ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 326 BADFINGER - STRAIGHT UP (1971)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

"Guess I got what I deserved"...

I really love how that song starts.  But I digress.  This week's Album of the Week is Straight Up by the English rock band Badfinger.  Man, what a sad legacy for this band.  That being said, they managed to release some fantastic songs. Straight Up is the band's second highest charting album, topping out at number 31, 3 spots lower than it's predecessor No Dice.  Two singles were released, and they performed very well on the US Hot 100.  Day After Day scored a Top 10 showing at number 4 and Baby Blue just missed the Top 10 at number 12.  

I can't say I knew much about Badfinger from my youth.  I most definitely remember Day After Day.  It was a song that really spoke to me, almost in a eerie way.  Not sure why.  But I cannot for the life of me remember hearing Baby Blue. As a matter of fact, it's most excellent appearance in the finale of Breaking Bad was the first I really heard of it.  Any way, both singles are fantastic songs, both written by Pete Ham.  I will also mention that it's practically impossible to listen to this album an not think of The Beatles quite often.

The remastered album can be had for about 14 bucks.

..."Guess that's all I have to say"

Side One:

1. Take It All

2. Baby Blue

3. Money

4. Flying

5. I'd Die Babe

6. Name Of The Game

 Side Two:

7. Suitcase

8. Sweet Tuesday Morning

9. Day After Day

10. Sometimes

11. Perfection

12. It's Over

[Scott]

[Jon]

I don't hear anything remotely resembling The Beatles. Have no idea where that's coming from.

They definitely need to get haircuts. The Beatles would never let their hair grow long like that. Damn hippies. 

"Perfection" sound like The Guess Who. No, not The Beatles. The group named "The Guess Who". I wasn't asking you to guess who they sounded like. That would just be silly.

Wonder what record label these guys were on?

This is another one of those groups that sometimes I like, sometimes I don't. I have some Badfinger (and a BAD finger, if you know what I mean) and I like this today.

Surprised you only heard BB on BB and not before that. I remember it as the theme song of Jan-Michael Vincent's classic "Baby Blue (Marine)".

Ok, it wasn't. But it should have been.  

[Niels (Mod)]

Another interesting AOTW for me, since this is yet another band, I've heard of, but don't really think I've heard a full album...by. I know them as a band, that were on Beatles recordlabel, apple records, and a band that McCartney and also George Harisson produced (didn't he produce some of this album?).

First song is sounding great. Good singer! Sounds like a McCartney-song.

Second, not as good, but surely there's a Beatles-vibe here. I like this kind of music. I've said it before, but the music and sounds released around 1970-71 are imo awesome. It sounds like, what was played on the radio, around the time I started to notice the music, that was played on the radio.

Money sounds like a George Harisson-song, meaning sounding a bit like the Beatles, but actually a throwaway-song (not all of Harissons songs were throw aways, mind you).

Flying sounds like a Lennon-song, a B-side or something. In fact, too much!! This is almost plagiarism.

And we're back to McCartney again. Another plagiarism. I'm started getting a bit annoyd, since this is a rip-off.

Last song on side one: Still McCartney - still plagiarism. The singer also sounds a bit like one of the singers from 10Cc.

Nothing wrong with any of the songs, they are pretty good, but gaddamn they sound like The Beatles!!!

Suitcase is another McCartney-song.

Still McCartney on song no. 8. Nice song, but isn't this also what the Monkees sounds like? Perhaps this is The Beetles? (see right on this page)

Ahhh...a Harisson-guitarsound starts song no. 9 and Ringo's drumsounds take it away. Still a McCartney-song, though.

Finally! Song no. 10 IS a Beatles-song: She's A Woman!! By McCartney, who else. Much too much. I can't take this band seriously at all!!!

The last two songs are more of the same only a bit more boring. 

Interesting, but now I know not to be taking Badfinger seriously at all ever again. Probably THE Spinal Tap of the early 70's.

[Scott]

The album is familiar to me, but none of my siblings owned it that I recall, and I cant remember who had it or played it.  Oh well...

Its just OK for me, the drum production is distracting and the songs, well, just OK, of course there is Day After Day which still gets airplay from time to time.  Not feeling much of anything else on this one...  Weird.