| Drastic Plastic | ||||
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| Released | February 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1977 | |||
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| Label | Harvest | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Be-Bop Deluxe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Drastic Plastic | ||||
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Drastic Plastic is the fifth and final album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in February 1978. [1]
Drastic Plastic was recorded in Chateau Saint Georges, Juan-les-Pins, in the south of France in the summer of 1977. [2] Nelson recorded the album in Chateau Saint Georges, because he was inspired by the relation of the place with artist Jean Cocteau, who influenced him in the 1960s.
The sound of Drastic Plastic is different from the previous albums, showing changes in the musical direction of the band. This sound has been classified as art rock [3] and new wave. [3]
The song "Islands of the Dead" is a song dedicated to Nelson's father, Walter, who died in 1976.
Drastic Plastic was released in February 1978 by record label Harvest. It was re-released in early 1990 with three bonus tracks while an expanded version appeared in 2021. [4] [5]
The band split up shortly after releasing the album. [6] By the time of the disbanding, Nelson was writing material intended to be part of the Be-Bop Deluxe repertoire, but instead played by his next band, Red Noise , formed alongside keyboardist Andy Clark and Nelson's brother Ian. Red Noise released an album with more electronic-based music than Drastic Plastic, Sound-on-Sound , in 1979. That band and album were considered as post-Be-Bop Deluxe. Shortly afterwards, Nelson decided to continue his career as soloist, releasing more synthpop albums.
Nelson only maintained Andy Clark for his Red Noise project. After Be-Bop Deluxe split, bassist Charlie Tumahai played with other bands in Britain seven more years, returning to his native New Zealand in 1985, where he joined reggae band Herbs, continuing his career until his death in 1995. Simon Fox worked with Trevor Rabin, formed Blazer Blazer and joined The Pretty Things. After Red Noise, Andy Clark contributed to selected tracks on David Bowie's 1980 album Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) and the first two albums by The dBs.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Q |   [4] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that "'New Precision' and 'Islands of the Dead' are among the most aimless Nelson has ever penned, but 'Surreal Estate' and 'Japan' rank among his best". [7]
All songs written by Bill Nelson.
The U.S. release (SW-11750) dropped "Visions of Endless Hopes" and inserted "Japan" – 2:34
Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.
William Nelson is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter, video artist, writer and experimental musician. He rose to prominence as the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the rock group Be-Bop Deluxe, which he formed in 1972. Nelson has been described as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies art rock movement". In 2015, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards.
John William Leckie is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's Real Life (1978); XTC's White Music (1978); Dukes of Stratosphear's 25 O'Clock and the Fall's This Nation's Saving Grace ; the Stone Roses' The Stone Roses (1989); the Verve's A Storm in Heaven (1993); Radiohead's The Bends (1995); Cast's All Change (1995); Muse's Origin of Symmetry (2001); and the Levellers' We the Collective (2018).
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Herbs are a New Zealand reggae group founded in 1979 and led by singer-guitarist Dilworth Karaka, the only constant member. Since its foundation Herbs has been multi-ethnic in membership and featured Samoans, Tongans, Cook Islanders, New Zealand Europeans and Maori members. The 11th inductees into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, were once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". It has been said their debut EP What's Be Happen? "set a standard for Pacific reggae which has arguably never been surpassed".
The Golden Section is a 1983 album by English musician John Foxx. A progression from the sound of The Garden (1981), Foxx called The Golden Section "a roots check: Beatles, Church music, Psychedelia, The Shadows, The Floyd, The Velvets, Roy Orbison, Kraftwerk, and cheap pre-electro Europop". The album was Foxx's first work with a producer since his final Ultravox album, Systems of Romance, in 1978; The Golden Section was co-produced by Zeus B. Held, well known in the Krautrock scene of the 1970s. In addition to Foxx's wide array of synthesizers, the production made extensive use of vocoder effects and sampling, along with traditional rock guitar.
Simon Andrew Clark is an English keyboard and synthesizer player best known for working alongside guitarist Bill Nelson in art rock band Be-Bop Deluxe and their synthpop offshoot Red Noise. One of his earlier involvements in music was as member of a progressive rock band from Sheffield, Yorkshire, called Mother's Pride.
Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s.
"Street Life" is the opening track of English rock band Roxy Music's third album Stranded. Written by lead singer Bryan Ferry, the song is an ode to modern life that features sound effects of street noise alongside dissonant synth noises courtesy of newly recruited member Eddie Jobson. Producer Chris Thomas provides bass on the song.
The Fender Telecaster Bass is an electric bass introduced in 1968 by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. With few physical changes through the 1970s, it was discontinued in 1979 and reissued in 2007 by Fender's subsidiary Squier as the Squier Vintage Modified Precision Bass TB, which was discontinued in 2014. In 2023, the instrument was reintroduced as part of Fender's Vintera II lineup.
"Computer Blue" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. Released on June 25, 1984, it is the fourth track on Prince's sixth album, Purple Rain, which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the film, the song represents Prince's character's angst at the budding relationship between the characters played by Morris Day and Apollonia, the latter of whom he desires, and he performs it in front of the two during The Revolution's set at a nightclub with the aim of upsetting them. The song was composed by Prince with credit to his father, John L. Nelson, for the guitar solo based on a piano instrumental written by Nelson and Prince. He titled the instrumental piece "Father's Song" and recorded it on piano for the film, though onscreen it was portrayed as being played by Prince's character's father, played by Clarence Williams III. On the box-set Purple Rain Deluxe (2017), a different and longer recording of "Father's Song" was included.
Ian Walter Nelson was an English new wave musician, and younger brother of Be-Bop Deluxe singer and guitarist Bill Nelson, whom he accompanied in different musical projects. He played mainly the saxophone.
Bill Nelson's Red Noise, or more simply Red Noise, was Bill Nelson's umbrella term for what effectively became a British new wave band formed by himself, his brother Ian (saxophone), Andy Clark (keyboards) and Rick Ford (bass). Dave Mattacks and Steve Peer (drums) both had brief stints in the band.
Charles Turu Tumahai was a New Zealand singer, bass player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. He is best known internationally as the bassist and backing vocalist in Bill Nelson's Be-Bop Deluxe.
Simon Andrew David Fox was an English rock drummer, who played in different rock bands during the 1970s and the 1980s, most notably the progressive rock group Be-Bop Deluxe.
Sunburst Finish is the third studio album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in February 1976. It was recorded in Abbey Road Studios, London.
Axe Victim is the debut album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in June 1974.
Futurama is the second album by the band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in 1975 and generally classified musically as a progressive rock album.
Sound-on-Sound is the sole album by English new wave band Bill Nelson's Red Noise, released in February 1979 by record label Harvest. Band leader Bill Nelson formed the group after the disbandment of Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978. The record was recorded with producer and engineer John Leckie, and marks a stylistic change for Nelson with its emphasis on synthesizers. His lyrics were inspired by science fiction and dystopian themes, which the musician tried to present in a humorous way. The album cover, featuring a bed-ridden robot, was photographed by Bishin Jumonji
Modern Music is the fourth studio album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe. It was produced by band leader Bill Nelson and producer/engineer John Leckie. As AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann states in his review, "the album charted high in England and made the Top 100 in the U.S., but it was Be Bop's peak, not its breakthrough.
