I saw Be Bop back in 76 at the Great British Rock Festival in Olympia, I never thought there was any connection to David Bowie sound. I wasn’t much of a Bowie fan back then, but I was blown away by the sound of BBD, amazing guitar work.
'Crying to the sky' on sunburst finish, is probably the heaviest guitar sound ever recorded on guitar. I was fortunate to see be bop several times when they were a pub band. Bill is still playing today, and still an amazing guitarist in his 70's.
I was a bit too young for BBD, punk was my thing but about 20 years ago I got into Bill. Maid in Heaven has one of the greatest intros ever. I would love to bump into him on the streets of York one day.
Old guy from New York here. BBD was always being listened to over here. I still play the crap out of live in the airage a lot. Thanks for a really good video. Happy new year!
One of my best high school friends got me into Be Bop Deluxe back in the 70s. I never thought of them as Bowie-like. I wasn’t even into Bowie until his Berlin stuff.
love Be bop deluxe ! Bill Nelson is one of the greatest guitarist ever, The live version of adventures in a Yorkshire landscape guitar solo the best i’ve ever heard!
Yep - Still have my white vinyl pressing. Took a minute for me to forgive my mom for dragging me to Europe that summer/fall for a semester abroad - since it meant that I missed the US dates for Live! In The Air Age that my brother attended at the Santa Monica Civic. (With Petty and the Heartbreakers for openers, no less!) Oh well - life's full of little trade offs. Caught (a mostly unknown) Clash at the Rainbow Theatre that June as we arrived in London and the Buzzcocks at the Marquee two months later.
Very deserving tribute to a band that should be recognized by so many British Artists that were obviously influenced by them; Cocteau Twins, Duran Duran, and Oasis to name a few. I saw them in October 1976 in Madison with Blue Oyster Cult. I was 16 yrs old, and little did I realize at that time that this concert would be remembered as one of my all time favorites..... So memeorable....Like I was there last week. Charlie Tumahai was one of the most underrated bassists, as well as Bill Nelson.
Bill was a massive influence on Stuart Adamson who went on to form Skids and later Big Country. Its very evident in his playing , and Nelson went on to produce Skids' album " Days in Europa". After Adamson's death , Nelson penned a tribute piece "For Stuart".
You never hear about this band. I've been listening to their albums and Bill's solo albums today. Great to cover them. Hopefully other listeners will take notice of what they missed.
Bill Nelson is an eclectic rock music genius. Period. End of story. "Modern Music" stands among my favorites, but I have several of their albums and they all are keepers! The term "underrated" is generally overused, but it absolutely applies here.
I have been into Be Bop Deluxe since they first appeared in 1974. I have all their singles and albums. All tremendous musicians and Bill Nelson's guitaring amazing. In the early 70s man had not long gone to the moon and we were starting to see sci fi films/programmes on tv for the first time, It was not jumping on the band wagon people were only just becoming aware of sci-fi etc so it was very new so music started to reflect this. Star Trek was reshown on UK tv and that was when it really took off.
My brother LOVED this band when we were kids back in the 1970's... we would walk home from school with an old "ghetto blaster" playing"Ships in the Night" at max volume. My brother was the ONLY kid who loved this band even back in the day and his mates would call him "BeBop"... great memories!
"Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape" from 'Live! In the Air Age' is, IMHO, one of THE greatest live guitar performances of the Rock genre. Bill's phrasing and improvisation during his solos are simply beyond the imagination of mortal men. Andy Clark's Fender Rhodes work on this cut is SO tasteful and complimentary to Bill's guitar. The whole band is simply fabulous. I consider myself blessed to have seen Be Bop twice in the later '70's at the height of their powers, and they were nothing short of sensational.
Hello Mr. Praxis and thank you for making this BBD video. My favorite album by far is LIVE In The Air Age. I recently purchased the 15 CD/ 1 DVD DELUXE BOX Set of LITAA. It is easily one of the greatest collections of concert tracks I've ever heard...probably now in my TOP 5 LiVES ever!!!!!!! These great concerts were recorded during their early 1977 Tour and used to cull enough music to create LITAA. If anyone loves Bill Nelson's BBD era, there are now Deluxe versions of the 5 studio albums too!!! The previously unreleased BBC (John Peel) tracks alone are excellent, but alas there are more rarities, demos and early versions of BBD songs and they boggle the mind considering how long they've been in cold storage. All of it, even demos and rarities , both Live and studio performances give the listener the truth: That BBD were an INCREDIBLE BAND and Bill Nelson was an INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN and too few people have even heard all of their greatness....until now, if they are lucky enough!!!!!!!!
I am an old 80's metalhead guitarist and I absolutely worship at the altar of Bill Nelson. Your video is spot on and LONG overdue! Every rock player should listen to Live In The Air Age, especially on headphones. And the different tones and solos...god gawd! True story: back in the mid 80's my old band were good friends with and shared a rehearsal room with a now well known metal band, and a certain infamous red-headed guitarist/singer and I were partying at my place, and I put on the live version of Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape. Told him that this was my favorite guitar solo. Needless to say he was blown away. No one was very familiar with Be Bop Deluxe back then and I felt that they were all mine! Their music is indescribably epic. Sadly I missed seeing Be Bop Deluxe live in the 70's because Bill Nelson intentionally broke them up. I saw Bill Nelson live at a club in Hollywood (Roxy?) solo, in the eary 80's and it was a religious experience. Long live Bill Nelson, and thank you Praxis for the terrific post!
I discovered Be-Bop Deluxe on the radio in Spokane, Washington, in the States. Live In The Air Age was my first and favorite album of theirs. As so much of Bill's music is visually stunning, how are they not on sound tracks of movies and shows?
My oh my, I was a college radio DJ in the late '70's, pulled Live! In The Air Age off the studio racks (no one played it) and thought "wow, cool, Metropolus album cover!" , laid the stylus on the white vinyl and BOOM! never looked back!! Here's the strange thing: I totally overlooked their next albums and lost track of Bill Nelson for the next 35+ years until I recently rediscovered his output via his bandcamp channel! WOW! And then the release of the Air Age tour complete shows last November! DOUBLE WOW! 20:19 ... "it's cool, it's quirky..." and it has a naked woman on the cover!!!
Start with the live in the AirAge album (I have the white vinyl version w black EP) and work your way back and forward in time from there if you don't know Be Bop Deluxe or Bill Nelson. I saw them open for Blue Oyster Cult in Boston and they blew the opener away IMO. Quality of the entire set (and a short one) was at or above the energy of the headliners few "Hits" in a long set.
Bought Futurama 50 years ago,still one of my favourite LP's never ages ! Bill Nelson one of the best guitarists ever. an incredible player. Music in Dreamland, Sister Seagull, Maid in Heaven just a few of my favourites,crank them up to 11, sit back and listen to a Maestro at work.
I followed Bill Nelson since Axe Victim through his present-day recordings. Bill Nelson is the single greatest all around rock musician and electric guitarist ever. Take it to the bank.
I was a huge fan of BBD starting in1976 when a friend played the Axe Victim album for me… Immediately went to the local record store In Tucson, Az and purchased Futurma and it quickly became my favorite album. Thanks for this great and in depth review. Looking forward to more like this!
Thanks so much for watching! I first heard this song (and BBD) on a 'prog rock' compilation CD (which introduced me to loads of brilliant music). I've been a fan ever since, and have some BBD LPs hanging up on my wall to this day!
Live in Tucson...and did back then...Only me and a close friend knew who they were because of the Bowie sound and style connection. Made the journey to Phoenix to watch them open for Lou Reed. Based on I witnessed...It was clear who should have been the headliner. Left in the middle of Reed's performance and drove back home...still was in high school...Lou Reed was no reason to be late for class or miss school. Saw Red Noise at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 1981, with the guys who were in Green on Red, who had just moved there.
My friend likes to say "Charles Tumahai is the greatest Maori bassist ever. Of course he's the only Maori bassist ever!" RIP. I'm a big fan of all of it. Drastic Plastic is a gem
Love Bill and Be Bop. Bill is such a phenomenal and shamefully underrated guitarist. Had tickets to see them back in the mid '70s in upstate New York. Sadly, it was winter time and the equipment truck was in an accident and the show was cancelled. They never came back around again. 😢
I was fortunate to attended three Bee Bop Deluxe concerts back in the 70s. The final one in Hempstead, NY. I also got to see Bill Nelson's Red Noise (I think at NYC's Palladium (formerly known as the Academy of Music). Great music!
A track by Bill Nelson worth listening to is "For Stuart". It's available on TH-cam. It is a guitar piece that he composed for and played at the tribute concert for the late Stuart Adamson of Big Country. Bill Nelson's ability to extract both exquisite tone and melody from a guitar is sublime. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.
Having been a teenager at the time, one could see the Bowie influence in BBD but then Bowie was influenced by Marc Bolan and between them they influenced most UK pop music from about 1972 so you can't hold that against them 🙂 Modern Music is my favourite BBD album. I love the flow between the feel of all the tracks and "Down on Terminal Street" for me is an absolute classic. Long live Be Bop Deluxe.
I was asked what band had the consistently best albums and the answer is Be Bop Deluxe and that is because there was no filler song on any album. My foray into BBD was hearing Crying to the sky at 2:00 in the morning and the glorious solo at the last!
In '75 I saw Be Bop Deluxe open up for Thin Lizzy in a smaller venue in Chicago. They were touring Sunburst which had just been released. The next day I went and bought their first three albums. The were incredibly good and tight in concert. Many years later I was able to pickup a CD of that show.
Truly underappreciated. Had the great fortune to see BBD live in Boston in the late 1970s as the opening act for Blue Oyster Cult (another underrated band ). Such a tight ensemble. Bill and Charlie (RIP) interaction was priceless. Lyrics, arrangements and Bill Nelson's guitar! The BBC videos capture their magic. Live in the Air Age was recently re-issued. A great start if you want to know more about the band.
Probably saw the same basic show in Madison in 1976. Bill and Charlie had an awesome chemistry...Charlie could go from rock to funk on bass at the drop of a dime, and he had the swag as well! I think of that period and I would have to say that 2 of the tightest, smoothest axe handlers in that era were Bill and Peter Frampton...."I would give anything to see Bill Nelson and Peter Frampton exchange licks on "Lines On my Face"
Spot on very underrated and had the privilege of seeing them live on numerous occasions and Bill Nelson must be one of the most underrated guitarists ever
Good Day from New York City, the Fourth of July, I appreciate your love of this great and under appreciated band. "Live! In The Air Age" charted at here in the United States at #65 while "Modern Music" was their highest charting studio album here charting at #88. "Sunburst Finish" peaked at #96 and "Drastic Plastic" at #95.
When I was a teen in '78 in Winnipeg, Sister Seagull was one of the staple tracks of high-school rock bands. The extended jazz-rock-inflected instrumental track "Shine" on Live In The Air Age is a great document of their musicianship, and Bill Nelson's tasty guitar prowess.
I've discovered this song thanks to you, and it's strange, it's like if ABBA did a song with The Specials and got its lyrics from The Doobie Brothers, and yet it works to great effect.
Saw them in their early days as a pub band at the ‘Duke’ in Hull. Still play all the albums weekly and very much a 70’s (age) fan with Crying to the Sky my favourite track.
So 1979 San Francisco Bay Area in high school English class we were asked to bring in our favorite song to discuss the lyrics. One classmate brought in KC and the Sunshine Band. "That's the Way I like it Uh, Uh, " So you know what I was up against. I brought in this song and it was like I was from another planet. The teacher cut me off at the sax solo at the end...
I saw BBD October 1977 in Toronto. The opening act was another great under rated band on their first North American trip. City Boy another great under rated British band
I was at that concert too. I remember Steve Broughton of City Boy asking the audience if he could take a picture of them clapping for the band at the end of their performance. If I remember correctly he said it was the first show of their first North American tour. He was so overwhelmed by the audience's enthusiastic reception for the band that he wanted to take a photo so he could show his Mum when he returned to England. Be Bop Deluxe then took to the stage and just blew everyone away. Charlie Tumahai was particularly animated, dancing around the stage full of energy a big smile on his face. When Bill went into his extended solo during Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape the only sound that you could hear from the audience was the sound of jaws hitting the floor. It was an extraordinary performance and an unforgettable concert. It was held in the Seneca College fieldhouse, a smaller more intimate venue than an arena or stadium so the sound was very good. Saw Be Bop Deluxe again in Toronto in May of 1978 when they opened for Nazareth at Maple Leaf Gardens but the acoustics were terrible. The Gardens was never a good place to see a band.
Nice one! Other bands from that era that went relatively unknown were Thin Lizzy with their charismatic front man Phil Lynott. And then as we go into post punk era, The Comsat Angels, heralding from Sheffield. Their first 3 albums, Waiting For A Miracle, Sleep No More and Fiction are some of the greatest unknown albums in musical history and well worth tracking down. Thank you.
They split the difference and fell through the gap. Originally marketed as glam they were art rock. He quotes Cocteau inside the jacket, not to see art as an occupation but a priesthood. The glam was tongue in cheek. The back of Axe victim has one of the glamiest photos ever but the first BBD lyric is... You came to watch the band to see us play our parts we hoped You,d lend an ear you hoped we'd dress like tarts. Night creatures is a commentary on the glam experience as is Jet Silver. Now Darkness should be the long outro to a Loki movie as they roll the cr credits.
I first discovered Be-Bop Deluxe from a compilation album I bought featuring proto-punk songs that obviously then went on to inspire the punk movement and it featured the track ‘Blazing Apostles’ I’d never heard of the band before but my dad told me how Bill Nelson was a guitar virtuoso Fast forward a decade & I now own in my collection a prized first edition vinyl of Sunburst Finish, a truly underrated band!
Thanks for watching! I'm sure I underrated their 70s success - all I can go by today is their chart success, and what I can read about online. Being born in 1990 means it's all a little second hand unfortunately
By 1976, I knew at least a dozen Americans who were acquainted with BBD. Sunburst Finish was their breakthrough album in my part of the country, Gainesville, Florida. Some tracks off Modern Music were played on the Univ. of Florida radio station, WUFR. The group did open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on several dates in 1977, none of them in Florida! At least I have six treasured albums as reminders of their greatness.
Bill Nelson was undoubtedly an under-rated musical genius....quirky time signatures....subtle but not overblown harmonies.....just listen to "Sleep that burns" & see if you agree
Why didn't BBD strike it big? Those of us in the USA who played guitar in the '70s were well aware of Bill Nelson and many of my musician friends loved BBD like I did (and do still). But in the USA in the absence of strong marketing support from the record company it sometimes takes several albums and a lot of touring to gain the kind of following that creates superstardom. Witness Genesis, as an example. They had several albums out before they got a big hit single with "Misunderstanding." I have always felt that BBD was on the verge of USA success had they done another album and tour after Drastic Plastic, but then Bill changed direction and went into the electronica thing. Of course, he has said in many interviews that he didn't want to be seen as another guitar hero and he became interested in the punk/new wave movement, so that may have been partial motivation for dissolving BBD. I suspect there are a lot of folks like me who wished Bill would've continued BBD. Btw, my cover band played Ships in the Night, Maid In Heaven, and Sister Seagull and they always went over great with our audiences.
Thanks for watching! And for the thoughtful reply. I think you may be right that they could've seen some success stateside had they continued - shame they didn't! But Bill's still put out loads of great music either way.
Yes Randy Rhoads was , brought up the album " Sunburst Finish " in an interview . Thanks to Randy Rhoads I have since 85" been listening to Bebop Deluxe, . Sunburst Finish is great material.
I'm a big BBD since I heard Axe Victim in 1974. I'm from California. Saw them in 1976 when they opened for Kiss at the Forum. My favorite BBD song is Modern Music.
They were a truly talented outfit. In fact I think they were way too good to achieve the commercial success they deserved but certainly didn't crave. Another factor was timing. Punk rock was breaking on to the scene and before long, bands like Be-Bop Deluxe became easy targets for the spiky haired rebels who would label just about all established bands as BOF's (boring old farts). There was in fact a modicum of truth in this but I think BBD were unfairly swept up in the whole business. Enjoyed this video - good to hear your opinions.
Bebop and Bill Nelson did amazing things and Bill's solo instrumental music is astounding. Listen to Crying to the Sky off Sunburst Finish, totally perfect guitar rock.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR BE BOP BILL PODCAST 😂 WENT TO THE GIG IN MANCHESTER WHEN BILL AND THE BAND CAME DOWN ON STAGE IN GLASS TUBES,,,,,, HONEST TO GOD IT WAS BRILLIANT,,,,, TRACK CRIYIG TO THE SKY WAS FABULOUS TALK ABOUT ROBIN TROWER HENDIRIX CLAPTON ❤
Was that the show at the Celebrity Theater (in Phoenix) where the Jam opened for them? I believe that tour was in support of the Drastic Plastic album.
I wasn't really into music as a child in the 70s, but my older brother was and he had several Be Bop Deluxe albums. When he went out to the youth club I would listen to his record collection, and Be Bop Deluxe became a firm favourite. Fast forward about 30 years and I would go to watch a tribute band called 'Sunburst Deluxe' whenever they played in York. It was great to hear the music played live by competent musicians. I think that band eventually broke up as I don't think they had Bill Nelson's approval.
A welcome video. I was too young to be into them when they were out, …think I was into Thunderbirds reruns or just starting to daringly get into ‘Comics’,( you have to actually start to try and read the words). I saw him live in the early to mid 2000’s and his music was still brilliant and still very arty. His guitar playing was still incredible.
Followed them since the early 70’s back to his solo album Northern Dreams when Nelson was doing small pubs, when I was too young to go into a pub but sat outside listening to the music. Nelson a guitar genius whose playing could stand up against any guitarist.
Thanks for your analysis. I watched Bill and Bebop from their original line-up in 74 through to 77.Got their albums 2,3,4 on the day of release. Yes, there was Bowie bandwagoning with Jet Silver etc, but at the time the thing that blew in the audience `s minds was simply the guitar playing. He bundled it into an arty prog/glam packet, but to watch the guy play close-up was just extraordinary and mind-boggling. In those days when guitar heroes were gods it was obvious that he was in the pantheon. However, the timing was bad. Glam and prog didn`t survive the punk thing, Bill tried to go new-wavey but just hadn`t quite got enough sales under his belt by then. That`s life. Chance, right place/right time, luck, fate or whatever else you want to call it cannot be discounted!! 🎸
Sunburst Finish is one of my favourite albums. After Be Bop Deluxe broke up, Charlie Tumahai formed a band called Tandoori Cassette. One of their concerts in Manchester supporting Wild Horses led to the worst hangover I have ever had in my life!!! 😆
I saw these guy's way back in 1975......in a small pub in Dagenham of all places......I was only 15 and got "asked" to leave as I was underage ......but I'd seen enough to become a lifelong fan.....Bill Nelson is a criminaly underrated guitarist 🎸
Great story! Glad you managed to see some of the gig! Did you ever get to see them live after that? And yes, he's a massively underrated guitar player! Thanks for watching
Been one of my favorites since the 1970s when they came out with Nelson as perhaps the most extremely overlooked guitarist and established his own unique style of sound, playing, and riffs....YES! 😂
One of my favorite bands (even here in America LOL) first came across them being played on the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Modern Music is still a classic ! Also Bill’s Red Noise and subsequent million solo releases.
I saw Be Bop back in 76 at the Great British Rock Festival in Olympia, I never thought there was any connection to David Bowie sound. I wasn’t much of a Bowie fan back then, but I was blown away by the sound of BBD, amazing guitar work.
'Crying to the sky' on sunburst finish, is probably the heaviest guitar sound ever recorded on guitar.
I was fortunate to see be bop several times when they were a pub band.
Bill is still playing today, and still an amazing guitarist in his 70's.
I was a bit too young for BBD, punk was my thing but about 20 years ago I got into Bill. Maid in Heaven has one of the greatest intros ever. I would love to bump into him on the streets of York one day.
Old guy from New York here. BBD was always being listened to over here. I still play the crap out of live in the airage a lot. Thanks for a really good video. Happy new year!
One of my best high school friends got me into Be Bop Deluxe back in the 70s. I never thought of them as Bowie-like. I wasn’t even into Bowie until his Berlin stuff.
love Be bop deluxe ! Bill Nelson is one of the greatest guitarist ever, The live version of adventures in a Yorkshire landscape guitar solo the best i’ve ever heard!
Yep - Still have my white vinyl pressing.
Took a minute for me to forgive my mom for dragging me to Europe that summer/fall for a semester abroad - since it meant that I missed the US dates for Live! In The Air Age that my brother attended at the Santa Monica Civic.
(With Petty and the Heartbreakers for openers, no less!)
Oh well - life's full of little trade offs. Caught (a mostly unknown) Clash at the Rainbow Theatre that June as we arrived in London and the Buzzcocks at the Marquee two months later.
Yes, all his guitar work on LITAA was brilliant!
Bill is the greatest guitarist of all time and one of the greatest composer of all time. A musical genius.
@@user-bl5jr5vz6i I get that a lot! Thanks for watching!
Very deserving tribute to a band that should be recognized by so many British Artists that were obviously influenced by them; Cocteau Twins, Duran Duran, and Oasis to name a few.
I saw them in October 1976 in Madison with Blue Oyster Cult. I was 16 yrs old, and little did I realize at that time that this concert would be remembered as one of my all time favorites..... So memeorable....Like I was there last week. Charlie Tumahai was one of the most underrated bassists, as well as Bill Nelson.
Bill was a massive influence on Stuart Adamson who went on to form Skids and later Big Country. Its very evident in his playing , and Nelson went on to produce Skids' album " Days in Europa".
After Adamson's death , Nelson penned a tribute piece "For Stuart".
I have all the albums, including an import of Axe Victim I special ordered. Bill is an outstanding musician.
You never hear about this band. I've been listening to their albums and Bill's solo albums today. Great to cover them. Hopefully other listeners will take notice of what they missed.
Absolutely! Super underrated band, and I do hope they one day get the attention they deserve.
Thanks for watching 😊
Bill Nelson is an eclectic rock music genius. Period. End of story. "Modern Music" stands among my favorites, but I have several of their albums and they all are keepers! The term "underrated" is generally overused, but it absolutely applies here.
My favorite band ever! Saw them 3 times..im so lucky😂 ❤ Rednoise was great too!!
I have been into Be Bop Deluxe since they first appeared in 1974. I have all their singles and albums. All tremendous musicians and Bill Nelson's guitaring amazing. In the early 70s man had not long gone to the moon and we were starting to see sci fi films/programmes on tv for the first time, It was not jumping on the band wagon people were only just becoming aware of sci-fi etc so it was very new so music started to reflect this. Star Trek was reshown on UK tv and that was when it really took off.
My brother LOVED this band when we were kids back in the 1970's... we would walk home from school with an old "ghetto blaster" playing"Ships in the Night" at max volume. My brother was the ONLY kid who loved this band even back in the day and his mates would call him "BeBop"... great memories!
"Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape" from 'Live! In the Air Age' is, IMHO, one of THE greatest live guitar performances of the Rock genre. Bill's phrasing and improvisation during his solos are simply beyond the imagination of mortal men. Andy Clark's Fender Rhodes work on this cut is SO tasteful and complimentary to Bill's guitar. The whole band is simply fabulous. I consider myself blessed to have seen Be Bop twice in the later '70's at the height of their powers, and they were nothing short of sensational.
Agree on all fronts, and was lucky enough to meet them on the Modern Music Tour. Lovely guys all of them. Bill still making great albums to this day!
The version of AIAYLS on the Live Metropolis in London 2010 album is even better than the LITAA version.
I was raised on BBD - I have virtually everything by Bill Nelson since 1971 Northern Dream to todays guitar/electronica 🎵♥️
Hello Mr. Praxis and thank you for making this BBD video. My favorite album by far is LIVE In The Air Age. I recently purchased the 15 CD/ 1 DVD DELUXE BOX Set of LITAA. It is easily one of the greatest collections of concert tracks I've ever heard...probably now in my TOP 5 LiVES ever!!!!!!! These great concerts were recorded during their early 1977 Tour and used to cull enough music to create LITAA. If anyone loves Bill Nelson's BBD era, there are now Deluxe versions of the 5 studio albums too!!! The previously unreleased BBC (John Peel) tracks alone are excellent, but alas there are more rarities, demos and early versions of BBD songs and they boggle the mind considering how long they've been in cold storage. All of it, even demos and rarities , both Live and studio performances give the listener the truth: That BBD were an INCREDIBLE BAND and Bill Nelson was an INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN and too few people have even heard all of their greatness....until now, if they are lucky enough!!!!!!!!
Nelson is a LEGEND. His recent stuff is amazing too….
I loved the fact that no one else had heard of them . They were my secret.
Oh no - am I ruining it by putting the word out? Haha ;) Thanks for watching
I am an old 80's metalhead guitarist and I absolutely worship at the altar of Bill Nelson. Your video is spot on and LONG overdue! Every rock player should listen to Live In The Air Age, especially on headphones. And the different tones and solos...god gawd! True story: back in the mid 80's my old band were good friends with and shared a rehearsal room with a now well known metal band, and a certain infamous red-headed guitarist/singer and I were partying at my place, and I put on the live version of Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape. Told him that this was my favorite guitar solo. Needless to say he was blown away. No one was very familiar with Be Bop Deluxe back then and I felt that they were all mine! Their music is indescribably epic. Sadly I missed seeing Be Bop Deluxe live in the 70's because Bill Nelson intentionally broke them up. I saw Bill Nelson live at a club in Hollywood (Roxy?) solo, in the eary 80's and it was a religious experience. Long live Bill Nelson, and thank you Praxis for the terrific post!
I'm American and listened to BBD in 1976. I was 16. My friend turned me onto them. Glam was underappreciated.
I discovered Be-Bop Deluxe on the radio in Spokane, Washington, in the States. Live In The Air Age was my first and favorite album of theirs. As so much of Bill's music is visually stunning, how are they not on sound tracks of movies and shows?
My oh my, I was a college radio DJ in the late '70's, pulled Live! In The Air Age off the studio racks (no one played it) and thought "wow, cool, Metropolus album cover!" , laid the stylus on the white vinyl and BOOM! never looked back!! Here's the strange thing: I totally overlooked their next albums and lost track of Bill Nelson for the next 35+ years until I recently rediscovered his output via his bandcamp channel! WOW! And then the release of the Air Age tour complete shows last November! DOUBLE WOW!
20:19 ... "it's cool, it's quirky..." and it has a naked woman on the cover!!!
Thanks for watching!
They were the very first band I saw live. Absolutely loved them and still listen to them today..
I’m 71, one of my favorite bands in the 70’s
Start with the live in the AirAge album (I have the white vinyl version w black EP) and work your way back and forward in time from there if you don't know Be Bop Deluxe or Bill Nelson.
I saw them open for Blue Oyster Cult in Boston and they blew the opener away IMO. Quality of the entire set (and a short one) was at or above the energy of the headliners few "Hits" in a long set.
Bought Futurama 50 years ago,still one of my favourite LP's never ages ! Bill Nelson one of the best guitarists ever. an incredible player. Music in Dreamland, Sister Seagull, Maid in Heaven just a few of my favourites,crank them up to 11, sit back and listen to a Maestro at work.
That solo at the end of 'Soundtrack' though.
Great Band and Sunburst Finish is one of the best album covers of all time!
I followed Bill Nelson since Axe Victim through his present-day recordings. Bill Nelson is the single greatest all around rock musician and electric guitarist ever. Take it to the bank.
I was a huge fan of BBD starting in1976 when a friend played the Axe Victim album for me… Immediately went to the local record store In Tucson, Az and purchased Futurma and it quickly became my favorite album. Thanks for this great and in depth review. Looking forward to more like this!
Thanks so much for watching! I first heard this song (and BBD) on a 'prog rock' compilation CD (which introduced me to loads of brilliant music). I've been a fan ever since, and have some BBD LPs hanging up on my wall to this day!
Bro. I bought a used copy of Axe Victim from Zips records in Tucson when it was located at the UofA main gate!
Live in Tucson...and did back then...Only me and a close friend knew who they were because of the Bowie sound and style connection. Made the journey to Phoenix to watch them open for Lou Reed. Based on I witnessed...It was clear who should have been the headliner. Left in the middle of Reed's performance and drove back home...still was in high school...Lou Reed was no reason to be late for class or miss school. Saw Red Noise at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 1981, with the guys who were in Green on Red, who had just moved there.
My friend likes to say "Charles Tumahai is the greatest Maori bassist ever. Of course he's the only Maori bassist ever!" RIP. I'm a big fan of all of it. Drastic Plastic is a gem
Love Bill and Be Bop. Bill is such a phenomenal and shamefully underrated guitarist. Had tickets to see them back in the mid '70s in upstate New York. Sadly, it was winter time and the equipment truck was in an accident and the show was cancelled. They never came back around again. 😢
They’re one of the bands I regret never seeing live. I wish there were more concert videos of them available.
I was fortunate to attended three Bee Bop Deluxe concerts back in the 70s. The final one in Hempstead, NY. I also got to see Bill Nelson's Red Noise (I think at NYC's Palladium (formerly known as the Academy of Music). Great music!
A track by Bill Nelson worth listening to is "For Stuart". It's available on TH-cam. It is a guitar piece that he composed for and played at the tribute concert for the late Stuart Adamson of Big Country. Bill Nelson's ability to extract both exquisite tone and melody from a guitar is sublime. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.
Love all Bills music class underated all his career
It's so good,and a fitting tribute to Stuart.
A forever lover of Bill Nelson, & Be-Bop Deluxe. One of the greatest tracks they ever recorded was, "Jets at Dawn".
The coming of rock n roll through the 50's and the jet age after the end of WW2, fabulous song, great extended version on the Axe Victim box set.
Having been a teenager at the time, one could see the Bowie influence in BBD but then Bowie was influenced by Marc Bolan and between them they influenced most UK pop music from about 1972 so you can't hold that against them 🙂 Modern Music is my favourite BBD album. I love the flow between the feel of all the tracks and "Down on Terminal Street" for me is an absolute classic.
Long live Be Bop Deluxe.
'October Man' and 'Adventures in a Yorkshire landscape'. Masterpieces.
I saw them perform 3 times and they were tremendous.
I was asked what band had the consistently best albums and the answer is Be Bop Deluxe and that is because there was no filler song on any album.
My foray into BBD was hearing Crying to the sky at 2:00 in the morning and the glorious solo at the last!
'Death drives a dreamless highway in a black sedan ' - one of the best openers in music history . Blazing Apostles - God level song.
Great lyric! Thanks for watching :D
In '75 I saw Be Bop Deluxe open up for Thin Lizzy in a smaller venue in Chicago. They were touring Sunburst which had just been released. The next day I went and bought their first three albums. The were incredibly good and tight in concert. Many years later I was able to pickup a CD of that show.
Truly underappreciated. Had the great fortune to see BBD live in Boston in the late 1970s as the opening act for Blue Oyster Cult (another underrated band ). Such a tight ensemble. Bill and Charlie (RIP) interaction was priceless. Lyrics, arrangements and Bill Nelson's guitar! The BBC videos capture their magic. Live in the Air Age was recently re-issued. A great start if you want to know more about the band.
Totally agree. Thanks for watching! :)
Probably saw the same basic show in Madison in 1976. Bill and Charlie had an awesome chemistry...Charlie could go from rock to funk on bass at the drop of a dime, and he had the swag as well! I think of that period and I would have to say that 2 of the tightest, smoothest axe handlers in that era were Bill and Peter Frampton...."I would give anything to see Bill Nelson and Peter Frampton exchange licks on "Lines On my Face"
Saw them live in the Dundee Caird Hall in 1976 and they blew me away
I was there too!!!!!!! ❤
Love them so much bought all the albums Bill Nelson one of the Greatest👍
This guitar does not lie! Bill Nelson a master.
Spot on very underrated and had the privilege of seeing them live on numerous occasions and Bill Nelson must be one of the most underrated guitarists ever
Good Day from New York City, the Fourth of July, I appreciate your love of this great and under appreciated band. "Live! In The Air Age" charted at here in the United States at #65 while "Modern Music" was their highest charting studio album here charting at #88. "Sunburst Finish" peaked at #96 and "Drastic Plastic" at #95.
I love them, saw them, got all their albums and still play them. Try Blazing Apostles for size.
Bill lived round the corner from me . Saw them live in Wakefield.
When I was a teen in '78 in Winnipeg, Sister Seagull was one of the staple tracks of high-school rock bands. The extended jazz-rock-inflected instrumental track "Shine" on Live In The Air Age is a great document of their musicianship, and Bill Nelson's tasty guitar prowess.
I've discovered this song thanks to you, and it's strange, it's like if ABBA did a song with The Specials and got its lyrics from The Doobie Brothers, and yet it works to great effect.
... you're 100% right. That's exactly what it sounds like!
You can write my scripts from now on! 😉
Been a huge fan since they started. I was in a cover band mainly playing prog covers. We played the entire Sunburst Finish album.
❤
Old guy from the US west Coast here listened all the time only saw them once on tour Sooooo many good bands then
Saw them in their early days as a pub band at the ‘Duke’ in Hull. Still play all the albums weekly and very much a 70’s (age) fan with Crying to the Sky my favourite track.
All of the box sets are amazing. The surround mixes are eye opening.
Used to follow be bop allover in the 70 ti's supurb one of the best gigs for me fairways in Leeds Sunday afternoon
So 1979 San Francisco Bay Area in high school English class we were asked to bring in our favorite song to discuss the lyrics. One classmate brought in KC and the Sunshine Band. "That's the Way I like it Uh, Uh, " So you know what I was up against. I brought in this song and it was like I was from another planet. The teacher cut me off at the sax solo at the end...
Bill and the boys bring me back to my salad days.Such sweet memories of youth.
Drastic Plastic is one of all my time favourite albums. I bought it on Vinyl in 1978. Bill Nelson's Red Noise's Sound on Sound is also a superb album.
I saw BBD October 1977 in Toronto. The opening act was another great under rated band on their first North American trip. City Boy another great under rated British band
I remember hearing the radio ads for that concert on CFNY. Wish I had gone!
I was at that concert too. I remember Steve Broughton of City Boy asking the audience if he could take a picture of them clapping for the band at the end of their performance. If I remember correctly he said it was the first show of their first North American tour. He was so overwhelmed by the audience's enthusiastic reception for the band that he wanted to take a photo so he could show his Mum when he returned to England.
Be Bop Deluxe then took to the stage and just blew everyone away. Charlie Tumahai was particularly animated, dancing around the stage full of energy a big smile on his face. When Bill went into his extended solo during Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape the only sound that you could hear from the audience was the sound of jaws hitting the floor. It was an extraordinary performance and an unforgettable concert. It was held in the Seneca College fieldhouse, a smaller more intimate venue than an arena or stadium so the sound was very good. Saw Be Bop Deluxe again in Toronto in May of 1978 when they opened for Nazareth at Maple Leaf Gardens but the acoustics were terrible. The Gardens was never a good place to see a band.
Dinner At The Ritz is a favorite of mine. What great harmonies!
Nice one! Other bands from that era that went relatively unknown were Thin Lizzy with their charismatic front man Phil Lynott.
And then as we go into post punk era, The Comsat Angels, heralding from Sheffield. Their first 3 albums, Waiting For A Miracle, Sleep No More and Fiction are some of the greatest unknown albums in musical history and well worth tracking down. Thank you.
love the instrumental “ shine “ from live in the air age
They split the difference and fell through the gap. Originally marketed as glam they were art rock. He quotes Cocteau inside the jacket, not to see art as an occupation but a priesthood. The glam was tongue in cheek. The back of Axe victim has one of the glamiest photos ever but the first BBD lyric is... You came to watch the band to see us play our parts we hoped You,d lend an ear you hoped we'd dress like tarts. Night creatures is a commentary on the glam experience as is Jet Silver. Now Darkness should be the long outro to a Loki movie as they roll the cr credits.
Beatbox Deluxe was one of the greatest bands ever! I can't believe how overlooked they were! Live in the air age is the best example of them
I first discovered Be-Bop Deluxe from a compilation album I bought featuring proto-punk songs that obviously then went on to inspire the punk movement and it featured the track ‘Blazing Apostles’ I’d never heard of the band before but my dad told me how Bill Nelson was a guitar virtuoso
Fast forward a decade & I now own in my collection a prized first edition vinyl of Sunburst Finish, a truly underrated band!
BBD had a strong following the USA. I saw them on several tours and the places were always packed.
Thanks for watching! I'm sure I underrated their 70s success - all I can go by today is their chart success, and what I can read about online. Being born in 1990 means it's all a little second hand unfortunately
By 1976, I knew at least a dozen Americans who were acquainted with BBD. Sunburst Finish was their breakthrough album in my part of the country, Gainesville, Florida. Some tracks off Modern Music were played on the Univ. of Florida radio station, WUFR. The group did open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on several dates in 1977, none of them in Florida! At least I have six treasured albums as reminders of their greatness.
Bill Nelson was undoubtedly an under-rated musical genius....quirky time signatures....subtle but not overblown harmonies.....just listen to "Sleep that burns" & see if you agree
One of the best bands ever .. I’ve been a fan since 76. Along with Thinlizzy . My two most favourite bands
Why didn't BBD strike it big? Those of us in the USA who played guitar in the '70s were well aware of Bill Nelson and many of my musician friends loved BBD like I did (and do still). But in the USA in the absence of strong marketing support from the record company it sometimes takes several albums and a lot of touring to gain the kind of following that creates superstardom. Witness Genesis, as an example. They had several albums out before they got a big hit single with "Misunderstanding." I have always felt that BBD was on the verge of USA success had they done another album and tour after Drastic Plastic, but then Bill changed direction and went into the electronica thing. Of course, he has said in many interviews that he didn't want to be seen as another guitar hero and he became interested in the punk/new wave movement, so that may have been partial motivation for dissolving BBD. I suspect there are a lot of folks like me who wished Bill would've continued BBD. Btw, my cover band played Ships in the Night, Maid In Heaven, and Sister Seagull and they always went over great with our audiences.
Thanks for watching! And for the thoughtful reply. I think you may be right that they could've seen some success stateside had they continued - shame they didn't! But Bill's still put out loads of great music either way.
The played with bad company and Nazareth bill Nelson Sumer salted on to stage great band
The Contrarians brought me here. First heard of them today 1.21.24. Randy Rhoads was a fan?
Yes Randy Rhoads was , brought up the album " Sunburst Finish " in an interview . Thanks to Randy Rhoads I have since 85" been listening to Bebop Deluxe, . Sunburst Finish is great material.
Mill st junction on LITAA second solo is mind blowing
Indeed it is! Thanks for watching :)
Great band got into them when a was 15 now 63 very underrated band also liked his solo stuff came from north Yorkshire Nelson was a great guitarist
Saw BBD on their Live! In the Air Age US tour at the Santa Monica Civic. Been a fan ever since.
I love this band so much long time , im from Russia
The Whistle Test footage is the best I've ever seen.
I'm a big BBD since I heard Axe Victim in 1974. I'm from California. Saw them in 1976 when they opened for Kiss at the Forum. My favorite BBD song is Modern Music.
They were a truly talented outfit. In fact I think they were way too good to achieve the commercial success they deserved but certainly didn't crave. Another factor was timing. Punk rock was breaking on to the scene and before long, bands like Be-Bop Deluxe became easy targets for the spiky haired rebels who would label just about all established bands as BOF's (boring old farts). There was in fact a modicum of truth in this but I think BBD were unfairly swept up in the whole business. Enjoyed this video - good to hear your opinions.
I agree!
Bebop and Bill Nelson did amazing things and Bill's solo instrumental music is astounding. Listen to Crying to the Sky off Sunburst Finish, totally perfect guitar rock.
Always loved them
Bill is genius guitar hero
I saw them twice in the 1970's, Bill Nelson is a monster on guitar!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR BE BOP BILL PODCAST 😂 WENT TO THE GIG IN MANCHESTER WHEN BILL AND THE BAND CAME DOWN ON STAGE IN GLASS TUBES,,,,,, HONEST TO GOD IT WAS BRILLIANT,,,,, TRACK CRIYIG TO THE SKY WAS FABULOUS TALK ABOUT ROBIN TROWER HENDIRIX CLAPTON ❤
I live in Arizona and this was one of my favorite bands In the mid 70s. I got to see them live and what a show!
Was that the show at the Celebrity Theater (in Phoenix) where the Jam opened for them? I believe that tour was in support of the Drastic Plastic album.
@@mabeldogbones8204 Saw that tour in SF at Winterland.
I wasn't really into music as a child in the 70s, but my older brother was and he had several Be Bop Deluxe albums. When he went out to the youth club I would listen to his record collection, and Be Bop Deluxe became a firm favourite. Fast forward about 30 years and I would go to watch a tribute band called 'Sunburst Deluxe' whenever they played in York. It was great to hear the music played live by competent musicians. I think that band eventually broke up as I don't think they had Bill Nelson's approval.
A welcome video. I was too young to be into them when they were out, …think I was into Thunderbirds reruns or just starting to daringly get into ‘Comics’,( you have to actually start to try and read the words).
I saw him live in the early to mid 2000’s and his music was still brilliant and still very arty. His guitar playing was still incredible.
Followed them since the early 70’s back to his solo album Northern Dreams when Nelson was doing small pubs, when I was too young to go into a pub but sat outside listening to the music.
Nelson a guitar genius whose playing could stand up against any guitarist.
Thanks for your analysis.
I watched Bill and Bebop from their original line-up in 74 through to 77.Got their albums 2,3,4 on the day of release.
Yes, there was Bowie bandwagoning with Jet Silver etc, but at the time the thing that blew in the audience `s minds was simply the guitar playing. He bundled it into an arty prog/glam packet, but to watch the guy play close-up was just extraordinary and mind-boggling. In those days when guitar heroes were gods it was obvious that he was in the pantheon.
However, the timing was bad. Glam and prog didn`t survive the punk thing, Bill tried to go new-wavey but just hadn`t quite got enough sales under his belt by then.
That`s life.
Chance, right place/right time, luck, fate or whatever else you want to call it cannot be discounted!! 🎸
Absolutely. Fortunately I caught on around 1976
We listened to them in the 70’s in southern California! Loved them! I have Axe Victim and Modern Music!
Bill's my fave 70's guitarist
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands with one of my favorite band names ❤ !!!!
It's great, isn't it! :) Thanks for watching
Saw them twice in concert plus saw Bill once.
Sunburst Finish is one of my favourite albums.
After Be Bop Deluxe broke up, Charlie Tumahai formed a band called Tandoori Cassette. One of their concerts in Manchester supporting Wild Horses led to the worst hangover I have ever had in my life!!! 😆
I saw these guy's way back in 1975......in a small pub in Dagenham of all places......I was only 15 and got "asked" to leave as I was underage ......but I'd seen enough to become a lifelong fan.....Bill Nelson is a criminaly underrated guitarist 🎸
Great story! Glad you managed to see some of the gig! Did you ever get to see them live after that?
And yes, he's a massively underrated guitar player! Thanks for watching
Yes I saw them a few times after that.....always amazing.
It's one of my favorite 70s bands ever!
Been one of my favorites since the 1970s when they came out with Nelson as perhaps the most extremely overlooked guitarist and established his own unique style of sound, playing, and riffs....YES! 😂
Love Be Bop Deluxe!
One of my favorite bands (even here in America LOL) first came across them being played on the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Modern Music is still a classic ! Also Bill’s Red Noise and subsequent million solo releases.
I;m a little surprised that when comparing BBD to other glam style bands that Roxy Music didn't come up. Peace
Roxy alot more commercial: :::their stand out son for me is MOTHER OF PEARL
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