NIGHTFLIGHT

A Forgotten Masterpiece of Heavy Rock..?

Though Budgie are listed here in PA for the Prog elements in their original and colourful material during the 1970's, their heavy rock credentials should not be overlooked by the Prog fan (or Breadfan!).

Flying in on the wind of change in 1981 along with the NWOBHM they made a huge impact with this album Nightflight and rightly so - it is one of the classic albums of the 80's for its breathtaking musicality and prescence - and it really rocks! Listening to the album today the album is exciting, rich, packs plenty of punch and the sound quality is pristine - the album is long overdue for reissue on remastered CD, though vinyl copies can still be found easily.

The songs are all gems, even though my judgement is coloured as the memories from an extremely turbulent but exciting period of my life returns...the first track on side one Turn To Stone is especially guilty of this, the opening arpeggio guitar notes are guaranteed to make you tingle as they waft out of the speakers, building into killer riffs, crashing drums and an infectious melody, powered with galloping bursts of crashing cymbals supporting melancholy, but uplifting lyrics. The song fades off then ends in a reprise featuring solid drums from Steve Williams and a great hammer-on guitar solo, classic playing from John Thomas.

Keeping a Rendezvous has a regular stomping beat and features another great guitar solo, this excellent song was unsurprisingly issued as a single. Another very solid performance on Reaper and the Glory, an infectious shuffle beat drives this song, vocals and bass from Burke Shelley are consistent and powerful, classic rock!

She Used Me Up contains some classic cliched heavy rock lyrics about being- used-and -going-round-town- with- another-guy- i'm-down-on-the-ground but works beautifully, even contains some classic Sabbath sounding riffs which fit in very well.

Side two kicks off with the boogie style Don't Lay Down and Die, followed by another album highlight Apparatus which was released as the B side of the Rendezvous single, another very good song which starts with a ballad style arpeggio which breaks into a moderately paced rocker with some powerful drumming. The faster paced Superstar has a very infectious riff driven along with a stomping beat, the vocals fitting in with slightly offbeat timing which works perfectly.

Change Your Ways follows the clean stomping style of the album but could possibly be the weakest song on the album if you could find one, but contains some nice slide work on the guitar. Untitled Lullaby, a short instrumental piece, rounds the proceedings off in atmospheric style, with sweeping winds and metallic sounding acoustic guitar - shame the track is so short when you are expecting an epic finish but overall an excellent rock album, unfortunately one which seems to remain an almost forgotten classic.

Budgie were having a rough time when it came to making another album, as the predecessor to this record, Power Supply, was the worst album of their career. Thankfully, the band had shaped up quite a bit in time to record Nightflight. Not a classic album from the band, but Budgie had injected enough soul, virtuosity and power into the songs on this album to make it the best of their 1980s career; thats saying something.

1.I Turned to Stone - A more modern track than anything off of the previous album, and has loads of power and strength. The opening sequence is intense, with John Thomas actually feeling that songs, rather than just playing. His clean acoustic pomp is the best on this track and track 8. The chorus is big, but it's much more epic than any 80s pop metal tracks. Burke Shelley's vocals aren't as harsh, but are very soulful and powerful. Steve Williams actually knows how to play drums on this record, and his playing is steady and energetic; albeit with more life. A true classic of their 1980s albums. (9.5/10)

2.Keeping A Rendezvous - The band take it down a notch for this song, with a quieter track. The lyrics really don't make sense, and, when combined with the music, make to a little bit of a bore. The song is really average throughout, with Shelley leaving a lot to be desired on his bass playing and average vocals. (6.5/10)

3.Reaper of Glory - An almost classic, the song is totally different from the previous. It's not as poppy, but it's even stronger. Powerful vocals, guitar riff and drums accompany an interesting organ line throughout the song. The lyrics are actually good for a Budgie song, as Shelley sings with complete soul and Thomas playing the almighty riff. Williams is fast and intune with everyone else in the band. An intense track. (8.5/10)

4.She Used Me Up - This track is probably the weakest of the track, but saying that, it's not too bad. The music itself is poppish, (not nearly as bad as anything of the previous album though)m but the lyrics don't really meld with the song and don't connect. A slightly below average track, but things do get better. (6/10)

5.Don't Lay Down and Die - An interestingly darker track, a top cut. The song has an excellent feel and the virtuosity of the band is shown, especially with Williams. Last album, his drumming was uncertain and awkward, but he plays rather well and confident in this song with his steady beats. The riff is sinister, particularly during the chorus, as with his solo being absoutly excellent. Shelley's vocals aren't great, but his bass playing makes up for it very well. (8.5/10)

6.Apparatus - The mandatory ballad, it seems. The acoustic guitar with flangered electric guitar set the stage with and average feeling, not too soulful or interesting. The vocals from Shelley aren't great and sound lazy, as with the lyrics and overall songwriting. A skipper. (6/10)

7.Superstar - This track is almost trying to be an anthem; ultimatly fails, but the energy in this track is undoutable. The band have a completely good boogie type of track and rock out very well. Shelley wails away over Thomas' excellent riffage and Williams steady snares and bass drums. An intense way to make a failed anthem. (7.5/10)

8.Change Your Ways - Oddly the least progressive of the tracks, but it's the top cut off the album, besides the opener. The song is incredibly catchy and shows how the band take a rocking ballad and make into something really unique. The vocal harmonies may be a bit irritating to some, but it shows the branching of the band. The lyrics are neutral, to say the least, but the music is well written and could have been a hit if the press was listening. The clean guitars from Thomas are well played with the steady bassline and heavy beats of Williams. A totally trippy affair. (9.5/10)

9.Untitled Lullaby - The shortest of the track may mean nothing to a few people, but the intense closer of winds and acoustic guitar are a peaceful way to close out an incredibly well played album. (8/10)

Though there are a few duds, the album is very good and should not be missed by any Budgie fans. My true rating would have to be 3.5 stars, but i'm rounding it down to 3 stars because ultimatly, it's got some essential tracks mixed in with non-essential tracks. You should pick it up if your interested in the NWOBHM or Budgie in general.