FUTURAMA

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!

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 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.