Squawk - BUDGIE***

WhiskeyRiver/Rocking Man/Rolling Home Again/Make Me Happy/Hot As A Docker's Armpit/Drugstore Woman/ Bottled/Young Is A World/Stranded

Squawk was the follow up album from the Welsh early heavy metal band Budgie. Never close to the front line of the British rock scene they achieved some limited commercial success in the mid 1970s.

“A power trio with attitude Budgie never got the recognition they deserved. Furious in your face rock followed by haunting acoustic ballads, Budgie certainly appreciated the value of light and shade. Tony Bourge's guitar playing is as usual flawless, and on Bottled he shows some very tasty slide guitar.”

“Squawk is the second studio album by Budgie and continues in the same vein as their debut. Very guitar driven early heavy metal and hard rock with some progressive elements here and there. This might be a bit weaker than its predecessor but overall I can say that Squawk is a pretty enjoyable record as well.”

“I like most Budgie albums but this one is a little disjointed. The musicianship is not as crisp or as good as their usual releases. Still, it does rock in that heavy early 70s way and there are a few toe-tappers.”

“The style is a little less bluesy and more metal than their debut but making this distinction fails to underscore how close they’ve stayed to their riff based songwriting. There are some forays in a more prog direction, and token lighter pieces are added to make the album easier to digest, but by and large this is straightforward rock.”

“Marginally the weakest of Budgie's first five studio albums, but still a worthwhile album that I'd recommend to any devotee of 70s hard rock. Squawk largely continue with the mix of Zeppelin-esque hard rock and raw proto-metal.”

“Picking up where they left off on their debut, Budgie deliver another set of crunchy hard rock tunes with a little variety thrown in.”

“Budgie are a three piece band that defy the laws of physics to put forth a melodious, yet heavy, wall of sound that must be experienced to be believed. Hot As A Docker's Armpit, its title notwithstanding, is a masterwork of sonic waves that wash over and engulf the listener in ambient ecstasy. Make Me Happy has an acoustic aura that's difficult to describe, but it evokes feeling of happiness in the listener, that's for sure”