Be Bop Deluxe – Ships In The Night

I recently read about this band, and a term came up that fits them well. “Genre Hopping,” and that phrase tells it all. This song grabbed me first because it has a power pop sound. But they combine other styles with it. Plus, some of their other music goes from hard rock, pop, blues, art rock, to prog rock in a flash. I like it when bands cover a lot of ground, and this band most certainly does.

Be-Bop Deluxe began in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Bill Nelson, a musician with one foot in rock and one foot in the avant-garde. Nelson had been playing in local bands throughout the late 60s, experimenting with everything from blues to psychedelia, but he wanted something more ambitious, something that combined sharp guitar work, futuristic imagery, and sophisticated songwriting.

By 1972, Nelson formed the first version of Be-Bop Deluxe, a lineup that changed several times before the classic version solidified. Early on, the band included Ian Parkin, a friend from Nelson’s earlier groups, along with various rotating bassists and drummers. This initial formation leaned heavily on blues rock, but Nelson quickly moved past that sound and reshaped the band into something sleeker.

Their breakthrough came when Nelson recorded the independently released debut album, Axe Victim (I love the title track…the guitar is amazing), in 1974. Though it featured a very different lineup than the one that would make them famous, it established the Be-Bop Deluxe identity, a mix of glam rock, blues guitar, art rock, and guitar gymnastics, all wrapped in Nelson’s sci-fi-themed lyrics and elegant pop melodies.

This song was released in 1976 on their Sunburst Finish album. It peaked at #23 on the UK charts. The album peaked at #17 on the UK Charts as well. You can hear some XTC and other bands in this that came after Be-Bop Deluxe. Jon Leckie produced this, and he would go on to produce XTC, The Stone Roses, and Radiohead in the future.

It’s a band worth checking out because they probably have something you will like since they are so versatile.

Ships in the Night

Like a square peg in a round holeLike a harp without it’s stringsLike a sailor who sails no oceansLike a bird that has no wings

I am a desert(Without love) my light is dim(Without love) I have no treasures(Without love) I cannot win

Without love we are like ships in the nightWithout love, selling our souls down the riverSailing away and forever our pleasure is blue

Like a dream that has no dreamerLike a cloud without a skyLike a truth with no believerLike a mother without a child

I am a desert(Without love) my light is dim(Without love) I have no treasures(Without love) I can’t sit still

Without love we are like ships in the nightWithout love, selling our souls down the riverSailing away and forever our pleasure is blue

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

33 thoughts on “Be Bop Deluxe – Ships In The Night”

  3. Pingback: Be Bop Deluxe – Ships In The Night – MobsterTiger

  4. I was pleasantly surprised to see you blogging about Be Bop Deluxe. I wasn’t sure what your take would be.

    My favorite is the Modern Music lp, which came out after this. They had a couple of singles, and while they only got a modicum of airplay here in LA, I think they might have had some hits elsewhere.

    Bill Nelson loved to overdub his work, and at times he got it just right. There is another song, Electrical Language, off the next (and last) studio album, that I love.

    Bill Nelson is extremely prolific. I never got into Bill Nelson’s Red Noise or the stuff after it.

    But I still queue up Modern Music, Electrical Language, Ships in the Night, Maid in Heaven, Kiss of Light, Sister Seagull and a couple of others and thoroughly enjoy.

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    1. They are completely new to me although I remember that name. Another band I knew of but didn’t know what they did.
      Yes I can tell he is a perfectionist. I’m going through some of their albums now.
      From what I read…this is the only song that charted. When I do bands that I haven’t heard of and a lot of my readers…I usually hit the hits first and the next post go deeper.
      I’m loving what I’ve been hearing from them. You get a taste of everything!

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  6. I did a web search to make sure I got the song titles correct (Hey, I’m an old fart and shouldn’t be relied upon for details without double checking). I found this very nice blog about Be Bop Deluxe. It ain’t mine, but it kept my interest.

    Max, do you know the first guitar used by both George Harrison and Albert Lee?

    https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/be-bop-deluxe-reclaiming-a-place-in-prog-rock-history#:~:text=After%20five%20studio%20albums%20and,in%20other%20types%20of%20music.

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    1. I think I know Georges…it was a Rosetti… I think…when he was really young. I remember that because of the book Tune In. I’m not sure about Albert Lee though.
      Thanks for the article! I’m reading it now

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  7. I’ve heard their name for decades but know nothing about them. I think I may have heard this one along the way though I wouldn’t say I know it. Likable upbeat pop, maybe a wee bit similar to Squeeze in the kind of direction it takes, though I have no idea if that’s representative of them in general.

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    1. That was me Dave…I love putting a sound on the name. I’ve read about them being a band in many books but never listened to them.
      No this doesn’t represent them at all…they do hard stuff and electronic stuff…they do about everything. I think most people would like at least one song by them because they cover so much ground.

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      1. I’d heard the name at the time but that was about it. (There were one or two years back then I was only a listener of music on the radio in passing, on the car radio, when walking past a building site, wandering around the Supermarket, or going up to the tenth floor… Life sort of got in the way of real listening.)

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  10. I think I’ve heard or read the name of the band, but none of their music. Nice song. Like the keyboard sound near the end. Lead singer’s voice vaguely reminds me of Dave Mason.

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  12. Once again, Max, you brought a band on my radar screen I had not heard before. Spontaneously, I liked “Ships In the Night,” and “Axe Victim” sounds great to me as well. Out of curiosity, I also checked Spotify where “Ships in the Night” with 1.94M has the most streams. Coming in second at 979k is a song titled “Maid in Heaven,” off their 1975 album “Futurama.” While I’m not saying Spotify streams are the best way to explore music, “Maid in Heaven” is a decent song as well. I’m sold on the group! 🙂

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  13. It really is a band I should give more time to. I like Bill’s sound. You know I like music that has change ups. Back then there were so many good band that I had to pick my poison. I just might have to give them a weekend of listening. Interesting the comparisons from the comments. The sax use always gets my attention. Might as well throw 10CC in the mix

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    1. I decided to change it up today because I was really excited about this one CB. They do everything well. Power Pop, Prog, Avant Garde, Hard blues…I mean anything you want…they have. How many bands can you say can mix Prog with Power Pop?
      It’s a band I’ve heard of over and over but never listened to.

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