The sixth album from this three-piece band wasn`t what Mr. Barton had hoped for. The title of the album is a classic pun on Britannia ruling the waves.
Read on!
BUDGIE: ‘If I Were Britannia I’d Waive The Rules’ (A&M AMLH 65377) ***
Album review by Geoff Barton
I’VE ALWAYS had a soft spot for Budgie — they’re an unpretentious Welsh three piece band and have, during the six years of their existence, surrepticiously turned out some classic heavy rock songs (notably ‘Breadfan’ from the LP `Never Turn Your Back On A Friend’ and ‘Hot As A Docker’s Armpit’ from `Squawk’). But I suspect that even the band’s most fervent supporters will have to agree that this is a poor new album.
`If I Were…’ is Budgie’s sixth platter, although their first for A&M. It’s main fault lies in the production — done by the band themselves, it’s sadly thin, limp and lacking in punch. And at the same time, the songs don’t seem as strong as usual. Budgie’s last album ‘Bandolier’ was distinctly varied, but even so vibrant rock ‘n’ roll maintained dominance; with ‘If I Were…`, however, there’s an inbalance in the diversification. Three songs out of the seven on the album are taken at relatively slow and easy paces — and two of them, ‘Heaven Knows Our Name’ and ‘Black Velvet Stallion’, are almost soporific, sleep-inducing.
A brief track run-down is in order — side one opens with ‘Anne Neggen’, simplistic boogie based around a plodalong rhythm. It probably goes down a storm on stage, but the insubstantial production robs it of dynamics. The ebbing and flowing title track follows, at once acoustic, at other times quite volatile, it still passes you by innocently and uneventfully. `You’re Opening Doors’ is a mellow song bolstered up by a Beatles-like chord progression and the side closes with ‘Quacktors And Bureaucats’, a strong track with much guitar pumping, but which once again suffers from non-production. Side two has ‘Sky High Percentage’, fairly frenzied with some forcefulness, and the two ‘soporific’ tracks. ‘Heaven Knows Our Name’ is what I take to be a tedious solo exercise for guitarist Tony Bourge;`Black Velvet Stallion’, while arguably the best cut on the album with its heartbeat bassline, short, cutting guitar excerpts and `Day In The Life’ ending, is still pretty gonzoid. It would be easier to enjoy if you didn’t know the band were taking themselves seriously. So, sadly, not the best of album debuts for a new label. Uneventful production is the main culprit; a purely average collection of songs doesn’t help matters along any. `Budgie,’ I wrote a couple of weeks ago, ‘have no great musicians as members and… play strictly within their limitations’. But, with this album, it seems as if the ‘limitations’ have proved too constricting as the band strives to break into new areas. I can’t help but feel that they would do better to forget about comparative refinement and return to basics.
Listen to Budgie’s first two albums again and you should think the same.
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