Notable (Good or Bad) Anthology Songs or Song Fragments | Page 2 | Fab forum

Funny Paper said

Ben Ramon said
I've only listened to the Badfinger version once, but I didn't like it at all in comparison to Paul's demo either. As far as I can recall it's a bit faster, and it doesn't carry any of the bass-and-piano "oomph" of the Macca version. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Come and Get It would have made a marvellous slot on Abbey Road instead of Maxwell, or alternatively would have been an even better first single for Paul to release from the McCartney album.

Also, the Badfinger singers were nowhere in Paul's league, though in their own right they're not bad.

I agree that the voice of Tom Evans was not exactly like Paul's. However, I maintain that musically, the versions are very similar. At least the producer of the song (some dude named Sir Paul something or other) insisted that it be done so. I just read in "Many Years From Now" that Paul insisted it be done note for note or else Badfinger could not have the song. I will have to go back and find the exact quote from the book, but in the meantime here is an exerpt from W-pedia:

On 2 August 1969, McCartney presented his demo to Apple band Badfinger (then called The Iveys) telling them, "Okay, it's got to be exactly like this demo." His "carrot" for the band was his offer to produce this song and two other Iveys originals for the movie The Magic Christian, since he had a contract to supply three songs for it. The band followed his instructions.^[2]

McCartney auditioned each of the four Iveys to sing lead on "Come and Get It". Ultimately, he picked fellow Liverpudlian Tom Evans over the three Welshmen, Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, and Mike Gibbins.

Thanks for the link, parlance.

From the book: "Paul produced the record on 2 August at Abbey Road, making sure they followed his arrangement note for note, and sure enough it made number one in America."

It still is interesting that someone would like one version over the other even though they are practically the same. I say interesting, not in a derogatory way, but rather because not everyone hears the same songs the same way. There is another thread in this Forum that bears out that point.