BADFINGER -- The Best of Badfinger (Apple)

At first dismissed by some as a cheap imitation of The Beatles, Badfinger has created some of the finest pop songs ever to grace the airwaves. With such songs as the Paul McCartney-penned "Come and Get It", "Day After Day", "Baby Blue" and "No Matter What", the band had several top 10 hits.

However, they achieved their biggest success on the heels of Harry Nilsson. Nilsson covered "Without You" from the "No Dice" album in 1972 and turned it into a #1 hit worldwide. It was at this point that Badfinger began to gain more acceptance as songwriters.

In 1972, the band recorded what many consider their finest work, "Straight Up". Produced by Todd Rundgren and George Harrison, songs from "Straight Up" make up 1/3 of the 21 tracks on the new CD. Songs from all four original albums on Apple are present on "The Best of Badfinger", along with the US single mix of "Baby Blue".

Digitally mastered from the original two-track master tapes, songs like "Believe Me" and "Apple Of My Eye" (the last single to be released on The Beatles' label in 1974) sound better than ever. Andy Davis of Record Collector magazine contributes a well-researched essay on the band in the CD's booklet as well. "The Best Of Badfinger" is a fine representation of the band's material on Apple.