Written in:
1975?Released On:
UnreleasedCover Versions:
About The The Song:
Probably only fragments exist of this song which possibly never was finished
Kent Gray of the Lye Berries: " Pete never really made a complete demo of "Sweet Josephine", and he was using a lousy cassette tape recorder when he practiced it. Pete wrote 2 verses for "Sweet Josephine." He occasionally changed a word or two, and sometimes he'd try different tempos and keys.
Pete spent nearly an entire side of a 60-minute tape working on 2 songs (both were actually the same melody). (*2)"Country Tavern" and "Sweet Josephine." Although he never recorded a completed version of either song, he left enough bits and pieces of both that either song could be edited into a complete composition.
Actually it was my brother who pushed me to record it. I thought it would have been too difficult to do. But he is a Pete Ham fan as well, and he kept calling it a "lost masterpiece." We never attempted "Country Tavern" as the tempo was far slower and more of a ballad.
The bridge of the song is more connected to "Country Tavern", and the third verse was definitely from "Country Tavern."
The "Lye Berries" are basically dissolved. If you have the CD you have almost everything we recorded. The CD was all originals, except for "Sweet Josephine" and "Pictures Of Matchstick Men." We recorded 3 songs that aren't on the CD: "I Don't Mind It," "I Can Make It With You" and "Message To Pretty." The last 2 songs are covers. None of these are by Pete Ham or any Badfinger members."
Notes:
*1: Kent Gray did a lot of reserach and editing for Dan Matovina's Badfinger Biography
*2: This song/title could be identical to "Keep Your Country Tidy" which has been planned for release as bonus-track for "Head First"
Thanks to Kent !!