Be Bop Deluxe: “Modern Music” Deluxe Edition (2019) CD Review

Modern Music, a 1976 release from Be Bop Deluxe, gets the deluxe treatment with a new two-disc re-issue, complete with extensive liner notes booklet and small promotional poster. Be Bop Deluxe was a British progressive rock band in the 1970s, led by singer and guitarist Bill Nelson, who has since released an extraordinary number of solo albums, including many experimental albums. Be Bop Deluxe mixed elements of different types of music into their material, including glam rock and straight rock and roll. Like other progressive rock bands, they used some science fiction and fantasy imagery and themes in their songs. I was a child when this band was active, and though I was vaguely aware of them, mostly because of their cool and quirky name, I didn’t own any of their albums. So this deluxe edition gives me a chance to dive into their music. Modern Music was actually the second album that Be Bop Deluxe released in 1976. The first, Sunburst Finish, already got the deluxe treatment in 2018. All the tracks on Modern Music were written by Bill Nelson, who offers his memories in a written piece contained in the liner notes. By the way, in the photo on the album cover you’ll notice that Bill is sporting a watch with a screen on it, something that is now available, but certainly wasn’t in 1976. Fortunately, the current watches don’t require TV antennas, as shown in the photo. The image on the screen is the cover of Axe Victim, Be Bop Deluxe’s first album.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the original stereo mix of the album, along with a bonus track. It opens with “Orphans Of Babylon,” a groovy rock song that is part progressive rock, and part pop, with some rather catchy elements. It’s an enjoyable song, a good opener. It’s followed by “Twilight Capers,” which has more of a glam rock vibe and some unusual lyrics. These are the song’s opening lines: “All the white horses ran bleeding to the end/Shot through the heart by dear devoted passion.” I also really like these lines: “I can see his broken grin/His fallen hope, his glorious sin.” This track also features an odd and kind of delightful ending, like the studio was suddenly overrun by tiny aliens. Then we get “Kiss Of Light,” which was released as a single, and again shows the band’s talent for interesting lyrics. “She tortured my body and made me feel sorry/Though I thought I was right.” “The Bird Charmer’s Destiny” is a short, kind of pretty track, the vocals backed by some nice work on keys. It leads straight into “The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow,” which has its own peculiar beauty. “The night has had its way with me/This game is growing rather grim/And some of us must sink or swim.” That’s followed by “Bring Back The Spark,” which on the original record, was the final track of the first side. It is more of a straight rock and roll tune, a lively and fun song.

The original album’s second side is dominated by a series of songs that together make up one large piece of music, the Modern Music Suite, inspired by the band’s experiences during the tour of the United States. The first track begins with the sound of a radio catching bits of various programs as some unknown listener hastens to change it. Then finally he or she finds what he or she is looking for, a Be Bop Deluxe song, and in fact the album’s title track, “Modern Music.” I could do without that sort of silly introduction, but once the song begins in earnest, it is quite good, and ends up being one of my favorite tracks. “When you're lonely and you're far away/When those steel guitars begin to play/Please don't let them steal your heart away.” It leads straight into “Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone),” which is a fun song with a lighter sort of vibe. “When will this journey be through/I’d like to make love to you.” That in turn leads straight into “Honeymoon On Mars” and then “Lost In The Neon World,” two short numbers. Those are followed by “Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids” which has a sort of exciting vibe to it, with a hint of disco to its style at times. This is one to cut loose to, and is another of my personal favorites. This series of songs concludes with “Modern Music (Reprise),” which ends with a weather report, back on the radio.

Interestingly, though the series of connected songs is finished, “Modern Music (Reprise)” does actually lead straight into “Forbidden Lovers,” a nice dose of 1970s rock and roll, complete with cowbell. It would be difficult to not enjoy this one. “I’m glad they came/To taste your pain/We're both insane on a crazy night/Such a crazy night.” That leads straight into “Down On Terminal Street,” a more interesting song that opens with a bright burst of energy, a glorious explosion, which seems to clear the way for an intriguing set of lyrics, and a stronger, more vivid landscape. Check out these lines: “I heard a voice like winter call my name/Said very soon that I would join them there/And all the creatures born of ink and rage and lies/Crawled off my pen and ran across the page to die.” Now those are some damn good lyrics. The original album concluded with “Make The Music Magic,” a song that has a light, pretty feel.

The first disc ends with a bonus track, “Shine,” which was the flip side to the “Kiss Of Light” single. It has a sort of funky vibe, which I dig. And in fact, on the original single for this track, the band renamed itself Funky Phaser And His Unearthly Merchandise, a goofy name, to be sure, but fun, fitting with the feel of the song. This one is actually a groovy jam, nearly eight minutes long. It gets fairly goofy and ridiculous toward the end, when there is suddenly a spoken word bit: “Did you see what he did? Did you? I thought he was going to disintegrate.” But don’t worry, it doesn’t get too bogged down in that, and the funky music continues. Like all the songs on the original album, this one was also written by Bill Nelson.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the entire album, but with new stereo mixes, along with “Shine” and two other bonus tracks. These new mixes, to my ears, seem to bring the vocals more clearly into focus. Everything has a stronger clarity, and I greatly prefer these new mixes. The two bonus tracks at the end of the disc are early versions of “Forbidden Lovers” (complete with count-off at the beginning) and “The Bird Charmer’s Destiny.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Orphans Of Babylon
2. Twilight Capers
3. Kiss Of Light
4. The Bird Charmer’s Destiny
5. The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow
6. Bring Back The Spark
7. Modern Music
8. Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)
9. Honeymoon On Mars
10. Lost In The Neon World
11. Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids
12. Modern Music (Reprise)
13. Forbidden Lovers
14. Down On Terminal Street
15. Make The Music Magic
16. Shine

Disc 2

1. Orphans Of Babylon
2. Twilight Capers
3. Kiss Of Light
4. The Bird Charmer’s Destiny
5. The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow
6. Bring Back The Spark
7. Modern Music
8. Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)
9. Honeymoon On Mars
10. Lost In The Neon World
11. Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids
12. Modern Music (Reprise)
13. Forbidden Lovers
14. Down On Terminal Street
15. Make The Music Magic
16. Shine
17. Forbidden Lovers (First Version)
18. The Bird Charmer’s Destiny (First Version)

This deluxe version of Modern Music was released on December 13, 2019 through Esoteric Recordings. By the way, apparently on that same date there was released an even more deluxe edition, with five discs (the fifth being a DVD).