In 1961 a band called The Iveys came together in Swansea, Wales. One of the founding members, Pete Ham, was the only one of the original 4 who was still there in 1968 when they were the first non-Beatle group to be signed to Apple Records.
Their first single 'Maybe Tomorrow' made a reasonable impact around the world but didn't do anything in England. Coincidentally, that single was produced by Tony Visconti, who was married to yesterdays artist Mary Hopkin. Their marriage lasted 10 years, then he wed May Pang, John Lennon's bit-on-the-side when he was keeping away from Yoko for 18 months.
OK, back to The Iveys.
After reading a complaint in a magazine interview about the way the group was being treated by Apple, Paul McCartney offered them a song he'd written - 'Come and Get It'. McCartney produced the track and kept an iron-fist control, insisting they performed it note-for-note the way he'd done it in the demo he provided.
Before the song was released both the band and Apple decided the name The Iveys wasn't the best, particularly as another group, The Ivy League, were well known and popular. John Lennon had hurt his forefinger while the Beatles were developing 'With a Little Help From My Friends' so the working title was 'Bad Finger Boogie'. In December 1969 The Iveys became Badfinger.
Once out from under McCartney's influence, Pete Ham flexed his songwriting muscles and came up with some of Badfingers best tracks. 'No Matter What', 'Day After Day', Baby Blue' and in tandem with Tom Evans they penned the magnificent 'Without You'. Their version was made up of two songs they'd written independently. Pete had written two verses of something called 'If It's Love' but couldn't quite get there. Tom had a song called 'I Can't Live' which had a chorus that was perfect for Pete's verses. They effectively spliced them together and came up with a beautiful complete work. The version they did on the album 'No Dice' is pared back and less theatrical than the production Nilsson did after he heard it.
Despite their obvious talent both in songwriting and turning out hit records, Badfinger were plagued with bad management, unfair comparisons to the Beatles and lawsuits. One of those lawsuits between Warner music publishing and Badfinger's management meant that the album often thought to be one of their best works, 1974's 'Wish You Were Here', was withdrawn from sale just seven weeks after being released. Many of the tracks have appeared on compilations and the album was finally re-released on CD in 2007, but at the time it was a major blow to the band.
Their follow-up album in December 1974 'Head First' was effectively rejected and not released until 2000. When their business manager Stan Polley got sued by Warner Bros and then he disappeared, along with an advance, the band were left penniless. It was all too much for Pete Ham, the talented musician and songwriter who had been there since The Iveys. On 24 April 1975 he went into his garage and hanged himself. Although he isn't mentioned in the fateful list, he was, like so many others, 27 years old.
The tragedy doesn't stop there unfortunately. In 1983, after long and protracted disputes over the royalties for the song 'Without You', and in particular an extensive, heated argument on the phone with band-member Joey Molland, Tom Evans hanged himself in his garden.
Some bands rise and keep on rising. Some burn bright for a while and then fade naturally when their time is up. It sometimes seems as if Badfinger were doomed from the start. No version of the old group has performed since the mid 80's, although two offshoots, Joey Molland's Badfinger and Bob Jackson's Badfinger play in the US and UK respectively.
Show the old band some love and respect. Go back and have a listen. It's worth the trip. Start with the recommended link below, 'Meanwhile Back at the Ranch / Should I Smoke' from the recalled 'Wish You Were Here' album.
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