Release Date: June 30th 2023. Record Label: Pale Wizard Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later: Tracklisting
1.Alunah - Breadfan 05:29
2.Firegarden - Baby Please Don't Go 05:24
3.Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell - You Know I'll Always Love You 03:42
4.Regulus - You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk 07:25
5.Syncolima - In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand 06:23
6.Great Electric Quest - Riding My Nightmare 03:38
7.Sergeant Thunderhoof - Parents 10:22
8.La Chinga - Guts - Bonus Track 04:20
9.Low Voltage - Forearm Smash - Bonus Track 05:46
10.Solar Sons - Melt The Ice Away - Bonus Track 03:53
Review:
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is a new tribute album from acclaimed UK Underground Record Label Pale Wizard Records home to Sergeant Thunderhoof. Following previous dedicated album releases to Alice Cooper and David Bowie, now it’s time for Welsh Hard Rock/Metal legends BUDGIE who have influenced and been covered by the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth and Van Halen to name but a few.
Budgie were one of the heaviest Hard Rock/Metal bands in the 1970’s and 1980’s scene and helped inspire the NWOBHM scene so the band are worthy of a tribute album such as this with their legendary third album Never Turn Your Back On A Friend getting the Pale Wizard Records treatment.
This is more of a Doom/Stoner Metal tribute to such as an iconic album thanks to the artists involved with bands such as Alunah, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Regulus, Great Electric Wizard and Sergeant Thunderhoof offering their creative talents and providing their own spin on Budgie’s most classic songs with Alunah being giving the famous track to perform with Breadfan that opens the album. Alunah put in a barnstorming performance which pays homage to the original song with the heavy sounds being given a slightly modern makeover whilst paying huge respect to the original song’s legacy.
Firegarden are up next with perhaps the albums second most famous track Baby Please Don’t Go and it’s Blues Rock based cover which is perhaps play at a more faster pace than the original but the the original’s Hard Rock grooves are there especially when the frantic and action packed grooves that oozes Blues Rock soul appears with the classic Power Rock Trio stance that Budgie were known for.
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell brings their usual madcap style of Hard Rock/Stoner/Punk Rock chaos to this track and it works amazingly well with the “in-your-face” style sounds the original version offered. There’s a Garage Rock drive that appears with this track that Budgie would undoubtedly approve of. The production is not perfect but the band’s performance is and allows this to be one of the best performances on the album.
Regulus are up next for You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk for over seven minutes which is one of my favourite Budgie tracks of all time. Regulus belongs in the 70’s Rock environment with this barnstorming performance. The song has echoes of Regulus' modern Psych Stoner Rock sound with the flashy Progressive guitar tones that soon moves back to Budgie’s groundbreaking style of Guitar based Heavy Rock. Regulus injected a style of 80’s Heavy Metal pomp into this track especially with the extended guitar solos but still paying huge respect to Budgie along the way.
The next two tracks In The Grip Of A Typefitter’s Hand and Riding My Nightmare are performed by Syncolima and Great Electric Quest respectively and they both perform play their own superb versions of these two great tracks Syncolima play the heaviest of the tracks with perhaps the most modern sounding track on the album. As the band moves between Stoner, Doom and Classic Hard Rock with their interpretation of this great song.
Great Electric Quest play the most laidback track on the album which showed a different and tender side to Budgie. This album is full of mostly Heavy Rock bangers but Riding My Nightmare is more of a Pop/Rock song but with small touches of Heavy Blues Rock grooves. Another one of the standout performances of the track as it even allows Great Electric Quest to show their fans a different style they’re normally associated with.
Sergeant Thunderhoof makes a welcome appearance on the album’s closing track Parents and I couldn’t think of another band who could play this track. The song is everything you would expect from “The Hoof”, Soulful and emotionally charged from start to finish which is mostly down to Dan’s intense vocals. Looking more and more into this song I can see now why Budgie are a big influence within Sergeant Thunderhoof and nothing encompasses that belief is the similarities of the original version compared to the Hoof’s acclaimed last album The Sceptred Veil.
However, the fun doesn’t end there as Pale Wizard Records offer three more classic BUDGIE tracks with Guts, Forearm Smash and Melt The Ice Away as bonus tracks. La Chinga cover Guts, Low Voltage cover Forearm Smash and Solar Sons cover Melt The Ice Away.
These tracks follow the original versions quite closely but still allow all bands to impress with their own style and variation of the track. The songs are perhaps bombastic and DOOM based compared to the other performances on the album but La Chinga, Low Voltage Sons all play fabulous covers with a more metallic sound finally starting to emerge.
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is a first rate tribute album and ranks as one of the very best ones I’ve heard in a long while. I’m a huge fan of Budgie and this is a loving tribute to one of the most undeniable creative forces from the UK Hard Rock/Heavy Metal scene whose influence is felt around the global Heavy Metal scene.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Memphia Music PR & Management for the promo.
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Pale Wizard Records
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