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Uneven self titled 5th studio album deserves 3 1/2 stars

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 04/20/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Nothing like being under the gun to 1) Stress you out 2)Cause writer's block 3)Create enough friction to start a fire and 4)Cause members to leave. That's what happened to Badfinger during their brief tenure with Warner Brothers Records. They recorded three albums (only two of which were initially released. Head First finally appeared about two years ago)none of which received any push from Warner at the time. Why? They were talented, had a couple of hits and bestselling albums. What's more, they managed to help invent power pop and produce two incredible albums all within two years. It all comes down to the size of the pond; they were big fish in a small pond at Apple Records. At Warner, they were out of their element and lost.Badfinger finds the band casting for direction. Ass, their last album for Apple had been recorded nearly a year before but came out within a couple of months of their latest album. This contributed to the confusion. What's worse, is the writing crisis effecting their most talented songwriter; Pete Ham suddenly thought he could do no right. A cliched observation about this album is really true; Badfinger is the band's White Album. The production by Chris Thomas is fine for the most part although a number of production gimmicks do distract a bit from the quality of the songs. Still, some of the sonic experiments were interesting. The truth is that the band was exhausted. Their new contract required them to turn out an enormous amount of product within a short span of time (2 albums a year plus 2 singles--not too dissimilar from the early Beatles situation. However, of The Beatles first five albums only one consisted of all original material).The music has a number of stunning moments chief among them the Ham & Evans collaboration Shine On, Ham's Lonely You and Song For A Lost Friend all are strong songs. The weakest of the bunch Lonely You has a stunning vocal arrangement that makes up for the more mundane melody. Joey Molland shines on the amazing Give It Up and the unfinished Love Is Easy. Unfortunately, there's a bit too much filler on the album. The ambitious, uncertain direction of the album makes it one of Badfinger's more challenging listens but, like many flawed albums, the highlights more than make up for the weakest moments.The next album Wish You Were Here would be the band's finest hour. Sadly, virtually no one heard it when it was first released and it's only available as an import."

Badfinger didn't know its own strength

07/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After STRAIGHT UP, the Badfinger album for which I reach most often is the band's self-titled 1974 release, BADFINGER. I don't know why BADFINGER isn't considered among the group's strongest records. Excellent songs "Where Do We Go from Here?," "Matted Spam," "Shine On," "Give It Up," and "Lonely You" anchor the album. Then there's "My Heart Goes Out," "Andy Norris," and "Love Is Easy," three others that, while not great, sound good. That's eight worthwhile songs. If only every album had that much good music.As I understand, even Badfinger members Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Tom Evans and Joey Molland were unhappy with the results of BADFINGER. I guess there's nothing wrong with being your own toughest critic. But I think BADFINGER proves a great showcase of the band's songwriting and musicianship. Miss BADFINGER at your own risk."

Hitless, but a good "album" album.

The Man On The Flaming Pie | The Foothills of the Headlands | 11/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though it doesn't have the continuity of its predecessor, the underrated Ass, Badfinger's debut on the Warner Bros. label has the one thing that Ass was greatly missing: Pete Ham compositions (he sang lead on only two tracks on Ass)! The sound may be a bit muddy, I believe due to the fact that the master tapes do not exist anymore, but all the instruments can still be clearly heard.
As always, Pete's contributions are the best (and most commercial) and Joey's are the heaviest & roughest. The piano- & organ-laden "I Miss You" seems like a strange choice for an opening track, but it works for this album, as most of the best tracks are the laid-back ones. "Shine On" is an energetic slight rocker with light instrumentation and guitars which seem to leap out of the speakers. "Matted Spam" breaks the mood of the album (without killing it) with its horns and bouncy melody. While a few of the middle tracks may be a bit generic by the band's standards, the album truely takes off about 70% of the way through. Mike breaks out of the drummer's mold and contributes one of the best tracks, "My Heart Goes Out," a song which I find to be indescribably beautiful. Pete's "Lonely You" is possibly the best song on the album, and I think could have been a great hit for someone with a more commercial voice. Joey's "Give It Up" juxtaposes hushed verses with a heavy chorus whose opening guitar chord seems to jump in out of nowhere.
While Badfinger may be an uneven effort, it's certainly a worthy addition to the band's discography. Don't overlook it just because the CD is only available via import--it's worth every cent."