CALL IT ADVOCACY OR CALL IT ACTIVISIM – BADFINGER/ IVEYS DESERVE TO BE IN THE ROCK ‘N” ROLL HALL OF FAME AND THE BAND DESERVES AN HONEST & EXCELLENT FEATURE FILM ABOUT THEIR HISTORY!!!
Many people who study musical history do not realize that things are not always what they seem. When bands attain a certain level of fame, their membership changes are often analyzed in regard to the members that may have missed out on some of the fame or monetary gain of what the band was to ultimately achieve. That is the easy way to analyze those events.
People sit back and say Pete Best missed out on huge amounts of money and fame because of the decision of his replacement by Ringo Starr. But one could also argue that he also retains a level of fame because of his former band association and with the release of the Anthology he was later in life to benefit financially. Also, he was also to benefit from avoiding some of the stress frequently associated with leading a celebrity lifestyle.
There are some philosopher’s that believe that when an individual attains something in life, somehow a tradeoff occurs. To get something, you often have to give something up. Fame and celebrity often mean relinquishing privacy and peace of mind. One could argue that John Lennon’s immense fame and legendary status eventually caused or contributed to his life ending early. Would he have traded that fame away to live a longer and happy life? I’ll wager the answer would have been in the affirmative.
RON GRIFFITHS & BADFINGER:
Ron Griffiths was asked to leave Badfinger because he was starting a family and the sound of his child crying was interfering with another band member’s concentration on his music. Those types of things happen in life and look at what happened ultimately in the Badfinger tragic story. The stability of Ron’s choices may have led to some disappointment in the realm of music, but he still will be remembered in musical history, and he avoided being a part of what happened to Badfinger after his departure from the band and the ultimate corrupt management got involved with the band and raised its ugly head. The ultimate result was that Badfinger’s financial success was going to other people rather than the band. This is a phenomenon that is repeated far too often in the music industry but in the case of Badfinger, it was to have far more tragic circumstances…
Yes, decisions can certainly have both positive and negative aftermaths. As time goes by something that may have initially appeared to be very negative may actually turn out to be a positive in the bigger scheme of life events.
How many times in your own lives did something happen which appeared to be negative steer your life into a greater place or a better set of life circumstances?
The bottom line is it seems that Ron Griffiths is happy with his role in musical history and with his life in general and that is quite the accomplishment for anyone!
THE IVEYS & BADFINGER:
An early photo of a young Ron Griffiths who was to play an important role in the creation of The Iveys and the band they were to later become when they joined Apple Records, known as Badfinger.
A performing photo of Ron with Tom Evans in the background!
We are so pleased to be able to present this special interview with Ron Griffiths that he was so kind to be able to do for the blog. Special thanks are extended to Mark Strothmann for asking Ron the questions that I was able to present to him:
A RON GRIFFITHS SPECIAL 2026 INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY MARK STROTHMANN QUESTIONS BY JOHN B. (BUZZ):
JB ) If you could go back in time, what would you have changed or have done differently?
RG) If I was able to do it over again; I would have stood my ground and not been forced to leave the band. Look where it got without me, maybe I would have been a steadying influence.
JB) Were you a happy child growing up in post WWII Wales? What is your earliest memory of those times
RG) Yes. I had a very, very happy childhood, my parents were wonderful. I remember going to the Swansea Grand Theatre to see a Pantomime (which was Aladdin) and two of the performers were Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, they eventually became legendary in the UK and they performed “Fernando’s Hideaway”. I must have been 6 years old. I also remember being wheeled around as a baby in a park near where Dylan Thomas lived, it is called Cwmdonkin Park.
JB) How did you begin your musical career and how did the Iveys form? Who were your first contacts in forming the band?
RG) Singing in the Junior School Choir was my first stage appearance. I used to receive guitar catalogues in the post. Always looking at basses. One Christmas my parents got me a Vox Clubman 2 bass. They must have watched me drooling over the more expensive instruments. I bless them for that wonderful surprise at Christmas 1960.My father was a friend of a gent named Jack Burrow, and they were chatting one day, and Jack mentioned his son Don was practicing guitars with his neighborhood pal Frank Bloomfield. My father mentioned that I was learning to play bass, Jack said my son was thinking of forming a band, so I met up with Don and Frank and we got on well. Then we recruited this guy, Terry Gleason.
We primarily played instrumentals by The Shadows, The Ventures and we also covered songs by a similar style band called The Eagles (not the Eagles from the US), and then we got a Sunday residency at a pub called The Fountain Inn and we called ourselves the Jaguars. That was my first band, those were the early days. As time went on, we were doing a hotel gig in Swansea at a wedding reception and afterwards I was approached by David Jenkins, his brother Alwynne and Pete Ham. They said they enjoyed my playing and they were looking for a bass player to replace the one they had. So, about a week later I went to jam with them near one of the schools Pete used to go to.
The first thing I ever heard Pete play was ‘Hey Baby’ by Bruce Channel, which was popular at the time, and I was totally enamored and I thought, well I have to join these guys. So, I had to put in my notice with The Jaguars. Terry Gleason came with me. I remember the first gig we actually did at the Rugby Club, which was a talent contest and we came third. By then the band was still called The Panthers. I remember we played “If I Loved You” (From the musical Carousel) it’s a three-part harmony and I think we did a bloody good job with it as well! The Panthers started with Roy Anderson on drums and a bass player named John Horrell, who I replaced. We did a lot of gigs with Terry in the band, but we had to turn down a lot of gigs because Terry had a job with unsocial shift patterns and so Terry said, ‘you guys need to find another drummer as you cannot keep turning down gigs’, so he quit. This meant we had to search for a replacement.
Once again by chance, my father used to drink at a place in Swansea called the Mexico Fountain. George Gibbins (Mikes dad) used to hang out there and play piano. One day, George said to my father, Mike’s looking for another band because he’s fed-up playing instrumentals in a band called The Club Four. So, my dad and I got the address of where Mike lived and arranged to come visit him on my dad’s scooter. I turned up wearing a university scarf, he must have thought I was a graduate or something. Mike started showing and playing a tuned kit which impressed me. I told him when the next rehearsal was and he agreed to come down and we liked him and he liked us, so he joined the band.
JB) What were your feelings about hearing The Iveys performing on BBC radio. That must have made you feel extremely proud of that achievement. Is there any possibility of ever having all of existing Iveys live material being released on vinyl or cd?
RG) The actual feeling of when we first heard “Maybe Tomorrow” over the airwaves was sheer delight. We were heading to Dunkirk, Belgium, coming back from Holland to board the return ship and you can probably imagine how we were feeling. Thanks to the late Dan Matovina and lately Mark, Kevin & Tom we should be able to get everything out that is remaining in the vaults.
JB) Looking back as a founding member of The Iveys who their primary vocalist was initially, how were your emotions dealing with the split. You seem to have handled the possible anger or any resentment quite well. To what do you attribute that to? There are many philosophers who say that everything achieved in life involves a corresponding trade-off, that you have to give up something. For example, John Lennon’s immense fame and notoriety contributed to his being murdered. What are your feelings about that sort of philosophy. Do you agree? Are you a happy person content with the way your life has turned out?
RG) Yeah, I am happy although at the time of the split I did think I was probably going to miss all the glory – following years of hard work. I’ve seen a lot of thing happen in the world that the poor lads never would have thought was possible. Tommy and Pete never got to see how big “Without You” became. I do regret not being a part of the court case to redistribute royalties, a mystery as I was told the invite was sent to me. I wish I could have been a part of the major success, but I’m happy with the way my life turned out.
JB) Looking back, what do you believe was your greatest contribution to the Iveys/ Badfinger legacy (your vocal abilities, your bass playing or your stable “that’s life” type of personality)?
RG) The only two members who ever sang my praises as a bass player were Peter and Mike. I thought I was a pretty good contributor vocally. A girl from Swansea named Maybelline and many others thought I had the best voice in the band. Before the record deal we were a covers band, and I did more of the lead singing than Pete and initially Dai Jenkins. When Tommy joined, we shared most of the lead vocals. In short, I was an equal contributor as a musician like the boys were.
JB) What is your story behind your Iveys/ Badfinger song “Dear Angie”. I’ll wager that you are very pleased that the song has been streamed more than 33 million times. That has got to bring a great smile to your face!
RG) If only I was getting a penny a play for that song! That came about after meeting a girl named Maureen Angela Atkinson. We were playing a private company’s gig and these two girls came up and started chatting with us during a break. I ended up exchanging letters with her; she lived about 30 miles away so she would have to catch a train to meet with me and until we were married, I would escort her to catch her train home. I had to shorten Angela to Angie for obvious reasons
JB) Ron – how would you like to be remembered?
RG) I never think about these sort of things.. Maybe as a caring music loving family man, with a love for life.
JB) Ron-give a one sentence description of each one of your co-Ivey members and of manager Bill Collins that describe their personality!
RG) Bill Collins was a mentor to start with, but subsequent events proved he was way out of his depth. Peter Ham was a fantastic musician, a prolific song writer with a macabre sense of humour. A lovely human being. Mike Gibbins, great drummer, fantastic sense of humour who proved to be a versatile musician beyond his drumming. Tommy Evans had an exceptional voice and was a useful guitarist, I think I mentored him on bass!
JB) When you learned of the tragedies of both Pete Ham and Tom Evans, what were your thoughts, feelings and memories?
RG) I got wind of that via Beverly when I was with Maureen, and I was in the garden planting things with my daughter. I was told “Ron… Bev is on the phone.” She asked me to sit down which I did. When she told me what had happened, I was devastated. How could he do this with Anne carrying his future son or daughter. What a waste of such a talent and more importantly a great human being. I was shocked when I was made aware of Tommy doing the same thing and disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised. When Tom was ‘up’ he was the life and soul of the party, but he often had depressive periods … which really dragged him down. Another waste of talent. I only wish they were all with us.
JB) As a Beatles/ Iveys/ Badfinger/ UK 60s and 70s music fan, I want to see the Iveys/ Badfinger inducted to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. You deserve to be there, and I would love to see a huge lobbying effort to secure that honor. What would an induction to the Hall of fame mean to you and your family?
RG) I think its de-valued now because there are so many groups and artists that shouldn’t be in it. Of course it would mean a lot, but it used to seem to mean a lot more than it does today.
JB) Would you love to see a Hollywood story about the Iveys/ Badfinger story be created or does that prospect scare or frighten you? To give your personal OK to a project of that sort, what would you be looking for?
RG) As long as they get the facts straight and highlight the happier times I think it be a good thing.
JB) What are your thoughts about the recent collection of Iveys/ Badfinger live recordings and demos?
RG) I’m amazed at the whole thing. Thankfully, Tom, Mark and Kevin are carrying on Dan’s research (Dan Matovina) into the archives. I find it difficult to single out one song I was performing on, but I do love “Carry On Till Tomorrow.” I just love all the Anthology series and the individual ones.
JB) What are your memories of the “Come And Get It” sessions, both the good memories and any unpleasant ones that you may recall?
RG) it was just a big thrill to be produced by a legend, for crying out loud! My best memory of this session was going against the grain, after several takes I was aware that Paul’s demo just stopped at the end of the song and I added the Hendrix style bass fill although I was told to play it exactly as the demo as McCartney yelled down over the studio Tannoy, “Hey Ron, that was GOOD, we’ll keep that, son.”
JB) As a follow-up question, do you feel that the “Maybe Tomorrow” track deserved a better sales record than it achieved when officially released?
RG) Of course it was underplayed, it wasn’t promoted as well as it should have. One theory is that established bands and solo artists had new records being plugged, and we were way down in the pecking order and were overlooked for airplay. Such a shame as it is a lovely song and a great performance from Tom. Perhaps a re-release…..
JB) Is it possible with the new MAL technology to sonically cleanup all of the BBC Ivey recordings and issue it as an official recording?
RG) I’m all for that.
JB) What is your happiest memory of your involvement with the Iveys and Badfinger?
RG) The initial visit of Paul McCartney to 7 Park Avenue to gift us “Come and Get It”. It was like all our Christmases had come at once.
JB) What are your memories about Beatles associate, the late Mal Evans, who was instrumental in signing you to Apple?
RG) Everyone calls Mal Evans a gentle giant. He was a very personable likeable guy. He was like a child with a toy at Christmas with us. Given that the Beatles had stopped touring he must have felt that he was a spare part until he got involved with us. He was always great to be around. I went down to have dinner with him, with his wife Lily, and my wife Maureen, and he gave us a highchair for my son, Jason!
A SPECIAL THANKS IS EXTENDED TO RON GRIFFITHS FOR THE KINDNESS OF ANSWERING THE ABOVE QUESTIONS.
The entire group of people that help carry on the legacy of that late Badfinger historian, Dan Matovina, in ensuring that the Iveys/ Badfinger story is properly recognized, preserved and remembered for their wonderful contributions to music are also to be thanked for helping out the families of the late band members as well. Such individuals as Tom Brennan, Mark Strothmann, Rich Ulloa and Kevin McElligott are to be recognized and thanked. Kevin McElligot is the group’s restoration and mastering engineer. They all deserve our thanks and gratitude for their unending and continuing efforts!
RON GRIFFITHS PROUDLY HOLDS THE GOLD RECORD THAT HE & HIS FELLOW BAND MEMBERS FAMILIES WERE AWARDED FOR THE BADFINGER VERSION OF COME AND GET IT!!!
Until recently, Apple Record had never officially awarded a gold record to the smash hit of the “Come and Get It” track by Badfinger. At Ron Griffiths insistence he had asked the record company to verify the sales figures to see if it indeed had reached the gold record status in sales figures and if it had officially passed the threshold. Justice prevailed and members of the early Badfinger were finally given their well-earned memento as Apple had to correct a glaring mistake!
Here is a magazine cover from a school that Ron attended where their former pupil was being honored for the great band achievement!
Justice prevails thanks to Ron Griffiths efforts – read the story from The Dy’vorian:
OVER 33 MILLION STREAMS FOR DEAR ANGIE:
It must be very pleasing and gratifying for Ron Griffiths to know that his song entitled “Dear Angie” has passed MORE THAN 33 million streams. The song appeared on the APPLE Maybe Tomorrow Iveys LP, and the APPLE Badfinger Magic Christian Music LP!
MORE THAN 33 MILLION STREAMS FOR DEAR ANGIE – Congratulations Ron Griffiths
A Dear Angie
Written-By – Ron*
B No Escaping Your Love
Written-By – Tom*
Prominent producer Tony Visconti produced this track. Tony was married to Mary Hopkin and later to May Pang. His music production credits are impressive, including David Bowie!
The rare Iveys Apple album:
The back cover:
A RARE IVEYS MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT:
Saw this wonderful advert promo for THE IVEYS 1968 vintage UK ADVERT MAYBE TOMORROW
at Izzy’s Poster Boutique on eBay!
GWENT GARDENS-A COLLECTION OF PETE HAM DEMOS
GWENT GARDENS TRACKLISTING:
1 The Day Begins
2 Let The Sun Shine Through
3 Love Will Be
4 I’m Only Human
5 Happy Song
Bass Guitar – Ron Griffiths
6 I Miss You (Original Demo)
7 Pete’s Boogie
8 Little Mary
9 Take It All (Original Demo)
10 Think It Over
11 Scarlett Willow
12 Blodwyn (Original Demo)
13 Stick A Line In
14 Something On My Mind
15 I Can Be
16 Walk Out In The Rain (Original Demo)
17 Stop Waiting For The Sun To Shine
18 Tulip
Published By – Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc.
Compiled By, Edited By, Engineer – Tom Brennan
Cover – Tom Brennan
Remastered By, Restoration – Kevin McElligott (2)
Restoration, Engineer, Mastered By – Dan Matovina
Songwriter [All Songs Written By], Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion – Pete Ham
Label: Y&T Music – YT-27
Released: Mar 8, 2024
THE IVEYS ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1
Live at The Empire
Neath, S. Wales – June 7, 1966
THE IVEYS ANTHOLOGY VOL. 2
Live at Thingamajig Club
Reading, U.K. – Sept. 6, 1968
Track list:
The Iveys
Golden Delicious Demos (1966-69)
The Iveys Anthology Vol. 3 album
by The Iveys UK
compiled by Tom Brennan
last update: November 28, 2024
Track list:
The Iveys
How Much Is The Sky (1967-69)
The Iveys Anthology Vol. 4 album
by The Iveys
compiled by Tom Brennan
Ron Griffiths Interview [BADFINGER/IVEYS]
artwork: Paul Power
coloring: Matt Webb
Track list:
The Iveys
Miniskirts And Rainbows (1966-69)
The Iveys Anthology Vol. 5 album
by The Iveys
compiled by Tom Brennan
Track list:
A RARE IVEYS RECORDING USING A PSEUDONYM “THE PLEASURE GARDEN” – PERMISSIVE PARADISE FEATURED A RON GRIFFITHS LEAD VOCAL:
The Iveys
(as The Pleasure Garden)
The lost recording of Permissive Paradise
compiled by Tom Brennan
research by Simon Cox, Paul Nyman, and Bryan Waller; with special thanks to Ron Griffiths for the scans of the picture sleeve and flexidisc labels.
The Pleasure Garden A.K.A. The Iveys – Permissive Paradise
Most likely recorded in April or May of 1969 following their album sessions for “Maybe Tomorrow,” The Iveys recorded a song under a pseudonym for a flexdisc promoting a photo book documenting Swinging London in the 60’s. This dating seems the most likely after consulting with Dan Matovina, as Bill Collins’s diary seems to missing the entries for those two months and no mention of this project is mentioned elsewhere. Collins was allegedly paid £50 for The Iveys to record this song. Because of this pseudonym (The Pleasure Garden) and the obscurity of the disc, as well as it not appearing on an Apple Records release, the recording would never be associated with The Iveys (or Badfinger) and go undocumented in all Badfinger reference material for 33 years until being rediscovered in 2002 by Badfinger fans Simon Cox, Paul Nyman, and Bryan Waller.
promotional statement:
“The Pleasure Garden: This London band’s “Permissive Paradise,” was originally issued as a flexidisc to help promote a book called ‘Young London’, which was a pictorial account of Carnaby Street era London by photographer Frank Habicht. It really is rather good, with quite a catchy guitar riff and an appealing vocal arrangement.”
Ron Griffiths – bass/lead vocals
Tommy Evans – rhythm guitar/harmony & background vocals
Pete Ham – electric piano and lead guitar/background vocals
Mike Gibbins – drums
Thanks to an interview of Ron Griffiths conducted on YouTube I was made aware of the Permissive Paradise track and was able to find a copy of the release for my collection at the Discogs website! Thank you Ron!
APPLE IVEYS PUBLISHING RARITIES:
A total of 5 RARE CDs were issued of Apple published music and the Iveys appeared on three of the five sets that were issued. Here they are pictured with the rare Iveys tracks that appear on the respective albums: These are very difficult to track down
94 BAKER STREET
(THE POP-PSYCH SOUNDS of the APPLE ERA
1967-1969)
tracks 11-15 are by The Iveys
IVEYS:
11. I’m Too Shy [demo]
12. Maybe Tomorrow [demo version]
13. Tube Train [demo]
14. She Came Out Of The Cold [demo, long version]
15. I’ve Been There Once Before [demo]
AN APPLE A DAY
(MORE POP-PSYCH SOUNDS from the APPLE ERA
1967-1
tracks 5, 6, 11, 19 are by The Iveys
05 Black & White Rainbows The Iveys
06 Girl Next Door In The Miniskirt The Iveys
11 Tomorrow Today The Iveys
19 Mr. Strangeways The Iveys
TREACLE TOFFEE WORLD
(FURTHER ADVENTURES INTO THE POP-PSYCH SOUNDS from the APPLE ERA 1967-1969)
tracks 8, 15 are by The Iveys
08 Bittersweet Adieu The Iveys
15 How Does It Feel The Iveys
Pete Ham
Acoustic album
compiled by Tom Brennan
Track list:
All songs written by Peter William Ham except where noted
Publishing all admin: Kobalt Music Pub. America Inc. o/b/o Estate of Peter William Ham
Product is © Estate of Peter William Ham
Pete Ham – vocals and 6-string acoustic guitars (except 12-string on “I Need Your Love” and “Give Out To Me”)
Compilation, editing and engineering – Tom Brennan
Mastering and restoration – Kevin McElligott
Photos courtesy of the Ham Estate and Mary Karlzen
Artwork: Mary Karlzen, Tom Brennan and Mark Strothmann
This release is dedicated to Morten Vindberg
Special thanks to Anne Herriot, Tony Herriot, Petera Ham, Kent Gray and Mark Strothmann.
TOM EVANS-I AM MYSELF (DEMOS)
No Escaping Your Love (Original Demo)
Tom Evans – I Am Myself (Demos: 1967-1970)
Y&T Music – YT-30
Released: Jun 7, 2024
Compiled By, Edited By – Tom Brennan
Mastered By, Restoration – Kevin McElligott (2)
Transferred By – Dan Matovina
Collection of home demos. Limited to 1000 copies.
1 Hello
2 I Am Myself
3 Our First Night Together
4 Water Lily
5 Goldfish
6 How Does It Feel (Original Demo)
7 Honey Lovin’ Ways
8 Uncle C
9 I Should Have Loved You (Original Demo)
10 Fisherman (Original Demo)
11 Dancing Girl
12 I Don’t Want the Bother
13 Handsome Malcolm
14 In My World of Yesterday
15 No Escaping Your Love (Original Demo)
16 Good Time Together
17 The Leaves
18 Stay By Me, Baby
19 A Simple Song
20 Wine, Women and Song
21 I Am Myself (Reprise)
AND ON JUNE 19, 2026- A BRAND NEW PETE HAM TRIBUTE CD JUST LOOK INSIDE THE COVER– SONGS OF PETE HAM–THE PRESS RELEASE FROM Y&T MUSIC:
Release Date – June 19, 2026
“JUST LOOK INSIDE THE COVER – SONGS OF PETE HAM”
Y&T Music is proud to announce the release of a special tribute album, “Just Look inside The Cover – Songs of Pete Ham,” featuring 22 new recordings of songs written by Pete Ham. This very unique tribute album features songs that were only previously released as home demos and never recorded by Badfinger.
Pete Ham was one of the 20th century’s greatest overlooked artists. Certainly, the Swansea, Wales-born musician received some recognition: three of his songs – “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue,” all recorded by his group Badfinger – were hit singles, and the popularity of those songs endures to this day. And “Without You” – co-written with band mate Tom Evans – would become a standard when covered by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. With Badfinger, Ham made seven albums, all of which are today recognized as classics of melodic rock.
While the total output of Pete Ham penned songs released during his short lifetime would be less than 40 songs, he proved to be a startlingly prolific songwriter. Thanks to the diligent archival work of people working in close cooperation with The Pete Ham estate, demo recordings of many of these and previously unknown songs have come to light in recent years and are the focus of this tribute.
Many of those songs, compiled on several posthumous Pete Ham albums, demonstrate that Ham’s songwriting prowess yielded a bounty, the like of which would be astounding even if created by an artist who lived much longer than his brief 27 years. They also underscore the fact that Ham could – and quite often did – write excellent songs that were well outside the musical scope of The Iveys or Badfinger. Moreover, Pete Ham exerted great influence upon countless artists who came after him, many of whom weren’t yet born when he tragically took his life in 1975. His gifts with words and melody continue to inspire musicians and listeners alike.
This tribute features some of today’s most renowned artists in the field of melodic and indie rock, each providing their take on a gem from the largely overlooked portion of Ham’s creative output. Given complete creative control, some take the approach of arranging the song in a way that suggests how Badfinger might have done it; others use Ham’s words and music as a canvas upon which to paint a picture all their own. Just Look Inside The Cover also includes new recordings by Ron Griffiths, and Bob Jackson, both who have recorded and toured with Pete Ham, as members of The Iveys and Badfinger.
THE SONGS
1. Mike Delevante – A Lonely Day
2. Pezband – Tulip
3. Sharp Pins – Just How Lucky We Are
4. Eric Dover – Leaving on a Midnight Train
5. Arlan Feiles – You’re Such a Good Woman
6. Bill Lloyd – Our Song
7. Rob Bonfiglio – Hand in Hand
8. Mary Karlzen – Dawn
9. The Fraternals – Catherine Cares
10. Fernando Perdomo – Time is Mine
11. Mic Harrison And The High Score – A Little Bit of Rock and Roll
12. Tobin Sprout – Keep Your Country Tidy
13. Humbert – Little Mary
14. Steve Barton – Ringside
15. The Parlophonics – Makes Me Feel Good
16. Richard Barone (featuring The Midnight Callers) – I’m Only Human
17. Darren Hayman and Robert Rotifer – Love Will Be
18. Mark Healey – It Doesn’t Really Matter
19. Jeff Alan Ross – The Day Begins
20. Ron Griffiths – Take Good Care of My Baby
21. Bob Jackson – Just Look Inside The Cover
22. Tobin Sprout – Keep Your Country Tidy (Reprise)
Amazon US:
Pete’s original demo version of the title song:
COMMENTS ABOUT THE ALBUM CONTENTS:
RICH ULLOA’S COMMENTS ABOUT THE ALBUM:
“JUST LOOK INSIDE THE COVER – SONGS OF PETE HAM”
Y&T Music is proud to announce the release of a special tribute album, “Just Look inside The Cover – Songs of Pete Ham,” featuring 22 new recordings of songs written by Pete Ham. This very unique tribute album features songs that were only previously released as home demos and never recorded by Badfinger.
It’s been 3 years since the release of “Shine On – A Tribute to Pete Ham” and the response from the Badfinger community of family, fans and journalists was extremely heartwarming to say the least. In fact, the album directly led to Y&T to working closely with representatives of the Ham, Evans & Gibbins Estates ever since. It has truly been a whirlwind these past couple years with Y&T being a part of historic releases by Badfinger, The Iveys, Pete Ham and Tom Evans.
For the past year, Y&T has been working on this second Pete Ham tribute. We got the inspiration from the 2 songs on “Shine On” that were only previously released as demos, “No More” by Mary Lee Kortes and “Dear Father” by Tobin Sprout. Those two wonderful recordings showed how many of Pete’s unreleased songs could be brought to life with new studio interpretations.
The result is a 22 track album called “Just Look Inside The Cover – Songs Of Pete Ham” and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. Like “Shine On,” the album features some great artists who had creative license to produce their tracks in any manner they wanted. Thanks to everyone who was a part of the process in bringing this project to life and it will be available for pre-order with a release date of June 19th.
Thank you! Rich Ulloa – Y&T Music
https://www.amazon.com/Just-Look-Inside-Cover-Various/dp/B0GZWP3G6G
- Mike Delevante – A Lonely Day – This lead track features Eddie Perez of the Mavericks on guitar, Garry Tallent on bass and Bryan Owings on drums. Mike’s beautiful vocal and the lovely pop production made it a no brainer for the opener!
- Pezband – Tulip – Long time Chicago based power pop band brought this Pete Ham song to another level. Pure pop perfection! The vocal by Mimi Betines is quite powerful.
- Sharp Pins – Just How Lucky We Are – Thrilled to have Kai “Sharp Pins” Slater on our tribute. Kai played all the instruments on this beautiful ballad. Keep your eyes out for this fabulous new band as they tour the country!
- Eric Dover – Leaving on a Midnight Train – Former member of Jellyfish and Imperial Drag, Eric kills it on this fabulous rocker!
- Arlan Feiles – You’re Such a Good Woman – When I knew this beautiful song needed to be on the album, the only person who I wanted to record it was Arlan and my faith was more than justified! Stunning!
- Bill Lloyd – Our Song – Power pop icon, Bill Lloyd delivers a masterful interpretation of this Pete Ham gem!
- Rob Bonfiglio – Hand in Hand – Once again, Rob contributes a track to a Pete Ham tribute and wait till you hear this one. Truly fabulous as is Rob’s new solo album, “The Over Under!”
- Mary Karlzen – Dawn – When I sent this gorgeous song to Mary, I was thrilled that she loved it and her poignant arrangement and vocal is truly special.
- The Fraternals – Catherine Cares – Based in Orlando, The Fraternals are an indie rock band led by fraternal twins, Cian and Cole McDemott. Adam Gibbins (son of Mike Gibbins) produced this Iveys era song and it sounds spectacular!
- Fernando Perdomo – Time is Mine – This gorgeous instrumental track showcases the multi-talented Fernando Perdomo at his best.
- Mic Harrison And The High Score – A Little Bit of Rock and Roll – I felt that this very short Pete Ham demo needed to recorded for the tribute and I knew the perfect band to pull it off was Mic and company….and man does it rock!
- Tobin Sprout – Keep Your Country Tidy – When Tobin asked to record this song, I knew it was the perfect track for him as his beautiful vocal makes this poignant recording truly special. Thanks to Jansen Press for the help on this!
- Humbert – Little Mary – I loved “Little Mary” from the first time I heard it off “Gwent Gardens,” and I had the perfect band in mind to record it, South Florida indie icons, Humbert! Their arrangement is truly special with wonderful harmonies and I will tell you, there is a surprise in the song…See if you catch it!
- Steve Barton – Ringside – As a long time fan of Steve’s band Translator, I was thrilled when Steve agreed to be a part of the tribute. He immediately asked to record this somber song written in 1975. Steve’s emotional arrangement and vocal gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it. wow just wow.
- The Parlophonics – Makes Me Feel Good – Another band that has contributed to both tributes and their pure pop magic sound truly brings this gem to life. Fernando Perdomo’s lead guitar part is exquisite!
- Richard Barone (featuring the Midnight Callers) – I’m Only Human. I’ve been a long time fan of Richard’s early power pop band, The Bongos, and he does not disappoint with his rocking version of this great early track.
- Darren Hayman and Robert Rotifer – Love Will Be. Darren is a truly special artist, whose late 90’s band Hefner, happens to be my favorite UK band of the last 30 years. I got to meet Darren in London in 2024 and was thrilled to know that he was a Pete Ham fan. So I asked him if he would consider recording a song for our tribute and he chose Love Will Be (and recorded it with guitarist Robert Rotifer.) I LOVE this very cool “low-fi” recording!
- Mark Healey – It Doesn’t Really Matter – Mark was a long time member of Joey Molland’s Badfinger starting in 1986 and does a wonderful interpretation of one of Pete’s most beautiful ballads.
- Jeff Alan Ross – The Day Begins – Jeff was also a member of Joey Molland’s Badfinger (with Mike Gibbins) and now tours with the Lovin’ Spoonful. I felt Jeff was the only artist who could bring Pete’s lovely song off “Gwent Gardens” to life. He hit it out of the park with a powerful arrangement and production!
- Ron Griffiths – Take Good Care of My Baby – To have a founding member of The Iveys and Badfinger be a part of our tribute is truly an honor and I am eternally grateful for his support. Ron and Fernando Perdomo collaborated on this early Iveys demo.
- Bob Jackson – Just Look Inside The Cover – It was Bob Jackson who had to be the one to record the title track for our tribute and his version with Andy Nixon shows that this could have been a Badfinger classic! It has been a career highlight to work with Bob on “Head First”and now our new tribute!
- Tobin Sprout – Keep Your Country Tidy (Reprise) – I “borrowed” the idea for a reprise from the Wings album, Venus & Mars, where it ends with a short instrumental, “Crossroads.”
THE FIRST PETE HAM COVERS LP-SHINE ON:
Track listing:
THE BEST SOURCE FOR BADFINGER INFORMATION & THEIR RELEASES-TOM BRENNAN’S WEBSITE:
The Iveys & Badfinger commercial releases compiled by Tom Brennan
VARIOUS YOUTUBE LINKS TO IVEYS/BADFINGER-RELATED SITES:
The Iveys – https://www.youtube.com/@Iveysofficial
Pete Ham – https://www.youtube.com/@peteham-official9260
Tom Evans – https://www.youtube.com/@TomEvansSolo
Mike Gibbins – https://www.youtube.com/@mikegibbins321
Joey Molland – https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyMollandOfficial
Bob Jackson – https://www.youtube.com/@BadfingerNewDay
The Vinyl Verdict – https://www.youtube.com/@TheVinylVerdict
To conclude this post, I hope that you will share in the dream for the 2 options discussed at the beginning of this post:
1) to see the band in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame
2) to see an accurate film history of the band that highlights their significant achievements and contributions to music!
It is only fitting that we end this post with providing the link to possibly what may be Badfinger’s most covered song!
It is difficult to top this cover version by none other than Harry Nilsson:
Harry Nilsson – Without You (Audio)
Don’t forget the new Pete Ham tribute cd. I have already pre-ordered my copy!
Be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
