SUNBURST FINISH

This is by far my favorite album ever by any band, and I would rate it 5 stars in any other forum. However, it is not prog and it barely manages to be proggish. So, 4 stars, excellent for anyone who loves listening to a true artist of guitar, and in this case, Bill Nelson.

This album and Deep Purple's Made In Japan influenced me most to play guitar. The songs are virtual lessons in a range of styles, from flamenco to metal and on through to jazz, avant-garde and pure noise. That's just the rhythm guitar parts. The solos are beasts unto themselves. What keeps Be-Bop Deluxe out of the prog category is that most of their songs are almost pure power-pop, but with very little vocal harmonization which from a technical perspective was the group's biggest weakness.

Be-Bop Deluxe toured the United States with this album, opening occasionally on Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Rising tour. Sunburst Finish is equal in intensity to Rising, and both the bands and their music share many similarities. The biggest difference between the two is Bill Nelson's lyrics stray into science fiction territory while Dio wrote fantasies. Nelson loved the grand theme albeit with a healthy slice of cynicism, and he was highly skilled at orchestrating a climactic middle eight: Go and tell all your friends, that you witnessed the end, of the world in a dream.

If you are looking for an album of smartly written tunes that don't dwell in minor keys, this one is worth a listen.