Lost 70s Featured Song

The group Badfinger began as the Ivys in 1964, a Welsh based band who became one of the first groups to be signed to the Beatles' own record label venture called Apple Records.

But after recording Maybe Tomorrow, an album in 1968 that Apple refused to distribute properly, guitarist Tom Evans and bassist Ron Griffiths of the Ivys separately and bitterly professed to the press that Apple Records did very little to promote its own artists.

Apparently, one of the articles was read by Paul McCartney who, at the time, was working on the Abbey Road sessions with the rest of the Beatles, as well as writing and recording a theme song for a future Peter Sellers film which also starred his Beatle-buddy Ringo Starr.

It was a British Monty Python-ish comedy called The Magic Christian, which told the story of a rich man and his stepson, played by Ringo, who tried to prove that people will do anything for the right price.

In response to Griffiths' negative interview, McCartney decided to give his newly written composition, "Come And Get It," to the Ivys. In fact, just nine days after Paul recorded a demo of the theme song at EMI studios in London, he produced an almost identical version with the Ivys at Abbey Road Studios on August 2, 1969.

Guitarist Joey Molland, who replaced Griffiths shortly after the song was recorded, said, "Paul sent a tape around and a note saying 'Learn this song just exactly as it is and we'll go in and record it and it'll be a big hit for you'. And that's what they did, they learned Paul's arrangement from his demo and then they went in the studio and he recorded it, he produced it with them."

Before the song was released in January of 1970 the Ivys were contemplating a name-change because the name Ivys, as Pete Hamm of the band once stated, was, "...Too nice."

Although McCartney suggested they call themselves "Home" and John Lennon submitted the name Prix, they eventually took the advice of Neil Aspinal of Apple Records and adapted their new group name from a blues record he knew called "the Bad Finger Boogie."

The single, which became Badfinger's first hit record, featured Pete Ham on lead guitar, Mike Gibbons on drums, Tom Evans on bass guitar and lead vocals, and Paul McCartney on the tambourine.

If you want it, here it is come and get it
Mmmm, make your mind up fast
If you want it, anytime I can give it
But you better hurry 'cause it may not last

Did I hear you say that there must be a catch?
Will you walk away from a fool and his money?
If you want it, here it is come and get it
But you better hurry 'cause it's going fast

If you want it, here it is come and get it,
Mmmm, make your mind up fast
If you want it, anytime I can give it
But you better hurry 'cause it may not last

Did I hear you say that there must be a catch?
Will you walk away from a fool and his money?

Sonny, if you want it, here it is come and get it
But you better hurry 'cause it's going fast
You'd better hurry 'cause it's going fast Fool and his money

Sonny, if you want it, here it is come and get it
But you better hurry 'cause it's going fast
You'd better hurry 'cause it's going fast
You'd better hurry 'cause it's going fast



©WMMO/Cox Radio/Written and researched by Jerry Steffen