Badfinger - The Very Best of Badfinger

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Music reviews of The Very Best of Badfinger

Music Review: Very Best of Badfinger very good introduction to the band
Rating: 5 Stars

Eaten alive by the music industry, Badfinger's story stands as a testament about the dangers in the music biz. It's taken a long time for the band to get the recognition they deserved and this great collection will hopefully increase that recognition. This compilation sounds better than the previous one (The Best of Badfinger which is still available) and the sound quality is a huge improvement on the band's albums that were released by Apple on CD (although the DCC reissues remastered by studio wiz Steve Hoffman are still the "gold" standard against which all CDs should be measured. Dan Matovina in collaboration with former Zombies guitarist (and current Capitol executive) Paul Atkinson and engineer Ron McMasters has done a splendid job with this collection. McMasters does a terrific job of rendering these classic songs in the 24 bit high resolution format.

The positives include a strong selection of the band's best material. Pete Ham's compositions were always a stand out on every Badfinger album. This collection tries to give all the band members their due but Ham's material still shines brightest. The inclusion of a 4 tracks from the band's underrated Warner Brothers album makes this collection the most comprehensive available. The selections from Badfinger and Wish You Were Here are among the best from those albums and two of them haven't been available on any US CD before now.

The booklet notes by Goldmine's Andy Davis manage to both illuminates the band's contributions to popular music and give an accurate thumbnail sketch of their history. If you are interested in reading more I'd suggest Dan Matovina's terrific book Without You (available in trade paperback ... with a bonus CD featuring 72 minutes of previously unreleased material). Apple and Matovina are to be commended for doing such a first class job on this great CD.

The negatives are few. The selection from the band's last album for Apple (Ass) while good could have included Ham's classic Apple of My Eye and Molland's Do You Mind (particularly the previously unreleased complete version. The latter tune was a bonus track on Ass when it was released on CD in the UK. Evidently both tracks were nixed by Apple execs in favor of other, lesser material (Maybe Tomorrow and Without You are both great tracks but the former tune doesn't fit in with the rest of the band's albums. The latter tune is a classic song but the arrangement pales when compared to Nilsson's definitive interpretation. Very Best clocks in at 67 minutes so there was additional material that could have been added (such as Perfection, Timeless, Give it Up, Shine On or Got To Get Out of Here all of which rank with the band's best material). Unfortunately the licensing of the band's Warners material ran into snags and their final Apple album Ass isn't viewed very highly by execs at Apple.

There are certainly missed opportunities such as the inclusion of rare or previously unreleased material, which would have attracted all Badfinger fans to pick up this album. Regardless of these circumstances, Very Best stands as a strong testament to Badfinger's enduring popularity and importance in popular music. What is included on this disc makes qualifies this great collection for 5 stars. Even the more questionable material that was included is better than most other band's best work.

I'd highly recommend this terrific collection (which was put together to coincide with the airing of the VH1 Behind the Music special on the band). I'd also recommend investigating the band's extension catalog of great pop music. Even their later albums without Ham & Gibbins (Airwaves and the underrated Say No More) have gems scattered throughout them. The Name of the Game was success and Badfinger achieved it. Sadly, success like blood attracts the predators in the music biz. Pick up this great CD and pay tribute to the band's accomplishments.

Description of The Very Best of Badfinger

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock