FUTURAMA

I cannot believe that I am the first person to review this album! This has got to be one of the most overlooked bands ever along with The Enid and Greenslade. The quality of their music has nothing to do with that sad fact, however - they are top notch musicians and Bill Nelson's songwriting is immensely creative. In fact if someone asked me to define Art Rock, I would name Be Bop Deluxe as a definitive Art Rock group, along with Van Der Graaf Generator and Curved Air.

This album in particular is amazing for its instrumental prowess, songwriting originality and heart-felt vocals. Production is equally good. The album is a define move into a more progressive direction, with guitar doing most of the work, although its predecessor has progressive elements as well. Arrangements are getting more sophisticated, and lyrics more futuristic.

Don't get fooled by David Bowie comparisons - this band is a hundred times more sophisticated - maybe they also did some "posing" in the days of Glam Rock, but they have solid musical skills to back them up, in fact Bill Nelson is one of the best guitars players in rock, good enough to challenge the fabled Steve Howe or Jan Akkerman.

If you don't own it, you don't know what you are missing.

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!

I was surprised to see Be Bop Deluxe here but pleased all the same. Bill Nelson's guitar playing is nothing short of sublime and combined with his lyrics, made BBD one of my all time favourite bands. If you want to hear lead guitar without all the meaningless noodling then this is for you. I saw Bill a few years ago at North Ferriby and he still had the touch. As Heptade says - Bill remains a cult figure but if you want to hear truely brilliant lead guitar get hold of this album.

Be Bop Deluxe second album Futurama isn´t really a prog rock album it´s rather a continuation of the guitar based rock music that was introduced on their debut Axe Victim. I liked Axe Victim and especially Bill Nelson´s guitar playing. It´s exactly the same with Futurama. The music isn´t that exciting and the vocals are below average but that guitar playing is worth a lot of attention.

The songs are generally not very proggy being mostly guitar driven rock but there are a few songs where prog tendencies are hinted at. Sound Track and Swan Song are the most prominent examples of that. Both songs employ keyboards to back the songs up and it gives a symphonic effect that are not present on most of the other songs.

The musicians are very good and definitely above average and especially guitarist Bill Nelson is a real talented musician. Just too bad he tries to sing too, because quite frankly it sounds very weak. The guitar playing is world class though. He plays a lot of different styles throughout the album and he has that special touch that makes the really great musicians stand out. His playing sometimes reminds me of a polished Jimmy Hendrix.

The production is very good and of course with a lot of emphazis on the guitar.

This is a good album and especially for guitar freaks there are plenty to listen to. Personally I think the album is missing a real good singer and therefore I´ll rate it 3 stars and not 4 which it could have been had Be Bop Deluxe had a better singer. It´s much better than the debut though, so if your curious about Be Bop Deluxe start with this one.

This 1975 release by Be Bop Deluxe finds the band moving beyond the grit of their debut album, Axe Victim. While still quite guitar-heavy, Futurama exhibits a grace and polish lending itself to a nice sonic sheen while showing the real beauty of Be Bop Deluxe, which is their inability to be pigeonholed.

The songs on Futurama are generally short and quite melodic, but the lyrics and subject matter are a bit too highbrow (Jean Cocteau), and the performances are perhaps too passionate for mainstream rock radio. However, outside the mainstream and inside the progressive realm, Be Bop Deluxe is right at home.

Bill Nelson's guitar playing and tone are absolutely exquisite throughout. Stage Whispers, Maid In Heaven, Sister Seagull, and Between the Worlds are masterclass examples of taste and tone. They also demonstrate the sonic possibilities of the Gibson ES-345 and how in the right hands it can compete with a Les Paul or Stratocaster. Nelson's vocals, on the other hand, may not reach the same heights as his guitar work, but they fit the music perfectly. Furthermore, the late great Charlie Tumahai and Simon Fox prove a worthy rhythm section for Nelson's guitar heroics by adding dynamic flair and staying tight from beginning to end.

Futurama is perhaps Be Bop Deluxe's finest work, and it would be an excellent addition to the prog connoisseur's collection. It would also be a good starting point for anyone new to this fine but too often overlooked band. Highly recommended!

This album perspires the freshness, fun, amusement, joy and . nostalgia. It is not really fitting the prog standards but it is a fine piece of good rock music again: a glam album in these post-glam years.

This was already the characteristics of their good debut album, and this one shouldn't be a deception for the fans who loved Axe Victim. The recipe is identical, which means that Bill Nelson is showing again his immense skills on the lead guitar and delivers a fantastic work on Futurama.

He might not be the best vocalist in the world, but he is fitting his role perfectly in this glam-rock style of music. This album is more personal than their debut one, which was reaaaaaally close to Bowie's work (Ziggy, A Lad Insane).

The album weakens a bit in the middle part (Sound Track and Music In Dreamland) but the whole remains pretty decent and appealing. I am not sure that progheads would be tempted in listening to such a work: and I am just confirmed in this feeling when I see the very few reviews from this album (and all their other ones as well).

There is some time to breathe with Jean Cocteau: a smooth and jazzy ballad with some fine and light percussions. It contrasts dramatically with the next and disjointed Between The Worlds which is a new wave track avant la lettre. Pastiche and decadent. I like it.

Some bonus tracks are available on the CD release: the single version of Between The Worlds, the very much Mott The Hoople oriented Maid In Heaven and an unreleased album track (featured on some compilation work). A nice addition to the original work which I rate with three stars.

I only have the LP version of this one, so alas, I can not judge the bonus tracks.

The album starts with the somewhat proggy, but over-produced Stage Whisper. This is a pretty good tune, but it gets lost in the aforementioned production. The swirling phasing on the guitar and drums ruins the entire affect of the piece. Love With The Madman is a fairly standard midtempo ballad, saved by some fine guitar by Bill Nelson. Maid In Heaven is a somewhat forgettable guitar heavy rock song. Sister Seagull is a slow, slightly psychedelic tune, again helped by Nelson's guitar, It almost sounds Hendrix inspired. . Sound Tracks brings back some prog, but not a whole lot of prog.

Side two begins with Music In Dreamland, that has sort of an early-Yes sound. Jean Cocteau sound a bit like Brazilian jazz. Between The Worlds may be the proggiest song on the album. And my favorite here. It sugues into Swan Song, another good proggy piece.

So about half of this album definitely has prog elements, and it deserves a place here. I would compare it to the middle years of Todd Rundgren's Utopia, before they became completely a pop band.

I have been listening to this CD for a while and I cannot get a hold of It. The music is beyond me, there´s no one single track to put above the rest. What kind of music is this? I don´t know and I can see exactly why Be Bop Deluxe was never a mainstream act. There's no singles in here. The music is not bad at all, the guitar playing is top-notch but It is a strange record to say the least. So if You are in the mood to discover new glam-prog-jazzy sounds this my be the way to do It. Three stars because I don't think this would be an excellent addition to anyone's collection.

it was 1973/4 - I had had Ziggy and lost, I had had Roxy Mk1 and lost and was desperate to find another act that I could immerse myself in. Thank God for Radio1 staging late night sessions and Album reviews and I got to hear of Bill Nelson and his exquisite Gibson 345 fueled licks and riffs and a big side dollop of synthy keys.

I was a burgeoning young green-teen guitar player looking for any clues in the day before the net and DVD(!) - anyone who offered a glimmer was idolised and revered and Maid In Heaven was all it took. The opening wammy bar note sounded exactly as my Yamaha RD200 electric start did on power-up and as I swung my leg over to blast off onto the mid 1970s streets with this song in my head it made me feel vital and relevant.

The Album's soaring guitar deliveries created a life-long love of the classic Gibson Semi and I eventually got to own one too!

I may not have all the riffs and licks off to pat even now, but I have squared the circle. Hell I even got to discuss his technique and gear with him direct on his Dreamsville Inn Forum at billnelson.com - - Maid an ageing '16' year old feel In Heaven all over again!

Thanks Bill!