Though not nearly as celebrated as
Led Zeppelin,
Black Sabbath,
Uriah Heep, or
Deep Purple,
Budgie was one of the finest heavy metal bands of the early to mid-'70s. The British power trio, formed in 1968, was influenced by
Cream in the beginning, but by the time this self-titled debut album was released in 1971,
Budgie was obviously paying close attention to
Sabbath and
Zep. In fact, it's hard to miss the impact that
Robert Plant had on
Budgie lead singer/bassist Burke Shelley. For those seriously interested in metal's development, bombastic treasures like "Homicidal Suicidal,"and "Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman" are essential listening. ~ Alex Henderson