7 Park Avenue

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Artists: Pete Ham.

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16 customer reviews.  4.5 out of 5 stars.

Badfinger leader Pete Ham hanged himself in 1975 three days before his 28th birthday, leaving behind six albums, a note declaring the group's manager a "soulless bastard," and the demos collected here. Most of these songs didn't make it to Badfinger's records, a circumstance 7 Park Avenue's liner notes put down to a glut of material. A couple of tracks contain bits that Ham would later adapt for "Day After Day" (a verse from "Matted Spam") and "Baby Blue" (a melodic fragment in "I Know That You Should"); that both those hit singles are more distinctive pieces is a hint to why some of these numbers were rejected. Ham's homemade music has some of the same fragile quality of another Rykodisc reclamation project, Big Star cofounder Chris Bell's I Am the Cosmos, but often lacks the bite of both Bell's record and the finest Badfinger studio cuts. It is, however, somewhere between sad and appalling to hear Ham sing "Just How Lucky We Are" only months before his death. Much closer to that reality is the closing "Ringside," with its resigned passages about being bid on. Happiness prevails on a few cuts (an acoustic "No Matter What," "Hand in Hand," "Catherine Cares"), but even if Ham had merely faded into obscurity, this disc's overall effect would be that of a thoughtful, downbeat craftsman at work--not always at the height of his powers, though filled with emotion. --Rickey Wright

After purchasing both CD's of Pete's unreleased demos I am left with one overriding impression - the man was amazing. He wrote lovely melodies that even Gershwin would have admired. He was an above average guitarist and blessed with a beautiful voice. Such a rare jewel deserves a better epitaph than "wrote hit songs and died penniless due to a rogue manager." If you are a Badfinger fan then I would strongly recommend buying these two CD's.

One of the Badfinger reviewers somewhere stated something to the effect of Pete Ham "grabbed his melodies directly from heaven." I can't agree more. Although some of the tracks on this compilation are sparce, short, and mono, the insight these cuts give to his power pop genius help solidify that his songwriting talent may never be surpassed. Thank you Pete, in heaven, for the melodies you found there for us!

The only reason I take a star away, is for the unfortunate snippets and pieces of songs that keep you longing for more, rather than full length tunes, and of course, is for no ones fault,that make up this album.

This collection of home-recordings has become one of my favourite albums. An impressive collection of songs - it's hard to understand that just two of them were recorded by Pete Ham's band Badfinger.

"Catherine Cares" is a fine opener - the sound comes close to Badfinger's. "Coppertone Blues" is a strong acoustic ballad - a highlight on the album. "It Doesn't Really Matter" has been my personal favourite from the very first time I heard it - should have been recorded by the band - could have been a hit - maybe some day it will. "Live Love all of Your Days" is also a good song - very much like Badfinger - would have fitted nicely into one of the first albums. "Would You Deny" is a lovely acoustic track - very clean sound. - I'never cared much for "Matted Spam" on the Badfinger-album - this version has made me like it better. "No Matter What" - Pete's own version of Badfinger's big hit - surprisingly I don't think it's a stand out song on the album - could some of the other songs have been equally big hits? "Leaving On a Midnight Train" is a strong rocker with great vocals by Pete. "Hand in Hand" is another strong track - in a similar style to "Perfection" from Straight Up. "Sille Veb" is a fantastic song. Another highlight . Beautiful strings-arrangement. Unfortunately the sound of the original tape is not so good. "I Know that You Should" - a great intro - the song seems a bit unfinished though."Just look inside the Cover" - another favourite - as always a great melody. "Just How Lucky We Are" - Yet another highlight - One more song that deserved a full production - could be a classic like "Sille Veb" and "It Doesn't Really Matter". "No More" and "Ringside" - two songs from Pete's very last days - very strong tunes - difficult to listen to regarding the sad circumstances.

The Japanese bonustracks are all very strong - the sound-quality is unfortunately not very good. Great job by producer Dan Matovina

My favourites:

Coppertone Blues, It Doesn't Really Matter, Would You Deny, Hand In Hand, Sille Veb, Just How Lucky We Are, No More, Ringside, The Heart That Can't Be Understood and Blessing in Disguise

This is a brilliant cd that touches the heart.From a guy who led a talented band. A voice that puts wales on the map definitely.A great singer who was right at home performing many songs that probably would have went on to become Badfinger hits.Coppertone blues in particular is a 10 and just look inside the cover is another strong track....awesome is how i descibe alot of these songs.Pete god bless him trusted people in the music business but was let down by greed and selfishness by management that cared very little about the bands welfare.This album is a legacy of the great work from this powerpop band badfinger.5 stars

In the history of music there are a few people I consider geniouses. Pete Ham is one of them. While the quality on this disc is not as perfect as a final Badfinger cut, it is still good, all things considered. My personal favorite is "Ringside", which has a beautiful melody, combined with a chilling parallel to Pete's life. This disc would be worth it for that song only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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