Dan Mantovina fervently delves into the history of this ill-fated band, slowly revealing the details of what led to the tragic suicides of the main members of this group: Chief songwriter / guitarist Peter Ham's weakness was his gullibility, naivety and stubborness. Bassist Tom Evans' weakness was an (at that time) undiagnosed bi-polar condition resulting in abberant behaviour made far worse by alcohol binges.
Drummer Mike Gibbins goes along to get along, which both helps and hinders at different times and the other surviving member Joey Molland is painted as a jealous, competitive, selfish man - influenced to be this way by an opportunisitic and sociopathic wife who manipulates him emotionally by withholding sex, love etc.
These are strong words and impressions indeed but not entirely unwarranted when you consider independently of this book - Molland's release of the 1990 live album "Day After Day" which had the other band members parts removed or tinkered with and terrible modern digital effects implanted which ruined what could have been an important musical document of that time - warts and all. The inner sleeve for that CD - showing Molland seated and smiling smugly to himself as two other band members gaze fondly at him and main member Pete Ham is ignored and slightly edged out of the picture - tells us a lot and reinforces author Mantovina's character sketch of Molland's behavior displayed in the book.
Although Molland's wife Kathy is truly a disgusting drama-queen who tries to meddle in everything she can, the biggest sociopath and villain here is manager Stan Polley - a man so bereft of morals and principle that there are really no words in the English language to describe the depths of what an odious, evil person he truly is.
This book has come under fire for what it alleges. But those that doubt the darker aspects of these two characters can independently verify for themselves: Kathy Molland's name appears in the album credits of Badfinger's 'Andy Norris' song - even though she was not ever a musician or writer. She also clamors for attention in an "I was there" type interview done independently of this book, causing the viewer to ask "Why is she being interviewed when she's not a member of the band?" Stan Polley's other activities include ruining the careers of Lou Christie, Charlie Calello, and several other musicians, as well as later investors and business developers operating far outside of the music industry.
Essentially the bands' fallacies overtake them because of adverse conditions imposed by Polley whose intent is to manipulate them out of all their money. The band members and their surrounding people unknowingly all slowly descend into playing roles which exacerbate the situation. In some capacity everyone is to blame for what happens.
The book is instructive to any would-be musicians in the modern music business, though in truth many bands in this era were ripped off in the exact same fashion. Today the stereotypical psychopathic music business executive is an unquestioned regular staple in the pop music business. Look no further than the Idol TV shows, where talentless non-musicians sit as self-appointed judges and tell naive aspiring singers how to sing. It's also evident in the moral content (or lack thereof) of today's top 40 song lyrics which thousands of young impressionable kids are being exposed to. Stan Polley would have loved this era so dearly and truly lived in the wrong time.
This book merely serves as a warning to avoid these music business pitfalls by documenting what happens when you do become involved with toxic people, or at the very least - fail to recognize a deterioration of relationships and situations as they are.
The book overall is excellently written and the characters come to life in Mantovina's portrayals.
In one sense, aside from Polley, there really are no villains here, just tragic unwitting victims playing a game where each participant loses big. And everyone does from the Beatles right on down.
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Finally available again! Recommended by those who lived through this
I attached a photo of social media posts of survivors of the trainwreck that was known as Badfinger. Being recommended by a few of those who lived through this is extremely important. I believe, if Mike were alive today, he took would agree that this is the most comprehensive and historically correct account of their story... No agendas, just what really happened.Where can I start? It is absolutely fabulous that this is available again. I borrowed the book many years ago from Chocolate Watchband guitarist Mark Loomis. I had to return it to him before he moved to Hawaii and got through maybe 7/8 of the book and had to run to his house so he could pack it.When an event is recounted by five or six people and then one person comes up telling a completely different version of events, I cannot help but think about a recent celebrity trial.One thing I find is the book is not vindictive, which I kind of wish it was. The bad actors didn't get a completely free pass, but were not completely called out for their behavior. It was almost like a historical document or a news article.It doesn't take enormous brain power to figure out that the author is the real deal here. There are repeated stories by those close to the band backing up an historically-accurate version of events; the good, the bad and the ugly. It's incredibly powerful. No-stone-unturned kind of research.The credibility of the author is further strengthened by a long resume of working in the music industry (Monkees, Rhino Records, Apple Records, etc ). He worked in the industry he wrote about, which is so much better than finding some guy who sits in his mother's basement while he's pounding on a keyboard trying to sell something/anything for a buck. This knowledge makes a big difference in how the story is presented. The author understands the industry and is able to offer insight through asking great questions in the interviews he conducted and being able to interpret situations in a way that somebody not so involved in the music industry will understand.It's a really compelling story, it covers human nature the good and the bad. It covers naivete of some guys who came up from a place that didn't teach a lot of things pertaining to business. While they were great musicians, they weren't Einsteins with business degrees.If you've got a musician in your family, this is a book that could almost be used as an industry primer. If you're a Beatles fan, power pop aficionado, interested in the 27 club or just remember Harry Nilsson or Mariah Carey singing Without You, it's a good read and can bring new perspectives on how fragile human souls can not only express themselves through their art, but fall as a victim to that frailty.
Top reviews from other countries
"miss havisham"
The true story of Badfinger
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2022
