Customer Reviews

7 Park Avenue

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After purchasing both CD's of Pete's unreleased demos I am left with one overriding impression - the man was amazing. He wrote lovely melodies that even Gershwin would have admired. He was an above average guitarist and blessed with a beautiful voice. Such a rare jewel deserves a better epitaph than "wrote hit songs and died penniless due to a rogue manager." If you are a Badfinger fan then I would strongly recommend buying these two CD's.

"7 Park Avenue," along with "Golders Green," is a must-have collection of homemade demos by the late Pete Ham. This beautiful assortment of songs shows just what a talent Ham was and makes his 1975 suicide seem all the more tragic--if indeed that is possible. Highlights include "Coppertone Blues" and "No Matter What" featuring Pete and his acoustic guitar; the rollicking "Matted Spam" and "Leaving On A Midnight Train; and the haunting "No More" and "Ringside," both recored just days before Pete's death. Thanks to producer/author Dan Matovina for resucing these demos from obscurity and for succeeding in making them available to all of us. Pete Ham's music, lyrics, and voice are what seperated Badfinger from their power-pop brethren of the 1970's. Pete Ham made Badfinger special. This compact disc of lost gems shows why.

One of the Badfinger reviewers somewhere stated something to the effect of Pete Ham "grabbed his melodies directly from heaven." I can't agree more. Although some of the tracks on this compilation are sparce, short, and mono, the insight these cuts give to his power pop genius help solidify that his songwriting talent may never be surpassed. Thank you Pete, in heaven, for the melodies you found there for us!

The only reason I take a star away, is for the unfortunate snippets and pieces of songs that keep you longing for more, rather than full length tunes, and of course, is for no ones fault,that make up this album.

In an era that started in the heyday of the Beatles and ended before the advent of disco and punk, true talented songwriters did exist. Pete Ham of Badfinger was a multi-talented individual, writing love songs and rockers with hooks that embed themselves tightly to your cerebral cortex, being a talented wordsmith with a gift for conveying imagery, emotion, and feel. He was also a gifted musician, being handpicked by George Harrison himself to duet with him at the Concert for Bangla Desh. This album features the demoes Pete did, either for submission for consideration to Badfinger, but (more often) as a beautifully written diary of himself and his life performed with exquisite musical skill and talent. You get sentimentality, joy, love, pain, and (ultimately) resignation as Pete's personal and financial demons get to him and cause his fateful decision. Songs like Matted Spam and No Matter What take on completely different lights in this album, and they are but highlights of a thoroughly satisfying compilation, the equal fo the demo'd songs on the Beatle's anthology....

What a fantastic collection of songs! Anybody who gives this CD a bad review has to be the biggest ignoramous that ever lived. The sound might not be perfect,(being home demos, and who knows what kind of shape the tapes were in?)However, the great music and the performances shine through nevertheless. (I recommend 7 Park Avenue over the more recent and far less consistent Pete Ham CD, "Golders Green"). I think about Pete Ham a lot and all that he had going for him, I mean, so much songwriting talent, a girlfriend who loved him, and why he would want to take his life. I hear all the stories, but, well at least we have this superb collection of his songs to cherish, a compilation that Pete would undoudtedly be proud to have released.

In the history of music there are a few people I consider geniouses. Pete Ham is one of them. While the quality on this disc is not as perfect as a final Badfinger cut, it is still good, all things considered. My personal favorite is "Ringside", which has a beautiful melody, combined with a chilling parallel to Pete's life. This disc would be worth it for that song only.

Finally, 20-odd years after Pete`s death, he`s honored! I never thought such a project would happen, but Pete`s long lost demo tapes have been rescued and shared with his fans! This collection is a treasure, in every sense of the word. If the only Badfinger you`ve ever heard is their original albums, then this will blow you away at what could`ve been. It`s obvious that Pete had a passion to record. These demos show the wide range of his talents and probably only scratch the surface of his private collection. Many of these songs would`ve surely been Badfinger hits, while others with a more personal nature like "Catherine Cares", (an ode to his Mom) might`ve never seen the light otherwise. It`s a joy and a rare pleasure to hear this stuff from one of my favorite singer/songwriters. The extra tracks on this Japan release are more from Pete`s library. The domestic release ends on a bit of a sorrowful note, but the extra tracks help ease the pain you hear in Pete`s voice as he sings his feelings to himself. I highly recommend Pete Ham`s 7 Park Avenue to anyone who simply wants to hear excellent songwriting and one of the best voices of the `70`s. I`m so glad this CD happened. It`s about time Pete Ham is reunited with his fans. :)

This collection of home-recordings has become one of my favourite albums. An impressive collection of songs - it's hard to understand that just two of them were recorded by Pete Ham's band Badfinger.

"Catherine Cares" is a fine opener - the sound comes close to Badfinger's. "Coppertone Blues" is a strong acoustic ballad - a highlight on the album. "It Doesn't Really Matter" has been my personal favourite from the very first time I heard it - should have been recorded by the band - could have been a hit - maybe some day it will. "Live Love all of Your Days" is also a good song - very much like Badfinger - would have fitted nicely into one of the first albums. "Would You Deny" is a lovely acoustic track - very clean sound. - I'never cared much for "Matted Spam" on the Badfinger-album - this version has made me like it better. "No Matter What" - Pete's own version of Badfinger's big hit - surprisingly I don't think it's a stand out song on the album - could some of the other songs have been equally big hits? "Leaving On a Midnight Train" is a strong rocker with great vocals by Pete. "Hand in Hand" is another strong track - in a similar style to "Perfection" from Straight Up. "Sille Veb" is a fantastic song. Another highlight . Beautiful strings-arrangement. Unfortunately the sound of the original tape is not so good. "I Know that You Should" - a great intro - the song seems a bit unfinished though."Just look inside the Cover" - another favourite - as always a great melody. "Just How Lucky We Are" - Yet another highlight - One more song that deserved a full production - could be a classic like "Sille Veb" and "It Doesn't Really Matter". "No More" and "Ringside" - two songs from Pete's very last days - very strong tunes - difficult to listen to regarding the sad circumstances.

The Japanese bonustracks are all very strong - the sound-quality is unfortunately not very good. Great job by producer Dan Matovina

My favourites:

Coppertone Blues, It Doesn't Really Matter, Would You Deny, Hand In Hand, Sille Veb, Just How Lucky We Are, No More, Ringside, The Heart That Can't Be Understood and Blessing in Disguise

What can I say about this amazing collection of ever made pop songs? Since I bought it two years ago, these songs have become a part of my life. But not only of me: the (i'm sure) Gallagher brothers influence "Catherine Cares" is an example. Most of good power pop bands of today (Posies, Gigolo Aunts, Parkinson DC, The Libs...) have admited their love for Pete's songs. Please friend, enjoy Coppertime Blues, or Dear Father or any of the 24 songs and you will enter in the "selected" club of neverending good music fans.

This collection of demos gives a wonderful insight into Pete Ham's talent's as a ballad writer. Perhaps this collection is best appreciated by Badfinger fans or fellow musicians, since it is quite rough. Some of the songs are amazingly crafted for the technology Pete Ham used at the time of the recording. He had an uncanny way of taking a simple melody/progression and producing a pop hit. His untimely passing at age 27 was a major loss for the music world. I was fortunate enough to see 'Badfinger' last year; Joey Molland and company - nostalgic, but not complete without Pete.