Jackie Lomax - "Is This What You Want?" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (Apple)

It seemed that a new world was opening up for The Beatles when they started their own record company Apple Records. One of the key releases from that label in 1969 is Jackie Lomax's "Is This What You Want?"  In the spirit of the times, like Leon Russell's first solo album, this is a record that had many big-named musicians playing along with Jackie, mostly due to its producer, George Harrison.   Who is also listed as arranger and wrote "Sour Milk Sea" for his old Liverpool pal.  Somewhere in the background, there's George, Paul, Ringo, Hal Blaine, Nicky Hopkins, Tony Newman, Klaus Voormann, Eric Clapton among others.  

Still, it's very much a Lomax album, due to his songwriting and voice.  He had a beautiful soulful voice, that's rich in quality and tailor-made for soul, but his work is very much crafted in the sense that it's a proper form of songwriting.  "Speak To Me," the opening cut, is very much Lomax pleading to a lover, and the Harrison production kicks in with the female backup vocals and almost a Spector like intensity.  The title song "Is This What You Want?" is my favorite piece here.  A perfect marriage of melody and Lomax's voice, which builds as the song becomes more intense.  

For an artist-run label, Apple was pretty good and had artists like Badfinger, James Taylor, Ronnie Spector, and of course Jackie Lomax.  It's a shame (or not) that Harrison didn't produce more artists.  His work with others I think are some of the strongest aspects of his talent. Lomax's album is a very solid work.  The famous names help, but in actuality, it's Jackie's presence that makes this album essential. 

Paul & Linda McCartney - "Ram" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1971 (Apple Records)

Some days I find Paul & Linda McCartney's "Ram" a masterpiece, and if my mood is a bit down a disappointment or the first signs of aesthetic weakness in the world of Paul.   I remember at the time that "Ram" was going to be the ultimate Paul album, after the low-key first solo album, which I think is still an incredible record.  The up aspect of this album is "Too Many People," some say it's about Lennon, which at this time was the height of their series of poison letters to each other in the press, and in their music.   Still, it's a beautiful production that is off-kilter and a great mixture of noise and pop.  I like the entire side one, but there is a danger sign of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" that has elements of Paul's spiritual poison against himself.  The word 'cute' comes to mind, and cuteness is not flattery in the hands of this musical genius. 

"Smile Away" is an underrated Paul masterpiece, and I like the mixture of Linda's 'girl-group' back up vocals as well as it being a very driven 'rock' song.  Side two is the so-so side, with "Heart of the Country" being a serviceable throw-a-way song. But then comes the eccentric "Monkberry Moon Delight" and then, work that is almost there on a high level, such as the last song "Back Seat of My Car," but is just product at the end of the day.  

Paul wrote six of these songs by himself, and the others are co-credited with Linda.  I'm not sure what she contributed to the songwriting or the making of the album besides her backup vocals.   When Yoko Ono added material or vocals, you know it's 100% Ono, but Linda's contribution to the Paul McCartney post-Beatle years is a mystery to me.   Not saying that Linda is not essential to the songs or recordings, but I'm curious how the relationship works in the making of music.  

As a Beatle fan, I supported financially to the John and Paul solo years up to the mid-1970s, but then I woke up from my daze and realized that this is work that is not as good or interesting as their early solo work.  The early singles and The Plastic Ono Band are masterpieces, and I feel that Paul's first album and "Another Day/"Oh Woman" are masterpieces as well.  But when it came to "Imagine" and "Ram," it was a formula that dried up.  What stayed consistent with the duo is their craftsmanship in writing proper songs.  But the genius spark went missing.   Their voices (singing) was fantastic, and everything was top-notch in backup musicians, and once in awhile they had a tremendous single or a song on an album; but very uninspiring in its scope and focus. 

"Ram" is an album, on a good day, that I look back as a wonderful album. But once I dig into it, I find troubling aspects that became larger in his later work.  Ironically enough, I love Wings "Wild Life," the album after "Ram," and also another back-to-basics work by him, as his first solo album.  There is a conflict in McCartney's work that is between inspiration/experimentation and then pop poop.  The dangerous thing is that he's very talented in making listenable pop poop, but needs to be pushed to make brilliant sonic art.  Perhaps that's the beauty of The Beatles.  That combination was magical, and once you leave the family you make music with, you are trying to replace that magic with real family members or listening or respecting too much the craft of putting together a song or record.  Still, "Ram" has crucial moments of true greatness. 

Wings - "Wild Life" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1971 (Apple)

In my heart (or what's left of it) my favorite Paul McCartney album is Wings' "Wild Life."  An album he made pretty much after "Ram," which is very good, but in a way, I felt he was trying to make a 'proper' McCartney album, in light of being in the shadow of The Beatles.  There are three albums by Paul I adore.  "McCartney," his first solo release, his brother Mike McGear's album "McGear" and of course, the first Wings album.   After that, I pretty much lost interest in his work until the criminally underrated "Chaos and Creation in The Backyard" album.  But to focus on "Wild Life," this is an amazing album from Paul and Linda (and Denny & Denny).  For one, I'm not sure what Denny Laine's role was at the time.  I think he played bass and I'm not sure if there were overdubs during the recording of this record.  It has a rough sound where one imagines that each musician was looking directly into each other eyes.  And Linda, did she actually co-wrote these songs?

This is the real "Get Back" album.  Unlike The Fab Four, the new Fab Four wanted to tour, and tour hard.  The baroque pop of The Beatles were history, and Paul wanted to rock out, in a manner that reminds me of Neil Young and Crazyhorse.  The title song "Wild Life" is very much the spirit of Neil's "Down By The River."  Melody is different but both songs are simple and very guitar orientated.  It's a beautiful sound and I suspect Paul is playing guitar on this track.  The beauty of pretty much side one is that it is one throwaway track after another until "Wild Life."  "Mumbo," "Bip Bop" and a reggae version of "Love is Strange" probably considered the low points of a McCartney recording, but due to that, they're my favorite Paul songs.   The one song that is total brilliance is "Tomorrow."  The ultimate solo Paul song.  It's odd to me that this wasn't neither a single nor a popular McCartney song.  It's up there with "Lady Madonna" or "Oh Darling" The other songs on side two are very much the throwaway Paul songs as well, but they're very pretty.  His brilliance around a melody is for sure unhuman in his manner to reach that point.  The thing is, he doesn't have the genius of a David Bowie or mid-60s period Ray Davies.  There is a very little bite or intensity, except for his mastering of making a great noise.  I suspect many feel "Wild Life" is not a good McCartney album, but I say tsk tsk to that opinion.  "Wild Life" is wildly amazing. 

Ronnie Spector - "Try Some, Buy Some / "Tandoori Chicken" Vinyl, 7" 45 rpm, 1971 (Apple)

Ronnie Spector's "Try Some, Buy Some" is the last great Phil Spector recording.  Or I should say the last bit of greatness on vinyl with Spector's participation.  He co-produced the 45 rpm single with George Harrison, who also wrote the song.  Must credit the arrangement of the song to John Barham, who with Harrison had/has a deep interest in Indian music.  Spector is normally a collaborative artist, but one wonders how he really felt giving co-credit to another producer, even though that person wrote the song.  The same goes for John Lennon/Yoko.   Nevertheless "Try Some, Buy Some" is not only a great Spector sounding disc but one of Harrison's best songs.   His version on "Living in the Material World" is totally fabulous as well.   David Bowie's version is great too.  

It's very much the sound of Harrison at the time.  Either he was swept up by the idea of a classic Spector wall of sound - especially in his first proper solo (song orientated) album "All Things Must Pass."  An album that I have a hard time relistening due that the production makes the material sound lifeless and stiff.  On the other hand, the Spector touch is fantastic on "Try Some, Buy Some."  Harrison was very much in tune with the orchestration of his voice fighting out with the amazing amount of strings, horns, and whatever there was in the studio at the time.  A beautiful melody, but Ronnie Spector's take, is the best, just due to the strength of her fantastic voice.  One can also imagine the horrible existence of Ronnie at the time of this recording, with respect to her marriage to Spector.  

Not the easiest record to find, but this is a fantastic single.  The B-side is "Tandoori Chicken, written by Harrison and Spector, and it's a great throwaway song that's perfect for the b-side of things. 

Paul McCartney - "McCartney" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1970 (Apple)

If memory serves me correctly, this album was made secretly and released once Paul McCartney announced that he's leaving The Beatles.  Which caused a poop-storm in the Fab Four world for them and the fans.  Also one could not help notice the contrast between John Lennon's first solo album (Plastic Ono Band) and Paul's.   As an 'oh my god' it was clearly Lennon that won the what's the hell? A brilliant outrage that Lennon was going through at the time, and then Paul's record which is "Lovely Linda."   To this day there is still the Beatle debate of who's the heavier of the two.  Lennon had the chops, but McCartney had both the genius ability for melody and eccentricity.  This is an album made by a man who is on a vacation of some sort, and he's in the garage working on carpentry or fixing things around the house - except it's not a home but a music project. 

Low-fi, and no ambition whatsoever, this is an album of great charm, and McCartney stretching out not musically really, but almost trying out the new reel-to-reel tape machine he bought to make this album.   What I find essential is "Teddy Boy" which is one of my favorite Paul songs.  Totally a post-war song about losing a dad and dealing with mom's love life afterward.  Of course one would think of the 'Teds' but in actuality, it's a boy name Ted, but the song takes place in the generation of the Teddy Boys.  McCartney writes a lot of his lyrics as a narrative, a story, where Lennon is often more fragmented.  Of all the Paul albums, "McCartney" is very loose in structure.  There are three instrumentals here that touch on exotica as well as Link Wray.   The guitars on this record (everything played by Paul) are heavy sounding.  There are undoubtedly roots to music from the 1950s, specifically rockabilly, but circa Paul's take on that form of music.    Paul throughout his career has been attracted to the rough side of rock but against his middle-of-the-road nature.  It's an interesting tension throughout all his solo work.   For me, he's very hit-or-miss, but I can't deny his greatness.  It just comes in unexpectedly. 

The Beatles - "Abbey Road" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (Apple)

Under the illusion of the last work or even death, "Abbey Road" is a suitable end to one of the iconic bands of all time.   Not the final Beatles release ("Let it Be" I believe is the official last album, although recorded before "Abbey Road") this is the one where they held their breath to make sure they get everything down before departing to other adventures.  After their Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour year, the Fab Four went out of their way to look minimal, not only with the White Album but also with the cover of "Abbey Road."   Four guys are walking across the street looking like they're going to work.  Not on a vacation, or a place of pleasure, but a sharp direction toward labor or work mode.  Or even coming back from lunch but now the lunch hour is over, and it's back to the mines of creating some new Beatle sounds.

The music within "Abbey Road" is very much the finalization of what they were working on at the time.  Side two is a suite of songs that are half-finished or short bursts of creativity.  Almost like a sketch book, but one made by sonic geniuses.  "Abbey Road" is very much the escape route after recording/filming their failure "Let It Be" (or "Get Back") and realizing that it will take a great amount of focus to do "Abbey Road."  It's an album of energy or focus, and it's an amazing document as well as a work of pop perfection.  

When I bought this album as a teenager, I thought nothing could be better than this.  I also didn't realize that it was the end of The Beatles as well.  The news came to a shock to me, but of course, the press at the time were reporting troubles in the Apple offices and homes of The Beatles.  Listening to it now, I'm impressed with how fresh some of the music is.  To me, it's John Lennon's last great umph in his songwriting talents (besides his early Plastic Ono singles and first solo album).  "Come Together," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" on side one is a fantastic beginning and ending for that side of the disc.  The McCartney associated songs are not bad, but not dynamic as the opening and closing number on side A.   McCartney comes through the second side as parts of the suite/melody becomes an urgent sense of tension such as "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "You Never Gave Your Money."  "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight" is also a sign of relief on the part of the band, or more accurately (at least musically) McCartney.   

Lennon also shins with "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam."   What is beautiful at this point in my life, I'm not sure which is the Paul or John songs.  I suspect I can tell, and I'm not cheating by reading the backup material.   Also noted is the strong presence of George Harrison's work on the album.  Still, it is a sound of people cleaning up their closet, or wiping the table clean before leaving the room for the last time.  

Paul McCartney - "Another Day" b/w "Oh Woman, Oh Why" 45 rpm vinyl single, 1971 (Apple Records)

When comparing Paul McCartney's early solo recordings with Lennon's early solo works, it seems like there is this hidden layer where they communicate with each other through their individual recordings.   And not just by the songs themselves, but how they packaged their work.  Of course, there is the famous image of Lennon, on the "Imagine" album,  holding, what I think is a pig's ears (this is all from memory) to make fun of McCartney's main image for "Ram."   "Another Day" came out in 1971, after a series of John & Yoko recordings.  What's interesting is the songwriting credits to that song:  "Mr. & Mrs. McCartney."   The album that came out of these sessions, "Ram" is credited to Paul & Linda McCartney.  I wonder if John & Yoko didn't share credit, would Paul still credit his future recordings as Paul & Linda? 

"Another Day" is not a brilliant record, but an exquisite one.  As I write, I can hear the melody so clearly in my head.  That is Paul's genius at work.  Yet, the song has no bite or passion. It's very studied and in control.  A narrative about a housewife living her life, is a good subject matter - but it has no Ray Davies bite or wit.   And Lennon would never write such a song.  I don't think he ever wrote a narrative tune in such a manner.  His 'narrative' works are always had a touch of fantasy.  McCartney is a songwriter who believes in narration, beginning, middle, and end.  His thinking is very straight forward.  John Lennon was narrative to a certain degree, but it goes from A to C, and may end in B.   And with respect to Linda, I do wonder what she contributed to this song?   

"Oh Woman, Oh Why" is the song for me with respect to this single.  Technically the B-Side, but to me this should have been the A-Side.  Primative Paul at his best.   I actually like the first Wings album because of its roughness.  I like rough Paul more than neat and precise Paul. 

John Ono Lennon - "Instant Karma" b/w Yoko Ono Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band's ""Who Has Seen the Wind" 45 rpm vinyl, 1970 (Apple)

One of my favorite, if not 'the' John Lennon fave.  Hearing "Instant Karma" for the first time was a shock to the system.  Incredibly aggressive, and often thought that this recording was the birth of glam rock, with respect to the drumming, and vocal sounds.   In 1969/1970 Lennon couldn't do wrong for me.  I love his songs on "Abbey Road," and of course the singles "Cold Turkey," and  then the following year, "Instant Karma."   What's puzzling is the billing.  For "Cold Turkey" it was under the Plastic Ono Band, and "Instant Karma" is under his full (new) legal name "John Ono Lennon.  Yoko on the b-side (or is it a double-A side) is under Yoko Ono Lennon.  Perhaps just to acknowledge their recent marriage.  Lennon I don't think put too much thought on whose name on the label, but more important was that individual song.  "Instant Karma" works as a 45 rpm single, because it's forecful and makes a statement.  There is no way that this song could be placed on the first Lennon solo album "Plastic Ono Band."   To me and my ears this is a very unique Lennon record. 

Yoko's "Who Has Seen the Wind?" is a tender beauty of a record.   It's the flip of Lennon's dynamism on the other side of that record.  A reflection compared to "Instant Karma's" warning that you better get it together.    At the time of its release, this record made me yearn for change which came later in the punk years.  So this song is almost a nod or a hint of better things to come.  Ironically not from the Lennon camp, but through The Sex Pistols.  Lennon I felt channeled the anger of punk, before Punk (in the British sense) existed.  A fascinating single. 

Yoko Ono - "Plastic Ono Band" Vinyl, LP, Album (Secretly Canadian)

A brilliant album.  Yoko Ono's voice is like a wind instrument.  Perhaps a sax.  The more I listen to this album, the more I think of her voice as an instrument.  It mashes perfectly with Ringo, Klaus, and John.  The production is straightforward with the echo in the right place or aural location.   The ending of "Why Not" as it merges into the sound of a train is awesome.  It's beautiful work.  The whole album is perfect. Without a doubt, Public Image's Metal Box album is at the very least the cousin piece to this LP. 

John, Klaus, and Ringo are amazing.  Ringo is a great drummer, but here he goes nuts, especially on "Touch Me."   It's strange to hear this album at this moment because it feels like it was recorded this year.  Not in 1970.   The mixing of the drum set, the sturdy never failing bass playing, and John's guitar is a groove monster.   "AOS" is Yoko with Charlie Haden, Ornette Coleman, Ed Blackwell, and David Izenzon, recorded in 1968. It's a great piece of music and performance.  It's interesting to hear Yoko's voice, and again I think of it as a wind instrument, against or with Ornette's sax.  Sex as a performance!   And oddly enough it fits in perfectly with the rest of the album.  I think in 1970, John and Yoko were at their heights with respect to vision and doing their art.  And the packaging on this re-issue is excellent.  Comes with a poster of the Ornette Coleman/Yoko concert as well as a small booklet of photos - just a perfect package with the perfect "Plastic Ono Band."

John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (Apple)

This sounds odd to read now, but I was 16 years old when this album came out. It was a Christmas gift from my parents.  It was clearly the end.  I pretty much grew up with The Beatles from one album to the other - then they broke up.  Which doesn't sound like a big deal in the 21st century, but I was depressed and at lost when I learned or read about the breakup of The Beatles.  When Paul announced that he was leaving it was in a sense like a divorce of one's parents.  It was quite painful.  What made the pain more realistic was John Lennon's first solo album "Plastic One Band." Minimal.  To the point. And it took no prisoners. And that's the horrible beauty of this album.

It wasn't intellectual, or profound sounding - it was John Lennon in December 1970.  Not only that, but it was the last album from a Beatle - even an ex-Beatle.  At least to me.  When I heard that album in 1970, it was the end.  Not only in Lennon's statement, but also the brutal sound of the album. It was not only the end of an era, but even more important, the end of John Lennon.

Yes, he had or made other albums, and yes, they were hits.  But "Plastic Ono Band" was the last Lennon album of great importance, and therefore the last great Beatle album.   There is not even a reason for Lennon to record another album.  That is how I felt when I heard this album, and I still feel that way when I hear it now. "Imagine" has it points, but a work of art, it's nothing compared to this album. Lennon was on a roll in the late 60s.  He really didn't write or perform a bad song- in fact they were all brilliant.  "Instant Karma" and "Cold Turkey" were fantastic 45 rpm singles.

The beauty of this album is that it was and is, total destruction.   The minimal Phil Spector/Lennon production is perfect.  Minimalism fits the Lennon aesthetic as it was the perfect crime weapon of the last eight years of Beatle era.  Because this album was a goodbye to that, and clearly it is about the end.  And in a sense it is the end, because Lennon never made another masterpiece. The moment, the time, and he and Yoko and Phil - it was the perfect storm.  Oddly enough, Spector also recorded the Harrison "All Things Must Pass" album, and that, although it had great moments, is really nothing compared to the Lennon album.   Spector's piano work on "Love" is superb.  Even that has a time-frame that this won't last forever.  "Plastic One Band" closed the Lennon world.  He became a public figure, but as an artist he never again reached this peak.  "Plastic One Band" like Bowie's "Blackstar" is his ultimate goodbye album.  As No. 6 would say "I'll be seeing you."

GEORGE HARRISON - "Wonderwall Music" (Apple Records) 1968

To be perfectly honest, I like George Harrison's music in The Beatles a lot - but his solo albums (including his much loved "All Things Must Past") leaves me wanting something more.  There are individual songs here and there throughout the solo years that I enjoyed, and I think his role as a record producer is very underrated.  Still, the one album of his that I love, is his soundtrack album to the über-hippie film "Wonderwall."  For one, this is the first album released on the Beatle label Apple, and therefore the first solo album from the Fab Four.  

For the first time, I think Harrison moved away from London/Liverpool to embrace Indian music.  The beauty of this record is that he's not doing Indian music, but putting his personality and style into that form of music.  So it's a hybrid version of George Beatle and Indian classic music.   Recorded in Bombay and London, this album is probably one of the first 'world' music projects - at least by a pop star.  One of the great charms about this album is that it really doesn't remind me of Harrison as much as Serge Gainsbourg when he did soundtrack music.  There's a Jean-Claude Vannier (Gainsbourg's co-writer/arranger during the early 70s) that clearly this album must have been an influence on those two French geniuses.  In fact, this album is very French sounding to me.  Why?  I don't know.  All I know is if you put me in a room and played this album without me knowing its history, I would think it was Gainsbourg, or at the very least, a French soundtrack album from the early 70s.  

So, the album is very much ahead of its time.  Even though Indian sounds were clearly entering the Beatles world and other artists as well - this is the first album where Harrison embraces that world fully, but still added his pop sensibility into the soup.  There are traces of Musique Concrete as well.  This is such a great album, and it's disappointing that Harrison didn't continue the great adventure.   Then again, without his presence, we wouldn't have those great British comedies from the 70s.  Harrison was equally serious and hysterical at the same time. 

The Beatles - "Free As A Bird" 45 rpm vinyl single

The Beatles - Free As A Bird

Vinyl 7” 45 rpm, U.S. 1995

Apple Records

Doctor Frankenstein  made this album.  John Lennon recorded this demo in 1977, and the Fab Three did overdubs, etc in 1995.  Morbid?  The weird thing for me is to pretend that somehow someone can come back from the dead to make a new recording.   Death is final.  But not in the pop music world.   But beyond that it’s a nice Beatle record.  The additional Paul like chorus or bridge is pure magic in conjunction with this being a Beatle record. Nevertheless it is a depressing record on many accounts.  The B-side is quite interesting.  The Beatles through out most of the 60’s made Christmas greetings on record for their fan club, and this one I believe was done in 1967, has a slight psych touch to it. 

The Beatles - "Baby It's You" Vinyl 7" EP

The Beatles - Baby It’s You

Vinyl 7” EP, 45 RPM, Mono, U.S., 1995

Apple Records

The fab four on BBC radio.  Four songs on this EP, each track features all four Beatles’s lead vocals. The key track here is their version of the Bacharach & David classic with a great Lennon vocal.  Overall this EP covers the Beatles love for the American girl group sounds.  Besides the title cut they also cover “Devil In Her Heart” (George sings it), and Ringo’s “Boys.”  Paul being the spoil sport does his “I’ll Follow The Sun.” 

The EP is a nice snapshot of a time, and one wonders if they knew, at the time of these recordings,  that they could never go back there again.  When I hear early Beatles material, I think of it as a time capsule, and it doesn’t place me in that time frame or point in history, but I feel that they were living for the moment, and they truly didn’t know what will happen around the corner. 

The Beatles - "For Sale" Vinyl LP, Mono

The Beatles – For Sale

Vinyl LP Mono, Reissue, Remastered, Gatefold sleeve, 1995, Europe

Apple Records

As a child I was a Beatle fanatic, but now an adult I can barely listen to them. Not because I dislike their music, but because it was so much part of my personal soundtrack while growing up. I think there are people like me out there, but still, I do have some faves from this band, and For Sale to me is a masterpiece that still delivers the goods.

The emotional punch of “No Reply,” “I'm a Loser,” and “Baby's In Black” still hits me hard. It has to be one of the best sequencing of songs ever on an album. And three songs about being a loser on top of that – how can a child not be affected by such pure honesty in an aural way? The other two songs that nailed me down to the wall is their version of Buddy Holly's “Words of Love” and their great “Every Little Thing.” Their vocals are so superb on this album, but especially John Lennon. This is the ground zero of Lennon's angst that showed up on his first solo album. In fact this is the first Beatles album where I felt the music was cutting me deep. The others were fun, but here I was introduced to depression via the Beatles world. Perhaps this is their first grown-up album.

Also recently I became obsessed about getting Mono editions of their recordings, because I believe this is what the guys heard in the studio. I'm trying to capture the original sound or approach, but it is hard to capture a memory that way. In the end it is all illusion.

Badfinger - "The Very Best of Badfinger" CD Compilation, US, 2000

Badfinger – The Very Best of Badfinger

CD Compilation, U.S., 2000

Apple

For a band that was produced by the all-time greats of their era, such as Tony Visconti, Todd Rundgren, Geoff Emerick, Paul McCartney, Chris Thomas, and are actually on The Beatles label Apple, how did they become such a downer? By all accounts this should have been a happy narrative with plenty of hits on the side, but instead we get two suicides and sort of a text book in bad luck in the music business. So do I love this band? No.

Without a doubt Badfinger know their way in a recording studio, and they have that text book songwriting skills, yet something about them leaves me really cold. They're the Beatles but without the Beatle poison. In other words I hear the skills of putting a pop record together, but I don't hear a sense of passion. I can totally understand people loving this band, but also I feel they don't take any chances with their music, and for me, I need that scope on a pop record. By no means do I dislike Badfinger, I just wished there was something else added to the mix. But yeah for sure they know there way around a good melody. I can't fault them on that.