BANDOLIER

The consistently emphatic sound of Budgie continued with this 1975 release. Bandolier points towards an even more riff driven sound, the down side is an expected shortening of the tracks length, this album clocks in at 34 odd minutes, but that was not unnecessarily unusual with LP's for the time. The album starts off with ' Breaking All The House Rules', a catchy song but for me too repetitive for seven minutes.' Slipaway' follows and is another great laid back song from the band. This area of ballads always a strength for Budgie. Shelley's vocals are stretched to the max re pitch and some great guitar work from Bourge. The band returns to some hearty blues on ' What Do You Want For Your Love?' before breaking into some serious metal riffs. A more simply defined angle to their music from 1975 onwards.The final track ' Napoleon..' is probably the highlight on Bandolier but overall I would have to recommend this release for die hards only. Two stars.