"Ships in the Night" was the first song that I heard by Be-Bop Deluxe, on FM radio. Like jsayers, a local station played the entire Live! In the Air Age album. Then when I worked at SOOTO Records here in Shreveport, they had a copy (on white vinyl) that I would often play in store.
Axe Victim failed to chart in the U.K., and I have found no evidence that it charted even in the lowest reaches of Billboard's Top 200 LPs.
He tried a couple of times and apparently came really close once, but then Charlie died and it was moot. He made an album out of the intended BBD comeback demo's and, as usual with Bill, his demo's would be anybody elses finished songs. The record - Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars - is very good. It's not all BBD stuff but you can sure tell when he shifts into that mode.
I think that was one of their higher charting songs here in the US. Bill has nothing good to say about that particular song. Just a mention of it can set him off on the boards. I guess that's pretty common - a song you don't particularly like becomes popular and then you have to play it every night. I can see where that would get to you after awhile.
This is interesting. I bought 'Live! In the Air Age' on release (on vinyl). It sounded rubbish. Dull in some areas, tinny in others. The mix seemed all over the place. Couldn't warm to it and stuck with the studio albums. Only 3 weeks ago I finally got a cd copy and it sounds wonderful! Saw them a couple of times in their heyday (the Sunburst tour and the Modern Music tour). They really did leave the party too early. I'm another one who didn't get into them until 'Ships In the Night' was a radio hit. I'd seen adverts for their material in Sounds and Melody Maker etc but there was just so much good stuff to buy in those days!
I must try the Live! CD then. I have an early vinyl copy and I agree it's terrible sound quality. I've barely listened to it as a result.
Yeah, "Maid in Heaven" should have been a hit song rather than "Ships in the Night" which, while pleasant enough, is one of their less interesting songs.
I first heard Axe Victim when a cousin of my friend emigrated from Scotland to Toronto and he shipped his album collection. He said we had to hear the ablum and so we listened to it from start to finish and we were instant fans. Back in the day there were not a lot of skilled guitarists like there are now and combined with the songwriting and singing BBD made a huge impression. I bought all of the following albums as they were released - what a trip! Futurama is likely my favourite but hard to choose.
What kills me is that the single edit removed Bill's guitar solo but kept the sax solo which I now despise even if it's Bill's late brother Ian playing. I made a edit to remove the sax solo.
Ian was an amazing player in his own right though. Bill used him to best advantage on the spate of solo albums he did in the early 80's, which are some of my all time favorites. His solo's on 'Burning Question' are appropriately blazing. He was a lot like his brother in that he could just peel off the most fluid solo's at the drop of a hat. I'm surprised he never did an album or anything but he seemed to be content just being an occasional side man for Bill.
Ian was in Fiat Lux. https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/fiat_lux Yes, I like Ian's work on latter projects by Bill.
. I'm a horn hater so yeah I am with you on that. No offense to Ian, he is talented at what he does and I have had the pleasure of meeting him, nice guy, I just detest horns in rock music, especially saxophones. I don't mind keyboards & even flute augmenting a band, but it's all about guitar/bass/drums (and decent vocals) for me. Horns just get in the way of the guitar for my ears.
Sax in rock music is no bad thing. Sax is wonderful. I'd point to Bowie, Wizzard, Supertramp, Mott The Hoople, Hawkwind and, of course, Roxy Music as other acts from that era who, had they not used that fine instrument, their material would have been poorer for it. Each to his own I guess.
OK, my take on Futurama, which is my favorite BBD album. I actually think Modern Music is "better" and is a more complex/advanced work of art than this album, kind of like comparing The Who's Quadrophenia to Who's Next (Quad is a total masterpiece IMO), but nevertheless Futurama is my fave due primarily to Bill's jaw dropping guitar playing, which just does not let up (except for one song, see below). I don't think he's ever released a better album side of music than Futurama's side one. Futurama (1975) Bill Nelson – all guitars, keyboards, lead vocals, and percussion Charlie Tumahai – fender bass, vocals, and percussion Simon Fox – drums and percussion Side One Stage Whispers Love With the Madman Maid in Heaven Sister Seagull Sound Track Side Two Music in Dreamland Jean Cocteau Between the Worlds Swan Song I feel compelled to list the songs as broken down on the original vinyl above, like how I used to listen to it, since side one is so strong. I wore out the grooves on side one easily. Side Two is also excellent but it contains for me an oddball track (Jean Cocteau) which is laid back and breaks up the kinetic guitar playing vibe. If this record had on it, say No Trains To Heaven from Axe Victim with its hyperventaliting guitar solo onslaught in place of JC, I would probably have it ranked up there as perhaps the greatest guitar album ever (if such a thing were possible for me to pick out amongst all the great guitar rock records over the years). So yeah, the music really moves me, find it spell binding, and the artwork is as well, very evocative of a strange retro-futuristic world with black swans flying around....Bill dressed as a court jester held in chains by his bandmates on the back cover (related to the lyrical theme of the first song perhaps?)...liner notes mostly white on one side but black on the other....found these scans of the original LP artwork on the 'net, for those that have never seen it: Some thoughts about the songs, I'm gonna revisit this album and do a stream of consciousness type of review, provided I don't pass out from the guitar histrionics. I've heard this album hundreds of times but every time I listen to it I still get blown away.... Album opener Stage Whispers starts with a jaw dropping flurry of guitar insanity, halted only by a referee's whistle perhaps signaling Bill that he is going to explode if he keeps it up. The song seems over in about 2 seconds and Bill is just getting warmed up. Love with the Madman takes things down a step with an exquisite melody and sad lyrics suggesting loves lost or yet attained (sorry I am not a lyric guy but that is what it makes me think of), and Bill's guitar continues it's constant pace, solos flying out all over the place even under the vocals. Is this a GUITAR record or what? For a change of pace Bill even ends the song with sdrawkcab guitar. Which leads us to - HOLY FRAK - Maid In Heaven, a chunky guitar anthem with again, non-stop lead guitar this time over all kinds of whacka-whacka chords - a song so good it seems like it is over before it begins, yet another killer ending guitar solo, and before we even catch our breath... ...we are hit with the opening guitar mania of Sister Seagull, which despite its slower pace than Maid in Heaven, it seems to fit right in with that song, such that I can't really bear to listen to either of these songs to this day, without hearing them back to back like the album. Yet more backwards guitar takes over midsong, and it ends with Bill's guitar turning into crying seagulls. Breathtaking. How can you follow that up? How about with Soundtrack, the biggest guitar feast of all on the record, with guitars dueling it out. The ending guitar battle of axes crashing into each other,bouncing around from speaker to speaker - riffing on the left and mad soloing on the right - we are not worthy. Thankfully side one ends there, giving us time to catch our breath - and play it again. Moving to side two Bill picks up right where he left off with the mad lead guitar opening up Music in Dreamland, continuing on with various guitar echos flying around. Who plays like this??? Like it or not Bill, you ARE a guitar hero, and we are your axe victims. The middle section with the piano vibe doesn't let up one bit with yet more non-stop frenetic backwards guitar cascading off the pounding drumbeat and yet MORE guitars joining in until it just - stops..leading into... Jean Cocteau - a laid back tribute to filmaker artist Jean Cocteau which amongst all the earlier guitar cacophony seems like it belongs on a different album. I don't dislike it by any means - it is actually quite nice - and it gives us a chance to catch out breath. But I remember back in the day playing this album for friends, blowing the doors off their ears (mix metaphors much?) with everything prior then this comes on and they're (sadly) asking me to put something else on. But next song Between the Worlds takes us right back into guitar onslaught territory and then some - btw Simon's drumming on this album is just perfect, if crashes along frenetically as much as Bill's guitar playing. Bill found his perfect rhythm section here in Simon and Charlie (plus Charlies background vocals add a lot to the songs as well). The song ends with a gong and the drumming marches in the beat with yet another excellent guitar anthem, the majestic Swan Song with a tinkling piano sparkling in the background...and yes..again..that guitar, does it ever stop? As Bill sings, "feels like I'm dying again" (as well he should after all this axe swinging), the song twists into a beautiful soaring melodic refrain and what I can only describe as thunder crashes in, backwards guitar swoops out and yes we have a melodic battle going on with the thunder & the quieter section, leading to the outverture (yes I just made that word up) with the guitar blasting off like a rocketship - closing with a couple piano chords and the band crashing out in a backwards sounding "sploosh" like a whirlpool of water disappearing down the drain and - just like that it's over! "This guitar does not lie", you ain't kidding . Just wow.
The sax playing on Mott's All the Way to Memphis is about the only time I can say I like a horn solo. Andy McKay makes it sound like he is playing it while swallowing the thing and trying to breathe, very unlike most sax playing. other than that example I can pretty much do without horns on any rock song at all.
This gets my vote for review of the year here in Hoffmanland. Now I've got to dig out my Futurist Manifesto box and dive back in!
I enjoy Futurama when I listen to it but it's not the first album I reach for. For me, their sound was still evolving and parts of Futurama sound very dated. For me, BBD didn't really nail it down until Modern Music/Sunburst Finish. Then Bill blew it all apart with Drastic Plastic, but they sure went out in grand style.
Nice review, Slipkid. Futurama is also my favorite BBD album. Song after song a classic, including Jean Cocteau, which has grown on me over the years. "Sign your name with a star"
Hey, thanks, glad someone enjoyed reading my ramblings. I wrote that while listening to it and had to pause several times to just catch my breath and just reflect on what I was hearing. I don't know how long it took them to record that album but it couldn't have been one of those quick plug in and play affairs. Although I would not be surprised if he played most of those solos in one take, there are so many layers of overdubs/playing going on it had to be a hard affair to labor on - not only in the amount of time spent but also once they go down this road, how do they know when to stop adding more? When has the song had enough, when is it complete, hey let's just add another guitar bit here....
Futurama is my favourite. Sound Track, Music In Dreamland, Jean Cocteau and the incredible Swan Song are my standout tracks. I find the first side 1 tracks a little more standard rock songs, but still obviously amazing guitar. The album cover is also one of my favourites and a classic example of a Hipgnosis cover of the time. My sister who I mentioned earlier was at the time an item with Peter Oxendale (credited 'Sir' on the liner notes I seem to recall, presumably an in-joke). He apparently arranged the brass band on Music In Dreamland. He's a very lovely and funny guy and talented keyboard player, who played with many bands of the 70s/80s and went on to be an expert witness in many song copyright/plagiarism cases.
This thread is really rocking - I gave a shout-out over at Bill's website in case anyone over there wants to chime in : http://www.billnelson.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25092 Poor Bill - he hates it when the creaky old bones of his former band get drug out into the light yet again and fawned over. I know he's really proud of his past but he'd much rather we concentrate on his current work, of which there's plenty! Can't say that I blame him, but Be Bop Deluxe were a great band that simply didn't get it's share of recognition in it's time, especially in the USA. It's nice to see people rediscovering them or for the first time ever. With that excellent Futurist Manifesto box out, it's a great time to catch up.
