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Osmiumthemetal
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 10:30 pm
Posts: 205
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:05 pm 
 

Budgie was and is a criminally overlooked band from both a quality and relevance perspective. Probably only second to Sabbath and Purple when it comes to influence to metal overall really. Priest wouldn't have been the same without Budgie, if you don't believe me, just listen to the second half of "You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk" and then "Deceiver" for one example. Metallica have already displayed their gratitude to Budgie with their cover of "Breadfan" but I've heard that one of the primary reasons for Metallica forming in the first place was their shared appreciation of Budgie. Those are just two bands affected by Budgie.

Budgie was similar to Sabbath, a gloomy and sludgy power trio, but they had a progressive spin from the beginning (not that Sabbath didn't all the same) with long instrumental passages and twisting structures along with strange themes and titles that seemed more Zappa-esque than most hard rock of the day. Unlike other early metal contemporaries like Sabbath and Purple, they largely faded away over time. Their early records are still very engaging and very well written and played. It's really a pity that they're not more recognized since metal as a whole would be radically different without them.

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narsilianshard
Veteran

Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:22 pm
Posts: 3618
Location: PDX
PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 12:42 am 
 

I just read Mustaine's book and he claimed that the sign of a true metalhead in the early 80s was listening to Budgie. Part of why he joined Metallica is because they listed them as influences as you mentioned. Nowadays it seems Thin Lizzy gets more credit for their influence on the early heavy metal scene, but Budgie feel like they should be listed right up there.
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KrigareTjovane
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:06 am
Posts: 545
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 12:57 am 
 

Absolutely love Budgie. Bandolier and In For the Kill are masterpieces and deserve to be repeatedly heard by everybody with even a passing interest in 70s metal. There's really nothing else out there like them, at least that I've heard.

I know it's old hat to compare Budgie to Rush, but I like to think Budgie is what Rush could have sounded like had they continued in the vein of their debut and got heavier and heavier as the 70s went along (you can argue they still did, but not quite in the same direction either way).

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HaPoStaPu
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:20 am
Posts: 183
Location: Armenia
PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:10 am 
 

I've tried to listen to a Best of the other day, whilst the first track, Breadfan, seemed pretty cool, the following 2 tracks didn't really do it for me. Seemed like some jolly, old dad rock. Guess I'll give it another go one of these days.

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Twisted_Psychology
Metal freak

Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 8:22 pm
Posts: 6260
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 8:29 am 
 

Budgie's self-titled is where it's at for me. The groovy riff on Guts just pulled me in and Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman and Homicidal Suicidal really know how to keep the momentum going. Also if you told somebody that Budgie had a female singer, they'd probably believe you. Sure, Geddy Lee and such had higher pitched voices, but something about Burke Shelley's voice is distinctly feminine. It's pretty great.

I'd also like to be a fly on the wall for their lyrical process, if only because their oddball titles were probably one of the leading reasons why they never caught on beyond cult audiences.
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Conan Troutman
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:29 am
Posts: 283
Location: South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:00 pm 
 

While I can't claim to be a Budgie fan, the problem they had is that Burke Shelley wore glasses and that just wasn't fashionable in any genre of music at that time. These days he'd be a hipster but back then no chance. Plus the vocals were an acquired taste.

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DoomMetalAlchemist
Veteran

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:34 am 
 

Conan Troutman wrote:
While I can't claim to be a Budgie fan, the problem they had is that Burke Shelley wore glasses and that just wasn't fashionable in any genre of music at that time. These days he'd be a hipster but back then no chance. Plus the vocals were an acquired taste.


My guitar teacher from when I was a teenager totally looked like 70s Burke Shelley, due in part to the glasses.

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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:41 am 
 

Never heard of anyone having a problem with Shelley and his glasses. That's such a weird thing to say.

I really like Budgie much of the time. Occasionally I get the feeling they're not really trying and there are one or two tracks on most of their albums I don't much care for. It's too bad, but they're still a great band. I love their sense of groove. They're funkier than you'd expect, especially for a bunch of Welshmen.

One thing I'm surprised by is that Led Zeppelin aren't mentioned more when talking about Budgie. For me, although they went down different paths eventually, the parallel is still clear. Hell, "hammer and Tongs" from In for the Kill is basically a "Dazed and Confused" ripoff, and both bands have a similar predelection for pretty acoustics mixed in with their weighty bluesy grooves. Shelley's vocal register is also close to Plant's, although they're hardly dead-ringers as Shelley sounds far less -- lecherous -- most of the time.
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_flow
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:31 pm
Posts: 577
PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:11 pm 
 

Thanks for the insight, they're mentioned in the KK Downing book obviously, and I'd never heard of the band.

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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:53 am 
 

great band ofc, dont have a clear favourite. I havent heard the one new record yet though.

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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:10 pm 
 

I have to say, everyone always talks about the early hard 'n' heavy stuff up to and including Bandolier, and with good reason, but in more recent years the late 70s material has grown on me immensely. I'm specifically talking about If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules (love that title) and, especially, Impeckable, which has risen in my estimation to become possibly my favourite Budgie record. Not sure why i didn't dig them so much at first. I've always loved funk and soul music and I don't know why I found Budgie taking on this influence a little hard to swallow initially, but they actually do it really well (better tahn Deep Purple for instance)! Yes, it's all funked up and I love it. What's more, there are lots of unexpected semi-progressive touches and an absolutely great energetic, swinging groove to many of the tunes. Amazing guitar/bass/drum interplay too and some of the sweetest guitar solos of the late 70s. If you go for the chronological experience, power Supply becomes something of a disappointment once the 80s come round, because they've lost almost all the fine touches they'd incorporated on the previous two records.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35177
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:24 pm 
 

Abominatrix wrote:
and, especially, Impeckable, which has risen in my estimation to become possibly my favourite Budgie record. Not sure why i didn't dig them so much at first. I've always loved funk and soul music and I don't know why I found Budgie taking on this influence a little hard to swallow initially, but they actually do it really well (better tahn Deep Purple for instance)!


This caught my eye since Deep Purple are pretty great at this to me. But checking out Budgie's Impeckable now and yeah, this is a total delight. Love this style. Should've checked out a long time ago, for sure.
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Human Crouton
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:47 pm
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:01 am 
 

One of the most underrated hard rock bands of the 70s, bar none.

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kalervon
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 10:43 pm
Posts: 991
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:40 pm 
 

Also "Crash Course In Brain Surgery" was covered by Metallica in 1987, well before they covered "Breadfan". So early on I knew the band was somewhat important for metal. But it took the internet before I eventually listened to them.
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mjollnir
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:14 pm
Posts: 2056
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:52 pm 
 

When I was a teenager, my mother's friend gave her In for the Kill to give to me me because she thought I'd like it. That was back around '78. I finally found something my older brother hadn't heard. lol Loved it ever since.
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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:48 pm 
 

hey guys!

I'm not usually the biggest fan of live recordings, but for a band like this, in their prime, I'll make a very definite exception.
I found this concert a while ago, and it really shows how charismatic, tight and all-round fun Budgie was at this time (1978). The people who saw this US tour were very lucky indeed. They even got a second guitarist for these shows, and I feel it really helped to fill out there sound! Just check out the version of "Breadfan" on here if you need proof -- holy hell I've never heard it sound so good.
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Cat III
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:44 am
Posts: 382
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:25 pm 
 

According to Chris Reifert, the title of Autopsy's "In the Grip of Winter" was inspired by Budgie. When I read that years ago, I thought he was referring to the drummer for the Slits and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Must confess, I haven't listened to Budgie, the band (as far as I know). Sounds like I should.
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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:16 pm 
 

Ah yes, that would be this song.


Such a nice riff/swing/groove.
By the way, they play that one in the show I linked earlier too -- and they do it faster!
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SkullFracturingNightmare
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 7:20 pm
Posts: 1188
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:46 pm 
 

Really wish more of Budgie's albums were available on streaming services, or at least available to purchase elsewhere besides discogs.

Bands/labels really gotta get with the times and put up bandcamp pages for these older bands so at least if nobody wants to reissue physical copies, you've (hopefully) got most of, if not the entire discography of said band there to download and you can give your money to someone other than third party sellers.

I know it's not always that easy, but it ought to be!
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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:03 pm 
 

more bandcamp pages for older bands is not a bad idea and I've thought of this before myself. I think though that unless the band itself is going to do it, there'd be little point to it, and many people have not heard of bandcamp and don't really know or understand what it can do for them. Not sure how Burke Shelley's health is these days, but it would be good if this were in his hands. Unfortunately labels can tie artists' hands in this respect.
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Of the wind in the dark.
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Twisted_Psychology
Metal freak

Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 8:22 pm
Posts: 6260
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:21 pm 
 

I find it weird that Budgie's first two albums are the only ones on Spotify. Crash Course in Brain Surgery is streaming as a single but it's odd that they don't even have the album with Breadfan on here. I'm sure MCA, RCA, and A&M all have plenty of albums on streaming services so I'm curious as to why they dropped the ball here.
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