The magnificent Budgie have a box set of their three classic albums from the early 1970s due for release on 26 September 2026.
It comprises of Never Turn Your Back ona Friend, In for the Kill and Bandolier together with some bonus tracks.
Cliches such as “criminally underrated” and “should have been bigger” are applied to many bands, though in my opinion if they apply to one band, it’s Budgie.
Fronted by Burke Shelley – the Welsh equivalent of Geddy Lee – with his diminutive style and precise, slightly funky bass lines they also had the riffmiester guitarist in Tony Bourge. He was as heavy as anyone with the crunching riffs and solo runs to match any guitarist you’d care to mention.
After two massively heavy albums in their debut at Squawk, Budgie really hit their stride in 1973 with Never Turn Your Back on a Friend. A huge album of power and poise and with those occasional short, quirky gentle acoustic pieces they’d often throw in.
The album gets underway with Breadfan. What a riff. A song which pretty much set the template for “speed metal.” Once listened to, never forgotten.
The weird song titles too – You’re the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk is thunderous as is the powerful fuzzy riff of In the Grip of a Tyrefitter’s Hand with a groove to match and the sprawling, sweeping prog metal of Parents.
In for the Kill came the following year. Another huge slab of churning, pounding heaviness including the likes of the title track, Zoom Club and the glorious Crash Course in Brain Surgery. Sadly, that’s missing here due to licensing issues.
The trio of albums during this period completed with Bandolier from 1975, including the storming Breaking All the House Rules, the catchy I Can’t See My Feelings and the quite prenominal Napoleon Bona Part One and Part Two.
Part 1 being all gentle and quietly pastoral, Part two being as powerful an assault and battery on the ears and you’ll hear anywhere.
Alas, Budgie never hit the big leagues though continued to release excellent albums through to Deliver Us From Evil in 1982. Then we had the surprise return of You’re All Living in Cuckoo Land in 2006.
Unfortunately whilst on tour in Poland in 2010, Burke Shelley suffered an aneurysm which meant the end of Budgie. Sadly, Burke died in 2022.
One heck of a musical legacy though as demonstrated by the three albums I this box set from an essential and influential band with some of their songs covered by some very big names. For example Metallica covering Breadfan and Crash Course in Brian Surgery on their Garage Inc. album.
Here’s Breadfan. Is it not glorious?
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