Flim & the BB’s live, 30 years later

Robin Capper

Robin Capper

— 2 min read

My Dad discovered Flim & the BB’s

before I did. Probably in a Hifi store as they were popular demo disc in the early days of Digital.

They were one of the first to use pure Direct Digital DDD technology on CDs. I’m sure the opening track of TriCycle has tested, perhaps to destruction, more than a few systems as the quiet piano opening literally explodes into the full ensemble. Flim & the BB’s

are Jimmy "Flim" Johnson (bass), Billy Barber (keyboards, synth, piano), Bill Berg (percussion) with Dick Oatts (woodwinds) credited on the first album TriCycle.

They still sound (both technically and musically) brilliant today and I regularly listen to their work nearly 30 years after first hearing it. I also liked their album art, both typography and sketches or collage.

What prompted this post was stumbling on a YouTube video (below) which is the first time I’ve ever seen them perform live. I remember hearing their CD seeming magical all those decades ago. Never imagined a world wide network delivering on demand video to a wireless tablet in the living room!

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zmQK94LGaI&w=640&h=480]

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