BE Bop

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered four disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) of Futurama the legendary 1975 album by Be Bop Deluxe.
Recorded in the first two months of 1975 at Rockfield studios (with some sessions also taking place at SARM studios in London), Futurama was the second album by Be Bop Deluxe and the first to feature the line-up of Bill Nelson (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Charlie Tumahai (bass, vocals) and Simon Fox (drums). Produced by Roy Thomas Baker (who at the time was also working with Queen), Futurama was an album of immense musical inventiveness and creativity and was a huge leap forward in creative terms for Bill Nelson…

Recorded in the Autumn of 1975 at Abbey Road studios (with some sessions also taking place at AIR studios in London), ‘Sunburst Finish’ was the third album by Be Bop Deluxe and the first to feature the line-up of Bill Nelson (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Charlie Tumahai (bass, vocals), Andy Clark (keyboards) and Simon Fox (drums).
It was also the first Be-Bop album to be co- produced by Nelson and John Leckie. An album of immense musical inventiveness and creativity, ‘Sunburst Finish’ was one of the finest albums of its era, a perfect cohesion of ten classic songs written by Nelson (featuring his highly imaginative guitar playing) and a stylised and striking artwork package. Including such classic tracks as ‘Heavenly Homes’, ‘Crying To The Sky’, ‘Sleep That Burns’, ‘Life In The Air Age’, ‘Crystal Gazing’ and ‘Blazing Apostles’, the album also spawned the hit single ‘Ships In The Night’ and launched Be-Bop Deluxe as one of the major breakthrough acts of 1976…

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered five-disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 4 CDs and a DVD) of Modern Music the legendary 1976 album by Be Bop Deluxe.
Much of the material appearing on the album was conceived by Bill Nelson whilst Be Bop Deluxe were undertaking their first tour of the USA in March 1976. The wonderful and expansive Modern Music “suite” which dominated the album was inspired by Bill’s experiences of America, the disillusionment with the US music business and a longing for home. Beside the fine achievement of the suite, Modern Music also featured other fine songs such as Orphans of Babylon, Kiss of Light, The Bird Charmers Destiny and the epic Down on Terminal Street, all of which ensured that the album was a hit in both the UK and the USA…

Deluxe four disc (three CDs + NTSC/Region 0 DVD) edition. Features an additional 39 bonus tracks drawn from a stunning new 5. 1 surround sound and stereo mixes from the original multi-track tapes by award winning engineer Stephen W. Tayler, previously unreleased out-takes from the album sessions, a BBC Radio In Concert performance from January 1976, a rare John Peel Show session from February 1976, along with an unissued and previously unreleased 1976 Harvest Records promotional video for 'Ships in the Night' and a session for BBC TV's "Old Grey Whistle Test" show from January 1976…

Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish (1976) {2008 Harvest Japan Mini LP TOCP-70360}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 359 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 24 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2008 Harvest / EMI Music Japan / Toshiba | TOCP-70360 | Mini LP
Rock / Art Rock / Contemporary Pop / Prog Rock / Glam Rock

Adding keyboard player Andrew Clark to make Be Bop Deluxe a quartet, Bill Nelson finally found a balance between his virtuosic guitar playing and the demands of pop songwriting. The arrangements were still busy, but the humor of Nelson's music was on display as never before, and the songs frequently were catchy. For the first time, it began to seem that the group had a future beyond serving as a foundation for Nelson's splashy guitar work, as Be Bop Deluxe charted in the U.S. and the U.K. and even scored a Top 25 British hit with "Ships in the Night.

Be Bop Deluxe - Air Age Anthology (1997) [2CD] {EMI 100 Years Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 923 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 342 Mb
Full Artwork @ 400 dpi (jpg) -> 96 Mb
© EMI Records | 7243 8 54730 2 9
Rock / Art Rock / Pop

Air Age Anthology is a double-disc set covering Be Bop Deluxe's entire career, culling highlights from each record (although the booklet doesn't tell which track came from which album). Be Bop Deluxe was an album-oriented band, but this compilation nevertheless encapsulates the group's appeal and achievements, making it useful for casual fans.

Things had changed for Be Bop Deluxe by the time of the group's fourth album. The band that turned up in glam rock regalia on its 1974 debut, Axe Victim, was in suit and tie on the cover of Modern Music in 1976. Inside, the band's transformation into a sophisticated pop group seemed complete. Arrangements were still ornate, but the songs were dominated by their highly imagistic lyrics, and as often as not, Nelson was borrowing ideas from the Beatles. It didn't quite work, despite pleasant numbers such as "Orphans of Babylon" and "Kiss of Light," perhaps because a true pop sensibility requires a gift for simplicity that Nelson has never exhibited. The album charted high in England and made the Top 100 in the U.S., but it was Be Bop's peak, not its breakthrough.