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Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama (1975)
320kb Mp3 Covers (300 dpi PNG)


“Amazon.co.uk wrote:
After 40 years or so, pop/rock music continues to run out of ideas and becomes increasingly impotent in its ability to move and inspire young people. So as contemporary bands feebly try and copy acts from the '70s, the music contained on this masterpiece of an album shines as a beacon of power and originality.

Often the 'forgotten band' of the British art-rock scene of the early to mid-1970s, Bill Nelson's Bebop Deluxe was technically and artistically light years ahead of more successful but tame contemporaries such as Roxy Music.

The word 'passion' is tediously over-used these days, but it really does apply here, heaped by the spadeload into every song. From blistering Hendrix-inspired rock (Stage whispers) to jazz-tinged ballad noir (Jean Cocteau) to exquisite pop (Maid in Heaven), this is an album of wonderful songs (there's no filler) brought to life by a level of musicianship way beyond the capability of other bands working in the pop/rock genres (listen especially to drummer Simon Fox).

Recorded when the band was still a threepiece, Futurama is mysteriously ignored by many observers in favour of the more orthodox (and successful) Sunburst Finish. But you won't hear a more powerful mixture of poetry and fire than this one: it bewitched me when I first heard it around 30 years ago, and it bewitches me still.”


“Amazon.co.uk also wrote:
Sounding remarkably fresh for it's age, Futurama is a fabulous album of depth and great imagery for the space age romantic in all of us who love music in our dreamland. Nelson's guitar is superb on this album, in many guises and sonic attacks. A man in the full bloom of his burgeoning creativity, still blossoming over 25 years later - his output is prodigious and extremely interesting for one relatively unsung outside his circles. The lyrics are often lovely, if a bit 70s fey, but hey who cares when the whole thing is this good. The album rarely has a dull moment, due to Nelson's endless invention of the rock genre in the course of songs, Zappa - esque. Perhaps the highly artistic Bill was always a bit too intellectual for his own good and something went wrong along the line, careerwise - soon to be revealed in a forthcoming autobiography - but the music has kept coming and Nelson's diehard fans are rewarded with personal appearances and frequent volumes of output from his home studio. In Autumn Bill is ready to rock again! I have found Futurama to be very hard to get hold of easily and am astonished that this isn't available for it is indeed a mighty piece of glam-drama-funk-folk-pop-rock-blues, the genre we've all been waiting for was under our noses all the time. Get it!”






Tracklisting:
1. Stage Whispers (3:05)
2. Love With the Madman (3:12)
3. Maid in Heaven (2:26)
4. Sister Seagull (3:36)
5. Sound Track (6:15)
6. Music in Dreamland (4:45)
7. Jean Cocteau (2:53)
8. Between the Worlds (3:18)
9. Swan Song (6:04)
BONUS TRACKS:
10. Between The Worlds (unreleased single version) (3:19)
11. Maid In Heaven (Live 1977) (2:34)
12. Speed Of The Wind (4:20)

Total Time: 45:47

Line-Up:
- Bill Nelson / all guitars, keyboards, lead vocals & percussion
- Charlie Tumahai / fender bass, vocals & percussion
- Simon Fox / drums, percussion

Pressing: EMI/Harvest CDP 7920742