If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules

by Ed RivadaviaLooking for a fresh start, Budgie signed with A&M Records in 1976 and released the strangely titled If I Were Brittania, I'd Waive the Rules. The band continued to incorporate new elements into their sound here, showing a special interest in funk on such tracks as "Anne Neggen" and "Sky High Percentage." The stark "Black Velvet Stallion" shows an interesting use of space, but descends into boredom long before its eight minutes are up. Ironically, Budgie still sounds most at home when injecting an adventurous progressive rock flavor into songs like "Heaven Knows Your Name" and "You're Opening Doors," both of which also benefit from Tony Bourge's classy guitar harmonies.