Following the July release of their first three albums, Cherry Red have released the last three albums from rock band Be Bop Deluxe. Spanning from the years of 1976 to 1978, this is another solid set of albums.
I won’t spend too much time going into the band’s history. If you would like to read my review on the first box set, click here.
Modern Music (1976)
Released in 1976, Be Bop Deluxe went new wave with this strong follow up to Sunburst Finish. Modern Music is a strong album with a catchy new wave and power pop sound. With its top-notch production and its medley of songs on the second side, this makes Modern Music a unique album. It’s probably their strongest outing.
Highlights: Orphans of Babylon, Kiss Of Light, Modern Music, Forbidden Lovers
Rating: 7/10
Live in the Air Age (1977)
Serving as the band’s lone live album, Live in the Air Age a decent enough live album. The band are on fine form and the songs are played wonderfully. The only issue with this album is that it’s not particularly memorable: it’s simply the band playing their songs live. The band plays 10 songs in total, with three of them not being from any album.
Highlights: Ships In The Night, Fair Exchange, Maid in Heaven, Blazing Apostles
Rating: 6/10
Drastic Plastic (1978)
The band’s last album, released in 1978, was an experimentation in synth pop. The results? Mixed at best. The first side of the is where most of the electronic stuff is and it’s grating after a while. Though the second side is quite pleasant, with songs that feel like a follow up to Modern Music. It’s easily their weakest effort, but there’s still stuff worth checking out.
Highlights: Electronic Language, New Precision, Dangerous Stranger, Superenginmatix
Rating: 6/10
Be Bop Deluxe would break up in 1978.
Bill Nelson will continue with several bands and as a solo artist in the decades that followed.
Conclusion
Along with the remastered albums, there is yet again a booklet featuring liner notes from Bill Nelson himself. Much like the first box set, the liner notes from Nelson are great and give more insight to the albums.
If you still haven’t purchased the first box or this set, I’d recommend going for it: these are immerse box sets and goes beyond what The Harvest Years or Original Albums Series sets did.
If you’re new comer to the band, this might be the set for you. Though to be advised: this is quite the amount of content.
For all others, feel free to dig in and enjoy.
Overall rating: 7/10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.