Ass (Chi) [Import]

Badfinger | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B000006SN9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,679 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Apple Of My Eye

2. Get Away

3. Icicles

4. Winner

5. Blind Owl

6. Constitution

7. When I Say

8. Cowboy

9. I Can Love You

10. Timeless

11. Do You Mind

Editorial Reviews

Joey Molland assumes half the songwriting on this, the group's heaviest and most serious album. Ass (1974) is solid gold Badfinger. It was partly recorded at the then state-of-the-art Apple Studios at 3 Savile Row, London, and contains the group's valedictory 'Apple Of My Eye', written by Pete Ham. The album was produced by Badfinger with Chris Thomas.

This Remastered CD includes five Bonus Tracks, all produced by Badfinger themselves. Four of these are previously unreleased versions, and one is a previously unreleased song:
• ‘Do You Mind’
• ‘Apple Of My Eye’
• ‘Blind Owl’
• ‘Regular’ / previously unreleased song
• ‘Timeless’ --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Badfinger`s Goodbye to Apple, May 24, 2004

By 

Morten Vindberg (Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ass (Chi) (Audio CD)

Additional comments to the 2010 remastered release:

"Ass" is undoubtedly the Badfinger album that has benefitted most from the new remastering. On the first CD release from 1996 the sound was very muddy and certainly not on par with the other Apple reissues. This is now thankfully corrected with this new 2010 release.

Also disappointing was it that the 1996 version contained only one single bonus track. This has also improved with this release, which now includes five bonus tracks, several of which are really exciting additions.

"Do You Mind" was the lone bonus number on the first release. On the new edition is the number again to find, but in a different version, which unfortunately is not better. I am missing Tom Evans fine harmony vocals on the chorus, a little frustrating since Molland himself is no great singer.

Pete Ham's "Apple of My Eye" is found in an earlier edition produced by the group themselves, good, but not as good as the final version which Chris Thomas helped to produce.

Tom Evans's "Blind Owl" is also found in an earlier version which "Apple of My Eye" is interesting, but not quite as good as the final version.

"Regular" is an unpretentious Joey Molland song that has never before been released. The song appear finished, but has probably originally not been found good enough to get on the album. Another outtake from "Ass" is Pete Ham's "Piano Red", which unfortunately is only available as a digital download, unless you want to invest in then Apple Box set. A shame, as the album generally lacks Pete Ham songs - it must be said that "Piano Red" is a somewhat atypical Ham song which may also have been deselected by being too different.

The last number is a different mix of Pete Ham's magnificent "Timeless". The mix is not as clear as the album version, but sounds like it's the same basic track, but with a different and shorter end. Since the album version is over seven minutes, some might feel that this slightly shorter version is to be preferred.

Original review:

The story behind the release of Ass is in several ways similar to that behind "Straight Up". The first recordings for this album, that turned out to be their last for Apple Records, began in January 1972; and the final recording took place in April 1973. The album was not released until late 73 in the USA and in March 74 in Europe. Their change of record company from Apple to Warner Brothers was one among other reason for the delay. Actually a first version of the album had been completed by the end of 72, but it was rejected by Apple. The original version of Ass had been produced by the band themselves, and they were going for a more basic rock album.

In early 73 Apple called in Chris Thomas to produce new recordings and to look through, what had already been finished. A similar situation had occurred when Todd Rundgren had been recruited for finishing "Straight Up". The two earliest recordings on this album were in fact ("The Winner" and "I Can Love You") produced by Rundgren. Pete's "Apple Of My Eye" and "Timeless" were re-recorded and two new Molland songs ( "Icicles" and "Constitution") with Chris Thomas were added. The rest of the album are leftovers from the scrapped version.

The album turned out to be a commercial failure; not because of the music but because of other things like little promotion, bad timing, the change of record company, lack of recent hit-single etc. The album was different from their earlier albums - they had wanted to do basic rock album representing the music they performed live, and that is mainly what "Ass" became. People who'd expected and hoped for another album similar to "No Dice" and "Straight Up" were obviously disappointed. Pete Ham only contributed 2 songs, of which only "Apple Of My Eye" was a typical Ham composition. Tom Evans wrote two very strong tracks, "When I Say" and "Blind Owl" - the first a lovely ballad and the second a wonderful rocker, which became a live favourite. Mike Gibbins wrote "Cowboy", a country styled song, which sound somewhat unfinished and which does not fit very well into the concept of the album. The rest of the album was written by Joey Molland. 3 straight ahead blues/rockers and two ballads. The album is the first where Pete Ham really gets a chance to demonstrate what a great lead guitarist he was, f. ex. on tracks like "Blind Owl", "Constitution" and "Timeless". The only bonustrack "Do You Mind" is an outtake from the first version of the album - it's written by Molland and it's one of his best early Badfinger songs.

My favourites: "Apple Of My Eye", "Blind Owl", "When I Say", "Timeless" and "Do You Mind"

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The unjustly forgotten Apple album, July 6, 2004

By 

William J. Eichelberger "I will not go quietly" (Ft. Thomas, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ass (Chi) (Audio CD)

While Badfinger's Straight Up and No Dice albums are widely and deservedly considered classics, their Apple swan song, "Ass" gets so little attention that it's never even been released domestically. Few people outside the core of die-hard fans even know it exists. Too bad, because they're missing some stellar moments. While power-pop was the buzzword that surrounded much of the rest of the band's catalog, "Ass" doesn't come off quite as sweet and is all the better for it. "Ass" was Badfinger stretching out and showing that they were more than recycled Beatle hooks and harmonies. While "Apple Of My Eye", Ham's achingly appropriate tip of the hat to the band's soon to be ex-label, captures the band's sound of old, several of the other songs seem to come from a harder edged, refreshingly different vein. "Timeless" is quite possibly Pete Ham's finest recorded moment with it's slow-building intensity, harrowing guitar and fade to infinity ending, and if nothing else shows just how huge a talent the world lost a short time later. Pete was not only a gifted songwriter, but as this song also shows, a brilliant guitarist. These two songs along with "Constitution", "Icicles", "Blind Owl" and "I Can Love You" are the albums undoubted highlights, but only Mike Gibbins' "Cowboy" seems out of place on the album. Despite it's thrown together, admittedly rushed feel, Ass is a great Badfinger album that has never recieved a fair shake. It's nice to see this import only re-release for those who missed it the first time around, but I have my doubts as to whether this will wake people up to what they've been missing. Again, too bad.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Badfinger's Final Apple Album Is Hit And Miss Affair, August 6, 2004

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ass (Chi) (Audio CD)

Long unavailable, ASS was Badfinger's fourth and final album for the Apple label. Their self-titled debut for Warner Bros. would be released a mere three months after ASS. That, coupled with the fact that Apple did little to promote the album, resulted in an album that failed to chart. Despite the album's poor chart showing, it is not without it's highlights.

The album is bookended by two first-rate efforts from Pete Ham. The opening track is a kiss off to their former label. [Badfinger left Apple on acrimonious terms.] The closing track is the majestic "Timeless." [At nearly eight minutes it is the longest song in the Badfinger canon.]

Co-founder Tom Evans also turns in two equally fine songs. First, the uptempo "Blind Owl" and the lovely "When I Say." Mike Gibbins lone contribution is the country-flavored "Cowboy."

The remaining five tracks (along with the bonus track "Do You Mind") were penned by Joey Molland. The rockers like "Get Away," "Winner" and "Constitution" are serviceable, but the highlights are the love songs "Icicles" and "I Can Love You."

While not up to the high standards of their previous LP STRAIGHT UP, this is still a necessary purchase for Badfinger fans. RECOMMENDED