Wish You Were Here

Badfinger’s career played out like a true rock 'n' roll cautionary tale filled with greedy mismanagement, stolen royalties and advances, multiple lawsuits, and, eventually, suicide. Yet in 1974, Badfinger released both the great album Badfinger and this, which is, arguably, the band's finest hour. Wish You Were Here was pulled from shelves not two months after its release, when Warner Brothers' publishing arm sued the group over missing escrow funds its manager had stolen—and that was the end of the potholed road for Badfinger’s best lineup. (The band’s despondent leader, guitarist Pete Ham, committed suicide in 1975, and bassist Tom Evens followed in 1983.) This criminally unsung album (on which every member contributes songs) is a pop-tune treasure chest stuffed with harmony and pathos. Standouts include a country-rockish toe-tapper (“You're So Fine”), a riff-happy rock ’n’ roller (“Just a Chance”), some sing-song prog (“In the Meantime/Some Other Time”), an aching lament of self-examination (“Got to Get Out of Here”), and a power pop powerhouse (“No One Knows It”).