Be Bop Deluxe "Modern Music" deluxe (4cd + dvd) - Dec 6, 2019

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DesertChaos, Sep 20, 2019.

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  1. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    I've heard quite a bit of what he has released post-BBD and have heard nothing remotely to suggest "guitar hero" mode whatsoever. That being said when music is made in a style I don't like I can't stick with it long enough to try to listen to the "guitar hero" stuff that might be coming up at some point during a song....
     
  2. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    If you follow his discography you'll see he gave up on guitar for quite a while. Some might call what he did New Age, but fortunately there was more to it than that. Cherry Red have put out some examples of this, and they're worth picking up. It was some time - a decade or so actually - before Nelson truly felt he could get back to playing guitar is a serious way, at least when you compare it to Be Bop. He was quite clear at the time that he didn't want to play guitar.

    We have different ears. Panic in my World has a wonderful melody. And this doesn't have a memorable melody?



    It's magic, imo.

    I've got to post Panic too, because it's so damn good. It's going to have to be one of those head scratching moments, because to my ears Drastic has everything you say it lacks in abundance. As I say, different ears.
     
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  3. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
     
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  4. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
  5. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Even a classic rock guitar centric curmudgeon like me likes Panic In the World ;)

    Don't want to jump ahead to the DPalbum, it is coming up shortly for discussion, but will say that Panic is one of the songs on that album that I like. Would enjoy it more with less synth & kbds & more layers of lead guitar like if it was done Futurama album style but I still like the song and think Bill's slashing guitar chords are really cool.
     
  6. rednoise

    rednoise Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    a) I never said that.

    b) I've been listening to this stuff for over 40 years, since it was first released and I know exactly what it sounds like.

    c) Yawn.
     
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  7. scoutbb

    scoutbb Senior Member

    Location:
    LA
    Classic BBD!!!
     
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  8. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Dude, why get salty? Don't feel you have to respond if I'm boring you. ;)

    You wrote "I'm not that crazy about Red Noise either, but at least it has a sense of energy". I simply posted Love in Flames, which has so much energy it almost jumps the grooves. Dangerous Stranger, New Mysteries, Superenigmatix, and Possession don't have energy? IMO, the album is bursting with energy.

    You also wrote, "it's dull, weak tea with neither the memorable melodies of the previous albums nor the spiky rhythmic drive of Red Noise". I countered this with several examples of what I consider great melodies. Spiky? Not sure how to quantify that, but in comparison with the other be Bop albums, Drastic Plastic is hugely spiky in my books.

    Red Noise, for me, is a massively brilliant record. Just out of this world. I love everything about it, the songs, the performances, the live recordings. It's probably my favorite Nelson related album. So yeah, I have a bias toward it.

    As I mentioned earlier, I don't particularly rate Futurama because Nelson was trying too hard to fill in every gap with some guitar tweedling. None of the songs breath, there's a lot of congestion, and sounds stuck to walls. Still, it appears to be hugely popular with folks around here, and I did buy the set, so I'll spin it every now and then.

    Wonder if we'll get a Red Noise box......?
     
  9. Chest Pains Productions

    Chest Pains Productions Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly
    Futrama is bombastic EXCITING guitar driven progressive art rock with some amazing arrangments and beautiful pieces.
    Drastic Plastic is boring. Yes there are some great tracks like Panic but the overall sounds utilizing the synths and electronic drums is just awful. It makes it sound so dated now. Futurama is TIMELESS!!
     
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  10. Chest Pains Productions

    Chest Pains Productions Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly
    What??? Love With The Madman and Sound Track don't breathe?? Get yer ears checked man.
     
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  11. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    Very glad that this reissue series continues apace. I'm still a bit perplexed by the order they chose for releases, but that's a minor quibble.

    Only grip this time around is that Disc 3 gave me fits and required three separate drives before I could get the last few tracks to rip. There were some minor scratches consistent with these "page pocket" holders, but nothing that would explain why it was giving me so much grief. Fortunately, the rip ended up going, but it was concerning... These things seem to be more common as time passes and I'm starting to wonder about the QC in the pressing plants for these things... But I digress.

    Just got through the remaster of the original stereo mix. Damn. Just - damn. All I had before was the Futurist Manifesto set, which is decent, but this is next level. I haven't dug into the remix yet, but I did do some quick a/b comparisons between the original and new mixes in this set and should find that interesting as well. I really enjoyed the remixes in both of the previous sets and expect this will be more of the same.
     
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  12. peteham

    peteham Senior Member

    Location:
    Simcoe County
    The remix sounds fab. All three of these reissues make me grateful.
     
    OE3, Runicen, eelkiller and 4 others like this.
  13. Bassist

    Bassist Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Very disappointed by the MM box. I bought the previous two reissues in the two disc versions and maybe should have stuck with that approach. The packaging is decent but the actual audio contents leave much to be desired. I already had Tremulous Antenna so the BBC show is a redundancy, the bootleg is poor even by 70s audience recording standards and the remix adds little. My 1990 cd and original vinyl are not going to be challenged as my go-to editions. Which is all a bit of a shame as it has grown over the years to be my favourite BBD album and was my most anticipated reissue of the year.

    In terms of placing it in the context of the band's discography it is worth recalling that when it came out originally MM was perceived as being a bit of a disappointment by some critics in England, not least because Bill was being set up as the next big thing in heroic guitar players and MM steered more towards songs than flash and dash. Live In The Air Age ignored it completely even though all of side two of MM and Twilight Capers were in the set list. A case of EMI giving the public what they thought they wanted perhaps?
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2019
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  14. thgord

    thgord In Search of My Next Euphoric Groove

    Location:
    Moorpark, CA
    What's your opinion of the 5.1 surround mix?
     
  15. privit1

    privit1 Senior Member

    I have been buying these Be Bop Deluxe collections just because they have surround mixes I owned nothing before this. I have to say for me Modern music is the best of the sets so far in terms of mixes and extras and this surround is the best of the bunch
     
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  16. agn

    agn Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    So which BBD set is next? Drastic Plastic?
     
  17. Bassist

    Bassist Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Haven't tried it yet. Crossing my fingers it was worth the expense.
     
  18. thgord

    thgord In Search of My Next Euphoric Groove

    Location:
    Moorpark, CA
    I think you'll enjoy it quite a bit. I sure did!
     
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  19. Echoes71

    Echoes71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    I'm really digging this release - arguably my favorite of the BBD deluxe reissues. The 5.1 mix, in particular, is quite strong with just the right balance of immersion and playfulness, which works quite well with the music. Prior to these reissues, I was not a huge BBD fan, but these are changing my mind quickly. I haven't listened to the BBC disc yet, but I actually think the 'official bootleg' has decent SQ, especially since they advertised it as a 'bootleg'. I also like that they included it separately in its own sleeve, so it's more like an added bonus than an official part of the set.

    I really hope that they continue with Drastic Plastic and Axe Victim. Esoteric is doing a fantastic job with these reissues, my only 'complaint' being that dedicating two separate discs to the original and 2019 mixes seems like overkill to me. I would prefer both mixes on one CD or, if space is an issue, relegate one of the mixes to the DVD. Otherwise, a big thumbs up from me!
     
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  20. agn

    agn Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Me too! I would also love a Red Noise Deluxe set too.
     
  21. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I think we can take it as given that we'll get the studio albums, at least. Someone mentioned Axe Victim was next, but I forget where, and I don't have any information myself.

    As for having both mixes on one CD - NO NO NO NO NO! Absolutely not. I'd of hated that. I'm not going to want to listen to the album through twice, with different mixes, in one sitting. It's far far better as it is, two CD's. IMO.

    Yeah, sounds like the 2-disc version is where you should be at. Personally I've been happy with these sets, and to get the BBC and live show here is just great. They can only give us what they've got, so if the sound isn't perfect that's okay. I think it's amazing these albums are (finally) getting done justice.

    If it's Axe Victim next, that's okay. But I mostly want Drastic Plastic.
     
  22. Thank you. Says it all. This is a ‘band defining’ song. I brought me to BBD. I have all three deluxe sets and really enjoy all of them!
     
    agn likes this.
  23. Hopefully, like Tull series, we will eventually get them all!
     
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  24. Echoes71

    Echoes71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    I hear you - I’m also typically not a fan of two mixes on the same disc, but I’m not a rabid BBD fan so I really can’t imagine spending time dissecting the two mixes. For me, the ideal situation would be to include only one of the mixes (maybe the new one) on CD and then offer the other as an extra on the DVD. Then they could maybe drop the price by a few dollars.

    Esoteric takes the 2 CD/2 mix approach with many of their reissues (Barclay James Harvest, for example) and I rarely, if ever, listen to both mixes as they often are too similar and, thus, a bit redundant. However, I certainly can imagine an uber-fan wanting it all.
     
  25. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    It's tough for them. A 2-disc set probably hits the price point they want from the cheaper set, but then they have to decide what to give on the extra disc - the remix, a DVD with the Surround, the live etc. They don't want to give away the crown jewels, which in this case is the Surround, and they obviously value the remixes. So that's what you get. Having both mixes on one disc, and then including it in the 2-disc set, effectively means they're giving three discs away, and that takes away from the box.......

    I do get you though - I think these sets are.... priced a little too high. However, it's Be Bop Deluxe, and I've bought them all on Vinyl, each as individual CD's, then in the box with all the albums - so what's another? :D
     
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