Modern Music
by Be-Bop Deluxe

Modern Music by Be-Bop Deluxe
Year: 1976
Overall rank: 5,818th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
71/100 (from 49 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1976 (84th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (930th)
Award Best albums of all time (5,818th)

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Be-Bop Deluxe bestography

Modern Music is ranked as the best album by Be-Bop Deluxe.

Be-Bop Deluxe album bestography « Higher ranked
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This album (5,818th)
Modern Music
Lower ranked (7,165th) »
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(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Modern Music track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 75 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Modern Music rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 5,818th | 1970s rank: 930th | 1976 rank: 84th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 neilgeeTop 100 Music Albums of 197628/1004
2026SkernsTop 96 Music Albums of 197621/964
2026matterhornriderTop 66 Music Albums of 197666/660
2026 Patman360Top 87 Music Albums of 197665/871
2026stevengnzTop 100 Music Albums of 197668/1002
2026Fast 'n' BulbousBest Albums 197635/983
2025 slatsheitTop 54 Music Albums of 197624/543
2025 MadhattanJackTop 38 Music Albums of 197626/382
2025 paladisiactop 60r albums (61), #0001-0100*57/80 -
2025haholTop 100 Greatest Music Albums75/10023
2024 Jboy56Top 100 Music Albums of 197693/1000
2024vruslovTop 71 Music Albums of 197640/712
2024 paladisiacTop 100 Music Albums of 197669/1002
2023 IgtonumamaTop 100 Music Albums of 197664/1002
2023Steppenwolf666Top 100 Music Albums of 197674/1001
2023GallowtreeTop 54 Music Albums of 197644/541
2022 paladisiac1970s 60rating (61), #0001-0100*11/51 -
2022Btel74Top 100 Greatest Music Albums23/10051
2022Steppenwolf666Collectable record labels The Green/Yellow Harvest Albums Pt 189/100 -
2021RoversTop 100 Greatest Music Albums10/10043
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 33
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 230
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Modern Music collection

Modern Music ratings

Average Rating: 
71/100 (from 49 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 49 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
04/03/2026 08:08 Pluto11  Ratings distribution  12,13872/100
 
70/100
 
12/27/2025 05:38 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  9,29370/100
 
60/100
 
11/23/2025 22:52 MadhattanJack  Ratings distribution  5,73866/100
 
15/100
 
11/23/2025 07:30 NYAndreas  Ratings distribution  1,43344/100
 
70/100
 
04/01/2025 12:07 BorderFreeAndrew  Ratings distribution  15,10074/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 71.5/100, a mean average of 71.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 71.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 19.3.

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Modern Music favourites

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Modern Music comments

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Rating:  
100/100
From 09/26/2016 20:15 | #175856
Anyone who doesn't realize how good this album is...well, that's a shame. Of all the great Bebop Deluxe albums, this one is the most cohesive musically and thematically. The guitar work, band, songwriting and lyrics are simply fantastic. Another psychedelic masterpiece.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/14/2012 19:39 | #44446
Guitar virtuoso Bill Nelson and his band Be Bop Deluxe was one of the most exciting acts that emerged in Britain in the middle of the glam rock period of the early 1970s. Stylistically, the group is clearly related to both David Bowie and Cockney Rebel.

In 1976 the group's absolute masterpiece, "Modern Music" was released. This album is definitely the most melodic, with more songs tied together in shorter suites. The album contains no less than fifteen songs which are generally of shorter length than usual. Most of the music is of such high quality that the tracks can easily stand alone outside the context of the album. A lot of songs could be brought forward here. Tracks like "Orphans of Babylon," "Kiss of Light", "Gold at the End of the Rainbow," "Modern Music", "Make the Music Magic," "Forbidden Lovers" and "Down to Terminal Street" are all titles that stand out in the Be Bop Deluxe song catalogue.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1976
1. Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder
2. Station To Station by David Bowie
3. Ramones by Ramones
4. Hotel California by Eagles
5. Boston by Boston
6. Desire by Bob Dylan
7. Hejira by Joni Mitchell
8. 2112 by Rush
9. The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers
10. A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra
11. A Trick Of The Tail by Genesis
12. Rising by Rainbow
13. Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy
14. Oxygène by Jean Michel Jarre
15. A Day At The Races by Queen
16. The Royal Scam by Steely Dan
17. "Rocks" by Aerosmith
18. África Brasil by Jorge Ben
19. Moonmadness by Camel
20. Arrival by ABBA