Magic Christian Music

Though technically their 2nd album, this was the first after they changed their name from The Iveys. What a great disc! 3 songs from the Peter Seller/Ringo Starr film THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN (hence the title) include Paul McCartney's classic "Come And Get It" (see BEATLES ANTHOLOGY 1 to hear HIM singing it first) as well as the wildly frenetic "Rock Of All Ages" and the sentimental "Carry On To Tomorrow". And that's only the start! Other highlights for me are "Crimson Ship", "Beautiful And Blue" and the emotional "Maybe Tomorrow" (the latter 2 originally from their 1st album). This CD contains all 14 tracks from the British LP ("Angelique" and "Give It A Try" had been snipped off the US LP) as well as "Storm In A Teacup" (taken from a rare Ice Cream promo EP) and the previously-unreleased, humorous look at marital infidelity, "Arthur".

If I have any beef, it's that they didn't go far enough! MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC was really a patched-together album, 6 tracks having appeared earlier on MAYBE TOMORROW. If they were going to do a CD with bonus tracks, I'd like to see the other 6 songs, plus the leftover "A"&"B" sides (not to mention the demo for "Come And Get It") --all of which appeared earlier on the RARE TRACKS lp-- in one place. Among the missing was the ominous epic, "I've Been Waiting", which closed their 1st LP. Don't get me wrong, this is a FANTASTIC CD as it is! You'd think after all these years, though, that somebody would take the extra effort to REALLY do things "right".

There really is no justice in pop history. Burned-out rock critics apply the much-overused qualifier "Beatlesque" to every two-bit band that can come up with a discernable melody. In the current Bizarro World of rock underachievers, the insanely-overrated Oasis get favoured with the B-word. How tragic, then, that Badfinger --- the band that invented (almost)-post-Beatle homage ---has been all but forgotten. Serious students of pop history will know the pleasures of such melodic gems as Crimson Ship, Fisherman and Carry On Till Tomorrow. Others, sadly, will look to the recycled sludge of the Gallagher brothers. It's not too late, though: get Golders Green,the wonderful set of demos by Badfinger guitarist Pete Ham, and this disc.Play them together and spend some time in pop heaven.

Magic Christian is made up of a mix of originals recorded for this album and a handful of tracks remixed from their debut as The Iveys. The stylistic contrast between Badfinger and The Iveys is quite pronounced on some tracks. Tony Visconti's production on Maybe Tomorrow (the album The Iveys tracks were culled from)wasn't bad just a bit over the top.

This album truly needs to be remastered. Peter Mew was leaning a bit too heavily on the No Noise for this edition. No Noise takes away tape hiss but also eliminates the natural sound of instruments removing resonance and bits of top end as well. It basically sounds like listening to music with a towel thrown over the speakers. It's not bad sounding but it could be more vibrant and alive sounding.

Paul McCartney produced at least two tracks here (the self penned Come And Get It and Rock Of All Ages both used in the film), while Mal Evans produced the bulk of the rest of the original material. The more recent Badfinger tracks are the stronger songs included. Maybe Tomorrow, while a fine song, doesn't belong here (although it does appear on the original vinyl version of the album)it's sound is florid and doesn't fit in well with the bulk of these tracks. It's a fine song--it just doesn't fit the developing Badfinger sound. It was originally recorded for The Iveys album that the band made before their personnel change and name change. Crimson Ship (a song written as a tribute to McCartney who came in and helped the band out)is one of the stand out tracks here.

The inclusion of the rare Arthur and Storm In A Teacup are welcome additions to this disc (as well as the two tracks cut from the original US release). The band would truly hit their prime with No Dice, Straight Up and Wish You Were Here.

Actually it's only a Badfinger disc in name only. Most of the tunes on the album were done earlier when the band was called the Iveys and the rest were done after the name change but before second guitarist Joey Molland joined the band. The result is a mis-mash of different styles of songs. The Paul McCartney penned "Come and Get It" starts out the disc in fine form. Simple and irresistibly catchy, with Mike Gibbins drums driving the song home. It's no surpise the song went deep into the top ten. "Crimson Ship" is up next and its a slow-paced song that just hints at the creativity of the Pete Ham-Tom Evans partnership. "Dear Angie" sung by departed Ron Griffths is the kind of older British pop that seems dated compared with some of the other songs on this disc but has some interesting jazz noodling on guitar by Ham. "Fisherman" is another of those dated Ivey songs. Indeed its almost a novelty song. "Midnight Sun" puts the boys back on the right track with a stunning vocal by Ham. The rhythm guitar is mixed real high giving the song extra punch. "Beautiful and Blue" while poppy, showcases developing songwriting talent. "Rock of All Ages" is another impressive track by the band. This has Tom Evans giving it his all in his best rock 'n roll voice. It's one of those songs that doesn't stop moving. "Carry On Till Tomorrow" showcases the bands vocal abilites, which not fully mined on this disc would be explored later on. The strings on this song help immeasurably, however the electric guitar is a little bit off putting to such a gentle song. "I'm in Love" is still another Iveys old song, just remixed to be used on this disc. However, its better than some of their other attempts but still it sounds of its time. "Walk Out in the Rain" is a nice gentle Pete Ham vehicle. "Angelique" a total throw away. "Knocking Down Our Home" is a song about the effects of progess elegantly and effectively performed in the dance-hall style. Its one of the underrated songs on the disc. "Give It a Try" is more old dated Brit-Pop. "Maybe Tomorrow" was the Iveys first single--its simply overdone with Tom Evan's vocal histronics and orchestration and timpanis. The bonus tracks, "Storm in a Teamcup" and "Arthur" add nothing to the original disc. It's obvious here, on several songs at least, that early in 1970 Badfinger was a group to watch.

A pretty good debut for the band, but not among their best releases. Yet, MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC was just putting their toe in the water. Songs like CRIMSON SHIP, MIDNIGHT SUN, and possibly BEAUTIFUL AND BLUE have the Badfinger sound. Let's not forget the great COME AND GET IT penned by Paul McCartney, as well as tunes such as MAYBE TOMORROW, ROCK OF ALL AGES, and CARRY ON TILL TOMORROW.

Good debut from Mal Evan's (Beatles roadie's) discovery. Actually this is a compilation of the Iveys album and the then current soundtrack to the Peter Sellers film of the same name. Good stuff for any rock fan.

Well, this must be the closest thing to Badfinger's first album, released in 1970--as I remember--, currently available. The original vinyl version didn't include "Angelique", "Arthur", "Give it a Try", and "Storm in a Teacup", and I've not heard these songs. Said vinyl version was the first long-playing record I ever owned, a fifteenth-birthday present, accompanied with the Badfinger hit single "No Matter What" from their second album, "No Dice". Nothing here is as attractive or as Beatlesque, so to speak, as "No Matter What", but all of it (with the exception of its hit single "Come and Get It" and the possible exception of the added songs--I don't know) is melodic, competently performed, professionally arranged, and tastefully produced. When I say "melodic", I don't just mean the songs have attractive bits, I mean they have actual, developed (more or less--this varies from song to song) whole melodies, something I've not heard on the radio since Billy Joel's "The Longest Time" from the mid-eighties--and pretty rare then. (At the risk of belaboring my point, here are contrasting examples: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" has an actual, developed whole melody; Elton John's "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" has only--meretriciously--attractive bits--completely dependent on their trite harmonization.) I don't mean to suggest that Badfinger's melodies here are worthy of, say, Burt Bacharach at his best ("This Guy's in Love") or Paul McCartney at his best ("Here, There, and Everywhere"), only that they are actual, developed whole melodies. (Ironically, the exception, "Come and Get it, was composed by Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney usually neglects to write actual, developed whole melodies, but he knows how.) Oh, I almost forgot, no Aretha-Franklin's or Joe-Cocker's here, but these guys can sing, and this has been rare in rock and roll for some time too.

Also recommended: The Proclaimers's first record, "This is the Story", Beatlesque in its exuberance and charismatic charm and, for musicians, Jeff Burns's "Pentatonic Scales for the Jazz Rock Keyboardist", a method book.

Magic Christian Music was the first album to bear the Badfinger name, though 6 of the songs on the album are in fact old Iveys recordings that had already been released on the Maybe Tomorrow album. Some of the recordings were done with Paul McCartney, and he obviously helped the band create their characteristic sound. Great tracks like "Midnight Sun", "Crimson Ship" and "Come and Get it" point clearly in the direction of the classic follow-up album "No Dice". "Walk Out in the Rain" is another stand-out track. "Rock of All Ages" is probably the wildest rocker the band ever recorded. "Maybe Tomorrow" which had been a minor hit for the Iveys, was also selected for this album.The material in this album is too varied in style and quality to make a real strong consistent album. The two bonus tracks are Iveys recordings from late 68 - none of them very interesting.

My favourites: Come and Get it, Crimson Ship, Midnight Sun, Beautiful and Blue and Walk Out in The Rain

Only one hit but if I remember correctly all of these songs were better than the movie.Badfinger just weren't as big a deal in the States as they were in Great Britain.Oh well, pip pip, cheerio tea time !

This is a review of the original American vinyl LP, which includes everything here except "Angelique", "Give It a Try", "Storm in a Teacup", and "Arthur". I'll have nothing to say about these four additional tracks. I've never heard them, in fact.

It may be natural to suppose this the soundtrack to "The Magic Christian" movie; it is nevertheless not so. I watched the movie for the very first time a month or so ago. It's dreadful--but, more to the point, only one of its three songs found here is heard there in its entirety, and there is a lot of other music in the film that isn't included here.

Since the Ivey's LP was never released either in the United States or in the United Kingdom, I don't consider it particularly relevant whether or not some of their songs made it to this record.

"Magic Christian Music" is essentially a period bubblegum record, by which I don't mean to disparage it, only to point out that it would be very foolish to take any of it at all seriously. The best thing about it is its ensemble singing, particularly on its two best tracks by far, "Maybe Tomorrow" and "Carry On", and also on the refrain of "Fisherman". (Unfortunately, the very ending of "Maybe Tomorrow" is corny, and the singing falters here as well.) These vocal arrangements are elaborate enough and significantly more sophisticated enough than the core group's fairly crude instrumental performances, that I'm inclined to wonder whether a professional outside vocal arranger had been brought in. The solo singing tends to be a bit weak and occasionally just slightly out of tune--"Maybe Tomorrow" is an exception. Although there is some fine drumming in "Maybe Tomorrow", in general there is also a great contrast in musicianship between the core group and the outside studio musicians--who deserve to have been credited, especially the solo violin player in "Maybe Tomorrow" and the obbligato trumpet player in "They're Tearing Down Our House".