Be Bop Deluxe - Islands of The Dead

[army21ish]

poor quality or not still fab

[Timbarwell]

beautiful 

[nirvan561]

I by mistake was trying to learn a song on guitar and clicked on this songs tab on ultimate guitars. Com

And I was like oh what the heck looks easy so with out even listening to it I began to play it

And then It sounded amazing! So I looked this up and now it's my favorite song

Just happened 30 seconds ago

[ikeick]

@nirvan561 Nice post, ya this has been one of my favs since early '80's and this has been my fav bands since then too! 

[rickydicky100]

what a tremendous song and guitar work, from one of the most underated artists ever

[Howardsend88]

@worldcitizenforever agree with you 100%, but I can recall seeing an even better version of this song on tv in the 70's ( it that is possible) , totally unique sound

[tgreen1951]

Love this track. Heard it on BBC Sight & Sound. Following Saturday saw BeBop

perform it at Hammersmith Odeon. They were awesome. Bill Nelson was such an excellent songwriter/guitarrist. Did the band break up because the Bassist couldn't

renew his Aussie work permitt ?

[SRPMITCHTUBE]

Sailor bill is alive in the tradition of Erik Sarte, Jean Cocteau, Picasso and every other artist who but cannot survive without creating. One Love Steve x.

[rorrante]

Bill Nelson is awesome.

[epamanonda1]

I agree with WELLBRAN

[01goldg1]

Drastic Plastic is one of the ten albums I'd pick to have on my iPod on that deserted Island (of the Dead)! BBD, City Boy and UK were 3 of my favorite bands back in the day...

[jexplosive1]

THANKS!!!

[shazam1059]

one bill's first , great , songs , i lost my virginity doing this song, a classic

[ADenny12]

@shazam1059 ^ Ha! Ha! Lucky u. Lost mine to Orca the Killer Whale at the drive-in. You had it much, much better :)

[wjf1950]

What a great band....Bill Nelson you soooooo rock...

[WELLBRAN]

UK has not seen a better songwriter. Genius and a brilliant guitarist

[beccaLol0800]

What distinctive writing and amazing solo

[Rovergbjy]

Is this from the "Rock goes to College" Uni gigs televised back in the late '70s?

I taped it (cassette, mike aimed at the tv!) and lost the tape when my BASF player was pinched from the front seat of my car one night....

Jesus.. so long ago but...

[Myrmadon13]

Thanks for posting Gooch! I've been a BN and BBD fans for deacdes now... just finished listening to an interview with Bill... he said he never had a Classic Strat or a Gibson Les Paul, simply because they were everywhere. He prefers playing something out-of-the-ordinary. Just thought I'd pass it along. Thanks again!!! Cheers!

[terrysteward]

bill is one brilliant man !!!

[johndough9]

I still have the Drastic Plastic white vinyl album that contains this song. Always loved this song.

[ladesco]

ahead of his/our time. i listen to bbd for HOURS upon hours, nary to tire of dreamy floating guitar riffs that i keep in memory

[worldcitizengrendel]

Thank you so much dagooch.

Totally agree "the islands of the dead" and "crying to the sky" two of the most beautiful of Genious Bill Nelson ever though others like "tender is the night", "so it goes" (both more `pop´) "map of dreams" (complex) are equally amazing.

Nelson the King of electric-art-popdeluxe

[ABOYINSANE]

thanx for that brill vid DAG

[ABOYINSANE]

anyone know wen the the next bill nelson convention is in sheffield . missed the last one.

[ABOYINSANE]

i was 14 wen i got into be bop . the sunburst album, well said sunburst ,,like u ,, bill is a brill guitarist

[Sunburst75]

It might make me feel old :-), but I've been listening to Be Bop since 1975, nothing comes close. Bill is a genius. Thanks for the memories guys, rock on.

[bribeanbabybopdelux]

Bill Nelson-an incredible talent, a very special human being.

[Timbarwell]

best band ever

[maskedpersuader]

Drastic Plastic was one of my favorite albums from the 1970's.

[boomerhgt]

Yeah have to agree loved that album still got it up in the loft ..Panic in the World ace

[permaveg]

Vastly underated guitarist.I bought "ships in the night" with its B side "crying to the sky" when i was at school in 75,still got it and treasure it,even though clicks and crackles accompany it.

[chefcman]

they were just so great

bill is still way ahead of others

what a great band this and crying to the sky are just 2 of the most beautiful songs ever

[grantjames333]

True they are/were hardly known in the U.S. But I'm one American who intimately knows them and their music. I was one of the lucky ones on this side of the Atlantic to recognize BBD and the magic music.

[Tudomir]

Sad song but wonderful !

[bluddywaters]

Saw Be Bop in Piccadilly Radio tent in Platt Fields Park Manchester early 70,s.Bass player ( from Axe Victem LP )was trippin off his head.Nelson wasnt very happy nor was the small crowd.

[ozricstormbringer]

so there was 2 versions of this LP one had love my japan and the other had this song

[chalky2112]

beautiful song.Ive been a nelson fan since `drastic plastic`.

[fredzbassist]

BBC Sight and Sound in Concert. Audio played on Radio 2 in stereo, visuals on the TV! Fantastic! I taped the radio broadcast at the time and wore the damn thing out. Years pass and the BBC release the Bop sessions on CD, what joy. Just need the DVD of this show to be released now, please..

[Sunburst75]

Wonderful, still have all the albums on vinyl, long live Bill Nelson and Be Bop !

[cleenfred]

This is just so nice to see and hear again. Bill was one of the most sublime musician of that period or since for that matter. Thanks Dagooch.

[terrysteward]

Bill nelson was a big influence on my playing, when i started in the early 70,s, and i still use some of the licks now !!as a solo artist now,i even still cover ships in the night, i made my own backing track !! lovely player, he always was and i bet he still is !!

[DaGeBu]

Hello mate! (Dave B) Great thing Youtube, I remember seeing this broadcast (back in 1978 I think it was). Before the days of video or DVD all we could was record the audio on a cassette from the radio and listen (blimey don't I sound old!). Kids these days, they don't know they're born!

[phlipper9342]

According to the liner notes of the CD issue, The Islands of the Dead is Bill Nelson's reaction to the passing of his father. Also the last song on the last BBD release... true?

[FlatEarthTheory]

Great to see Bill bust out the strat for once, on one of my favorite tunes. :~)

[lookingforananswer]

thanks so much for the post.

[RockinRossco]

melody is all,this is from site and sound gig that i had on betamax format rockin rossco's old man

[snotmale]

Thanks a million for putting the Be Bop stuff up!

I Saw them in UK on the Sunburst Finish tour in Oct 1975 in Guildford in UK. I was 17 on on the eve of picking up my new Fender Strocaster the next day and was glued to Bill's fretwork! Sadly, after all these years I am still trying to get the licks to one of my all time faves - Maid in Heaven... Does anyone have this anywhere on a clip???

[chalky2112]

just type in `islands of the dead` on youtube

[eddylefire2004]

I saw Be Bop Deluxe for the first time in 1973 in a small pub in north London and fell in love with their music, Bill Nelson even bought me a drink at the bar after, we spoke for about 1 and a half hours untill we were kicked out, my memories of that night are very special to me, he was a great guy to chat with, thanks Bill for the music, and memories..EDDY.

[WELLBRAN]

GREAT!! MEMORIES!!

[celticnavigator]

Absolutely B(r)illiant!

[paulnery]

There is only one Bill Nelson!! The Master of the Guitar!!

[robtim1]

There dont make em how they use too

[1matrix9]

This is just fantastic!!!

More Be-Bop...More Bill Nelson!!!

Thank you so much!

[Earlwood]

Simply brilliant, I've never seen Bill Nelson with a strat before. I guess he doesn't need that ES for that signature sound. Amazing.

[omikl]

I believe that this is from "Sight and Sound: In Concert". I used to have a cassette tape taken from FM radio of that very show.

[Seeker1961]

Nice one. Did BBD ever appear on BBC's In Concert? If so, is this from that show?

[pranky4]

be bop deluxe are a huge inspiration for me , ever since i heard sunburst finish when i was six

[sixlegged]

Cool stuff, Mr Bill is the geezer. Looking forward to N06.

[gailal]

(Without love)we are like ships in the night...

[bebopdeluxeuk]

sorry in "their old stuff" it was supposed to be "their old stuff varies alot from the early classics"

[bebopdeluxeuk]

Nice stuff by BBD, i love this song, their old stuff from the early classics like ships in the night and sister seagull. Always loved BBD, jgrimsley2000 is right, he's gota be among the greats

[jgrimsley2000]

BIll Nelson is one of my guitar heroes. I like to shove this in the face of anyone who tries to pass off Tom Delong as a great guitarist. Bill ranks up with the all-time greats. The real travesty is that BeBop Deluxe is almost unknown tin the U.S.

[selby06]

I'm an American, and I've been a huge fan of BeBox Deluxe and particularly Bill Nelson since 1977 ("Live: In the Air Age") - I just wish I had known about them earlier,like around 1974. Nelson is my probably my favorite rock guitarist of all time.

[mutikonka]

One of my favourites - thanks for sharing this.

[mancunia456]

Seem to remember this - was it the oxford road show ?

[Srrl]

Thanks very much for sharing that video...this looks like this was taken from a concert of theirs. Professional video work - is the whole concert available to buy?

[caleywontdie]

The video might not be great quality, but the song certainly is. Thanks for posting another classic Bill Nelson