Be-Bop Deluxe – Axe Victim (LP)

Recorded in the early spring of 1974 at several studios in London, ‘Axe Victim’ was issued by EMI’s Harvest label in June of that year to much critical praise. The album featured the band’s first line-up of Bill Nelson (vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, piano), Ian Parkin (rhythm & acoustic guitars, organ), Rob Bryan (bass guitar, vocals) and Nicholas Chatterton-Dew (drums). A fine debut it was championed by DJ John Peel (who had been an advocate of Bill Nelson’s work since the release of Bill’s rudimentary self-released album ‘Northern Dream’ in 1971), with Peel declaring ‘Axe Victim’ as one of his favourite releases of 1974. Although Bill Nelson was still finding his creative feet, the record featured some fine material including the classic ‘Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape’, along with other fine material such as ‘Night Creatures’, ‘Third Floor Heaven’ (which featured Babe Ruth vocalist Jenny Haan guesting), ‘Jets At Dawn’ and the grandiose ‘Darkness (L’Immoraliste)’.