Be Bop Deluxe Sister Seagul OGWT 1975

[ryk1]

Incredible guitarist, mellotron - heaven.



[railwaystationmaster]

Another OGWT gem from yesteryear when great music permeated every sinew, heres hoping that this gets cleaned up and released on DVD to celebrate the shows 40th birthday.

[M0ofi32012]

Good stuff, Maynard! :) Thank you!!

[Sunburst75]

Used to play this on my air guitar in the 70s awesome man

[sludgefingers]

I know they weren't exactly a metal band but he's badly missing some crunch on the riff here.

[Howardsend88]

@sludgefingers agree with you 100% , could do with some crunch.

[TwilightCapers]

Alert! ITV Legends TV show, featuring Bill Nelson, 26 March, Metropolis Studios, London. Full band, Be Bop Deluxe songs, recorded live for a DVD release, once in a lifetime show. 

[kensharonyoga]

Beautiful. thanks for posting this.

[swittle]

Sublime

[QueenCeleste2]

Thank you so much for this! One of my very favorite songs. I saw them in California in 1979 in a college gymnasium, not a great setting, but a brilliant performance.

[glennw53]

@QueenCeleste2 You sure of the year??? They broke up in 78'. Could you have seen Red Noise??

[QueenCeleste2]

@glennw53 Glennw53, I stand corrected! After some Goggling I found it was actually in April, 1978.

[mannythedrummer]

I saw this guy (Bill Nelson) do this LIVE at The Palladium in NYC in 1976, opening up for Lynyrd Skynrd (of all groups - what a mismatched bill) and he blew that theatre away... he won the hearts of many a Skynyrd fan that night.

[guitarmank]

bill nelson is playing clean here, i love his sound on the live in the air age album

[talpajam]

@guitarmank doesn't hurt to have a '60 ES-335 strapped on...the cat can shred I hear.

[shenstone]

what ever happened to Jet Silver and the dolls of venus AND third floor heaven? both were on the OGWT - i know they exists cause i remember bloody watching it !

[jbojangles2008]

What a Scorcher of the Riffs of that Wailing Guitar!I loved this track from the

"Futurama Album" .Bill has whiffs of Bowie in his demenour ??Slick poetic

Prowess of a Wordsmith drawing out the Beauty of the Language intertwined

with bursts of Majesty and Delectation .Not for your average Joe!!

[kenfig]

Super performance ; Bill is a Wizard, a Technician and IIIustrator, not merely a great Guitar player

[MazterGuitarz]

@kenfig

Yeah and an artist...

This is the one of their best tunez ever I think, and I made a disguised "cover" of this tune!! Check out my "not youtube" homepage at Youtube and guess which one!

[kenfig]

@MazterGuitarz Will do ; i prefer this Whistle Test performances of this & Maid in Heaven to the record studio ones actually as well

[MrBarwise]

Saw them live in Vancouver,Canada in 1975/76 playing backup for Golden Earing. This song was the hilite of the evening!!!!

[johngal56]

One of the best concerts I attended during the 70's. Excellent band.

[popgrubbs]

As much as we love to point to the amazing guitar work of Bill Nelson, as much can be said for his vocal stylings. He can really tell a wonderful story with his voice, and Sister Seagul is a prime example.

[CarrollGazette]

I was 16 and this was the very first concert I ever seen live. I love the album, LIve in the Air Age.

[pentytake5]

I wish Bill would revisit some of these old songs.

[sheltech12]

BBD is dead. long live Bill Nelson !

[cleverfeller]

Gary Moore and Thin Lizzy blow Bill Nelson away.....he was good but not great.

[datapolo]

@cleverfeller you are comparing apples and oranges, I love both, but they are both different and to say one is better than the other is purely subjective. Also Thin Lizzy is surely not Gary's best work? Try his Coliseum work especially RIvers and Down to You.

[WELLBRAN]

I was trying to explain to me 12 yr old daughter that in those days you came in on LIVE tv and played your stuff ONCE no takes or edits..she was looking at me puzzled, LIVE TV? Kids now do not get the concpet of LIVE music...its such a shame

[SolielDanse]

was that Mutt Lange who introduced them?

[WELLBRAN]

@SolielDanse "Whispering" Bob Harris

[ernieernie]

@SolielDanse

Bob Harris and John Peel were two of the great British DJ's.

[SkipdeMilieu]

super boss!

[vmax4steve]

This was my intro to Be-Bop Deluxe. My arsehole stepfather would watch any shit on the other side to make me miss OGWT, I remember switching channels to catch the last few minutes one night and this was playing. Didn't know who they were but the end credits read Be-Bop Deluxe and I made the connection and a fan was born. Went out and bought their first three albums, which are the best .

Couldn't get into most of Bill's solo stuff, not enough of that 345, carlsbro amp magic for me.

[AphidsRuleThePlanet]

will you meet me their,.. by the golden stairway to the clouds

[MeggieMooMinx]

one of the great things about the internet is i can re discover my early youth bands and listen to them without putting a stack of tanners (old sixpence for those outside the uk!!) on the arm of the record player so it didn't jump!!!!

very underrated and undiscovered band......

[RatkoUSA]

Yes great upload. Pleased to see I'm not the only Be Bop Deluxe fan on the Tube.

[actron]

They really are/were so underrated. This song sits well next to anything pretty much.

[mtnkartracer]

one of the most underated bands of all time,thnx

[kenfig]

@mtnkartracer i'll second that !!

[heatdeb]

Glasgow apollo great place,great band.

[MankyScotsG1t]

Bloody brilliant, and what a class show the Old Grey Whistle Test was huh.....keep whispering Bob :)

[written12]

@MankyScotsG1t Brilliant it is- the tune, the tone, and the ensemble playing.

You Brits, well, you Brits of a certain age were very lucky to the Old Grey Whistle Test. I caught a few shows when I was over in the UK years ago, and now we in the States have these tasty snippets on Youtube.

[mikey1829]

THIS IS AWESOME <<<

[sheltech12]

never knew about Bill or BBD till '95. have collected 80 cd's since then. he's still at it !.

[revup67]

phenomenal piece of footage ! also dug the end credits where it states "album track Joe Vitale" - one of rock's greatest drummers. Charles (the bassist) later went to a band called the Dukes who released at least 1 LP.

[argueallthetime]

Bill Nelson...most underated musician...

[mozo2112]

1977 Live In The Air Age Tour. NYC. The Palladium. Me and my bud Tommy were there. They had old silent movies and newsreels with dirigibles in the sky playing behind them. Bill Nelson was one of the best guitarists I've ever seen live. I think Rush, Cheap Trick and UFO played too. Don't remember -- left as soon as BBD were done. The best rock band I'd seen up to that point in my young life. Tommy just kept saying, "who the fuck are these guys??"

[revup67]

VERY Interesting ! I was at this show as well and have it on cassette!! It was Styx and Be Bop Delxue and I think City Boy (have the original ticket stub somewhere). Rush Cheap Trick and UFO was another show - still have my back stage pass from this UFO show and a cassette recording of UFO. Forgot about those films that were displayed - great memory. Styx had a rough time as their lead vocalist microphone kept going out,

[hippylong]

red noise is still to this day a fav of mine.

[puck30]

Classic band, much thanks for the upload!

[beboploo]

classic

[varlaluna]

I only saw bill nelson great show at hitsville passiac nj

[demise234]

beautiful

[robstar67]

saw them live 2 in glasgow

chiling space rock live

shivers runnung down my spine

excellent

[WELLBRAN]

Saw them 2 times in Penzance Cornwall 70's...they got about a bit didn't they..lol

[WELLBRAN]

should just add that the 2nd time I saw them (futurama release) they were only a 3 peice band! no keys! still brilliant

[kirkwallboy]

Brilliant man, and his band. Can't help thinking that if he'd happened along a couple of years later they would have been recognised as new wave, which they were, really.

[jeepdad56]

Saw them w/ Crack the Sky in Asbury Park...unbelievable show!

[hudent]

I second that bro,there nothing like 70 's rock period I was lucky enough to be part of it at some point late 60's too.great music was made on those years.

[pclinn]

LBjim, did you ever shop for LP's at "zed's of london" in long beach?

hippest import store. even better than anything in hollyweird.

[pclinn]

of course we knew of bebop deluxe in the states. cool stations like knac in long beach, calif played northern dream, axe victim, and futurama alot.

first saw be bop play at the santa monica civic on the live in the air age tour and a year later for drastic plastic.

still a fan!

[LBjim]

I grew up in Long Beach,Ca, I'm back after many years away and I remember rocking,Rythym KNAC 105.5 FM in the late 70's they played Prog stuff like Peter Gabriel,Be Bop Deluxe and Roxy Music, It was way ahead of there time. Then it went metal and now it is Spanish..a shame..

[UtopiaPoet]

Pure rock 105.5

[frmadrigal]

Bill is a monster, a multi talented man and a very creative gtr player. Lots of melody inside,I just wonder what he may think when he ´s doing solos!

[NoelGrassy]

Is there a boxed set or what have you compiling these OGWT programs? I'm sure there's plenty of Yankee geezers like myself that would love to view

their cherished artists this way! Thanks for sharing this BTW. {I see the SMPTE scrolling away so I'm sure this track came from the production facility or something & was never meant for the public...}

NG>

[rippleeffect75]

hi! yeah you can buy OGWT dvd's on uk ebay (but not sure if they were done for your region)? you'll see a lot of yankee bands played on the shows aswell. good luck & enjoy them...

[zinocat]

wow

[beboploo]

you must ov been good to ov been on the ogwt ?

[Timbarwell]

im 50 lucky enough to see them live 6 times amazing great great great these videos are brilliant thanks for posting

[binnyman]

Praise be to God, I saw BBD 2X in the '70's at Miami's Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center (1567 seats)--look it up, it's a gorgeous venue. Bill and the boys were AWESOME. Once they were on the bill with Renaissance, and then by them selves. They played forever, with multiple encores. They closed that show with "Purple Haze", BTW. Talented, articulate,and they listened to each other on stage, never over-playing, but complementing. Rare genius. Thanks for the post ! Peace:)

[Timbarwell]

@binnyman feel the same i saw them 4 times in UK truly great band

[ladesco]

amazing, captivating, brilliant, sexy, stylish, and addictive... i watch this daily at least 1-10x a day. bill has always been before his time, and (happy belated bd!) being 60, he's still as charming and held back as ever, but, always so offering to his fans. classiest act i've decided. geez... yes, i'm adoring of him in this period and his deco art style.

I've needed a "sister seagul" often... akin to an angel to us westerners. i welcome one in a moment... just like this song.

[2perros2]

Bills genius is like a bright star, is not easy to find it.

[selby06]

i'm a 50 year old irish/danish guitar wanking yank, here in the states, and so far, nobody here in the states seems to really grasp how truly great bill nelson was/is. this shit is tremendous.

[dalehelm1959]

Im a 50 year old texan who thinks Bill was so far ahead of his time. I would have giving anything to have seen Be Bop Deluxe

[bittenof]

i saw them twice in leeds.they never made it big over here so how come you know about them

[GaryNull]

I"m 50 too, . . today, people think American Idol is good music.

Face it, music is over. There are no radio station like there was in the 70's and 80's.

We have better music "technololgy", . . but this kind of music is not getting through anymore.

Todays kids are forced to hear garbage and think "it's cool" because they have no other choice.

I fucking hate MTV.

[pclinn]

gary,

i agree but don't give up hope!

radiohead's "o.k. computer" could be a 90''s BBD.

the contrast, blitzen trapper, bell x1, air, joe bonnamassa, kim richie, WEST INDIAN GIRL(!) are all bands played on NPR's world cafe hosted by david dye out of philly. give it a listen on your local public radio station.

[aneehs59]

my all time favourite be bop track..Fantastic live!

[achilleslaststand85]

2:08- i achieved full release shortly after

[necroculto66]

we all can release to this song praise bbdlx

[kirkwallboy]

Agree totally with Pentalogarythm about the bit where fuzz box and Echoplex kick in. Adds to the atmosphere as the song progresses. Stupid BBC, putting the credits up too soon. Viewers would thus be heading off to the kitchen for a cuppa. When Ships in the Night stalled at number 23, or whatever, the following year, I knew in a sinking feeling wa that this band would never really find favour. Two years on from this, in 1978, Electrical Language is sublime.

[winterlandkid]

Kevin Horridge from Manchester England Loved THESE GUYS! I Miss You Kevvy!

[frankcino]

great to see this bill nelson clip.

WISH there was some recent rhings postedas they too are great.

i've followed bill since be bop thru to the present. have seen him 2x & met him once. a charming soul & a real person.

as fans know that DOES come thru in his music.

since Zappa passed, i feel Bill Nelson is the best 'rock composer' around.

- USA fan

[rockmeamodeo]

I'm sooo happy to find so many other fans of Bill Nelson and this brilliant, yet largely unrecognized, bands of the 70's. Have been a fan since they played San Diego way back in '75. I always turn other guitarists on to this guy because I still can't believe how beautifully melodic his choices are...sure there are faster and flashier guys out there...but none tastier...most fast, acrobatic guitarists sound rather sterile to me. Bill's got so much soul in his playing. THANKS

FOR POSTING!!!

[fatley]

i saw them live 4 times,one of the most underated bands ever,Bill Nelson is a master,superb music,ps this track is reminiscent of another great underated band Spirit with the great Randy California

[caleywontdie]

Bill Nelson = Genius

[anne241163]

I like the guitar!

[Sunburst75]

Remember Be Bop playing this during their concert at the old Glasgow Apollo in 1978. This song has more than stood the test of time, it's awesome simply. Long live Be Bop Deluxe.

[FrancoDamn]

beautiful guitar. Charlie Tumahai (RIP) is one of my favourite bassists.

[Agaricfly68]

Brilliant song, great musicianship.

Thanks!!!

[PeanutButterWolf2]

Bill Nelson= guitar GOD!

[PeanutButterWolf2]

Bill Nelson= guitar GOD!

[artlark]

I saw these guys open for Blue Oyster Cult in Hollywood Fl and to me they stole the show. Blue Oyster Cult was good but they sounded predicable compared to BeBop Deluxe.

[srtrac]

Magic,

I saw them at the Free trade Hall in Manchester England in 1975. Incredible. I still get chills up my spine listening to them. The bass player Charlie was made of Rubber.He moved like he was a Indian rubber man. Bill Nelson has "Be Bop" meeting's at venues in the North West. He can still play.

What a talent.

[jzippo]

srtrac: any idea when he is back in the north west? Manc area or similar?

[srtrac]

This is all I have at the moment

The Official Bill Nelson Fan Convention.

Set the dials on your time machines to Saturday 1st November 2008, 12 noon until 11pm.

PARK INN HOTEL - YORK

THIS NOT TO BE MISSED EVENT INCLUDES :

[FANUUUCH]

BRILLIANT!!!

[mcddtlc]

I saw them at a little place in Santa Monica,

4th row and Bill saw me singing along to his

songs and was giving me a big smile most of the night. (3) encores!! one of them was: No Trains to Heaven - which we were screaming for, he looked right at me when he started it. NEVER forget that night!! MLC

[binnyman]

I saw them twice, in '78 and '79 (once with Renaissance), and they were great! Nelson is SO underrated; Such taseteful playing. I remember the 2nd show, they second-encored with "Purple Haze". Magical. Nobody like Bill. Peace:-)

[Sunburst75]

Different CLASS.............long live Be Bop !!

[winterlandkid]

Love These Guys! Great Stuff!

[brents55]

Great band. I saw them twice in the 70s. First time they opened for Slade and Golden Earing at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Second time they were second bill behind Blue Oyster Cult at the LA Forum. Both fabulous shows. The glam rock group Angel opened the BOC show. I remember Bill Nelson and the boys taking the stage after Angel, Bill said, "We don't all look like Freddy Mercury!" He then ripped out the most wicked guitar riff I have ever heard then started Fair Exchange.

[iainproclaimer]

they opened for lou reed in 73, in edinburgh, they were brill.

[fbfab]

this rox wish we had a better version

[jasonwhitedrum]

Make the music magic-make my strings ring like bells in the night

[ohisashiburi]

Brilliant Bill and the boys...beautiful song..

[whillop]

I think that their name scared many people away . I know that when I would try to tell folks about them , I always got a weird reaction . Oh well , their loss .

[mahalkita2008]

Can anyone post Bebop Deluxes 'Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape' also a beautifull/great song.

[terrysteward]

i have got there best 3 albums on cd, if you go on e bay,they can be bought there !!

[mahalkita2008]

Does anyone can post 'Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape' live or studio, haven't heard that song for many years.

[colt1954]

Clearly ahead of his time, I'm proud that I've still got the original album Futurama

[cornholio1962]

check out bills flairs, 70.s they were the days

[crimsonrush]

It's bands like this that made us all want to learn how to play our instruments.

Guitarists today sound like Father Ted playing 'My Lovely Horse'.

Punk and New Wave have a lot to answer for.

[MysticRover]

Very Interesting but, I still love Be Bop Deluxe "Live". Everyone has their favourite I Know. Waiting to hear Axe Victim or Jet Silver 'Live'. BTW, would somebody please tell me who came up with the melody first between Bill's 'Modern Music' and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue"? Listen out to both tracks back to back.

[ochayedonald]

what a tune. Nelson takes out one of the key attractions to the song, yet manages to replace it with a simple but beautiful riff. And THAT is what the gong is for...

[Ronnierep]

I saw them live in Philly in 1978 with South Side Johnny and the Asbury Jukes who could not stand. Be Bop Deluxe blew them away and I was one of the other 50 that owned the album.

[Parmsingh1234]

I agree with all the comments. Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe were remarkably talented but never received the recognition they ever deserved.

[Timbarwell]

One of the best bands of all time, in my opinion Bill Nelson rates up there with Hendrix as an all time greats. thanks for the video

[Stone8]

I bought it too and agree with you, I bought it because they were opening for Blue Oyster Cult at the Forum in Inglewood CA. LOL - what a great time

[metalmasher]

One of the great (and utterly unappreciated, in my opinion) bands of the seventies. I think I was one of the fifty or so people in the US who bought this album. Nelson is one of the best rock guitarist of this era. A truly great talent.