Joey Molland talks Badfinger, and working with the Beatles

One of the best British bands of the late sixties and early seventies was Badfinger. If you're a "Breaking Bad" fan, you'll know their song "Baby Blue"; which was used in the finale.

Badfinger had several hits including "No Matter What", 'Come and Get It' and "Day After Day". Joey Molland was their guitar player, and he will be appearing March 31-April 2 at the Fest for Beatles fans, at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City.

Molland called into my New Jersey 101.5 show and talked not only about Badfinger, but how he came to play on both George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", and John Lennon's "Imagine":

Well, the reason we were with them on those records is because The Badfinger band was on Apple records, so they naturally called one of their employees if you like' (laughs). Not really. We were on their label, so they called us and then we did a good job for them- I think. And that's what they're looking for when you do those things, they're not looking for you to dance and sing, just play the guitar.

How much were you and Badfinger influenced by The Beatles?

Like everybody else. We've been influenced by the Beatles through all their records, just like we were influenced by Chuck Berry and all of us that. So we already had that influence.

And then when we met them, and we started to do those things like play on those sessions, of making our own records.

You know, where we went in to record "No Dice", we had Mal Evans producing us; and he was a Beatles roadie. He was in all of those Beatles sessions for all those great records of the Beatles days. He was sitting there watching them guys make records, so he brought that all with him as well.

How did Badfinger meet the Beatles?

Bill Collins, our manager, managed to get some tapes to Paul McCartney. He had a slight relationship with Paul's father back in Liverpool because they were both musicians. You know, Bill Collins was a pianist, and Paul's dad played the trumpet. So, they kind of had this slight musical relationship back in those days.

Bill, when he got to be manager, managing the Ivy's as it was called at that point; he was managing them. And he used that slight relationship to get in to meet Paul McCartney at Abbey Road Studios.

And he chatted to him, and while he was chatting to him he talked about this band he's managing from Liverpool and Wales. And he says, 'Can I give you a tape?' and he gave Paul a tape of songs. And it took three tapes of songs, but the Beatles all had to say yes to the band being signed.

And the rest is history.

To see Joey Molland at the Fest for Beatles fans, click here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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