Review:

on 2011-02-20 CharlesMartel Said:

"Without You", the b-side of this Japanese single, was the original version of the song made famous by Harry Nilsson. To anyone not familiar with it, it is going to come as something of a surprise, so ingrained into almost everyone is Nilsson's dare I say definitive version. Yet Badfinger's version has some qualities of its own - it is punchier, even angrier and much less despondent, much more like a real person would react in that situation. It also has a quicker tempo and is longer. Although, like many, I prefer the Nilsson version, I have to say that Badfinger have produced a charming song which clearly had the potential to be something more than it was here.

But in many ways, the fate of this song mirrors the fate of Badfinger as a band. They did all the work while others got all the credit. If ever there was a salutary warning to any musician, young or old, to avoid the evils of the record industry, Badfinger was it. Exploited, used and abused by every passing shit who happened by, two record labels, mobster and thief managers, and people turning the back on band members when they were most vulnerable, the pathetic self-destructive sagas of Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse have nothing on Badfinger. Guitarist and keyboard player Pete Ham hanged himself in 1975 when the already inadequate salaries the band were being paid by their conman manager dried up. Hardly an unfortunate one off considering Tom Evans hanged himself eight years later, again over royalties and the theft of the band's money. And I haven't even mentioned lawsuits, copyright infringement and all sorts of dodgy dealings, Badfinger remain a classic case study of the worst aspects of the record industry. Whatever the merits of the band as artists, and there were many, collectively everyone benefited from Badfinger except Badfinger.
Rating: 7/10