Be-Bop Deluxe was an English rock band led by guitarist and songwriter Bill Nelson. The first lineup released the glam-inspired Axe Victim on Harvest in 1974. Nelson reconfigured the band as a three-piece for the 1975 album Futurama, comprised of lavish, theatrical rock epics. With keyboardist Andy Clark, they made the 1976 pomp-rock albums Sunburst […]
Naughty Boys is the fifth proper studio album by Japanese electro/art-pop supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra, released in 1983 on Alfa. Tracklist: A1. “Kimi Ni Mune Kyun” (4:05) A2. “Expected Way” (4:33) A3. “Focus” (3:40) A4. “Ongaku” (3:25) A5. “Opened My Eyes” (3:39) B1. “You’ve Got to Help Yourself” (0:30) B2. “Lotus Love” (4:04) B3. “Kai-Koh” […]
Listen is the second album by English modernist New Wave/art-rock band A Flock of Seagulls, released in 1983 on Jive Records. As with the prior album, production duties fell to former Gong-bassist Mike Howlett with the exception of one track, “(It’s Not Me) Talking,” which hailed from the band’s 1981 sessions with Bill Nelson at the […]
Third Eye is the singular album by English raga/art-pop project Monsoon, released in 1983 on Mercury. Tracklist: A1. “Wings of the Dawn (Prem Kavita)” (3:56) A2. “Tomorrow Never Knows” (4:01) A3. “Third Eye and Tikka T.V.” (2:53) A4. “Eyes” (3:41) A5. “Shakti (The Meaning of Within)” (4:04) B1. “Ever So Lonely” (6:12) B2. “You Can’t […]
Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam is an album by English multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Bill Nelson, released in 1981 on Mercury. Recorded in late 1979, the album stemmed from an abortive second Red Noise project. Musically, the songs here further mine the electro-kinetic modernism first explored on Drastic Plastic and Sound-on-Sound. Four of the songs were […]
Days in Europa is the second album by Scottish New Wave/Celt rockers the Skids, produced by Bill Nelson and released in 1979 on Virgin. The vacated drummer’s seat is held for this release by Blitz impresario Rusty Egan. Tracklist: A1. “Animation” (4:27) A2. “Charade” (4:00) A3. “Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)” (4:34) A4. […]
Sound-on-Sound is the sole album by Bill Nelson’s Red Noise, the guitarist/vocalist’s makeshift combo between the fold of Be-Bop Deluxe and the launch of his solo career. The album was produced by John Leckie and released in 1979 on EMI’s Harvest imprint. Tracklist: A1. “Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric)” (1:50) A2. “For Young Moderns” (4:24) […]
Drastic Plastic is the fifth and final studio album by English art-rockers Be-Bop Deluxe, recorded in 1977 and released in February 1978 on Harvest. Tracklist: A1. “Electrical Language” (4:50) A2. “New Precision” (4:30) A3. “New Mysteries” (4:44) A4. “Surreal Estate” (5:00) A5. “Love in Flames” (4:09) B1. “Panic in the World” (5:04) B2. “Dangerous Stranger” […]
Futurama is the second album by English art-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in 1975 on Harvest. Music writer George Starostin likens the songs to “free-form post-Shakesperian monologs.” Tracklist: A1. Stage Whispers (3:05) A2. Love With the Madman (3:12) A3. Maid in Heaven (2:26) A4. Sister Seagull (3:36) A5. Sound Track (6:15) B1. Music in Dreamland […]
Modern Music is the fourth album by English art-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in September 1976 on Harvest. Tracklist: A1. Orphans of Babylon (3:11) A2. Twilight Capers (4:26) A3. Kiss of Light* (3:20) A4. The Bird Charmers Destiny (1:35) A5. The Gold at the End of My Rainbow (3:50) A6. Bring Back the Spark (3:57) […]
Axe Victim is the debut album by English art-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in 1974 on Harvest. Tracklist: A1. Axe Victim (5:12) A2. Love Is Swift Arrows (4:11) A3. Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus (4:07) A4. Third Floor Heaven (2:24) A5. Night Creatures (3:32) B1. Rocket Cathedrals (2:58) B2. Adventures in a Yorkshire […]
Bill Nelson (born Dec. 18, 1948) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, producer, and photographer who has been musically active since the early 1970s. He rose to prominence as the vocalist/guitarist of Be-Bop Deluxe, which released five albums on EMI between 1974 and 1978. After a radical shift in musical outlook, he assembled Red Noise […]
