Badfinger Goodband

I remember in one of my film classes we briefly studied the evolution of genres. Westerns, gangster movies and most genre films tend to go through these stages:
Stage I: origin of the genre (for example, the early Western film The Great Train Robbery);
Stage II: a high-classical period (example: Stagecoach);
Stage III: a baroque period (see examples below);


Then other stages occur before the genre finally dies out. Something like that, as I recall. It's been awhile, so please forgive the vagueness. Anyway, the baroque period is defined in part by self-consciousness, where the film you watch is somehow aware of itself as a genre film. This self-consciousness manifests itself in parody (Blazing Saddles), hybrid genre films (SciFi + Western = Westworld) or mannered attempts to get back to the classical period (if I had actually become a film scholar I would put a great example here other than Young Guns...Wait, Fistful of Dollars. Much better).

Consider this my self-conscious post for Driftwood Singers, because today I have come to speak about Badfinger. This band is the ultimate example of a Driftwood band, as I understand the intentions of our Founding Fathers and Mothers. Forgive me if I'm too on-the-money here, but Badfinger has all the essential ingredients of a Driftwood-featured band:

1) They have bad hair. (See above.)

2) They are probably misunderstood by the casual music listener. Badfinger is forever in the shadow of the Beatles. At worst they're seen as almost a boy band created by the Beatles corporate venture Apple Corps Ltd. If I had my druthers, Badfinger would be much more obscure and the casual music listener would have no idea who they are at all, but I won't fault them for their success.

3) They made music in the period after the Beatles and before the Ramones, which was nothing but a total wasteland of corporate rock and mellow sappiness, if you believe the average Rock Expert.

4) They are great songwriters. Yes, Paul McCartney wrote one of their hits, but please be advised of their fine originals below.

There's much more to say about Badfinger. Their story would make one hell of an episode of Behind The Music. But let's just listen now, shall we?

Day After Day

Without You

No Matter What

So that's my self-conscious post. Hope you found it was more Fistful of Dollars and less Young Guns. By the way, Portastatic does a fine cover of The Finger's song Baby Blue. Now I advise you to get your big Goody hairbrush, find a bedroom mirror and please do rock out to the Badfinger. Thank you.