Impeckable

After nearly 20 years of listening to BUDGIE(I'm probably a bit younger than many BUDGIE fans, however BUDGIE is a band close to my heart and one of my ten "desert island" groups) and analyzing, comparing, and dissecting the various eras of BUDGIE's rather long career and top-notch catalog, I've come to the conclusion that for me 1978's "Impeckable" LP is their finest LP, and the peak of their song-writing, musicianship, production quality, and generally speaking, the most consistent and smooth-flowing of all the BUDGIE albums. The last album to feature the legendary line-up of Burke Shelley-Vocals/Bass, Tony Bourge-Guitar, and Steve Williams-Drums/Percussion/Vocals, the line-up considered by the VAST majority of BUDGIE fans to be the "classic" line-up(producing the epic "Bandolier" LP in '75, the misunderstood but endlessly fascinating "If I Were Brittania I'd Waive The Rules" LP in '76, and finally "Impeckable" in '78). Some would consider '74's classic proto-metal LP "In For The Kill" a part of this era style-wise, however "In For The Kill" features the excellent, but soon to depart(to be replaced by Steve Williams), Pete Boot on drums & percussion. At any rate, the years between '74-'78 were truly a magical period for BUDGIE. A period which saw the band contribute some of the most unique, talented, quirky, heavy, funky, and intelligent British hard rock of all-time. "Impeckable" stands as a towering dynamic expression of the brilliance of this classic power-trio. Now, why is "Impeckable" the best BUDGIE LP? First off, the production(knob-jobbed by the band and Richard Manwaring and recorded in Ontario, Canada) is the most impressive of any BUDGIE LP(although the vastly different production of '82's "Deliver Us From Evil" LP comes close to matching it). Second, the songs are amazing. There is not a single weak track on the album, and the collection of tunes work together to form the most cohesive and consistent BUDGIE LP. This fact is all the more amazing when one considers the range of styles which BUDIE covers on the LP. While "If I Were Brittania..." LP is packed with individual masterpieces, the album as a whole is a bit chaotic in mood due to the number of radically different styled tunes. "Impeckable" has an equal(if not more) number of masterpieces yet they fit together seemlessly like a beautiful puzzle, making it start to finish the most consistent BUDGIE album with a perfect flow from track to track. Lastly, the artwork for "Impeckable" is totally rad in a BUDGIE-styled humor way, featuring a evil looking black cat stalking and growling at a budgie flying overhead on the cover, while on the back we see the now not so tough cat being carried aloft against a sky-blue backgroung by a monstrously large budgie. Classic. BUDGIE has always attracted a wide variety of fans from different realms of the music world. Hard rockers/early metal heads(remember both Metallica AND Iron Maiden have payed homage to BUDGIE via classic covers of BUDGIE tunes, as well as Van Halen and even Soundgarden, whose cover of "Homicidal Suicidal" is a testament to BUDGIE's often-unrecognized influence on underground/indie music), prog fans, UK 70s rock fans, fans of funky power-trio stuff, stoners & remnants of the hard psych scene, even punks(as has been made evident by the statements of several 70s punk founders who've admitted their love of BUDGIE over the years). "Impeckable" contains something for every one of these groups. From the hard and heavy "Don't Dilute The Water" and "Melt The Ice Away", to the beautiful spaced-out, poppy granduer of "All At Sea"(in my opinion the most gorgeous song in the whole BUDGIE catalog), to the funked out hard groove rock of "Smile Boy Smile" and "Dish It Up", to the brilliant and heavy "Pyramids"(featuring some of Tony Bourge's most electrifying guitar work) and super hard rockin' "I'm A Faker Too"(full of crushing riffs that'll get any fan of heavy rock going) and killer "Love For You And Me"(with it's crushing riffs and melodic bridge/chorus), to the gentle and mellow folky tune "Don't Go Away"(featuring some of Burke Shelley's most beautiful vocals and the ONLY mellow song on the album). In the end, the greatest thing about BUDGIE(and fellow UK acts of the same period like UFO, THIN LIZZY, WISHBONE ASH, QUEEN, THREE MAN ARMY, SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND, BLACK SABBATH, HAWKWIND, and the early founders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal like JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, MOTORHEAD, etc.) is that in reality they NEVER really put out a truly BAD album. Even their early 80s material(following Tony Bourge's departure) is of an often amazingly high quality. Sadly, a common side-effect of putting out a decade(or more) of great albums is that certain albums get immortalized while others(which are sometimes superior) get overlooked. And everybody has their favorite. But as far as I'm concerned, "Impeckable" WAS BUDGIE's impeccable album. A brilliant swansong for the Shelley/Bourge/Williams line-up and the 70's in general, and an album of unlimited depth. It took me years before I finally recognized how special "ImpecKable" truly was. Once it clicked however, I found myself returning to it again and again, almost as if the music within had captured a piece of my soul. This is the sign of a truly special album, from a band of perennial outsiders, far too talented to ever be fully appreciated (to the degree they deserved) in this strange world...So join the club and buy "Impeckable"(as well as all the other BUDGIE albums), an album that may be destined to forever be loved only by a chosen few who know the secret. P.S.-An excellent two-fisted chaser to "Impeckable" is BLACK SABBATH's also, hugely under-rated and misunderstood 1978 masterpiece "Never Say Die" LP, which was also recorded in Canada at the same BUDGIE was laying down "Impeckable". Musta been something in the cool Canadian air which contributed to these two similar(in more ways than one) albums...Play 'em back to back and you'll see what I mean...

Great album if you are a fan of Budgie.

The last album with Bourge on guitar, this is the sound that they had been hinting at a little bit on Bandoliers and less successfully on If I Were Brittania. This album has that funk groove throughout, while still being solid rock. Similar to Humble Pie's "Smokin'" era. I know they were friends with Steve Marriot and even borrowed the phrase, "Hotter than a Docker's Armpit" from him. It seems the rock mixed with blues and funk was what they were going for with "Impeckable." Whether you like that direction or not, I think they achieved that sound. I've heard a lot of hard rock acts say that they need to play something to get the women in the audience dancing (or even to attend the shows). I'm not suggesting this was Budgie's motivation, but suffice it to say this is a very good album to move to. Just a great listen. Not as progressive, but also not “disco-y”. Play this at a party and everyone will be equal parts moving their hips and their heads... This is where I kinda left the band, they veered into 80s metal flavorings after this one. I haven’t heard the early 2000s reunion yet. Will check that out soon. Regardless of which album, always a great band playing honestly and with soul. Up the Budgies!

The last release with founding guitarist Tony Bourge. This is a natural extension to the previous "Brittania" in that the emphasis is not solely on heavy music with an occasional ballad. The widest musical palette of any Budgie release with a very high caliber of song writing, execution and clean production. Each member shines on this - Steve Williams, in particular, seems to be having more fun, displaying chops he had not used on the two releases prior. Tony makes great use of different guitar voicings and colors each song individually. Burke sounds like he is very much enjoining the making of this album - his bass and vocals are well-executed. I confess, I love Budgie. Have from the first time I heard them in 1975 when I bought Bandolier and then instantly purchased everything they did before and after. While I don't have a favorite release, I always thought this one was a bit special because it is apparent the group had time to make the record they wanted to at that point in their career. Seriously, most bands would've created three songs out of the riffs, licks and progressions used in Smile Boy Smile alone.

Tony Bourge is one of the all-time least-appreciated genius guitar players, and this album showcases his riffing beautifully. For those looking for sonic sludge (think Sabbath) then you might like to start with IN FOR THE KILL, but this album is technically more proficient and has better songwriting. The bass and drums are swell enough, and the vocals are pretty sweet for metal, but Bourge is the standout. He left the group after this album, and the albums got progressively less interesting as a result. Latch onto this one and (if it doesn't make you love it right away) it will grow on you until you consider it one of the best in your collection, IMHO.

IN FOR THE KILL and BANDOLIER can't be beat, but this has its creative moments , although not top shelf BUDGIE, but a nice listen.

I have been a HUGE Budgie fan since about 1973, and I have owned the following albums since then: Squawk Never Turn Your Back on a Friend In for the Kill Bandolier If I Were Brittania..... For some reason, I never bought their first album, but I will rectify that soon. Of the albums I do have, Bandolier is easily my favorite, followed by Brittania, In for the Kill, Never Turn Your Back, and Squawk. I knew that, sometime after 1976 or 78, that Tony Bourge left the band. That bummed me out, and I never bought "Impeckable", which was their last album with him on lead guitar. Recently, I was reading the Amazon reviews for "Impeckable", and was encouraged by them, so I finally bought the album. Unfortunately, my overall impression after a couple of playbacks is one of disappointment. With "Brittania", the band was obviously going through a metamorphosis of sorts, developing from a more-or-less hard rock band into a sometimes funk-driven genre. With "Brittainia", that was OK with me, because that album still contained the hard-driving roots that I had come to expect from Budgie. However, those hard-driving beats and riffs are simply not present except with the track "Smile Boy Smile". That is the only outstanding track on the album, in my opinion. A few of the other tracks are passable (Melt the Ice Away, I'm a Faker Too, and Don't Dilute the Water), but the remaining tracks are just not up to snuff, in my opinion. I don't know what was going on inside the band at that time, but it seemed to affect their enthusiasm for writing and playing the great music that I had come to expect from one of my favorite all-time bands. Many of the reviews for this album are rave, and that's fine. I don't agree with them, however.

I really didn't know what to expect with Impeckable, but I can tell you this one is the real deal. Every bit as good as In for the Kill and Bandolier. This is classic old school Budgie, so die hard Budgie fans are sure to like it.

Also die CD war der Inbegriff des musikgeschmackes eines Freunds wo mir sehr gefallen hatte und sehr zu empfehlen die darauf gefolgten Alben auch sehr zu empfehlen

ジャケ最高。中身も最高。 なぜ、今はこういうバンドは存在しなくなってしまったの？ 昔のロックであんまり有名じゃないやつで、良いのどれ？と探している人にオススメ。

It’s here already! Not surprised! My favourite seller! It arrived so fast was packaged professionally! This record sounds amazing!!!! To find my next album most likely will be from this seller again! Very pleased!!!!

Great album.....super extra tracks.......nice to hear this masterpiece again without the vynil scratches

Loved it, the videos were great!