Badfinger - Wish You Were Here 1974 (Mini LP SHM-CD Warner Music Japan 2014)

Wish You Were Here is a glistening, powerful rock record that stays true to power pop while sounding as contemporary as any mainstream rock band of the mid-'70s. It was the kind of record that could have been a hit, but due to a series of legal and managerial entanglements, it was pulled from stores before it had a chance to find its audience. Despite its relative obscurity, most die-hard Badfinger fans maintain that the group shines brilliantly on Wish You Were Here and they're correct. For one, it's easily the most cohesive album the group ever recorded -- a nice by-product of working with one talented producer (in this case, Chris Thomas) for an entire album instead of piecing a record together.

Also, the showcases each band member at a peak of songwriting. As the band's most prolific and gifted composer, Ham naturally has the strongest presence, and while each of his songs stands as proof that he was a consummate pop craftsman -- particularly the elegant "Dennis," the hard-hitting "Just a Chance," and the Abbey Road-esque "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch." Joey Molland has a strong showing with the stately ballad "Love Time" and "Should I Smoke," his complement to "Ranch." What is surprising is that Mike Gibbins' two contributions are of the same caliber, as is Tom Evans' electric-piano laden "King of the Load," since they were in a bit of a slump prior to this album. Thomas ties the record together with a clean, professional production that keeps the rockers energetic without losing their melodic edge, while preventing the sentimental numbers from seeming syrupy. All of this results in a classy, catchy pop record, possibly the best Badfinger ever released. It could have been a hit, too, but we'll never know. (S.T. Erlewine, allmusic.com)

There are a few bands who will be always deep in my heart and Badfinger is one of this bands. And ''Wish You Were Here'' is in my opinion their strongest album. No filler here but that is not the most significant feature of the album. The band had meet with this album (and every song) the zeitgeist of the seventies exactly. To me every song here is a monument of seventies pop music. The band had a lot of milestone songs but this is definitely a milestone of an album. And beside of this it shows what great songwriter all of the members were. Six stars out of five. Enjoy.(Frank)

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