple Publishing music, 94 Baker Street,[139] and An Apple a Day, were released.[140] The CDs contain nine songs by the Iveys. In 2008, another CD of Apple-related songs, Treacle Toffee World: Further Adventures into the Pop Psych Sounds from the Apple Era 1967–1969, included two more Iveys demos.[141]
By 2013, the issue of royalty payments had been resolved in court. The main songwriter receives 32 percent of publishing royalties and 25 percent of ASCAP royalties. The other band members and Collins share the rest. Revenue from album sales is shared equally with 20% going to each member as well as Collins. In 1994, the year in which Mariah Carey covered the song "Without You", the royalties for Ham's estate spiked up to US$500,000.[142]