Axe Victim is the debut album of art rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in June 1974. It was recorded in AIR London, Audio International Studios and C.B.S. Studios, all located in London, England.

The material is different from later releases; it was released at the height of the glam rock era in Britain, with the band’s music and image being influenced by the musical zeitgeist. Several songs, such as the title track “Axe Victim”, demonstrated this glam influence, whilst others, for example, the future concert staple “Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape”, showed their progressive tendencies. At the time of its release, the band’s glam image and music was being criticised as being too similar to that of David Bowie, a comparison that would ultimately lead to Be-Bop Deluxe’s disbanding as band leader Bill Nelson strived to make more and more unconventional music.

The song “Jets At Dawn”, a re-recording of the earlier Smile Records version, holds the distinction of being the longest Be-Bop Deluxe album track, lasting 7:20. The only longer studio recordings are the Sunburst Finish-era B-side “Shine” (at 7:49) and the multi-track “Modern Music” suite.

This incarnation of the band, featuring Bill Nelson on vocals and lead guitar, Ian Parkin on rhythm guitar, Robert Bryan on bass, and Nicholas Chatterton-Dew on drums, would only last for this album, before Nelson disbanded Be-Bop Deluxe following the “Axe Victim” tour and reformed it with several other musicians for the following year’s “Futurama”.

Read Bill Nelson’s incredible story about the missing royalties payments from EMI Records here.

Here is the b-side to the 7″ single release:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8EmIDR_YMU

Here are the three other tracks from the ‘Hot Valves’ E.P.:

[via Jens G. Clausen]