Badfinger - Interview/Perfection - Pete Ham

[robharding1957]

wow dosnt time fly,35 years since we lost this vulnerable but gifted musician to a ruthless scroat,,but thats life l suppose,this song is typical of the man, always putting other people first, he was such a kind soul whos musical contributions are very much underated. hope he gets rhe recognition he so richly deserves in the fullness of time,

[DouglasJBender]

"...realize our imperfections..."

An amazingly humble man, and gentle soul.

[Bobbipens]

God Bless you Pete. We need you now more than ever.

[aegeastar]

It's such a pity Pete wasn't able to let go of those who tied him up legally and allow himself to go bankrupt while breaking off all contact with them and then go on to the heights he would have no doubt achieved with his strengths, which would have saved his life, creativity and spirit.

[TheAdamvg]

Found the Straight Up albulm when i was 16 yrs old, Loved it all n still do

[rkodavey]

Man, could he play. Perhaps the most underrated guitarist of all time. And without question, Badfinger is the most underrated band of all time.

[robharding1957]

so underrated its untrue,,,,one of the uk,s most complete bands,,,

[jimwisneski]

Perfection brings me back 35 years to discovering an original release of Straight Up. I thought it was the Beatles at first, but this is SO much more BADFINGER, a truly wicked band, hankerings of George Harrison???

[roselandalvin]

"Straight Up" is one of the must have LPs for any lover or collector of great rock and roll music.

[happygleason]

In listening i hear how the production really works..and without GH/TR the albums after this suffered from slipshood producers.

[rkodavey]

Great lyrics. "There's no good kind of killing" and "Successful conversations will take you very far" are my two favorite lines here. Great guitar solo too. Pete Ham was a genius.

[Cielamouroux]

When this album came out in 1972, my friends and I were 14 & 15, and we washed dishes in a steel-mill town's VFW for 12-14 hours at a time for $1 an hour, frequently high. We would listen to the FM radio the whole time, and we really liked this song.

[VenusCapricorn]

It's evident. What an insightful, thoughtful,  and conscientious man Pete Ham was when you listen to the lyrics of his songs. This will be my feature video now. I just had WorldParty there, and Karl's "Ship Of Fools" compliments Pete's "Perfection." And I haven't forgotten the stunning Indigo Girls "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" all these futuristic-historical songs go together. We need them now more than ever.

[TheRoseanne58]

In Peters tender speaking voice we can recognize the lovely nature of his personality!

[passionateaboutmusic]

@TheRoseanne58 So very true.

[TheRoseanne58]

Hello Dan,thank you so much for posting this interview,where did you found it? Love to hear Pete's speaking voice with his very lovely welsh accent;in our hearts he still lives on!

[catoohey]

Amazing.....

[saurian11]

Perfection is an amazing song!!! Great interview with Pete about the song!!! I recently went on the Pete Ham on MySpace site and in the "music" box there is an early demo that he did with with Tom Evans called " John Forgot to Sing ". It is a Beautiful Lullaby/ Ballad. Pete and Tom's vocals are Wonderful! Give it a listen if you get a chance. I tried to find it on Youtube, but no one has posted it yet (hint,hint).

[gherkamum]

great interview

love bandfinger

5**************

terry uk !!

[AstariaDestiny]

Wonderful share sunsets cheers :)

[Benayrunyon]

Thank you for posting.

[tomcaroscio]

Wow, this brings back memories of my Staright Up album. I have to get it out now and play it. Great, great tune. Thanks for posting!

[Beanziebopper]

Grace, you're right. Badfinger, if someone took an interest in the catalogue, could do very well if someone took the time and the care to put together a deserving box set, remastered/remixed the music, etc. Great pop/rock band, all of whom could write and sing, the music both rocking and melodic. Very few bands these days come close to the kind of talent these guys had.

[GraceBarrett]

Pete's message was ahead of many other rock star claims of social commentary. He should have been recognized. But Apple never promoted this or him. Even today, do they really understand what they have? Why aren't they putting out DVD's or box sets of Badfinger? They don't care. The past reissues reek of commerce only.

[janchristinesears]

How lovely to hear Pete's voice again. What a lovely person he was ! He wrote so many wonderful songs. We still miss him !

[babsant123]

made me go cold hearing this, what a lovely person he was, have some lovely thoughts from the goos old days at the house in Golders Green, Bless you Pete xxx

[DKDonnelly]

Pete Ham wwrote from his heart and it was evident in songs such as "Perfection", "We're For The Dark", "Name of the Game", "Apple of My Eye", "Song For A Lost Friend", "Lonely You", "Just A Chance", "Dennis" and "Keep Believing". When I listen to these songs, His memory will live on forever thanks to people like Dan that continue to remind the world of the unique person that touched so many lives with his music.

[saurian11]

@DKDonnelly I Absolutely Agree with you! Pete had TREMENDOUS TALENT and it was CRIMINAL that certain vultures of the music business would not allow that talent to grow and prosper! Thank you,PETE, For the wonderful music that you have left for all of us to hear!!!

[randlec6]

@DKDonnelly Don't forget his greatest song ever, Without You! Many artists have recorded Without You but Ham's version is the very best!! Pete was one of the best song writers I ever had the pleasure of hearing!!

[DKDonnelly]

GREAT STUFF!

[Kristenbillick]

PERFECTION lyrics ... You don't need a gun or a knife, Successful conversations will get you very far....

PETE: "First thing that people have to do, before they do anytihing about the world, is admit that they have a lot of faults themselves, admit that there is no real perfection - people get too obsessed with ideals, the perfect world, or the perfect human being and there is no such thing... realize our imperfections and talk about them, then try and do something about it."

[cdadave83814]

I believe that Pete Ham was under pressure from bandmates who made fun of him, a manager who screwed him over, and his girlfriend being pregnant. I also believe Joey was the worst thing that could've happened to Badfinger, he and his wife. I think Pete was happier way back when in the "Ivey" days. Everything I've referred to here is in Dan Matovina's book; I'm not just blowing smoke here. I'm sure Pete could've gone far, but Badfinger killed him. He was just too loyal.

[SutcliffeManor]

Very well done! Peter William Ham was a great singer, composer, and his abilities as a guitarist, especially with a slide, could have ensured him a career as a session player. I cry every time I watch Here Comes the Sun at The Concert for Bangladesh. Pete nails it, and talk about being under pressure! Anyway, it's always nice to hear a new bit.

Dan, thanks for keeping alive the good name of Badfinger!

[johnny10301968]

@SutcliffeManor About Pete playing Here Comes the Sun with George Harrison i'll bet Pete was on cloud nine that night.

[crimsonship]

"Sorry I didn´t have more time for you" - his parting words from this interview turned out to be true. He left way too soon.

[englishsunset]

For somone as loved and as talented as Pete to have reached a point where he'd go so far as to end it all always makes me pray that I never get so deeply involved in anything.

[evelynmh]

I am so glad that Dan did this.There is so little of Pete's thoughts on tape that isn't a sound bite regarding his project. This gives another side of Pete Ham that was lost in the Badfinger malaise.

[PeachWNK]

Thanks for this...still wishing we'll see more footage, etc. someday...DVDs, etc. Anyway, RIP, beautiful soul.

[comicbookinker]

Left us way too soon. What a talent! Badfinger has been a big part of my life.

[patcasey01]

nice job. great song by a guy who influenced me so much in my own writing.

[barnett8700]

just beautiful.. why does a person like Pete have to leave and so many ugly people stick it out.

[carrieanne1967]

This is great !!! Thanks so much for sharing !

[cakeflip]

it's great to hear Pete Ham's voice in an interview and this song is brilliant. RIP Pete Ham!

[NezMaccaHam]

AMAZING. Without a doubt. I l ove his speaking and singing voice. What a beautiful human being. RIP Pete. Wish you were here. You're so loved and so missed.

[TheRoseanne58]

@NezMaccaHam Hello Carly,you are such a lovely young Lady, it is so moving to read your nice comments about Badfinger,especially the great and wonderful Peter William Ham.Oh how long i'm waiting to find an interview with him.Peter lives on for ever,what a beautiful soul.God bless him,also sweet Tommy and dear Mike! Love and best wishes for you dear Carly!

[Syruscleat]

What a great musician. What talent lost. Truly a 60s feel to the song. like Harrison. Pete, we love you...

[toomanycats13]

Remembering Pete Ham on this day. What a talented and gentle soul we lost 35 years ago. When I think of Pete, the lyric from Don McLean's song, "Vincent," always pops up in my head - "This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you." Rest in peace.

[catoohey]

Excellent video tribute - and love that the interview sound bite leads up to it,

Nicely done!

[ronnierythm]

It is really wonderful to hear him speak. God bless Pete Ham.

[JJ4518]

Pete was a great musician and person. God Bless Pete Ham.

[brownsugah66]

This is a beautiful tribute for a beautiful man.....

[franktorpey1]

To think way back in 67, I was in a band (The Tribe) with a three month residency at the marquee. One of the bands we worked with was the Iveys who later changed threir name to Badfinger. Didn't they do some great work, all ended in tragedy, So called managers have a lot to answer for Frank E Torpey

[russtyler]

Absolutely exceptional. And his legacy lives...thank you BadfingerIveys.

[peterwilliamham]

Thankyou for posting, a great tribute to a musical genius....

[paralyticpossum]

What an incredible musician he was, and - even more importantly - a beautiful soul. We lost a gem when Pete left this world.

[mission507]

A Capital T for talent. Pete was one of natures gentlemen,who was misled & deceived.I wish he was still alive. He truly developed his music craft to the level of Genius.God bless you Pete.

[1856gazoo]

This is so totally awesome....great job !!! Pete Ham & Badfinger. Pete was a music melody man, who could create some of the best music of all time.... 5 stars.

[anitashelby]

@1856gazoo Truely An "Amazing" Share & Post!!!...5*s Thankyou Gaz...Anita.