BUDGIE

Although not in the true sense of Progressive Rock, Budgie has been one of my favourite prog related acts for a while. This album is near and dear to my heart, with it's mix of Zeppelin styled vocals from Burke Shelley and fast, heavy almost sludge of Sababth mixed in. There are obvious blues influences, but also psychedelia and jazz music is involved; albiet to make everything more interesting and cool. One of my favourite debuts by any band.

1.Guts - A sludge rocker of ture sin, the heavy and murky guitars are excellent, when mixed with the great bass playing from Shelley, create a dynamic duo. The druming of Ray Phillips has never been amazing, but his great and steady beat is always there, and keep the beat smooth and going. The songs lyrics are a disaster, nothing as gothic as Sabbath, and much more forceful than anything Zeppelin did, as the female anatomy is always the case. A great and rocking opener, all within a four minute span of murk and distortion. (9.5/10)

2.Everything in my Heart - The slightly jazzy minute long ballad is really nothing that interesting, as the lyrics aren't much, but the music is fresh and exciting and has a gothic tinge. An odd transition, to say the least. (7.5/10)

3.The Author - One of my favourite tracks on the album, and one of the proggier. The slow and almost smooth jazzness of the opening chords has had such an impact on me. The lyrics are dreadful, but sung in such a soulful way from Shelley, that I cannot deny the fact that they are incredibly beautiful. The song is just gorgeous, start to finish. The mix of jazz and heavy blues has never been better, as the guitar riffing in the later half of the song from Tony Bourge are incredible, the changes in dynamics are excellent. Rhythm section does more than just keep the beat here, as Shelley and Phillips amazingly stomp through the track with amazing power. A masterpiece of progressive relatedness. (10/10)

4.Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman - Another one of those proggier numbers, as it seemed to be Budgie's strength as a band to complete complex and trippy arrangements. The high vocals of Shelley have never been better, as he soars over the bluesy riffing his bass and Bourges guitar create. There are some swing elements in the drumming, with the hard hitting of the drum kit has never been better. Lyrics, again, not that great, but you know that they aren't complete crap, judging from their excellent playing abilities. (10/10)

5.Rape of the Locks - Another near perfection of a track, as the main focus is the amazing guitar playing from Bourge, who single-handedly does shred metal before the term was invented, as his playing is fast, furious, and near perfection. The track turns into a crazy blues workout, with the steady riff and excellent vocal melody from Shelley, who seems to be slightly softer and have more harmonics with the instruments, which definatly improve the overal quality. Amazing faced paced jazz rhythms from the bass and drums make the ultimate soundscape for the guitar to be laid upon. Again, not great lyrics, but they don't interfere too much with the music. A classic of the genre. (9.5/10)

6.All Night Pertrol - Classic heavy riffing, but the track is a little bit lazy. The lyrics are average, actually a bit better from all previous songs, as they don't focus completely on the female body for once, but rather nothing interesting. Great instrumentation, but the overall performance seems a bit dry, unlike previous songs, as there was much more of a spark. Still, almost essential listening. (8.5/10)

7.You and I - Your standard ballad, much more commercial than the first, more jazz - oriented ballad. The chords are average, nothing you would consider suprising, but the vocal melody is very strong from Shelley. An odd number, but nothing spectacular. (7/10)

8.Homicidal Suicidal - Easily one the best track on the album, as the band closes the album in a most fashionable way. The riffage is excellent, with the steady rhythm in place, and shred guitar all over. Excellent, lush bass playing from Burke is the standard, as he picks away furiously at his strings, while Phillips is adding great fills in an almost jazz and steady fashion. Lyrics aren't bad, but sung in a soulful way, that they really don't matter too much. An amazing way to close out this spectacular album. (10/10)

Heavy metal classics are here, as well has the progressive, complex arrangements. This album has undergone no mainstream press, which is really dissapointing, as this easily beats Led Zeppelin at heavy metal, and par with Black Sabbath. A 4 stars from a revolutionary album that wasn't really seem as revolutionary at the time. Only a few duff tracks can really make this album slightly below average. You have to pick this one up, and many more of Budgies excellent albums.