“My soul has vanished, with the bird that flies so free”
They’re not a metal band by any stretch of the imagination, but Sister Seagull is definitely one of Be-Bop Deluxe’s more metal-friendly tunes. It’s one of those watery psychedelic ballads that hard rock and metal bands used to do in the 70s and early 80s. Judas Priest, Scorpions, UFO, Angel Witch, Iron Maiden… they’ve all done them! But this is one of the best. Sister Seagull has a simple D5-E5 riff that is very metal and because metal fans are suckers for a guitar god, check out Bill Nelson’s fluid and cascading pentatonic soloing. Loads of bands might have recorded songs like this, but few did it with the sheer class and expressive emotion of Sister Seagull.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 
The trousers are indeed magnificent!
Nice point about the D5-E5 chords being familiar but being used so effectively here
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Thank you. I hoped these song posts might be a chance to slip in some music theory stuff occasionally. But the main story is definitely the sartorial elegance on display.
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I remember being confused when seeing ‘E5’ appear on chord sheets – but now I admire how logical the chord names are, just play the 1st and 5th notes of the scale!
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Good old power chords. You can pretty much just go and start a band once you’ve figured those out!
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I remember hearing the line that for a good song, all you need are 3 chords & the truth. And with power chords, you don’t even need the full chords!
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Or the truth!
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Don’t know these guys, but I like what I hear.
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Worth hearing just for the guitar playing. Maid In Heaven is another good song to try… kinda Lizzy-ish.
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Good stuff.
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Man, those are some awesome trousers.
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Forgive me, I am going to geek out a little here:
I came into Be Bop Deluxe with Sunburst Finish, drawn in initially by the similar – to these non-guitar-playing ears – metal-friendly riffing in ‘Fair Exchange’. But I really dove in to stay upon discovering the version of this song on Live! In the Air Age, a magnet for late 70s metal kids despite the prevalence of the keyboard in the kinda crappy mix. Nowadays however it is the Track 7 version of ‘Sister Seagull’ on At the BBC 1974-1978 for which I swoon; Bill Nelson at his most Bowie in his vocals and his most wank-ie in his soloing, all allowed by the addition of the second guitarist to the live performance.
The trousers in the OGWT video are indeed the shyte, but we also have to give credit to Bill’s definitively non-metal occasional glances directly into the camera for its mesmerizing effect.
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Geeking out allowed!
Haha yeah his little glances at the camera. He’s such a flirt!
I came in via reading about the Axe Victim album and then hearing Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape. Awesome! Then on to Futurama and hooked there.
But totes agree on the excellence of the Air Age versions. Finally got that on vinyl last year with the Maid in Heaven/Sister Seagull as a bonus 7″. Great stuff. And that BBC collection is brill too. I watch that DVD a lot.
Funny, when I was writing this I wondered who was out that there that might dig this. You came to mind and I was right!
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This is great. I wonder if I have heard it before. Sounds like Scorpions! as you said. This is great!
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Yes it’s totally got that early Scorps feel. Their rockier stuff leans more kinda Bowie though.
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That’s cool too though. Might have to do some exploring.
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Never listened to them, but I’m right into this. Hit up both versions. Fucking love that outfit. Best trousers ever… complimented by a snazzy jacket. The playing is exceptional… and I like the wee Seagull bits of guitar at the end.
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I think there was an outfit war going on between the singer and the bassist. On later OGWT appearances the bassist really ups his game.
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