Search - Iveys :: Maybe Tomorrow

+ 1/2 stars...Pre-Badfinger Release From 1969

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 08/06/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's great to see this release back in print. This is the 1969 pre-Badfinger album that featured Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Tom Evans and Ron Griffiths. The first twelve tracks comprise the Iveys original LP release with the final four bonus tracks consisting of "No Escaping Your Love" (the B-side of "Dear Angie"), "And Her Daddy's a Millionaire" (the B-side of "Maybe Tomorrow"), and two then unreleased Pete Ham tracks--"Mrs. Jones" and "Looking for My Baby."



Longtime Badfinger fans will recognize nearly half of these tracks because seven of them were remixed for the MAGIC CHRISTIAN MUSIC LP (which found Joey Molland replacing Griffiths). These seven tracks--"Beautiful and Blue," "Dear Angie," "Fisherman," "Maybe Tomorrow," "Angelique," "I'm in Love" and "They're Knocking Down Our Home"--comprise the highlights. And on this debut album, Tom Evans has the strongest material with "Angelique," "Beautiful and Blue" and their first single "Maybe Tomorrow."



Pete Ham, who would become Badfinger's best songwriter, struggles with misguided material like the 30's-style ballad "They're Knocking Down Our Home," the psychedelic "I've Been Waiting" and pedestrain rockers like "See-Saw Grandpa" and "Sali Bloo." His best material is "I'm in Love" and "Mrs. Jones."



It's also worth noting that most of the tracks were produced by Tony Visconti (T. Rex, David Bowie). Five of the tracks were produced by Mal Evans (1, 2, 6 and 11) and "Looking for My Baby" was produced by the Iveys.



While as a whole the songs on this release don't hold up to the standards the band would set for itself in the future as Badfinger, this is an enjoyable artifact from the late-Sixties and a must-have purchase for any Badfinger fan. RECOMMENDED"

Iveys ( Pre-Badfinger ) : Interesting Album

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 02/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I can't deny that I was very disappointed when I first received my copy of this album around 1993. Not that I expected a record superior to the Badfinger albums I knew at that time (in fact most of them!) - but I had hoped to discover at least one or two "new" good Pete Ham songs. Some of the songs I knew already from "The Magic Christian" and among them I really like/liked Tom's "Beautiful and Blue" and Pete's "They're Knocking Down Our Home".



My first impression of the album was that it very lightweight and actually 2-3 years behind its time. I still regard this album as a beginner's experiments; most of it pure sixties pop - not much pointing towards the great songs to come in the 70's. Of course as a true fan of Badfinger you give any Badfinger/related album several chances before you give them up - and naturally you always discover some great moments. For me these are "Sali Bloo" and "I've Been Waiting" along with the two already mentioned.



I think one of the problems with this album is that it's much too nice - very few rough ends - especially the vocals are often too cute. Another problem is the great variety in styles which gives an inconsistant impression of the album. The 4 bonus tracks don't help the general impression of the album - they fit nicely into it. It is obvious that Pete's and Tom's songwriting abilities have not fully developed at this point - but we know from "7 Park Avenue" that Pete had written several songs much superior to most of the material on this album.



My favourites: Beautiful and Blue, Sali Bloo, They're Knocking Down Our Home and I've Been Waiting"

Pre-Badfinger release worth having

Mark R. Garner | New Orleans, LA USA | 06/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Drummer Mike Gibbins once described The Iveys as a hard little combo - meaning they liked to rock and he was right. Their style was an amalgam and thus difficult to pigeonhole by the label bigwigs who think they know best (they usually don't). This CD features four bonus tracks which only enhance the variety of the music. The song "I've Been Waiting" is a true rocker while "Maybe Tomorrow" is a ballad that should have been a bigger hit. It's also notable that this original lineup had a more lustrous sound as it pertains to their complex harmonies. No disrespect to Joey Molland but Ron Griffiths' voice was a better match with Ham and Evans."