JOEY MOLLAND

Joey Molland
is a talented songwriter & performer and lone survivor of Badfinger.

Joey Molland's recording career began in 1965 when he joined The Masterminds. This group released a single on Immediate Records IM 005, comprised of a Bob Dylan cover "She Belongs to Me" backed with a band original "Taken My Love." After this group disbanded, Molland joined the backing group of The Merseys. Although never recording with the group, Molland accompanied them on tour.

Badfinger was a rock band formed in Swansea, Wales in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the power pop genre. During the early 1970s the Apple Records band was tagged as the heir apparent to The Beatles, partly because of their close working relationship with them and partly because of their similar sound. However, Badfinger fell victim to some of the worst elements of the music industry.

Born in Liverpool, 21 June 1947, Joey Molland joined the newly christened Badfinger (formerly The Iveys) just in time to play gigs in support of the release of Magic Christian Music, an LP assembled from the songs from the movie, augmented by remixed versions of the best songs from the Iveys' Maybe Tomorrow album. Scouted by Mal Evans, resulting in the interest of Paul McCartney, they were signed into Apple Records. Other acts signed on the Apple Records label were James Taylor, Billy Preston, Mary Hopkin and Jackie Lomax.

The new lineup was the strongest yet - Pete Ham and Tom Evans were already seasoned songwriters who proved themselves able to write songs to order when they worked on The Magic Christian. That score gave a good look at what this band could do and, apart from McCartney's "Come and Get It," what they could compose. "Carry on til Tomorrow" was a vocal harmony number with a high haunt count, while "Rock of All Ages" was greeted by some listeners as one of the best original British Rock & Roll numbers since the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There." Joey Molland does not appear on this album.

Drummer Mike Gibbins had begun composing as well, and then along came guitarist-vocalist Joey Molland, who was a formidable songwriter in his own right. They developed a much harder rocking, more solid sound, and suddenly Apple Records found itself with more than just a hot rock act in their midst.

During 1970, Badfinger, on top of their own commitments, also played on many Apple-associated sessions. Ham, Evans, and Molland had key roles in projects associated with George Harrison, including singles such as "It Don't Come Easy", the album All Things Must Pass. They also worked on John Lennon's Imagine album. Amid all of this activity, the group also recorded what the group believed to be their best album, No Dice, which yielded one classic recording, "No Matter What," with Joey Molland playing a very fitting lead guitar. "Without You," by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, was turned into a monster worldwide hit by Harry Nilsson and also recently recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey and a host of others. Joey's "Better Days" is more of a shuffle than an out and out rocker, its nice to have. I like the way the acoustic guitars keep time, almost buried in the chorus. "Love Me Do" - A great rock 'n' roll song, by Joey Molland who titles his song with the same title as The Beatle's first single! "Mean Mean Jemima" - Joey Molland contributed this mid-tempo rocker that was left off the original album
With this album, Badfinger were establishing their own identity as a band and were poised for greatness. Tragically, it never happened. Label changes and bad business decisions and mismanagement saw declining record sales. This album serves as a testament to that greatness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

No Dice was Badfinger's first masterpiece (and my first Badfinger album!). The inspiration from The Beatles can be heard on most of these songs, but this album shows that they're much more than just a Beatles rip off. Some changes had been made since the recording of Magic Christian Music. Geoff Emerick (known from his work with The Beatles) produced most of the album; the rest of it was produced by Mal Evans who also produced some of Magic Christian Music. Ron Griffiths had already left before the release of the previous album so Tom Evans had now taken over the bass. Joey Molland, was chosen for a new guitarist.

Badfinger carries on the rhythm-happy tradition of the early Beatles, rocking to the big beat without hang-ups or pretensions of profundity. Pete Ham and Joey Molland write most of the group's original material, but songs, as well as the Liverpool-type voices, cover the Beatles like a Xerox. The catch is they're good, and prove it nicely on "No Matter What," "Better Days," "Without You" and "I Can't Take It." - Billboard, 1970.

It was also in 1970 that the group first hooked up with agent Stan Polley, who ultimately became their manager. He seemed at the time to offer the kind of shrewd, ambitious management that they felt they needed, as all of these events and opportunities were breaking around them. Polley reorganized the group's finances, supposedly to secure their futures, though ultimately they saw virtually none of the money they were earning.

The band toured America and saw the No Dice album get rave reviews. They also found some less than pleasing elements to their success once they realized precisely how fixated American audiences were on their connection to the Beatles. They came to despise having to play "Come and Get It," and also resented being asked more about their relationship to the Beatles than about their own music.

Track listing for "No Dice"
"I Can't Take It" (Pete Ham) – 2:57
"I Don't Mind" (Tom Evans, Joey Molland) – 3:15
"Love Me Do" (Molland) – 3:00
"Midnight Caller" (Ham) – 2:50
"No Matter What" (Ham) – 3:01
"Without You" (Ham, Evans) – 4:43

"Blodwyn" (Ham) – 3:26
"Better Days" (Evans, Molland) – 4:01
"It Had to Be" (Mike Gibbins) – 2:29
"Watford John" (Evans, Gibbins, Ham, Molland) – 3:23
"Believe Me" (Evans) – 3:01
"We're for the Dark" (Ham) – 3:55

Bonus tracks
"Get Down" (Evans, Gibbins, Ham, Molland) - 3:43
"Friends Are Hard to Find" (Molland) - 2:28
"Mean Mean Jemima" (Molland) - 3:41
"Loving You" (Gibbins) - 2:51
"I'll Be the One" (Evans, Gibbins, Ham, Molland) - 2:54

Personnel for "No Dice"

Joey Molland - Guitar, Vocals
Tom Evans - Bass, Vocals
Mike Gibbins - Drums
Pete Ham - Guitar, Piano, Vocals

At the end of 1971, the group released Straight Up, which today is generally regarded as their best album. Straight Up produced two huge singles, "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue," plus an FM hit in the form of "Name of the Game."

To the outside observer, the group's future, like its present, looked ideal. They were all over the radio, touring the United States, and the release of the movie The Concert for Bangladesh, in which George Harrison introduced the band during the concert, was only icing on the cake that year. It sold well and might have even sold better had Apple promoted it more actively but, in a sign of the company's internal problems, the group was largely left to fend for itself when pushing the album on tour.

Joey Molland said in 1992 "The tapes sounded like they were recorded properly, but I think Apple thought they were a bit crude. They wanted us to go for an Abbey Road type sound." Apple apparantly did not want to use any drug references, so they made Joey change a line in "Suitcase" from "Pusher, Pusher" to "Butcher, Butcher".

But more than adequate consolation was in store when they learned that George Harrison had expressed a wish to produce them. For Joey Molland, at least, this confirmed that it was George who was keen for Badfinger to develop a more polished, studio-based sound. The band was naturally delighted. On several occasions in the past, and on various projects, each member had worked with at least one Beatle, but there was something unmistakably magical about having a whole album produced by George Harrison. According to Joey Molland, Pete Ham wa particularly keen to work with Harrison on this more sophisticated sound for Badfinger. Fresh ideas for the revamped version of their album, and with several new songs already written the were buzzing with excitement when they returned to work in Abbey Road's small No. 3 studio, where George had recorded parts of All Things Must Pass. Throughout June and July 1971, Badfinger worked at Abbey Road with George Harrison. The new album was a fresh start, and no recordings from the original set, competed 6 months earlier, were to be re-used. Old songs would be rerecorded from scratch. With George at the controls, four tracks were begun: "Name of the Game", "Suitcase", and two new ones - "I'd Die Babe" and ""Day after Day".

"Day after Day" became a huge success. Joey recalls "We had done the backing tracks - and Pete and I were down in the studio working out the slide guitar parts when george came in and said. "Would you mind if I played slide on this?" So I said, "Sure, go ahead". But Pete Ham played slide on the single, too. They both recorded their parts, which were then doubled up on the final version of the song. George also brought in Leon Russell, who played piano on "Day after Day".

Everything was going great, when George Harrison announced that he had a request from a friend - Ravi Shankar to help with a crisis - and he must pull out of the sessions to work on The Concert for Bangla Desh. The band was naturally disappointed, but they augmented the superstar performances with acoustic guitar contributions from the wings. Pete Ham also joined George for an acoustic rendition of "Here Comes the Sun."

When they returned to the studio to finish the album, they were told that Harrison was tied up with mixing Bangla Desh, and Todd Rundgren would be taking over. Joey recalls, "We never heard of him. We had to run out and buy some of his records to find out who this guy was." Todd finished the job in 3 weeks, using both the original recordings, and the new versions. "Todd is a great producer", said Joey. Drummer Mike simply added "He was a wizard in the studio."

Notable contributions to "Straight Up" by Joey Molland are - "Flying", "I'd Die Babe". "Suitcase", "Sweet Tuesday Morning" and "Sometimes".

"Straight Up" may be one of the most underrated albums in rock. From FM radio classics "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day," to the haunting gem "Name of the Game," this is British power pop at its best. There's not a bad song on the disc, and the production talents of George Harrison and Todd Rundgren bring out the best of the band's sound. Pick up a "greatest hits" package if you must, but "Straight Up" is essential listening for any fan of Badfinger, '70s power pop, or British rock. A masterpiece!

Every track from this rich, warm LP blows you away. Everything from Pete Ham's and George Harrison's slide guitars on "Day After Day" to Ham's hauntingly aching "Take It All." Every rock and pop fan should pick this CD up before it slips out of print.

Straight Up is the third album by power pop band Badfinger, released on December 13, 1971. It is widely regarded as Badfinger's best album, spawning two Top 20 singles in the U.S. and being commercially successful in its own right.

Track listing on "Straight Up"

"Take It All" (Ham) – 4:25
"Baby Blue" (Ham) – 3:37
"Money" (Evans) – 3:29
"Flying" (Evans/Molland) – 2:38
"I'd Die Babe" (Molland) – 2:33
"Name of the Game" (Ham) – 5:19

"Suitcase" (Molland) – 2:53
"Sweet Tuesday Morning" (Molland) – 2:31
"Day After Day" (Ham) – 3:09
"Sometimes" (Molland) – 2:56
"Perfection" (Ham) – 5:07
"It's Over" (Evans) – 3:34

Bonus - Original Tracks
"Money" (Evans) - 4:20
"Flying" (Evans/Molland) - 2:25
"Name of the Game" (Ham) - 4:27
"Suitcase" (Molland) - 3:20
"Perfection" (Ham) - 4:41
"Baby Blue" [US Single Mix] (Ham) - 3:35

Personnel on "Straight Up"
Pete Ham – Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Tom Evans – Bass, Vocals
Joey Molland – Guitar, Vocals
Mike Gibbins – Drums

George Harrison – Slide Guitar on "Day After Day", Producer
Leon Russell – Piano on "Day After Day", Guitar on "Suitcase"
Klaus Voorman - Electric Piano on "Suitcase"
Todd Rundgren – Producer
Bill Collins - Accordion on "Sweet Tuesday Morning"
Geoff Emerick – Producer

But still, even at that point, there were problems developing collecting the money they were making - Apple was in a state of chaos, with Badfinger and the individual Beatles the only artists who were making any money for the company. Additionally, their new manager, Polley, was making all kinds of moves involving their finances, supposedly looking after their interests, but effectively keeping their money from them. And they were still playing a brutal schedule of tours and recording sessions. The year 1972 was one of constant touring and very little recording. A new album was needed, which the group proposed to produce themselves.

Their attempt late in 1972 at cutting a fifth Apple LP failed to yield anything usable. In early 1973, producer Chris Thomas was brought in to help them complete the album, a process that delayed its completion until the spring of 1973. By that time, the band was in an awkward, almost impossible situation with their record company. Polley, knowing that their Apple contract was ending in the summer of 1973, negotiated a multi-million dollar contract with Warner Bros., a fact that upset the people in charge at Apple, most notably George Harrison. Continuing at Apple was impossible, however: The record label was in the midst of a state of rapid decline and Allen Klein, still in charge, was insisting on a less favorable contract for the group.

In the meantime, the group kept touring and writing. Their final Apple album, entitled Ass, was released late in 1973 just as the record label was nearing the end of its existence as a viable company. The subsequent Apple bankruptcy (which would also tie up the group members' publishing royalties) and the settling of accounts would take many years, and in the meantime cost the group hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The group returned to the studio early 1974, just as the first Warner Bros. album was dying in the marketplace and the reviews, to cut Wish You Were Here. Meticulously recorded and produced, the album should have been a triumphant comeback for the group. It was at this time, however, that the financial machinations involving the group's accounts broke to the surface. Millions of dollars were gone from an escrow account set up to protect both the group and the record label and "Wish You Were Here", which had gotten the group's best reviews in two years, was withdrawn weeks after its release in the fall of 1974, apparently on advice from the company's lawyers.

Previously, Drummer Mike Gibbins had left the band for a time in late 1972; now it was Pete Ham's turn to exit the group, or at least try to. The mix of personalities and legal entanglements had grown impossible, with Polley controlling all of their income and huge amounts of money seemingly vanished.

The year 1974 was, for the band, the culmination of a series of events that would keep lawyers and accountants busy for years. The individual group members found themselves impoverished and in debt despite their years of work and with little prospect of seeing any of their money at any time soon.

A third Warner album, entitled Head First, was hastily recorded by the group late in 1974, but was never released. By that time, the situation between the record label and the group had deteriorated, leading to the canceling of their Warner Bros. contract in early 1975.

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