VIA PRESS RELEASE | Badfinger and Wish You Were Here—two overlooked ’70s albums for Warner Bros. followed their previous releases on The Beatles’ Apple label.
Everything seemed rosy when, upon conclusion of their contract with Apple, Badfinger signed a new deal with Warner Bros. in 1973 for a big advance, but right away things went south as the label rushed the band into the studio and ended up releasing Badfinger at about the same time as Apple released the band’s last record for the label, Ass. Not to mention Warner Bros. rejected the band’s title for the record, For Love or Money, leaving the record without any title at all.
Of course, commercial confusion ensued, and Badfinger sold poorly, even though it boasted such solid tunes as “Lonely You,” “Shine On,” and “Love Is Easy.” Real Gone’s Expanded Edition features the unreleased song “Love My Lady,” plus nine more outtakes from the album sessions…time to discover (or rediscover) one of the gems in the band’s catalog.
Things went from bad to worse for Badfinger as Warner Bros. ended up pulling their second release after seven weeks in the stores due to their manager squirreling away publishing advance money, prompting a lawsuit by the label’s publishing arm. Yet, somehow in the midst of all the chaos, the band delivered its masterpiece.
Recorded by Chris Thomas at the Caribou Ranch studio in Colorado and George Martin’s AIR studio in London, 1975’s Wish You Were Here stands as Badfinger’s most cohesive and powerful artistic statement, with stellar contributions by all four of the band’s songwriters.
It’s an album without a weak track, so it’s hard to single out any songs, but Ham’s “Dennis,” Molland’s “Love Time,” and Evans’ “King of the Load” might take the honors. For this Expanded Edition, we’ve unearthed an unreleased song (“Queen of Darkness”), and uncorked eight new alternate mixes that highlight many unused vocals and novel instrumental arrangements. The last and best record with the original line-up, now fully unveiled.
