Be Bop Deluxe

I know I'm late to the party, but would welcome recommendations.

 

Might as well go for the bells-and-whistles Futurist Manifesto collection. Five studio albums, bonus cuts and a disc of previously unreleased goodies. Usually goes for less than thirty bucks.

 

I concur. The mastering is pretty good as well (yes, I know Peter Mew did it but Nelson had input which means it sounds pretty nice)

 

Both the Futuristic Manifesto and BBC multi-disc sets can be had for such a cheap price...hard to go wrong with either. I prefer them in the live set so the BBC is my first choice but sheesh, buy both for the going price and you'll get more than your money's worth many times over...great stuff!

 

Does anyone know what Live In Concert At Metropolis Studio is like? Is the DVD high rez 5.1?

 

Modern Music is very very good.

 

"Live in the Air Age" is great !!!!

 

All Be Bop Deluxe is essential imo. Follow that good advice and get the box set. You'll be glad you did!

 

The DVD is 16/48 LPCM stereo and DTS 5.1
...and a highly recommended video of an intimate venue/performance.

 

As above:
Futurist Manifesto - all studio albums, with bonus tracks, and best digital mastering of the BBD catalogue I've heard.
Live In The Air Age - the only live release, until....
At The BBC - bundles of sessions, live concerts and a DVD too.
Live In Concert At Metropolis Studio - CD and DVD of the same performance.

They can all be purchased for very reasonable prices.

 

All of the Be Bop Deluxe catalogue is well worth listening to, as each album is a fairly natural progression from the last. By 'Modern Music', the multi-tracked guitars had started to get a bit too complex and dense for me but still well worth the effort. Speaking as a fellow Yorkshireman and having met him once, Bill Nelson is a fantastic guy - very unassuming and quiet and a superb musician. Of course, the danger is that, after getting into the Bebop stuff, you'll start with his solo material, and that is a whole different ballgame!

If you can find the recent 'Legends of Rock' DVD, 'Bill Nelson & The Gentleman Rocketeers', I would give it a go; it is a good taster to both his Be Bop Deluxe and solo material performed in an intimate setting.

 

Now, if you'd rather save about ten dollars and avoid the bonus cuts, you could also check out this year's "Original Album Series." It consists of bare-bones reissues of the five studio albums, all in mini LP replica sleeves.

It's totally unnecessary, but it exists

 

The 5.1 is actually an up mix from 2.0 and not a true discreet multichannel mix (so says Bill himself) but I wouldn't let that get in the way of enjoying this super show.

 

+1

 

I am and have been a huge fan of Be-bop Deluxe from their beginning. I have their whole catalog on vinyl. Bill Nelson is a superb musician and very much underrated as a guitar hero. I personally feel that they disbanded way too early as they were on the verge of becoming "huge". I still see their records going for resonable prices. Any album of theirs is a good choice in my opinion.

 

LITAA was my introduction into the band, and still my favorite release by them. Simply a scorching, well-recorded set in which the live versions smoke the studio ones, imho. I remember when I started picking up the studio albums afterwards and the versions of the same songs there sounded anemic to me, for want of a better word.

Since LITAA isn't on the FM box <strangely>, get it first - it's cheaper and if you don't like it, you just saved yourself some cash not buying the studio and BBC stuff. If you do like it, get the 2 collections and you're all set with BBD.

 

The entirety Be-Bop Deluxe's oeuvre is worth hearing, but if you're going to limit yourself to a sampler you can't go wrong with The Air Age Anthology. Two discs loaded with Be-Bop Deluxe's best work. Even though I now own all of the Be-Bop Deluxe catalog, I still find myself listening to this anthology due to its wonderful sequencing of the music.

 

I'd start with "Sunburst Finish" (with the bonus tracks). That should set you off to get more if you like it.

 

For the money, I also recommend Futurist Manifesto. You can hear nearly the whole four year recorded history of the band plus some tracks from the tour as a four piece that was recorded for Live! In The Air Age. I saw them a few times and I'd say that was the peak.

 

My favorite album is Futurama.

 

Buy the whole back catalogue . Drastic Plastic is the best

 

I love Live! In The Air Age, but wish it was better ordered with the bonus tracks back where they belong, and the fade on Blazing Apostles removed.

Philip

 

The posters above recommending the Futurist Manifesto box are spot-on. It's really a no-brainer. The box plus the Live In The Air Age album - which is not only still available, it also features the original 1990 pre-loudness mastering - and you've pretty much got yourself an instant Be Bop Deluxe collection. Not to mention great music, relatively low-cost and good sounding. A no-brainer.

 

Importcds is selling the 4 disc BBC set for $14.76 plus shipping. That's crazy cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...c&ie=UTF8&qid=1409509857&sr=1-3&condition=new

 

Me too. The guitar playing on the album is jaw dropping. I like Modern Music a lot as well.

After that my favorite studio release would be the first one (Axe Victim), followed by Sunburst Finish (which is a little too overproduced for me despite having some great songs, sorry but I hate saxophones even if they are played by Ian Nelson), and finally Drastic Plastic (their last album) which was really meant to be a Bill Nelson solo project as he moved into less rock & more newwave stylings (as I understand it).

The full collection of studio albums as mentioned above by others is the way to go. And all of the live stuff is essential as well. Bill is the #1 "reluctant" guitar hero ever in my book. He can light up the fretboard if in the mood. Be sure to listen to "No Trains to Heaven" off Axe Victim, or "Sound Track" off Futurama - both are spellbinding (if you dig lead guitar). Then of course there is the hypnotic "Sister Seagull"....and the live version of "Shine"....and many others...