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Badfinger
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Badfinger was a British band from the 1960s and 70s. The band was formed, originally, by Pete Ham and a group of friends called The Panthers. Names and members changed and gradually came to resemble the best-known line-up, including Ron Griffiths on bass guitar and Dai Jenkins on guitar; the trio were in a band called the Iveys, named after a street in Swansea, Wales. By 1965, Mike Gibbins had joined as the drummer, and the band began playing locally with such groups as the Spencer Davis Group, the Who, the Moody Blues and the Yardbirds. The following year, with manager Bill Collins, Badfinger worked in London, both for David Garrick, a local singer, and on their own. In 1967, Jenkins left and was replaced by Tom Evans.
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In many ways, Badfinger is a continuation of Straight Up -- an unabashed, concise pop album -- but there's one important difference: Todd Rundgren was a taskmaster on Straight Up. He may have not jelled with the band, but he brought out their best. Chris Thomas didn't work the same way, although he's equally skilled in the studio, and he made a state-of-the-art pop record, which meant that they didn't necessarily play to the band's strengths. Instead, they tried a little bit of everything, with everybody throwing in a song or two, all in hopes that something would click on the radio. As a result, Badfinger is a bit of a mess. Some moments work quite well -- Pete Ham scores with "Lonely You" and "Song for a Lost Friend" (sounding a bit like Ray Davies on the latter), along with his collaboration with Tom Evans, "Shine On," while Joey Molland's "Love Is Easy" has a pleasing pop hook, and his "Andy Norris" rocks harder and more convincingly than anything they'd yet recorded.
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[J]ust two years after their 1971 release of the Todd Rundgren-produced Straight Up, Badfinger — guitarists Pete Ham and Joey Molland, bassist Tom Evans and drummer Mike Gibbins — had become the sorriest case in the business. Abandoned by their label and victimized by corrupt management, Badfinger entered 1975 on the verge of collapse. For Ham, whose “Day After Day” became the band's biggest hit, the fall from grace was too much to bear. After a final comeback attempt (Wish You Were Here) failed to turn the tide, the 27-year-old Welsh guitarist hung himself in his garage.
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That DVD "Badfinger" has complete versions of a bunch of their songs, both live (on Midnight Special) and promo videos. In it, both Gibbins and Molland narrate the story of Badfinger and are interviewed.
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Badfinger originated with guitarist/keyboardist Pete Ham and a group called The Panthers formed in 1959, then The Black Velvets and The Wild Ones. Ham, Ron Griffiths (bass guitar) and David 'Dai' Jenkins (guitar) went on to form The Iveys, named after a street in Swansea, Wales. By 1964, Mike Gibbins had joined as the drummer, and the band began playing locally with such groups as the Spencer Davis Group, The Who, The Moody Blues and The Yardbirds. The Iveys moved their base to London in 1966, performing both for David Garrick (a local singer) and as a solo act. They ... opened for Pink Floyd. The following year, Jenkins was asked to leave the group and was replaced by Liverpudlian guitarist Tom Evans.
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Badfinger originated with guitarist/keyboardist Pete Ham and a group called The Panthers. Ham, Ron Griffiths (bass guitar) and David "Dai" Jenkins (guitar) went on to form The Iveys, named after a street in Swansea, Wales (and a pun on influential British Invasion group, The Hollies). By 1965, Mike Gibbins had joined as the drummer, and the band began playing locally with such groups as the Spencer Davis Group, the Who, the Moody Blues and the Yardbirds. The following year, The Iveys moved their base to London, performing both for David Garrick, a local singer, and as a solo act. In 1967, David "Dai" Jenkins left and was replaced by Liverpudlian guitarist Tom Evans.
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