Be Bop Deluxe

The British band Be-Bop Deluxe, active in the mid-1970s and led by talented guitarist Bill Nelson, blended art rock and glam, exerting a strong influence on the emerging new wave scene. Their sound evolved from the blues rock–influenced debut Axe Victim to the more electronic textures of Drastic Plastic. Nelson, who wrote all of the band’s material, signed with EMI and released five studio albums, achieving a UK Top 10 hit with the single Ships in the Night. In 1979, Nelson disbanded Be-Bop Deluxe and formed Red Noise, whose album Sound-on-Sound has since been cited by many younger bands as a key inspiration.