In 1971, their first album was blues-oriented hard rock and produced by Rodger Bain, released by MCA. Later records found Budgie gradually moving into a harder and more aggressive sound. The band, usually a classic power trio with the occasional keyboard player, released ten albums, with MCA, A&M, and RCA, between 1971 and 1982, attracting a fair number of fans and achieving modest commercial success.
Budgie were one of the earliest heavy metal bands, and according to Garry Sharpe-Young they were a seminal influence on many acts of that scene,[3] particularly the new wave of British heavy metal, and later acts such as Metallica.[4] The band have been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day".[1]
History
Budgie formed in 1967 in Cardiff, Wales, under the name Hills Contemporary Grass. The original line-up consisted of Burke Shelley on vocals and bass, Tony Bourge on guitar and vocals and Ray Phillips on drums.[5] After performing several gigs in 1968, the band changed their name to Budgie the following year and recorded their first demo.[3] The band had initially considered going under the name "Six Ton Budgie", but decided the shorter single word variant was preferable.[6] 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".[7]
In late 1974, Boot left and was replaced by Steve Williams for the album Bandolier.[9] For concerts promoting this album and the follow-up, If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules, the band were augmented by second guitarist Myf Isaac. Music from the 1978 LP Impeckable featured in the 1979 film J-Men Forever (shown frequently on the USA Network's "Night Flight" T.V. in the 1980s), which is now considered a cult classic. Bourge and Isaac left in 1978 and were replaced by ex-Trapeze guitarist Robert Kendrick and ex-Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton.[11] Langton's stint was short-lived as Kendrick convinced the band to dismiss him. In late 1978, having been dropped by A&M and with no recording contract, this line-up floundered, and after 12 months Kendrick was replaced by "Big" John Thomas (b. 21 February 1952) in late 1979. This line-up recorded two albums for Kingsley Ward's 'Active' label: Power Supply (1980) and Nightflight (1981). 1982 saw them signed to RCA for Deliver Us from Evil, their final recording for a major label.
Burke Shelley and Steve Williams performing in Mountain Ash in 1981
The band stopped gigging in 1987.[9] Members went into studio production, occasionally guesting on other projects; Thomas most notably worked on the Phenomena CD with Glenn Hughes[14][15] out of the Black Sabbath studios.
Although the group had little commercial success in America, they have enjoyed a strong cult following in Texas,[16] and received radio airplay from Joe Anthony and Lou Roney on KMAC/KISS radio in San Antonio in the 1970s,[17] as well as KSHE95 in St. Louis. The band reformed using various drummers for one-off gigs in 1995 and 1996 for outdoor festivals 'La Semana Alegre' in San Antonio, Texas. In 1999, the band officially reformed in Letchworth. They toured in 2002–2006, mostly in the United Kingdom, the NYC/NJ area, Dallas, and with a few shows in Europe including the Sweden Rock Festival and a return to Poland. In 2006, Budgie undertook a 35-date UK tour and released the album You're All Living in Cuckooland on 7 November. In 2007 they played in Sweden and Poland.
On 4 July 2007, Lees announced his departure from the band to concentrate on teaching and a solo career. Following the departure of Lees, Dio lead guitarist and songwriter Craig Goldy offered his services while Ronnie James Dio was completing commitments with Heaven & Hell. In February 2008, Craig Goldy accompanied Budgie on their first tour of Australia, and continued playing with the band as 'guest guitarist' for all their shows.
Budgie's November 2010 tour of Central Europe had to be cancelled as Shelley was hospitalised on 9 November in Wejherowo, Poland, with a 6cm aortic aneurysm. After surgery, he returned to Britain for recovery.[18] This was effectively the end of the band.
On 3 March 2016, former guitarist John Thomas died at the age of 63 after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia. The news of his death was confirmed by drummer Steve Williams on Facebook: "My friend and fellow BUDGIE band member John Thomas sadly passed away last night. My thoughts are with the loved ones he left behind."[19]
In February 2018, former drummer Pete Boot died at the age of 67. For many years he had been coping with Parkinson's disease.
In April 2018, founder member and original drummer Ray Phillips released his autobiography.[20]
After more than a decade of health issues, including an aortic aneurysm and Stickler syndrome, Shelley died on 10 January 2022, at the age of 71.[21]
Metallica released a cover of "Breadfan" in September 1988 as a B-side to their "Harvester of Sorrow" single. It was later included on their 1998 album Garage Inc., and was also used as an encore during their 1988–1989 tour supporting their ...And Justice for All album. A live video version is present on the Live Shit: Binge & Purge boxed set, taken from their Seattle concerts on 29 and 30 August 1989 where it was performed in the second encore. It was also played with frequency during the Madly in Anger with the World Tour and World Magnetic Tour. A short clip of "Breadfan" is played at the beginning of the "Whiskey in the Jar" music video. They also covered "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" on the Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, which later appeared on the aforementioned Garage, Inc. album.
↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrateded.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p.49. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
Related Research Articles
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
Budgie is the debut album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie. It was released on 30 July 1971, through MCA Records. The US version on Kapp Records includes "Crash Course in Brain Surgery", originally released as a single and covered by Metallica on their 1987 EP The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited. "Homicidal Suicidal" has also been covered by the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden. Canadian band Thrush Hermit covered "Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman" on the album All Technology Aside, included on the 2010 The Complete Recordings box set.
If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules is the sixth album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie, released in April 1976.
A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartets and quintets. Larger rock bands often use one or more additional rhythm sections to fill out the sound with chords and harmony parts.
Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Dio left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice. The name Dio was chosen because it made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well known at that time.
Bandolier is the fifth album by Welsh rock band Budgie, released in September 1975 through MCA Records. It reached No. 36 in the UK. The album was released in the US on A&M Records in late 1975. The cover art was created by artist Patrick Woodroffe. This was the first LP to feature drummer Steve Williams, who thereafter would play on all of Budgie's releases, along with Burke Shelley.
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in 1976. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement and are acknowledged by bands such as Metallica and Megadeth as a significant early influence.
Bay Area thrash metal referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene was widely regarded as a starting point of American thrash metal, crossover thrash and death metal.
Thomas "Craig" Goldy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Giuffria was an American rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1981 by Gregg Giuffria after his departure from the band Angel.
Impeckable is the seventh album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie. It was released in February 1978 on A&M Records. Guitarist Tony Bourge left the band after the album was released.
In for the Kill! is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band Budgie. It was released through MCA Records in May 1974. The album includes the song "Crash Course in Brain Surgery," originally released in 1971 as a single and was included on their self-titled debut album. The song was covered by Metallica for their 1987 EP The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited, while the album's title track was covered by Van Halen during the group's club days.
Power Supply is the eighth album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie, released in October 1980 on Active Records, a sublabel of RCA Records. This is the first album without original guitarist Tony Bourge, who left the band in 1978 after the album Impeckable.
Nightflight is the ninth album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie, released in 2 October 1981 on RCA Records. A remastered version, with two live tracks from 1981, was released in 2013. The illustration on the cover is by Derek Riggs.
Deliver Us from Evil is the tenth album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie, released in October 1982 on RCA Records, and according to Burke Shelley its theme "attacks the power structures of East and West and the balance of terror"; it also "refers to all kinds of evil, not just The Bomb and war, but the main theme calls for world peace". One reviewer suggested that the album's lyrics were influenced by Shelley becoming a born-again Christian.
Volbeat are a Danish rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll and heavy metal. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Michael Poulsen, drummer Jon Larsen, and bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen. The band is signed to Dutch label Mascot Records and has released eight studio albums and one DVD. Their second album Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil received platinum status, and their 2010 release Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was subject to widespread international critical acclaim, receiving triple platinum in Denmark and Austria, double platinum in Sweden, platinum in Canada, 5x Gold in Germany, and gold in both Finland and the United States. Volbeat's most recent studio album, Servant of the Mind, was released in 2021.
"Breadfan" is a song by Welsh Blues Rock heavy metal power trio Budgie, appearing on their 1973 album Never Turn Your Back on a Friend. The title of the song refers to a person's relationship to money, with "bread" being a slang term for money. The lyrics further highlight the moral dilemmas on what to do with money; keep it, give it away, spend it and to be ultimately free of it and not to let it rule a life. The song is featured in the video game Brütal Legend and its introduction used in Brazilian television sports news programme Globo Esporte.
John Burke Shelley was a Welsh musician, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist of the early heavy metal band Budgie.
The Shit Hits the Sheds was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica, which took place in 1994. The band played in 51 shows in North America, including a performance at Woodstock '94, which had an attendance of over 300,000 people.
References
The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN0-352-30074-4
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