ALBUM NOTES:

Chimera is a vocal mini-album initially released on vinyl and cassette. It was originally to be called Sextet, but Nelson changed his plans when Ultravox issued their 'Quartet'’ album in late 1982, preferring a title that had no immediate associations. There was no lyric bag with the album, which presumably helped keep the retail price pegged at a give-away £2.99, but the lyrics were included in an issue of the fan club magazine Acquitted By Mirrors and on the initial UK CD release (Cocteau, 1987).

Although there were no commercial singles issued off Chimera at the time of its release, a promotional 7" single coupling two of its tracks, "Acceleration" and "Tender is the Night", was pressed and distributed to radio stations. "Acceleration" was eventually released in remixed form as a single in 1984.
 

PAST RELEASES:

In 1987, Chimera was issued on CD (Cocteau) coupled with the Savage Gestures For Charms Sake mini-album as a 2-for-1 pressing. In the US the material was treated differently – see Vistamix (1984).

 

CURRENT AVAILABILITY:

In 2005, Mercury reissued Chimera as a remastered CD, producing the definitive edition of the album. The package is well presented with sleeve notes and photographs, and contains the original version of the album as released in 1983, together with four bonus tracks taken from singles issued contemporaneously with the album.

Extra songs on the 2005 CD:
07)  Hard Facts from the Fiction Department (from fan club ep of the same name, then the Acceleration single).
08)  Acceleration (long version from 12" single).
09)  Acceleration (dub version from 12" single).
10)  Acceleration (short version from 12" single).

The 2005 version of Chimera was re-issued in November 2021 on the Music On CD label and is available in the Dreamsville Store. 

IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY:
Getting the Holy Ghost Across, Living in the Spangled Moment, Savage Gestures for Charms Sake,
The Love That Whirls, Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam, Luminous, Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars


BILL'S THOUGHTS:

 

"Yuki [Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra] simply sent me a selection of different beats, and I wrote the music to lay on top of them and overdubbed my parts to create the song. Nothing was worked out before."
_____

"Another Day, Another Ray of Hope": "is one of those rare songs that I can still listen to without cringing. It's the one track that really endears Chimera to me. In fact, it's on my, 'proud of' list. I think it hasn't dated as much as some music from that era, for some reason, despite the '80's style instrumentation. Probably because it is completely without irony and is direct from the heart."

"Can't recall if "Another Day, Another Ray of Hope" was ever considered as a potential single or not. To be honest, I wasn't really involved too much with commercial thoughts back then and even less so now. In fact, I'm probably the worst person anyone could consult regarding popular tastes, especially as getting a 'hit' has always been more to do with calling in favours and manipulating the media than the quality of the music itself. (Oh, the tales I could tell, kiddies!). Pop? It's an illusion, clever marketing strategies, cunning psychology, snake charming and sleight of hand. The 'general' public have long been puppets on the end of corporate strings, (though they rarely notice the deliberate yanking on their hearts, minds and wallets)."

FAN THOUGHTS:

Ed:

"6 tracks, but enough ideas for a triple album. More invention than many a career that has ended up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/Shame. Commercially neglected? Probably. Criminally un-promoted by its owners - to the extent that Tony Mitchell (journalist in Sounds newspaper) hijacked the singles review pages to lambast Mercury for not putting out a single from it.
It's a mysterious melting pot of melody, rhythm, and powerful imagery. Greater than the sum of its parts. And what parts!  The contributions - most famously from Yukihiro Takahashi and Mick Karn help to define the feel of the album."


Wasp In Aspic:

"It was a Saturday in the summer of '83 and I bumped into a friend in town who was carrying a copy of Chimera which he had just bought. I had never heard of Bill Nelson. In the evening we went to a disco and then went to his girlfriend's place and he put Chimera on. Although I didn't completely 'get it' it sounded very interesting so I went out and bought it myself. I was soon marveling at this fantastic and - in my experience - uniquely artistic music. And so began this continuing love affair."


james warner:

"Love this mini album to bits! Chunky, brash drum machine riffs and synth arrangements great guitar and a liberal sprinkling of E-bow and marimba..."Glow World" is probably my favourite track with Mick Karn's glorious bass, Yuki Takahashi's manic percussion and those great bursts of guitar from Bill in the bridges between verses."


wonder toy:

"Acceleration": "I just want to know if the lyrics were written before or after the purchase of the Porsche."


Radium Girl:

"The Real Adventure': "is one of Bill's finest and most arousing vocal efforts ever in my opinion! It makes my head spin so deliciously!"


amok:

"I was listening to "Another Day, Another Ray of Hope" in the car and I have to say it it one one my favourite pieces of Bill's work. I find the piece very uplifting: the tempo the range of instruments and yet the lyrics are somewhat sad: the passing of time but with the eternal optimism of the title."


Peter:

"Another Day, Another Ray of Hope": "which I wish was an hour long -- the ebow on this song is sublime, and that repeating series of descending synth notes just hooks me in like I can't explain."


Chimera Man:

"Every time I play "Another Day, Another Ray of Hope" (which is quite often) I find intensely "uplifting" and mood changing in a positive fashion. 29 years on and I think it (and the Chimera album generally) has stood the test of time brilliantly."

"Give "Tender is the Night" a spin if you want to hear Bill playing a superb bass-line. So good I thought it was Mick Karn first time I heard it."


wildanddizzy:

"Another Day, Another Ray of Hope": "When the drum solo kicks in, there is some great energy happening, with Bill's guitar all over the place...the build up and crescendo on this track is beautifully orchestrated. If I were a castaway on a desert island...with me and poor Crusoe sharing the same fate, I would clearly want this one with me...
I have played this track more times than most to introduce someone to BN. That and "October Man"."


Mick Winsford:

"If pushed to take just one recorded example of Bill's music to the end of the world I would still choose Chimera."


novemberman:

"I had forgotten what a masterpiece it is. Nearly 30 years old and still as fresh as the day I bought it in 1983, and it's probably the album that made me think, Umm this Nelson bloke is worth taking note of!!
So thanks Bill for giving me 30 years of musical pleasure, and after my dip into the past I look forward to what the future may bring. To copy the lyrics from a track on Chimera...Every New Bill Nelson Album Is Like Another New Drug, Still Can't Get Enough!!"

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