Squawk - Budgie

Squawk is the 2nd album by Welsh rock legends Budgie. Budgie are a band that I weren't particularly familiar with until recently since when they have been selected quite regularly by the DJ's and listeners on Planet Rock. I decided to give one of their albums a go, which happened to be this one - Squawk. With a song like "Hot as a Docker's Armpit", it was always going to grab my attention! Behind the entertaining song titles was a band that were a little less exciting though. Whilst the guitar riffs are not particularly original or unique and remind me of a classic rock riff to a song you never know the name of, they are still rather ...  Read the complete review

Budgie's second album is a slight disappointment after the first, at least for those who enjoyed the Black Sabbathesque doom metal of the self-titled debut that is largely absent here, favouring a more hard rock approach in the style of Led Zeppelin. The sludgy guitar tone still occasionally rears its head from the murky depths, but is stilted by upbeat harmonies in 'Drugstore Woman,' and if Tony Bourge's riffs were a little lacking in originality on the previous album they're practically screaming out for some inspiration here. Everything about this album takes a slight step down from the first, not least Burke Shelley's vocals which have become rather ...  Read the complete review