BUDGIE, a group of three young men from Cardiff, Wales, UK, was formed in 1967, and after four years of hard work they had the pleasure of letting the world enjoy their music through their debut album "Budgie". Some fifty years ago, in June 1973 to be exact, they released their third album "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend ", which was rather groundbreaking for that era. BUDGIE certainly caught the attention from the Rock world in general. In the years after that they were very active, and got more and more recognition, especially when the Heavy Metal came to fruition. Their album "Power Supply" from 1980 is easily their heaviest, and may an old Metalhead will have that one standing in his vinyl corner. And yes, I am one of them. Sadly, they stopped making albums in 1982, and stopped touring in 1987. They did come back later, but that concerned one-ff shows and such. BUDGIE released their final album in 2006.

Here we have a tribute album, "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend, 50 Years Later ", which showcases the quality of the songs, because they all have had their own modifications in the translations by the bands playing them to their hearts content. Some of the versions will surprise you, but in the main they are recorded in such a way that you will feel why the Stoner/Doom community as well as the alternative Rock and the Heavy Metal world were able to get their kicks through the BUDGIE songs. Just have a look around and find out how many of their songs have been covered throughout the years.

What is even more remarkable is that I am actually unable to point out a favourite between all the songs. Yes, some are more convincing than others, there are a few that have a lesser sound quality, but non the whole I feel that the guys in BUDGIE would be very pleased and proud as to how their songs have been changed into those that have made this compilation. Oh, and yes, as a METALLICA afficionado I have compared "Breadfan" not only against the original, but against their version as well. And I can say it stands tall, without a doubt, although I do miss the explosiveness of the original riff on the version by ALUNAH. But that's only a minor point. As to choosing which YouTube video to attach to this review, I chose the link of the documentary concerning the original album.