What does it sound like?:
Budgie – a Welsh band from the 70s who had 2 tracks covered by Metallica.
And that is/was my sum knowledge of the band. So when approaching this 3 CD Box Set of their albums for MCA (Never Turn Your Back On A Friend, In For The Kill and Bandolier), I felt some deeper research was in order.
Originally a 4 piece band formed in Cardiff in 1967, two guitarists came and went before settling as a 3 piece, signing to Kapp Records (an independent label under the MCA umbrella) and releasing 2 albums – Budgie and Squawk – both produced by Rodger Bain (perhaps best known for production duties for Black Sabbath), and both bearing album artwork from Roger Dean.
Both are good albums, if lacking that special spark to make them great albums – if I’m honest, either could be improved by adding the single only release “Crash Course In Brain Surgery” which came between them (and is 1 of the 2 tracks I knew before embarking on this Budgie-binge).
Musically comparable to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and (at a push) Deep Purple, they may never have achieved comparable sales, but some of the song titles on offer added a soupcon of humour to proceedings. Examples from the first couple of albums include “Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman” and “Hot as a Docker’s Armpit”.
By 1973, Kapp records had been fully incorporated into MCA, and this is the point this box set begins.
Rodger Bain was no longer in the producers chair, Budgie did the job themselves. They had obviously taken copious note’s of Bain’s desk settings and replicated them, as there is no great jarring move from the sound of Squawk to the first MCA-proper album Never Turn Your Back On A Friend.
And opening this one is the second track I knew – “Breadfan”. This is followed by a cover of “Baby Please Don’t Go” which does inspire the thought were Bon Scott and Angus Young listening?
Interesting/inspired/daft song titles continue with “You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk” and “In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter’s Hand”
In For The Kill arrived the following year, and included “Crash Course In Brain Surgery” – is this an MCA thing as they did something similar with (another Metallica-adjacent band) Diamond Head insisting that “Am I Evil” be included on their first MCA album?.
The album is more of the same – equal parts heaviness and lighter acoustic (almost hippy-esque?) and it may be repeated listening, but Burke Shelley’s vocals are becoming much less jarring.
“Crash Course …” is omitted from this set due to licensing issues – not sure what the issues are though – the single was released on a MCA label, other possibility is Rodger Bain, producer of the single and may still hold the rights (as Burke Shlley said in an interview later in the career, Budgie never rally had any strong management outside the record company).
Bandolier was next, and whilst there is nowt wrong with it you do get the feeling inspiration and desire was running thin, and there are moments when it feels more like “going through the motions” than “pushing on to the next level”.
Whilst no notable song titles appeared on In For The Kill, Bandolier closes with “Napoleon Bona – Part One” and “Napoleon Bona – Part Two” (which through it’s 7 and a half minutes, I think captures the breadth of light and heavy that Budgie dealt in at the time)
Budgie continued to release albums (the next one bore the title If I Were Britannia I’d Waive the Rules, which – like some of the song titles mentioned above – sort of makes you want to hear it, their last coinciding with a headline appearance at Reading Rock Festival 1982.
The band stopped touring in 1987, which coincidentally was the point when their star (slowly) rose again when Metallica covered “Crash Course In Brain Surgery” on $5.98 – Garage Days Re-Revisited EP (the Budgie coffers were further inflated when Metallica covered “Breadfan” first as a B-Side, and then pugging onto the Garage Inc album)
(Authors Note / Question: can you guess why I only really knew 2 Budgie songs before this?)
What does it all *mean*?
The albums are solid, if just lacking that magic “something” that elevates them to essential status.
But no-one can deny the obvious legacy and influence of the band – other than Metallica, Iron Maiden and Van Halen have both covered Budgie tracks, and contemporary interviews with movers and shakers of NWOBHM often cite Budgie as an influence
There is obvious (understated) humour at play with song titles, one must wonder if they ever had the thought to release an album with the title “Smugglers”?
Goes well with…
Learning how to become a neurosurgeon quickly
Release Date:
25 September 2026
Might suit people who like…
In my ears, I’ve got Budgie lumped in with Wishbone Ash, and (early) Judas Priest, with a dab of Whitesnake going on somewhere. Plus even Rush and Montrose enter my thoughts.
In the 90s I had a manager who said she used to go out with the drummer from Budgie. That is the start and end of my familiarity with them.
I had a manager who had dated Rat Scabies.
Though she knew him as the more mundane Chris.
Excellent band, somewhat under the radar.
The only reason I won’t be buying this set is because I’ve got the albums already!
I knew someone in recent years who was absolutely obsessed by them. I remembered the name from the 70s and they were always gigging, but had never knowingly heard a note, so he lent me some albums. I can’t say I really took to them – I think it is one of those bands who you needed to like back when you were young and stuck with. Now they sound very ‘of their time’ I think.
Meh.
I have a pal who was raised in Africa and so doesn’t have the cool ‘baggage’ we muso nerds carry. She likes Budgie.
She leant me the album with Baby Please Don’t Go on it. Not my bag, man…
I don’t think it’s muso nerd cool luggage that makes “Burke Shelley” look and sound like a twat, but if it is I’m grateful for it.
Oddly enough, I was in Wales the past few days with a mate who was born in Wales but who had never heard of Budgie so we watched a few clips on YouTube. Solid stuff, but as we said above they are slightly of their time and I don’t think I’ll be investing.
Had your friend heard of Man? Out of interest…
Oh yes.
Phew! That was a close one…
I seem to be an outlier here, since I like them and still listen to them. No problem with that: “each to their own, can’t like everything, etc”.©
But if sounding “of their time” is a point against a band or artist these days, then we might as well shut down the Afterword clubhouse.
Music that sounded “futuristic” now sounds more of its time than it did at its time.
Indeed – and I’m ahead if I can quit while I’m behind…
Fair point – probably my lack of expressive skills are to blame here. I saw so many bands of this genre and era in pubs and clubs around the turn of the decade 60s-70s that it is burned into my DNA. The vast majority were blues/rock outfits, so hearing bands like this take me right back to that time. It wasn’t meant as a slight on the band per se, more of a description of my reaction to hearing them for the first time relatively recently.
Not having a dig at you, Nigel (or Twang!) – just an interesting point.
Many Beatles LPs, Atom Heart Mother, lots of post-punk (well, any number of albums, really) sound “of their time” but still get high praise on here.
Quite right, they are great albums.
So why is it a score against in this instance? 🤔
I’m used to your digs Fitz. As usual it leads to definitions. It means (to me) it sounded great at the time but doesn’t now. Some music sounded great at the time and still does now.
😀
Some music that didn’t sound great at the time does now.
Also true. It was not of its time.
Some songs have endured as classic rock anthems, others not so much. Shame they couldn’t get the rights to Crash Course though, a bit like reissuing LZ4 without Stairway.
What about Tredegar? The band Budgie could have been?
Well played 😀
Budgie were a real “they also served” band. The humour puts them way ahead of bands that took themselves too seriously, there was some serious good-rockin’, and Burke Shelley’s look was mirrored in the bespectacled, centre-parted, headbanging audience, as i recall. (I worried my glasses would fall off if I joined in, so just tapped my toe, my arms firmly folded in front of me. ) His shrieking vocals are now too much like hard work. When I saw Metallica in 2009, they did a cover of “Breadfan” as the first encore. Fantastic! I was in Heaven. Vocals not so shrieky, which helps.
Wow! Who’d a thunk it?
I was in a little record shop this afternoon. There were three Budgie albums for £60 each. I left them there.
I like ‘em – and at £60 a pop, I would also have left them there…
I’ll raise that leave ’em in the rack to £6.00
Although born in Cardiff and lived here all my life, I’m ashamed to say that although I know of Budgie I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of their records, although my older brother was a huge fan of them in the 70s, and had lots of their albums. I just didn’t have any interest at the time, so should probably listen to this to see what I was missing.
One other Budgie related fact. When my father-in-law died in 2023, we had to purchase a new plot in the cemetery. It was only when we visited the cemetery a couple of days after the funeral, that I saw that his grave, and as of this year my mother-in-laws grave as well, are almost back to back with Burke Shelley’s grave.