Brett Rains [all4rains@webtv.net]
>Would you consider BE BOP DELUXE progressive? I would. Their music was so
complex, multi layered. Who else is a BeBop Fan here?
You can count me in as being a Be Bop Deluxe fan. I think that they were
one of the most overlooked bands of the 70s & put out some classic albums.
"Sunburst Finish" in particular is very impressive; almost cinematic in it's
scope. Paul McCartney used to rave about this record. Bill Nelson never got
his due as a guitarist, & it's a shame because he really is one of the
best...one listen to "Adventures On A Yorkshire Landscape" should convince
anyone of this. I was lucky enough to see them back in the old days on one of
their rare stops here in Chicago (as an opening act for REO Speedwagon, sorry
to say). Great show. And yes, I'd consider them prog.......
From: "Richard Zywotkiewicz" <>
Yes, Bill Nelson was a terrific multi faceted guitarist. Funny how he just
seemed to drop it when he got into electronics. Now all of his stuff is
ambient. Shame.
From: "Shipley, Craig" <>
Not really, his latest efforts have been a whole lot more guitar-oriented.
Check out "Practically Wired! (Or How I Became Guitarboy!)" and "Atom Shop"
for a sound a little closer to the BBD classics... Heads up; the post BBD RED
NOISE CD has just been released. This has been OOP for years, get a copy
NOW!! Go to http://www.billnelson.com for more info...
From:
From: "Richard Zywotkiewicz" <>
Axe Victim was/is one of my faves from the seventies, I wore out the vinyl
and only recently was able to find it on CD. I also have double CD of Bill
Nelson (lead guitar) which is quite good. Are they prog? Yeah I'd say so, but
maybe not enough keys? I dunno. For me they're good, and that's all that
matters.
From: Mike De Lang <>
Be Bop Deluxe is definitely progressive IMO.Maybe not in a classical or
Synpho sense, but more of an art rock sense like Roxy Music or Bowie. Their
first three albums, "Axe Victim", "Futurama", and "Sunburst Finish" are
ABSOLUTE CLASSICS. Complex songs with intelligent lyrics and incredible
guitar work. Bill Nelson is definitely one of my favorite guitarists. The
next two albums, "Modern Music" and "Drastic Plastic", they seem to get away
from the guitar pyrotechnics and experiment more. After their live album,
"Live In The Air Age", They broke up and Bill Nelson formed Red Noise which
was an attempt at dare I say it, "New Wave" and was actually a good release.
After that He came out with a bunch of solo releases, too many to count. My
favorite being "Flaming Desires and Other Passions". For anyone who hasn't
heard any Be Bop Deluxe, try their first three. You won't regret it. There's
also a couple of Bill Nelson releases that came out before he was with Be Bop
Deluxe that are very good. Northern Dreams and Astral Navigation's. They fall
more in the folksy psych. category.
From: "Grant Penton" <>
Drastic Plastic was a big FM hit in '78 because of the predominance of
attractive synthwork. I checked out the previous LPs, but they don't wear
well with age. I found Modern Music great 20 years ago, but the melodic hooks
and guitar playing seem quite stale now. Sunburst Finish is more interesting,
and Live in the Air Age has some good live playing, but Nelson's creative
peak was with DP and Red Noise. Great lyrics too- check out "Possession" and
"Furniture Music" (which I bought as a red vinyl 45" in '79 with "Wonder Toys
the Last Forever" and "Mirrors"), which rank with the most intriguing DEVO
outputs of the time. I like Nelson's more recent instrumental work, but as a
songwriter I gave up on him after "The Love that Whirls", which sounded
really flat.
From: John McIntyre <>
If you like Be Bop Deluxe, be sure to check out Bill Nelson's follow-up
project Red Noise, sorta like Be Bop Deluxe cranked up another notch.
From: "Shipley, Craig" <>
I've said this before, but Bill Nelson's Red Noise first release
SOUND-ON-SOUND has just been re-released in the UK on the EMI label. It
doesn't have the two live bonus tracks that the Enigma release had, but what
the hey, it is back in print after ten years or so... MODERN MUSIC is also
back in print, again minus the bonus tracks. Check out
http://www.billnelson.com for
ordering details. For those of you who got a bit weary of Bill's sonic
experiments of the '80's, check out some of his newer material such as
PRACTICALLY WIRED or ATOM SHOP. A lot more guitar oriented and nowhere near
as experimental as the "black cover" series disks. My vote is still out on
ATOM SHOP, but PRACTICALLY WIRED is a nice sonic blast!
From: "Shipley, Craig" <>
BBD was most definitely a prog/art-rock band. The first release AXE VICTIM
might not fit that mold very well, but it is great hard-rock (especially
"Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape / Jets At Dawn", but those don't really
rock that hard, just great songs). FUTURAMA may also not fit well, either;
the keys are pretty subdued, as Nelson was mostly a guitar player at that
time and his prowess on keyboards wasn't quite there yet. But, after they
added Andy Clark on the keys, the sound took on a much more progressive
sheen. SUNBURST FINISH, MODERN MUSIC, LIVE IN THE AIR AGE! and DRASTIC
PLASTIC all are proggers. If it is electronics that you are looking for, DP
is the one, with PolyMoogs 'n early guitar synthesizers (btw, those two
yellow "things" in the cover art are the results of two buckets of paint
being hurled in front of the camera).