Remembering When an Excellent Badfinger Album Went Unreleased in 1975

So-called “lost” albums are often hyped beyond what the actual music contained on them delivers. That can’t be said for Head First. Had it been released when it was originally planned in 1975, the LP could possibly have revived the flagging fortunes of the UK band Badfinger.

Instead, it was withheld due to legal wrangling, an event that helped to contribute to devastating tragedy within the group. Head First finally made it to the light of day, a lost classic if ever there were one.

Hey Mr. Manager

Perhaps no band in rock history suffered more from neglect and mistreatment by the folks who were supposed to look after their best interests than Badfinger. It all started as promisingly as possible when they were the first act signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records label.

Unfortunately, the members of the Fab Four rarely had enough time amidst their own late-period squabbles to consistently tend to their clients. Badfinger briefly rose to the heights despite this. A series of early 70s hits that helped define the power pop genre.

Unfortunately, when they moved on from Apple, things only got worse. Their manager, Stan Polley, secured them a contract with Warner Bros. Records that was supposed to make them all rich. In the end, Polley’s mismanagement and deceit ended any hopes this outfit had of reaching its potential.

A Potential Comeback

In 1974, Badfinger released the album Wish You Were Here. It was warmly received by critics. Meanwhile, the band’s touring schedule kept their popularity afloat even as the hits dried up. In December of that year, just weeks after Wish You Were Here hit shelves, they were hustled by Polley back into the studio to churn out another album.

Over less than two weeks, Badfinger laid down the tracks for what was supposed to be the Head First album. By that time, Joey Molland, who’d been with the group in their halcyon days, had departed over personal differences. He was replaced by Bob Jackson on keyboards, completing the lineup that included guitarist Pete Ham, bassist Tom Evans, and drummer Mike Gibbins.

Although rushed, the band nonetheless came through with a spirited album. All four members wrote songs for it. The album found them relocating their melodic rocking groove on tracks like “Lay Me Down” and “Passed Fast”. Evans used a couple of tracks (“Hey Mr. Manager” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Contract”) to hint at the band’s ongoing issues with Polley, whose promises of wealth to the band members remained unfulfilled.

Evans’ songs couldn’t have been more pointed or prophetic. All at once, Warner Bros. stopped distribution of Wish You Were Here and canceled the early 1975 release date of Head First. They did so because they couldn’t locate an escrow account with advances they’d forwarded to Polley.

The Sad Aftermath

In April 1975, Pete Ham, in desperate financial straits and suffering mentally from the strain of it all, took his own life. Eight years later, Tom Evans, still entangled in financial disputes while trying to sustain a latter version of Badfinger, did the same.

Head First finally found its way to CD in 2000. But even then, the digital distribution was halted shortly after release over continued legal issues. Thankfully, in 2024, Bob Jackson gained access to the master tapes and spearheaded a pristine remix of the LP.

If this somehow escaped your radar, you need to check out this version of Head First. It easily could have been a new beginning for this wonderful band. As it stands, it poignantly signals what might have been.

(Photo by Mark Sullivan/Contour by Getty Images)

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