Critic's Review
Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
Featuring portions of the earlier Heavier Than Air collection (plus a pair of Reading Festival appearances with great performances but dodgy sound quality), The BBC Recordings catches Welsh metallurgists Budgie at three very distinct phases of their development -- at the outset of their career, in 1972, when their self-titled debut album was still alerting discerning listeners to the sheer ambition and power of their presence; in 1976, by which time their original hyperactivity had settled down into a stock, but still exciting, formula; and in the early '80s, with the band reborn on the wings of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. There they were regarded with an awe and respect that had rarely come their way in earlier years, and Budgie responded with some of their heaviest (if not necessarily inventive) material yet, and three songs from a Friday Rock Show performance can still shatter speakers.
