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"Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke" is a medley released by the British power pop band Badfinger. The song was the closing track on their critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful album, Wish You Were Here. "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" was written by Pete Ham, while "Should I Smoke" was penned by Joey Molland.

Release

"Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke" was first released on the Wish You Were Here album in November 1974, where it was the ninth and final track. However, when the album was pulled from shelves in 1975 due to legal problems, the track, as well as the other eight songs from said album, became difficult to find (Wish You Were Here eventually saw CD release in 2007.) "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke" has since appeared on many Badfinger compilation albums, such as The Very Best of Badfinger and The Best of Badfinger Vol. 2.

Reception

Despite not being one of Badfinger's most famous songs, "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke" has been praised by critics and fans alike. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the track a highlight from Wish You Were Here, while Matthew Greenwald of the same organization said of the song, "this piece is also one of the group's recorded masterpieces. A combination (à la the Beatles' 'A Day in the Life') of two separate songs that make up one huge piece, the song ended the album (and, unfortunately, the band's career) with a bang. Musically, it's one of the hardest-rocking pairs of songs that the group ever committed to tape. Like a cross between Abbey Road and some of the Who's finer efforts of the period, the song(s) rocks uncompromisingly hard while maintaining fabulous melodic core. The two pieces are also mutually nonexclusive as well, but joining each other with an undeniable grace. The orchestral guitar/horn coda is undoubtedly one of the most realized moments that Badfinger ever committed to vinyl. A true lost masterpiece."

Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it Badfinger's 5th best song, saying that "This tough-rocking boogie spliced together Ham’s 'Meanwhile Back At The Ranch' with Joey Molland’s 'Should I Smoke?' to thrillingly epic effect." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 10th best song, calling it "one of their strongest album tracks." Goldmine critic Bill Kopp included "Name of the Game" as one of "5 wrongfully overlooked Badfinger songs."

According to music critic Richie Unterberger, Badfinger member Joey Molland said "'Meanwhile Back in the Ranch' was really, really on top form."

References

1. Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Fort Collins, CO: Not Lame Recording Co. p. 50. ISBN 9780979771408.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "AllMusic 'Wish You Were Here'". AllMusic.
3. Greenwald, Matthew. "AllMusic 'Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch/Should I Smoke'". AllMusic.
4. Hughes, Rob (26 June 2016). "The top 10 best Badfinger songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
5. Gallucci, Michael (April 26, 2013). "Top 10 Badfinger Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
6. Kopp, Bill (June 10, 2022). "5 wrongfully overlooked Badfinger songs". Goldmine. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
7. Unterberger, Richie. "'Wish You Were Here' liner notes".

• Badfinger songs
• Songs written by Pete Ham
• Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer)