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Crimsworth

Bill Nelson

album - 28 February 1995

Currently unavailable

TRACKS:

​

01)  (Part 1)
02)  (Part 2)

ALBUM NOTES:


Crimsworth is an instrumental ambient recording written for an art installation created by Rob Ward. The resulting music appeared on the Resurgence label, an off shoot of Voiceprint Records, who would issue several CDs worth of new (or archive) Bill Nelson material in the period 1995-97.    

Although the playing times for part 1 and part 2 are different by a matter of seconds, it should be noted that the 2 tracks are in fact identical.

The album remained on catalogue for around ten years before Nelson personally purchased all remaining stock when it appeared that Voiceprint were about to dispose of what they had left. The remaining stock was then sold through the SOS store linked to Nelson's website Dreamsville until it was officially sold out in February 2008.


CURRENT AVAILABILITY:

 

A 2013 reissue was released by Floating World Records, which appears to be a genuine record company associated with Voiceprint. By then though, Nelson had licensed Crimsworth to Esoteric/Cherry Red. So when Esoteric label head Mark Powell approached Floating World Records enquiring about their entitlement to issue Crimsworth, they replied, saying the release was issued "by mistake", and have since removed it from their website. 

Unfortunately, Esoteric/Cherry Red were unable to release Crimsworth before their licensing deal expired, this release will likely be a candidate for  future Bandcamp digital download release.



IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY:
Altar Pieces, Chance Encounters in the Garden of Light, Map of Dreams, Signals From Realms of Light,
Non-Stop Mystery Action, Neptune's Galaxy, Quiet Bells, Sounding the Ritual Echo, Trial By Intimacy



BILL'S THOUGHTS:


"Crimsworth was a collaborative art piece. It was designed to act as the sonic component in a gallery art installation. The installation itself was created by Rob Ward and involved a room whose walls were covered in ceramic paper which had been painted in deep reds and green-golds. The floor of the room was flooded with a black oil-like liquid that reflected the walls, creating the illusion of an infinite space. Viewers entered the room one at a time and could move to the centre of the space along a slightly elevated walkway, laid over the liquid floor. The name for the piece came from an area of wilderness, called 'Crimsworth', near the artist's home.

The soundscape I made was played on a loop from speakers within the installation. The inspiration for the music was the artwork itself, rather than any other music, although I had the works of John Cage and Morton Feldman in mind. I think the music could rightly be called 'environmental' rather than ambient."



FAN THOUGHTS:

Steve Whitaker:

"Crimsworth Dean is a valley that runs off the Calder Valley in the Hardcastle Crags area, and you couldn't find a more perfect spot to inspire art in any form."


tommaso:

"I always really loved Crimsworth, especially because unlike all of Bill's earlier 'ambient' work, this one really goes on for a long time, allowing you to immerse yourself in the sound."


TheGlassGuitar:

"I think an ambient piece should be long enough create an all-encompassing mood. Crimsworth does this better than any other ambient piece I know of."


wonder toy:

"It is not a song you tap your feet to and whistle while waxing kitchen floor. A song for every season and a song for every reason. If you have a spare 31 minutes to lay back and soak in some sonic bliss or if you just want some beautiful music in the background while performing some mundane tasks, reach for this one. I wish there were more albums just like it in the Bill Nelson catalogue. I am really looking forward to some of the long form pieces coming in the near future."


Mr.Magnetism Himself:

"From the alarm clock on "Sleep That Burns" and the radio transmissions throughout Modern Music to the manipulated sounds of water on Crimsworth, Bill delights me with his varied approaches to incorporating sounds from the worlds of commerce, entertainment, and nature."


Babylonorphan:

"I have always loved Crimsworth (If you don't "get it", you are not listening properly!) and play it as background music during my crazy noisy students' lessons, you should see them all, as soon as Crimsworth goes on they turn from marauding little devils into angelic little angels. The power of Bill's music knows no bounds!"


Kalamazoo Kid:

"In retrospect, I'd also call it a direct ancestor of more recent stuff - Sailor Bill, Neptune's Galaxy, And We Fell Into a Dream."


Puzzleoyster:

"Anything with a hint of Crimsworthiness gets the heads up in my house!"

 

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