01-11 R.I.P. Burke Shelley
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Often thought of as a cross between Black Sabbath (due to their plodding, molten-heavy riffs) and Rush (due to their singer'shigh-pitched,GeddyLee-esque wail), the somewhat obscure British metal outfit Budgie has influenced countless outfits,despite enduringcountless lineupshiftsthroughout their history. The group originally formed in 1967 in Cardiff, Wales,comprised of members BurkeShelley (vocals, bass), TonyBourge(guitar), and Raymond Phillips (drums), and by the early '70s,they'd inked a deal with MCARecords. This early lineup remains Budgie'smostdefinitive, due to the fact that it spawned ...read more
Often thought of as a cross between Black Sabbath (due to their plodding, molten-heavy riffs) and Rush (due to their singer'shigh-pitched,GeddyLee-esque wail), the somewhat obscure British metal outfit Budgie has influenced countless outfits,despite enduringcountless lineupshiftsthroughout their history. The group originally formed in 1967 in Cardiff, Wales,comprised of members BurkeShelley (vocals, bass), TonyBourge(guitar), and Raymond Phillips (drums), and by the early '70s,they'd inked a deal with MCARecords. This early lineup remains Budgie'smostdefinitive, due to the fact that it spawned threeof the group's finest albums --1971's self-titled debut, 1972's Squawk, and 1973'sNever Turn YourBack on a Friend -- whilethe group's quirky song titlesbecame somewhat of a trademark for the trio (such ditties as "NudeDisintegratingParachutistWoman," "Hot as a Docker'sArmpit," "In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand," and "You're the Biggest Thing SincePowdered Milk").For fansof early Sabbath, theaforementioned three discs are a must-have.Despite building a sizeable following in their homeland (while never breaking out of cult status stateside), Phillips left thegroup prior to theirfourth album, 1974's In for the Kill!, replaced by newcomer Pete Boot, which would in turn set off a flurryof steady lineup changes over the yearsfor the group (the only constant Budgie member from the beginning was Shelley).Further releases were issued throughout the '70s, including1975's Bandolier, 1976's If I Were Brittania I'd Wave the Rules,and 1978's Impeckable, but each appeared to be less inspired than itspredecessor. With the emergence of the New Wave ofBritish Heavy Metal movement (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, etc.), interest inBudgie appeared to be rekindled oncemore in England, as Budgie headlined the Reading Festival in 1980 and 1982, in addition to issuing suchalbums as 1980's IfSwallowed Do Not Induce Vomit and Power Supply, 1981's Nightflight, and 1982's Deliver Us from Evil.Shelley and company would remain together for a few more years before splitting up quietly by the mid-'80s (ex-membersBourge and Phillipswould unite in a new group called Tredegar, issuing a lone self-titled release in 1985). But almost as soonas they disbanded, several high-profilegroups began covering Budgie classics, including Metallica ("Crash Course in BrainSurgery" and "Breadfan"), Iron Maiden ("I Can't See MyFeelings"), and Soundgarden ("Homicidal Suicidal"), while back in theirearly club days Van Halen was known to cover the title track from In forthe Kill! Budgie reunited for sporadic live gigsthroughout the '90s (while past members formed the similarly styled outfits Six Ton Budgie andBoot66), resulting in severalarchival collections being issued: the best-of compilations An Ecstasy of Fumbling: The Definitive Anthology (adouble-discset) and Best of Budgie (a single disc), as well as the live sets Heavier Than Air: Live on the BBC and We Came We Saw (thelatter ofwhich featured selections from both of their Reading Festival appearances in the early '80s). « hide |
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