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Groucho's Fact Hunt

Eggs said:
...main man and writer was Joey Molland who was from Edge Hill.
Click to expand...

I only remember them ever being referred to as a Welsh band.

Wow!
Just found this about them. I Knew that one member committed suicide, but it seems that another former member also took his own life.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/badfinger/pages/biography.shtml

Lauded by many and signed to The Beatles' Apple label, Badfinger had the world at their feet in 1970.


Few bands have attracted tragedy like Badfinger. From a promising start as a late 60s pop act through to the messy legal problems that dogged their later years, it was an unfortunate fall from grace.

Listen to clips about Badfinger.

Formed in Swansea as The Panthers, they changed to The Iveys in 1964. The band developed a good reputation on the UK gig circuit and in 1967 they attracted the attention of Beatles associate Mal Evans.

Evans pushed them for the Beatles' Apple label and in 1968 they were signed - a real coup for the Welsh group. Maybe Tomorrow was their first single which was a hit in Europe and Japan, but not in the UK or US charts.

Members
  • Pete Ham: vocals, guitar, piano
  • Joey Molland: guitar, vocals
  • Tom Evans: bass, vocals
  • Mike Gibbins: drums, vocals
An album was released in some European markets, but their career seemed to be stalling. That is, until Paul McCartney gave them Come And Get It, a bitter song about Apple's finances written by Paul McCartney. Released in 1970 it reached the top five in the UK, and also appeared on the soundtrack to The Magic Christian film, starring Ringo Starr.

The band and Apple decided a name change was needed. Badfinger was chosen as the name, after Bad Finger Boogie, the working title of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. They settled on the name after rejecting The Glass Onion and (John Lennon's suggestion) The Prix.

Badfinger's links with The Beatles lasted well into the 70s. George Harrison co-produced their album Straight Up in 1971, the same year that Joey Molland and Tom Evans played on John Lennon's Imagine. Additionally, Ham, Evans and Molland played key roles in Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Concert For Bangla Desh.

They released the No Dice album - considered by the band to be their best album - in 1971, from which came the massive hit song Without You. The song, written by Ham and Evans, later became an international hit for Harry Nilsson.

In 1973 their manager Stan Polley negotiated a multi-million pound deal with Warner Bros, which soured relations between Apple and Badfinger. The band released a final album on Apple - titled Ass - and their debut for Warners, the Badfinger album, in quick succession.

However, the groups finances were in disarray thanks to gross mismanagement, with millions missing from the band's accounts. The members of Badfinger were in personal debt, and relations with Warner Bros had deteriorated to the point where their third album for the label, 1974's Head First, was never released.

In early 1975 Badfinger's contract with Warner Bros was terminated. On 23 April 1975, in despair at the turmoil within and around the band, Pete Ham hanged himself in his Surrey garage. His suicide note was addressed to his girlfriend and her son, and blamed the band's business manager Stan Polley. Ham's daughter was born one month after his death.

Over the next few years, the remaining members of Badfinger tried to control their increasingly complex legal and financial problems. In 1978 Tom Evans and Joey Molland kickstarted the band again, with ex-Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye and former Stealers Wheel drummer Peter Clarke, though without Mike Gibbins. In 1979 they released the album Airwaves, which was followed by a second album, Say No More, in 1981.

But tragedy was to hit the band again. Evans and Molland split with acrimony in 1981, and for two years operated rival bands, both called Badfinger. On 19 November 1983, following an argument with Molland and as the result of years of unhappiness with the band's business dealings, Tom Evans hanged himself.

In 1986 Molland and Gibbins reformed the band for tours, until the latter left in 1990. Joey Molland's Badfinger continues to tour.

A number of live and radio recordings by Badfinger have surfaced in recent years, in response to the still-high demand for the music of one of Wales' most popular and sorely missed groups.

In October 2005 Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins died at his Florida home at the age of 56. A statement on his website read: " To all of Mike's fans, it is with deepest regret to inform all that he passed away October 4th, in his sleep by natural causes. He will be terribly missed by all."
 
Last edited:
kev said:
I only remember them ever being referred to as a Welsh band.
Click to expand...

..I just added a bit more detail above, Kev. I only know because I'm watching a programme called 'The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels' on Sky Arts. It's the story of Apple, and Molland is part of it. It actually says the Beatles turned to their hometown to sign Badfinger.
 

Eggs said:
...main man and writer was Joey Molland who was from Edge Hill. Tom Evans was also a scouser. They were one of the first bands signed to Apple, apparently 'Without You' went under the radar but the writer earned a fortune in royalties.
Click to expand...

Love little facts like that.

Its like the elder brother of Angus and Malcolm Young wrote Love is in the Air, and Friday on my Mind, (iirc), and those royalties basically underwrote AC/DC until they hit gold with Highway to Hell.
 
Eggs said:
..I just added a bit more detail above, Kev. I only know because I'm watching a programme called 'The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels' on Sky Arts. It's the story of Apple, and Molland is part of it. It actually says the Beatles turned to their hometown to sign Badfinger.
Click to expand...

Just seen this after I had edited my last post
 
daza_1973 said:
In 1982 Steve Archibald (the footballer) was the first male singer to sing twice on a single episode of Top of the pops -
First with Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup song and then later with Scotland's 'We Have a dream' World cup song.
Click to expand...

Tony Burrows a prolific singer with different bands during the seventies fronting three different group acts claimed to have appeared simultaneously in a single broadcast show with: Edison Lighthouse (the number one British-charted hit that week), White Plains, and Brotherhood of Man. However records show that this did not happen. He did, however, have two of his bands on the same Top of the Pops four times between 29 January and 26 February 1970. Appearing alongside Edison Lighthouse on the shows were Brotherhood of Man (29-01-70 and 19-02-70) and White Plains (12-02-70 and 26-02-70). The appearances on 29 January, 5 February and 26 February 1970 are all still in existence.

Sorry to wee on your chips Daza, but I remembered this one from my youth and found it on Tony Burrows WIKI.
 

larbert toffee said:
Tony Burrows a prolific singer with different bands during the seventies fronting three different group acts claimed to have appeared simultaneously in a single broadcast show with: Edison Lighthouse (the number one British-charted hit that week), White Plains, and Brotherhood of Man. However records show that this did not happen. He did, however, have two of his bands on the same Top of the Pops four times between 29 January and 26 February 1970. Appearing alongside Edison Lighthouse on the shows were Brotherhood of Man (29-01-70 and 19-02-70) and White Plains (12-02-70 and 26-02-70). The appearances on 29 January, 5 February and 26 February 1970 are all still in existence.

Sorry to wee on your chips Daza, but I remembered this one from my youth and found it on Tony Burrows WIKI.
Click to expand...

I'll change it to the first amateur singer then ;)
 
kev said:
I only remember them ever being referred to as a Welsh band.

Wow!
Just found this about them. I Knew that one member committed suicide, but it seems that another former member also took his own life.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/badfinger/pages/biography.shtml

Lauded by many and signed to The Beatles' Apple label, Badfinger had the world at their feet in 1970.


Few bands have attracted tragedy like Badfinger. From a promising start as a late 60s pop act through to the messy legal problems that dogged their later years, it was an unfortunate fall from grace.

Listen to clips about Badfinger.

Formed in Swansea as The Panthers, they changed to The Iveys in 1964. The band developed a good reputation on the UK gig circuit and in 1967 they attracted the attention of Beatles associate Mal Evans.

Evans pushed them for the Beatles' Apple label and in 1968 they were signed - a real coup for the Welsh group. Maybe Tomorrow was their first single which was a hit in Europe and Japan, but not in the UK or US charts.

Members
  • Pete Ham: vocals, guitar, piano
  • Joey Molland: guitar, vocals
  • Tom Evans: bass, vocals
  • Mike Gibbins: drums, vocals
An album was released in some European markets, but their career seemed to be stalling. That is, until Paul McCartney gave them Come And Get It, a bitter song about Apple's finances written by Paul McCartney. Released in 1970 it reached the top five in the UK, and also appeared on the soundtrack to The Magic Christian film, starring Ringo Starr.

The band and Apple decided a name change was needed. Badfinger was chosen as the name, after Bad Finger Boogie, the working title of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. They settled on the name after rejecting The Glass Onion and (John Lennon's suggestion) The Prix.

Badfinger's links with The Beatles lasted well into the 70s. George Harrison co-produced their album Straight Up in 1971, the same year that Joey Molland and Tom Evans played on John Lennon's Imagine. Additionally, Ham, Evans and Molland played key roles in Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Concert For Bangla Desh.

They released the No Dice album - considered by the band to be their best album - in 1971, from which came the massive hit song Without You. The song, written by Ham and Evans, later became an international hit for Harry Nilsson.

In 1973 their manager Stan Polley negotiated a multi-million pound deal with Warner Bros, which soured relations between Apple and Badfinger. The band released a final album on Apple - titled Ass - and their debut for Warners, the Badfinger album, in quick succession.

However, the groups finances were in disarray thanks to gross mismanagement, with millions missing from the band's accounts. The members of Badfinger were in personal debt, and relations with Warner Bros had deteriorated to the point where their third album for the label, 1974's Head First, was never released.

In early 1975 Badfinger's contract with Warner Bros was terminated. On 23 April 1975, in despair at the turmoil within and around the band, Pete Ham hanged himself in his Surrey garage. His suicide note was addressed to his girlfriend and her son, and blamed the band's business manager Stan Polley. Ham's daughter was born one month after his death.

Over the next few years, the remaining members of Badfinger tried to control their increasingly complex legal and financial problems. In 1978 Tom Evans and Joey Molland kickstarted the band again, with ex-Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye and former Stealers Wheel drummer Peter Clarke, though without Mike Gibbins. In 1979 they released the album Airwaves, which was followed by a second album, Say No More, in 1981.

But tragedy was to hit the band again. Evans and Molland split with acrimony in 1981, and for two years operated rival bands, both called Badfinger. On 19 November 1983, following an argument with Molland and as the result of years of unhappiness with the band's business dealings, Tom Evans hanged himself.

In 1986 Molland and Gibbins reformed the band for tours, until the latter left in 1990. Joey Molland's Badfinger continues to tour.

A number of live and radio recordings by Badfinger have surfaced in recent years, in response to the still-high demand for the music of one of Wales' most popular and sorely missed groups.

In October 2005 Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins died at his Florida home at the age of 56. A statement on his website read: " To all of Mike's fans, it is with deepest regret to inform all that he passed away October 4th, in his sleep by natural causes. He will be terribly missed by all."
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Kev, just read up a little more about them, they were certainly ripped off badly very similar to the Rollers who were also left with nothing after years of hits, in Badfinger's case it most certainly caused the death's of two of them, a good band with catchy tunes, a sad tale.
 
Roughly 50% of the nitrogen atoms in your body have passed through the industrial Haber process for making ammonia.

ETA
Done a search and I've posted this before FFS - Long thread! Sticking it up again anyhow as it's a thought-provoking fact - responsible for the global population increasing fivefold in the twentieth century.
 

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