3.5 out of 5 Stars!

When I first heard One Live Badger back in 1973, I had hoped this new band with Tony Kaye (keyboardist from Yes) might be something special in the Prog-Rock universe. Certainly this debut live album (to be live for a debut album is odd in and of itself) was decent enough, although more Blues-based Hard Rock in general and not what I was expecting, considering the beautiful Roger Dean album cover or Tony Kaye’s involvement. Still, the band had included enough Prog-Rock touches, especially on the final cut “On The Way Home,” including the use of Mellotron, that I felt Badger showed promise, and I also felt the group could potentially go on to develop a unique sound in Prog-Rock to eventually become a driving force on the scene.

But alas, it was not to be. The follow-up studio effort called White Lady, released the following year, was so completely different from this debut album, so non-Prog but instead Soul-influenced, that I didn’t even purchase it.

Therefore, for fans of “anything Yes-related,” One Live Badger might be of limited interest to you, but only if you can envision Yes as more of a Blues-based Hard Rock band including a singer with a deeper voice, with only some “Yes-ish” keyboards thrown in. Apart from this album, however, step no further into the band’s discography or you will find great disappointment.

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