Badfinger Genius--Pete Ham's 7 Park Avenue

Pete Ham's 7 Park Avenue is the type of album that the true music fan will salivate over--you might call it a "diamond in the rough". All of the songs on the album are demos recorded by Ham on very primitive equipment in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Although additional musicians were brought in in 1993 or so to do overdubs on some of the tracks, the liner notes give the assurance that all vocal performances and guitar licks are as originally performed by Pete Ham. Because of the original recording methods that Ham employed, the album contains a disclaimer that some tracks may be a little unbalanced musically, but to me that's the whole appeal of a work like this--it's real, genuine and raw. Heck, I wish they would have left off the overdubs--I would prefer a total homemade album, but the record company couldn't resist the opportunity to add a commercial sheen to this collection of tunes.

Pete Ham was the moving force behind the British power pop band Badfinger. Discovered by Paul McCartney and signed immediately to the Apple label, Badfinger delivered several solid albums before tragedy struck the group--Ham committed suicide in 1975, and another member killed himself as well, although I'm not sure when. Although their time was brief, Badfinger had several songs which made the charts, and the songwriting skills of Pete Ham were largely the reason.

Highlights Of This Album

Ham shows a keen affinity for family on Catherine Cares, a song about his mother, Dear Father, dedicated to his father, and Sille Veb, a tune about his wife with her name spelled backwards. All of these songs show Ham's skill at writing a melody, although the simple acoustic accompaniment of Dear Father is touching and very relevant. Coppertone Blues, featuring only Ham and his acoustic guitar, is anything but the blues, and features some fine guitar playing by this talented musician.

Matted Spam is some pretty edgy blues-rock which shows some of the mixing imbalances that the liner notes warn about--the vocals are a little buried in the mix, but you can still get the general idea. No Matter What was a huge hit for Badfinger, but Ham's simple acoustic version puts a whole new spin on the song, which I really like.

Weep Baby and Hand In Hand are acoustic numbers with some overdubbed vocals and bass guitar, but both tracks retain that homemade feel. Island gives us a touch of the Caribbean, while I Know That You Should is the type of British power pop that Badfinger practically patented. No More and Ringside convey the strength of Ham as as songwriter--he was a slave to the melody, and that's the hallmark of any great songwriter.

This unique recording has a total of eighteen tracks--if you're like me, the obscure and raw feel of these songs will mesmerize you. The foldout booklet is loaded with information about Pete Ham and Badfinger, and about the recording of this album. The lyrics to each track are included also.

This album may not be for everyone--if you geek out over stuff like this, like I do, you need to pick it up. If you would like to see the work of a great songwriter in a stripped down mode, this is a fine example, and the genius of Pete Ham shines through clearly.