Hi fellow fans.
Just so happens that the last few albums i've been listening to are non-vocal (Plaything, The Romance Of Sustain, Loom, The Awakening Of Dr Dream, Quiet Bells etc).
Was wondering if anyone out there could share their thoughts on their favourite albums that fit into this category?
Would really help to fuel & encourage my already obsessive passion with this music!
Cheers
Steve
If you are talking about Bill's albums, then Gleaming Without Lights, Neptune's Galaxy and Mazda Kaleidoscope are excellent examples of instrumental albums.
Just lisstened to the recent Dyamos And Tremelos, available on Bandcamp. Very fun recording alternating keyboard based instrumentals with guitar and keyboards. An easy one to get into and lots of good tunes.
Yes - really liked Dynamos And Tremelos, love Quiet Bells, have been listening to the two Rosewoods & played Neptune's today - different again - long dreamy pieces with lots of different sections - think i'm going to continue with Sparkle Machine, The Unrealist - was hoping allthe fans out there might consider compiling a list of their all time top 10 purely instrumental Bill albums?
Simplex is great for reading Proust to!
... So is Crimsworth ...
…..Simplex is a favourite of mine without doubt.... and the rest that have been mentioned....but these are my ones in no particular order:
Signals From Realms Of Light
Neptune's Galaxy
Theatre Of Falling Leaves
And We Fell Into A Dream
Illuminated At Dusk
Plectrajet
Albion Dream Vortex
Gleaming Without Lights
Quiet Bells
Custom Deluxe
There's my ten...….could've put in some older instrumental albums but these are from the last fifteen years or so.
Push comes to shove.....Signals From Realms Of Light is a work of sheer genius that I will treasure listening to for the rest of my mortal coil...…!
Bless The Funk,
Paul
Thanks Paul,
That's exactly what i was after!
Being a newby, the only one of those i can comment on is Quiet Bells, which is gorgeous.
I'm collecting all these albums very swiftly, so it's sometimes quite hard to gauge their various merits, hence the question to long-term fans for their faves etc,
Cheers
Steve
More top tens please!
Obviously, the top tens have to include things like Simplex & Chamber Of Dreams etc.
No they don't 😉 All a matter of taste.
I highly recommend
And We Fell Into A Dream
Illuminated At Dusk
Silvertone Fountains
The Unrealist (fits in well with the previous 3. If you like them, you will like this and vice versa)
Gleaming Without Lights
In general, I agree with paul.Smith and wadcorp's lists. Definitely all top-shelf instrumental albums.
But .. what about Altar Pieces & Beauty & Beast? Lovely things indeed!
And We Fell Into A Dream (“The Raindrop Collector” alone makes this so very special)
Gleaming Without Lights
Albion Dream Vortex
Quiet Bells
Neptune's Galaxy
Signals From Realms Of Light
Silvertone Fountains
Illuminated At Dusk
Rosewood 1
The Sparkle Machine
There are a number of instrumental albums that actually contain extensive “found vocals” that Bill has recorded off the radio & elsewhere. I sort of count those as vocal albums. Otherwise, discs like “Iconography” would pop up on the list.
.
Anticipating imminent arrival of Albion Dream Vortex & Satellite Songs ... deep joy will ensue ...
“Satellite Songs” is a personal favourite. Not an instrumental album by any means, but a great album, none the less!
.
Hi. include these! I just want to get a general consensus of opinion of ALL the non-vocal stuff. I'm loving it all & getting to know it in a very individual way, with a very strange non-linear trajectory, so,having an ocd obsessive sort of personality, i'm applying a sort of scattergun approach to try to get the thoughts of all the die-hard fans!
A purple patch here was Plaything, Dreamland To Starboard and And We Fell Into A Dream
Drunkenly listening to Drastic Plastic ...
Can't find Dreamland to Starboard ...
... can't find custom deluxe either ...
Custom Deluxe and Dreamland to Starboard are both albums that will appear at some stage on Bandcamp... don’t pay silly prices on eBay, and with Bandcamp, the artist benefits from every sale!
Sorry, I have to argue for the "found sound" albums - which Bills calls instrumental. The amount of programming, texturing, mixing and matching marvels me. Go ahead and tease me again for: Roses and Rocket Ships. Now tell me you aren't playing Air Guitar right now.
Thought so.
For me the 'found vocal' aspects of Bill's (seemingly) instrumental albums work as an instrument all of their own, and become an integral part of the 'instrumental mix' as it were. 'Signals' is run through with such 'found vocals' , but for me it still seems an instrumental album......up for debate I suppose.
Albums such as Neptune's Galaxy, Theatre Of Falling Leaves, and Model Village are instrumental without these inclusions.....'purely instrumental'......but there's a cockerel crowing on Model Village.....that's a 'found voice'......where does it begin or end with sounds hey?
After all these years, I still see the majestic Pink Buddha Blues as an 'instrumental' track, but it's riddled with 'found voice' to it's musical advantage, so what is what and what is not is a purist's conundrum..... - it's all some glorious 'Rock ' n ' Roll Madness' anyway...…..