BE BOP DELUXE - SUNBURST FINISH @ 45

 

Also celebrating 45 years on the shelves this month is Be Bop Deluxe's 3rd LP, Sunburst Finish, release in February of 1976.

This was the album where all the pieces of the BBD puzzle came together in their fully optimized forms. The band lineup had settled into a four piece with Andy Clark coming in on keyboards to work with Charles Tumahai on bass and Simon Fox on drums. With the band sorted out, front man and guitarist, Bill Nelson was free to focus on his songwriting and, for this album, managed to both find his own voice, leaving the pseudo-Bowie allusions behind, while also reigning in some of his more bombastic guitar indulgences, which had been a hallmark of their previous LP. There was still a lot of drama, detail and complexity to the music, but it all seemed to be better balanced and didn't obscure the focus of the tight hooks and evocative lyrics. For a progressive rock band, on Sunburst Finish, BBD managed to weave their virtuosity around infectious and memorable music that never went too far into self-indulgence. This LP also marked the arrival of John Leckie as producer, who would go on to work on all the subsequent group albums as well as the post BBD Red Noise project.

While Bill has often been somewhat ambivalent about the album cover, it does present a very memorable image and the perspex tube seen in the photos did translate into their stage show for the tour to promote the LP. Three such tubes were used on tour with Bill, Andy and Charles beginning each show from inside a tube filled with dry ice. As the show began, the tubes would rise into the ceiling, revealing the band. There was one memorable instance, however, when this staging provided a real life "Spinal Tap" experience as the tubes failed to rise and the band remained trapped in them as the show began!

For me, this album has continuously grown in my esteem over the years. When I first got it, I had backed into Be Bop Deluxe after discovering Red Noise at the peak of the "new wave" era of the late 1970s. As such, the progressive rock styles of earlier BBD were a bit outside my preferences, but it didn't take long for these albums to reveal their charms and seduce my senses. Throughout the ensuing years, Sunburst Finish has continuously illuminated more depths to itself as I rediscover it again every few years. The subtlety of the arrangements, the attention to detail, the irresistible hooks and the heartfelt romanticism of the lyrics continue to flower with new layers of meaning. Like a fine wine, this is one of those albums that keeps getting better with age.