Badfinger is best known for their first three albums, all from 1970 and 1971, and the Top 10 singles they spawned: “Come and Get It,” which Paul McCartney wrote and produced, “Day after Day,” which George Harrison produced, and “No Matter What.” One thing this Beatles-influenced Welsh rock outfit is not known for is an LP called Head First, which it recorded at Apple Studios in 1974.
At the time, Badfinger’s members were dealing with assorted music business disputes and personal problems. (Guitarist and lead singer Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975.) The group’s label shelved the record, whose master tapes were misplaced, and though a collection sourced from a rough mix came out in 2000, it failed to garner much attention.
Now, however, a 50th-anniversary edition of Head First has been released. It lacks the 11 demos and bonus tracks that the earlier LP included, but it sounds better. That’s because the 2025 version employs the recently discovered master tapes, which have been newly mixed and mastered by Bob Jackson, the band’s only surviving member. In one case—the brief but likable album-ending instrumental “Savile Row”—the original recording was so rudimentary that, says Jackson, “We decided to experiment with extracting existing audio from the rest of the album with a view to merging it into the…arrangement.”
A press release’s claim that the CD represents “a rediscovery of a pivotal moment in rock history” is hyperbole, and there is at least one clunker here, the clamorous “Turn Around.” Moreover, the set underscores the group’s limitations: while it was capable of catchy melodies that evoke early Beatles material, it never grew to the point where it could produce something on par with, say, “Penny Lane” or “Strawberry Fields Forever.” (Then again, who could?)
That said, Head First delivers more than a few bits of ear candy, and fans will likely find it at least as satisfying as most of the rest of Badfinger’s catalog. Among the standouts on the CD, whose 16-page booklet contains newly written notes by Jackson, are “Lay Me Down,” a high-energy number that recalls Wings, and “Hey Mr. Manager,” one of two songs on the album that directly reflect the group’s music-business woes.
“Back Again” is an acoustic-guitar-based ballad that seems redolent of Rubber Soul-period Beatles; and “Moonshine” features slide guitar by Ham that sounds reminiscent of George Harrison.
The 50th-anniversary edition is available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
Related: Our Album Rewind of Badfinger’s Straight Up
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
No Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNo Comments Yet!
You can be the one to start a conversation.