Wish You Were Here (Badfinger album)
Encyclopedia
Wish You Were Here is the sixth album by rock
band Badfinger
and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas
. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records
. Wish You Were Here was the second and last album the band released on the WB label.
upon its release and is sometimes considered to be the band's best work, it was pulled out of record stores in 1975, seven weeks after release because of a lawsuit between WB music publishing and Badfinger's management. The album's abbreviated manufacturing run and short tenure on the market has made the original LP relatively rare.
Before being recalled, the album had time enough to chart, peaking at #148 in the US. In the 1990s it was re-released in CD format in Japan and Germany only. The album was eventually released on CD in the US in 2007. Many of the tracks have been released on other Badfinger compilations.
Wish You Were Here was Badfinger's fifth and final album with "core" band member Joey Molland
. Also, after completing the album, Pete Ham decided to quit Badfinger; he was replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson. However, after Warners indicated that it would drop the band if Ham quit, he decided to return, and the band completed a tour as a five-member group. After the tour, Joey Molland
resigned from the band.
Although the next Badfinger album to be released was the Molland/Evans reunion album Airwaves
in 1979, Ham, Evans, Gibbins and Jackson recorded an album titled Head First
in December 1974, the band's seventh and last album with the original Ham-Evans-Gibbins nucleus that dated back to The Iveys. This album, however, was not released until 2000 due to more lawsuits between WB and Badfinger's management.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas (record producer)
Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. Wish You Were Here was the second and last album the band released on the WB label.
History
Although the album received positive reviews in music magazine Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
upon its release and is sometimes considered to be the band's best work, it was pulled out of record stores in 1975, seven weeks after release because of a lawsuit between WB music publishing and Badfinger's management. The album's abbreviated manufacturing run and short tenure on the market has made the original LP relatively rare.
Before being recalled, the album had time enough to chart, peaking at #148 in the US. In the 1990s it was re-released in CD format in Japan and Germany only. The album was eventually released on CD in the US in 2007. Many of the tracks have been released on other Badfinger compilations.
Wish You Were Here was Badfinger's fifth and final album with "core" band member Joey Molland
Joey Molland
Joseph "Joey" Charles Molland is an English composer and rock guitarist whose recording career spans four decades...
. Also, after completing the album, Pete Ham decided to quit Badfinger; he was replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson. However, after Warners indicated that it would drop the band if Ham quit, he decided to return, and the band completed a tour as a five-member group. After the tour, Joey Molland
Joey Molland
Joseph "Joey" Charles Molland is an English composer and rock guitarist whose recording career spans four decades...
resigned from the band.
Although the next Badfinger album to be released was the Molland/Evans reunion album Airwaves
Airwaves (album)
Airwaves is an album released by Badfinger in 1979 on the Elektra label , the seventh album released that was credited to Badfinger...
in 1979, Ham, Evans, Gibbins and Jackson recorded an album titled Head First
Head First (Badfinger album)
Head First is the tenth and final album by rock band Badfinger, released on November 14, 2000. It is the last album to feature the original "Iveys" core of Pete Ham, Tom Evans and Mike Gibbins. It was recorded in December 1974 at The Beatles' Apple Studios in London and remained unreleased for 26...
in December 1974, the band's seventh and last album with the original Ham-Evans-Gibbins nucleus that dated back to The Iveys. This album, however, was not released until 2000 due to more lawsuits between WB and Badfinger's management.
Side one
- "Just a Chance" (Ham) - 2:58
- "You're So Fine" (Gibbins) - 3:03
- "Got to Get Out of Here" (Molland) - 3:31
- "Know One Knows" (Ham) - 3:17
- "Dennis" (Ham) - 5:15
Side two
- "In the Meantime" (Gibbins)/"Some Other Time" (Molland) - 6:46
- "Love Time" (Molland) - 2:20
- "King of the Load (T)" (Evans) - 3:32
- "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" (Ham)/"Should I Smoke" (Molland) - 5:18
Personnel
- Joey MollandJoey MollandJoseph "Joey" Charles Molland is an English composer and rock guitarist whose recording career spans four decades...
- vocals, guitar - Pete Ham - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Mike Gibbins - drums, keyboards, lead vocals on "You're So Fine" and "In The Meantime"
- Tom EvansTom Evans (musician)Thomas Evans Jr was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band Badfinger.- Badfinger :In 1969, The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger and Paul McCartney of The Beatles gave the group a boost by offering them his song "Come and Get It" which he produced for the band...
- vocals, bass
With
- Average White Horns - horns on "Should I Smoke"
- Mika Kato - JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
spoken words on "Know One Knows" (uncredited)