Search - Be Bop Deluxe :: Modern Music

A Desert Island Album

Music Producerhead | CA, United States | 10/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the past, I've been somewhat perplexed on why critics favored earlier Be-Bop Deluxe albums, such as the previous SUNBURST FINISH, to this one. It is still my favorite of the band's studio releases. I was also alarmed that a band that came so close to breaking big, never did even after the release of MODERN MUSIC. (The irony of Bill Nelson singing "Modern Music on my radio" in the title song has never been lost on me.)



In hindsight, I realize that the concept album format here pretty much killed the album's chances, as the songs nearly all run together, and thus are difficult to isolate for radio airplay. This of course makes for a great whole-album listening experience as intended. But now with downloads and the ability to easily play albums out of sequence, concept albums like MODERN MUSIC become fragmented and incomplete, since the cadence of one song often serves as the opening phrase of the next. I imagine someone shuffling this album in their MP3 player could be in for a confusing, disconnected experience.



I'm afraid many of those classic 70's rock records (such as the Queen albums, QUEEN II and SHEER HEART ATTACK) will suffer the same fate. We don't sit down and listen to whole albums any longer; music is in the background of our lives now, carved up in nice 3 minute slices and served buffet style. I suppose it's the same effect as those classical compilation CDs (and vinyl records before them) which issue only excerpts of themes of the great composers' works, instead of movements or whole pieces, which listeners of the classics have had to suffer with long before the iPod generation.



So I'm doubtful that this Be-Bop Deluxe masterpiece will ever again be put in a context where it may be fully appreciated. This particular release even compounds the problem by including "bonus tracks", which had nothing to do with the original album. They might be nice for anyone who doesn't have them already (they're all from the last original Be-Bop Deluxe release, THE BEST OF AND THE REST OF, and so aren't special or unique tracks themselves); in truth they only remove us from the original musical atmosphere MODERN MUSIC creates. But since this is the only current release of the album available, I still must recommend it for those who haven't heard MODERN MUSIC before.



As for my "desert island" title: if you're picking one rock CD to bring somewhere that allows you to listen to music without interruption, MODERN MUSIC should certainly be a contender. Some believe it's a great collection of pop songs; others say it's a guitar master's album; still others believe it's progressive in its scope and more connected to the genre you'd find King Crimson or Yes. I think its brilliance is in crossing through all these genres and creating a whole greater than the interpretation of its parts. It is still modern music to me, some 30 years after its original release. When heard in its entirety, it is a marvel of musical ingenuity from a talented band which deserved much more success than they ultimately achieved."

Wonderfully Conceived/Performed 1970s Classic -

Donald A. Bauer | San Francisco, CA USA | 07/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When this record first came out, I was not well-schooled in the music of BeBop Deluxe. Their previous recording, "SUNBURST FINISH," had received some airplay where I lived (Los Angeles), but not much beyond the song "Fair Exchange." But I liked what I heard, and I somehow got this gut feeling that this band had in them something special. That "something special" turned out to be this recording, "MODERN MUSIC," which boasts good vocals, solid guitar work, interesting songs, but most of all - a special feeling or aura that seems to envelope the entire concept and project.When this record came out I somehow felt compelled to buy it before ever hearing any of it on the radio, from a friend, or anywhere. I just plain bought it sight unseen, and it turned out to be one the best 'flyers' I've ever taken with regard to my impulsive music buying habits. "MODERN MUSIC" is Be Bop Deluxe's best album in every respect. More than anything, it's a completely conceptialized whole, comprised of two song sets, the former sides 1 and 2. Both boast strong songs, carefully sequenced and performed with energy and taste. The second of these is the elegant and powerful "Modern Music Suite," where the songs crossfeed dreamily one into another. Both "sets" of music have held up for me over an untold number of listens, spread out over a significant number of years (this record was released in the late 1970s).Excellently recorded and produced, this is Bill Nelson's peak with regard to his Be Bop Deluxe period. If you enjoy other vintage 1970s recordings such as 10CC's "HOW DARE YOU," Genesis' "LAMB DIES DOWN" and "FOXTROT," "Todd Rundgren's "A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR" and "SOMETHING/ANYTHING" or any one of a dozen or more other such treasures, give this recording a try. The uninitiated among you will likely enjoy this time-capsule nugget as much as I have, and do.NOTE: As others have mentioned here, this is apparently the same "REMASTERING" that resulted in the 1990 re-issue of this recording on CD (the one I own). Therefore, if you already have this record on CD, it is probably this very same re-mastering, as I don't think it was available on CD prior to 1990. In which case, enjoy your copy and spend your money on Bowie's "Scary Monsters," Television's "Marque Moon," Utopia's "Oops Wrong Planet," or some other 1970s classic."

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."