REPOST: Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend (1973) + Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)

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OK - let's cut to the chase. Budgie are my favourite U.K (Welsh) band and this album is my all time favourite LP by far. I first discovered Budgie while skimming through the records racks at my local K-Mart store back in the early 70's. It was the eye catching album cover (by Rodger Dean) that first caught my attention, and then the photos of the band members found in the inner LP gatefold - in particular the energy and drive depicted by drummer Ray Phillips. I took a punt and made my purchase, then quickly made my way home. Headphones on and the volume cranked up high on my Onkyo stereo, I placed the needle on Side A of the record and layed back on my bed, eyes closed. After a short introductory narative by Sir Winston Churchill, Breadfan's guitar intro came bursting out into my left ear and screamed across to my right, and it was like being hit by a train. The magic of Budgie's music had suddenly entered by life, and I've never been the same since!

.Originally released in 1973 on MCA, Budgie's third record, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend, was another slab of the band's signature plodding metal sound. Although they were never more than a cult band in the Australia, Budgie's popularity flourished in their native England, yet their influence was eventually felt by many notable American bands (Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains). The mammoth riffs created by guitarist Tony Bourge are definitely on par with Black Sabbath riff master Tony Iommi, while vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley's voice is a cross between David Surkamp (Pavlov's Dog) and early Geddy Lee (Rush). Drummers came and went (this would be original member Ray Phillips' last recording), but you'd never guess there would be a defection soon, judging from the tightness and interplay displayed on this album. One of their best-known tracks, "Breadfan" (later covered by Metallica), kicks off the album with rapid, almost speed metal, however, Budgie deliver it all in true hard rock style, pacing the album nicely with two acoustic songs to break up the heavy metal bluster. I'll even forgive the one minute thirty eight second drum solo at the beginning of the fourth song as it's so short, sharp and heavy.

It's the final epic "Parents", which is a supersonic power rock ballad that elevates you through the stratosphere. A song very similar in structure to "Led Zeppelins" "Stairway To Heaven", Burke Shelley sings of the torment of turning from child to parent, hitting the heart fair and square with Mott who has a few puppies of his own. This song alone makes this album worth hunting down.
The parents tell their children, "Wash your hands & up to bed, mind your manners or you're dead, watch the cars `cos you got school on Monday". Haven't all parents at sometimes spoken in these jumbled spurts of love and warning? The group also became notorious for coming up with profound (yet lighthearted) song titles, such as "In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand" and "You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk."
Though they never reached the dizzy heights of success like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath or Cream; Budgie did leave behind 10 hard rocking studio albums and one live release, along with a strong fan base who always yearned for more 

Recommended to anyone who finds solace in the metal forefathers (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc.).  The rip included here was taken from CD in FLAC format and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD. This album should be played at full volume, as any other volume level is unacceptable !

Please note that this album is no longer available from Budgie's website (Out Of Print)

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Track Listing

01 Breadfan

02 Baby Please Don't Go

03 You Know I'll Always Love You

04 You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk

05 In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand

06 Riding My Nightmare

07 Parents

08 Breadfan (2003 version) Bonus track

09 Parents (2004 Acoustic version) Bonus track

10 Breadfan (Live 1973) Bonus track

11 Breadfan (Aust Vinyl release) Bonus Track

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Band members:

Burke Shelley (Bass, Vocals)

Tony Bourge (Guitar)

Ray Phillips (Drums)

Never Turn Your Back On A Friend (435 Mb)  New Link 28/04/25

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Note: It has been brought to my attention by a blog follower that the Australian vinyl pressing of this album features the introductory narrative spoken by Sir Winston Churchill at the start of Breadfan, which is not included on any of the CD remasters.
Therefore, I am making this track available below to Budgie fans who have the CD but have not heard this version before.   For me, the track would be not be the same without it !
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Breadfan.FLAC

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Budgie - Rarities And Radio Sessions (1972-1981)

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)

Budgie were a hard rock band from Cardiff, Wales formed in 1967. Originally called Hills Contemporary Grass, their original line-up consisted of Burke Shelley on vocals and bass, Tony Bourge on guitar and vocals, and Ray Phillips on drums.

After performing several gigs in 1968, the band changed their name to Budgie the following year and recorded their first demo. The band had initially considered going under the name "Six Ton Budgie", but decided the shorter single word variant was preferable. Burke Shelley has said that the band's name came from the fact that he, "loved the idea of playing noisy, heavy rock, but calling ourselves after something diametrically opposed to that".

In the final years of his life, Shelley suffered from Stickler syndrome, and on two occasions had an aortic aneurysm. Shelley died in his sleep at the Heath Hospital on 10th January 2022, at the age of 71. RIP Burke Shelley.

Rarities And Radio Sessions Tracks

Whiskey River (Single Edit)

Budgie Mk I

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals

Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals
Ray Phillips -- drums

A fantastic starter to Budgie's second album ' Squawk' released in 1972. Whiskey River was played live at most Budgie gigs, and the song keeps sounding better and better.

Burke Shelley: "Whiskey River, a rocking song! This was a great song to play live. We were constantly riffing in our song writing and this one has a constant rhythm that allows for a good stomp."

Ray Phillips: "There weren't that many bands out there using double bass drums. I think it's fair to say that Budgie were one of the first bands to actually write a number that was released as a single, involving double bass drums. Well, when we went to do the second album, we went in, and the next thing I know is they'd messed around with my drum sound, and it just wasn't as good."

Whiskey River is a worthy opener for the Squawk album, it has a totally bluesy riff that is augmented by an excellent vocal line. Tony Bourge plays some great and fast guitar licks on this track, but one can hear the enthusiasm fading quickly. Shelley's voice is excellent here, as he is definately not as shrieky as he usually is. The rhythm section is excellent, with distorted bass guitar and trippy drumming make the track nothing short of a defining moment.

Release Date: March 3rd, 1972
"Whiskey River" / "Guts" (1972, MCA MK-5085) - UK
"Whiskey River" / "Stranded" (1972, KAPP K-2185) – US

Sadly UK-Charts show no entry in the 1972 UK charts for Whiskey River or their LP Squawk


Zoom Club (Single Edit)

Budgie MkII

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals
Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals
Pete Boot -- drums

"Zoom Club" is a track taken from Budgie's fourth studio album, titled 'In For The Kill', released in 1974.

Zoom Club also quickly became a favourite live number with the fans. A club in Frankfurt, Germany was the initial inspiration for the number.

Burke recalls "Playing in Frankfurt at the Zoom Club, Americans used to turn up at this club which was when the Vietnam War was on. They were all off to Vietnam eventually, or most of them. It was just one of those places, it was like the last place before they all went to war. The Zoom Club was the place they all went to".

Tony Bourge recalls: "That was again one of Burke's ideas. It was basically about a club that we played in Germany where all the G.I's used to go. Hence the first couple of lines...."Come all you G.I's".

“Zoom Club” is superb, heavy as hell hard rock, mid to up tempo played by an insistent guitar riff which never lets up, powerful bass line and pounding drums all over the performance, featuring an excellent extended guitar break and topped off by Burke Shelley’s forceful, wild at times vocal.
Appearing on their "In For The Kill" album, the band's signature bluesy sound is made all the spicier by nuanced jazz and funk influences that started creeping into their music around this time, while the top-notch production wraps the whole thing up in a seamless package.

This single release of Zoom Club is a much shortened version of the @10min album version, edited down to 3:20 min to attract radio play.

Release Date: 26th April, 1974
"Zoom Club" / "Wondering What Everyone Knows" (1974, MCA MCA-133) - UK

Sadly "Zoom Club" did not chart in the UK in 1974, however their album 'In For The Kill' made #29 on the album charts (see UK-Charts)


Honey (B-Side Single)

Budgie Mk III

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals
Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals
Steve Williams -- drums


This B-Side Single (of "I Ain't No Mountain") was released in 1975 and never appeared on any of Budgie's studio albums.

Honey is a beautiful acoustic track that show cases Shelley's falsetto voice while Bourge demonstrates a more classical approach to his guitar playing.

 The sound quality on my Australian vinyl copy was very poor and distorted, and therefore I rarely played this acoustic track. The remastered CD release of Bandolier has a much better sounding version, as is the recording here.


Release Date: 14th February, 1975
"I Ain't No Mountain" / "Honey" (1975, MCA MCA-1439) - AUS/UK


Who Do You Want for Your Love: (Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV Show, June 1975)

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals
Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals
Steve Williams -- drums

The Old Grey Whistle Test Running Sheet

"Who Do You Want for Your Love" is a track from Budgie's fifth studio album, titled  'Bandolier',
which was released in 1975. It has a cool funky opening, but evolves into a well-composed heavy metal song with some of my favorite riffs.

This live recording of the track was made on The Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV Show, 28th June 1975, as documented by Bob Harris (see archive.bobharris.org)

Note that the 'Official Budgie Fan Club' have incorrectly listed it as 27th June, 1975 (see  Budgie Fan Club). This cannot be the case as 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' was always broadcast on Saturdays, which was the 28th June. 

The Old Grey Whistle Test was a British television music show devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. According to presenter Bob Harris, the programme derived its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys – doormen in grey suits. Any song the doormen could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test.

The Old Grey Whistle Test: Who Do You Want for Your Love

Interesting fact: The song lyrics make reference to the phrase "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" which was used for the title of their third album, released in 1973.

Budgie with Myf Issac (2nd left)

Zoom Club: (Live in St. Louis, USA, Dec 1976)

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals

Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals

Steve Williams -- drums

Myf Issac - Guitar

This live recording was made in Rusty Springs, St Louis, Missouri USA on 4th December, 1976. Zoom Club was not included on the LP release of this concert (see VERNE 109) however it was included on the CD release (see On The Air AIR 25).

Sourced from a very nice radio broadcast of Budgie's 'If I Were Britannia I'd Waive The Rules' tour in the US, it was most likely sourced from a very low gen tape. The sound is flawless on this live recording of Zoom Club. 

With additional Welsh guitarist Myf Issacs (a former member of Quest) touring with the band, Budgie's stage sound was a lot fuller than earlier gigs and Bourge was given a lot more freedom to reproduce those magical lead breaks that he is renowned for on record. Budgie only used Myf Issac, as the second guitar player for live performances between Mid 1976 - Mid 1978 and never recorded with any of their studio work.


Sky High Percentage  /  In The Grip Of  A Tyrefitter's Hand:

(BBC - Live at Maida Vale Studio 4, John Peel Show, London July 1976)
Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals
Tony Bourge -- guitar, vocals
Steve Williams -- drums
Myf Issac - Guitar

John Peel

John Peel was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio. He is widely acknowledged for promoting artists of many genres, including pop, dub reggae, punk rock and post-punk, electronic music and dance music, indie rock, extreme metal and British hip hop.

Peel's Radio 1 shows were notable for the regular "Peel Sessions", which usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist in the BBC's studios, often providing the first major national coverage to bands that later achieved fame.

Myf Issacs & Steve Williams

Budgie had significant airplay on Peel's show in the early 70's and they would do two sessions for his programmes, one of them in 1976, where they only performed two songs. In later years, Peel revisited one of Budgie's songs, when Federation X covered their song, Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman, which was played by the DJ, who then played one of Budgie's songs on his BBC Radio One and FSK shows.

This John Peel session from 1976 is excellent with some complimentary comments from "dear John" himself. There is also the added interest that Myf Issac is playing second guitar on these two tracks.


I Turned To Stone  /  Superstar  /  She Used Me Up:

(BBC - Live at Maida Vale Studio 4, 'Friday Rock Show, London Dec, 1981)

Budgie Mk IV

Burke Shelley -- bass guitar, vocals
John Thomas -- guitar, vocals
Steve Williams -- drums

The Friday Rock Show from 1981 is another strong production and Budgie sound very tight and well rehearsed having just finished a UK tour to promote the newly released Nightflight album that these three tracks come from. John Thomas' guitar work is particularly exciting.

Tommy Valance (Left)

The Friday Rock Show (FRS) was a radio show in the United Kingdom that was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 from 10pm to midnight on Friday nights, from 17 November 1978 until 2 April 1993. For most of its existence, it was hosted by Tommy Vance.

The show replaced John Peel on Friday nights, but Peel's show had previously featured more mainstream styles of rock music than he personally favoured as "part of a review function"; after the Friday Rock Show began, Peel was able to concentrate on the post-punk styles he was most enthused by at this point.

Interesting Note: These 3 Budgie FRS recordings were made 2 weeks before they were broadcast on the 18th Dec, as documented on the Friday Rock Show's Wiki

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my recently purchased vinyl from a record store in Athens, while holidaying in Europe.   Full album artwork and label scans are also included, along with all post photos. 

Although I have all of these tracks on CD, the attraction of having them on vinyl was too great, and yes, it's another gem in my Budgie Record collection. Released by VERNE records, this album is serves also a great compilation of Budgie classics. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Track List:

A1 Whisky River (edit) 2:31

A2 Zoom Club (edit) 3:17

A3 Honey 3:21

A4 Who Do You Want For Your Love (Live) 6:30

A5 Zoom Club (Live) 9:27

B1 Sky High Percentage (Live) 5:36

B2 In The Grip Of A Tyrefitters Hand (Live) 5:42

B3 I Turned To Stone  (Live) 3:44

B4 Superstar (Live) 5:51

B5 She Used Me Up (Live) 3:15

Track Sources:

Side One:

Whiskey River (alternative single version. UK A-side, March 1972)

Zoom Club (alternative single version. UK A-side, April 1974)

Honey (B-side of "Ain't No Mountain" UK Single, February 1975)

Who Do You Want For Love (Old Grey Whistle BBC June 1975)

Zoom Club (Live St. Louis December 1976, not on that LP)

Side Two

Sky High Percentage (London BBC John Peel 1st July 1976)

In The Grip of A Tyrefitter's Hand (London BBC John Peel 1st July 1976)

I Turned To Stone (London BBC Friday Rock Show 18th December 1981)

Superstar (London BBC Friday Rock Show 18th December 1981)

She Used Me Up (London BBC Friday Rock Show 18th December 1981)

Budgie Link (250Mb)

Budgie - Live In St. Louis, Rusty Springs, USA (1976)

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)

This is a very nice radio broadcast from 'If I Were Brittania I'd Waive The Rules' tour in the US, most likely sourced from a very low gen tape. This killer soundboard broadcast was recorded at Rusty Springs in St Louis, Missouri  on the 4th of December 1976.  The sound is flawless on this disc and it was first released about 10 years ago on the great French 'On The Air' label.  Bonus tracks 9 & 10 where recorded live at the legendary My Fathers Place on Long Island in New York, one week earlier and are great audience recordings. 

The sound quality and mixing improves throughout the recording, with a lively and vocal crowd in the background.  With additional Welsh guitarist Myf Issacs (a former member of Quest) touring with the band, Budgie's stage sound was a lot fuller than earlier gigs and Bourge was given a lot more freedom to reproduce those magical lead breaks that he is renowned for on record.  Budgie only used Myf Isaac, as the second guitar player for live performances between Mid 1976 - Mid 1978 and never recorded with any of their studio work.

L-R:  Tony Bourge,  Myf Isaac,  Steve Williams,  Burke Shelley

Budgie were originally scheduled to tour America in February of 1976, however for some reason (health problem?) they cancelled their opening show in Boston (07/02/1976) and postponed their US tour until late November, kicking off at the Royal Oak Theater in Detroit (20/11/1976). 

This was Budgie's first time in the states, and although their latest album 'If I Were Brittania I'd Waive The Rules' had already been released in April, they chose to play only a few tracks from this album and instead concentrated on showcasing their older material.  Judging by the crowd's enthusiasm heard on these recordings, it is safe to say that Budgie had won over the yanks. Their other US tour dates are shown below. 

It is worth noting that on the 2nd of December at the Night Gallery, Waukegan, they shared the bill with 'Captain Beyond'  and what a gig that would have been folks!  My two 'favourite bands' playing together on the same night - priceless!

Myf Isaacs & Steve Williams

Budgie's first American Tour Dates

(thanks to concerts.fandom.com)

US Tour In February (Cancelled) -

07/02/1976 Boston [Cancelled]

20/11/1976 Royal Oak Theater, Detroit, MI, USA (Budgie's first U.S gig!)

22/11/1976 Agoura Ballroom, Columbus, OH, USA

24/11/1976 Agricultural Hall, Allentown, PA, USA (Co-headline with Montrose)

25/11/1976 My Father's Place, Long Island, New York, NY, USA

27/11/1976 Revs, Milwaukee, WI, USA

29/11/1976 Agora, Cleveland, OH, USA (with Sparks)

01/12/1976 The Beginnings, Schaumberg, IL, USA

02/12/1976 Night Gallery, Waukegan, IL, USA (with Captain Beyond)

03/12/1976 Night Gallery, Waukegan, IL, USA

04/12/1976 Rusty Springs, St Louis, MO, USA

06/12/1976 EL Tejon, Madison, WI, USA

08/12/1976 The Echo, Dayton, OH, USA

09/12/1976 Another Place, Louisville, KY, USA

??/12/1976 Ricco's, Belleville, IL, USA

  

This post consists of FLACs (taken from a Radio Broadcast low gen tape) and includes full artwork for both CD and Vinyl (See Vinyl Covers below). Note that this bootleg has also been released under the title of 'Breaking The Kill', but features different bonus tracks, taken from a 1975 concert in Leicester (see right).

As mentioned, the bonus tracks on the featured bootleg were taken from an earlier concert held at 'My Father's Place' - namely "Black Velvet Stallion" and "Pyramids".  Because "Pyramids" had not been released on any albums at that stage, its inclusion in their set list gives us a hint that Budgie were already working on their next album (which would be called 'Impeccable') and would be released the following year. 

Track List

01 Breaking All The House Rules

02 In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand

03 Parents

04 Who Do You Want For Your Love?

05 Sky High Percentage

06 I Can't See My Feelings

07 Zoom Club

08 Breadfan

09 Pyramids [Bonus Track]

10 Black Velvet Stallion [Bonus Track]

Tracks (1-8) recorded live at the Rusty Springs, St. Louis, USA on 4th December 1976.

Bonus tracks (9-10) recorded live at My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY on 25th

November 1976.

Line-up:

Burke Shelley - bass, vocals

Tony Bourge - lead guitar

Myf Isaac - rhythm guitar

Steve Williams - drums

Budgie Live In St. Louis Link (553Mb) New Link 

Budgie - In For The Kill (1974) + Bonus Tracks

 (U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)

This post is my tribute to Burke Shelley and the greatest rock band of the 20th Century - Budgie.

Influenced by his local music scene and, of course, the Beatles, Burke Shelley formed Budgie in 1967 with drummer Ray Phillips and guitarists Kevin Newton and Brian Goddard, but Newtown was out the following year and the long-serving Tony Bourge was brought in as his successor and he helped yield the most fruitful era of the band as Shelley's reliable co-writer.

The sound heard on seminal albums such as Budgie's self-titled debut (1971), Squawk (1972) and Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973) pushed hard rock into heavier places and the band is largely regarded as a proto-metal act that went on to influence the likes of Metallica and Van Halen. Many metal fans were likely introduced to the group through Metallica's covers of "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" and "Breadfan," while Van Halen, in their early days, were known to cover the title track to Budgie's fourth album In for the Kill!, which was released in 1974.

Burke Shelley, Tony Bourge, Pete Boot

Between 1971 and 1982, Budgie released a total of 10 full length albums and they originally disbanded in 1988. A brief reunion occurred in 1995 and 1996 where the band played one-off shows before reforming again in 1999. One more album, You're All Living in Cuckooland, came out in 2006.

 
The Making Of 'In For The Kill'
After Budgie released their 3rd album 'Never Turn Your Back On A Friend' in 1973 (considered by many as their best release), disagreements within the band surfaced resulting in drummer Ray Phillips leaving the band. Because existing tour commitments needed to be fulfilled and the bands agent did not want to cancel the tour, a replacement drummer had to be sourced quickly to honour the dates. Burke recalls: "When Ray left we had the problem of trying to find someone to fill his shoes. Pete Boot came along because our agent at the time said 'I'm not cancelling gigs just because Ray Phillips has left. I'll get a stand in drummer'. We felt obliged to do that. He already knew Pete Boot and send him along'.

Pete Boot, Tony Bourge, Burke Shelley

Pete then stayed on for the recording of our follow up album 'In For The Kill' due to MCA pressuring the band for a new album.

Seven tracks finally emerged from the recording sessions including an edited single version of Zoom Club / Wondering What Everyone Knows

Most of the music recorded for Budgie's fourth studio album was written whilst gigging during the 1974 dates. In For The Kill went on to reach number 29 in the UK charts in 1974.

Burke Shelley: In For The Kill was the album that Pete Boot came in on. I can remember rehearsing the songs over in Barry at the Memorial Hall, throughout the daytime. It was a case of getting Pete to rehearse the set, quickly. We were trying to write songs, trying to put stuff together and do gigs at the same time. Although we did the first album in a couple of days, the point was it was written and ready, by the time we arrived at In For The Kill I think we had about three or four song's that's all. We were hard pressed to come up with material and it was all rushed plus there were gigs that we had to do. It wasn't as though we could relax doing it. I remember we were mixing the album whilst our truck was revved up and waiting at the back of the studio in Rockfield and me rushing the last bit of mixing before we had to run out into the truck and tear off to catch a ferry to go to Europe, it was that tight.

In For The Kill was an apt title, we just went for it. There are some good songs on there but I would have done a lot more to them. It turned out, considering, pretty good."

But things were not working out with Pete Boot and he parted company with the band less than a year after joining. His replacement was Steve Williams who remained Budgie's drummer to date. Steve Williams recalls: "In For The Kill is one of my favourite Budgie albums, had things worked out differently in 1973, I may have had a crack at it"

Album Tracks

01. In For The Kill: This is a stomping song on record and equally so on stage. According to Burke: "It's got a nice chugging riff courtesy of Tony Bourge. We recorded this one under extreme pressure - it was due to us gigging so much that we didn't have time to spit.". One of the highlights of the album, the title track was often covered by Van Halen in their early live sets.

Tony Bourge: "In For The Kill . I think I wrote this one. I was in the house one day and I was messing around with a couple of ideas the we had written before and I wanted to do something that was really heavy, grindingly heavy, something that you felt was going to walk through a brick wall, but I wanted to keep it simple. I thought about some of the other songs we'd done. They were usually easy to play riffs down in E somewhere or G to E, what ever, but really getting down low on the bass strings and we'd done a couple of other things like that, one that Bourke wrote ....Guts, and that was a really easy simple grinder, and I think that was what we like doing, that's what Budgie were good at doing, ie. playing simple grinding riffs".

02. Crash Course In Brain Surgery: This song was originally recorded around the time of Budgie's debut album as the bands first single released in 1971 though was not included on the original pressing of the album (even though the cover listed it). The track was included on In For The Kill due to a shortage of material. Subsequently covered by Metallica for their Garage Days EP in the eighties Metallica have continued to cite Budgie as a major influence in their own music. Listening to Crash Course one can understand why!

Burke Shelly: "I idealistically thought this might be a cure for a lot of the worlds problems, including my own"

Tony Bourge: "It was one of those tracks that we did on stage and it had a great feel to it"

03. Wondering What Everyone Knows: Two minutes and fifty seconds of Typical Burke acousticness! This is a lovely song that certainly creates the feeling of the calm between two storms, which sandwiched between the bone crushing Crash Course and the driving Zoom Club, it certainly is.
 
04. Zoom Club: Zoom Club quickly became a favourite live number with the fans and still is today. A club in Frankfurt, Germany was the initial inspiration for the number. Burke recalls: "Playing in Frankfurt at the Zoom Club. Americans need to turn up at this club which was when the Vietnam war was on. They were all off to Vietnam eventually, most of them. It was just one of those places, it was like the last place before they all went to war. The Zoom Club was the place they all went to."

Tony Bourge: "That was again one of Burke's ideas. It was basically about a club that we played in, in Germany, where all the G.I's used to go. Hence the first couple of lines...."Come on all you G.I's"

05. Hammer and Tongs: The song was based on yet another Tony Bourge guitar riff.

Burke Shelley: "It was a bluesy but heavy number that reflected how we'd been influenced by the progressive blues scene of the mid 1960's which later produced bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix etc. Tony particularly liked the Chicago blues bands."

06. Running From My Soul: Budgie had to come up with extra material for the album and quickly. Running From My Soul was one of the late additions. Again featuring some great guitar work from Tony Bourge and classic Burke vocals.

Tony Bourge: Running From My Soul and Living On Your Own: "They were a bit more light hearted. Burke and I were both of the mind that we didn't want to listen to one album track after another just to hear everything sounding the same, so we constantly tried to come up with maybe some lighter ideas using more chords rather than riffs.

Burke Shelley: "This track is a mix of influences - Chicken Shack, Stan Webb, Love Sculptures "Blues helping' album and all the rest of the late 1960's blues bands."

07. Living On Your Own: The final track of the album and another worked on heavily in the studio. Burke Shelley: "I remember pinching the chord chopping style from a great band called 'Glass Menagerie'. The end section is 'Beck's Bolero' revisited.

Simon Lees, Burke Shelley, Steve Williams (2003)

[Bonus Tracks]

08. Zoom Club Edit (Single Edit):  Shortened to fit time constraints of the a 45 and of course 'Radio Station Playtimes'

09. In For The Kill 10. Crash Course In Brain Surgery 11. Zoom Club

Final 3 tracks are re-recorded tracks. Recorded in summer 2003 by Burke Shelley, Steve Williams and Simon Lees with a mobile studio during rehearsals for the 2003 Autumn Tour.
[Taken from Liner Notes]

Attention: RIP Burke Shelley (Jan 11, 2022)

It is with heavy heart that I announce the sad news that Burke Shelley passed away on the 11th January this year at the age of 71. 

I have only just seen this news today, some 6 months later (how I missed this news baffles me) and I'm gutted. Nothing mentioned on Budgie's official website which is really strange and sad.

I have followed Budgie since they first released their debut album in 1971 and was lucky enough to see them play live in 2009, when they finally visited Australia for the first time.

Without Burke, the band can never be the same - his voice and bass lines were the essence of this great band.

When I saw Burke play in 2009, he had the energy of a 21yr old and a voice as good as the day when he first sang "Guts". But I must admit he didn't really look 100% and I suspect that this was around the time when his health started to deteriorate. The world has lost a talented musician and entertainer, and a band that led the way for so may heavy metal bands.   You can read more details at loudwire.com

This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD and includes full album artwork for both CD and Vinyl. My vinyl copy of In For The Kill has had nearly 50 years of spin time on my turntables and still plays as well as it did when I first purchased it from K-mart in Geelong. I'm pretty sure it set me back $5.99 and it is one of my favourite Budgie releases.  Four bonus tracks are included which were released with the 2004 CD release by Noteworthy Productions.  This album is no longer available and is officially out of print. 

Track List

01 In For The Kill 6:26

02 Crash Course In Brain Surgery 2:37

03 Wondering What Everyone Knows 2:53

04 Zoom Club 9:53

05 Hammer And Tongs 6:52

06 Running From My Soul 3:35

07 Living On Your Own 8:54

[Bonus Tracks]

08 Zoom Club (Single Edit) 3:26

09 In For The Kill (2003 Version) 3:35

10 Crash Course In Brain Surgery (2003 Version) 2:44

11 Zoom Club (2003 Version)

Budgie were:

Burke Shelley - Bass, Vocals

Tony Bourge - Guitar

Pete Boot - Drums

In For The Kill Link (391Mb)

Budgie - Suicidal Homicidal (1985)

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)
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This German compilation, released by Cube Records in 1985 was originally released under the title of 'Best Of Budgie' in the UK in 1981. Both featuring the same track listing, all tracks are taken from Budgie's first two LP's ('Selftitled' and 'Squawk'). Of course, we all know that their third LP "Never Turn Your Back On Your Friends' was their swan song LP, but for some reason Cube Records ignored this and decided to focus on their first two LPs, referring to it as Pre-flight Budgie.
 
Never the less, this compilation still presents a 'nest' full of Budgie classics which highlight some of their best riffs, in particular one of my favourites "Homicidal Suicidal" and a band favourite "Guts" which they still play live today at their gigs. The only concern I have with this album is why Cube records decided to give the LP the reverse title 'Suicidal Homicidal'. I wonder if it was a 'lost in translation' error rather than intentional, being a German release?
Irrespective, a special highlight of this album are the liner notes (written by their producer Roger Bain) on the back cover. They go something like this.....

Pre-flight Budgie - an album containing the best, ie. the heaviest tracks from the first two seminal albums by this Welsh band.

I first saw Budgie when Kingsley Ward the mastermind behind Rockfield Studios, arranged  for Burke and the lads to audition in his studio. I had just completed some heavy recording sessions with 'The Earth Blues Band' who were later to change their name to 'Black Sabbath', and Kingsley thought I would be interested in hearing the Welsh answer to 'The Birmingham Bashers'. Kingsley was quite right, I was.

Roger Bain (Producer)

Apparently, the band had never met a "Record Producer" before, and expected me to arrive in a white Rolls Royce, smoking a foot long cigar and wearing a nine carat gold knuckle duster! When they were told that their roadies had to meet me off the train at Glouchester station, they were quite relieved. I knew straight away I wanted to work with this band, and we agreed there and then to record the first album, despite the fact that it was now the middle of winter and the snow lay two feet deep around the Welsh studio. Every playback was preceded by a fight for the best place in front of the parrafin stove, in fact Burke wore wooflen gloves for most of the takes (so that is the secret of his heavy bass sound!) and those 'cordon bleu' trained roadies - I have never tasted baked beans on toast like that before! (what a glamorous life it is in show business).

The personnel on these sessions reads as follows:
Burke Shelley - Bass Guitar & Vocals (studying to perfect a method of keeping his glasses on while poncing around on stage),
Tony Bourge - Lead Guitar, which he had stuffed with old newspapers in order to reduced feedback from his amp (you should have taken the fish and chips out of the newspaper first Tony!)
Ray Phillips - Drums   (An expert at a hundred miles per hour without recourse to unnatural substances)

And of course, Tom Allom, whizz engineer, who despite his constant complaining about ice in the loo, and double portions of baked beans for breakfast, went on to success as producer of 'Judas Priest' and 'The Tourists'!

We had fun recording these albums, and having been allowed to combine the best tracks, I feel that all dedicated Budgie fans (God help them!) will be in seventh heaven (that's just outside Cardiff you know) when they get this piece of recorded history onto their turntables. Roger Bain 1980
(Ten years after the event, and I still wake up screaming.)
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl and includes full album artwork and label scans.
Although I'm sure most Budgie fans will probably have these tracks already in one form or another, if not the earlier 'Best Of Album' from 1981 (see left), but like any typical record collector, one's collection is never complete without those numerous compilations that record companies release to squeeze every cent they can from their artists. Budgie is no exception, so grab this one before it literally Flies Away!
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Track List

01. Whisky River 3:24
02. Guts 4:20
03. Rolling Home Again 1:46
04. Homicidal Suicidal 6:43
05. Hot As A Docker's Armpit 5:53
06. Drugstore Woman 3:16
07. Rocking Man 5:28
08. You And I 1:44
09. Rape Of The Locks 6:13
10. Stranded 6:17
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Budgie Suicidal Homicidal FLACs (259Mb)

Budgie - 1978-10-22 City Hall,Newcastle,U.K (Bootleg)

(U.K 1967-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010)
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Late 1967, in Cardiff, John Burke Shelley bass/lead vocals) met up with Raymond Phillips (drums) and guitarist Tony Bourge to form Budgie establishing a substantial following within the South Wales college and club circuit. After a journalist commented Budgie's sound was more akin to a 'Six Ton' Budgie, their name became as heavyweight as their delivery. In 1970, Roger Bain was impressed by their raw energy and promise and via his company 'Hummingbird Productions', Dave Howels from MCA signed the band. Budgie were now back as Budgie with a five album deal.

Many claim The MCA albums were arguably their finest work, with openers Budgie and Squawk providing the backbone of heavy riffs and melodic interludes which was to characterise the bands' style. Shelley's high-pitched vocals were first aired on the charmingly titled single 'Crash Course In Brain Surgery'. Their sense of humour was often reflected in their song titles, 'Hot As A Docker's Armpit' proving Budgie didn't take life too seriously. In 1973, their 'Never Turn Your Back On A Friend' LP with its Roger Dean designed gatefold sleeve boasted some classic moments, from the thoughtful 11 minute epic 'Parents' to the blistering 'Breadfan', to be covered some 20 years later by Metallica.

Ray Phillips departed in late '73. Pete Boot was brought in quickly to honour a Spanish touring schedule and record 'In For The Kill', Budgie's first LP to chart. Once Steve Williams on Drums stepped in, Budgie were once again in full flight. In 1975 we provided their fans with the astounding 'Bandolier', considered by many to be the pinnacle of their achievement. With additional Welsh guitarist Myf Issacs touring with the band, their stage sound was also fuller. Retrospectively a bad decision, their management elected to take a deal offered by A&M rather than re-sign with MCA. The more melodic 'If I Were Britannia I'd Waive The Rules' followed, but it didn't chart. In 1977 Budgie re-located to Canada to crack the North American market and Budgie's seventh album, 'Impeckable', became their most mainstream effort to date arriving in January 1978.

Steve Williams

The following month saw a well attended clutch of UK theatre shows prior to engaging in their lengthiest US trek - quaintly entitled the 'Hide Your Pussy Tour', taking the band right through the summer months. Budgie had previously recruited the ex-Quest member as second guitarist Myf Isaacs. Their next foray stateside produced the much in demand 'Live At Atlantic Studios' live tapes and the a high quality bootleg set called 'The Electric Ballroom', material much sought after by collectors. Isaac also played on their 'Impeckage' album, although he is not listed in the album credits as a band member, but rather only listed with thanks.

Burke Shelley

Later in 1978, after their 'Hide Your Pussy' tour, the band flew out to Canada and then to Texas, a trip paid for by Don Smith who would later produce their final album in 1982 "Deliver Us From Evil".
After returning to the U.K.in late May, Tony Bourge decided he'd had enough of touring and quit the band, after playing with the band for more than 10 years. Tony Bourge's last ever Budgie gig was played at the Welsh National Eisteddfod Pavilion, in Cardiff, Wales on 1st July, 1978.  Budgie quickly went into damage mode and enlisted Rob Kendrick (ex-Trapeze) as guitarist and after several months of intense practice, commenced the second half of their 'Hide Your Pussy Tour' in England and Scotland.  [Concert timelines from Budgies Fan Club]

Thanks to (progressrock.cz)

This bootleg comes from a concert played on 22nd October at City Hall, in Newcastle U.K and features some new material that never made it onto vinyl, making it highly collectable.  Unfortunately, the sound quality is only average / good as it is an audience recording (although it does improve towards the end of the show), but this bootleg still an important addition to any Budgie fan's collection.

This post consists of FLACs taken from a cassette tape recording and includes custom artwork and all photos shown above. The concert features Rob Kendrick on guitar and 'Strife' were also on the bill that night as support act. Now, I've always been a stalwart fan of Tony Bourge's guitar playing, every since I started following the band back in 1973 when I heard their NTYBOAF album for the first time, but having now heard Rob Kendrick's guitar work on this bootleg, I gotta say he comes pretty-damn close. He really fires up the show with both his attacking axe work and ongoing banter with the crowd. His guitar solo in Breadfan is simply stunning and I now understand why the other lads in the band signed him up when Bourge exited stage left. 

Track Listing
Disc One (44:21)

01 - Melt the Ice Away
02 - Breaking All the House Rules
03 - Cold Love (featuring Rob Kendrick)
04 - Don't Dilute the Water
05 - Fix On Rock & Roll
06 - Love For You and Me
07 - Can't Get Up In the Morning

Disc Two (45:45)
08 - Rainbow 
09 - In For The Kill
10 - Ocean Rider
11 - Breadfan 
12 - Do You Like It

13 - Zoom Club

Budgie were:
Bourke Shelley - Bass, Vocals
Rob Kendrick - Guitar
Steve Williams - Drums

Budgie Live At City Hall, Newcastle FLAC Link (602Mb)
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