It’d probably be true to say Welsh rock band Budgie hold a special place in the hearts of many rock fans who grew up in the 1970s and did all their early headbanging to Led Zep, Sabbath and Purple and, with Budgie such hardened road warriors, there can be few such fans who didn’t see them onstage. While Budgie didn’t achieve the same heights as the aforementioned bands, nonetheless they achieved a degree of respect and influence few other bands in this period attained. Budgie‘s songs have been covered by Maiden, Metallica and Soundgarden, and albums like Never Turn Your Back On A Friend were a significant influence on several bands of the NWOBHM early eighties period.
This set looks at the three albums Budgie recorded for MCA during the early to mid seventies period, Never Turn Your Back On A Friend (NTYBOAF), In For The Kill (IFTK) and Bandolier (B). These three very likely represent Budgie‘s career peak, with two of the albums entering the top forty and, whilst their ability to rock out onstage ensured they continued to pull in the crowds as a good ‘live’ draw, no other albums came close to matching the quality on offer here, and they didn’t come close to troubling the charts again.
Together, these three albums contain a number of the tracks which helped ensure Budgie stayed in rock’s top division, though without ever seriously competing for the top of the tree. There’s some fine playing from all involved, with guitarist Tony Bourge showing he’s a consistently underrated musician, while Burke Shelley‘s voice, like Geddy Lee‘s and Brian Johnson‘s, is an acquired taste.
‘Breadfan’ (NTYBOAF) is one of the great riffs of classic rock, easily on a par with many other much vaunted riffs of the genre. Budgie were quite adept at performing lengthy rock tunes, such as the epic ‘Parents’, ‘You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk’ and ‘In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter’s Hand’ (NTYBOAF), ‘Zoom Club’ and ‘Living On Your Own’ (IFTK) plus ‘Breaking All The House Rules’ and ‘Napoleon Bona Parts 1 and 2’ (B). On these, rather than just remorseless riffing, they were able to combine driving hard rock with a bluesy underlay, as shown on their cover of Big Joe Williams‘ ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, a staple which many bands of the era attempted, and while Big Joe would’ve been horrified at what Budgie did to his song, they nailed it completely.
They also showed their more sensitive side with quieter songs like ‘You Know I’ll Always Love You’ (NTYBOAF) and ‘Wondering What Everyone Knows’ (IFTK), with Burke‘s high register voice surprisingly in accord with the sentiments expressed, plus also ‘Slipaway’ (B) which steers very closely to the middle of the road. ‘Living On Your Own’ (IFTK) even saw Budgie hinting at prog with a middle section which brought Welsh band Man to mind.
As mentioned, these three albums were Budgie‘s recording peak. They released other albums, but on different labels and with changing personnel, with only Burke Shelley staying the course. Who knows what Budgie might have achieved had they received the right level of support from record labels? But, nonetheless, their place in rock history is assured. They carved out their own niche and, in any classic rock Hall of Fame, they richly deserve a place.
