Badger – One Live Badger 1973 ,Germany ,Prog Rock (2)<br /><br />Badger were one of those seventies bands that are barely remembered outside the <br />circle of hard-core Yes fans. Only in existence for a couple of years, <br />they managed to produce two albums, White Lady, the 1974 studio album which <br />was a fairly mellow, soul-influenced affair featuring ex-Apple Records artist <br />Jackie Lomax, and the altogether more interesting progressive rock debut One Live Badger. <br />Formed in mid 1972, the roots of the band stretch back a few years earlier when <br />Tony Kaye linked up with David Foster who was getting material together for a <br />prospective solo album. Foster, a former band mate of Jon Anderson in The Warriors, <br />was first introduced to the Yes camp when he co-wrote Sweet Dreams and Time And A <br />Word with the vocalist with for the band's second album. Although the solo album <br />was eventually scrapped, Foster and Kaye kept in touch and following Kaye's <br />departure from Yes and brief involvement with Flash, set about remixing and <br />reworking the original material. <br /><br />Deciding to form a band to play and record the songs, drummer Roy Dyke was recruited <br />from the recently disbanded Ashton, Gardener and Dyke who recommended that guitarist <br />Brian Parrish, who had recorded a largely ignored album with Adrian Gurvitz, <br />should complete the line-up. After intensive rehearsals, the band made their debut at <br />"The Rainbow Theatre" in December 1972 supporting Yes at the infamous concerts <br />that spawned the sprawling Yessongs live album. Atlantic Records, to whom both groups <br />were signed, decided that as the equipment was in place they should make the most <br />of their financial outlay and record the support group's set as well. <br />In a bold move that seems rather extraordinary by today's standards, <br />it was these recordings that formed the basis of One Live Badger. <br /><br />And what a great album it is, the material is strong and the group sound as if <br />they have been playing and writing together for years. The production, by the group, <br />Jon Anderson and Geoffrey Haslam, is crisp although somewhat more raw and aggressive <br />than the resulting Yes recordings from the same concerts. As expected, <br />Kaye's signature Hammond organ sound is to the fore on most of the tracks <br />(and in particular on the album closer On The Way Home), although he does use other <br />keyboards to add different textures: the chorus of Wind of Change features the mellotron, <br />The River utilises an electric piano to great effect and a Moog synthesiser is <br />evident on other tracks. Guitarist Brian Parrish plays some great solos, <br />although nothing too flash (excuse the pun!) or overburdened with technical virtuosity. <br />The solid and efficient rhythm section are quite prominent in the mix, <br />as one would expect from a live recording, Foster's bass in particular being particularly <br />clear - the dynamic mix of driving bass, riffing guitar and wailing Hammond during On <br />The Way Home is superb and probably something that could only be got away with on
