The 1981 Listening Post - Budgie - Nightflight

 Budgie - Nightflight

#504

October 1981

Budgie

Nightflight

Genre: Heavy Metal

3 out of 5

Highlights:

Don’t Lay Down and Die

I always got this band confused with the drummer for Siouxie. His name was Budgie, right? I also wondered, aloud, (to myself, often): why would either of them name themselves after a teeny little bird? Hardly seems as intimidating as the sounds they were proffering. 

Ah well. 

You know what this record reminds me of? Queen’s debut. It’s a decade past so, it’s sort of out of date but, it’s 2021 as I write this and nothing from 2011 sounds ancient to me. Is that the tyranny of time? Did music just get to a point where it’s impossible for anything less than a decade old to sound out of date? I mean, Imagine Dragons first album still pops up on modern playlists and that album is as old as Queen I was when Budgie’s record came out. 

Sigh. 

Time. You’re a bitch. 

All of this sounds like AC/DC meets RATT and they both just sort of half ass writing songs. In the end this feels like an update of psychedelic rock from the 60s than metal. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg5Kc-2uJSw

The 1980 Listening Post - Budgie - Power Supply

 Budgie - Power Supply

#407

October 1980

Budgie

Power Supply

Genre: Early Metal Band finds their inner AC/DC

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Forearm Smash

Heavy Revolution

I was confused. I thought this Budgie was the drummer for Siouxie Soux. Not a blues based metal band from Cardiff.

This sort of sound is right in my wheelhouse, in fact, I think my band could be legitimately accused of trying to sound like “Forearm Smash” on our song “Rubberburner”. Um…Jon? 

 

Did Budgie ever tour with AC/DC? Did they always sound this aggro-licktastic?When Bon Scott died, why didn’t the Young brothers ask Burke Shelley to doing as his replacement? I mean, Brian is amazing but this seems like the logical choice. Or maybe they did and were turned down. Who knows? 

If riffs and solos are your jam and you’ve heard all of AC/DC’s catalog and are looking for some more of that, I would have no problem recommending Power Supply. I could do without the Roger Watersian “Time to Remember” but that’s picking nits. The rest of the record is pretty solid. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZlPda5MLRs