HEAVIER THAN AIR - RAREST EGGS

Budgie isn't a prog band, everybody knows it. It isn't a prog related band too. I really can't mention any more or less objective reason to get this wonderful HARD ROCK group here in PA. But here they are, so I just want to add my opinion about them, at least to help the unprepared to avoid a shock when listening to them.

Budgie's music is classic 70's hard-heavy rock. The singer Burke Shelley can sound to the novice as a Geddy Lee clone, but he came first. Good, large riffs, nice solos and a tight rhytmic session are others hard rock marks in what Budgie excels most of its peers.

This collection is composed by BBC sessions, outtakes and related material. The raw energy of the band alive is almost touchable thru the radio waves - those were the days. There's a couple of personnel changes in the middle sessions (drummer Ray Phillips out) and in the late ones (Tony Burge). This last change was a hard punch and the group soon quit, only to regroup in the nineties with just singer/bassist Shelley from the classic line-up.

If you like hard rock, go without fear. If you expect any progginess I think you should try another band - unless Parents and the middle of Breadfan deceive you about Budgie's merits in this field.

Final comment: to be honest this is the best Budgie collection I have ever met. The only track I miss is their final gem Panzer Division destroyed. If you can find it at a reasonable price (as I did) buy it without hesitation. If you can't try another way, but you can't miss this babe if you're into hard rock.

As an album per se - 5 stars

Progginess - 1 star

My rate - 3 stars. Non-essential for prog purposes.