Customer Reviews

Maybe Tomorrow (Mlps)

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Drummer Mike Gibbins once described The Iveys as a hard little combo - meaning they liked to rock and he was right. Their style was an amalgam and thus difficult to pigeonhole by the label bigwigs who think they know best (they usually don't). This CD features four bonus tracks which only enhance the variety of the music. The song "I've Been Waiting" is a true rocker while "Maybe Tomorrow" is a ballad that should have been a bigger hit. It's also notable that this original lineup had a more lustrous sound as it pertains to their complex harmonies. No disrespect to Joey Molland but Ron Griffiths' voice was a better match with Ham and Evans.

The Iveys, very short lived on apple. The Iveys and Badfinger are both very under-rated bands. If you like Badfinger; well this is an album you wont want to miss your chance at buying. This album deserves a good 5 stars.

Highlights of this album are: Maybe Tomorrow, No Escaping Your Love, Yesterday ain't Coming Back, They're Knockin Down Our Home, Mrs. Jones, Beautiful and Blue.

Songs that aren't great: Think Of All The Good Times.

Put It This Way, I like all of them except "Think Of All The Good Times"

It's great to see this release back in print. This is the 1969 pre-Badfinger album that featured Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Tom Evans and Ron Griffiths. The first twelve tracks comprise the Iveys original LP release with the final four bonus tracks consisting of "No Escaping Your Love" (the B-side of "Dear Angie"), "And Her Daddy's a Millionaire" (the B-side of "Maybe Tomorrow"), and two then unreleased Pete Ham tracks--"Mrs. Jones" and "Looking for My Baby."

Longtime Badfinger fans will recognize nearly half of these tracks because seven of them were remixed for the MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC LP (which found Joey Molland replacing Griffiths). These seven tracks--"Beautiful and Blue," "Dear Angie," "Fisherman," "Maybe Tomorrow," "Angelique," "I'm in Love" and "They're Knocking Down Our Home"--comprise the highlights. And on this debut album, Tom Evans has the strongest material with "Angelique," "Beautiful and Blue" and their first single "Maybe Tomorrow."

Pete Ham, who would become Badfinger's best songwriter, struggles with misguided material like the 30's-style ballad "They're Knocking Down Our Home," the psychedelic "I've Been Waiting" and pedestrain rockers like "See-Saw Grandpa" and "Sali Bloo." His best material is "I'm in Love" and "Mrs. Jones."

It's also worth noting that most of the tracks were produced by Tony Visconti (T. Rex, David Bowie). Five of the tracks were produced by Mal Evans (1, 2, 6 and 11) and "Looking for My Baby" was produced by the Iveys.

While as a whole the songs on this release don't hold up to the standards the band would set for itself in the future as Badfinger, this is an enjoyable artifact from the late-Sixties and a must-have purchase for any Badfinger fan. RECOMMENDED

I can't deny that I was very disappointed when I first received my copy of this album around 1993. Not that I expected a record superior to the Badfinger albums I knew at that time (in fact most of them!) - but I had hoped to discover at least one or two "new" good Pete Ham songs. Some of the songs I knew already from "The Magic Christian" and among them I really like/liked Tom's "Beautiful and Blue" and Pete's "They're Knocking Down Our Home".

My first impression of the album was that it very lightweight and actually 2-3 years behind its time. I still regard this album as a beginner's experiments; most of it pure sixties pop - not much pointing towards the great songs to come in the 70's. Of course as a true fan of Badfinger you give any Badfinger/related album several chances before you give them up - and naturally you always discover some great moments. For me these are "Sali Bloo" and "I've Been Waiting" along with the two already mentioned.

I think one of the problems with this album is that it's much too nice - very few rough ends - especially the vocals are often too cute. Another problem is the great variety in styles which gives an inconsistant impression of the album. The 4 bonus tracks don't help the general impression of the album - they fit nicely into it. It is obvious that Pete's and Tom's songwriting abilities have not fully developed at this point - but we know from "7 Park Avenue" that Pete had written several songs much superior to most of the material on this album.

My favourites: Beautiful and Blue, Sali Bloo, They're Knocking Down Our Home and I've Been Waiting

Though they would achieve greater success as Badfinger, for me The Iveys' first Apple album "Maybe Tomorrow" has more charm.

Pete Ham (Lead guitar, piano,vocals), Tom Evans (Rhythm guitar, vocals), Ron Griffiths (Bass, vocals)and Mike Gibbins (Drums, vocals) assembled an eclectic combination of musical styles for this album, which run the gamut from pure pop ("I'm In Love", "See Saw Grandpa", "Dear Angie") to folk ("Fisherman","Yesterday Ain't Coming Back", "They're Knocking Down Our Home"), to R&B ("Think Of All The Good Times", "Sali Bloo") to ballads ("Beautiful And Blue", "Angelique") and even psychedlic ("I've Been Waiting").

This re-issue even includes the 2 single "B-Sides", "And Her Daddy's A Millionaire" and "No Escaping Your Love" as well as previously unreleased demos.

Then there is the majestic title track, "Maybe Tomorrow"...

Why this song was not given much airplay and did not become one of the greatest pop hits of all-time, escapes me...It is simply a 3-minute masterpiece.

As of this writing (10-28-2010), Apple has re-issued the four Badfinger albums, and "Magic Christian Music" has several tracks from this album that were re-mixed back in 1970, as well as previously unreleased Iveys tracks, but to get the complete Iveys released works, you'll have to find the previous re-issue of "Christian", which has the Walls Ice Cream track "Storm In A Teacup" and a rare track, "Arthur".

With the name and lineup change, Badfinger still produced great music, but with the fluidity that the Iveys had, this sits just a tad higher in my book. 5 stars.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

Before long the metamorphosis of the Iveys would be complete and Badfinger would be introduced to the world. Although the 1969 release "Maybe Tomorrow" didn't make waves in the music pool, it did support a foundation for what would come. Half the tracks with some tweaking and musical maturity would resurface on the debut recording from Badfinger.

This CD release gives us the entire first album and four bonus tracks (Two are B-sides) and for Pete Ham collectors two unreleased songs he penned.

It is evident that the group was looking for a sound and peaking in several directions. The songs as constructed can best be described as a cross between the Beatles, Bee Gees, "The Monkees" and what "Three Dog Night" would become.

Critics have pointed out that some of the songs feel forced. An example could be "Yesterday Ain't Coming Back" which can fit into a lounge act category.

This doesn't mean the songs don't have merit. They may not lunge out the way the Badfinger renditions would, but there are some nice tunes on display. "Beautiful And Blue" does a nice job capturing the Bee Gees and Pete Ham's "I've Been Waiting" as well as his unreleased composition "Mrs. Jones are quality tunes."

If you have tasted some Badfinger and enjoy the texture, this deserves a listen and a fair chance.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"