One of the finest guitarists to ever plug in, Bill Nelson is also one of the most reluctant axe heroes of his era. From 1974 to 1978, Bill wrote all the songs, arranged them , played guitar and sang lead vocals for the British band Be-Bop Deluxe.
The band defied categorization during a time where image and substance went hand in hand. Instead of going toe to toe visually with the likes of Bowie, Bolan and Mercury, Nelson opted instead to concentrate on his songwriting craft, consistently churning out quality that equaled and in most cases even exceeded that of his peers.
Science Fiction was one of Bill’s recurring songwriting themes, but he also wrote poetically about love, passion, lust and longing. Despite a high quality run of albums and almost constant touring, the band never achieved mainstream success and Bill disbanded the group in 1978, moving on to other avenues of self expression.
The work he left behind however, influenced practically all of the UK pop groups that succeeded him during the 80’s and beyond. It’s all magnificent, but here is the cream of the crop.
1) “Axe Victim”- The opening salvo off the album of the same name which contains that incredible lyric lamenting the life of a rock and roller, “Last night I felt immortal, this morning I feel dead”.
2) “Maid In Heaven”-Nelson made a fresh start for his second album, replacing all the band members and enlisting Roy Thomas Baker of Queen fame to produce. This track, taken from the album, “Futurama” is a hidden diamond buried deep within the musical landscape of 1975.
3) “Sister Seagull”-Also from “Futurama”, Nelson’s melodic ideas and brilliant lead guitar runs are on full display here. Although he could never shake off the constant comparisons to Bowie and other glam rockers of the day, listening to this track makes you realize Nelson was a trail blazer, and not a follower.
4) “Heavenly Homes”-1976’s “Sunburst Finish” yielded a UK top 40 hit for the band with “Ships In The Night”, a reggae tinged love song. This track though, displays Be-Bop’s “heavier” leanings as the guitar riffs get a little darker and the lyrics continue to shift more towards the oblique.
5) “Life In The Air Age”-Perhaps the greatest ever marriage between Rock and Sci-Fi, Nelson mutes all the strings of his guitar, strumming a percussive “chunka chunka” sound on the intro, before delivering a soaring signature lead guitar melody that should have been world famous. The lyrics are set in the future, yearning for a simpler time, saying that “Life In The Air-Age isn’t all that the brochures say…too dangerous to stay…airships crashing every day into the bay.. all highways in the sky…all the oceans have run dry” and finally…”It’s grim enough to make a robot cry”.
6) “Modern Music”-Lyrically, Nelson was first and foremost, a romantic. This track is one of the best examples of that as he simply but poignantly pleads to a far away lover to stay true to him.
7) “The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow”-The internet consensus over the “Modern Music” album is that much of it was written during an extended tour of the United States in 1976. In addition to writing about his observations of America, Nelson was also homesick and this message to his then wife back at home is sheer glorious poetry.
8) “New Precision” –From 1978’s “Drastic Plastic” LP, this effort has Nelson veering away from the guitar and more towards a synth-pop sound, using sequencers, vocal treatments and other similar types of rhythmic options. Groundbreaking for it’s time and influential towards an entire generation of New Wavers, the album’s overall place in rock history continues to rise slowly but steadily.
9) “Don’t Touch Me, I’m Electric”- After disbanding Be-Bop Deluxe, Nelson re-emerged in 1979 with “Red Noise”. Here, Nelson travels even further into the void, working with even more synths and employing the most manic herky-jerky rhythm patterns he would ever attempt up to this point. The record is not for everybody, but if you love this, the album’s first track then you’re sure to willingly inhale the whole thing. If “Drastic Plastic” can be considered influential, then “Red Noise” is even more so as Nelson casts all commercial trappings to the side and delivers a frightening high speed isolated snapshot of a world going wrong.
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