Be Bop Deluxe – Ships in the Night | Analysis and Review (Chords, Lyrics)

12/29/21 • 22 min

Be Bop Deluxe are such an underrated band, and Ships in the Night was the closest they got to a real hit. Bill Nelson fronted this band from 1972-78, and in that time they released five of the most underappreciated studio albums in British music, as well as a great live album. Glam, progressive rock, new wave, hard rock and blues; huge riffs, blazing solos – they do it all. This video looks at what makes the Ships in the Night work: lyrics, chords production and arrangement, as well as looking a bit more widely at the band as a whole. If you already know the band, watch this for a close look at and analysis of their biggest hit, and if they’re completely new to you – congratulations, you’ve now been introduced to a great song and a great band!

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Hills of Granemore | An Analysis

Folk songs are often known by many names, and this classic is no different! The Hills of Granemore / The Granemore Hare, with plenty of alternate spellings of Greenmore/Granemore/Greenmore... The point though, is that it's a great song - one of my favourites! In this podcast episode (which is a video-less version of what you can find on my YouTube channel) I talk about some of my favourite versions of this song - by Martin Simpson, Daori Farrell, Dick Gaughan - and explore: 'what makes this song work'? If you want someone who looks at songs a little more holistically than just 'it's great cos it uses these chords' - then my videos are for you!

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