Celebrating
its golden anniversary at 50 years old this month is the debut LP from
Yorkshire progressive rock underdogs, Be Bop Deluxe, with Axe Victim
being released in June of 1974. While the band did not actually play
any "be bop" music, they did come out of the gate as glam-rock wannabes
until leader Bill Nelson retooled his vision and managed to conceive of
something rather more original on their subsequent albums.
As
it was, Be Bop Deluxe came out at the height of the UK glam movement,
fashioning themselves while under the looming shadow of David Bowie.
Though Bill Nelson denies any overt influence, it's hard to take that
stance too seriously when a song title like "Jet Silver And The Dolls Of
Venus" is clearly a first cousin of "Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders
From Mars". That overt similarity would undercut the band's ability to
distinguish themselves at first, a situation further aggravated by their
use of makeup and extravagant attire as shown on the group photo
adorning the back of the album.
However,
on closer inspection and with the benefit of hindsight, there is a
blush of the sophistication and sincerity that would bloom on subsequent
albums, as Nelson found his own voice and cast aside obvious
influences. The album's title track offers up a convincing perspective
on the rigours of rock stardom, Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape
glints with the essence of the band that would come, and Night Creatures
offers up a sublimely beautiful ballad about denizens of the darkness.
The only real fly in the ointment of this album is Rocket Cathedrals,
the only song to ever appear on a BBD album that was not penned by Bill
Nelson. It appears here as a concession track for bassist Robert Bryan,
and sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other songs.
The
version of Be Bop Deluxe that recorded their debut would be short
lived. After a brief tour of the UK to promote the LP, Nelson realized
that his band, mostly mates from the Yorkshire music scene, really
weren't up to snuff as far as being players capable of realizing
Nelson's ambitious musical vision. As a result, the entire band would
get amicably sacked and replaced for the next album by two thirds of the
players who would constitute their stable lineup until their ultimate
dissolution by the end of the decade.
While
Axe Victim doesn't quite fulfill the promise that Nelson held in his
potential, it does set the stage for what would come and still contains a
few excellent tracks that make the album worth its place in the band's
canon. Plus it's got an absolutely ace cover, so you can't really fault
it too severely for being a tentative step towards eventual greatness.
