Search - Budgie :: Power Supply

Raef N. (Budgie) from GAITHERSBURG, MD
Reviewed on 2/20/2008...

Some catchy riffs with new guitarist, John Thomas, but sounding very close to mainstream hard rock. This album lost the Budgie sound and music.
This is straight rock as opposed to the more sophisticated one Budgie got us used to.
One of their weakest albums but still a very good one.

Can a Budgie change its stripes?

Les Thomassen | Atlanta, GA USA | 10/14/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unexpected and underwhelming. That was my impression of Budgie's 1980 release, Power Supply, on the first few listenings. After coming to relish the spirited quirkiness of the band's '70s releases, I struggled to find as much to like about the nearly metal styling of most of Power Supply. The songwriting veered toward plebian. And while new guitarist John Thomas showed some fire, missing was the flair and sledge hammer resonance of the guitar sound that defined the Tony Bourge era of Budgie. There are good moments - Gunslinger and Time To Remember perhaps most distinctive among them. And, a couple of extra highlights come on the version of Power Supply that includes the songs from Budgie's EP If Swallowed Do Not Induce Vomiting. Repeat exposure has tempered my initial surprise. Still, while I'm a devout Budgie defender, Power Supply warrants only quick mention when building a case for the band's stature as a hard rock heavyweight."

A bit too long in the beak?

redmax | UK | 01/31/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you're only familiar with some of Budgie's classic albums from the 70s like "Bandolier" or "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" then you might find this one a bit of a shock. Most of the quirky charm that characterised their early output is here replaced by a more standard hard rock sound. After a few fruitless years trying to break the U.S. market the band returned to find the U.K. in the midst of a heavy metal revival. Budgie weren't the only established act to adapt their sound to this market, and arguably they did it a lot better than many of their peers, but this isn't the album the band ought to be remembered for.If 80s metal is your thing you could do a lot worse than get this title, but would be well advised to shell out a few extra dollars for the Repertoire import version from Germany. It has four bonus tracks from the "If Swallowed Do Not Induce Vomiting" EP which neatly complement the style of "Power Supply"."