Be Bop Deluxe - Panic In The World

[dikthrust]

I have a live version of this that Bill performed with The Skids, in 1979, in Edinburgh, just after he'd produced their 'Days in Europa' LP. I think it was supposed to originally be the b-side to their single, ' Working for the yankee dollar', but never made it on to vinyl, Shame, cos it's a good version.

[4NUdge]

covered this gem in all the bands i ever waz in cause the message is perpetual

[BuckyBrothers]

great, the first album has a slow cut where Nelson just wails? help me out someone with the name? checkout roystepp alll 1 werd!

[sebastianjackwalton]

I saw Be Bop Deluxe and then Bill Nelson many times. The most under rated band ever. Bill Nelson is a legend. Also check out John Cooper Clarke. The first time i listened to them was outside the fairway pub in 1973 I was only 12.

[schwanny77]

they toured together in 78 or 79(Cars and BBD)

[bikermann42]

Drastic Plastic.... I played that album over and over.

[lush89]

American classic rock radio completely ignored this band---our loss...

[honeyagate]

Do they have more than just their Greatest Hits on CD? I want to replace my tapes but can't find CD's. Someone help me!!

[BWM206]

@honeyagate they have re-released all of their original albums on CD. check amazon.com.

[rorrante]

One of the best rock and roll guitarist ever.

[runnermjr1296]

@rorrante what I love about Bill is he just flows,he's so friggin smooth!

[2inchtube]

"PANIC n the WORLD!" What a song for the times...

[TIMOTHYSAARINEN]

Hey, Bill's playing an Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar. I have an original 1969. The first year they made it.

[william3231954]

Saw them in mid 70's in NYC,, Bill Nelson came out in suit and tie,, looked like a lawyer,, the entire concert he didn't even take off his jacket,, I thought it was a hoot,, being dressed like that while playing , singing and bopping around the stage,, he must have been soaked in sweat lol

[JOegTOADETTE]

Brilliant, seen them at newcastle city hall around 77. have to have a look on amazon now and get my cassette tapes replaced

[EDWARDBASTARDHITLER]

i really like this;riff wise it sounds like a faster tempo "in the long run" by the eagles and sometimes like "marquee moon" by television,,,but i just like it really because although this is the first time i have heard it,it feels like i have always known it by some sort weird feeling,,,definately takes me back to late 70s radio and watching wonder woman..

[yesihavenocigarettes]

There IS panic in the world. Nice little ditty. Too short. Maybe someone could do an extended or club version. ...By the way, I forgive my old roomy who stole my nice white drastic plastic album. ...But if I ever see you again...

[wjf1950]

Great 70's punk /art rock.... Bill you play like a bitch...!

[zeelandsteven]

Ha. You should have seen the DRASTIC PLASTIC tour live in Big Rapids, Michigan. (A year or so after Bowie w/ Iggy in tow played the hockey stadium in Kalamazoo, MI. The same year that Television supporting Peter Gabriel touring with Larry Fast and Robert Fripp played Allendale, MI.) I'm not bragging, only marveling that once upon a time it actually happened that your rock heroes would just sort of show up as if in a dream / as random as a tornado. Others, of course (Roxy, Kraftwerk etc.) did not

[route37c]

untouchable, classy and true, baby....

[notahemi]

BeBop was so good even without seeing them

But add the visual of Nelson's Ron Howard hair and the "fro" on Taka-whats-his name and it is sooooo neat.

Very anti-big hair band of the upcomming 80s.

[bridgendbertie]

brill mr nelson fab memories !!!

[Erabot]

The bassline reminds me of Heroes a lot, but I like this song too.

[written12]

@Erabot

Good pair of ears, Erabot. It does indeed sound like Heroes' bassline.

[53jakey53]

Man! Does anyone have ANY video of Bill doing "Axe Victim"?

"Naked as a razor and Loaded as the dice"

[waynealarsen]

whoa and a Dan Armstrong guitar, that's a different axe for this victim!!!!

and there sure is Panic in my world!!!

happy to have seen them play twards the end. they ruled the Casino in Asbury Park New Jersey

[beboploo]

STILL SOUNDS GOOD

[NETOMAN47]

BE BOP DE LUXE EXCELENTE

[actron]

very cool. what year was this?

[BertConvy2008]

This album came out in 1978 but I'm not sure when it hit North America. I would guess this is from 1979. Skinny ties were in from 1978-82 partially due to Bill Nelson and the Cars.

[actron]

Thank you.

[pianomano1]

Irresistable hook? I resisted it quite easily as it happens. There are some great Nelson songs but I'm afraid this one left me cold. Didn't make me want to sing along at all. Actually met him in a Leeds toilet once. Very nice guy.

[NETOMAN47]

excelente canción panico en el mundo, VIVA BE BOP DELUXE

[skaboosh]

Fantastic.....great guitar sound...strong band performance.....

what a band!

[william3231954]

I remember seeing them in early 70's in Paladium in NYC with Climax Blues Band and what struck me was Bill Nelson's ripping on the guitar and jumping around the stage dressed in a 3 piece suit and he didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat

[xrcjpx]

yes saw them at Hammersmith during my hitch~hiking thru Europe in 1974 with Gong, Fairport Convention, 10CC, the Sparks a few others...didn't think much of them cuz I want to see FC or Gong....but forgot about them until my buddy in Connecticut turned me onto Bill Nelson (Electric) then connected BBD with Bil's solo stuff.....and since I live in Japan i heard Bill has a Japanese wife and also saw vids of him in this area...

he keeps on going....thanks

[NETOMAN47]

EXCELENTE GRUPO

[350125Stay]

Also on that Mojo CD is an excellent S Alex Harvey B song called Midnight Moses.

[boomerhgt]

Alex Harvey Midnight Moses now yer talking

[350125Stay]

I'm fascinated by this obscure band. Even the name BBD is so good and reminiscent of Roxy Music. Surely Bryan Ferry and Davd Bowie must have noted and respected this band and not seen them as mere imitators. But anyway they are beyond cool. Just heard Axe Victim today from Mojo and am Be Boy Deluxing late into the night.

[recordhead59]

If you are just discovering them, a great primer is Live in the Air Age. Try to find the version with the song Shine. It's what turned me into a convert back in 76.

[bds1167]

I've got the LP on vinyl.

[qqcolaman]

Me too! I have the Limited Edition White Vinyl though! Drastic Plastic!!! Great album!

[finkbone]

I agree completely. BBD has to be the single most underrated band in the history of pop music.

[kinksboss1]

yes, next to the Kinks of course

[2perros2]

Walking around the world.

Singing this song forever.

[melikesmevideos]

SHE adored you

[gmack47]

"Panic In The World" off the Drastic Plastic album was in rotation on WNEW-FM radio in New York. This was during a time in radio when the DJ's played what they wanted - free from. I got hooked. Months later BBD played the Paladium in NYC. I got hooked even deeper. I'm a fanitic BBD fan and hope one day to afford a trip to Nelsonica.

[jerste]

Chuck Berry.

[Sunburst75]

I've been listening to Be Bop since 1975. Sounds even better today. I think one of the reasons they were not widely known back then was partly due to the strange band name. Bill is a genius and his music will live with me forever even when I'm 75 I'll still be playing Maid in Heaven and all my old Be Bop vinyl!

[kirkg811]

I too have been on the bandwagon since '75. 11th grade when Futurama was released. Stage Whispers is the most dynamic 3 minutes of lyrical guitar playing EVER! Futurama was definitely a guitar album with Sister Seagull, Maid In Heaven, the very smooth Jean Cocteau, and ending with the red hot Soundtrack on which Bill Nelson blazes through the fade out. I often wonder what we listeners don't get to hear & how much longer the tracks go on.

[Sidley1960]

As for regrouping, according to Bill Nelson's website, bassist Charlie Tumahai passed away several years ago, as did Bill's brother Ian who played with BBD and Red Noise.

[filtro6]

Cracking tune and a cracking album.

Bill currently lives in Selby, painting, and concocting lyrics which have no actual meaning to them.....nice

[Janezlk]

nice. but he's still a genius.

[bowregard123]

Brilliant band and i agree they were way ahead of their time

[junkie4vids]

Bill and Be Bop Deluxe were doing new wave music well before there was new wave music. One can validly say that Bill Nelson was the trailblazer for new wave music.

[zappascotland]

Got into BBD over the last few months, love this song. Album version is better though. He was a shit hot guitarist, some of the stuff they were playing was, sorry for the cliche, ahead of its time. Great stuff.

[graciesue61]

I was introduced to this band in the 70's...went to a concert( dont remember who...Queen I think) in columbus Ohio....So Jack(Tyrone)who worked at the marriot with my mom... if your out there....commment back!!!Mary O'D

[bottledolphin]

always beena big be bop fan...they where way ahead of time............just listen to do you dream in colour..

andy

[GodlessGuy]

Other than the person who introduced me to this group -my brother- back in the early eighties, I have never met one person who, having claimed to be an aficionado of pop/rock, had ever heard of this group. And attempts to introduce them to this exceptional music are futile. Be Bop Deluxe fans... you should stand proud as true connoisseurs of rock and roll.

[tikitortured]

Agreed...Great great band. Very under rated and virtually unknown, at least in America. Bill Nelson is(or at least was) a guitar virtuoso. Very lyrical and fluid playing. When I was in 8th grade (I'm 45) I played No Trains To Heaven on drums in my band. This song is one of their best from Axe Victim...seek it out and enjoy!

[GodlessGuy]

I'm kind of partial to Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape. Down on Terminal Street is another favorite; but hey, there all good if you're a fan. I have Axe Victim on LP stowed in the closet. I guess I should buy one of those USB turntables that make it easy to record LPs to CDROM. It's on my wish list for replacing with a CD (one of the last Be Bop I don't have on CD) and I don't mind throwing the artist a few pennies. Thanks for the reminder; I'll put it on my next Amazon order.

[tikitortured]

I have everything they released on CD. it's great because it's all remastered and includes bonus tracks. Some of which are live tracks not on Live in the Air Age. Also, are you a Red Noise fan? He played all the instruments and it is truly a new wave classic, totally UNLIKE BBD. I was unimpressed in his solo stuff after that and lost track. I really miss his amazing guitar playing. I wonder if he ever returned to "guitar rock"?

[GodlessGuy]

I have Red Noise on LP but haven't listened to it in about 20 years or more. I didn't care for what Bill Nelson did after Be Bop. I guess I should pull it out and give it a listen again. XM Radio's Fred on 44 occasionally play his solo stuff and it's okay but they'd serve their audience better if they would play more Be Bop. They did have an interview with Bill Nelson a while back that was pretty good.

[GodlessGuy]

I feel a Be Bop weekend coming on. There are just a handful of groups I can, after putting them on the shelf for a while, pull out and listen to for days and days. It's like catching up with an old friend. I've been saving music videos from YouTube to my HDD. This one's just BBD to still shots some YouTuber put together but if you haven't listened to this one yet - Be Bop Deluxe Live End Jam 1976 -- it's a great recording of Nelson's guitar work live. Gosh he was good, and so underappreciated.

[tikitortured]

Agreed. If he continued to play great guitar like he did in BBD, I believe he'd go down in history as one of the best. Have you viseted the Bill Nelson/BBD website? There's a forum on there where you can get all of your BBD questions answered. Wonder if they'd ever reunite? Probably not as they're virtually unknown except for the rare few like you. I think I'll have a BBD weekend too. I'll listen to em all from the first to the last.

[moxxi]

My bro also introduced me to this band in 1978. I loved Drastic Plastic and just grew my love of this band from there. Just like you have experienced, so-called aficionado's never mention this band. Hilarious. I tried introducing my friend's to this band, but they were too busy buying ELO and Kiss records. There is just no accounting for taste! I never get tired of this band. Although I was horrified to find a CD of Drastic Plastic but Japan was missing! WTF?

[GodlessGuy]

Japan is on Raiding the Divine Archive The Best of Its a tried and true trick of the music industry. Leave one song off the album and put it on a best of CD. It allows them to suck a few more bucks out of your wallet. Google Bill Nelson and the EMI Ripoff the get the artists opinion of this dirty industry.

[GodlessGuy]

Boston, Styx, Journey, Foreigner, Rush I could go on and on with a list of what I call booger boy bands or music for booger eatin high school boys. What Elvis Costello referred to as Music for the masses. Appreciate that we DONT (or didnt) hear groups like BBD on the radio more often. For example, while I do like AC/DC, I cannot listen to (or buy) their albums because they were (and are) overplayed. But I do enjoy their music when I occasionally hear it on the radio.

[junkie4vids]

I just gave another listen to the "Drastic Plastic" CD by Be Bop Deluxe. It's clear that Bill Nelson can almost be called the pioneer of new wave music. The songs on Drastic Plastic were done well before 1980's new wave music, yet they have flavors of Talking Heads, Gary Numan, etc.

[junkie4vids]

Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe were very under-rated as a band. This song stands the test of time. This particular song is a junkie favorite.

[jackiepriscilla]

I saw them play this at Bristol's Colston Hall in early 1978, a year after seeing them at the Capitol in Cardiff - both brilliant gigs. I have all their albums on vinyl. I agree with Paullonden that perhaps Bill Nelson was just too good. An amazing guitarist, writer and performer.

[Seenowevill]

Anyone that saw Bebop live, knows wot an Amazing band they were.

[gwddd]

Be Bop Deluxe- Panic in the World. David Bowie- Panic in Detroit.

Panic at the Disco- Panic at the Disco!

[deanhilda]

I watched them play this song on the old "midnight special" years ago and was sold. I went out and bought the drastic plastic album the next day and still have it bill nelson was far better than his album sales ever were.

[PAULLONDEN]

Rocket Cathedrals

rocked big time too

But....How good he was,Bill lacked

that certain something,

was he just too good, or....

[bottledolphin]

electrical language? i agree ..where is it?? surely,someone must have THAT video..

[dickydropgoal]

What about `Sleep that burns`?

[svo65]

where is electrical language? someone post it please. I've still got my double album,live in the air age. white vinyl... cya later and be cool

[Plruk]

I rate Bill Nelson highly. I remixed the cd Be Bop Deluxe Singles A-B to make it chronological. That made it far more interesting and suggested that Bill Nelson went his own way and was not at the behest of record companies.

[Sunburst75]

Axe Victim was Be Bop's first album I think. I've still got them all on vinyl, need to dig them out again! As far as I remember Sister Seagull was on the Futurama album as was Maid in Heaven.This was released around 1975. If anyone wants any further info, gimme a shout, as all those vinyls will be out the cupboard for good soon. This music was fantastic !!

[SRPMITCHTUBE]

great guitarist but Bill has not been in the pub for two weeks. Panic in the bAR.

pLUS HE KilLed my cat.

[222ferrett222]

pRATbackbeat u mean surely!!!

[glynhawk]

love drastic plastic..probably the best album ever made.....bring on electrical language..

[phatbackbeat]

rubbish !!!

[PAULLONDEN]

Agree...their most acsesseble album ,

the rest....some good tunes,but...

something was missing.good memories.

[happyness1957]

One of my favorite bands. Had the white vinyl version of DRASTIC PLASTIC!!

Threw out most of my vinyl records, so it is really fantastic to hear(and see) them again here!

[1122BILL]

When i was akid a would be guitarist friend of mine chucked his guitar away after seeing bill nelson live it blew his mind.

[Sunburst75]

Was still at school when a mate let me hear Maid in Heaven in 75, was hooked for ever after that! Saw them 3 or 4 times at the old Glasgow Apollo between 76 and 79, fantastic band, the music lives on !! I've still got all the old albums on vinyl....where did the years go !!?? Thanks Dagooch!!

[Codackussell]

It really is a shame this band didn't get as much credit as they deserved... Bill nelson is a genius, and Charlie on bass and backing vox- wow. Simon Fox, what a great drummer, and a hell of a keyboardist--> Andy Clark... instead bands like KISS (SIKK, for me!) get popular, raping the music industry for all it's worth... I'm 16, and love this stuff... And PROUD of it.

[happyness1957]

Hey that's great that 16 yr olds are into their music!

There is hope for the future!

[Lbay]

Bill Nelson Rules!!

[frifawnwolf]

sister seagull was on the first lp-"Axe Victim"

EMI Great power pop!

[FogerRox]

IIRC BBD was around when the CARS started.

[dagooch]

Right you are, FR. But the song wasn't. I remembered hearing "Magic" & swearing I'd heard that hook years before. :)

[johnlamond]

Awesome tune from one of the best bands ever!

[topsypops]

buenisimooo!!!

[Philinville]

Great stuff. I'm glad to see that there are some other Be Bop Deluxe and Bill Nelson fans out there. I saw him here in Louisville Ky in 77 and he opened the show for Patty Smith and he floored the Crowd. I have all the Be Bop Deluxe albums and 5 of Bill's first solo's. Thanks for sharing the clips.

[donmaynard]

It's impossible not to like this song so I ask you to please go out and buy Drastic Plastic, the album this song appears on. Take it home, put on your headphones, turn out the light and prepare for fantasy.

[reggie37]

Your're dead on, friend. Drastic Plastic was one of the two or three greatest albums of the 70's. A crying shame Be Bop Deluxe never hit the big time. Stupid world!

[mostdimentionless]

I like the way the rythm comes from 'left field' and coalesces in the first few bars of the song....sophisticated.

[mostdimentionless]

yes I had a few of their albums in my youth but waw it really his wife on the cover with the flaming guitar and nothing much else? I forget the name of it now. Was 'Sister Seagul' on that one? Can't remember, but the whole band were damned good I thought.

[paulnery]

Fantastic!!

[oxnoprog]

What year was this filmed?

[bebopdeluxeuk]

Brilliant vid, I see Bill strayed from his favoured sunburst semi acoustic guitar in this video. His guitar is similar to the bass in "Mahavishnu Orchestra"

[MSPARKS]

yeah .. dan armstrong lucite guitar .. cool 70's vintage

[Codackussell]

Fantastic!

[dostoyevski666]

ye,and he builds a pretty good

1 inch flow-meter.luv ya mike

laaaateer

[filthystring]

Yeah, Mike Maxfield !

I played in a band with the guy recently. I like the way he does his stick-trick. Yeah, of all the drummers Bill contracted, there was only one drum-god!

[Isnipe]

mike maxfield, drum god.

[sixlegged]

Outstanding stuff. Where do you get this goodness?

[gailal]

Ah the yorkshire guitar hero of mine....

Always cruelly underated in the UK.They should have been much bigger and released more albums but Bill wanted newer sounds by Drastic Plastic.My memories go back to watching them at Newcastle City Hall seeing the Modern Music tour with all those 50s sci-fi films and projections.Getting my albums signed at the foot of Northumberland Street in the toon.Bill you have been the soundtrack to my life.God bless you .

[Bdeezine48]

Loved the Drastic Plastic album. Great clip. THANKS!

[Codackussell]

Brilliant!