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Be Bop Deluxe - Modern Music CD (album) cover

MODERN MUSIC

Be Bop Deluxe

 

Crossover Prog

4.01 | 76 ratings

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Heptade
Prog Reviewer
5 stars Bill Nelson's music in the mid 70s was a stew of glam, pop and prog, with no particular emphasis on either. A restless musical spirit, he's always been difficult to pin down in terms of genre, which is why his fans love him. What's indisputable is his talent for melody and his great lead guitar playing. Modern Music is one of the finest examples of these things. While the band had started as a Bowie-sque glam group and moved on to pomp and prog stylings on their next two albums (you may remember their hit "Ships in the Night"), Modern Music finds Nelson streamlining the band's sound, which he would do even more on 1978's Drastic Plastic. He ended up being on the first wave of the new wave, so much so that he's never been given due credit for it.

Modern Music cuts back on the guitar heroics but features some of Nelson's best, most moving songs. The title track is a linked suite of songs based on Nelson's observations of America while touring there. The album also contains muscular rockers (Forbidden Lovers) and beautiful ballads (The Gold at the End of the Rainbow) driven by the usual great ensemble playing, particularly Simon Fox's drumming, and an elegant, classy, intellectual atmosphere overall. Be Bop Deluxe is THE great unsung rock band of the 70s, and this is one of their best efforts, so if you don't know them and you're a Queen or Roxy Music fan who likes great melodies, this is a great place to start exploring the band.

Heptade | 5/5 |

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