The BADFINGER Album-By-Album Thread

Gonna throw the Badfinger best-of compilations out there for discussion. Due to all the legal red tape surrounding Apple, their material was out of print for many years from the mid-'70s through the early '90s, with not even a Greatest Hits album available. Without a doubt, the band lost a lot of potential income from sales, and without any product on the shelves, the band faded into relative obscurity.

The Warner material was also out of print, but not in particularly high demand compared to the Apple era albums. Still, it was easier for a label to license it out, and in 1989, Edsel Records in the UK was the first reissue label to release a Badfinger collection, Shine On. It's disposable today, but at the time it served a purpose in collecting tracks from the two albums the band released for Warner Brothers.


Shine On
Edsel Records
Released 1989

I Miss You
Shine On
Love Is Easy
Song For A Lost Friend
Why Don't We Talk?
Island
Lonely You
Andy Norris
In The Meantime, Some Other Time
Just A Chance
Know One Knows
Dennis

Rhino Records soon released their own collection in the US, which expanded the idea into including, for the first time, the official release of material from Head First, as well as the singles from Airwaves. Cleverly titled The Best Of Badfinger, Volume II (leaving the door open for the inevitable The Best Of Badfinger from Apple), this collection is probably a better selection of material from the two released albums, and with the addition of Head First songs and the first CD release of "Love Is Gonna Come At Last" and "Lost Inside Your Love", this CD was indispensable at the time. The material from Head First came from a less-than-perfect tape copy, but sounded far better than the bootlegs that were circulating.


The Best Of Badfinger Volume II
Rhino Records
Released 1990

Know One Knows
Shine On
Lonely You
Give It Up
Song For A Lost Friend
Just A Chance
Your So Fine
Got To Get Out Of Here
In The Meantime/Some Other Time
I Miss You
Meanwhile Back At The Ranch/Should I Smoke
Lay Me Down
Passed Fast
Keep Believing
Moonshine
Lost Inside Your Love
Love Is Gonna Come At Last

With legal issues finally settled, and Apple finally issuing the Badfinger albums on CD in the early 1990s, a proper Apple-era collection was released in 1995, The Best Of Badfinger, which collects five songs each from Magic Christian Music and No Dice, seven from Straight Up, and four from Ass, presented in chronological order. As with many compilations, I feel a better job could've been done in track selection, but as far as Badfinger best-ofs go, I think this is the one I would most recommend.



The Best Of Badfinger
Apple/Capitol/EMI
Released 1995

Come And Get It
Maybe Tomorrow
Rock Of All Ages
Dear Angie
Carry On Till Tomorrow
No Matter What
Believe Me
Midnight Caller
Better Days
Without You
Take It All
Money
Flying
Name Of The Game
Suitcase
Day After Day
Baby Blue (US Single Mix)
When I Say
Icicles
I Can Love You
Apple Of My Eye

Released in 2000 and compiled by biographer Dan Matovina, The Very Best Of Badfinger was a newly remastered collection of material issued to capitalize on some renewed interest in the band. With Matovina's book getting some attention and a VH-1 Behind The Music episode set to premiere, it seemed like a good time to get some new product out there and perhaps create a better "best of" than what was out there already. Even more promising was the fact that songs from both the Apple and the Warner Brothers albums would be included. Unfortunately, there are some really weird song choices on here, IMO, that spoil it for me, namely the original version of "Name Of The Game" (which I like, but don't prefer), the outtake "I'll Be The One" (which is a great song, but still a strange choice for a best of), and "Love Time". The whole thing plays like a collection of Dan Matovina's favorite songs. I like these songs too, but I would not have picked outtakes, and would've made different choices for album tracks. Also, by kicking the album off with three of their four big singles, with the fourth just a couple of tracks later, it seems a little top heavy.



The Very Best Of Badfinger
Apple/Capitol/EMI
Released 2000

No Matter What
Day After Day
Baby Blue
Name Of The Game (original version)
Maybe Tomorrow
Come And Get It
Rock Of All Ages
Carry On Till Tomorrow
Midnight Caller
We’re For The Dark
I’ll Be The One
Without You
I’d Die Babe
It’s Over
When I Say
Dennis
Lonely You
Love Time
Meanwhile Back At The Ranch/Should I Smoke

On September 29, 2013, the final episode of the smash hit TV series Breaking Bad aired, and used "Baby Blue" in its final scene to great effect. This resulted in over 5,000 downloads of the song purchased on the night of the broadcast alone, and the song making its way to #32 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart and, shockingly, an appearance on the UK charts for the very first time (#73). Rushed out to capitalize on this surprise hit, Timeless...The Musical Legacy is another hodgepodge of songs, this time with the sonics blown out and brickwalled. Not recommended.



Timeless… The Musical Legacy
Apple/Capitol Records
Released 2013

Day After Day
Without You
Rock Of All Ages
Dear Angie
Come And Get It
Maybe Tomorrow
No Matter What
Baby Blue (US Single Mix)
Believe Me
Name Of The Game
I’ll Be The One
Apple Of My Eye
Suitcase
Timeless
Dennis
Love Is Gonna Come At Last

 

This CD has a heavy amount of noise reduction applied.

The original version of Name Of The Game was chosen because it was the canceled single. I'll Be The One probably was chosen because the band wanted to release it as a single. George Harrison rejected it. I think Name Of The Game would have flopped, but I'll Be The One would have been a hit. I also believe Baby Please (not on this compilation) would have been a hit had it been released.

Matovina stated he did this to make it easier for radio airplay.

Doesn't this comp have the same mastering as the well-regarded 2010 remasters, or has it been futzed with?

 

No, it's definitely been futzed with. I played it once, was super disappointed, and filed it away into the collection. I recall it being very loud, while the 2010 remasters were great.

 

I get the reasoning behind it, but I see that as sort of revisionist history. I'd rather not rewrite the book and keep the rejected tracks and outtakes off the "best of" collection. Your mileage may vary. But of course I do agree with you, I think "I'll Be The One" had great potential to be a hit. "Baby Please", too. It's shocking how many gems these guys had rejected.

 

I don't believe this is correct. You should probably revisit the album and compare it again to the remastered albums. I don't have the dynamic range numbers available to me for Timeless but to my ears, it's the same mastering as the 2010 remastered albums.

 

Hmm, I will -- I must be misremembering, as I obviously spent no time with it and it's been well over 5 years. Should not have doubted @Fred68!

 

Badfinger Timeless - The Musical Legacy... sounds very close to the sound quality for 2010 Remastered albums, just listened through again.

 

Apple shaped CD EP from UK 1991.
a neat collectible however all of the 1992 Remastered tracks were No-Noised!



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1991 UK Apple CD EP in plastic Slimcase.
Remastered tracks were No-Noised!



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1992 German Apple CD EP
housed in plastic Slimcase
Remastered tracks were No-Noised!



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1993 Japanese Apple CD Single
Remastered tracks are No-Noised!


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2015 Wasabi records CD Single "PROMO"
1 - Remastered track!
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The version of "Name Of The Game" planned for single release has added organ overdubs by Al Kooper and is an edited/remixed version
of the bonus track issued on the CD of Straight Up. This mix remains unreleased.

 

2010 Japan AirMail records CD Single "PROMO"
1- Remastered track!
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Great job on this thread....informative and love the pictures of the artwork! Those Japanese releases are really cool looking.

 

It can be heard online.

 

intv7 has done an amazing job posting the album write ups and pictures!

 

Yeah, it's out there but all versions have a nasty dropout. It's taken from an acetate but at least we get to hear what it sounded like.
That would be great to have on a rarities collection.

 

Al Kooper (May 24, 2004)
Their record company asked me to remix and add organ to a track they did
so it could be released as a single. I went to the studio and worked all night on that
project. It was a version of Name Of the Game that had a full orchestra on it. I
overdubbed an organ and spent all night remixing it. Never came out. It was pretty
darn good, too!

 

@intv7 Are you going to cover the Ivey's demos and live recordings, to squeeze a little more mileage out of this thread?

 

His version was better than the one on the rejected album.

 

I listened to both of these tonight to make a playlist for the car. In nearly every instance where Tommy is sole composer I find the results too twee.

After sifting wheat from chaff I came up with the following:

01 See-Saw Granpa (Ham)
02 Crimson Ship (Ham/Evans)
03 Midnight Sun (Ham)
04 Carry On Till Tomorrow (Ham/Evans)
05 Dear Angie (Griffiths)
06 Mrs. Jones (Ham)
07 I've Been Waiting (Ham)
08 Come And Get It (McCartney)
09 Yesterday Ain't Coming Back (Ham/Evans)
10 Rock Of All Ages (Ham/Evans/Gibbins)
11 They're Knocking Down Our Home (Ham)
12 Sali Bloo (Ham)
13 Walk Out In The Rain (Ham)
14 Give It A Try (Ham/Evans/Griffiths/Gibbins)
15 Maybe Tomorrow (Evans)

 

I know Ron Griffiths put out an early live recording a couple of years ago now -- I never picked that up. Has there been a legit release of the demos? All I have is the Someday We'll Be Known boot. We could go over that stuff if you guys want, though I have to admit I've never been a huge fan of that material, and I felt like there was little interest in the Iveys stuff early on in this thread.

 

Cherry Red/RPM released a few CDs that gathered together a number of demos from Apple Publishing. Three of those releases feature Iveys demos. Details for each release can be accessed near the bottom of this page: The Iveys & Badfinger commercial releases compiled by Tom Brennan

 

Ron Griffiths
Deadknot - Losing All My Dreams (2016)


Ron & Dai [The Boys of Rock and Roll] (2013)


Ron's film appearance [The Wright Brothers]
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)