Budgie cover

Budgie

Budgie

Released

1971

These Bird-brained Brits followed hot on the heels of Black Sabbath, even hiring producer Rodger Bain to produce this self-titled debut. Later albums contained their most famous bad time boogies — amateur musicologists Metallica covered “Breadfan” and “Crash Course in Brain Surgery” — but their first album takes confident flight right out of the nest. “Guts” showcases Burke Shelley’s squawk, “Rape of the Locks” uses Zep-blues to protest the indignities of getting a haircut, and “Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman” borrows surrealist naming methodology for an ahead-of-the-curve prog rock jam. No eggs laid here.