CD

Average rating (1 review)
Early Budgie At Their Best
StackrideFan | 11/06/2008 | See all StackrideFan's reviews (2) »
as a collection of songs from early albums, this is a great place to start your Budgie collection, you will want more. Superb riffs and bass lines held together with crashing drums and unique vocals. How do three Welsh rockers make so much noise, create so much energy and still remain controlled enough to create crisp clear music? Genius that's how. Metallica covered Breadfan and create a monster from a strong well written and crafted song, I still think Budgie's is the best version. In the grip has one of the best understated bass lines you will hear and is full of social comment. I ain't no mountain was penned by Andy Fairweather-Low and given the Budgie treatment, whilst retaining A F-L's feel. In for the Kill will have you playing air guitar and head banging within seconds of the intro, a good rocking number. I can't see my feelings is a slightly more mellow number with an outstanding and under-rated guitar solo, hints of the accoustic guitar that laces Budgie's songs and some stunning drumming. My favourite, from the Bandolier album, is Napolean Bona Part 1 and 2, a lengthy and gently building piece ending in a rushing guitar riff and a "mmm" as a satisfied comment on the previous 10 minutes or so; quite right to! Parents is another long piece of music with clever lyrics and builds to superb guitar playing, taken like many tracks from this collection from the album, Never Turn Your Back On A Friend. Hammer and Tongs is just about that, a great loud, racing piece of controlled metal/heavy rock or whatever, because Budgie are difficult to really classify, everything can be in one track, and this one does not disappoint. This CD ends with two good rocking and headbanging numbers played with real skill and a bit tounge in cheek. This CD does only cover the first few years of Budgie and consists maily of tracks taken from the two albums mentioned above, the Thomas Years, through to the latest Lees' album has produced many more great songs and passages of music - but this is a cheap (£2.99 at time of writing) introduction to what will prove expensive when you want to buy more albums by Budgie. Budgie are oft quoted by 80's and 90's metal bands as a leading influence, still going strong, buy this and you will see that Budgie are so much more than a footnote on a Metallica CD. Buy it, play it loud and enjoy.






























