Having acquired a small cult following with its first album,
Budgie offered a second dose of abrasive, forceful heavy metal that, like its predecessor, drew on influences ranging from
Cream to
Black Sabbath and
Led Zeppelin.
Budgie was a band that loved contrasts -- the folk-ish qualities of "Make Me Happy" and the
Beatlesque "Rolling Home Again" make hard-driving classics like "Hot as a Docker's Armpit," "Drugstore Woman," and "Rocking Man" seem all the more intense. For all its strengths, Squawk didn't turn
Budgie into the well-known outfit it should have been.
Budgie's followers were a devoted bunch, but unfortunately, there weren't nearly enough of them. ~ Alex Henderson