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Badfinger's origins can be traced to Swansea, Wales in 1964. It was there that a 17-year-old guitarist named Peter William Ham founded a band called the Iveys. Ham was the only original member to remain long enough to enjoy the fame the band would later achieve, so we won't mention the others. We will mention Mike Gibbins, however, who replaced the original Iveys' drummer in 1965.
The Iveys performed locally in Welsh clubs for their first couple of years, polishing their sound and stage presence. They shared bills with other young, upstart bands like Moody Blues, the Who, the Hollies and the Yardbirds. Late in 1966 the band pulled up their stakes and began playing in cities outside Wales, including London, Dublin and Liverpool. During this period they managed to attract the attention of many small record labels, but declined all offers since their contracts maintained that the band record the current radio standards. The Iveys wanted to release original music.
In 1967 Liverpool native Tom Evans joined the Iveys as rhythm guitarist. Soon thereafter, an Iveys demo tape found its way into the hands of Mal Evans, who passed it on to Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Derek Taylor. Harrison was especially impressed by the group's potential, leading to the band's signing by Mal Evans to recording and publishing contracts with Apple. A few mildly successful singles and a European LP, MAYBE TOMORROW, were released.
The first big break came when Paul McCartney had them record his song "Come and Get It," which became the theme of the Peter Sellers/Ringo Starr film "The Magic Christian." Equally significant was the addition of guitarist Joey Molland, with Tom Evans moving to bass guitar. The first official Badfinger album, MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC, contained a number of Iveys tracks along with four new, McCartney-produced numbers.
In January 1970, "Come and Get It" became a top 10 hit in both the U.K. and the U.S. Following this success, Badfinger recorded their next album, NO DICE, and were later invited to join George Harrison on his ALL THINGS MUST PASS album. A tour of Britain and America followed, just as their next top 10 single, "No Matter What" was hitting the airwaves. In November 1970, NO DICE was released, peaking at #28 on the U.S. charts.
In 1971, Badfinger began recording STRAIGHT UP, with George Harrison as producer. The album's recording was interrupted by Harrison's CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH, which featured Badfinger as part of the all-star band. Due to post-concert obligations, Harrison turned over production duties to Todd Rundgren. Combining tracks by both producers, STRAIGHT UP is considered Badfinger's best studio album and spawned two chart toppers, "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day." Around this time, Harry Nilsson's cover of the Badfinger song "Without You" (originally on NO DICE) went gold. Badfinger were at the peak of their popularity.
Unfortunately, they had a falling out with Apple, leading to an ill-fated deal with Warner Brothers. The band's last Apple album (ASS) and their first Warner Brothers release (BADFINGER) were issued almost simultaneously, causing great confusion in the market place. This was perhaps the first link in a chain of bad luck that led to the band's demise.
The band's next album on Warner Brothers, WISH YOU WERE HERE, was released in November 1974 to high critical praise. It hit the charts in full stride, until a gross example of mismanagement on the part of Badfinger's American business manager resulted in the label pulling the album from the stores. Warners instigated a lawsuit against Badfinger and put all of the band's future releases on hold. This led to first Peter Ham, and then Joey Molland, leaving the band. They regrouped in late 1974 and recorded a third Warners' album (HEAD FIRST) that was never released. The band grew poorer as the litigation continued. Depressed and broken, Badfinger founder Pete Ham committed suicide in May of 1975.
Although the other band members walked away from the music business, Molland and Evans eventually regrouped and released AIRWAVES for Elektra/Asylum. Another album, SAY NO MORE, was released on the independent Radio Records in 1981, and various incarnations of Badfinger continued to tour. Late in 1983, Tom Evans, too, committed suicide, adding another tragic chapter to the history of a band that never had the opportunity to reach its full potential.
