Yes, I know that this video — Be Bop Deluxe performing “Maid in Heaven” on Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975 — has nothing to do with America, but it’s so fucking good it doesn’t even matter.
First off, there’s so much damn song just jammed right in here — it just doesn’t seem possible that the song is only two minutes long.
Warping time with the power of their rocking? CHECK
This particular video, well, there’s something extra special about it. The inimitable Merlin Mann noticed that during the opening section, Bill Nelson goes nuts with the whammy bar and ends up throwing his G string out of tune. And then totally fucking routes around that, effortlessly. Merlin:
This is about knowing your shit so deeply, and so inside and out, that you can not only route around a potential catastrophe, but you can do it while looking like you’re getting a surprisingly B-plus handie from your pal’s stepmother. And, in a white blazer and red pants, no less.
I highly recommend Merlin’s post for a guitar nerd’s rundown of exactly what’s going on in the video, but seriously, the important part is that Bill Nelson is an incredible badass.
I think we can let it slide that he’s British. Just this once.