The Gonzo Daily: Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland looks back on the making of 'Straight Up'

Badfinger’s story is one of triumph and tragedy, songs that remain classics, and careers — and lives — that ended much too soon.

Their history began in the early 1960s; by the time they became Badfinger in 1969, the lineup included lead guitarist Peter Ham, guitarist-turned-bassist Tom Evans, drummer Mike Gibbins, and guitarist Joey Molland. As the first band signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records, Badfinger enjoyed worldwide Top 10 hits with “Come and Get It,” written and produced by Paul McCartney (Magic Christian Music, 1970), and “No Matter What” (No Dice, 1970). When they began working on their third album, Straight Up (December 1971 U.S. release, February 1972 U.K.), they had been on the road, recorded with George Harrison on All Things Must Pass, and were receiving accolades from fans, radio, and media. “Things were going quite well for us,” Joey Molland recalls. “We’d made our first tour of America, which was a big deal for us, and that was the main thrust of the band — getting those tours together, improving ourselves as a live band, and writing songs all day, every day. We were uncomfortable with the idea of being in a ‘rock star’ band. We never thought of ourselves like that. We just thought of ourselves as a little band, and we were getting quite famous. They were saying extraordinary things about us and the music we were doing, but it was a little embarrassing to be compared to such great artists as The Beatles. At the same time, we were overjoyed that people were enjoying the songs.”

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