Badfinger - Magic Christian Music

My favourites: Come and Get it, Crimson Ship, Midnight Sun, Beautiful and Blue and Walk Out in The Rain

INTRODUCTION:
In the latter half of the sixties, Great Britain was filled with rock bands trying to make it big. Among these was a little group called The Iveys. Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbons (drums), Ron Griffiths (bass), and David Jenkins (rhythm guitar) made up the band. Early on the band got a job backing up singer David Garrick in live shows and in the studio. Around this time, David Jenkins left the band. His replacement on rhythm guitar was Tom Evans. The band released its first and only album under the Iveys name, Maybe Tomorrow, around this period. A new rhythm guitarist also entered the band, Joey Molland. Evans switched to playing bass when Griffiths left the band. Soon, the band got signed to the Apple Records label, and changed its name to Badfinger. The band was asked to contribute some songs to the Ringo Starr film The Magic Christian, and they did. They also recorded several other songs in this era. By combining these recordings with older Iveys songs, they put together Magic Christian Music, which is now recognized widely as the first Badfinger album. Read on for my review of this album.

RECYCLED IVEYS TRACKS:
-Dear Angie
-Beautiful And Blue
-I'm In Love
-Angelique
-Knocking Down Our Home
-Maybe Tomorrow
Comments: These tracks were taken from the band's only album released under the Iveys name, Maybe Tomorrow. Dear Angie is classic melodic pop rock at its very best. Beautiful and blue is another excellent pop rocker that's tough to top. The blues-inspired Angelique is also excellent. It's a shame the album that originally featured these tracks is out of print and harder than hell to find, but I'm greatly relieved to see that some of them are on this album.

TRACKS FROM THE FILM "THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN":
-Come And Get It
-Rock Of All Ages
-Carry On Till Tomorrow
Comments: These are the tracks the band recorded for the film The Magic Christian. Come and get it was written by Paul McCartney, and it really shows. It's about as good as pop music gets. The other two tracks the band recorded for the film are also excellent.

NEW RECORDINGS FOR THE ALBUM:
-Crimson Ship
-Midnight Sun
-Walk Out In The Rain
-Give It A Try
-Fisherman
Comments: To make the album more "complete", the band recorded these songs to go along with the others. Fisherman is not the same recording that appeared on the Maybe Tomorrow LP - It's an all new recording (I haven't gotten a chance to hear the original yet.) This track is bizzare but still good. Give It A Try is a classic example of Beatles-esque rock that must be heard to be appreciated. And don't even think of overlooking Crimson Ship - sixties-style pop music never sounded better!

BONUS TRACKS FOR COMPACT DISC REISSUE:
-Storm In A Teacup
-Arthur
Comments: These are two bonus tracks, only available on this, the compact disc reissue of the album. Arthur is previously unreleased. It's a shame this track didn't get released until now, because it's very good. Storm In A Teacup is noticably different from the band's other material (it has a much more "soulful" sound), but it's still excellent.

FINAL VERDICT:
Overall, this is a great first album. If you're a fan of classic rock, Badfinger is a band you must not overlook. It's a shame these guys go unappreciated in the modern age, because their music is an infinite number of times better than that junk that gets played on the radio today. This has been referred to as the band's most Beatles-sounding album, but I think that's a GOOD thing. If you're fortunate enough to find this album, BUY IT.