Be-Bop Deluxe - Axe Victim - Prog Rock 12" vinyl LP Album

Alright, you glitter-dusted freaks and platform-booted weirdos, gather 'round for a tale of musical mayhem. Back in '74, when glam rock ruled the airwaves and androgyny was the new black, a band called Be-Bop Deluxe unleashed a sonic Molotov cocktail called Axe Victim.

Led by the enigmatic Bill Nelson, a guitar-wielding sorcerer with a penchant for cryptic lyrics and outlandish fashion, Be-Bop Deluxe weren't your average glam rockers. They were too weird, too eclectic, too damn ambitious to fit neatly into any box.

Axe Victim was their debut album, a sprawling, schizophrenic masterpiece that careened from glam stompers to prog-rock odysseys with reckless abandon. It was like a musical funhouse, full of distorted mirrors, hidden passageways, and unexpected surprises.

The album opens with the title track, a swaggering glam anthem that sounds like Marc Bolan fronting T. Rex on a bad acid trip. Nelson's guitar riffs are razor-sharp, his vocals a sneering sneer, and the rhythm section a relentless juggernaut. It's a song that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the final cymbal crash.

But Axe Victim isn't just a glam rock record. It's also a prog-rock experiment, with songs like "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape" and "Jets at Dawn" showcasing Nelson's love of complex time signatures, swirling keyboards, and cosmic sound effects. It's a heady brew of influences, from Bowie to Bolan to Pink Floyd, all filtered through Be-Bop Deluxe's unique sensibility.

Of course, not everyone was on board with Be-Bop Deluxe's genre-bending antics. Some critics dismissed them as pretentious poseurs, while others accused them of selling out their glam roots. But Nelson didn't care about pleasing the critics or conforming to expectations. He was on a mission to create music that was as wild and unpredictable as his imagination.

Axe Victim was recorded at three different studios in London, with producer John Leckie (who would later work with XTC and the Stone Roses) at the helm. Leckie captured the band's raw energy and experimental spirit, creating a sound that was both polished and visceral.

So if you're tired of the same old recycled rock 'n' roll clichés, if you're ready to take a walk on the wild side, then Axe Victim is your passport to a world of sonic adventure. Just be warned: once you step through that door, there's no turning back.