No Dice - BADFINGER***

I Can't Take It/I Don't Mind It/Love Me Do/Midnight Caller/No Matter What/Without You/Blodwyn/Better Days/It Had To Be/Watford John/Believe Me/We're For The Dark

No Dice was the follow up album from the British pop-rock group Badfinger and includes the US and UK top ten hit No Matter What. They are best sampled on a compilation album. (US:28)

"This one marks a progression from their debut (under this name). The album still features top quality pop, but with somewhat more consistency and confidence than earlier. Fine vocal harmony and excellent song writing are the band's hallmark, and should have propelled them to greater things. Here we find a blend of ballads, R & B, rock, and even a country flavoured cut."

"Bravely writing all the compositions here between them, there are some dull moments but interspersed, indeed outnumbered by some flashes of brilliance too. Prominent amongst the latter are the power-pop-perfect hit single No Matter What and the sublime acoustic closer We're For The Dark, while just a few rungs lower down the pecking order lie the atmospheric story-in-a-song Midnight Caller, and there will always be interest in the original, much more subdued version of the universally well known Without You."

"No Dice isn't a perfect album, but it is far more confident than what preceded it, and contains many good rockers that would remain staples of the group's live set. The hits are right in the centre of the album, and notwithstanding the fact that Without You has almost become a parody of itself, this version is lean and ends with a memorable organ line. Much of the second side feels tossed off, but the musicianship is high."

"The second album by Badfinger finds them settling into a melodic rock groove, balancing the slower ballads with some harder blues rock/pop in classic rock style. Some of the songs don't really do much to dispel the notion of them being like a back-up band for their influences."

"No Matter What, the big Top Ten hit from this collection, might just be the very first power pop single. But, these guys could also write terrific songs, as well. The Harry Nilsson classic, Without You, which has been covered by many artists over the years, was written by Ham and Evans, and is included on this album. Their version is more laid back, but it's no less stellar, and is a great example of what kind of talent these guys had."