A-Z: Be Bop Deluxe

BE BOP DELUXE: This was an abrupt shift after coming off a lengthy stint of Bauhaus. Be Bop Deluxe was a... well... let's call them a Bristish progressive glam band that enjoyed modest popularity during their time. Between 1973 & 1978 they whipped out five studio albums and a live document, with a few other live discs released in later years. This is among the earliest & most mainstream/accessible and standard rock-oriented Bill Nelson projects. Okay, it's not among them, it *is* them.Be Bop Deluxe achived critical acclaim and some commercial success, but during their heyday they were also frequently criticized and overshadowed by comparisons to better known contemporaries such as David Bowie and the emergent Pink Floyd. This was an understandable criticism at the outset, particularly in the case of Bowie; would could site numerous glaring similarities in sound between 1972's "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars" and "Axe Victim", Be Bop's 1974 debut. In general, Be Bop Deluxe was a prog-glam platform for Bill Nelson's uncanny mind meld with the electric guitar. A prolific & seminal guitarist to this day, a stay with Be Bop showcases a master at the beginning of his explorations, experimenting with atypical rock styles and rhythms over otherwise conventional rock structures. As a fan of the avant, I find the music interesting but largely unengaging as a foray into the form. As a fan of RAWK! I find it simultaneously to be too tame, cerebral, uncharged and (worst of all) over-produced. Also, while Bill's lyrics seldom fail to catch the attention of the casual listener, the tone of his vocal delivery always smacks of utter detachment, making the music all the less likely to engage the listener or to give them anything emotional to identify with. Overall, they're not a bad band, but it always seems like they're suffering from an identity crisis of sorts. In fact, it's my understanding that Mr. Nelson disbanded Be Bop for just those reasons. (More or less) Long story short, it's my least favorite output from a very talented individual. (At a later date, I am bound to write a ridiculously glowing entry about Bill's follow-up project, Red Noise. Holy shit! You wanna talk about the fucking bomb?)All I have digitally is the "Postcards From The Future" compilation, which offers a pretty comprehensive studio retrospective. I'm keeping it, but I wont be jonesing to fill in the gaps any time soon.*K-Scale: 6/11*Favorite track: "Jean Cocteau"