No Dice

No Dice was Badfinger's first masterpiece ( and my first Badfinger album!). The inspiration from The Beatles can be heard on most of these songs, but this album shows that they're much more than just a Beatles rip off. Some changes had been made since the recording of Magic Christian Music. Geoff Emerick (known from his work with The Beatles) produced most of the album; the rest of it was produced by Mal Evans who also produced some of Magic Christian Music. Ron Griffiths had already left before the release of the previous album so Tom Evans had now taken over the bass. Joey Molland ,who had played with Gary Walker, was chosen for a new guitarist. The material (the songs) on this album is very strong. "Without You" written by Tom and Pete has become an all-time classic - here's the original version - superior to any version I've heard so far. Enjoy Pete's organ line at the end of the song - sounds like something Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum could have done. "No Matter What", "Midnight Caller" and "We're For The Dark" all show what a brilliant songwriter with an unique sense of melody Pete Ham had already become. The album is a perfect blend of ballads, rockers and a bit of country ("Blodwyn"), generally performed with more rocking feeling than their earlier recordings. Though the album is obviously dominated by Pete Ham's songs all other members contribute to it. The bonus-tracks are all very good - 4 of them hail from the never-released follow-up album to "No Dice" recorded early 1971. The strongest of them is the group-composition "I'll Be The One", which at a certain point was considered as a single - I believe it had the hit-single potential.My favourites: Midnight Caller, Without You, No Matter What, We're For The Dark and I'll Be The One

Is it really 40 years since i bought my first Lp ?- Yeah i'm afraid it is and , even allowing for the nostalic aspect to me buying this , i still love it .This band were much much better than they were ever given credit for . Great pop songs , well crafted , well played with great harmonies ( George Harrison used their vocal talents to great effect on "All Things Must Pass" )I stll love " Midnight Caller " a very romantic view of a lady of the night , " No Matter what " so Beatley , so instant hit material ( back in 1970 i nearly drove my sisters boyfriend mad with that when he came round ! ) I listen to the majestic " Without You ( here more blues based)with a hint of sadness as , you know the story of the two who wrote it ( Pete Ham and Tom Evans ), i just wish more people knew they wrote that song . Listening to it now , i smile to myself , just great pop songs and my mum gave me a right telling off over the album cover which i knew nothing about !Also , for a change nowadays , the bonus material is'nt throwaway , it's worth having Regards Gez .

A great album by a good band who suffered from being compared to the Beatles.

Fine album

i had hope it have been better

This was the first real Badfinger album and thier best. Well worth the money and makes a great addition to any collection. Hopefully Apple will be able to find some gems to release in the future.

A forgotten gem, that is worth investigating.

I bought this from Amazon the other day, having had it on vinyl some years ago. To be honest, I've found it a bit disapointing. Lots of mechanical power pop and limp balladry. Pete Ham's compositions do stand out however -'Midnight Caller', 'No Matter What' and 'Without You' in particular. I think he was the one real talent in this ensemble. Sad then that his version of 'Without You' was eclipsed by Harry Nilsson's. Enigmatic.