ALBUMS THAT GOT SCREWED: Not to Be Confused With the Album by Pink Floyd (That One Made a Profit)

If record company executives made all the music, nobody would want to listen to it. And if artists made all the business decisions, every new release would be a double album that cost $4.6 million to record. It seems these two groups are just going to have to find a way to get along, because they need each other. (For a particularly one-sided view of this relationship, consult Willie Nelson.)

This week we're going to highlight some particularly dumbass moves by record companies over the years. Some of the best albums ever made almost never made it to release, either because the suits didn't get it or because greed got in the way.

Badfinger were victims of the latter. In 1974, after a series of smash hit singles ("Come and Get It," "No Matter What," "Day After Day") the group teamed up with producer Chris Thomas to record Wish You Were Here. The album was a blast of catchy power pop, a reminder that the genre hadn't died with the Beatles. It was their best work. Too good, in fact, to get into the hands of record buyers.

The album was released, but was almost immediately pulled because of a lawsuit between Warner Brothers Records and the group's shady manager, Stan Polley. This began the chain of events that brought Badfinger to a tragic end. Guitarist Pete Ham and bassist Tom Evans both committed suicide in the decade that followed, and the surviving members traded lawsuits for many more years. Wish You Were Here has never been released on CD in the U.S.

But thanks to our best buddy iTunes, you can enjoy the whole thing for $8.91. Any fan of great pop music shouldn't think twice about the purchase. Let's hope none of that money goes into the hands of Stan Polley and his ilk.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch/Should I Smoke" by Badfinger
AVAILABLE ON: Wish You Were Here; iTunes