From start to finish, this album will have you grinning ear-to-ear. As is infamously said of Poco, they're too country for rock, and too rock for country. This distinction means that they manage to find a comfortable middle ground between the two genres, bringing in the best of both worlds. It also, for the first real time, allows ex-Buffalo Springfield rhythm guitarist Richie Furay to shine in his own light. With saccharine sweet songwriting and soothingly soft vocals that soar over the ... read more

The long-awaited follow-up album to "Straight Up" is here, in the form of Ass.

As a Badfinger fan, my heart keeps telling me to love this album and give it a second chance, but I've unfairly given it way more than two chances. There are some standout tracks on this album that sound good, great even, if isolated from this album. Those examples would be the heartfelt opener "Apple Of My Eye", one of only TWO songs on this album written by Pete Ham. That song in ... read more

With the help of George Harrison and Todd Rundgren, Badfinger creates their radio-friendly, commercial magnum opus, Straight Up.

This album, with its lavish production and catchy hooks, is a classic album that stands the test of time. There's not a dull moment on this album, and, finally, Pete Ham shines in all his glory, with songs like the piano-driven opener "Take It All", the smash-hit later used for Breaking Bad, "Baby Blue", the heartbreakingly emotional ... read more

Badfinger's PROPER debut album, now with Joey Molland in the band!

With Joey in the band, the dynamic changed rapidly, and the band finally matured and made themselves a record they can be proud of. At first, I wasn't really impressed by this record, thinking it was full of just "meh" rockers, but it's a really solid record that showcases the talent of each member.

This is one of Badfinger's most diverse releases, featuring balls-out rockers like the stunning ... read more

The very beginning of Badfinger: Magic Christian Music.

But for what it's worth, this is NOT a Badfinger record. At least, not in my opinion. Joey Molland had not yet joined the band by this point, and the group still had bassist Ron Griffiths by their side. In fact, one of Ron's songs, "Dear Angie", is even on this record, yet it's billed as a "Badfinger" record!!

Strange decisions aside, this release/debut is...weird. Half of the record has been repurposed ... read more

The first collection of posthumous Pete Ham home demos. It's always difficult to assess releases like these, because practically every song on here (with the exceptions of Matted Spam, No Matter What, Just A Chance and Know One Knows) was never intended for release. Even if they were, Pete would have likely polished them up at some point, had it not been for his tragic suicide in 1975. I've decided to assess this as if it were an actual album, with a little bit of leniency.

This ... read more

The Bee Gees debut album, in all its glory. While it's clear these lads were destined for fame, especially in terms of songwriting, this album feels decidedly dated, most notably in its production. There were a few lyrics here and there that were corny and "of the time", but overall, the songwriting stood out to me the most. The album feels like it should have released 5-10 years earlier, given its sound. The first half of the record is far more promising than the latter half, ... read more

Introduced to the world with their first single "Maybe Tomorrow", released in November of 1968, The Iveys had virtually everything going for them. They were the first band signed onto The Beatles' infamous Apple record label, had demos produced and approved by Ray Davies of The Kinks, and had access to the then-unknown producer Tony Visconti (and Mal Evans, The Beatles' roadie!). After "Maybe Tomorrow" failed to chart in the U.S. and U.K, the band was at a loss. ... read more