Search - Be Bop Deluxe :: Modern Music

Another Masterpiece

Wild Colonial Boy | England | 03/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't decide which is better, this or Sunbirst Finish. Both albums are fabulous. This one has a concept style (side two on vinyl) where the songs run into each other. Play this first and get carried away in the dreamy lyrics and mesmerizing guitars from "Modern Music" to the haunting "Down on Terminal Street". Many metaphors describe this underated band best summed up by a British reviewer who said "it's rock music that paints pictures". I remember seeing them live with a big screen behind playing various sci-fi and other film clips during the set. The music brings memories rushing back."

A Masterpiece!

tvc215 | Philadelphia | 01/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and then an album comes along that is so beautiful and perfect as to suggest not only immense talent, but synchronicity. Be Bop Deluxe's masterpiece Modern Music, is one of those albums. To relegate it to a genre will only sell it short.



I have been listening to this on vinyl for thirty years. I finally picked up a CD for the car and after hearing it in its brilliant clarity, I realized I need to replace my vinyl copy! Funny, for some reason I always listened to side two first (tracks 7-15 on the CD). The entire side holds together as one unified piece. Hearing it in the original order on the CD makes perfect sense and flows beautifully. Modern Music is transcendent."

SORELY IN NEED OF IMPROVED AUDIO

BOB | LOS ANGELES, CA | 07/05/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"
The masters on these `08 Japan mini-sleeve CD's are the same exact masters produced in 1990 for the original issue of all the Be-Bop albums on CD, with the same bonus tracks. They are DESPERATELY in need of a sonic make-over.



It's nice having the original LP cover replicas, as the artwork for the Be-Bop albums were always imaginative affairs. However, the cost of these `sleeve editions, vs. the 18-year old audio, is an investment you really have to strain yourself to make.



Unless you just HAVE TO HAVE the `sleeves, if you already own the jewel-case versions, you should pass on these.



WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?



Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.



Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.



Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.



Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.



All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs."