One Live Badger
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: The easier Badger album to find, and the one worth having anyway. As the album's title indicates, the band also took the unusual step of making their first album a live recording of original songs. It has aged very well -- with all the energy of live performance, there's none of the usual studio excesses or noodling of the era. The Yes connection via Tony Kaye is abundantly evident; the album was co-produced by Yes singer Jon Anderson, uses long instrumental breaks and prominent Hammond organ solos, and features the obligatory Roger Dean cover art. Nonetheless, the brooding lyrics and soulful harmonies make comparisons to Traffic and Blind Faith a much closer musical match. The first half of the album is excellent, kicking off with the pleasingly hoarse vocals of Foster on the full-tilt rocker "Wheel of Fortune" and the pensive "Fountain." There's an especially tight rhythm section underlying the restrained guitar work of "Wind of Change," combining to produce the album's best song. But the second half of the album, with rather moping numbers like "The Preacher," doesn't quite keep up this momentum. Reissued as a CD in 1993 by Repertoire Records. ~ Paul Collins
White Lady
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: With the addition of Jackie Lomax, Badger's fusion of soul and art rock now strongly favored the soul side of the equation. Recorded in New Orleans with veteran arranger and producer Allen Toussaint, White Lady is scarcely recognizable as the same band; without a paste-in of Roger Dean's logo on the back cover, you'd never guess these lads hailed from anywhere past Bourbon Street. Fans expecting prog-rock were sure to be disappointed, but it didn't matter: the band had already called it a day before the album came out. But in retrospect, it's not a half-bad effort. "A Dream of You" has smoky vocals, warbling Hammond organ, and a slick vocal and brass backing reminiscent of Van Morrison. "Don't Pull the Trigger" is easily the most satisfying track, though, with Barry Bailey's slide guitar jabbing over the telegraph staccato of Toussaint's repeating piano. The rest of the album is passable filler, though it ends with a decent shot at superfly urban funk in "The Hole Thing." Toussaint himself plays on a number of songs, and Jeff Beck even shows up to lend a hand on the title track.
~ Paul Collins
