Badfinger Wish You Were Here CD

Dutch import.
Badfinger: Joey Molland, Pete Ham (guitar); Tom Evans (bass guitar).
The majestic brilliance of this late-career Badfinger album will forever be clouded by the tragic circumstances surrounding its release. Contractually obligated to Warner Brothers to release six albums in three years, the band was in danger of exhausting their creative resources, but between the spirited admonishments of producer Chris Thomas (whose touch is especially felt on the horn- and string-embroidered tracks), Pete Ham's masterly songwriting, and the band's easy musical rapport and lush vocal harmonies, they banged out a classic. The album barely got a chance to see the light of day before it was recalled in 1975 due to a label/management lawsuit. The band was dropped from Warner Brothers, lost a good chunk of money, and were chastened by the experience. In Ham's case, he was utterly demoralized, and ended up committing suicide shortly after. His creative spark lives on in gems like "Meanwhile Back At The Ranch" and the crackling power-pop classic "Just a Chance."
Wish You Were Here is a glistening, powerful rock record that stays true to power pop while sounding as contemporary as any mainstream rock band of the mid-'70s. It was the kind of record that could have been a hit, but due to a series of legal and managerial entanglements, it was pulled from stores before it had a chance to find its audience. Despite its relative obscurity, most die-hard Badfinger fans maintain that the group shines brilliantly on Wish You Were Here and they're correct. For one, it's easily the most cohesive album the group ever recorded -- a nice by-product of working with one talented producer (in this case, Chris Thomas) for an entire album instead of piecing a record together. Also, the showcases each band member at a peak of songwriting. As the band's most prolific and gifted composer, Ham naturally has the strongest presence, and while each of his songs stands as proof that he was a consummate pop craftsman -- particularly the elegant "Dennis," the hard-hitting "Just a Chance," and the Abbey Road-esque "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch." Joey Molland has a strong showing with the stately ballad "Love Time" and "Should I Smoke," his complement to "Ranch." What is surprising is that Mike Gibbins' two contributions are of the same caliber, as is Tom Evans' electric-piano laden "King of the Load," since they were in a bit of a slump prior to this album. Thomas ties the record together with a clean, professional production that keeps the rockers energetic without losing their melodic edge, while preventing the sentimental numbers from seeming syrupy. All of this results in a classy, catchy pop record, possibly the best Badfinger ever released. It could have been a hit, too, but we'll never know. ~ Stephen Thomas ErlewineQ (4/00, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...great songs aplenty and Badfinger were convinced that this album was their most cohesive yet. They were right. If it's half an hour of Beatles-soaked pop that you're after then this is just perfect."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/00, p.116) - "...A band turning stress and misery into pop genius....captures the same quality of '70s melancholic ecstasy as Alan Price's O LUCKY MAN or the theme from WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LUCKY LADS..."