Joey Molland, guitarist for Badfinger has passed away (2 Viewers)

[Bill]

Joey Molland, a guitarist with 1970s Welsh pop-rock band Badfinger, dies at 77

Joey Molland, a guitarist with the Welsh pop-rock band Badfinger that was known for such 1970s hits as “No Matter What” and “Day After Day,” has died at age 77. Molland was the last to join and had been the last survivor from the most famous lineup of the group, which recorded for the Beatles ’...

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Some of my favorite songs were from Badfinger.

 

[tenordas]

They're all gone now.

 

[sfidc3]

They had a few really great songs, I have them and still listen to them on occasion.....sad what happened to that band....

 

[Saintman2884]

They had a few really great songs, I have them and still listen to them on occasion.....sad what happened to that band....

A special love and consideration to a once-great, promising band who seemingly had a limitless future when first signed by Beatles' Apple Records in the late 60's, but gradually imploded after the legendary group broke up and well, they got ruined by a despicable, notorious mob-affiliated NYC manager who stole and shamelessly tried to market the band even after it had long broken up. IIRC, the band's lead singer or guitarist, in his suicide note blamed his entire situation and reason for killing himself on the band's evil, detestable manager.

The unfortunate thing is these sorts of situations were very similar and happened to quite a few U.S./U.K. rock bands back then because many U.K pubs/clubs or even major rock labels were either run or had strong mob connections (Ozzy's late father-in-law, Don Alden, had ties to Gambino crime family, owned Jet Records, and once infamously dangled Robert Stigwood outside his office window for supposedly trying to sign the Small Faces, one of his acts). What Alden did to Small Faces, Steve Marriot himself, later on, Humble Pie, and even Black Sabbath was unforgivable. Although he was far more honest and represented them more vigorously, reportedly Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant had some underworld ties.

My point is: what happened to Badfinger was an awful, terribly tragic series of circumstances, but it was hardly an outlier because for a long time, the people who controlled the clubs, pubs and even some major record labels were very unethical, fundamentally dishonest individuals and when they (mob/underworld types) controlled anything major, terrible disasters like these usually tend to happen.


BTW, and FWIW, have a happy, enjoyable and blissful Lent sojourn Guido.