Hailed as the new Beatles but “mismanaged and exploited beyond the bounds of human decency” Badfinger’s thankless career drove two members to take their own lives. Badfinger could have been huge. What’s more, the band’s connections with The Beatles once earned them the tag of ‘the new Fab
Four’. But instead, despite writing and recording some wonderfully memorable music, Badfinger went down in the annals of rock history for all the wrong
reasons. Most people who remember the band today will probably point to the fact that two key members took their own lives.

The story of Badfinger is probably one of the most tragic in rock’n’roll. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong – twice– while their occasional triumphs over adversity never seemed to bring them their rightful reward. When Harry Nilsson first heard Without You (his future worldwide No.1 hit single), written by
Badfinger’s Pete Ham and Tom Evans, he assumed it was a Beatles song. It was an understandable mistake, given that Paul McCartney had taken the band under his wing, signed them to The Beatles’ Apple label, and even written a hit for them in Come And Get It. Badfinger also backed George Harrison on his Bangladesh concerts. But their connection with The Beatles would become a double-edged sword.

My special guest this week is singer, songwriter and guitarist JOEY MOLLAND – Badfinger’s sole surviving member.

During our chat, Joey discusses his life and career in the music industry. He talks about his early days in Liverpool, where he was part of a tight-knit
musical community that included some of the most famous bands of the time, such as The Beatles and The Searchers. He talked about his experiences playing in various bands and making records, including joining The Ivey’s, which later became Badfinger.

Joey talks about the success of Badfinger in America, particularly their hit song ‘Come and Get It’, which was written by Paul McCartney. He also discusses the band’s formation and later successes with songs such as No Matter What and Day After Day. However, despite the band’s success, Joey walks us through
the struggles the band faced with management and financial ruin. He still believes that “whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Today Joey Molland continues to perform under the name Joey Molland’s Badfinger and is proud of the band’s Legacy of hits. He chats about his latest solo album, ‘Be True to Yourself’, which features collaborations with notable musicians such as Mark Hudson, a Grammy-winning
producer who has worked with bands like Aerosmith and Rainbow. The album also features contributions from his friends Julian Lennon and The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz.

“Be True to Yourself,” is Joey Molland’s sixth solo album and the first in seven years. It definitely has echoes of John, Paul, George and sometimes even Ringo. 

To learn more about Joey Molland, check out my website https://abreathoffreshair.com.au

You may also like to take a look at the 1997 book “Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger,” by Dan Matovina https://www.amazon.com.au/Without-You-Tragic-Story-Badfinger/dp/0965712222

Please get in touch with me with any comments, feedback or guest suggestions – sandy@abreathoffreshair.com.au

I hope you enjoy this episode.

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Sandy Kaye Sandy Kaye

Hello, I’m Sandy Kaye. A freelance broadcaster, journalist and producer who has spent more than 35 years on both sides of radio and television microphones. I’ve worked with every TV network in Australia, have produced and presented for countless radio stations around the country and have hosted my own commercial radio talk-back show. I’ve even held the distinction of being Sydney’s first female newsreader on radio – way back when!

Today my passion is A Breath of Fresh Air which allows me to immerse myself in one of my favourite things – music. I just love all kinds of music and am fascinated by the people who make it. In particular, it’s the music of the '60s '70s and '80s that takes me back to my youth and means so much to me.

As a journalist, I’m all about digging deep into the classic hits of our time.
I bring you intimate, warm, fireside chats with the artists who tell us about their lives both then and now.
We learn about what makes them tick, who they are in their professional and private lives and how they went about making the soundtrack to our lives.

'A Breath of Fresh Air’ is exceptional - exceptional not because of me, but rather because of the stories that some of the best-known musical artists choose to share with me.

I created this podcast to honour them. It’s all about THEIR lives, THEIR stories, THEIR music, told now, in THEIR voices, before they’re lost forever.

I see my podcast as a personal labour of love, but also as an archival legacy for music fans and practitioners alike, both current and future, who otherwise might never know of the amazing people who helped build the industry.

I really hope you enjoy each and every episode of A Breath of Fresh Air.