BADGER

After his meteroric passage in Peter Bank's FLASH ( only in Flash's first albun, with a very discreet performance ) , the keyboardist Tony Kaye be formed BADGER and releases only two works White Lady (studio albun) and this live albun One Live Badger. The band's sonority is very close to a mix of GRANDFUNK RAILROAD and NEKTAR. At this time Kaye's performance is more prominent and incorporate other types of keyboards, such moog aside to their tradional hammond organ and eletric & acoustic pianos. Although, the band not reachs the same quality of their olds bands, presents some very interesting moments like in the track 3 - "Wind of Change" with a captivating melody and a hammond solo in Jon Lord's style, and the track 6 - " On the Way Home" with another great Kaye's hammond solo. My rate is 3 stars !!!

One Live Badger was one of the many albums that emerged from the early seventies art rock effusion that owed a lot to the creative talents of Roger Dean. In the early seventies his sureal concepts and paintings began to adorn the covers of albums such as Uriah Heep's Demons & Wizards and Fragile by Yes where the music contained as much allure as Dean's canvasses. Unfortunately this is not the case here despite some lively moments from ex-Yesman Tony Kaye's keyboards interacting with Brian Parrish's respectable rhythm and lead guitar licks. The association between these 6 enlogated Three Dog Night meets Grand Funk Railroad spiritual rave-ups and the hyperboreal image of two ( rather cute ) little Badgers weathering out a storm has always eluded me. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad record and the live enviroment certainly compliments the energy and spontaneity of the pieces which get into some cool jamming moments but it lacks the substance ( unless you want to consider the religious overtones in the lyrics ) that you would expect from an album embelished with Roger Dean artwork. Original vinyl editions had a pop-up badger which confused things even more. But at the time I guess kids were just thrilled with the novelty of having a record with a Roger Dean cover.

Invariably, someone who picks the CD edition up for the first time in 2010 will be overcome by the Dean artwork and will be further thrown off by the knowledge that Tony Kaye was the original keyboard player for prog leviathans Yes and swayed further still by the fact that it was produced by Yes guru man Jon Anderson. The best preparation for this anamoly would be to forget about the two cuddly badgers and think of the album as an extension of Yes' 1970 album Time And A Word when they were still in a sixties groove. Things started to get too serious on the subsequent Yes Album after which Kaye was given his pink slip and One Live Badger sort of de-mystifies at least some musical reasons for this departure with it's bluesy, upbeat and sometimes funky compositions .

Not a monumental catastrophe by a long shot but an album that will come under scrutiny by hard core fans of Yes music with Roger Dean covers from the same period. Proceed with caution and beware of badgers.

I witnessed a ''Badger'' concert in '73 (they were opening for one of the first ever Purple Mark III concert in Brussels I think). Since memory doesn't serve me at all to remember this event, I relied on their good live album to figure out what it could have been.

Needless to say that this one has nothing to do with it. Even if some soul influence could already be identified during their live album, this one is just a long trip into the Motown mood. Brass, syrupy vocals, weak melodies etc.

Of prog, there isn't a trace. Of good music, very little I'm afraid. To point out one outstanding song from this set is like to look for a miracle. But it never comes of course. I guess that the best advice is to stay far away from this very weak album.

There is no need to have a track by track review since each of them holds the same ''delightful'' sound. A long ''press next'' exercise from ''A Dream Of You '' (the opener) to ''The Whole Thing'' (the closing number). Pure soul music with no feeling at all.

Since I can't really find one single track worth mentioning, there are no reason to rate this album higher than with one solid star.

I was digging through my old LP's of which I have, (no kidding) Thousands, and came across ONE LIVE BADGER and decided to give it a spin. The first thing I realized was that this was not a prog band but more a bar band or a backyard party jam band... there is nothing prog about this album except for Tony kaye and his long organ solos and the Roger Dean artwork. Produced by Jon Anderson of YES and engineered by the great Martin Rushent, I suppose there were high hopes for this LIVE debut album.

I somewhat enjoyed the first track Wheel of Fortune as I would enjoy a Blood sweat & tears track... It has that David Clayton Thomas feel going on with the vocals and this Brian Parrish was a pretty cool guitarist that could light it up when neccessary, but somewhat cliche in his approach... Bar band, but a fairly good one!

I also enjoyed the second track that had an Ian Hunter/Bowie feel to the vocals, and the refrain (Smile on my face) sounded just like the Grateful dead. The lead guitar on this track is the high point of the record and so are Tony Kayes organ solos. (every song on the album has one of each). Track 3, Wind of change, is about cliche as a Budweiser at a ballgame.

Track 4, The River, is a blues cum jam track that bored me to tears.

The album falls apart after that and dives headlong into a religious gospel type vibe that is very reminiscent of BS&T's again, (Here comes the devil!). This album is only a keeper for it's collectible factor on ATCO SD7022 Released in 1973, and also for Roger dean art completists. Praise the lord and pass the potato chips... I have the gatefold.

After the promising start with One Live Badger, comes this dud. Really disappointing in every aspect. Only Kaye and drummer Roy Dyke remanined from the original line up. But the biggest change was in style: what once was prog influenced hard rock now is pure soul pop. And, unfortunatly even for the fans of that style of music, not a very good one. Not realy bad either but everything in this album reeks of commercialism, trying to reach the pop market of the time, when soul music was pretty much popular and fashionable.

The production of course is spotless. The musicians are superb (Jeff Beck and Allen Toussaint are among the many stars guesting on this record). And Jackie Lomax has a fine soul voice to match. And yet everything here sounds a bit forced and without much conviction. Tony Kaye´s playing is totally undistinguished through the whole LP. I can´t recommend this album to anyone but soul-pop-funk fans. Even Yes completionists will have a hard time trying to figure out what Kaye´s doing here. Thank God there was no follow up. 1,5 stars.

Interesting album from ex original Yes keyboards man Tony Kaye. It was recorded live and showed a lot of potential. The music is quite different from Yes, though. It´s harder, simpler but very tasteful and solid. Great keyboards runs (of course) and some fine guitar licks and solos all over. Vocals are average to good. I´d like to hear them on the studio, but this line up broke up soon after this LP and their next (and last) release would be the disastrous White Lady.

Well, the production is only adequate, but acceptable for a live record. Highlights are the opening song, Wheel Of Fortune (it could have been a hit a the time, if it was given a little airplay) and the closing number On The Way Home (their most progressive). The remaining tracks are good, but not much. A promising start that was not fullfilled. But if you´re into good rock with some prog unfluences and fine keyboards, you should give this a listen. 3,5 stars.

Strong, upbeat debut from Tony Kaye and Dave Foster's progressive rhythm band, bursting with energy at the Rainbow in December,1972 and bringing together the soulful, pulsing beats of Santana and Traffic with the melodic intricacies of the Allmans, Yes and Meddle-period Floyd. Foster had been with Jon Anderson (who co-produced here) in the Warriors, and the trail of bands in Kaye's wake is no secret, making Badger an interesting project with huge potential. And in part they live up to it. 'Wheel of Fortune' is good if a bit too stuck in its era but 'Fountain' is more prog, first-rate bluesman Brian Parrish trading licks with Kaye beautifully, the band oozing with feeling all the way through. A bit of English beat for 'Wind of Change'; catchy bubble rock with some good R'nB jams and a nice classical crescendo, and Blackmore&Lord-like 'River' is fine though the odd preoccupation with religion begins to show, the yearnings of gospel just under the surface. 'The Preacher' aches with soft remorse and evangelic visions, more solid rhythm, Kaye's rich organ throughout and Parrish ripping it up on lead guitar. And heavy prog beast 'On the Way Home' is a powerful number showing how songwriting and progressive rock can coexist. A night of very good music from an ensemble on the edges of A-list Prog, a semi-supergroup that deserves plenty of reexamination.

Aaaah, that feeling you get when you un-cover a gem. And what a feeling it is! And, after listening to the excellent live album entitled merely: ONE LIVE BADGER, that feeling is back! The beauty of prog is the hidden surprises that suddenly appear and whack you over the head with the 'great-new-album' stick. Due to the inter-linking of many bands(with band-members occupying multiple positions in multiple bands), many little-known projects have come and gone, fading as quickly as they formed. BADGER, a band forged around the impressive keyboard-wizard and ex-Yes member Tony Kaye, belong to that 1 album group inhabited by the likes of MAINHORSE and SAMURAI who somehow made a great album and then conspired to disappear and never again produce anything as compelling. And just like the afore-mentioned one(album)-hit wonders, this is one surprising piece. The origins of the band are obscure, but one things is for sure: the album was recorded live because it was cheaper. Had it been a studio-bound affair, then would the powerful, bluesy rhythms and epic, surging feel contained within all seven tracks remained? Who knows. However, what we do know is that we have a truely original piece of work, a piece of work that comes over like a kind of trippy mixture of Cream, Pink Floyd and Yes with a hint of Grateful Dead-ish finger-picking and a little sprinkle Howlin' Wolf and the old- time blues for good measure. Like a lot of prog-albums of the time, the vocals aren't amazing, but that fact can be forgiven due to the dazzing technical proficiency on show. Guitarist Brian Parrish lets rip with a magnificent guitar-solo during 'Fountain', Tony Kaye fills every number with some eclectic keyboard, moog and mellotron work and the band as whole seem tighter than Jose Mourinho defence. Maybe the album's little-known status enhances it's initial impact, but there is no denying that ONE LIVE BADGER is a compelling affair, straddling the void between prog and classic rock whilst still managing to contain the exciting principles of the former. Filled with virtuoso solo's, cryptic lyrics and rollicking jams, everyone from Yes fans to lovers of Dream Theatre should find much to admire. Highly recommended.

This is an album that would appeal to fans of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, especially the albums _Solar Fire_ and _Nightingales and Bombers_. Not surpringly, Manfred Mann mentioned Badger's first LP as a favourite in an interview I once heard and have since read. Oddly, I heard the aforementioned Manfred Mann recordings prior to hearing of Badger. There appears to be a strong influence on Manfred Mann and the direction he would take his Earth Band in the studio. Great organ from Tony Kaye here which leaves me asking many questions, the prominant one being: _Why did Yes get rid of this guy?_...not that Rick Wakeman isn't worthy.

Some great guitar solos here as well. This Badger LP also reminds me a bit of the Paice, Ashton & Lord LP _Malice In Wonderland_(as per the organ playing). A rare sampling of Tony Kaye on the mellotron here (appearently Tony Kaye wasn't big on the use of the mellotron...thought it sounded like cats dying or something?). Recommended for fans of hard progressive R&B rock...like Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster and Rare Bird/Fields.

I had a disagreement with another prog fan a while back about whether or not this album had blues leanings. I still say it does. Sure it features Tony Kaye on mellotron and other keyboards, but the power pair of Brian Parrish on guitar and Dave Foster on bass set an unmistakable bluesy groove right off the bat with the funky and heavy “Wheel of Fortune”. And on vocals Parrish sounds like Michael McDonald in his Doobie Brothers days. Kaye of course is all over the place on keys, but by the time “Fountain” rolls around the prominent guitar and bass belie this being a pure progressive effort.

Not that I’m complaining – this is one great album that still gets played once and a while (like tonight). Much has been made of the band putting out a live album as their debut, but my understanding is this was more a matter of convenience and economics than anything else. The band had a live audience, and a Yes one at that since they were supporting the tour that would become ‘Yessongs’. Kind of hard to go wrong with that, and certainly much less expensive than a proper studio album. The one studio release the band did put out isn’t anywhere near as good as this one either, so maybe this was the best possible legacy they could leave anyway.

“Wind of Change” would make it onto the Yes album ‘Affirmative’, a de facto part of the Yes ‘family’ records (and the best of them in my opinion). A goof choice too, since this is the strongest musical effort with the band sounding very tight and the tempo reflecting confidence in their set that night.

The first half of the album is the better one though, and with “River” the band resorts to a lengthy guitar solo not because it is all that awesome, but probably more for filler to yield them a decent length for their live set. “The Preacher” is decent, but also heavy on Parrish’s guitar forays and a little light on substance.

Finally, “On the Way Home” is the closing number and sounds like it was written to be just that in concert. Kaye takes charge here with copious amounts of freak-out organ, but really this just sounds like a partially improvised jam session. A pretty good one, but a jam session nonetheless.

The Roger Dean cover sort of makes this an official prog album I suppose, but at its heart this is a jam band with one keyboardist who makes them much better than they probably should be. This is an album that I still like to play once and a while, but it is not a classic by any means. Three stars seems proper so that’s what I’ll give it, and a recommendation for heavy prog fans and those who like to sniff at the periphery of the Yes family tree.

peace