No Dice

Less than 6 months after Badfinger's debut "Magic Christian Music" was released, the public is treated to the first real(with the new lineup) Badfinger album--"No Dice." The change is instantly noticeable. Gone is the silly dated Brit-pop that was the Iveys, replaced by the harder edged power pop that is Badfinger. "I Can't Take It" is the nonsensical raver that starts the disc off in fine fashion with Pete Ham shouting it out. The boys would use this song in their live act for years. "I Don't Mind" comes floating into the speakers next. Tom and newcomer Joey Molland do a good job vocally. It's a good song, handled with great feeling by the singers. "Love Me Do" is another song in the rocking mode. Also used in their stage show for the next few years, one can see why--lots of energy, good guitars. "Midnight Caller" is a nice mournful ballad with the drums mixed surprisingly high. The backing vocals shine while Pete Ham delivers a sterling lead vocal. Ham shows why many people referred to him as the best songwriter in the band as he shifts gears next and brings us the classic "No Matter What." All you have to do is hear the opening chord to know that it's Badfinger. Joey Molland plays a very fitting lead guitar. "Without You" is next and it's the one that got away. Badfingers version really sounds like a demo compared to the version that Harry Nilsson made and created into the monster that now stands as the definitive one. "Bloodwyn" is up next and it shows the boys can handle different types of music. Here the boys work the country angle with Pete again doing a tremendous vocal job. His slightly nasal readings give his songs an edge to them. Also, his lead guitar in this song is nothing short of perfection. Joey's "Better Days" is up next. While more of a shuffle than an out and out rocker, its nice to have. I like the way the acoustic guitars keep time, almost buried in the chorus. "It Had to Be" is the song drummer Mike Gibbins wrote although Pete Ham sings it. This is probably the song with the least to commend it. His writing would grow alot stronger in the future. "Watford John" is a song written by all four but sung by Pete. Nice guitar work here although the song as a whole fails to impress. "Believe Me" marks the first solo written number by Tom Evans who wrote much of the material on their debut disc. Highly impassioned vocals, while kept in check for the first couple of verses, erupt, then lead us to dueling guitars leads, then back into the song again. Tremendously impressive. "We're For the Dark" finishes the disc proper with Pete Ham and his mates on their trusty acoustic guitars. Of course, it helps that the
lush orchestra cradles this beautiful tune. Regarding the bonus cuts: "Get Down" sounds like an idea they're working on but its not coming together for them. "Friends Are Hard to Find"(Originally titled Photograph), is one of the first songs to be recorded with new memeber Joey Molland. Its interesting, but the same time its easy to see why it wasn't used. "Mean, Mean Jemima" however is a really, really good song. the interplay between guitarists(which wasn't a factor on the previous album)really stands out on this song and this disc. "Loving You" is a slow song sung by Mike Gibbins. Interesting and nice to have but also, easy to understand why it wasn't originally released. "I'll Be the One" is a puzzle. It sounds like a radio hit. Amazingly catchy and very singable. Yet this is the first time it's appearing anywere. Another point I'd like to make is that newcomer Joey Molland's presence, writing-wise, on the bulk of the disc. Not many bands would allow a new person to be involved so heavily so early. Improved vocals(both harmony and backing, a harder edge(due to Joey Molland) and improved songwriting(mainly Pete Ham) gave Badfinger one the best discs of 1970.

While most critics cite STRAIGHT UP as Badfinger's best album, this is the album I return to time and time again. Though technically their second album, it's the first to feature the classic lineup of Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins and new guitarist Joey Molland. Peaking at No. 28 in the US (none of their albums charted in the UK!), it was their highest charting album.

"I Can't Take It" - The album kicks off with a straight-ahead Pete Ham rocker.

"I Don't Mind" - A lovely Evans-Molland ballad, glorious harmonies.

"Love Me Do" - A great rock 'n' roll song, but it didn't do anything to stop the Beatles comparisons when Molland titles his song with the same title as the Fab Four's first single!

"Midnight Caller" - A lovely Pete Ham ballad.

"No Matter What" - Another Pete Ham song, and the only single released from the album. (Peaked at No. 8.)

"Without You" - Co-written by Ham and Evans. Could have been a huge single, and it was...for Harry Nilsson, who also won a Grammy for it.

"Blodwyn" - This is one of my favorite songs, although I have no idea why a spoon would be "a token of my love." Ham's guitar work gives this song a distinctive country feel.

"Better Days" - Another Evans/Molland collaboration.

"It Had To Be" - Drummer Mike Gibbins is the underappreciated songwriter of the band. This is a lovely tune.

"Watford John" - This little rocker is credited to the entire band.

"Believe Me" - A wonderful Evans-penned ballad.

"We're For the Dark" - A classic Pete Ham song which closed the original album on a somber note with its acoustic guitar. Best line: "But it's not enough to be/ If you gotta look, then you have to see."

Then there are the five bonus tracks. [The final three were produced for a follow-up album to NO DICE that was never released.

"Get Down" - A rocker written by the entire band.

"Friends Are Hard To Find" - Another rocker penned by Molland. [Again he references the Beatles with the opening line: "Well, I had to laugh, I saw the photograph."}

"Mean Mean Jemima" - Molland contributed this mid-tempo rocker.

"Loving You" - Another gem from Gibbins.

"I'll Be the One" - A final band collaboration and easily the best of the bonus tracks.

With this album and its follow-up, 1971's STRAIGHT UP, Badfinger were establishing their own identity as a band and were poised for greatness. Tragically, it never happened. Label changes and bad business decisions and mismanagement saw declining record sales. "Baby Blue" and "Day After Day" from STRAIGHT UP would be their final Top 40 hits. WISH YOU WERE HERE only reached No. 148. By 1975 a despondent Pete Ham took his own life and brought a premature end to one of the most gifted bands of the era. This album serves as a testament to that greatness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

No Dice was Badfinger's first masterpiece ( and my first Badfinger album!). The inspiration from The Beatles can be heard on most of these songs, but this album shows that they're much more than just a Beatles rip off. Some changes had been made since the recording of Magic Christian Music. Geoff Emerick (known from his work with The Beatles) produced most of the album; the rest of it was produced by Mal Evans who also produced some of Magic Christian Music. Ron Griffiths had already left before the release of the previous album so Tom Evans had now taken over the bass. Joey Molland ,who had played with Gary Walker, was chosen for a new guitarist. The material (the songs) on this album is very strong. "Without You" written by Tom and Pete has become an all-time classic - here's the original version - superior to any version I've heard so far. Enjoy Pete's organ line at the end of the song - sounds like something Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum could have done. "No Matter What", "Midnight Caller" and "We're For The Dark" all show what a brilliant songwriter with an unique sense of melody Pete Ham had already become. The album is a perfect blend of ballads, rockers and a bit of country ("Blodwyn"), generally performed with more rocking feeling than their earlier recordings. Though the album is obviously dominated by Pete Ham's songs all other members contribute to it. The bonus-tracks are all very good - 4 of them hail from the never-released follow-up album to "No Dice" recorded early 1971. The strongest of them is the group-composition "I'll Be The One", which at a certain point was considered as a single - I believe it had the hit-single potential.

My favourites: Midnight Caller, Without You, No Matter What, We're For The Dark and I'll Be The One

Even if you've never heard of Badfinger, you're probably already a fan of two or three of the AM radio standards included on this thoroughly enjoyable record.

Though they began as Beatle protégées, Badfinger quickly developed into power pop innovators whose four-part harmonies and infectious guitar melodies echo in the music of Big Star, The Raspberries, The Shoes, and The Posies among others.

No Dice is a great introduction to Badfinger, largely because producer Geoff Emerick was happy to capture the band's live sound instead of overexerting his own influence on the music as Todd Rundgren, Bill Collins, and even Chris Thomas would sometimes do.

As with all of Badfinger's albums, it's the Pete Ham songs that really shine brilliantly, though Tom Evans and even Joey Molland more than rise to the occasion. If you like this album (and I honestly can't imagine who wouldn't) be sure to pick up Wish You Were Here, Straight Up, and the Pete Ham demo compilations 7 Park Avenue and Golder's Green.

After sounding like a Beatles tribute band on "Magic Christian Music," Badfinger staked out their own musical territory on "No Dice.""No Matter What" may be the epitome of '70s power pop, and "Midnight Caller" is a haunting lost gem. A classic recording from one of the most underrated groups in rock history.

This is what badfinger is all about. good singing,guitar playing with a little piano if needed. the bonus tracks are not junk, its good cuts from the follow up LP that was never released.the flavor of this LP is grittier rock sound than STRAIGHT UP. i like the fact on this the band doesn't try to get to complex with there sound. Just some good ol' rock & roll. Worth the money.

For a short time Badfinger filled the void left by the breakup of the Beatles. "No Dice" and the following album "Straight Up" are classic pop albums that had the harmony, melodic sense, energy and feeling that were the hallmark of the best of the Beatles music. While the Beatles had Lennon and McCartney Badfinger only had one "great" singer songwriter-Pete Ham, though Tom Evans was an excellent singer and wrote some memorable songs. The other members wrote and sang but it was Ham who provided the group with the best songs and the most inspired vocals.
The heartbreak of his finest song "Without You" (co-written by Evans) is only heightened by the knowledge of his tragic suicide (years later Tom Evans ended his own life the same way), and with no disrespect to Harry Nilsson, this is the definitive version.
Pete of course was surrounded by a group of solid singer, writer, players that made Badfinger one of the best groups in the early 1970's and "No Matter What" is one of the few songs that have stood the test of time and still seem fresh every time you hear it.

Back in the early 1970's, when Badfinger was a working band, it was roundly criticized for being, at best, a Beatles "sound alike" and, at worst, a Beatles imitator. "Badfinger recycles familiar riffs and harmonies in far less striking configurations" says The Rolling Stone Album Guide. There was plenty of other circumstantial evidence. Paul McCartney wrote their first hit, George Harrison produced their third album (STRAIGHT UP), and they were on the Beatles' Apple label.

Personally, I don't know the accuracy or fairness of all this. I DO know that it all ended tragically for Badfinger and, particularly so, for some of it bandmembers. But that is all water under the proverbial bridge, now. I also know that this recording, NO DICE, sold pretty well when it was released and I know why. Whether or not these guys were mining Beatles material for their music, the result sounds pretty darn good. It seems to me that if a rock band is going to look somewhere for inspiration, Beatles music would be a good place to start.

The fact is, if you like the kind of music recorded by the Beatles and other pop/rock bands of their era, you'll probably like NO DICE. Badfinger produced a nice sound both vocally and instrumentally, and the original album included twelve very listenable songs. The CD has been augmented by the addition of five more songs that were previously unreleased. I have my own favorites, but this CD includes nothing but good stuff. There's not a real clinker in the bunch. NO DICE is a very good CD and I recommend it. Get it. You won't regret it.

Listening to this record on CD today sounds as fresh as when I first heard it on vinyl. I think this record never got its due respect at the time of its release due to the strong Beatles influence. But, this record nicely expands upon the Beatles mid-60's version of pop. The bright harmonized vocals along with the hard edged instrumentation adds up to a true power pop classic that simply jumps out at you and demands your attention. This may be the first power pop classic. It kicks off with the hard rocking "I can't take it". It ends with the beautiful Pete Ham ballad, "We're for the dark". In between their are songs that will alternatively make you sad, happy, exhilerated and moved. There is not a bad song on the CD. Even the more Beatles derivative nature of some songs such as "Believe Me" (think "Oh Darling") and "Love me do" (pretty obvious) can be forgiven because they sound so energetic and melodic. Ultimately, the centerpiece of the record has to be the Pete Ham, Tom Evans collaboration of "Without You". This song is so good it could easily get remade by a contemporary artist every decade and become a huge smash hit. It already has. But, those who have only heard the "hit" versions of this song will be surprised by the original Badfinger version. It may be the first and only straight forward raw, rock treatment of the song. Somehow, maybe even because of the eventual suicide deaths of both Evans and Ham, I hear a sense of sadness and desperation that never quite comes through on other versions of this song. Though it lacks the polish of the "hit" versions, Badfingers "Without You" has a very strong impact that continues to move me in a way only a handfull of songs ever can. As an added bonus, the CD extra songs are all very good, too.

It was here that Nilsson must have heard the emotive and beautiful song, "Without You," and it is on NO DICE that the song gets its best interpretation ever. Badfinger does it the justice it deserves, their emphasis bestowing a degree of sorrow that Nilsson missed. True to the Beatle-like style that they were known for, the album is full of pleasant early-seventies style rockers that makes it enjoyable from start to finish. Their first big hit, "No Matter What," is a great song that hints at what will follow on STRAIGHT UP two years later.