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Release Date: June 1971
Record Label: Kapp/MCA
My rating:
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Budgie might not exactly be a household name, but they sure did create a few household names by being a major inspiration and influence for budding heavy metal acts back in those days, the likes of Metallica and subsequently Megadeth being the two biggest names that come to mind straightaway. Having started under the name Hills Contemporary Grass, the Welsh group changed their name to Budgie in 1968, three years before releasing their self-titled debut full length album. As the album turned 40 this year, it prompted me to pay my tribute to what turned out to be an album that redefined hard rock music, and it made me wonder, what a feeling it must have been for them to just be able to release their debut recording, having created music that came naturally to them without having the slightest idea of the kind of impact it would have.
The opening track "Guts" is a slow, heavy, bluesy tune. The music is extremely simple, yet powerfully soothing. Tony Bourge's vocals sound fantastic, which was something very typical in bands coming out of the UK in the late 60s and early 70s. So its no surprise to me that Budgie boasted of a great vocalist right from the outset. It's very evident that Bourge came across as a completely natural singer, seemingly effortless in putting forth such a captivating voice. Besides, Burke Shelley's bass is the lynchpin of the song. The short little acoustic ballad "Everything In My Heart" follows, and is further proof of Bourge's abilities both on vocals and guitar. This leads into "The Author" which sounds like a continuation for its first two minutes or so, but then gives way to four thoroughly enjoyable minutes of free-flowing music. It's always fascinating for me to discover roots of my favorite bands, and the same feeling came to me when I heard this song, finding traces of Iron Maiden's formative years, the Paul Di'Anno fronted version of the band to be precise. I can even feel Steve Harris in Burke Shelley's bass playing style. "Nude Disintegrating Parachutis" is similar to Guts but more guitar oriented, with some delightful solos trading off beautifully with the bass licks in the foreground. And just like the previous song, this one also has distinct passages of varying tempo which always makes it more interesting as compared to your average one-dimensional tune.
Bourge goes crazy on the guitar as he kicks off the next tune "Rape of The Locks" with a fierce solo, after which the tune settles into treating the listener with more of the bluesy rock goodness that the album possesses up to this point in its duration. This really is the most guitar-oriented song on the album with the most insane guitar work anyone would have heard at that time, and as good as anything you would hear even today. "All Night Petrol" and "Homicidal Suicidal" are tunes that must have been incredibly heavy and loud for those times. Besides the obvious influence bands like Black Sabbath had on the doom metal genre, this, right here, is the birthplace of doom metal as is known today.
The acoustic ballad "You And I" is sandwiched between the two songs I just mentioned and provides a nice break from things loud and heavy, albeit for less than 2 minutes. Although not in the original track listing, the U.S. version of the album also consists of the song "Crash Course In Brain Surgery", which was originally released as a single in 1971. This was, and still is an instant classic, as you can tell not only by listening to it, but also from the fact that it ended up being covered by various bands, most notably Metallica who included a cover on their Garage Days Re-Revisited EP.
Overall, this album is a classic that still stands firm, after 40 years, and proves that Budgie were undoubtedly one of the heaviest acts of their time. The most striking aspect of their music in my opinion is the manner in which their music seems to flow. It's clear that they let themselves completely loose while writing these tunes, and didn't inhibit their natural flair regardless of the length of songs. If a song went on for 8 and a half minutes, they would keep it at that length, because that's what came out naturally. I'm more than a 100 per cent certain that this is the main reason guys like Lars Ulrich became so obsessed with Budgie. In today's age, perhaps with the exception of Opeth, it's hard to find music that's as free-flowing as Budgie's.
My only issue with the album is the not-so-perfect production quality, but that's almost to be expected because the year then was 1971. Or may be it's because I've always listened to the mp3 version of the album, and the original vinyl pressing might well sound like the way the album is meant to sound.
A timeless classic that proudly stands four decades later as a seminal piece of music, and one of the most important precursors of heavy metal.
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