BUDGIE

Blues based Rock was my first love when it comes to music, not really discovering this until my late teens but 70's AEROSMITH became my first favourite band based on "Rocks", "Toys In The Attic" and their "Live Bootleg" records. And my first concert was seeing them in the late seventies at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. I dropped them like a bad habit when I heard AC/DC for the first time, and it was "Highway To Hell" and I couldn't believe the energy, Bonn's vocals and Angus' guitar, they were the band. LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, BLACK SABBATH were also the bands I loved back in the day.

This is a rare album and band that I didn't know about back then or believe me they would be included in that list of bands I just gave, and this the debut from 1971 is my favourite from them. Heavy bare bones Blues based music fuelled lyrically by out of control testosterone levels I'm sure. AC/DC had to have heard of this band. A trio with a setup RUSH would later employ of a singing bassist with a high pitched voice along with drums and guitar. These guys can play, and they were uncompromising as a band when it came to their music, gigs, record deals etc. They would never sell out. You like us or you don't. Whatever. Rodger Bain BLACK SABBATH's first producer took them under his wing and was a huge help. Rodger would discover JUDAS PREIST as well who opened for BUDGIE back in those early days.

I love this album. We get two lighter tracks that almost act like buffers for us, a relief from the onslaught. The thing is these two songs total just over 2 1/2 minutes(haha). The rest is gravy and then some. Six killer tracks that have been very influential bringing many bands to mind who would come upon the scene later on. I mean they should have got royalties for "Radar Love" as the bass line and even vocal style at times screams "Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman". What a song though. Burke the bassist and singer cries out the lyrics and he is awesome. And how about him playing bass in that Jazz style on this one at times and elsewhere on here. The man can play.

That closer "Homicidal Suicidal" is one I can even imagine belting out the chorus with Burke if I had knew this back in the day. Some inventive lyrics on this one and I like the way they repeat themes, just so good. The opener "Guts" gets the juices flowing and when the vocals step aside the guitarist lets it rip. Love "The Author" the way it starts slow then around 2 minutes in they hit the "on" button it seems like. The other two tracks "Rape Of The Locks" where the guitarist shows his stuff and he has plenty of stuff, including an intense instrumental section with jazzy bass along with "All Night Petrol" with that nice heavy groove. Bass is killer here.

My music right here.