...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...


..::OPIS::..

At last, Billy Nelson is accepted by the proggy. Not that he would care, I imagine. Regardless, Be Bop Deluxe did some great prog/glam fusion in the mid seventies. I would argue that Modern Music, which isn't listed here, is their best, but Futurama is one hell of an album. Nelson is definitely one of the giants of rock lead guitar, but despite what the All Music Guide may say, I never find on this record that his leads take away from the rest of the music. If you are a devotee of rock guitar and haven't heard him play, you are missing out on some awe-inspiring lead playing, fast but never shreddy. The songs are short, but they pack a melodic punch while still being fairly complex for rock music at the time. Nelson's vocals have also been criticized, but they sound very strong to me and he has a very pleasant tone. The mood of the record is unapologetically grandiose, not quite as pomp as Queen but in the same vein. This is "Big Music", to quote Mike Scott of the Waterboys, so snarky indie rockers need not apply. The lyrics are very intelligent as well, mostly dense but poetic, including a fond ode to Jean Cocteau, a major influence on Nelson. Instrumentally, though there was no keyboard player in the band at that time (Nelson played 'em), the sound is full, even featuring a silver band on "Dreamland", and the rhythm section of Tumahai and Fox is very impressive. This record is a joy, plain and simple, perhaps even the apex of glam rock. It's as good as Night at the Opera or any of Bowie's best works. What's really impressive is that the band would make two records as good or better before the decade was over. Yet today they are all but forgotten, except for the very knowledgable rock collector, and Nelson remains a cult figure. It's a real shame, but you can help redress the balance by obtaining this album!

Heptade


BE BOP DELUXE were quite active in the 70's releasing five studio albums but they never made it to the 80's. "Futurama" is album number two from 1975. They were a trio of guitar, bass and drums and Bill Nelson is the man in control here, the lead guitarist, composer, singer etc. I honestly thought with their band name that they would be all about the humour like OINGO BOINGO but no. This comes across like AOR material, they are tagged as Glam Rock by many. To over simplify it, it feels like your either hearing Bill sing or perform a flashy guitar solo. And this is more than that of course but there's a lot of radio friendly songs and I quite enjoyed my time with this one.
Nine tracks over 35 minutes and how about the first sounds that we hear on that opener "Stage Whispers" as in screaming guitar. The flashy solos will continue on this one. "Love With The Madman" is a top three for me. They slow it down after that energetic opener and the vocals sound different, better. Some emotion. "Maid In Heaven" sounds like a single. "Sister Seagull" is another top three. The melancholy does it for me along with the guitar solos.

"Sound Track" and the closer "Swan Song" are about the two proggiest songs on here which isn't saying a lot. Both the longest tunes here clocking in around 6 minutes. Some orchestral stuff on "Music In Dreamland", some brass. "Between The Worlds" is an uptempo rocker while "Jean Cocteau" is trippy and relaxed and I like it better than the rocker. The closer "Swan Song" is my final top three by the way.

I've seen Bill's name so often over the years so it's finally good to hear him play and sing. A solid 3 stars.

Mellotron Storm



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Stage Whispers
2. Love With the Madman
3. Maid in Heaven
4. Sister Seagull
5. Sound Track
6. Music in Dreamland
7. Jean Cocteau
8. Between the Worlds
9. Swan Song

Bonus Track:
10. Lights (B-side of single)



..::OBSADA::..

Guitar [All Guitars], Keyboards, Lead Vocals, Percussion - Bill Nelson
Bass [Fender], Vocals, Percussion - Charles Tumahai
Drums, Percussion - Simon Fox

With:
Peter Oxendale - brass arrangements (6)
Grimethorpe Colliery Band - brass (6)
John Berryman - conductor (6)
Andy Evans - double bass (7)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGeU3hpnnqc



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