Budgie - Squawk

Kapp Records

I'll admit I had high expectations for this album. The first time I heard a Budgie song, I thought they were pretty heavy, and though their influences (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Atomic Rooster) were blatantly obvious, I was looking forward to hearing what directions they could go in and thinking they had the potential to blow me out of the water. I suppose that's what I get for thinking. 

Burke Shelly sounds almost like Geddy Lee on "Whiskey River", which is never a good sign. The song is sepulchral in that dismal, angry kind of way that typifies early Black Sabbath songs, but somehow it's on the softer side for this group (which is really saying something). There's not much working in terms of a hook here, and the rhythms are dully repetitive and there are minimal changes throughout. 

"Rocking Man" is the highlight of the album if there had to be one. The tone on the guitar is excellent and the bass work is simply fantastic, and the weighty drums add to the sharp, angular sound. he song is very close to blues rock on the first solo, with the simplicity still upstanding and the clear Jimmy Page/Tony Iommi stylings--no shame in that. They need some of that, though. Throughout the record, the vocals are definitely the main component of what actually keeps your attention. The group could also do well with some emotion as opposed to the nondescript dismal nothingness they've been going with so far. 

Burke Shelly brings us his best Nils Lofgren impression on "Rolling Home Again". It's a good-natured little acoustic piece that would've worked better as an opener and is our first introduction to the heavily underutilized mellotron. The vocals are thin and sparse and the folk rock overhangs are "cutesy", like The Byrds. 

Continuing with our folk rock-ish fling is "Make Me Happy", which is closer to acoustic Led Zeppelin then Nils Lofgren. I guess it's good for a band to step out of their comfort zone, but these acoustic efforts are far too out of place and, while I wanted them to express some semblance of emotion, this is not the way to do it. I don't only have complaints about this song, though: the candid vocals and chilly bass work well together, and the pleasant piano is a nice touch. 

"Hot as a Docker's Armpit" comes in with razor's edge guitar playing and piercing bass and mellotron. The groove is infectious, but the attempts at doing a wolf whistle on guitar are humorous since this band is completely sterile. Shelley is definitely trying to be Robert Plant on this one, and personally if I was a woman and someone called me "hot as a docker's armpit" I would not be flattered. The solo is trying its damnedest to be grand (for a hard rock song), but it just comes across as show-offy and there's nothing special about it. The drumming is melodramatic and the mellotron should've been used more. 

"Drug Store Woman" is a raspy declaration of not needing no woman in your life a la Foghat style blues. A bit of a churner that guitar part is, but overall there isn't much movement. The solos tend to drag and the lack of any real story being told in the lyrics and nothing discernibly interesting in the instrumentation makes the song bland. 

"Bottled" is a muddy guitar piece that I could've sworn was Jimmy Page until I checked and saw it was just Tony Bourge. 

A nice mix of acoustic and electric elements form the opening of eight-minute faux-epic "Young is a World". The misty, hazy guitar work heavily placates the song, and Shelley is still reaching for those desperately sought-after Robert Plant vocal inflections. The post-chorus instrumental snippets are akin to swimming through molasses, and for most of song the bass isn't doing anything interesting. If Budgie weren't so set in the ways of their influences, then this could've been a great song. 

Finally we have "Stranded", Budgie's answer to Black Sabbath's "Paranoid". The guitar feels almost mechanical, ad the bass is good but they really need to diversify their rhythm selection. So long as Shelley is singing, most of the flaws of the instrumentation can be overlooked. However, he fails to deliver the lyrics convincingly. I've heard heavier from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. 

From a technical standpoint there is absolutely nothing wrong with this record. From a critical standpoint, there is a lot left to be desired. Budgie really has the makings of a wonderfully heavy band here, but the whole album is just okay and they seem terrified to stray from the security blanket that is copying their influences. They really do seem like they have a massive amount of potential and not enough push-back to actually use it. They know they aren't a good enough band but aren't really trying to make up for it. I can only imagine how mind-numbing it must be to watch them play live.

Rating: 3/5