When Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975, the music world lost one of its great composers of the pop/rock song, and fans since have been left to wonder what might have been. Not that they didn't have some idea, mind you, for a listen to Badfinger's catalog even up to that time left no doubt what a talent Pete Ham was.

"Golders Green" is the second release (after "7 Park Avenue") of Pete Ham demos on the Rykodisc label, and I find myself listening more often to this batch then the "7 Park Avenue" material.

It should be noted that some present-day overdubs were used on some demos. This is a subject of debate that could fill up pages, but with regards to this disc, the listener will not find it obtrusive (as on the live concert CD release some years ago -- Badfinger "Day After Day" -- in which new drum parts were overdubbed annoyingly up front and loud in the mix), and when used, it was done by the likes of Chris von Sneidern, for example, and others who revere Pete Ham and certainly believe in the integrity of the material above all else.

Overall, the demos help one to understand how Pete Ham crafted a song, as some are just snippets or unfinished, unpolished works-in-progress. Badfinger fans will especially appreciate early demos of the Badfinger songs "Without You" (which at this stage did not yet have the Tom Evans written chorus), "Shine On" (a partial bit only, alas), and the poignant "Midnight Caller". Other gems on the disc are "Makes Me Feel Good", "Dawn", "Hurry On Father", and "Helping Hand", and as one might expect, much of the material is littered with fine melodic pop hooks and personal lyrics in the Pete Ham mold.

For 'Joe Average Music Fan', I might rate this CD three out of five stars, but for Badfinger fans and myself, I would give it four. There was a time when I wondered if Pete Ham would merely slip through the cracks of time and be forgotten, but with the releases of his demo material of late, and the ever-increasing acknowledgement by newer power-pop bands over the years, it looks like Pete Ham will be (and perhaps already is) justifiably recognized as one of the forefathers of power-pop/rock, and his legacy and legend grow continually.




Recommended: Yes