VIA PRESS RELEASE | Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered five-disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 4 CDs and a DVD) of Modern Music, the legendary 1976 album by Be Bop Deluxe.
Recorded in June and July 1976 at Abbey Road Studio Three, Modern Music was the fourth album by Be Bop Deluxe and the second to feature the line-up of Bill Nelson (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Charles Tumahai (bass, vocals), Andy Clark (keyboards), and Simon Fox (drums). Following on from the success and critical praise for the band’s previous album Sunburst Finish, the album was once more co-produced by Bill Nelson and John Leckie.
Much of the material appearing on the album was conceived by Bill Nelson whilst Be Bop Deluxe were undertaking their first tour of the USA in March 1976. The wonderful and expansive Modern Music “suite” which dominated the album was inspired by Bill’s experiences of America, the disillusionment with the US music business and a longing for home. Beside the fine achievement of the suite, Modern Music also featured other fine songs such as “Orphans of Babylon,” “Kiss of Light,” “The Bird Charmers Destiny,” and the epic “Down on Terminal Street,” all of which ensured that the album was a hit in both the UK and the USA.
This expanded reissue has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes and features an additional 55 bonus tracks drawn from a stunning new 5.1 surround sound and stereo mixes from the original multi-track tapes by award-winning engineer Stephen W. Tayler, previously unreleased out-takes from the album sessions, a BBC Radio “In Concert” performance from October 1976, along with a bonus CD of a previously unreleased “official bootleg” of a performance at The Riviera Theater in Chicago in March 1976 recorded for FM Radio on Be Bop Deluxe’s first US tour which features a rare jam entitled Bill’s Blues. The set also includes visual material taken from a session for BBC TV’s Old Grey Whistle Test show broadcast in November 1976.
Another highlight of this limited-edition boxed set is the lavishly illustrated 68-page book with many previously unseen photographs and an essay of recollections by Bill Nelson. Additionally, the set includes postcards and a replica poster. This special deluxe limited-edition boxed set of Modern Music is a fitting tribute to a fine band and the creative vision of Bill Nelson.
