No Dice is fantastic as well, and Pete and Tom did hit their stride on that album. I should have probably said peak, that was more what is was thinking. Of course, Wish You Were Here is great as well. Such a great band, it is hard to decide!
Xlnt album! Baby Blue and Day After Day are two of Badfinger's best songs, just achingly beautiful lyrically and musically. At his best, Ham was a songwriter of McCartney caliber.
Have always loved this album since I first heard it in 1972. One of the rare albums where I really like every track.
I didn't hear this album until 1989 on 95.5 KLOS-FM on their 7th Day program... But, yeah I do love this album dearly. It's the only DCC gold CD I own.
Oddly enough I heard this album on KSHE-95 out of St. Louis for the first time on their 7th Day Program. It may have been as soon as the 1st cd was released. I'm pretty sure they played the bonus tracks.
That's cool you got to hear the bonus tracks. KLOS 95.5 was playing a CD of the album before the original official CD release. It sure wasn't vinyl. I might still have the cassette I taped of the broadcast.
My UK Apple original LP of this is cherished. And sounds superb. Got this around 5 months ago at a thrift, paid $1.99 for it. Near mint minus condition.
While I prefer Straight Up, If i try to look at it objectively, I think that No Dice somehow better represents Badfinger as a band, musically.
My fave too... ...just getting into my Rhino green vinyl "Wish You Were Here" -- for the first time on this LP. Wonderful.
I had always known of the Badfinger hits but never heaed of Straight Up until a couple years ago. I saw this record in a thrift shop, the cover had no title but the guys on it looked like a 70s rock band so I checked it out. The Applevlabel listed Baby Blue and Day After Day and produced by Rundgren and Harrison so I figured it would be $1 well spent. I loved every song from start to finish on first listen! Great lyrics, melodies, vocals...everything. Straight Up is one of my all time fave records. I have since bought No Dice and Magic Christian but like Straight Up much better. I have seen 3 original Apple copies for $1 in local thrifts over years. I bought 2 (both in VG) and left one so hopefully someone else can discover it.
Breaks a few rules, this record. For example, having a mid-tempo track like "Take It All" as the opener; but it sucks you in, setting you up to be killed by "Baby Blue" ... the song sequence is inspired, in my view. Pete's gems are strategically placed so as not to ever let you lose interest; but the others' tracks are pretty great (Joey's rocker "Sometimes" would have made the 1965 Lennon/McCartney team proud, to name but one.) Producing (most of) this was just about my favourite thing Todd Rundgren ever did (the other was Xtc's Skylarking.) A lot of hearts-on-sleeves emoting, here; one of the most exquisite moments being Pete and George Harrison's guitars in unison on the "Day After Day" solo. A desert island album, for me; and one I have no trouble playing alongside Abbey Road. Yup, I think it's that good ... SQ note: the DCC CD is my go-to; but if that costs too much these days (what does it go for, now? ...) the Apple reissue CD from a decade or so ago is quite listenable.
Wish You Were Here will always be my favorite Badfinger, but this is certainly my second. Thanks to this thread, I just put Straight Up on. Some of the best music I've heard is from them. When I listen to Badfinger I silently think "bless them."
Just started getting into badfinger. I've known the hits but never listened to the albums until recently. To me this is the most consistent album and the best produced. Some of their other work ranges from Beatles brilliant to just OK. I would find my mind drifting to over analyzing the songs while listening late at night to magic Christian music. When I put on this album I enjoyed every track and rank it highly in the pop rock genre. They are most certainly more than a greatest hits only type of band. The body of work has both substance and lasting appeal.
Wish You Were Here & Straight Up are two albums that never get refiled in the record cabinet...that vinyl is always leaned up against a speaker near my turntable along with a select few.