Wish You Were Here (Badfinger album)


Wish You Were Here is the seventh studio album by rock band Badfinger and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records. Wish You Were Here was the second and last album the band released on the Warner's label.

History

Although the album received a favourable review in Rolling Stone magazine and is sometimes considered to be the band's best work, it was withdrawn from record stores in early 1975, seven weeks after release, because of a lawsuit between Warner music publishing and Badfinger's management. The album's abbreviated manufacturing run and short tenure on the market has made the original LP relatively rare.
Before being recalled, Wish You Were Here had time enough to chart, peaking at number 148 in the United States. In the 1990s it was re-released in CD format in Japan and Germany only. The album was issued on CD in the US in 2007. Many of the tracks have appeared on Badfinger compilation albums.
After completing Wish You Were Here, Pete Ham decided to quit Badfinger; he was replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Bob Jackson. However, after Warner's indicated that it would drop the band if Ham quit, he agreed to return, and Badfinger completed a tour as a five-piece group. Following this tour, Joey Molland resigned from the band.
The next Badfinger release was the Molland–Evans reunion album Airwaves in 1979. Ham, Evans, Gibbins and Jackson recorded an album titled Head First in December 1974 before Pete Ham hanged himself in April 1975. The latter album was the band's seventh and last with the original Ham–Evans–Gibbins nucleus that dated back to the late 1960s, when the group was known as the Iveys. Head First was not released until 2000, however, because of further lawsuits between Warner Bros. and Badfinger's management.
Real Gone Music released an "Expanded" version of the album November 30, 2018. A further expanded edition comprising 40 tracks including those from Badfinger was released January 3, 2020 with the title Shine On 1974.

Cover

The cover for this album features the members dressed in sailor outfits, the members that appear are Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Joey Molland, and Mike Gibbins,

Track listing

;Side one
  1. "Just a Chance" – 2:58
  2. "You're So Fine" – 3:03
  3. "Got to Get Out of Here" – 3:31
  4. "Know One Knows" – 3:17
  5. "Dennis" – 5:15
;Side two
  1. "In the Meantime/Some Other Time" – 6:46
  2. "Love Time" – 2:20
  3. "King of the Load " – 3:32
  4. "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch/Should I Smoke" – 5:18

    2018 "Expanded" Real Gone Music version

  5. "Just A Chance"
  6. "You're So Fine"
  7. "Got To Get Out Of Here"
  8. "Know One Knows"
  9. "Dennis"
  10. "In The Meantime/Some Other Time"
  11. "Love Time"
  12. "King Of The Load "
  13. "Meanwhile Back At The Ranch/Should I Smoke"
  14. "Queen Of Darkness" - unreleased song mixed 2018
  15. "Just A Chance" - alternate mix 2018
  16. "You're So Fine" - alternate mix 2018
  17. "Got To Get Out Of Here" - alternate mix 2018
  18. "Know One Knows" - alternate mix 2018
  19. "Dennis" - alternate mix 2018
  20. "In The Meantime / Some Other Time" - alternate mix 2018
  21. "Love Time" - alternate mix 2018
  22. "Meanwhile Back At The Ranch / Should I Smoke" - alternate mix 2018

    Personnel

;Additional contributors