Collaborations

Straight Up

Badfinger


 
Straight Up - A-Side Label Straight Up - B-Side Label
Straight Up - A-Side Label Straight Up - B-Side Label
Straight Up - Rear of Booklet Straight Up - Front Cover of Booklet
Straight Up - Rear of Booklet Straight Up - Front Cover of Booklet

The Beatles Contribution:  George Harrison was Producer on a number of tracks.
Label Apple
Catalogue No. SAPCOR 19
Release date 4th February 1972
U.K. L.P. Chart Detail : Did NOT Chart
Detail : Badfinger :
   Pete Ham (1947-1975) - Guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals
   Tom Evans (1947-1983) - Bass, vocals
   Joey Molland (1947) - Guitar, piano, vocals
   Mike Gibbins (1949) - Drums, vocals
All songs written and arranged by Badfinger
Produced by Todd Rundgren, except tracks 5 and 6 on side one and 1 and 3 on side two which were produced by George Harrison.

Original sleeve design was by Gene Mahon and Richard DiLello, with photographs by Richard DiLello.

In March 1992 the album was digitally remastered from the original two-track stereo master mix tapes by Ron Furmanek, and engineered by Mike Jarratt and Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios.
This re-issue came with a 12-page booklet which has some very detailed and lengthy sleeve notes written by Andy Davis (of Record Collector) and researched by Dan Matovina. The package was designed by Phil Smee at Waldo's Design.
The 1992 c.d. has a catalogue number of CDSAPCOR 19 (0777 7 81403 2 0).

Excerpts From C.D. Liner Notes - 1992
On 9th January 1971 Badfinger set about the task of recording a follow-up to the critically acclaimed "No Dice" album. With Geoff Emerick and the band working together on the production, recording took place at three London Studios, Abbey Road, Air and Command in Picadilly. Much to the band's annoyance their American manager then arranged a ten week tour of the U.S. This meant rushing the new album before March and as they ran out of time, mixing the final tapes in one day. As they flew to the states the still untitled L.P. was left at Apple.
When Badfinger returned to Britain on 16th May they discovered that the recordings had been rejected as their next album and any immediate plans for a follow-up to No Dice had been dropped. The band considered the tapes their most accomplished work to date and to their ears sounded superb, but Apple decided they were a bit crude. The original running order of the unreleased album was to be:
Side 1 : Suitcase
              I'll Be The One
              No Good At All
              Sweet Tuesday Morning
              Baby Please
              Mean Mean Jemima
Side 2 : Name Of The Game
              Loving You
              Money/Flying
              Sing For The Song
              Perfection
While on tour in America Badfinger had visited the Bell Sounds studios in New York, and Al Kooper had added piano and organ overdubs to a remix of "Name Of The Game", which with "Suitcase" as it's B-side was allocated a catalogue number (APPLE 35) and announced as the next single.
Then plans for this single release were also dropped. The band were dejected as all their recent recordings had been shelved and three months of hard studio work seemed wasted.
But more than adequate consolation was in store as George Harrison expressed a wish to produce the band. George wanted a more polished Abbey Road sound for them.
The new album was a fresh start with no recordings from the original set to be used. Some of the previous songs would be used, but re-recorded from scratch. With George at the controls, four tracks were begun - two new songs, I'd Die Babe and Day After Day and remakes of Name Of The Game and Suitcase. George played slide guitar on Day After Day and brought in Leon Russell to lay down some piano.
With just four tracks completed, George suddenly had to leave the project to work on the Concert for Bangla Desh at the request of his friend Ravi Shankar. Badfinger were also brought in to the charity concert where they augmented the superstar line-up.
By the time Badfinger returned to Britain to resume the ill-fated follow-up album, George was busy mixing the Bangle Desh tapes for release so a new producer had to be found. Todd Rundgren was chosen. The band had never heard of him and had to rush out and buy some of his records to find out who he was.
Rundgren took charge and within two weeks the album had been completed.
Apple had given Todd carte-blanche to finish the sessions as he saw fit and as well as recording a batch of new songs he chose to re-work and mix tracks from both the original aborted L.P. and the George Harrison sessions. With Rundgren at the controls the album received a complete overhaul falling into line with the required sophisticated sound which George originally had in mind.
Straight Up was finally released in February 1972 and went on to become Badfinger's most popular and enduring album.

The Bonus Tracks
The first four bonus tracks are from the original unreleased and untitled Badfinger album.
Money/Flying - Original version with orchestrations by George Martin. The segue between the two songs is more apparent here, and Flying starts with phased vocals. (Todd's later version features Joey's vocals sped up about a tone and a half higher).
Name Of The Game - The original faster and shorter version with horns and orchestra. Different from the final version on "Straight Up" and from the Al Kooper overdubbed version which remains unreleased so far.
Suitcase - The original version with an electric guitar intro, extra piano at the end and uncensored lyrics. To avoid any drugs inference the words "pusher, pusher on the run" had been changed to "butcher, butcher ..." on the later album version.
Perfection - Original version, shorter in length with synthesiser and harmonica refrain instead of guitar riff at the end of the song. There are no percussion overdubs as there are on the final version.
Baby Blue - The single mix with reverberated snare as issued in the U.S.

To see where this album release sits in the apple releases, see the Apple Records Album Listing.


Side 1

No. Track Composer Time
1 Take It All   Pete Ham 4:26
2 Baby Blue Pete Ham   3:36
3 Money Tom Evans 3:29
4 Flying Tom Evans-Joey Molland   2:35
5 I'd Die Babe Joey Molland 2:33
6 Name Of The Game   Pete Ham 5:19

Side 2

No. Track Composer Time
1 Suitcase Joey Molland 2:52
2 Sweet Tuesday Morning Joey Molland 2:29
3 Day After Day Pete Ham   3:10
4 Sometimes   Joey Molland 2:51
5 Perfection Pete Ham 5:07
6 It's Over Tom Evans 3:24

1993 Digital Remaster - Bonus Tracks
No. Track Composer Time
13 Money Joey Molland 4:20
14 Flying Tom Evans-Joey Molland 2:24
15 Name Of The Game Pete Ham 4:24
16 Suitcase Joey Molland 3:16
17 Perfection Pete Ham 4:39
18 Baby Blue Pete Ham 3:35

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