"Be-Bop Deluxe" Unisex T-Shirt

Bill Nelson Was from Wakefield, Yorkshire. He Named the Band After an Intentional Contradiction and Then Made Five Albums That Proved the Name Right.

Bebop is a 1940s jazz term. Deluxe is cheap consumer language. Put them together and you get something that shouldn't work but does — which was the operating principle of Be-Bop Deluxe from the start. Nelson formed the band in 1972, signed to EMI's Harvest label (the imprint that also had Pink Floyd), and spent the next six years making records that moved from glam rock to art rock to something approaching proto-new wave before he dissolved the band in 1978 and said he'd taken it as far as it could go.

The guitar playing is the center of it. Nelson is among the most technically accomplished guitarists British rock produced in the 1970s and among the least famous given the quality of the work. Futurama in 1975 was where it fully arrived — science fiction themes, the guitar as the primary compositional voice, a sound that didn't fit comfortably into any existing category. Sunburst Finish in 1976 was the commercial peak, reaching number seventeen in the UK. Drastic Plastic in 1978 moved toward synthesizers and electronics and announced the end before the end came.

Nelson dissolved Be-Bop Deluxe after Drastic Plastic. He's released dozens of solo albums since. He has never stopped working. Musicians who know the catalog cite him consistently; the mainstream audience that should have found him largely didn't.

This tee is for the people who found him anyway — the five albums from Wakefield that mapped out a territory nobody else was claiming.

Premium Quality

• Bella + Canvas 3001 — Premium unisex tee, true to size
• Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton — Exceptionally soft from the first wear
• Classic unisex fit — Relaxed, versatile, works for everyone
• Available in Navy and Vintage Black — Sizes XS–4XL

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this tee is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.