Badfinger this afternoon – recorded in concert for Granada TV in Manchester, UK on May 3, 1972
With the recent death of founding member Joey Molland, who was the last surviving member of Badfinger, you could say the last chapter was finished and the book is now closed. But it doesn’t diminish the fact that Badfinger were one of the most talented and promising bands to sign to Apple Records and whose career was probably its most tragic and frustrating.
At the time of his death, a lot of stories were written about the extreme highs and lows of the band and all the twists and turns so prevalent in the music industry. There’s no point in reiterating them here, but suffice to say that listening to this studio concert, even with a few initial warts of no vocal mike (for the first 10 seconds) and the traditional hum present on most Video captures, the sheer energy and power of this performance was what grabbed so much attention and built such a strong fanbase early on. Even with the help of George Harrison and Paul McCartney, they were able to freely stand on their own just based on their writing abilities – fortunately, this performance captures at least two of those early hits and offers a clear reason why they were viewed as “the band to watch” by the press and media alike.
I suppose you could call the story of Badfinger to be something of a cautionary tale, since the same things happen to bands and artists, even today. And now with the likes of Spotify the twists and turns and shady dealings are probably more pronounced than ever before. Yet Music maintains its magic and its practitioners still possess the commitment to get the message across. It’s still an industry that obliges creatives to keep their eyes open and beware outrageous promises – just the nature of the beast.
Enjoy lunch.
