by
Rob Jones
A DELUXE 4 DISC LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF THE CLASSIC ”SUNBURST FINISH’ 1976 ALBUM BY BE BOP DELUXE IS NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES. THE SET ALSO HAS 39 BONUS TRACKS i.e.: NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND & STEREO MIXES FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES, BBC RADIO SESSIONS, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LP OUT-TAKES, ALONG WITH AN UNISSUED PROMO VIDEO OF “SHIPS IN THE NIGHT” & A BBC TV OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST APPEARANCE.
THE RELEASE INCLUDES A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED 68 PAGE BOOK WITH MANY PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS, A NEW ESSAY BY BILL NELSON, A FACSIMILE OF THE 1976 SUNBURST FINISH TOUR PROGRAMME, POSTCARDS AND A REPLICA POSTER
Esoteric Recordings has released this four disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD). Recorded in the Autumn of 1975 at Abbey Road studios (with some sessions at AIR studios, London), SUNBURST FINISH was the third album by Be Bop Deluxe and the first to feature the line-up of BILL NELSON (vocals, guitars, keyboards), CHARLIE TUMAHAI (bass, vocals), ANDY CLARK (keyboards) and SIMON FOX (drums).
It was also the first Be Bop album to be co-produced by BILL NELSON and JOHN LECKIE. An album of immense musical inventiveness and creativity, SUNBURST FINISH was one of the finest works of its era – a perfect cohesion of ten classic songs written by guitar guru Bill Nelson with a stylised and striking artwork package. Featuring such classic material as ‘Heavenly Homes’, ‘Crying to the Sky’, ‘Sleep that Burns’, ‘Life in the Air Age’, ‘Crystal Gazing’ and ‘Blazing Apostles’, the album also spawned the hit single ‘Ships in the Night’.
The creative vision of Bill Nelson and a wonderful album – and, his influence in the future was also to have a grand effect on the new breed as he went on to work with the likes of The Skids, Gary Numan and David Sylvian. His solo career has also confirmed Nelson’s place as one of the foremost players in art-rock – and a young lad I was overcome with joy when I first heard Ships in the Night on Top of the Pops – and one of the extras here ‘Maid in Heaven’ still remains as one of my all time favourite 7” purchases. If you are new to his endeavour make sure that you give ‘Sunburst Finish’ a warm welcome!
