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Magic Christian Music, by Badfinger — Review by Matt
The album of the day is Badfinger’s 1970 pseudo-soundtrack “Magic Christian Music”. The album starts with “Come and Get It”. I love this song, originally written by Paul McCartney. My biggest problem is that they don’t really do anything at all different from the version that Paul recorded himself. It’s basically just a note for note cover, and considering no one compares to Paul McCartney, it pales in comparison. I find myself wanting to hear Paul’s version the whole time.
“Crimson Ship” starts with some nice, simple piano and bass. I’m not sure, two songs in, that there hasn’t been just a ‘solo’ singer yet, there are always at least two voices. I love the guitar on the chorus. It’s easy to see why Paul wanted to sign these guys to Apple Records, because even with a song like this (written by Pete Ham), the sound is very Beatles-esque. This is just a very pleasant song. The drumming is cool, sounding like clapping at times. I was hoping the song wouldn’t just fade out and that they’d thought of a cool ending, but no, just a fade out.
“Dear Angie” is a cool song. I really like the ‘soloing’ guitar. The harmonies are good, but not really all that unique. I wouldn’t hear them and instantly know it’s Badfinger, like I would for someone like the Beatles or the Beach Boys. I’m glad there is some singing in a lower register on this one. It nicely contrasts the higher chorus.
The vocals on “Fisherman” sound SO British at the start. I really enjoy when the bass kicks in with the harmonies. It’s also awesome that they have a very clear bass voice in the harmonies on this one. The simplicity of this is just delightful. I have no idea what the movie The Magic Christian (the movie this album is sort of a soundtrack for), but I can totally picture a montage of hippies doing drugs and dancing in a field of sunflowers. I almost wish it were longer, but sometimes less is more. This is by far my favorite song on the album.
“Midnight Sun” shows more of a rock side to Badfinger. I’m glad to hear them use Ham’s guitar skills to show a more upbeat side. Once again, I hear the Paul McCartney influence (he helped produce the album, after all). This sounds a lot like something Wings would have release. The bass doesn’t ever really stand out, yet it still drives the song throughout. “Beautiful and Blue” has some wonderful bass. I’m loving how many different sounds the guitar has on these songs so far, and this song has a cool guitar bridge. The vocals are kind of boring to me.
“Rock of All Ages” brings it right back to the band’s rock side, appropriately enough. It’s just another very typical Paul McCartney-type rock song, along with some elements of a Little Richard feel. Aspects of it remind me of “Back in the USSR”. Once again, the guitar is very cool, but overall it’s kind of repetitive.
“Carry On Till Tomorrow” has a mellow vibe, but it’s kind of a corny song. The bass carries the choruses. I don’t really like this one, except for the parts when the guitar kicks in. Of course, this doesn’t last very long and it quickly returns to the corny vibe. The vocals on “I’m in Love” sound really strained, and not in a good way. The song is extremely basic and unoriginal, but it does have a couple of nice guitar flourishes (a running theme throughout the album).
“Walk Out in the Rain” has more great bass, and the song has a cool vibe. At first I didn’t know how I felt about it, but for the most part, I believe the emotions of the song and the vocals. I like the acoustic elements, as well as the piano flourishes. At times there are some interesting Beatles-ish touches in the harmonies. The falsetto at the end is pretty good. “Angelique” is pleasant enough, but very unmemorable. That is literally all I wrote about it.
I enjoy the piano on “Knocking Down Our Home”. The song has an old-timey vibe, but in a good way. There are some cool horns, and I like how the song is very uplifting in melody, but very dark lyrically. “Give it a Try” sounds a lot like Wings. It has some 80’s-ish aspects at times. I do like it, but find myself letting it fade to the background and thinking about other things. It’s enjoyable, but kind of unmemorable.
I like the vocals on “Maybe Tomorrow”, especially when they kind of let loose toward the end. I really appreciate the strings. I think the song might be kind of boring without them, but they give the song an epic feel, and provide a strong ending to the album.
By and large I enjoyed the album. The lead guitar was definitely my favorite part, and I’m hopeful that other Badfinger albums contain more of it. The album really drags in the middle, with three or four songs that I found pleasant at best. One more note is that they should definitely have included the bonus track “Arthur” on the album, I’d gladly take it in place of some of the weaker tracks. I give “Magic Christian Music” a 7 out of 10.
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