SQUAWK

Consisting of Burke Shelley (Vocals, Bass, Keys), Ray Phillips (Drums), and Tom Bourge (Guitar), this Budige is a Heavy Metal band from Whales. I have no clue how this band made it onto this website. The only things that are remotely progressive about Budgie are that Roger Dean designed a few of their sleeves and that they use mellotron. Nevertheless, "Squawk" is an absolute masterpiece that contains some of the best heavy rock you'll ever hear, similar to that of early Sabbath, and Rainbow.

The album opens with the crunchy guitars of "Whisky River." The entire song is played over a continuous cowbell beat and is an awesome traditional heavy rock anthem. Tom Bourge has a magnificent guitar solo on this track which is a very common theme on this album. "Rocking Man," is one of my favorite songs on the album. Shelley's vocals are really good here as are the drum fills and funky guitar chords on the turnarounds. Towards the middle of the song, a buildup commences and goes on for a bit before being pulled back into the main theme.

"Rolling Home Again," is an under 2-minute acoustic guitar tune with some nice Fender Rhodes action from Burke Shelley who also plays keys on this record. "Make Me Happy," is another short guitar-driven song that's just over 2-minutes. It is one of the "proggier" tracks on here, yet is not 100% prog whatsoever. The song perfectly transitions into "Hot As A Docker's Armpit," a hilariously titled rocker, similar to the style of the first two songs. For the first time on the album, mellotron enters at around the 3-minute part for a great fast-paced section, with another world-class Tom Bourge solo.

"Drugstore Woman," is another highlight of this album. The song has yet another guitar solo, and this one is much bluesier than the ones prior. The monotonous drums are very thumping and go perfectly with the song. Also a great Burke Shelley song. After the under 2-minute instrumental interlude, "Bottled," the song enters by far the proggiest song on the album, being "Young Is A World." The song is over 8 minutes, beginning with some nice guitars, joined by a melodic mellotron. The song goes through a few different movements that are all based on the same chord progression. After the melodic masterpiece, the album closer "Stranded," ends the album on a great note. An absolute savage rocker, this song is my favorite on the album. With incredibly thoughtful lyrics from Burke Shelley, thumping drums from Ray Phillips, and more spectacular guitar work from Tom Bourge, this song is a wonderful way to end a wonderful album.

"Squawk," is an absolute masterpiece, front to back. I wouldn't recommend it to average prog heads who only enjoy classic prog, but if you want to branch out and hear some straight-up great music listen to this!! (P.S. the cover for this album is totally awesome, designed by Roger Dean himself!!).