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BUDGIE

Prog Related • United Kingdom


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Budgie biography
Founded in Cardiff, Wales, UK in 1967 - Disbanded in 1988 - Reformed in 1995 and again between 1999-2010

Budgie first formed in 1967 under the guise of ' Hills Contemporary Grass'. This name was shortlived however and by 1968 they had renamed themselves Budgie, which still remains this to the current day, although line ups have changed from time to time. The original members were Burke Shelley (b.1947) on bass and vocals, Tony Bourge (b.1948) on guitars and vocals and Ray Phillips (b.1949)on drums.

As was often the case with debut albums from the late sixties and early seventies, "Budgie" 1971 was a mixed bag of hard rock combined with a strong dose of blues. Produced by Black Sabbath producer Roger Bain. " Squawk" 1972 and " Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" 1973 were further studio albums following in quick succession. The latter probably being the most well known of Budgie work." In For The Kill" followed in 1974 and by now the line up changes began with Ray Phillips departure and replacement by the soon departing Pete Boot. The band experienced further membership changes and in 1978 Tony Bourge moved on and in stepped John Thomas who also later worked with Glenn Hughes.

Classifying Budgie is no easy feat hence it being in the Prog related category but the blues rock influences are ever present especially up to the close of the 70's.Sometimes described as pioneers in metal, Burke Shelley's voice often compared to Geddy Lee of Rush and the progressive influences are particularly evident in " Squawk", " Never Turn Your Back On a Friend" and 1975's " Bandolier". Budgie became less active in the latter parts of the 80's and ceased live tours in 1988. The 90's saw a revival of the band and further studio albums ensued, the last being in 2006 called " Your'e All Living In Cuckoo Land". Line up changes remained unabbated but one thing remains is that Budgie continue to play high energy rock, progressive at times, bluesy and plain solid metal to a high standard. Metallica have had notable success doing versions of their work " Breadfan" being one song and " Crash Course In Brain Surgery" the other, Judas Priest being another band influenced by the outfit from Wales.

Two live shows of note were in 1982 when Budgie headlined the Reading festival and Live In San Antonio ( 2002).Recommended albums would be 1972's " Squawk", " Never Turn Your Back On a Friend" from 1973 and 1978's "Impeckable". Founder member and drummer Ray Phillips is...
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BUDGIE discography


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BUDGIE top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.81 | 160 ratings
Budgie
1971
3.49 | 150 ratings
Squawk
1972
4.18 | 246 ratings
Never Turn Your Back on a Friend
1973
3.81 | 171 ratings
In for the Kill!
1974
3.38 | 161 ratings
Bandolier
1975
3.26 | 100 ratings
If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules
1976
3.30 | 91 ratings
Impeckable
1978
2.59 | 81 ratings
Power Supply
1980
3.60 | 80 ratings
Nightflight
1981
3.05 | 71 ratings
Deliver Us from Evil
1982
2.71 | 56 ratings
You're All Living in Cuckooland
2006

BUDGIE Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.25 | 11 ratings
Heavier Than Air - Rarest Eggs
1998
3.17 | 6 ratings
Life in San Antonio
2002

BUDGIE Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

BUDGIE Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.41 | 13 ratings
The Best of Budgie
1975
4.10 | 12 ratings
An Ecstasy of Fumbling: The Definitive Anthology
1996
4.00 | 14 ratings
The Best of Budgie
1997
2.83 | 6 ratings
The Last Stage
2004

BUDGIE Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.67 | 3 ratings
Crash Course in Brain Surgery
1971
3.38 | 13 ratings
If Swallowed Do Not Induce Vomiting
1980

BUDGIE Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Squawk by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1972
3.49 | 150 ratings

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Squawk
Budgie Prog Related

Review by AJ Junior

5 stars Consisting of Burke Shelley (Vocals, Bass, Keys), Ray Phillips (Drums), and Tom Bourge (Guitar), this Budige is a Heavy Metal band from Whales. I have no clue how this band made it onto this website. The only things that are remotely progressive about Budgie are that Roger Dean designed a few of their sleeves and that they use mellotron. Nevertheless, "Squawk" is an absolute masterpiece that contains some of the best heavy rock you'll ever hear, similar to that of early Sabbath, and Rainbow.

The album opens with the crunchy guitars of "Whisky River." The entire song is played over a continuous cowbell beat and is an awesome traditional heavy rock anthem. Tom Bourge has a magnificent guitar solo on this track which is a very common theme on this album. "Rocking Man," is one of my favorite songs on the album. Shelley's vocals are really good here as are the drum fills and funky guitar chords on the turnarounds. Towards the middle of the song, a buildup commences and goes on for a bit before being pulled back into the main theme.

"Rolling Home Again," is an under 2-minute acoustic guitar tune with some nice Fender Rhodes action from Burke Shelley who also plays keys on this record. "Make Me Happy," is another short guitar-driven song that's just over 2-minutes. It is one of the "proggier" tracks on here, yet is not 100% prog whatsoever. The song perfectly transitions into "Hot As A Docker's Armpit," a hilariously titled rocker, similar to the style of the first two songs. For the first time on the album, mellotron enters at around the 3-minute part for a great fast-paced section, with another world-class Tom Bourge solo.

"Drugstore Woman," is another highlight of this album. The song has yet another guitar solo, and this one is much bluesier than the ones prior. The monotonous drums are very thumping and go perfectly with the song. Also a great Burke Shelley song. After the under 2-minute instrumental interlude, "Bottled," the song enters by far the proggiest song on the album, being "Young Is A World." The song is over 8 minutes, beginning with some nice guitars, joined by a melodic mellotron. The song goes through a few different movements that are all based on the same chord progression. After the melodic masterpiece, the album closer "Stranded," ends the album on a great note. An absolute savage rocker, this song is my favorite on the album. With incredibly thoughtful lyrics from Burke Shelley, thumping drums from Ray Phillips, and more spectacular guitar work from Tom Bourge, this song is a wonderful way to end a wonderful album.

"Squawk," is an absolute masterpiece, front to back. I wouldn't recommend it to average prog heads who only enjoy classic prog, but if you want to branch out and hear some straight-up great music listen to this!! (P.S. the cover for this album is totally awesome, designed by Roger Dean himself!!).

 Squawk by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1972
3.49 | 150 ratings

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Squawk
Budgie Prog Related

Review by friso
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Black Sabbath invented heavy metal. Period. Or so the story goes. In the lucid period between heavy psych, hardrock and heavy metal there are lot's of great bands (Captain Beyond, May Blitz, Lucifer's Friend to name a few) and of course Budgie. A band that mixed early bluesrock, folk, metal, funkrock and.. blue eyed soul - all as if played in a local barn in England. Bassist and singer Burke Shelley has a quirky electrical voice and an amazing funky rhythm in his playing. All lead-guitarist of all classic metal bands will name Budgie as an influence and yet, they've become a bit of an obscurity. Among their classic string of albums 'Squawk' isn't any-ones favorite per se, but I was quite surprised by how good this album actually is. There are four songs in which the band shows its most soulful side and surely 'Make Me Happy' must be one of their most beautiful recordings. On some of the longer proto-metal songs the band experiments with form and uses some mellotron. The extended and moody 'Young is A World' is perhaps the band's most progressive moment. The mixing of the album is quite natural and spacious. Without much compression, such a record is ideal for listening at higher volumes exposing many detail and casting a 'live' feel. At lower volumes it might be not be as impressive.

When it comes to Budgie, both the band and its albums, I can't help but thinking many people are misled by their preoccupations, like every-one is just repeating standard lore. 'It's a copy cat band'. There never has been - nor will there be - another blue-eyed soul funkmetal band and this is just wonderful and highly collectible music from the golden age of rock exploration. Furthermore, 'Never Turn Your Back' isn't their big career high-light. I really like 'Squawk' and I love the equally criticized 'Bandolier' as well.

 Never Turn Your Back on a Friend by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.18 | 246 ratings

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Never Turn Your Back on a Friend
Budgie Prog Related

Review by Psychedelic Paul

4 stars BUDGIE were a Welsh power trio from Cardiff who apparently chose the ironic name Budgie for their band name, simply because the delicately sweet sound of a twittering budgie represented the complete antithesis to their particular brand of storming Hard Rock and Heavy Metal thunder. Budgie first took flight with the eponymously-titled "Budgie" album in 1971, followed swiftly by "Squawk" in 1972. It was with their third album though "Never Turn Your Back on a Friend" (1973), where Budgie really spread their wings and displayed their magnificently colourful plumage, in what is generally regarded as their finest album. The line-up for this album was:- Burke Shelley - bass & lead vocals; Tony Bourge - guitars & backing vocals; and Ray Phillips on drums. The colourful fantasy art work for the cover of Budgie's third album - reviewed here - was designed by album art supremo Roger Dean. The 2004 re-mastered CD edition added three bonus tracks to the original seven songs on the album. Following this album, Budgie produced four more albums from their perch during the 1970's:- "In for the Kill" (1974); "Bandolier" (1975); the deliberately misspelled "If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules" (1976); and the amusingly- titled "Impeckable" (1978). This Welsh band obviously weren't short on ironic humour when it came to naming their albums. It's also worth mentioning that the three classic MCA albums from the years 1973-1975 are available in a budget Budgie box set. Most of Budgie's albums also featured a picture of a budgerigar on the cover in some comically abstract form or another. Budgie weren't quite ready to retire and go home to roost at the end of the 1970's, because with a change of line-up they recorded three further albums in the early 1980's:- "Power Supply" (1980); "Night Flight" (1981); and "Deliver Us from Evil" (1982). Budgie went their separate ways and flew off in different directions after that 1982 album, but they were set to make an amazing comeback 24 years later when they undertook a gruelling 35-date tour of the United Kingdom alongside the release of their final album to date: "You're All Living in Cuckooland" (2006). The band obviously hadn't lost their ironic sense of humour in the intervening 24 years.

We're taking flight with "Breadfan", although this song is nothing to do with being a fan of the soft rockers, David Gates & Co. No, this song is all about our obsession with money ("Bread" being British slang for money). If you've never heard the sound of Budgie before, then all the Signals are that you'll sure be in for a big surprise when you hear the high-pitched vocals of Burke Shelley for the first time. He could certainly give Geddy Lee of Rush a good run for his money (or for his "bread") when it comes to hitting those helium-induced high notes. A budgerigar might be a sweet little songbird, but the band Budgie are like a Fly By Night stealth bomber swooping down with Permanent Waves of raw power and supersonic energy, leaving behind long streaming Vapor Trails in its wake. There's no need to Test for Echo with "Breadfan", because this is reverberant, full- Power Windows-rattling Hard Rock! There's a surprisingly gentle Caress of Steel in the Grace Under Pressure middle section of the song, but Hold Your Fire though, because Hey Presto, this only serves as a stopgap before another thunderous blast of Roll the Bones Rock & Roll for the storming conclusion. Budgie and their Canadian Counterparts Rush might be Hemispheres apart geographically, but their hard rockin' music is remarkably similar in style. This timeless Hard Rock has the kind of longevity and long-lasting appeal where new fans in a new century might be listening to Rush and Budgie on their Internet space pods - complete with Moving Pictures - as faraway as the year 2112, when we've possibly said A Farewell to Kings and we have a new world order. Who knows what the future will bring!? Such are the Snakes & Arrows of outrageous fortune where Clockwork Angels fear to tread!

The second song on the album "Baby Please Don't Go" will be very familiar to Rock fans everywhere because it was most famously recorded by Van Morrison's "Them" way back in 1964. It's a powerhouse Blues-Rock number thundering along at 100 miles per hour and with the singer sounding like he's flying high as a kite (or a budgie) again, having seemingly taken a good deep breath of helium beforehand to help him really reach those high notes. In complete contrast, the third song "You Know I'll Always Love You" is a beautifully romantic, acoustic guitar ballad, just as the song title implies. The normally high- pitched vocals of Burke Shelley are toned down by at least an octave here as he plaintively wears his heart on his sleeve with these touching heartfelt lyrics:- "Sun and moon and sky above me, These are things I treasure most, Sun that lights my way goes on and on and on, Simple things will not be lost, You know I'll always love you, No matter where you are, Feel it all around you, My love will travel far, Sea of grass and earth below me, These are things I treasure most." ..... Beautiful! "You Know I'll Always Love You" is just as emotionally appealing and heart-wrenching as Whitney Houston's similarly titled "I Will Always Love You", although Budgie's romantic twittering offering is more likely to appeal to prog fans than Whitney's warbling. Cue drum roll for "You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk" in which drummer Ray Phillips is the biggest thing since John Bonham and Keith Moon, if this stunning opening drum solo is anything to go by. This pounding percussive intro serves as a prelude for another fast and furious artillery ballage of heavy metal fire and thunder. This 1973 album was recorded back in the days when Budgie might well have been the biggest thing since powdered milk, if they hadn't been up against such high and mighty screaming eagles of Hard Rock such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Uriah Heep, to name just four major bands of the era. Sadly, Budgie never quite managed to soar up into the stratospheric heights of the major big league players during the 1970's, despite releasing a whole string of good solid Rock albums.

From the sublime to the ridiculous comes "In the Grip of Tyre-Fitters Hand", although the silly title is no reflection on the music. Budgie are all tooled-up and ready for another powerhouse performance, although the lyrics are nothing to do with a Kwik-Fit Fitter changing tyres. Who knows what the cryptic lyrics are about, but one thing's for sure, it's another sonic explosion of hard and heavy pile-driving Rock that barrels on ahead like a runaway steamroller. After that storming opening to Side Two, it's time for some light relief with the gentle and melodious ballad "Riding My Nightmare", proving that Budgie have many more musical feathers to their cap than relentlessly hammering out blocks of solid Hard Rock. The laid-back relaxed mood continues - at least to begin with - as we arrive at the outstanding closing number "Parents", a luminescent high- beam highlight of the album that even your parents might like. This 11-minute-long masterpiece is one of those outstanding epic songs that grips you right from the outset as it gradually gathers in intensity towards a tremendous crescendo of glorious sound for the magnificent finale. A truly awesome song that'll stay in the memory forever and ever and have you returning to this album again and again, hopefully!

It's easy to see why Budgie's "Never Turn Your Back on a Friend" is generally regarded as their magnificent magnum opus. In common with many other bands, Budgie have reached their artistic peak (or artistic beak) and achieved their maximum potential with their stunning third album. If you like the sound of Rush, then you might want to rush out and buy this Budgie album too - if you can still get hold of it - because both bands sound remarkably similar, particularly in regard to the high-flying vocals. You may have noticed there's a none-too-subtle album titles tribute to Rush contained within the second paragraph of this review. Not much has been heard of Budgie since the early 1980's - apart from their one-off 2006 album which barely caused a flutter in the music world - but you can probably still find them on Twitter.

 Budgie by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.81 | 160 ratings

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Budgie
Budgie Prog Related

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars If you're serious about diving into the origins of heavy metal you will no doubt tackle the usual suspects such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but in the early gestation years of the late 60s and the fully formed heavy rock bands that provided the antecedents of the greater metal universe, there were quite a few contenders that didn't quite attract the same level of success as the big three. The Cardiff, Wales based BUDGIE was one of the earliest such bands that was a seminal influence on the NWOBM scene that would emerge at the tail end if the 70s. While formed in 1967 under the less-than-metal moniker Hills Contemporary Grass, they changed their name to Six Ton Budgie before finally truncating it to the more known BUDGIE which is an informal term for 'budgerigar,' an Australian parakeet which would become their mascot. This power trio of Tony Bourge (guitar), Tony Shelley (bass, vocals, mellotron) and Ray Phillips (drums, percussion) chose this name as a diametrically opposing term in relation to their bombastic bluesy rock bravado.

While Black Sabbath was in 1971 the heaviest band in existence, BUDGIE wasn't too far behind. Their eponymous debut released the same year as 'Master Of Reality,' followed the trends of the more successful bands and could be generalized as heavy rock straddling in between the heavy Sabbath riffing with Led Zeppelin inspired compositional constructs as well as Shelley's Robert Plant inspired vocal style. The Sabbath inspired parts come to the forefront with the opener 'Guts' which is a little too close to Sabbath's own 'Hand Of Doom' which sounds like a good case for plagiarism to my ears but the album quickly drifts off into their own unique middle ground between the great Sabbath and Led Zep. Many have cited as BUDGIE being the first version of the Canadian band Rush since they are a power trio and deliver a tight and compelling band sound out of only three musicians. On this debut they do indeed have that heavy rock gusto that Rush would unleash on their first two pre-progressive albums. Likewise BUDGIE, while rooted in ballsy blues rock with a more bombastic approach, did engage in progressively tinged compositional constructs.

While BUDGIE may have borrowed a lot from Sabbath and Led Zep, they have also been the influencers as well with tracks like the whimsically titled 'Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman' a clear antecedent into Golden Earring's hit 'Radar Love' which also displays Shelley's unique bass slapping style with a little funk technique and heavy rock groove with Phillips pounding out the supporting percussive drive accompanied by Bourge's guitar antics. Very heavy stuff for 1971 indeed and progressive as it clocked in at 8:41 and meandered through a series of clever musical moves not common in the bluesy rock world of the day. 'Rape Of The Locks' allows Bourge to show off some of his guitar tricks with a series of flashy solos before erupting into a boogie rock style that would become the staple of bands such as ZZ Top in the coming years. Tracks like 'All Night Petrol' find Shelley doing his best Robert Plant vocal exercises but alongside a Sabbath inspired doom laden riff in a mid-tempo groove. 'You And I' shows a mellower side with a short acoustic ballad.

BUDGIE created a very interesting sound for sure and although they didn't quite have the over-the-top performance charisma that Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin delivered to the world, they provided a unique glimpse in between the musical sounds where those two bands existed. While parts of BUDGIE's debut are clearly inspired by certain tracks from their influences, somehow they polish it out with their own unique stamp. The blues oriented hard rock riffing is more akin to 60s bands like Cream with Sabbath overtones (due partly to Sabbath's producer Rodger Bain in the picture), but they crafted their compositions completely differently with more complex constructs that meandered into more unexpected territory. In other words less calculated and more free. While destined to be more of a footnote of history for providing the blueprints of heavy metal riffing that would be fully realized by bands like Metallica in the next decade, BUDGIE are well worth checking out in their own right. The synthesis of heavy rock with progressive touches makes this more than a historical artifact.

 Never Turn Your Back on a Friend by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1973
4.18 | 246 ratings

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Never Turn Your Back on a Friend
Budgie Prog Related

Review by Bluforce777

4 stars As has been stated by others, this is not progressive rock, but it is infused with a progressive attitude and a wealth of instrumental excellence that sets it above most hard rock releases of the time. This is a wonderful recording, fusing Tony Bourge's Bourge's blazing guitar riffs, Burke Shelley's strident bass playing and vocals, and Ray Phillips' sharp, effective drumming. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, it also features a suitably otherworldly cover designed by Roger Dean (another prog-rock link, I guess). There are some superb hard rock moments across this recording, notably the blistering Breadfan, with it's molten, propulsive guitar riffs that literally crackle in your speakers. This exhilarating song showcases a trademark change of tempo, with a lilting summery acoustic mid-section creating a respite, before that snarling main riff charges through again. Bourge remains one of the great underrated rock guitarists, sadly unknown to the wider public, but a huge influence on many other players of the hard rock / metal genre. His swaggering riffs sprawl across In The Grip Of A Tyre Fitter's Hand with genuine panache and skill, and his guitar tone takes on a formidable substance and weight. Credit must also go to the subtle cross rhythms created by Shelley's intricate bass playing, again sorely underrated. His vocals have never been outstanding, but he can carry the heavier songs with a ragged flair and soothe out silky melodies on the slower ballads. You Know I'll Always Love You is a lilting poignant short song which bravely opened the cassette version of this album back in 1973. It is shimmering and beautiful, extremely well constructed despite it's brief length, showing how effortless the band was with softer material. Parents makes use of the light and shade approach that set Budgie apart from many other hard rock bands of the time. It's emotionally soaked guitar melody reappears throughout the song, punctuated by soft jazzier verses which reflect on the wisdom of parents. This is a beautiful, expressive and powerful song, later even covered by Shirley Bassey. Surely the most progressive track on the album is the three-part You Are The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk, which starts out as a sonically spiralling drum solo by Ray Phillips, played through a flange filter and panned across the speaker channels. It morphs into the song's main convoluted riff, and finally evolves into the galloping third section, sung by Bourge. The expansive riffs and shifting rhythms are much more inspired and intricate than those that appeared on the group's next album (the tired and lacklustre In For The Kill). The band snakes through a bubbling version of Baby, Please Don't Go, which brims with a playful abandon, especially in the solos. It gets the job done. The weakest track on this excellent album, and the reason this is not a 5 star review, is Riding My Nightmare, which carries both a mundane melody and a hackneyed chorus, incapable of lifting it from it's mediocre status. Otherwise, this is easily one of the top 10 hard rock recordings of 1973. If you have never heard Budgie's music, this is the perfect place to start.
 In for the Kill! by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.81 | 171 ratings

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In for the Kill!
Budgie Prog Related

Review by Groucho Barks

4 stars We all have an album that we picked up for pennies off a market stall that sets us off on a journey and a devotion to something deeply unfashionable, even with the then long haired alternative music scene.....Ladeezz and genllmen I give you Wales finest power trio Budgie and their 4th album, 1974's In For The Kill! It was my first introduction and yes I eventually owned the lot...and it may not be their best...but it will always mean something to me. A line up change had introduced a new drummer who to me was more powerful if a tad less busy than Ray Phillips who was replaced. Maybe this was why we got perhaps the heaviest Budgie album ...yes IMHO...and it is none the worse for that. We can argue how 'prog' a classic power trio can be (Rush sort of step outside the box on that one) but to me this was filed under heavy as hell prog and still should be. The opening title track is a rumbling riff mirrored by guitar and bass and it chugs along at a fair lick...with a vocal/guitar twin line that underpins the verse. It also allows one of my favourite guitarists, Tony Bourge to show his prowess both as lead and riff player. Apparently Van Halen used to do a version of this before they 'broke through' but don't let that put you off! Next came the inclusion of an earlier single, 'Crash Course In Brain Surgery' (gotta love the title!) which was done and dusted in just over 2 and a half mins (Metallica covered it on their Garage Days Revisited EP). Then the acoustic interlude of 'Wondering What Everyone Knows' which is the breather we all needed before the epic 'Zoom Club'...a slinky riff built up by band dynamics to a crescendo then maintained on the intensity meter...with variations and diversions for 10 marvellous minutes...Bourge using a riff/rhythm/lead technique to cover all bases. If they ever ask me on Desert Island Discs....this track will be played. Side 2 barges in with 'Hammer and Tongs'...a Zeppelinesque blues riff of light and shade and heart wrenching intent...that fills out the start and middle before a more ethereal bridge takes us in to an unexpected straight 12 bar....which solos off in to the faders....It is one of those tracks that is all but cliché yet rises above that with its sheer chutzpah! It sort of keys you in to 'Running From My Soul' which has a swaggering blues based template with the bass (take a bow Burke Shelley) used as a Lemmy style rhythm machine...well before Motorhead! Finally the most complex track 'Living On Your Own'. This one has a measure of Man (fellow Welsh prog heads) thrown in to the mix although they were never this heavy...and it has several contrasting passages that again are built on a great band dynamic in to a satisfying whole to end the album! It even made #29 in the UK LP charts and as was the case back in the day, was a rushed affair between never ending tours, hence its length (short) and rough edges (charm). We can all argue over labels but why this band aren't under the 'Heavy Prog' sub header is beyond my comprehension!
 Bandolier by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.38 | 161 ratings

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Bandolier
Budgie Prog Related

Review by AEProgman

4 stars An under-rated influential band. How can you not like Budgie headed humanoids riding on horses in space suits on the cover!

For those not familiar with Budgie, the main guys are Burke Shelley on bass and Tony Bourge on guitars with various drummers. They are sometimes credited (along with Sabbath and others) as being at the beginnings or influenced the Metal genre. To me I always thought of them as hard rock (out dated term I guess) and blues with elements of prog along with bits of funk thrown in. They are also compared to Rush quite a bit as they are a heavy power trio with the bass player doing the vocals with a higher pitched range. However, Budgie came along before Rush did.

Now for their fifth studio album, Bandolier.

The first track, Breaking All the House Rules, is a straight forward hard, semi-blues type rocker with a few twists and turns along the way. It sounds like they were having fun with this one.

Next up Slipaway, a ballad that has become somewhat of a staple in Budgie albums and they are always well done with intriguing melodies. Burke's vocals have a nice way of weaving in and out of the song.

Who Do Want for Your Love is next. This song has a rather catchy, slow funky start which transitions into a heavier beat. There is some good guitar work in this along the way. I like this one.

I Can't See My Feelings is another hard rock song with some blues/funk tendencies. Burke and Bourge have a good chemistry of writing where the songs at times can sound or morph into two songs in one. This is evident in most of their albums.

I Ain't No Mountain is song that sounds like something T-Rex could have done, another hard rock blues/funk blend. Still fun to listen to.

Now the prize of the album, Napoleon Bona Part 1 and 2. Budgie also shows humor in most of their albums with some of the song titles and lyrics. This starts off slow and dreamy then turns heavy with some killer riffs. It is not hard to see where Budgie influenced some later bands like Metallica and Judas Priest. The song takes some nice twists along the way. The favorite of the album! Worth the price of admission.

I picked this album to review as it was my only exposure to Budgie back in the 70's (in 8-track no less). I have recently rediscovered them through a co-worker/friend who has a massive album and CD collection. He has them all and with the exception of one or two albums, I like every one of them including their 2006 album, You're All Living in Cuckoo Land (only Shelley from the original line up).

I give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 (half star for fond memories). For anyone who has not heard Budgie, any of the 70s albums are worth listening to (Bourge would leave on the 80s albums). Never Turn Your Back on a Friend is their most 'proggy' and highest rating here in PA, but most of their albums have some prog tendencies mixed in. Squawk and In For the Kill are also excellent.

Man, I have forgotten how much I like this band! Thanks Wes!

 Budgie by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.81 | 160 ratings

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Budgie
Budgie Prog Related

Review by sukmytoe

4 stars I adore this band, there is just something about the music that grabs me and holds tight although I can't really decipher what it is - I just go with the flow without trying to analyse the music and what it is that makes me a full on band fan. The vocals, to me, are what a Budgie would sound like if it could sing rock music. Back in 1971 Budgie made up one of the five bands that were the core of what really made my music world start to swing - Budgie, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Grand Funk Railroad and Deep Purple.

"Guts" - A hard rock riff throughout drives a solid track of early head-banging pleasure. Burke Shelley reminds me of a budgie on steroids with his voice.

"Everything in my Heart" - short, nice, soft acoustic interlude from the band.

"The Author" - Starts off softly almost in the vein of the previous track before rocking out a third of the way in. Very "Led Zeppelinish" in places.

"Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman" - Slow heavy rock to start before soaring into speedier hard rock pyrotechnic territory just before the halfway mark. I love the Shelley vocal harmonising with the lead guitar section. Very reminiscent of some later Deep Purple live jams. Tony Bourge on lead throughout this track blows my mind.

"Rape of the Locks" - A way of describing an unwanted haircut I suppose. Lead guitar noodling to start before morphing into hard blues rock. At this point in the album I can pick up just how influential Budgie was relating to the rock music scene - maybe almost invisibly influential but massively influential all the same.

"All Night Petrol" - Interesting hard rock number. Shelley on bass is very prominent throughout.

"You and I" - Ballad from the band, beautifully done. The acoustic guitar and the vocals shine on this one.

" Homicidal Suicidal" - The hardest rock edged track on the album.

I'm really torn as to how to rate this album - if it were for pure love purposes I would give it a solid 5 however there are stronger Budgie albums after this one and this is the first studio release from the band. As this is a prog music site I am disposed towards a 3 rating but that would also not really be fair as although these guys aren't progressive here as I understand progressive to be they were obviously extremely influential. Settling on a 4 rating is the answer I guess being a 3.5 rated up to 4 however prog purists be warned this is not necessarily an album for you - it is an album for anyone who loved the early 70's Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple musical whirlwind.

 Deliver Us from Evil by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1982
3.05 | 71 ratings

BUY
Deliver Us from Evil
Budgie Prog Related

Review by DeepPurplePL

3 stars Budgie. One of the most underrated among hard rocking and heavy metal bands on this planet. "Deliver Us from Evil" had been their last effort before the project was on hiatus for more than two decades? The album starts with a solid rocker "Bored With Russia" and this is a promising opener. Unfortunately next three tracks are of very poor musical quality. The band seem to try to follow NWOBHM standards, however, they are far behind Iron Maiden, Leppard and Saxon (to name a few) abilities to produce at least decent tracks. I would say, a relegation zone of the second division regarding NWOBHM at that time. The last song of the 1st side of the Lp is much better though; "Flowers in the Attic", a nice tune, comparable to "Bored With Russia". The second side of the vinyl is somewhat better. "N.O.R.A.D.", one of my favourite ones on the album. "Give Me The Truth" and "Finger On The Button" are poor again and easily forgotten. "Alison" is a quite controversial one for Budgie, more a pop song than a power ballad. Personally, I like it, and, surprise, surprise? I can hear a bit of John Lennon in it (hence his name at the back of the cover?). And finally, another Budgie classic and absolutely epic one ? "Hold On To Love". Fast pace reminds me a bit "Hard Loving Man" of Deep Purple. I hesitated between two and three stars for the album. Eventually for I am a fan of the Welsh trio I tipped the scale toward three stars. I am very pleased to add, that there is a short text at the back of the cover in Polish. "We would like to thank veeeeeeeery much to those in poland who came to see us live. You are the best audience we have ever played for. Budgie." The band was nearly as popular as Black Sabbath in my country (Yes, I am Polish). Why? There was no regular record market behind the iron curtain and courtesy of Piotr Kaczkowski, a radio DJ, me and legions of rock fans are familiar with the impressing flight of Welsh budgies.
 Bandolier by BUDGIE album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.38 | 161 ratings

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Bandolier
Budgie Prog Related

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Budgie first came to my ears with their big Box set, the definitive anthology, 'An Ecstasy Of Fumbling', featuring a massive 29 tracks taken from albums during 1971-1982. This lead me to chack out some other Budgie albums and the first on my list was one that was recommended to me by Budgie fans, 'Bandolier'. This is perhaps their most popular album, certainly featuring some of their best songs and coolest guitar riffs, though it is inconsistent in terms of quality songs. The band revel in riffs that lock in with outstanding rhythmic 70s classic rock. 1975 was one of the great years for Prog and 'Bandolier' features the classic incarnation of the band; bassist/singer Burke Shelley and guitarist Tony Bourge, along with drummer Steve "Syco Steve" Williams, arguably their proggiest lineup before they turned to hard rock and AOR.

The album opens with the dynamic 'Breaking all the House Rules', a terrific sledge hammer attack of crashing riffs and very well executed vocals. The structure of the song detours into many directions and even changes feel in the middle sounding like a different song until it returns to the main riff.

'Slipaway' is next with gentle acoustics, followed by Bad Company sounds on 'Who Do You Want For Your Love' with a bluesy shuffle. There is more blues with 'I Can't See My Feelings' that has nice guitar licks but is nothing special really. After these rather lacklustre numbers it hots up with the wonderful cover by Andy Fairweather-Lowe from Amen Corner, 'I Ain't No Mountain'.

They save the best for last with the outstanding 'Napoleon Bona, Pts 1 & 2' that begins very slowly with gentle guitar and ambient swirls. Shelley's vocals are quiet, sounding like a bluesy version of Geddy Lee. When the distorted guitars crunch in with the chugging riff the song really picks up, especially the way the riff descends strangely giving it a dark feel. The lead break is always amazing, and Bourge blasts away with speed trills up and down the scales and high end string breaking bends. At 6 mins in there is a weird effect that muffles the sound and then it releases for more lead work.

Not many would disagree that the best Budgie stems from the early 70s years with "Squawk," "In for the Kill", "If I Were Britannia" and of course 'Bandolier'. These are the proggy innovative Budgie years, and 'Bandolier' is certainly one to hunt down for sheer hard rock riffing excellence with prog elements sprinkled thereabout.

Thanks to chris stacey for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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