The Very Best of Badfinger

1	No Matter What 2:59
2	Day After Day 3:11
3	Baby Blue 3:37
4	Name Of The Game 4:25
5	Maybe Tomorrow 2:51
6	Come And Get It 2:22
7	Rock Of All Ages 3:17
8	Carry on Till Tomorrow 4:49
9	Midnight Caller 2:48
10	We're For The Dark 3:53
11	I'll Be the One 2:51
12	Without You 4:40
13	I'd Die Babe 2:34
14	It's Over 3:27
15	When I Say 3:07
16	Dennis 5:18
17	Lonely You 3:45
18	Love Time 2:19
19	Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch/Should I Smoke 5:25

Barnes & Noble

Long before Beatlemania hit these shores, this British foursome were turning heads with their own "incredible simulation" of the Fab Four's sound -- a trait that proved to be their trump card and their undoing. Yes, their debut hit, "Come and Get It," sprang from the pen of Paul McCartney, but Pete Ham, Tom Evans, and company had remarkable pop savvy of their own, as evidenced by such instantly memorable follow-ups as "No Matter What." The band soon proved that their reach extended beyond the upbeat pop of those hits by storming the charts with introspective ballads such as "Day After Day" and "Without You," which subsequently hit number one in the capable hands of Harry Nilsson. It's not unfair to say that Badfinger were at their best on that sort of ornate ballad -- for proof, check "Maybe Tomorrow," originally issued under their previous name, the Iveys, and the melancholy "Midnight Caller." Still, there are plenty of out-and-out ravers, such as the full-tilt "Rock of All Ages," and even a few left-field surprises, including the country-tinged "I'll Be the One." Their chart reign may have been brief, but this stellar collection proves that mere sales figures can't possibly tell the full Badfinger story. David Sprague

All Music Guide

The difference between 2000's The Very Best of Badfinger and 1995's Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger is a simple one -- the 1995 collection concentrated on the group's Apple recordings, where the 2000 collection runs all the way until 1974's Wish You Were Here, the band's final album with Pete Ham. Not only does the collection benefit from the expanded timeline, but it has a sharp selection of songs from the classic Apple years -- yes, "Flying" is absent and Ass is bypassed (perhaps understandably so), but "We're for the Dark" is a more than welcome addition. The 19 tracks may not be in chronological order, but the sequencing packs a real punch and, in this context, the best of the Warner material more than holds its own with the Apple cuts. Inevitably, there are some fan favorites missing, but apart from "Flying," all the classics are here and this compilation is unquestionably the most thorough (and arguably the best) overview of Badfinger's entire career yet assembled. Stephen Thomas Erlewine