Search - Badfinger :: Straight Up

Pure Pop Perfection!

Todd and In Charge | Miami, FL | 10/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a long-time Beatles and Badfinger fan, and I've heard all their albums many many dozens of times, so it's pretty hard at this late date to be surprised by relistening to any one of their records.



That changed the other day when I put the remastered Straight Up in my car cd player.



From start to finish, this record is pure pop perfection, as good an album as any latter-day Beatles or Macca record, and perhaps better in some instances.



Among the many highlights -- the opening track, "Take It All," is timeless, with brilliant three-part harmonies and shined to a production tee by the great Todd Rundgren.



In fact, you can appreciate Todd's craft simply by listening to the original production tracks that are added on to the re-release. Although the first versions of "Flying" or "Money" still sound great, they are a different animal under Todd's crisp, deep, resonant production.



Putting aside the massive pop construction of songs like "Baby Blue" or "Day After Day" this record flies like Lady Madonna, Let It Be, or Macca' Ram with gems like "Perfection" and the tremendous closer "It's Over."



This is a remarkable achievement and easily one of the most underrated records from what I consider to be the finest period in rock music."

Excellent Album! This band should have been huge!

Goose | East Coast, USA | 04/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an album! Especially Pete Ham's songs - this guy was an incredible songwriter! I'd always heard the Beatles comparisons but always thought - C'mon! No way! I mean I knew Badfinger was a good band but I had really only known the big hits - "Day After Day" from this album and "No Matter What" from NO DICE. I always thought they were great songs but never looked any further.



Then I remember hearing "Baby Blue" about 3 years ago (in the movie The Departed I believe) - I'm in my mid-thirties and don't know how this GEM of a song slipped by me. After that I decided to look into the band, so I bought STRAIGHT UP. There isn't a bad song on this album - "Take It All", "Name of the Game", "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day" are all written by Pete Ham, and they really stand out as brillant songs! Joey Molland ("Suitcase") and Tom Evans ("It's Over") also have some really good songs on here.



I realize now that Pete Ham was a musical/ pop/ rock genius! I mean he really was - listen to all the songs he wrote for Badfinger - through all of the albums - and you'll most likely agree. And he could play guitar man! Watch any live version of "Suitcase" on YouTube to find out.



It really saddens me to think that the band really got screwed... royally screwed!! Bad management buried these guys!! A real tragedy! Pete really should have stuck around - there was so much more he could have done.



Give Badfinger a few listens and you'll be hooked - I highly recommend STRAIGHT UP and WISH YOU WERE HERE to start with - 2 awesome albums!



((( I heard on a thread that new Badfinger remasters with original liner notes are due out October 2010 - everything up to the WB releases - same people behind the Beatles remasters - Joey Molland mentioned it in an interview recently)) Might want to hold out until then!?!



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