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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) May 2010 Jan Jun Sep Nov Dec Tuesday 25th May 2010 -- 2:00 pm The gaps between diary entries become wider as the complexity of daily life increases. As I've said so often before, finding enough free time to write up this odd little journal is not always easy. My previous entry, dated 5th January, seems an eternity ago. So much has happened since then that it would be impossible for me to record everything in detail here without spending several hours typing. Instead, I'll attempt to fill in the missing pages in as condensed a form as possible. The last few months have certainly been eventful. During a bout of severe winter weather Emiko and I were involved in a car accident up in the hills of West Yorkshire, not far from Emley Moor. We were driving through a fairly remote area of countryside, on a narrow country lane running down a very steep hill, when, despite progressing slowly and carefully, we lost control of the car and slid sideways down the hill and into a grass verge, narrowly missing a tree. A large four wheel drive vehicle then came over the brow of the hill, stopped for a moment then attempted to drive around us but hit the same treacherous section of ice and snow and also lost control, slamming violently into the side of our car. We were lucky in that we were not physically hurt but we were badly shaken up by the event. Our car, however, suffered some quite serious damage which required it to be sent to an accident repair centre for extensive (and expensive) work. It was off the road for several weeks. Luckily, we were fully covered by our insurance and were given a courtesy car until the repairs were complete. The car is now visibly as good as new. A very unpleasant experience however, and not one that Emi and I would care to repeat. Another unpleasant experience was had when I fell ill with a very nasty gastric flu virus. It started with sudden shivering and aching body, then a very high temperature and stomach pains. I was confined to bed for three or four days, feeling absolutely awful, then not out of my dressing gown for a week. A further week passed before things really began to improve and I felt strong enough to venture outside. I always seem to catch some evil bug or other in the period between New Year and Spring. However, the really annoying aspect of this particular illness was that it caused me to miss the Rufus Wainwright concert in Sheffield for which our good friends Steve and Julia had provided us with tickets as a Christmas gift. I had been so looking forward to seeing Rufus and was terribly disappointed at being too ill to attend. A severe and prolonged toothache has also proved debilitating. It's settled down now but is still somewhat uncomfortable,especially when eating. Of course, my phobia regarding all things medical works against me in these situations. I tend to endure the problem until it resolves itself. Although I consider myself a reasonably bright chap, I certainly can be stubborn and stupid sometimes. I've also been spending time with my mother every week, travelling over to Wakefield to take her out for dinner, giving her a hand with supermarket shopping, etc. Also helping her to deal with the conclusion of the litigation process that she was forced to undertake in order to gain a little more security, all as a result of inadequate provision being made for her in her late husband's will. The whole thing proved to be a tough and totally undeserved ordeal for my mother but, after more than two years of legal action and a modest settlement, there are still a couple of loose ends to tie up. Hopefully, these final issues can be resolved as soon as possible and mum can put this unfortunate situation behind her and get on with her life. Another major pre-occupation for me has been the preparation of volume one of my autobiography. I began work on this project several years ago but, due to various other responsibilities, haven't touched the manuscript for quite a while. A recent decision to privately publish volume one in book form has meant that I've had to devote several weeks of my time exclusively to reviving the project. I've adjusted and re-written large chunks of the original text and compiled over seventy photographs from family archives which I'm hoping to include in the book. The work has required intense concentration and long hours each day to pull it together but it's now almost ready for a rough mock up to be produced so that any final layout/cosmetic changes can be made before it goes off to the printers. The book's title is 'Painted From Memory. Volume One: Evocation Of A Radiant Childhood.' It covers the period from my birth to leaving school and tells how I first became bewitched by guitars and my consequent attempts to learn how to play the instrument. I suspect that a publisher would, in the interests of commerce and conciseness, edit the manuscript quite dramatically...but I'm determined to make this privately printed, limited edition version of the book as true to my original concept as possible. It is packed with detailed descriptions of my early life and provides a unique view of the post-war, working class life in which I grew up. I'm hoping that it will have a broader appeal than a 'How I Became Guitar Boy' type of story, (although that aspect is more than adequately taken care of in the text). My hope is to have the book printed and available to fans of my music by November. Which would coincide perfectly with this year's Nelsonica fan convention. Nelsonica 10 is an ongoing and important preoccupation for me, even at this early time of the year. This year celebrates the 10th anniversary of the event and the Nelsonica Team and myself are trying our best to make it a special one for fans. After some deliberation regarding practicalities and dramatically increased production costs we've decided to attempt a complex two-day event to mark the occasion. I've concocted a fun title for the event: 'Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus,' which suits the playful nature of this special anniversary Nelsonica, and also reflects my childhood fascination with circuses and science fiction. So...this year's event will include a three-part live concert on Day One and a number of interesting presentations on Day Two. The live performance, due to its wide-ranging nature, presents me with a challenge in itself, even before the features of the second day are taken into account. I'm planning to put together a solo set of guitar-based instrumental music with video backdrops, followed by a trio-based set as 'Orchestra Futura,' (which will concentrate on improvised music featuring Theo Travis on saxophone, flute and loops and Dave Sturt on bass guitar and lap-top treatments, plus myself on guitars and loops.) Then there will be a third set featuring my 7-piece 'Gentlemen Rocketeers' band playing a selection of music from my past, (but with a subtle hint of the future!) Choosing, preparing and rehearsing such a complex and extensive 'one-off' show will certainly prove time consuming and physically exhausting but will also offer convention attendees a rich and rewarding listening experience. A fully-packed evening of live music and visuals. The second day will feature special presentations that the Nelsonica Team and myself are already in the process of planning. Amongst these presentations will be an exhibition of my guitars. One of the exhibited jewels in this particular collection will be a unique Campbell Nelsonic Transitone guitar that has been hand painted for me by American artist Nicholas Del Drago. Nicholas is a renowned painter of motorbikes, custom cars and guitars. He is also a guitarist in his own right and a friend of guitar super-star Joe Satriani, (for whom he has also painted a guitar). The Nelsonic guitar that Nicholas has painted for me features a wonderfully retro panorama inspired by some pulp 1950's sci-fi illustrations I sent to him just over a year ago. Nicholas has achieved, on this guitar, a fabulous, deep metalflake paint effect that really sparkles and comes to life when lit by strong light. The sides of the guitar feature a 'flip paint' finish that changes hue depending from which angle it is viewed. The instrument is equipped withAlumitone pickups which in themselves are quite different from any of my other guitars' pickups. In short, it's a very special piece and I'm extremely grateful to Nicholas and Dean Campbell for creating such a striking instrument for me. I've already used the guitar on some of my new but as yet unreleased recordings and it sounds just as good as it looks. Recording, of course, is a continual process for me, an almost daily exercise, or, (dare I say it?) a sort of meditation on 'being,' in the Buddhist sense of the word. (Yes, I dare...) There's something both compulsive and revelatory about just 'doing the work'...I suppose, for me, it's the creative process itself that throws the switch that turns on the internal lightbulb, rather than anything to do with what people might perceive as the musical end result. That old cliché about the journey being more important than the arriving fits my experience perfectly because, whilst the finished albums finally find their meaning with the listener, it's the creative act, the private ritual of making, that ultimately illuminates things for me, especially as I compose and record these albums in an extremely solitary fashion, all alone here in my tiny studio. Since my previous diary entry I've released an album of the soundtrack music I created for the documentary film 'American Stamps.' The film was aired on the US television PBS, (Public Broadcasting Service), channel last year. The music has produced a pleasant and colourful album and, judging from comments posted on my website's forum, seems to have charmed those who have heard it. The album is titled 'PICTURE POST' and it's packaging features a set of imaginary stamps depicting some of my own American pop icons such as Orson Welles, Les Paul, John Cage, Duane Eddy and Fred Astaire. As expected though, I'm already deep into recording brand new music for release later in the year. At this point in time, the aim is to gather together the best, or most compatible, pieces into two distinctive albums. One of these albums will become this year's Nelsonica special edition CD. It will, like the convention itself, be titled 'CAPTAIN FUTURE'S PSYCHOTRONIC CIRCUS' and should be loosely, (though not exclusively), themed around that particular concept. The second album is to be titled 'MOON GOLD PALLADIUM' and, if all goes to plan and I don't shift my conceptual gears, be a lush, richly textured, epic but deeply romantic, (in the poetic, painterly sense of the word), album of vocal-based songs. It will also contain a few appropriate instrumental interludes. All of this is ongoing and organically developing. Lots of work done so far but I still feel that I need to continue along these particular mysterious garden paths until I've gathered enough flowers to make a beautiful arrangement. The vase in the window is patiently awaiting (and anticipating), the artist's hand. Thankfully, the sun is out and the Idea Bird is singing. What else? Well...A shiny new computer sits in front of me as I type these words. Yes, finally, I am connected to broadband and am able to access the internet in a far more contemporary and speedy fashion than before. My new iMac takes up less space than my old G4 Mac and things look slightly less crowded in this tiny home studio than previously. I've yet to fully understand the finer points of some of the latest software, but all that will be resolved in time. My previous computer was ten years behind my current software so there's a reasonably steep learning curve to deal with, especially when it comes to things such as Photoshop and Final Cut. But it's really inspiring to suddenly have the opportunity to move my creative work forward with the help of this sleek machine. It's as if I've moved from gas to electricity! And there are changes in our domestic life too: We are currently being assaulted by banging, hammering, drilling and sawing. Our old, rotten, leaky and unhygenic kitchen is in the process of being completely renovated. I'd hung on to our old kitchen for a long time, hoping that I could postpone the radical changes, (and expense), required to drag us into a more clean and contemporary realm. But, suddenly, there seemed no choice but to 'bite the bullet.' Things were falling apart in a bad way and what had once seemed charmingly 'shabby' had become frustratingly useless. Actually, our home desperately requires a variety of renovations, most of which are currently beyond our reach... but the kitchen's many problems are finally in the process of being rectified. The work began with us emptying stuff from the old kitchen cupboards. An astonishing amount of 'stuff' as it happens. It is now occupying the dining room, actually filling the entire space! AND overflowing into the lounge and into the little study, (a room that was already almost impossible to enter due to accumulations of this, that or the other item of 20th Century bric-a-brac.) The physical work of demolishing the old kitchen began last Wednesday and since then we have had no means of cooking, (or washing up). Today the installation of the new kitchen units has begun, though there's much more to be done in that department, including fitting the worktops, sink and various items of hardware. Still, the tiled floor has already been completed and a new 'range-style' oven will be delivered on Thursday. Hopefully, with the exception of re-decorating the walls and ceiling, the new kitchen should be operational by the early part of next week. Emi is very much looking forward to finally having a decent, practical and easier to clean kitchen to work in. She's thrilled about it all and can't wait to see the finished thing. Lots of plaster dust in the air at the moment though, even up here in my studio...A fine layer of it seems to cover every surface. The cleaning up process will involve more than the kitchen and dining room areas by the look of things. Meanwhile, we've been eating out every evening, (but tonight we had fish n' chips from the village chippie). Had dinner with Elle and Elliot at Ceasar's Italian restaurant in town last night. They're busy people and I don't get to see them as often as I'd like. Rehearsing and performing with 'Honeytone Cody' takes up a lot of their time. I'm just as wrapped up in music too, I guess. But they're very talented and I'm extremely proud of them and it's always good for us to spend some time together. This last weekend was more like summer than spring: bright, clear blue skies and hot golden sunshine. As the kitchen company were not working at our house on Saturday and Sunday, Emi and I took the opportunity to get away from all the kitchen debris and distraction for a while. On Saturday afternoon we went to Knaresborough and enjoyed apple pie and ice cream whilst sitting at the edge of the river, watching the little rowing boats drift by beneath the old Victorian railway bridge. A favourite fair weather spot for us. Later, we drove to Harrogate for dinner and ended up at a restaurant called 'William And Victoria.' It was the first time we'd eaten there and it was extremely enjoyable. Sunday we drove to Whitby, 'though the traffic was terrible and it took us far longer than usual. Had lunch at a place called 'Marine' which we hadn't been to before. Very nice it was too, we'll be going back next time we visit Whitby. The weather was beautiful and we sat overlooking the harbour after lunch, just taking in the view. I love visiting that place, even though it's sometimes very busy with tourists. Sadly, one of our favourite Harrogate restaurants has unexpectedly closed down. 'San Martino' is no more, a victim of the economic climate by the look of it. Such a shame. But there are so many places suffering the same fate. 'The Lamb and Lion Inn' in York was another favourite eatery of ours. Several weeks ago now, Emi and I drove into town to have lunch there, only to find the place locked up and in darkness. Gone forever due to the Royal Bank Of Scotland calling time on the business, despite the owners turning things around and getting it into profit after the losses incurred by previous owners. We miss the place very much as it had become a regular haunt of ours. And I still miss 'Borders' bookshop in the centre of town. The building it occupied remains empty and forlorn, the 'Borders' logo remains displayed within its walls but there are only the ghosts of books and the ruins of bookshelves to remind one of the place it once was. As I've probably mentioned elsewhere, 'Borders' opened here several years ago now, with such promise and style, only to slowly deteriorate, its original wide-ranging stock becoming narrower and narrower, less specialist and more predictable. A victim of the bland and mediocre consumerism of the modern marketplace? Or just bad management and exorbitant rents? Actually, the effects of the economic malaise seem to be more acute than ever. And, despite the usual hopes that accompany a general election, all I can see from the results of the recent hung Parliament is an exercise in spin that somehow defines the naivety and the gullibility of much of the public. Throughout the election campaign, the word 'change' was bandied about like a toy balloon at a children's party. And a children's party, I fear, is what we may have ended up with. I hope this uncomfortable coalition will not be as disastrous as it might appear...but I watch the television images of Cameron and his new found Lib-Dem pals sitting side by side and don't know whether to laugh or cry. What should we call such an alliance, other than 'disappointing?' The 'Con-dems' maybe? An arrogant toff with no upper lip and a fake Yorkshireman who resembles The Mekon but doesn't have green skin? Ok, that's rather unfair of me, I know. I'm just having a go, all in fun. Still, that old satirical tv show 'Spitting Image' would have a ball with this lot. Maybe they're very nice people and kind to their grannies, etc...but, despite their best efforts they come across, to me at least, as condescending and not a little devious. (But that's often a trait of the political classes, so nothing new there.) It will be interesting and darkly entertaining to see which way their wind blows though. I'm trying to think of other things I should include in this 'catch-up' of a diary entry but am finding it hard to think at all due to the threateningly loud sound of drilling and sawing coming from the kitchen below me. So, maybe that's enough typing for now. Until next time. ***** The images accompanying this diary are as follows:- 1: A shot of a corner of Bill's studio showing iMac and Rocketship Nelsonic Guitar. 2: Photo of Bill in front of Whitby Harbour, May 22nd 2010. 3: Photo of boats in a corner of Whitby Harbour taken by Bill 22 May 2010. 4: Bill with Rocketship Campbell Nelsonic guitar. May 2010. 5: Close up of Bill's Rocketship Campbell Nelsonic guitar painted by Nicholas Del Drago. 6: Weird creatures lurking in a corner of Bill's studio. Taken by Bill, March 2010. Top of page

Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights Bill Nelson 2-CD album set - November 1987 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download DISC ONE: The Angel At The Western Window 01) West Deep 02) The Spirit Cannot Fail 03) Pilots Of Kite 04) Seventh Circle 05) Phantom Gardens 06) The Angel Of Hearth And Home 07) Villefranche Interior 08) Night Tides 09) First Memory 10) Azure Extension 11) Radiant Spires 12) The Evening Peal 13) Threnodia 14) A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain 15) Body Of Light 16) At The Center 17) Self-Initiation 18) The Word That Became Flesh 19) The Hermetic Garden 20) Revolving Globes 21) The Four Square Citadel 22) Little Daughters Of Light 23) Orient Of Memphis 24) The Angel At The Western Window CD only songs added to Disc One: 25) The Piano Room 26) Rain Dance 27) Aching Heart 28) Arising 29) Welcome To Realm Seven 30) Without A Blue Horizon 31) Female Nebula 32) Demon Raising 33) Burning The Grove Of Satyrs 34) The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of 35) Realm Of Archons 36) The Rossetti Effect 37) Infinite Station 38) Piano Angelica DISC TWO: The Book Of Inward Conversation 01) My Dark Daemon 02) The Dove Consumed (The Serpent Slumbers) 03) Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven, Over 04) Path Of Return 05) Theurgia 06) Staircase To No Place 07) Evocation Of A Radiant Childhood 08) The Kingdom Of Consequence 09) The Divine Raptures Of Sisterhood 10) Bright Star (Moonlight Over Ocean Blue) 11) A Bird Of The Air Shall Carry Thy Voice 12) Clothed In Light Amongst The Stars 13) Gnosis 14) Bringers Of Lights To The Feast 15) Hastening The Chariot Of My Heart's Desire 16) Transcendant 17) Consolamentum Ecclesia Gnostica (Music for the Interior Church) ep 18) Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart 19) Mysterium 20) Katharos 21) Day Of Eternity 22) Evening Adoration 23) Ecclesia Gnostica 24) Young Angels By An Ancient River 25) Finis Gloria Mundi ALBUM NOTES: Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights is a double instrumental album issued by Cocteau Records. It was Nelson's third consecutive non-vocal album released in less than 12 months. The album was issued on vinyl and cassette, the first vinyl edition coming with a 7" ep entitled Ecclesia Gnostica . As with Map of Dreams , it took a few months after the release of the album before a CD version appeared, which added the 7" ep to disc 2 and 14 exclusive tracks to disc 1. This was still early days for the CD format though, and the 2CD set retailed at approximately three times the cost of the double vinyl. The Ecclesia Gnostica ep was never officially available separately, but second hand copies that have been liberated from the double LP can occasionally be found on the collectors market. PAST RELEASES: In 1989, Chance Encounters appeared in the US on Enigma in 3 formats: 2LP, 2CD and cassette. In July 2017, Esoteric/Cherry Red Records reissued a remastered version of the double CD edition of Chance Encounters . The set is presented in a foldout double digipack, with a full reproduction of all the original album artwork. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: From the liner notes: "The music presented on these 2 albums marks the consolidation of several years of musical & philosophical practice. Almost every piece was conceived during moments of intense stillness or 'magical vacuity'. For this I acknowledge the influence of the late Austin Osman Spare, whose technique for creating 'automatic drawing' has found a sympathetic resonance in my own work. Of all the music I have made, this is, perhaps, the most personal & yet the least demonstrative. Attempting nothing & existing purely for itself, it is, nevertheless, a practical music, ideally suited to the occultist in search of ritual atmosphere or serene meditation. With such a purpose in mind I offer this work to my fellow initiates as a testament to the Gnosis & a confirmation of The World Within." FAN THOUGHTS: A Kinder Light: "I simply always wondered...how can someone even go about creating music like this? I was so blown away by this album when I first heard it that I thought that Bill might have been a messenger from another dimension. This might seem even stranger...but I use to hear snippets of music like this in dreams when I was younger, which made it even more intriguing." JMH: "From the first track, "West Deep", I am captured...I must admit, Chance Encounters CD is one of my nightly meditations. It is hard to describe the frame of mind one enters, at the second track, on hearing the refrain: "The Spirit Cannot Fail You". Another of the artist's perfect works...to me this CD is Timeless." wadcorp: "I defy anyone to listen to Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights and not experience a calming effect. I put it on in my studio when I'm getting too tense for my own good…" Holer: "I' m heavily into Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights album at the moment. It feels like a continuation of the Trial By Intimacy albums but even spookier and more evocative...Great stuff!" Phil: "Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights remains my favourite BN album, much as I like the newer albums and the BBD stuff, it's this one that I play the most. It also contains what I consider to be Bill's most hypnotic and beautiful track, namely "The Angel at the Western Window"." alec: "I like the Surrealism of "Evocation of a Radiant Childhood", from Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights . Its ending is very unexpected drive through the clouds-all-blue..." Panoramicon: "For myself, I chose disc 2 from Chance Encounters , The Book of Inward Conversation, to help me connect (in many ways) with the loss of my dad. The ten final tracks simultaneously lift me and break my heart, esp. "Consolamentum"." Parsongs: "The Trial By Intimacy box set really sealed the deal, with Chance Encounters being a zenith; an ambient collection I always refer to as an influence. I loved the charming simplicity of the Cocteau years, the way Bill would start with a blank slate and build up songs one sound and idea at a time." stormboy: "I think Bill came into his own when creating synth pieces from Sounding the Ritual Echo onwards through to Optimism , say. I particularly enjoy the beautiful construction of the pieces, which were expertly interwoven mainly monosynth lines. His sense of stereo production on these albums is fantastic, especially given (or perhaps because of) the technical limitations of his studio at the time... Although I still think Bill is a brilliant synth-er to this day, I DO miss the analogue manipulations that he so expertly displayed in the Cocteau years! I envy his mighty Triton, but some of the soundscapes he created with his analogue set-up are amazing." Johnny Jazz: "Bill's output is so varied, there's usually a piece of music that you can put on to compliment any mood, a sort of life soundtrack. Personally, Bill has a knack of recording stuff that evokes all manner of emotional responses in this listener. Chance Encounters , The Love That Whirls are prime examples of the many that hit the spot. I'm really hard pressed to think of any other musicians/composers who can do this in quite the same way as Bill. It's a VERY rare talent." "I'd hope that Bill reissues, if he can, the double cd version of Chance Encounters . Fortunately, I have a copy, and to my mind it's possibly the best collection of Bill's ambient music I've heard." John Fisher: "Wow! I just received my copy of the reissue here stateside, and I am impressed. Great digipack layout using all the original artwork, and nice attention to detail. Overall it has better presentation than the original. Well done Esoteric/Cherry Red!" Albums Menu Future Past

Quiet Bells Bill Nelson album - 9 March 2015 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) We Here Who Were There 02) Vapour Grey 03) The Day I Dreamed You Up 04) Shifting Sands 05) Ocean In The Sky 06) I Dream Of Waves 07) Seaglass 08) Sun On Water, Wind In Wire 09) The Fields Beyond 10) Beneath Her Dappled Apple Tree 11) Chiming Shires 12) Boy Chases Butterfly 13) Ghosts Of The Space Age 14) Transcendental Tittycups 15) A Perfect Night - The Dawn Rejoices 16) Theme From Uncanny Valley 17) Quiet Bells 18) In Dreams Awake ALBUM NOTES: Quiet Bells is an instrumental album issued in a one-off print run of 500 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album was the first to be commenced after Nelson had been diagnosed with a hearing problem, and was deliberately styled to be quiet and discrete. Work on Quiet Bells was commenced in July 2014 and was completed by September 2014. The album was released on 9 March 2015, and like its predecessor, Shining Reflector , sold out in 7 days. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "This album is a semi-ambient guitar instrumental fantasia, situated somewhere in mood between the Rosewood acoustic albums and the more electric Dreamland to Starboard , And We Fell Into A Dream , and Signals From Realms of Light albums. "It is predominantly guitar based but with lots of AxeFX processing and features the prototype of my 'Astroluxe' signature guitar. The album contains 18 tracks and enough musical mysterioso to keep you digging deep for many months. "It is also the first album I've recorded since my uncomfortable and debilitating hearing loss. Working on this album has been a real challenge, difficult and frustrating yet, despite all that, I think it has turned out ok. By the time it has been mastered at Fairview by John Spence, I think you will find that it's more than acceptable! It has a lovely, gentle, ruminative atmosphere which will, I hope, provoke deep thoughts and technicolour dreams." _____ "John Spence, when we mastered this album, said it was 'thoughtful'. I'll agree with that too...it has some deep and dark stuff going on in it somehow. It's one of the more 'soulful' albums of mine, despite the ambient nature of it." _____ "The photograph on the back cover of the album, (with the tree and landscape), was taken by me, only a few yards away from my house. Incidentally, the interior photo's of the Buddha statue, (with Emi's flowers), and the Carp pond, (plus the dragonfly image to the right of it), are my photo's too." FAN THOUGHTS: Palladium: "Completely 'blown away' by this (Quiet Bells ) - although it's not what I'd expected from reading the above comments. Very different in texture and sound from previous 'ambient'-leaning guitar instrumentals. Seems experimental, fresh, new, invigorating - the kinds of things you don't expect from an artist who has recorded a hundred or so albums! How many times have I listened to a new BN album for the first time, and at certain points thought "this is the best thing I've ever heard". I get a lot of that with Quiet Bells - like when I listened to "A Perfect Night - The Dawn Rejoices" first time." "The first thing that struck me about Quiet Bells was its depth and coherence, given some of the reviews and BN's own typically modest comments about it leading up to its release. In other words, I didn't expect it to be the major album I think it is." Parsongs: "What a wonderful album it is. "Bill has applied his ambient sensibilities (think Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights ) to his best instrumental guitar compositions (a la Romance of Sustain ) to produce a completely new style and mood. "The music is soothing, relaxing, meditative, introspective. I recommend playing it start to finish, then repeat! I must add that the sonic fidelity is incredible; what a great mix! You never cease to amaze us, Bill!" machman767: "I've only been able to listen once but I'm amazed at the quality. Even more astounding is that it's been created whilst suffering the hearing problem, I can only assume that we really are in the presence of a gifted musician, not that there has ever been any doubt. I don't usually "get" these style of CDs but this is something much more deeper, as Bill says, it's got soul." RJR: "It hearkens back to the very awesome Rosewood CDs and meanders through Neptune's Galaxy , Silvertone Fountains , and other non-vocal collections. But, it is unique and stands on its own. I have a hunch that this one is one that will continue to grow as the spring and summer nights become more the norm. I told my wife that this one is a "floater" (please remove the first visions that just came to your mind) in that it creates an atmosphere where it augments the visual surroundings and creates a feeling of inner levitation." Face In The Rain: "Held off posting anything about Quiet Bells to give myself a chance to listen to it a few times, just in case I was wrong. But I'm not. It's my favourite BN album. Simple as that. I think that about each new release but this time I mean it. The sound is gorgeous - plus it's Bill doing what he does best which IMHO is noodling away on an axe. Maybe it's because I'm of a certain age and in increasingly contemplative mood but this album just completely hits the spot." Alan: "This album is absolutely beautiful. Nothing short of sublime. The music on this album is seamless in its ability to entertain. "Thanks so very much Bill, for providing the soundtrack of my dreams for all these years. And, it just gets better all of the time." andygeorge: "When I die and go to Heaven, and I will 'cos I'm a good boy, this is what I expect to be playing...wonderful music Mr Nelson!" Albums Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) December 2010 Jan May Jun Sep Nov Wednesday 1st December 2010 -- 4:00 pm Heavy snow and freezing cold weather these last few days, the coldest November on record apparently. We've hardly ventured out due to extremely poor driving conditions. Our narrow country lane escapes the attention of the council's snow ploughs or gritting trucks, and driving Emiko's small hatchback along it from our home to the main road has proved hazardous. Had to get to the village post office late on Monday afternoon and even turning the car around in the back garden was tricky. Snow almost up to axle depth and a ten minute scraping frenzy to get all the frozen white stuff off the car's windows. This sort of weather looks set to continue. Today, (Wednesday), we've had a continuous blizzard since early morning. Only now, at 1:35pm as I write, has the sky cleared a little and the snow stopped, but not for long, I expect. It must be costing us a small fortune to keep the heating on in the house and the freezing cold at bay. I need to find someone to come and sweep the chimney, and mend our damaged wood burning stove so that we can back up the central heating with something a little hotter and slightly less expensive. The sore throat that threatened to turn into a cold last weekend has finally morphed into the real deal. I was awake much of last night feeling miserable...runny nose and sneezing. Feeling tired and weak today. Hoping it is just a cold and won't turn into flu or some nasty virus or other. The main topic of this diary entry is, inevitably, this year's Nelsonica fan convention and its successful completion last weekend. A relief to be able to slow down a little these next few days. After a week of intense rehearsals and various other last minute scrambles and panics to get everything in place, Nelsonica 10 opened in a blaze of technicolour and stereo sound. From the reaction of attendees on the Dreamsville Forum, it seems that everyone had a wonderful time. For me, as always, the event brings with it a certain amount of trepidation. It's impossible for me to just kick back and enjoy it as I'm always concerned that there will be enough content to keep people entertained, and also that the live concert sections will be the best we can offer under the circumstances. (A large events room in a hotel isn't always the ideal location in which to perform highly amplified music!) Nevertheless...this year, we presented the biggest and most ambitious Nelsonica ever. Because 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of the convention, I'd decided that Nelsonica should be a little bit 'grander' than usual, hence the decision to hold it over two days instead of one and to include three concert performances, (solo, trio and 7-piece band), instead of just my usual solo set. But, as always when coming up with ideas several months before an event, turning them into some sort of reality is quite another thing. It's very easy to underestimate just how much work might be involved. And it turned out that there was a LOT of hard work involved with this one! Most people are probably unaware of the finer points of putting Nelsonica together. The routine usually goes like this: Early in the year, I play around with various Nelsonica concepts to try and come up with a theme and title for the year's event. This process could go on for several days or a few weeks, depending on how quickly I arrive at a conclusion. Sometimes, even if I think I've got it right, it's best to wait and let it 'settle' to see if it really sticks or suddenly feels inappropriate and vapourises. Once the concept and title is decided I begin to search through various archives for possible visual images that might be adapted to the theme. In this year's case, the source material was found by my 'Real Men With Rayguns' partner, David Graham who searched the internet for suitable visual starting points. These are then adapted, altered and tweaked, text added and so on. Dave and I pass the images back and forth and I'll comment, add or suggest things where necessary. It's a quite unpredictable process, sometimes it comes together immediately, sometimes we have to chip away at it more slowly. This year's visuals were, I think, relatively straightforward as the title was a little less ambiguous than some other Nelsonicas. Sometimes, interpreting the title requires lateral thinking, coming at it from odd angles. (A Day Trip To Wah-Wah Galaxy' being one example. 'Secret Club For Members Only' and 'The Experimental Time Travellers Ball' being others.) Happily, this years 'Circus' theme gave us a very direct reference point so the process wasn't too laboured and we were soon discussing a stream of circus-related images that captured the slightly 'eccentric' feel that I hoped the title would suggest. Dave and I work together on our computers via the internet so it's perhaps a little more time-consuming to get to the finishing line than if we were sitting together at a desk in a design studio...but, whatever the method, the results speak for themselves and we've developed a terrific working relationship. Dave is always open to making changes and understands my approach to visuals very sympathetically. Fairly early in the year, a meeting of the Nelsonica team and myself is arranged to work out a rough outline of what the event might include. This year, of course, I proposed the band concert plus Orchestra Futura trio and solo concerts and an expanded two day time scale. The special limited edition DVD, as well as the usual Nelsonica cd, were also part of the plan, as was the exhibition of some of my guitar collection and the inclusion of live-on-stage interviews. Then various tasks are allocated to team members. The live musical performances obviously are my main responsibility and I have to decide the content of these. Also, I have to create the Nelsonica album and original artwork for the auction, etc. Dave continues to provide visual counterpoint as the year progresses, adding flyers to the website and adapting our core designs to things such as posters and wall panels that will be used on the day. These are beautifully printed for us by team member Ian C and always look absolutely stunning when put in place at the event. The Nelsonica album then has to be written, recorded, mastered, designed and manufactured. The writing and recording can occupy a great deal of time, depending whether I'm happy with the material or not. Sometimes a good enough piece will emerge but it won't feel right in context with the other pieces...so it gets set aside and I begin again from scratch. Eventually, the convention album begins to take shape and Dave and I work together on the packaging design. Sometimes, the basic art for the album is in place before the album itself is completed. Often, the Nelsonica album simply 'mops up' any leftover tracks from the previous year's recordings, pieces that didn't quite fit on other album projects. But this year, the convention album was shaped around the event itself and therefore took longer to put together. (And, of course, before Nelsonica, I'd put together, and released, the 'Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms' album which did contain both 'left-over' material AND specially written material.) Also, as has now become traditional, a second, more 'major' album is created for simultaneous release alongside the Nelsonica one. This year it is the 'Fables And Dreamsongs' album. Again, the whole process of writing, recording, mastering, designing and manufacturing has to be gone through before we arrive at the end result. Sending off the finished master discs to the factory for manufacturing is overseen by Paul who acts as co-ordinator when it comes time to put the final album packages into physical production. Paul also took care of the pressing of this year's special DVD, (titled 'Picture House'), once I'd decided on its content and worked on the design with Dave. The key to the DVD artwork was a projector image which I'd adapted a few years back for possible use in my online diary or as a Dreamsville flyer. It had lain dormant but, whilst searching for a starting point, I'd found it again and it shouted out to be used. I filtered the colour of the image, tricked in a beam of projection light and sent it over to Dave who then began to work on the 'framing' of the image and the fonts for the text. I then had to write appropriate sleeve notes and go through the video pieces themselves to find images that I could turn into still frames for the 'filmstrips' that appear as part of the package's artwork. Paul then created a DVD menu page and wrote the digital codes for accessing the individual pieces on the master disk. We then checked that this worked before committing the finalised master DVD to the pressing plant for manufacture. Whilst all of the above listed activities were going on, I simultaneously adjusted and polished volume one of my autobiography. This actually meant that I had to completely re-write several sections of it to make proper use of more recently discovered information, a quite complex, time-consuming task. I also searched through extensive family archives to choose and caption over 80 photographs to include in the finished book. The job of getting the book's digital files ready for the printer was undertaken by Martin Bostock. Martin and I liaised over a few final details regarding text styles, size and costs and print quality, etc. Then the printing process itself began. Eventually, a batch of 500 was delivered to Martin but, upon opening the boxes, it was discovered that all the books were 'warped.' Martin complained to the printers who initially tried to escape responsibility by claiming it was nothing to do with them. Eventually though, they agreed to reprint the book. After a week or so, a second batch of books arrived...with exactly the same problem as the first batch. Completely unacceptable. We then decided to try a different printing company. The first company was asked to take back all the warped copies. According to the second print company, the problem lay in the poor quality paper that the first company had used for the book's cover. They assured us they could do a better job. We were now getting extremely close to the convention deadline and there was a distinct possibility that the books might not be ready in time. Luckily, the new printing company was on the ball and the books did arrive just in time for Nelsonica and, thank goodness, were printed and manufactured to a much higher standard. But it was touch and go for a while, not to mention costly and time consuming. The musical preparations for the live performance had been taking shape. I'd chosen material for all three sets and spent several weeks creating new backing tracks for my solo set and the Orchestra Futura set. These tracks were eventually mastered over at Fairview with John Spence but, at the last minute, I abandoned most of them and substituted other tracks along with four brand new, totally improvised trio pieces. Yes, a fair amount of time was spent recording new backing tracks but, although many of them were ultimately abandoned, they definitely will not be wasted. I fully intend to use them on an album of instrumentals next year. The band set also went through a couple of revisions, as did my solo set but Nelsonica Ten eventually ended up with approx thirty three individual pieces of live music across the three performance sets. A lot of music to master over a relatively short rehearsal time. (5 days in total but maybe four in real time as equipment had to be transported to the rehearsal space, and set up, then dismantled and moved from rehearsal room to venue.) Choosing the right material is never an instant thing...it's a drawn-out, involved process. I need to consider such things as the flow of key signatures from one piece to the next, tempo pacing, changes of atmosphere and so on. Also, (most importantly), the technical practicality of each piece is of prime concern, particularly when choosing the vocal numbers. The pacing of songs with regard to my voice requires that I take on board the physical need to warm up my voice a little at a time. My vocal range has changed through the years and I sometimes struggle with the earlier songs which were written when I was a young man in my twenties. My current 'mature' vocal range is far more suited to recent recordings, rather than than those long-ago 'boyish' vocals of the 1970's. Still...despite all these concerns and time-consuming attention to detail, the event itself was very well received by those who attended it. The musicians who graciously worked with me did the music proud and I'm very grateful for their help and the care that they brought to the task. The Orchestra Futura set was, for me, sublime. I love the idea of having no fixed map or template. We simply launched ourselves off a cliff into an indeterminate sky and went wherever the breeze carried us. Trust, faith, belief, letting go...whatever you want to call it. This is what, for me, Orchestra Futura has at its core. Simply 'being' is its 'reason for being.' The 'Gentleman Rocketeers' set, by comparison, was built on less mysterious foundations: rock 'n' pop and leather trousers! Simply get into the role and play the part. Loud guitar music and a couple of romantic ballads. During the set, I glanced round at Steve and Jon on their respective keyboards and saw that all was good! Nick Dew, (Be Bop's original drummer), who graciously consented to occupy the Gentleman Rocketeer's drum chair, is a lovely man who has always accepted my musical restlessness and, thankfully, never harboured any resentment when I had to re-shape the original Be Bop Deluxe line-up to comply with EMI Records' pressure after the first album, back in the '70s. Anyway, we had a ball! Weather on Day One of the convention became atrocious by the end of the evening. Emiko and I had a difficult time driving home on Friday night. At one point, I imagined us having to abandon the car and being forced to walk the last few miles through the blizzard. Luckily, we made it home without any mishap, though my nerves were somewhat frayed. Day Two was more physically tiring. In fact I felt weary even before I arrived at the venue. (And somewhat late due to weather and traffic conditions.) However, there were moments during my solo set when I was genuinely comfortable with the music and, I think, managed to pull a few white rabbits out of my battered old top hat. I'd chosen some of my own favourite solo pieces and enjoyed playing them for the Nelsonica attendees. The non-musical aspects of the convention were very well received too. The live-on-stage-interviews with John Leckie, Nick Dew and myself seemed to entertain and amuse the audience wonderfully. Even the almost three-hour meet n' greet, where I attempt to autograph various items, went reasonably smoothly apart from a surreal moment when I noticed blood dripping onto the table I was using to sign autographs. At the final rehearsal I'd accidentally hit myself in the mouth with the edge of my Fender Stratocaster as I was slipping its strap over my head. On Friday morning, I noticed in the mirror that a blood-blister had formed on my upper lip. During Saturday's meet n' greet session, I must have caught the blister with my hand and burst it, hence the sudden flow of blood. I had to apologise to the people waiting in the queue and dash off to apply tissues and cold water until the bleeding stopped, then resume my place at the signing table. People must have wondered what on earth was going on. As always, many fans generously brought along little gifts for me, and sometimes not so little ones! I soon had a couple of carrier bags crammed with goodies. This aspect of the meet 'n' greet session certainly eases me through the three hours it usually takes to share a few words with everyone! At the end of the day, I gave my closing speech, thanking all those members of the team who had given so generously of their time and talents. Then, to my great surprise (and pleasure,) I was presented with a very special gift from a number of American fans, some of whom were in attendance and some who were not able to be there. The gift? An absolutely fantastic robot, constructed from a guitar amp, a vintage radio and various other bits n' pieces. I'm still overwhelmed by this most fabulous and imaginative act of generosity. Such a thoughtful, kind gesture. Pictures of 'Victor,' (as I've titled him, due to his head being an RCA Victor radio,) accompany this diary. Those kind American fans can be assured that he will always be treasured by myself. And he seems quite at home in our snow-bound house! I'd like to mention the names of the people who collaborated to have Victor brought into being for me: Dar Shelton, Dave Fordyce, Dean Campbell, Dennis a.k.a.Wonder Toy, Gary In Merryland, Michael Cardwell, Perry Weissberg, Peter Coulombe, Phil Watkins, Radium Girl, Robert Galisa, Robert (Robbot) Schaad, Stephen Weis (Chromiumlad,) and Walt Richmond. Thanks are due to Jon Wallinger too who conspired with the above to get Victor over to the UK from the 'States. A plaque on Victor's back says: 'Dear Bill, this bot is an emissary from the New World: an automaton built especially for you to remind you of all your friends in faraway places.' Fantastic! After the presentation of the robot, I was given another lovely gift from the team members...a huge framed panel containing all ten Nelsonica album discs above a big photograph of the entire Nelsonica team with Emiko and myself sitting at the centre. All the team have signed this piece for me and it's a wonderful souvenir of ten years of the event. I was deeply touched by this gift and, once again, will treasure it. I must also mention Andy Newlove who stood in for my usual guitar tech Pete Harwood who wasn't available. Andy took on this complicated job at short notice and acquitted himself, (and thereby myself,) magnificently. I have a mind-numbingly complex guitar processing system but Andy figured everything out just fine. Also, I owe my thanks to the skills of Ian Thorpe and John Spence who, between them, guided the sounds from the stage to the audience's ears by the magic of the mixing desk. Sonic Wizards! Also nice to see Mike Robinson of Eastwood Guitars who had kindly donated a guitar for the star prize draw. I'd decorated this with a 'Sailor Bill' theme...made it into a kind of art object. It was won by long-time fan Derek Walklate and I was very pleased for him! Another special thank you is due to Stuart Gray, Nelsonica's star auctioneer, who every year entertains the audience with a highly amusing routine. He seems to be as talented a stand-up comedian as he is an auctioneer! (Though, sadly, I usually miss most of his performance due to being locked into the long meet n' greet session.) Nelsonica also supports the 'Sara's Hope Foundation' charity and this year the auction raised just over £1,000 for that cause. (I've also recorded a new song for the Foundation which will soon be available to download in return for a donation to this very worthwhile charity.) There were so many other people behind the scenes, all of them contributing to the fabulous two days that made up Nelsonica 10. There's a great team spirit about the whole thing, no egos, no grandstanding, just a broad commitment to putting on a great show for everyone who attends. But...Whether I can summon up the energy to continue with this annual event is, at this current point in time, not exactly certain. I do need to take some sort of break, ('though this is looking less likely as the days roll by). One way or another, I hope to continue to keep up the pace. As always, we'll see... All for now though. My cold is definitely worsening since I began to write this diary entry...and the snow is still falling. Looks like we'll be holed up here at home for a few more days yet. Time for some mulled wine, I think. ***** The photographs accompanying this diary entry are as follows:- 1 and 2: Views from Bill's home's windows showing the surrounding snowy landscape. 3, 4, 5 and 6: Victor The Robot enjoying the snow outside his new home. Top of page Tuesday 7th December 2010 -- 9:00 pm Just a brief entry. The weather continues to be extremely cold. The snow that fell during the early part of last week has hardly shifted...just become frozen and hard. Our garden resembles an ice-age swamp. Beneath the snow are frozen pools of water from weeks ago, water than never seems to drain during the winter months. An unyieldingly deep layer of snow on top of this means that we can't move the car forward to turn it around to get out...so we are forced to reverse out of the drive onto the lane, which itself is like polished glass at the moment. The refuse collection truck didn't turn up last week and so household waste is piling up. We have managed an occasional postal delivery but the postman treads very gingerly down the path to our door. Although the main roads into town have been cleared, (sort of), many of the pavements in the town centre are dangerously icy and it is essential to take care whilst shopping. Having said that, I've hardly been out of the house this week due to being ill with the virus mentioned in my previous diary entry. Today, though, cabin fever got the better of me and, despite feeling cold, weak and miserable, I accompanied Emiko into town where we had lunch at The Guy Fawkes Inn. Emi has a floral workshop at the Flower Guild this evening so we're skipping dinner and will just have a late, light supper when she returns. Today is an anniversary. My father passed away on the 7th of December 1976, (which was also a Tuesday). I was touring America at the time and was trapped in a snow-bound New York when the sad news that he was fading fast was relayed to me. I cancelled the remaining tour dates and caught the first available flight back to the UK, but Dad died before I even boarded the 'plane. The flight home was terrible, so many dark thoughts going through my head. Dad's funeral was at the crematorium in Wakefield. There's a little shed-like room built onto the side of the crematorium that houses a book of Biblical proportions in which the names of the deceased are inscribed on pages bearing the appropriate date. On the 7th of December, every year, the book is open at my Dad's name, where it was originally inscribed, 34 years ago this year. My mother and I have often gone to the crematorium on December 7th to look at his name in the book and to leave a few flowers and a message in one of the tin vases that are affixed to the outer wall of the building. But, with the weather being so bad and my concern not to pass my cold virus on to my mother, we thought it best to give it a miss this year. Mum says it's not as if we don't think of him often. When I spoke with her on the 'phone this morning, she said she'd been looking at a photograph of him and remembering those long-ago days when life seemed more sweet. My father was a complex but wonderful man. He would sometimes scare the hell out of me but could also be the kindest, most generous person. And, after 34 years, I still miss him. Those readers of this diary who have obtained a copy of my book 'Painted From Memory: Volume One: Evocation Of A Radiant Childhood,' will know how important he was to me, and how fond of him I remain. And, always at this time of year, my childhood memories of magical Christmas Eve's and Mornings are inextricably tied up with my father's care and love. What conversations I would have with him now, if only he was still around. I've done very little since the conclusion of Nelsonica. Not out of any great desire to relax but simply because I've not had the energy due to being ill. There are two new albums awaiting further work, ('Model Village' and 'Lampdownlowland'), but I can't imagine I'll make much headway with those until New Year, what with Christmas and all. I guess one of the pressing tasks will be to think about the content of the 6 CD career retrospective compilation for Cherry Red Records' 'Esoteric' label. That will be a major project which will require a lot of focus and care. Our Christmas Tree is now up and lit. As are some of our indoor decorations and lights. The old place is looking quite festive already but I've yet to buy Christmas cards, let alone write and send them. This task seems to become more involved each year. I've already received at least three or four cards from friends though. I've been thinking about this year's fan convention and realised that there were more ladies present than ever before, (despite two regular female fans not being able to attend). I find the presence of women amongst the convention's attendees encouraging. The male-hormone-centric guitar hero thing needs to be balanced by a lighter, feminine component. It's been pointed out to me that my music isn't totally dependent on the guitar-slinger image that was once the main marketing focus for record companies. There's also the singer/songwriter aspect and the stylistic/visual element to consider. Truth is, I've always tried to balance the Yin and Yang in my work. Sensuality and delicacy are as important as power and energy. There's no dividing line, just a seamless flow, a constantly evolving play of polarities. In the early days of Be Bop Deluxe, there was a deliberate attempt to play around with gender stereotypes: partly to confuse, (or outrage), those whom I thought of as being conservative 'straights,' or partly to explore the theatrical possibilities of being in a band, or partly because, at that time, androgyny wasn't quite the commercial product it was destined to become. The glam bandwagon hadn't completely been hauled centre-stage so I could regard dressing up in my wife's clothes as a surreal, hip and fashionable act. Maybe it was the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. There was definitely something in the air, something that many creative antennas picked up on and tried to articulate. I guess, being young and impressionable, I hadn't quite thrown off the influence of the sexy 'sixties, (ie: Jimi Hendrix's coy, guitar as cosmic phallus sexuality), or the mock 'n' roll pantomime decadence of David Bowie, etc. Oh, and I mustn't underestimate the discovery that by throwing a cloak of ambiguity around one's sexuality, (no matter how tongue-in-cheek), a kid from a Yorkshire council-house estate could morph into some kind of fantasy babe-magnet. Ok, I played it for laughs to some degree, but, well enough to conjure up some sort of rock n' roll romance in a life that was, in real terms, humdrum and wilting behind a local-government officer's desk. A genuine need to escape, as much as a predilection to escapisim, was the subliminal engine that drove my dreams. I was, remember, not so long out of art school and had absorbed all the then fashionable art-school trends, everything from Symbolist painting to Pop Art, Hockney, Fluxus, Warhol and beyond. And a ton of other stuff I've absorbed but long forgotten. It turned out that I was not entirely alone in being seduced by a plethora of exciting and, seemingly revolutionary new art movements, both high and low: A great number of influential (and now 'household name' status) rock musicians shook their booty at the shimmering, near-legendary Art School Balls that were once held across Great Britain in the mid 'sixties. Oh, my...you who were not there missed a wonderous thing! Of course, all of this is increasingly forgotten now, and hardly acknowledged at all by the current crop of young pop n' rockers...But, without all the energy, chaos, turmoil, uncertainty, optimism, exploration, deviance, faith, hope and disparity we post-war baby-boomers manifested, everything that we now call 'now' would be radically different. Check out the high street fashions when you venture out next...look at graphic design, advertising, listen to 'indie' bands, etc, etc. You'll hear the echoes, see the ripples, from a glimmering stone that was long ago thrown into our British cultural pond. Some of it resounds loudly and remains powerful...but most of it just serves to underline the lack of real imagination, the shallow puddle of post-post-modernist pop culture that bleats so ineffectually from the polite confines of our living rooms. Now, of course, the pose is everything. Always was, but once, for some reason, found itself blessed with special, extra features. The dream was anchored in oceanic depths. Well, that's me done for today. I'd stated that this would be brief. A short diary entry only in so much as it is written quickly...A flow of thought without locks and dams. ***** The images accompanying this diary entry are as follows:- 1: Bill and his father in Bridlington in the 1950's. 2: Bill's father and mother in the 1940's. 3: Bill's father with his saxophone, late 1940's. 4 and 5: Victor the robot takes charge in Bill's studio. Top of page

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) December 2007 Jan Feb Apr May Jul Sep Oct Nov Monday 24th December 2007 -- 10:00 pm Some sad developments since my previous diary entry but I'll refrain from documenting them here and now. These things, because they are painful and difficult, must wait for a while. So...maybe next time? Well...next time. might be more sensible. But, tonight it is Christmas Eve and some light, no matter how feeble or flickering, should shine on my readers, no matter how dark my own corner of the universe might appear from this current vantage point. Zipping back in time a few weeks: Emiko and I had a lovely night out, at the start of this month, with the Nelsonica team at a favourite restaurant of ours in the city of York. It was the occasion of the annual Nelsonica 'thank you' dinner, a chance for us all to spend time in each other's company and enjoy a relaxing evening after the complex demands of this year's fanconvention. It was also an opportunity for the team to observe their (hopefully still) esteemed hero lowering his less than inpenetrable defences and succumbing to the dubious charms of Bacchus. Which simply means that I allowed myself to become more and more hopelessly and joyfully inebriated as the evening progressed. (Oh, vine-adorned Lord of the grape, forgive me, for I know EXACTLY what I do, and more's the pity.) As a modest token of thanks, I gave each member of the team an individually burned CDr of some brand new material that I'm considering for inclusion on my next album, 'SILVERTONE FOUNTAINS.' It's still, inevitably, a work in progress but this preliminary cdr has at least allowed them a glimpse of the ongoing process. I'm hoping to have the final track-listing completed in time for a late February release although this is entirely dependent upon me feeling that the album has reached its natural conclusion. Things could yet change quite dramatically as the music, and my imagination, is perpetually in flux. Frustratingly, during the last week or two, I've created three totally new instrumentals, all three of which are more than good enough to be considered as potential tracks for the album, (alongside the 16 tunes already on the short list). So, the project is growing, changing, slowly finding its way to its final conclusion. To saddle it with a contemporary cliche: It's an organic, ongoing process. All I can do is act as midwife. Some of the tracks will inevitably be set aside, probably for inclusion on next year's limited edition fan-convention album, whilst others will stay, (provided they belong to the 'Silvertone Fountains' atmosphere). As always, I'm more enthused about the latest pieces than the earlier ones. Despite the chopping and changing, (or even because of it), the album will, I think, turn out to be a very nice work. No, let's allow no false modesty, it will be a BEAUTIFUL work! Not long after the Nelsonica dinner, I succumbed to a nasty cold virus that has only now, two weeks later, begun to fade. Emi caught it too, (as I predicted), and she's had some uncomfortable nights, coughing and coughing and feeling totally wretched. This time of year is always busy for Emi and it's not the best time for her to feel ill. Not that there's ever a best time to feel ill. Despite the debilitating bugs, I have managed to deal with the Christmas shopping demands...at least to a standard that won't leave me feeling totally embarrased and inadequate. O.k...perhaps not QUITE as focussed as last year but, hopefully, not really letting anyone down. As mentioned in earlier diary entries, I do tend to take an inordinate amount of time searching for what I feel are the most appropriate gifts for my family and friends. I take a personal pride in this and get quite frustrated by having to make snap decisions because of lack of time. Unfortunately, despite all best intentions, time and circumstances have been against me, and more than ever this year. Predictably and pathetically, like many people of my generation, I'm beginning to wonder whether the original spirit of Christmas has finally been buried under the icy avalanche of commerce. The festive season seems to have become more and more stressful (and artificial) with each passing year. Yes, I know that such an opinion is regarded as a cliche and I also accept that it's probably always been that way, (despite those fantasy snow powdered dreamy Christmases of my first ten years on this earth...) But, what the heck. I STILL expect the impossible. I demand miracles and magic. But my life has already had more than its fair share of that. Anyway, shopping done, food in the fridge and freezer, lights lit in the lounge, gifts awaiting my fumbling at the wrapping paper. (And I must turn my attention to this last task SOON.) Still I sneak away from it all, up here to the broom cupboard that I'm audacious enough to call 'my studio,' to pick up a guitar and play. Plink, plonk, plink, strum, twang...Not for any great purpose, not for the 'latest' album or an adoring, paying audience, but simply because picking up the instrument, cradling it against my chest, feeling it resonate, hum and sing beneath my fingers, is the most satisfying, rewarding, and honest expression of being alive that I can muster. I pick up a guitar for no other reaon than the sheer JOY of doing so. Appears sad and pathetic written down like that, doesn't it? Well, dear reader, let me assure you that it's NOT. In fact it's magnificent, empowering, enobling, energising, ecsatatic and marvellous. I wouldn't exchange it for untold millions or the glamour and fame of a movie-star. (OR a wealthy rock star for that matter.) Despite all the hundreds of recordings I've made, there's more vibrant, essential music created in moments of spontaneity in this little room, than has ever found its way onto album, tape or hard disc. In those unrecorded, unplanned, ungaurded moments, it's just me and a guitar and the original mystic spark that united the two of us in the first place, back in 1958. For me, at 59 years old, there's simply no other reason to be doing this... Christmas every day, a birthday every hour, ice cream for breakfast and warm, warm lips for the kissing of... xxx A VERY MERRY YULETIDE TO ALL READERS OF THIS HYPERDREAMER'S DIARY! Top of page

Radioland retrospective collection - 5 October 1994 Be Box Deluxe Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Life In The Air Age 02) Sister Seagull 03) Third Floor Heaven 04) Blazing Apostles 05) Maid In Heaven 06) Kiss Of Light 07) Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape 08) Fair Exchange 09) Ships In The Night 10) Modern Music/Dancing In The Moonlight/Honeymoon On Mars/Lost In The Neon World/Modern Music (Reprise) 11) New Precision 12) Superenigmatix 13) Possession 14) Dangerous Stranger 15) Islands Of The Dead 16) Panic In The World NOTES: Radioland is a compilation of the band's BBC recordings for 'In Concert', made in 1976 and 1978. Sourced from 3 different shows, each recording was edited when compared to the original broadcast material. The same compilation in remastered form and in new artwork was reissued as Tremulous Antenna in 2002. The subsequent release of At the BBC 1974-1978 (2013), with the inclusion of the previously omitted tracks, makes this CD redundant. Tracks 1-4: Recorded for BBC's 'Radio 1 In Concert' at the Paris Theatre 15.01.76. Producer Jeff Griffin. Tracks 5-10: Recorded for BBC's 'Radio 1 In Concert' at the Hammersmith Odeon 20.10.76. Producer Pete Dauncey. Tracks 11-16: Recorded for BBC's 'Radio 1 In Concert' at Golders Green Hippodrome 19.01.78. Producer Jeff Griffin. PAST RELEASES: At the time of its release, none of the material on Radioland had officially been issued. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The physical CD is out of print, but the album is available as a download on internet download stores. Collections Menu Future Past

Saturday 19th December 2009 -- 10:00 pm Catch up time yet again: Emiko returned from Tokyo on the evening of the 7th of December as planned. Her ordeal in Japan now over although the emotional and physical exhaustion has clearly taken its toll. She's been extremely tired and, sadly, visibly depressed since attending her mother's funeral...which of course, is only to be expected. I've been trying to lift her spirits on a daily basis but there's only so much I can do. The reality is that she will have to work her way through her bereavement and the inevitable grief in her own time. I'm simply a shoulder to lean on and must try to stay aware of that and not try to force the issue with false bonhomie. There is no way to magic the pain away. I can't heal her hurt, only share it. But, Christmas is rapidly approaching and may well provide distractions or social interactions that might help to soften the impact of her sadness. At least I hope so... For myself, I think I coped reasonably well whilst Emi was away, though I missed her terribly as always. At least, it was only ten days this time and there were no unexpected cat crises. My sixty-first birthday yesterday. The years absolutely fly by now...the actual numbers becoming increasingly unreal, or so it seems to me, a man hardly out of short trousers in some ways. How fleeting are our lives...and how mercifully ignorant most of us are of time's violent, impassive acceleration. And yet...there is still so much to achieve, so many things to explore, such a lot to enjoy and to learn from... Or, as the cliche has it: 'so much to do, so little time.' Is this why the Buddhist teaching of reincarnation holds some sort of cuddly, consoling appeal for me? The possibility of an ongoing story, a kind of infinite apprenticeship before inevitable, blissful enlightenment finally places Buddahood's bright and golden crown on our rusting, befuddled and exhausted minds? Or, (more realistically), is this just one more crock of wishful-thinking born from our mortal inability to deal with the very real possibility of utter nothingness, utter meaninglesness at the end of our lives, no matter how long or brief those lives may be? Well, one part of me, actually the gut-instinct, primal-intuitive part of me, says it's all nonsense, an empty, desperate grabbing at thin, broken, rotten straws. Ego clinging to motes of dust...and dust clinging to an illusion of light, emptiness suspended in a black, bleak nothingness. Maybe the 'here and now' is ALL we ultimately have to cling to, regardless of whether our particular, personal here and now is little more than an illusion. (And, I have to say that 'here and now' seems always to be particular, subjective and personal. At least, according to my experience.) So, yes...Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Orson Welles, as Citizen Kane, gave the dying Kane the word 'Rosebud' to whisper on his terminal bed, as his personal enigma and mantra, a mystery suspended, hovering in air and slowly dissolving like those aforementioned, light-levitated, motes of dust. And who was, (or what was), 'Rosebud?' In Orson's film, it turned out to be a child's sled fixed in a snow-dome-idealised, frozen winter landscape. A metaphorical lifeboat for childhood's innocence and faith. Well, William.I think that's enough melancholy reflection for today. Christmas is coming, though with somewhat less sheer exuberance than previous years. Nevertheless, it presents us with an extra opportunity for warmth and love, something which I'm very much in need of during these cold, cynical, dark days. Yesterday and today, thick, white, lingering snow. Very cold and icy, particularly the isolated lane that leads from our house to the more-oft used road that winds into the village. Tricky conditions for driving and walking. Fabulously seasonal visuals though, a vintage Christmas card come to life. So...to all dear readers of this old Hyperdreamer's diary, I wish you a Very Merry, Joyous and Warm Christmas, and a miraculous, magical, life-enhancing 2010. As Tiny Tim said: "God bless us, every one." Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) December 2009 Jan Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 Thursday 31st December 2009 -- 6:00 pm New Year's Eve, 2009. Let me see if I can get this entry written and posted before the clock ticks its inevitable tick-tock steps across the border between 2009 and 2010. I'll try to keep it short and to the point. No images, just words. It's cold still. The snow that fell before Christmas only now just gone, but more is promised, apparently. It's been white and icy for a week at least...very dangerous in the backyard, and on the dark lane outside our house. The main roads have not been too bad but it has certainly felt like an old-fashioned winter around these parts. Colder and more bleak than previous years and only lacking in horse-drawn coaches and post-horns. A Dickensian Christmas card come to life. Christmas Day was spent with our good friends, Steve and Julia, who live down the lane. I brought my mother over from Wakefield to spend the day with us and them...and to stay over for boxing day when Elle and Elliot came to visit. Lights twinkling on the tree, Christmas cards suspended from the wooden beams in the living room, electric icicles and neon sparkles hung in the trees in our snow covered garden, candles and incense and the sensation of mellow, melancholy but benevolent ghosts of Christmases past, hovering and humming in the frosty air. Hornby Dublo train sets, Meccano and Dinky Toys glowing in the living room of memory. Magic hour! I was given some nice gifts, for birthday and Christmas, as always: Emiko had bought me an Andy Warhol wristwatch whilst she was in Tokyo. Made by Seiko for the Warhol Museum, it's a little beauty...(just like my lovely Emi!) Lots of books given too, which suits me just fine. My home is like a library. Got the following from Emiko: ''Perfecting Sound Forever - The Story Of Recorded Music' by Greg Milner. 'Orson Welles At Work.' (A thick, lavishly illustrated coffee table book published by Phaidon.) 'The Art Of Osamu Tezuka' by Helen McCarthy.' And from My friend Paul Gilby I received: 'Shop America. Mid Century Storefront Design-1938 to 1950.' And: ''Architecture Of The Air - The Sound And Light Environments Of Christopher Janney.' (Ironically, I also bought the same 'Shop America' book as my Christmas gift to Paul! Well, great minds think alike, etc...) Elliot and Elle bought me: 'John Barry - The Man With The Midas Touch' by Geoff Leonard, Pete Walker and Gareth Bramley. (Nicely illustrated, this one.) My friends Steve and Julia bought me 'This Is The Way To The Moon' (A reproduction of the children's classic by M. Sasek, beautifully illustrated.) And just before Christmas, I treat myself to a book or two: 'Phallic Frenzy, Ken Russell And His Films' by Joseph Lanza. 'All Is Change, The Two-Thousand Year Journey Of Buddhism To The West' by Lawrence Sutin. 'Prophet John Wroe, Virgins, Scandals And Visions' by Edward Green. 'The Barnum Museum' by Steven Millhauser. 'Death On A Branch Line' and 'The Last Train To Scarborough' (Both titles by Andrew Martin, part of his 'Jim Stringer, Steam Detective' series and the latter book signed by the author himself.) Other gifts included a quirky old Russian Nomo 'Cosmic Symbol' camera bought for me from the internet by my youngest daughter Elle, a very stylish neck-tie bought for me by Emiko from Tokyo, a box set of George Formby DVD's, (also from Emiko). A bottle of Chanel 'Egoiste' cologne, (Emiko again), and lots of light-hearted, fun, stocking-fillers. One of the most generous gifts that Emi and I received came from Steve and Julia: two tickets to Rufus Wainwright's upcoming concert at Sheffield City Hall in April of 2010. A totally unexpected treat and VERY much appreciated by both of us. As readers of this diary already know, Emi and myself are big fans of Rufus' work and we're both looking forward to seeing him perform in April. 'Borders' book store closed just before Christmas. (Did I already mention this in an earlier diary entry? Maybe not.) Browsing the York store was almost a daily ritual for me, part of my afternoon escape from the confines of my recording room. It was from Borders that I purchased American magazines that were not easily found in UK stores: 'Guitar Player', ' Vintage Guitar Magazine', ' Downbeat' jazz magazine, the now defuct '20th Century Guitar' magazine and many other imported titles, including the magnificent 'Fretboard Journal' magazine, a publication that only recently appeared on Borders' shelves here in the UK. When Borders first opened in England, it seemed like a breath of fresh air: it featured specialist sections dealing in left-field books, periodicals, CDs and DVDs, items that appealed to those of us who sought out the more unusual, less mainstream aspects of contemporary culture. Borders recognised that there was a need to cater to those whose tastes ranged beyond the populist staples.. Unfortunately, the last two or three years of the store's life has seen an erosion of such provision. The once broad-based CD racks became much diminished, not only in size but also in the quality of their contents. The jazz, folk, country, world music and classical sections all but vanished...then the rock and pop music sections began to dwindle too and have now, along with everything else the store contained, gone forever... The store closed its doors just before Christmas Eve for the very last time, never to re-open again. Another victim of the internet's ruthless undercutting of high street retail store values. I was there at the York store's closing, but walked out just five minutes before the final bell when the last customer left and the doors were locked for the last time. On that final day, Borders offered a 90% discount on previous prices, but the place looked like a jumble sale with books piled up on tables and none of them of any interest to me. Now, I have no real place to browse for my American music magazines and contemporary art periodicals on my daily, routine, stroll around town. W.H.Smith somehow doesn't have the same vibe, (or stock the same titles), nor does Waterstones, although it is now the main bookseller on the high street. A great shame I think. And even more of a shame: the helpful and once enthusiastic staff who, sadly, have been made redundant. Thankfully, York does have several small independent, antiquarian and second hand bookshops. They will, I'm sure, provide me with some unforseen discoveries, not to mention the tactile shopping experience denied to me by the internet retailers. But it's not just Borders that has suffered...so many others businesses are still floundering too, both big and small. The fashion retailer 'Ghost' has just vanished from the city after a closing down clearance sale. Far too many shops, large and small, emptied and abandoned, their leases not taken up. For all of York's boastful tourism, many traders are struggling for economic survival. The much-touted 'recovery' seems to be little more than hot air. And it seems that It may remain so for some time yet. As for music. I can definitely see the negative effect that illegal internet torrent sites and unauthorised downloading is having on the recording industry in general, including my own tiny cottage industry and others in the same modest position as myself. Whilst the internet has provided small volume, specialist artists with a new outlet for our non-mainstream work, it is also clear that it has had a negative effect on our situation. An awful lot of damage has been afflicted on the entire industry too. But, whilst the major artists and record companies are equipped to weather the storm, those of us depending on small-volume sales are gradually being swept away, never to return. We really are at the mercy of consumers and need, more than ever, an audience who value our contribution and recognise that they, as individuals, are an important component of our survival. And of the survival of music that exists beyond the corporate net.Those who buy direct from the artist are not just consumers but, more importantly, patrons and co-conspiritors, fellow collaborators, preservers of ideals. It all seems to be coming down to a choice between mediocrity or marvelousness. Will the future be blatantly banal or benevolently beautiful? And, with that thought, I wish all readers of this Hyperdreamer's diary, a healthy, peaceful and enlightened 2010. Much love from Bill and Emiko. xxx Top of page

Arcadian Salon Bill Nelson album - 14 October 2006 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Premium Standard No.1 02) The Girl In The Galaxy Dress 03) Take It Off And Thrill Me (Jazzy Option) 04) Memory Skyline 05) Distant Town With Different Lights 06) The Song My Silver Planet Sings 07) Spaceport 08) Superadventure (Sound-On-Sound) 09) Playful 10) Transparent Towers At Dusk 11) El Swingo Collapso 12) The Rest Of The World Rolls By 13) Wind Chimes Of Memory 14) Take It Off And Thrill Me (Rock Option) 15) Sequinned Skeleton Blues 16) Snow Is Falling 17) A Buddha For My Brother ALBUM NOTES: Arcadian Salon is an album mixing vocal and instrumental pieces issued exclusively for Nelsonica '06 in the then customary limited pressing of 500 copies on the Discs of Ancient Odeon label. As soon as Nelsonica was over the remaining 250 or so copies of Arcadian Salon were sold through SOS, and on 25 October 2006 (11 days after release at Nelsonica ) an announcement was made on the Dreamsville Forum that the album had completely sold out. The frenzied speed at which this title went out of print, together with some intense feelings expressed by members on the forum, would lead to a change of policy for the following year's convention CD. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The first six tracks are all from the Return to Jazz of Lights sessions and have a very jazzy feel. I couldn't find space for them on that album so they are presented here instead." _____ On the digital reissue: "I haven't listened to Arcadian Salon for several years, (due to my inescapable, constant, upward and onward work momentum,) but I have to admit to being somewhat astonished by the quality of the songs when listening to the album after its re-release in digital form. This is definitely an album I can feel proud of." FAN THOUGHTS: RJR: "For those of you who do not have this collection of songs for whatever reason, I HIGHLY recommend that you download it ASAP. I am a regular lurker on this board, and when I come out of cyber-hibernation it has to be for a good reason. This is definitely one of those occasions. Arcadian Salon is, in my humble opinion, in the top five of ALL of BN's releases (and I have been a follower since 1977). Each and every song grabs and stays with you. "The Girl in the Galaxy Dress" is gold. "Both versions of "Take It Off" are excellent...This is truly an awesome song. In fact, the whole CD contains some of BN's finest guitar work bar none." "You should be proud, Bill -- this collection is magical. As I said: DOWNLOAD THIS CD or forever regret it." adancetothemusicoftime: "I'd heard it for the first time...and it had that WOWEEEBLOODYHELL reaction. In fact, listening along we missed the turning on the A19 and ended up East of Ipswich, well, Wetherby." BobK: " Arcadian starts off cool, jazzy and groovy becoming, stylistically, more rock/pop in the second half. There are so many instantly loveable tunes on this." Radium Girl: "The vocals on Arcadian Salon are absolutely stunning! Thank you Bill, the whole CD is just gorgeous!" paul.smith " Arcadian Salon has so many great tracks which have become 'standards' for me over the years..."The Girl in the Galaxy Dress" is simply stunning...utterly beautiful vocals/guitar/instrumentation...I never fail to be astonished by the qualities of this classic track. "Transparent Towers at Dusk" is another track that hit with me soon after some repeated plays...and, of course, "The Song My Silver Planet Sings"...absolutely sublime!!!" old_goat: "Listening to "Take It Off and Thrill Me", "Memory Skyline" beginning...I'm so blown away!! OMG, it feels sooooo good!! The vocals are very playful, very jazzy guitar, and the "flute"...I'm am sooo loving this!!!" chromiumlad: "Got a kick out of Kansas being mentioned in "Transparent Towers at Dusk". And love "El Swingo Collapso" after just one listen. Fabulous playing Bill. You could play alongside whatever musical hero you desire." thunk: "Gotta say 'The Rest of the World Rolls By' is a 'corker' - gonna blast that one up in the car & drum the steering wheel 'till, well, the lights change!" mthom: "Two classics on this one: "Memory Skyline" and "The Rest of the World Rolls By". Essential listening to these ears. (oh yeah, don't forget "Snow is Falling"!)" tommaso: "Snow is Falling": "is a truly stand-out track, not just on this album, and the final "A Buddha for my Brother" is a very, very beautiful farewell gift to Ian. Oh, and GREAT cover design!" Flying: "There is an emotional and profound communication going on here that hits a deeper note, simply because it is obviously straight from the heart - and not going through the filter of a jazz or any other kind of theme. Genius is effortless." damien dale: "Bill, this is with out a doubt one of your finest albums ever. Take it from your fans; we would not lie to you! Albums Menu Future Past

The Dreamer's Companion Volume Three retrospective collection - 13 January 2014 Collections Menu Future Past Bill Nelson Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) One Thing Leads To Another (Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms) 02) Night Is The Engine Of My Imagination (Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow) 03) Melancholia Lagoons (Fantasmatron) 04) Bramble (Rosewood Volume Two) 05) Tin Sings Bones (Orpheus In Ultraland) 06) Rainclouds Over Paris Of My Dreams (Plaything) 07) The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes (Clocks And Dials) 08) Sex Magic (Joy Through Amplification) 09) The Captain's In The Wheelhouse (Fantasmatron) 10) Music Spins My Globe (Picture Post) 11) The Raindrop Collector (And We Fell Into A Dream) 12) Wireless World (Fables And Dreamsongs) 13) All These Days Are Gone (Return To Jazz Of Lights) 14) Where Are We Now? (Fancy Planets) ALBUM NOTES: The Dreamer's Companion is a three volume series of compilation albums designed to introduce both new and lapsed fans to Nelson's recordings from the 21st Century. These are significant in that they represent the point where Nelson embraced the notion of downloading as a way of generating additional interest in his music. Prior to their announcement in August 2013, there had been frequent mention by fans of the advantages that Nelson would see from going down the download route, but the artist consistently resisted doing so on the basis that he remained unconvinced that it would yield much in the way of sales. What seemed to change his opinion, or at least convince him to give it a go, was a Be Bop Deluxe Facebook page which clearly indicated that there are a significant number of fans who knew little of Nelson's work over the previous 30 years. Nelson therefore set about compiling three volumes in The Dreamer's Companion series that provided a detailed overview of his output since 2003. Even for fans who had rediscovered Nelson's music at some point in the period from 2003 to 2013, these offer some out of print material. And for the lapsed fans that knew nothing at all from this period, they offer them a chance to find out precisely what they have been missing. For those who aren't willing or able to spend £30 on a full set, each volume of The Dreamer's Companion is available at £10 each. The 42 tracks featured are taken from a total of 28 different albums, and provide a healthy mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces covering a range of styles and moods. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "There's nothing difficult or tricky about any of my music, it's all very easy to listen to. I certainly don't aim at purely esoteric targets, I just make pop music with a twist. But, if you're feeling a bit nervous about buying some albums, it doesn't get less esoteric than Fancy Planets , Joy Through Amplification , and Songs of the Blossom Tree Optimists . Easy listening all! Or, to get a great overview of my 21st Century recordings, try downloading the digital three volume compilation set, The Dreamers Companion from Bandcamp. It acts as a really nice taster or 'grazing' menu. A bit of everything on there." Collections Menu Future Past

Frost-O-Matic Free Christmas download single Special FREE Christmas download single - Released Dec 2010. FROST-O-MATIC Currently unavailable on any album Written, performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2010.

Plectrajet Bill Nelson album - 10 August 2015 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) I Always Knew You Would Find Me 02) Time Travel For Beginners 03) Imperial Parade 04) Small Red Birds 05) Beyond These Clouds The Sweetest Dream 06) The Girl On The Fairground Waltzer 07) Electric Milkcart Blues 08) If I Was The Pilot Of Your Perfect Cloud 09) B-Movie Bug Boy 10) Neon Lights And Japanese Lanterns 11) Luxeodeon 12) Only A Dream, But Nevertheless ALBUM NOTES: Plectrajet (Painting With Guitars Volume Two) is an instrumental album issued in a one-off print run of 750 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album is essentially a compilation of pieces that Nelson had been performing live over the previous two decades, but which hadn't yet found their way onto albums. The title Plectrajet had been around for about ten years also and was first suggested for the possible title (along with The Guitar Room ) of a compilation of guitar instrumentals from Nelson's back catalogue that was initially being considered in 2005. Although mentioned as recently as 2012, that compilation idea never saw light of day, and was supplanted by The Dreamer's Companion series of comps. The title then lay dormant until being considered simultaneously as a possible title for what became the Fantastic Guitars album, as well as for a proposed second volume of Painting with Guitars (both of which were works in progress in 2013). A second volume of Painting With Guitars had been an often mentioned idea over the years, although Nelson himself sometimes dismissed this as some of the material that naturally would have made up such a volume had been used on the Wah Wah Galaxy album. However, the popularity of this idea with fans would ensure that it never completely disappeared from the schedule of potential releases. The Romance of Sustain ( Painting With Guitars Volume One) was eventually reissued as a digital download in 2015, and was soon followed by Volume Two in physical form, to which Nelson assigned the title Plectrajet . Work began on the project in February 2015 and took approximately 1 month to complete, preparing a total of 33 tracks. No sooner had Nelson settled on the track listing for Plectrajet , he then assembled running orders for two further volumes (titled Six String Super Apparatus and Astral Overdrive respectively). As Nelson himself says, they represent "a farewell to an era". At the time of writing, Astral Overdrive is still in the pipeline of future releases. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Romance Of Sustain , Six String Super Apparatus , Sparkle Machine , Tripping The Light Fantastic , The Awakening Of Dr Dream , Loom , Practically Wired, Gleaming Without Lights , Plaything BILL'S THOUGHTS: "I've begun work on 'Painting with Guitars Vol 2' which has the working title of PLECTRAJET . This one has been a long time coming. It's basically gathering together some of the pieces I've performed live in my solo concerts over the years. I'm transferring the backing tracks from the CDs I use in a live situation to my multi-track recorder and adding the guitar parts to them, as if I was playing live. The tricky bit is getting the two components to sit together well. The backing tracks have a 'fixed' mix and individual instruments can't be re-balanced to suit the guitar overdubs. In a live situation, with all the vagaries of live sound, this doesn't present a great problem but in the studio, the situation is different. The tracks are exposed to much more scrutiny and their flaws become more apparent. Still, I'm treating them like a live performance and not aiming at sonic perfection...(actually, I have no choice in the matter), so hopefully the end result will be acceptable." _____ "There are a few rarities amongst these...some pieces that have only been performed live once or twice, but some more regular numbers too, which have featured in my solo concerts more frequently." _____ "There are three more volumes completed and coming out soon. They gather together all the tracks I've performed in my solo concerts over the years. 'Plectrajet' will be the first release of these." FAN THOUGHTS: Angie: "Oh I'm thrilled, I've been able to get this one..."Beyond These Clouds the Sweetest Dream" has been a favourite of mine for years so to have it on CD will be wonderful. In fact, my eyes are welled up at thought. "Imperial Parade" too. Another favourite. These tracks will bring back such happy memories of Nelsonicas and my Nelsonian friends." seakret: "All I can say is WOW. This is a marvel of guitar...This one is riveting." "Also wanted to point out that Plectrajet is an even more appealing treat for us Yanks since most of us yearn for a Nelsonica nearby but it was not to be. So these tracks, which bring great memories to many of you, are fresh as daisies to us!" novemberman: "Well what can I say...Plectrajet is absolutely superb!!! I have always been amazed by Bill's output, but with all that he has gone through over the last year or so, to produce music of this quality is simply astounding!! I do not know how you do it Bill, but thanks all the same." Axe Victim: "Love the way it sounds really raw and spontaneous." felixt1: "Great, happy, celebratory music and lashings of great guitar." andygeorge: "Imperial Parade": "Simply hypnotic, beautiful and mesmerising! Love it and the whole album, been playing it to death since I got it, all killer and no filler as they say...album of the decade from Bill if you're asking!" "Plectrajet for me is what defines Bill, I love his guitar based music and this album is full of happy memories for me from years of Nelsonicas and live gigs...which is why I said it's the best album Bill has put out in the last decade." Howden End: "Quickly become one of my all time favourite Bill albums. He covers so many of his signature guitar styles on it, and on so many tracks once again find myself thinking, "there is no one who does it as good as Sir Bill"; have adored "Beyond these Clouds..." since I heard it at Metropolis and his interpretation on Plectrajet is simply superb." meederr: "I must say I immediately liked Plectrajet . Nay, love every track. Congrats. I'm listening to The Years , and am liking that too. Thank you for challenging me, and zagging when I expect you to zig." Tony M: "What a great album! From "I Always Knew You Would Find Me" to "Imperial Parade" (my favorites) and much more. If you don't have this one, you are definitely missing out." Albums Menu Future Past

Cinema Menu Christmas Greetings Enjoy these Christmas video gifts from Bill 'A Christmas Garland' - Christmas Video Card, 2024 'Bill's Christmas Guitar Shop' - Christmas Video Card, 2023 'Future Gothic Twang' - Christmas Video Card, 2022 An Electrical Christmas - 2021 72 Christmases On Planet Earth - 2020 The City Dreams Of Christmas - 2019 The Crystal Lights Of Christmastown - 2018 Variation On The Theme Of A White Christmas - 2017 Winterchyme Christmas - 2016 Christmas Guitars - 2015 A Guitar For Christmas - 2014 Yule Chime Dream - 2013 Silent Night - 2012 The Christmas Book - 2011 The Silver Bells Of Christmas Valley - 2008 Ghosts Of Christmas Past - 2007 Cinema Menu

Futurist Manifesto The Harvest Years 1974 - 1978 box set - 3 October 2012 Be Bop Deluxe Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: CD1 Axe Victim 01) Axe Victim 02) Love Is Swift Arrows 03) Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus 04) Third Floor Heaven 05) Night Creatures 06) Rocket Cathedrals 07) Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape 08) Jets At Dawn 09) No Trains To Heaven 10) Darkness (L'immoraliste) Futurama 11) Stage Whispers 12) Love With The Madman 13) Maid In Heaven 14) Sister Seagull 15) Sound Track 16) Music In Dreamland 17) Jean Cocteau 18) Between The Worlds 19) Swan Song CD2 Futurama Bonus Tracks 01) Between The Worlds (Original Single Version) 02) Maid In Heaven (Live) Sunburst Finish 03) Fair Exchange 04) Heavenly Homes 05) Ships In The Night 06) Crying To The Sky 07) Sleep That Burns 08) Beauty Secrets 09) Life In The Air Age 10) Like An Old Blues 11) Crystal Gazing 12) Blazing Apostles Sunburst Finish Bonus Tracks 13) Shine 14) Speed Of The Wind 15) Blue As A Jewel 16) Ships In The Night (Single Edit) CD3 Modern Music 01) Orphans Of Babylon 02) Twilight Capers 03) Kiss Of Light 04) The Bird Charmers Destiny 05) The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow 06) Bring Back The Spark 07) Modern Music 08) Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone) 09) Honeymoon On Mars 10) Lost In The Neon World 11) Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids 12) Modern Music (Reprise) 13) Forbidden Lovers 14) Down On Terminal Street 15) Make The Music Magic Modern Music Bonus Tracks 16) Futurist Manifesto 17) Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars 18) Autosexual 19) Japan CD4 Drastic Plastic 01) Electrical Language 02) New Precision 03) New Mysteries 04) Surreal Estate 05) Love In Flames 06) Panic In The World 07) Dangerous Stranger 08) Superenigmatix 09) Visions Of Endless Hopes 10) Possession 11) Islands Of The Dead Drastic Plastic Bonus Tracks 12) Blimps 13) Lovers Are Mortal 14) Lights 15) Electrical Language (Single Edit) 16) Love In Flames (Single Edit) 17) Panic In The World (Single Edit) CD5 Bonus Tracks 01) The Saxophonist (Demo) 02) Visions Of Endless Hopes (Demo) 03) Blue As A Jewel (Demo) 04) Speed Of The Wind (Demo) 05) Possession (Rough Mix) 06) Maid In Heaven (Top Of The Pops Backing Track) 07) The Modern Music Suite (Live) 08) Forbidden Lovers (Live) 09) Down On Terminal Street (Live) 10) Swan Song (Live) 11) Heavenly Homes (Flashman Remix) NOTES: A 5CD box set which very nicely brings together remastered versions of all but three of the band's studio recordings issued in their lifetime. If that wasn't tempting enough in itself, then collectors were drawn to it by the inclusion of a disc of unreleased material and a few single edits including "Love in Flames" (which was presumably planned for 7" release but cancelled). The set was enhanced by a nicely illustrated booklet with sleeve notes on each album. Be Bop Deluxe's output had appeared previously of course (see Past Releases below), but this was the most comprehensive collection of their studio work to have appeared officially, and is unlikely to be surpassed or supplemented in future. Notable inclusions on this set are the previously unreleased live recordings from the tour that produced the Live! In The Air Age album (1977), including the full version of "Modern Music Suite" (which Nelson had to overdub to fix some missing parts), and "Swan Song" (appearing officially in its live version for the first time). "Forbidden Lovers" and "Terminal Street" are also included from the same recordings. In addition to this there are four demo recordings of songs written for Drastic Plastic , including the previously unheard track "The Saxophonist", alongside "Visions of Endless Hopes", "Blue as a Jewel", and "Speed of the Wind". The only downside is the omission of "Face in the Rain" (which remained exclusive to The Best of and the Rest of Be Bop Deluxe double album...at least until the Esoteric Recordings super-deluxe box sets included it several years later), and the "Teenage Archangel"/"Jets At Dawn" single (their 1973 debut 7"). PAST RELEASES: Nearly four of the five CDs that comprise the Futurist Manifesto box set had been previously released on CD when the Be Bop Deluxe back catalogue was reissued in 1990, which is where most of the 'bonus tracks' could most recently be found prior to this repackaging of their catalogue. See individual entries of those albums for full details including vinyl editions of the same material. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This box set is now out of print. Collections Menu Future Past

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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) February 2007 Jan Apr May Jul Sep Oct Nov Dec Sunday 11th February 2007 -- 6:00 pm An entire month has passed since the previous diary entry. I've simply not felt able to write 'though there's been more than enough to write about. I just haven't had the energy or inclination to do so. An emotional low, as if dark clouds have been gathering and getting darker each day. I'll attempt an explanation of some kind but, I don't think it's wise to lift the lid too high on this latest Pandora's Box of tricks. I've already dwelt far too long on the mortal thoughts that it inevitably contains (and there's always the possibility that further introspection may conjure even darker skies). Nevertheless, I have to admit to feeling more melancholy than is probably healthy for me and it would be dishonest to pretend that things are otherwise. I've hesitated to call this feeling out and out depression, but maybe that's what it is, 'though I don't feel I have the right to allow myself such an excuse. The cause? Several possiblilities. Some that are understandable and some that are less so. Some external, some internal. Whatever the reason, the accumulative effect is the same. I seem to be caught in a negative space of my own making. Just before Christmas, my mother's husband George, (whom mum married several year's after my father died), was diagnosed with cancer. Coming so soon after the passing of my brother Ian last April, this has come as an additional family blow. George is in hospital at this moment, recovering from the major operation he underwent last week. His condition seems fragile, 'though we're hoping for improvement. George is in his '80's and we're all concerned about him, particularly my mother who is by nature a worrier. She frets and fusses about everything and no amount of sage advice can change that. Perhaps that's where my own nervous disposition stems from. I try not to think of myself as being overtly prone to such things but people who know me well always seem to come up with the cliche "you worry too much." I deny it, of course, but maybe they're not far off the mark. Anyway, I'm worried about George and worried about my mother who, as regular readers of this diary know, has herself been fighting a skin cancer problem for some years. (Thankfully, this has responded to treatment and, whilst there's still progress to be made, she is much better than she was a couple of years ago.) Unsurprisingly, this latest development has made her feel as if her world has been thrown even more off balance. I've tried to keep in touch with mum far more frequently than usual, calling her two or three times each day to offer whatever support I'm able. Currently laid low with a nasty cold bug though, I've been unable to go to the hospital with her. Unwise to risk passing on my germs as George is especially vulnerable at the moment. The last thing he and mum needs is to catch a virus from me. So I've tried to help from a distance, which is far from ideal but perhaps the wisest course for the moment. And whilst a cold virus is a minor complaint compared to what else is going on, it's been debilitating enough to add to the lowering of my own spirits and energies. In view of everything else though, I have no right to complain whatsoever. I've tried to get on with my work...and there's plenty of it to deal with as usual, all backed up and demanding immediate attention. As I've probably noted in these pages before, a lot of it feels more like duty than inclination. For instance, do I really want to deal with those ancient Be Bop Deluxe Decca audition tapes? I know that there are certain fans eager to hear these recordings but...I'm finding it harder than ever to get up the head of steam required to mix them. Not that I'd ever consider passing the job on to anyone else...I'm absolutely determined to do it myself, once the creative compass swings in the right direction. Right now though, it's pointing towards a far distant island of dreams, uncharted territory, not to harbours long since left behind. I'm by no means ungrateful for the commercial success that Be Bop Deluxe brought me back in the '70's...but sometimes, just sometimes, it feels more like an a millstone around my neck, rather than just one of several milestones on a long and ongoing musical journey. (Oh, poor, self-centred me!) But as I've so often noted in these pages, that sort of frustration goes with the 'job.' Even modest success tends to fix the public's conception of an artist at a particular point in time, like a butterfly pinned to a board, identified, dated and framed under glass. Over the years, I've fought hard against the kind of industry stereotyping that has, perhaps predictably but also lazily, branded me as 'ex-Be Bop Deluxe front man,' but, no matter how reluctant I've been to acknowledge that tag, it's proved a tough one to lose. Surely there's more to it than that? O.k, so to some people I probably DO sound unfairly dissmisive of my past, but...any ambivalence I express regarding my own musical history may simply be the result of an awareness of failure, of how much distance I still need to travel to find creative satisfaction. Even after all these years, I still feel as if I'm at the start of something, rather than at the conclusion of it. And, the older I get, the more acute is my sense that time spent re-visiting my musical past is time that could be spent searching for my musical future instead. Then again, it may simply be part of a desire to escape the limitations of labelling, a sheer cantankerousness in the face of anyone attempting to 'figure me out.' And yet...I DO go to some lengths in this diary to make myself understood, to offer a kind of clarification, to give some intimate indication of the various experiences that underpin the music. All part of the equation, I guess...and riddled with the usual personal contradictions. I don't pretend to understand why these issues should be so complex, but...in my defence, I do struggle, perhaps amusingly rather than heroically, with the implications of the complexities and contradictions that I find myself tangled up in. Weirdly, (and sometimes shockingly,) it's a struggle that is conducted as much in public as in private...the former via the pages of this diary and with every new piece of music I allow out of the studio. In any case, it's not just me, is it? Isn't everyone on the planet riddled with similar contradictions? It's the swiss cheese of existence. Even God is full of holes... Ask Richard Dawkins: wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins And he's a professor as well as an existential cheese maker. Why anyone should expect consistency from artists is laughable. Contradictions and uncertainties are an artist's lifeblood. All this endless pondering is part of the process, the fundamental fabric of the artist's curse. Being measured by mass appeal, (or more correctly, SALES revenue), rather than artistic merit, is an unavoidable fact of life in the wonderful world of the music business. Fairly obvious, but I never thought that 'business' was where I was headed when I picked up a guitar all those years ago. I was naive enough to think that I was setting sail for my aforementioned island of dreams. Guitar in one hand, telescope in the other. But it seems these are dreams that money can buy, hence the inevitable entry of 'business' to the arena. Dreams for sale, the fevered imaginings of creative minds piped into the consciousness of a dream-hungry public via the conduits of industry. It's a kind of science-fiction. Amazingly, I still eke a living from this stuff. I stand on street corners and whisper into the ears of passers-by. " Hey, kid, wanna hear my dreams?" I'm drifting...writing a book instead of a diary. Back to recent news: I've now completed the music for my collaboration with American comic-book artist Matt Howarth. The final two pieces of music were posted to him last week. 'The Last Of The Neon Cynics' is an ambitious tale of a tram-travelling, (yes, that TRAM not 'time'), space-cowboy with a talking guitar. I've worked on the music for the last two or three years, on and off, (mostly 'off' due to other work pressures), and poor Matt has displayed the patience of a saint whilst I've labouriously got my act together. (Or found time to deal with it.) The idea we have is that pictures, story and music will be available as a download, though details of exactly how we'll do this are still to be finalised. I've also completed some additional recordings for an instrumental album that currently bears the title 'Gleaming Without Lights.' As mentioned in previous diary entries, this album is centred around the almost 40 minute long soundtrack that I created for the 'Memory Codex' autobiographical video which was screened at last year's Nelsonica. The title of the piece is 'Dreamland Illuminated.' To make up the rest of the album I've recorded some new instrumentals that compliment the soundtrack. I've also decided the album's running order, which is as follows: 1: 'Gleaming Without Lights.' 2: 'North-East.' 3: 'Rialto.' 4: 'Billy Builds The World Of Tomorrow.' 5: 'Glittering Rails.' 6: 'Dreamland Illuminated.' 7: 'Pilgrim (Fantasia On A Distantly Remembered Hymn.)' The entire album is instrumental and electric guitar oriented, falling somewhere between the 'Dreamland To Starboard' and 'Neptune's Galaxy' album stylings. I've also added extra textural details to the 'Dreamland Illuminated' piece that were originally absent from the Memory Codex soundtrack recording. This isn't a 'major statement' album but an interesting side-project, a pleasant diversion which will only be manufactured in limited quantities. Next job up on my list of to-do items:- The aforementioned Decca audition tape mixes plus selection of some live Be Bop Deluxe bootleg recordings to be included on the 'Tomorrow The World' album. Also the Mitchell Froom remix project which I haven't yet found time to address. (But will do as soon as time is available.) One frustrating bit of business has been the repeated attempts to install some new effects in my Mackie D8B mixing desk. Technical mysterioso. Different operating systems, system conflicts, various software builds, and most of all a rather indifferent and sometimes confusing user back-up service have confounded expectations of performing a simple, straight-ahead installation. And this isn't exactly software installed in a computer but a dedicated hardware recording system. We may be nearer, (Paul and I), to success,as nearly all our available options have been exhausted. One more thing remains to be done, (in the next week or so), which, fingers crossed, may see the problem finally resolved. I love my Mackie recording system but...there are certain issues that the company needs to talk about with artists such as myself, not least because they've now stopped manufacturing the particular equipment I've come to rely on so much and seem to have left those of us who use it to flounder with a less than clear, (or working), website. Another rapidly looming task: Preparation for my live concert at Leeds University School Of Music on the 28th of April. I'd originally hoped to have created an autobiographical video/film titled 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' to screen before my performance. Unfortunately, events have overtaken me and I don't have enough time available to begin work on this particular visual piece. For one thing, I need to gain permission to browse through the Yorkshire Film Archives as well as applying to search for suitable photographs at Wakefield City Museum's archives if I'm to gather the period footage and still images needed to add to my own family photographs and 8mm cine material. (There's also the matter of obtaining legal and financial clearance for the officially archived footage that I might want to incorporate in my film.) Then there's the script writing and recording of my own voice narration for the story, plus the assembly of appropriate music. And all this before I can actually sit down and concentrate on the painstaking process of editing all this diverse material into something resembling a cohesive documentary film. There's simply not enough time available to do all this before 28th of April, especially as I have a list of other pressing things to complete . So...I'm unfortunately going to have to fall back on plan 'B.' Instead of 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' I'll screen the 'Memory Codex Volume One' video that I made for last year's Nelsonica convention. I may also show 'Personal Ghosts' from the 'Flashlight Dreams' DVD as it ties in with the generally autobiographical theme of the evening. If time allows, I'll try to create a video for 'North-East' (from 'Gleaming Without Lights'), using east coast footage I've personally shot during the last couple of years. I have some evocative Whitby sunsets that would work well with this, along with some Flamborough Head and Reighton Gap material. But lots to do, including sorting out a live performance set for the event. It will be all instrumental and, (as the performance constitutes part of a contemporary music festival), more in the area of contemplative, introspective, exploratory music than straight ahead rock. For like-minded souls only, I suppose. As some might say, an art event. I'm confused...Why the hell do I still try to explain and segregate this stuff? Am I SO conscious of the fact that some potential listener's need a guide book when I stray outside of the Be Bop Deluxe territory alluded to in the earlier part of this diary entry? The venue in the School Of Music is more suited to a carefully controlled sound system than anything like the heavy duty thunder of rock. It's a kind of converted church or chapel within the School Of Music building, the same venue I gave a brief performance in a couple of years ago as part of a guitar-oriented event put on there. So, it will be a narrowly focussed, possibly quite intense, listening experience. And tightly connected to the concept of inwardly oriented music. Not remotely Be Bop Deluxe for those who are expecting a set featuring songs and mainstream music. Ironically though, Be Bop Deluxe tracks such as 'Blimps' and 'Futurist Manifesto' gave ample warning of where certain aspects of the music was headed. Even all those years ago. Let me try to return to more personal issues:- I visited my brother Ian's grave again a couple of weeks ago. Only the second time since his headstone was erected and the first time since the turn of the year. Emi and I took flowers and placed them in the two vases that are an integral part of Ian's headstone. It was twilight, lighter than the occasion of our previous visit, just before Christmas when our car's headlights had been neccesary to see the gravestone. This time there was a soft electric blue sky stretching overhead, puncutated by pastel-smudged cream and orange clouds. In the near distance, Sandal Castle Hill was visible, a place that Ian, once upon a time, like myself, enjoyed visiting. Church bells echoed on the breeze and evening birdsong was audible. Just beyond the walls of the older part of the cemetary, across Sugar Lane, could be seen the lighting towers surrounding the grounds of Wakefield Trinity rugby football club, a location famously featured in Lindsay Anderson's film of David Storey's 'This Sporting Life' novel. I thought, once again, of the transcience and fragility of life and the distance I've covered, the overwhelming amount of change I've experienced, the losses and gains, the things I've sacrificed to expediency and progress. I thought about Ian's own life and the absence of his prescence amongst the lives of those of us who loved him. I looked at his headstone and the dates boldly carved in silver script on it: 23 April 1956 to 23 April 2006. Such dreadful symmetry, exactly fifty years from start to finish. Then, next to his name, a tied pair of musical notes cut into the grey Indian marble and, at the headstone's base, the inscription 'Tree Of Life' in Latin. I felt angry, then hurt, then suddenly and unexpectedly overcome. I held close to Emi for a little while, then took a deep breath and tried to gain a hold on my emotions. Should I relate this kind of thing in a public diary? I have my doubts about the wisdom of it. But there it is. So why do it? Do I believe that by doing so it may help me come to terms with it in some way? Or that it may be of some use to others who have experienced, or may in future experience, similar grief? The bottom line is, I don't really know. I don't know much of anything anymore. What little I know is this: The loss of my brother is still difficult for me to accept. I still expect him to drop in for a chat and a cuppa, (as he sometimes did when his work brought him within striking distance of our home.) I still imagine that the 'phone will ring and he'll be on the other end of the line with some dryly humourous tale to tell. I still expect that we'll find each other on a stage together, faking our way through the music we shared. I didn't spend nearly enough time with Ian since we attained our debatable 'adulthood'...but I wish I had, I really wish I had. And there you have it. Another reason why my spirits are less than positive. You see, I'm far from over it yet. One further negative outcome of all this introspection has been my decision to postpone the proposed American Nelsonica convention that a handful of dedicated and enterprising US fans were hoping to stage in the 'States later this year. I've come to this decision reluctantly but with a great deal of thought. I've been agonising over what I should do about this for several weeks now, (as close friends know). I've fretted about it, wrestled with it, lost sleep over it, turned it this way and that... but, until a couple of days ago, I couldn't face up to the reality of the situation. The reality being that I already have far too much on my plate this year,that I'm going through an inner crisis of some kind, that I have neither the will nor the strength needed to make such an event the success it deserves to be. For these and other reasons, I've come to the conclusion that it's just not the right time for me to engage wholeheartedly with the proposal. I finally got up the nerve to write to the American team's chief organiser and offer my apologies, explaining that I've basically got more to deal with than I can confidently handle, both in terms of work and personal issues. I explained that an American Nelsonica would be one responsibility too far, for this year, at least. Nevertheless, I've suggested to the US team that I'm willing to keep the option open for next year but right here and now, it's something I sadly don't have the strength to cope with. Thankfully, despite my concerns, the team members have all responded to this disappointing news with kindness and unqualified support, letting me off the hook with generous grace. They're thoughtful, perceptive and understanding of my current situation. Such a relief... I still, unsurprisingly, feel terribly guilty about not being able to commit to the project as I know that quite a few people were looking forward to it becoming a reality, but they've generously told me, in typically positive American fashion, 'not to beat myself up about it.' Well, I'll try to ignore the bruises already inflicted but I can't help but feel bad about declining, even though an American convention was, at this stage, still a possibility, rather than a certainty. There were still some essential details to finalise before a green light could be given, although the team were very optimistic that it would soon become a more than feasible proposition.Perhaps waiting for a better opportunity to stage such an event might, in the long run, prove practical, allowing further planning and more programme content to be added. It could prove to be to everyone's advantage. Or am I just trying to justify my inability to commit? Unfortunately, for me it's a complex issue. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that some of the stress I've felt has been lifted from my shoulders. It will give me a better chance of dealing with the other tasks in front of me. Of course, there's still a UK Nelsonica to consider...At the moment, we've yet to settle the various issues linked to staging the English convention. We haven't properly begun to look at venue options either. It may be that last year's Hilton venue in York is used again, (provided we can get the hotel to provide a much larger number of seats than last year), but we would still like to investigate possible alternatives before making a final choice. Of course, this means putting time aside for Jon Wallinger and myself to draw up a list of venue possibilities and then make appointments for the two of us to visit them to inspect their facilities. Then comes the team meetings where various details are discussed and fine tuning takes place. A lot of thought goes into these annual conventions, perhaps more than is apparent to the casual observer. Jon and I still plan to concentrate on York and it's environs as we feel it offers a reasonably practical location for travel from around the UK. York is situated more or less in the centre of the country and is on the main north-south rail route as well as being connected to major motoways. It's certainly far more user, (and family), friendly than the North Ferriby location that we booked in previous years. Also, being 'local', York is practical in terms of the movement to and fro of my equipment and so on, which allows more time for preparation, sound checks, etc. Anyway, at the time of writing these words, there's nothing definite decided about the UK convention. It may well end up being a last minute thing...but, as it's intended to be here, on the 'doorstep' so to speak, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'm sure that the team will work their usual magic. But first we need to secure a venue and a date, then I need to give it a conceptual title, (last year's was 'Arcadian Salon'), before we make any official announcement. Then, of course, comes the little matter of programme content, visual design, live performance set, special presentations, limited edition cd and the rest. (Last year's convention saw me preparing my personal input over a three month period. A lot of work for a one-off event.) Besides the above, there are still hopes of tackling some of the other projects on the wish-list that I made in an earlier diary entry. The main one, for me at least, is the writing and recording of a new vocal album. This will occupy the greatest amount of my time, once the process gets underway. But decks must be cleared first. Then inspiration found. Fitting some kind of domestic life into this work schedule doesn't get any easier. I generally try to reserve the weekends for spending quality time with Emiko but, I often find myself stealing an hour or three to answer website forum questions and to generally connect with the Dreamsville community. And, as I've noted before, even this diary takes up a fair amount of time, once I sit down to write it. (Especially this entry, for some reason.) Despite the above, I HAVE had one or two brief opportunities to escape the studio this last month. I recently spent a couple of days with my old friend John Leckie who came up to visit me before heading over to Sheffield to meet up with a young band he's been hired to produce. John stayed overnight at Maison Nelson and, during dinner at a local Italian restaurant, we had tremendous fun discussing music, past, present and future. John has become a highly respected and famous producer since those distant days when we first worked together as a production team. His work covers a lot of ground, from XTC, Simple Minds, Magazine, The Stone Roses, Kula Shaker, to Cast, Muse, Radiohead and all time legends such as Doctor John and Los Lobos. A great portfolio that started with Be Bop Deluxe's 'Sunburst Finish' album. John's success is very much deserved and I'm so pleased to see that his talent has been so widely recognised. Whenever we meet up, it's as if there's not been a gap in our conversation. John had lots of interesting stories to tell me about his experiences with various 'artistes' he's worked with...some of them highly amusing and possibly scandalous. I'll not divulge these confidences here, (or anywhere,) but just say that rock music doesn't seem to have become any more sophisticated or adult since the days when John and I sat next to each other at the mixing desk in Abbey Road studios. Quite the opposite, in fact. John brought lots of old photographs he'd taken of me during the Be Bop Deluxe recording sessions at various studios we worked in together. He'd digitised them and put them on his laptop as a slide show, complete with music. Most of them I'd not seen before. It was unavoidably nostalgic looking through them but at the same time it did, weirdly, feel as if it were only yesterday rather than thirty years or so ago. Only the music felt like it was made in another era and by a different person. John also, generously, brought me a very generous gift: a vintage Japanese Railway Station Announcer's microphone, (and in pristine working order too). The microphone has a predicatably nasal, high-mid frequency dominated tone but will work perfectly as a special vocal effect on the right piece of music. I'm looking forward to using it, perhaps on the proposed new vocal album. Emi and I managed to get to Whitby for a Sunday trip. Lunch at the 'White Horse And Griffin,' (not up to its usual standard this time for some reason,), then a browse around the old town, followed by a walk out to the edge of the harbour to sniff the ocean, the nearby smokehouse with it's kipper aroma coming and going on the evening breeze. After that, across the old harbour bridge for a drink at a relatively new place, a cafe bar called 'The Moon And Sixpence' which we were both impressed by. It has great views across the harbour towards the church on the cliffs. We resolved to try the food there on our next visit. It was my son Elliot's birthday last week. He's now 26. I can't quite grasp that fact, especially as he's the youngest of my three children. He requested a Chet Atkins DVD and album for his birthday so I sorted them out for him. He's been wanting to give himself a new challenge by getting to grips with music and techniques that fall outside of his usual rock music style, so has been learning some Django Reinhardt pieces. He thought Chet Atkins might provide another angle too. I'm pleased to see him taking such a broad interest in the wider potential of his instrument. So many young guitarists seem to think that music doesn't exist outside the boundaries of the latest skinny jean fad. But, come to think of it, Elliot isn't exactly a 'young' guitarist anymore. Not by today's infantile standards anyway. Emi and I recently went to see him and his sister Elle play with the latest incarnation of their Honeytone Cody band in the basement bar at the City Screen cinema, in the centre of town. I was impressed. Their new drummer is absolutely terrific and the bass player, whilst the youngest member of the band, is talented and imaginative. Elle's vocals and Elliot's guitar playing just gets better and better.They sounded like real stars and completely outshone the other two bands on the bill, including the headline act. Such power and authority. They could easily stand proud alongside any well-known band and aquit themselves with honours. I just hope that, this time, they hold this line up together and get the break needed to bring their music to the wider audience that it deserves. And, no, I'm not saying this because I'm their father, but because they're just so damn good. Really. Valentine's day coming up this week. I've managed to book a restaurant to take Emi out for the evening. Being a florist, she's always extremely busy around this time, especially on the 14th when she works late. The only table I could get at the restaurant of my choice was for 8:15 pm so, all being well, Emi will have finished work by that time and we can have a romantic dinner together. Even though we've been a couple for 14 years now, (since 1993), we're still very much devoted to each other and enjoy each other's company tremendously. True love. In that respect, I'm a lucky guy. Have been playing my Campbell Nelsonic Transitone guitar which is featured on some tracks from the 'Gleaming Without Lights' sessions. I'm particularly fond of the sound of the neck pickup, a Seymour Duncan Jazz humbucker. It really suits the cleaner tonalities I've favoured of late. Dean Campbell is building a special Campbell Caledonian model for me at the moment. I need to get back to him with a pickguard design idea. When I find time to design it, that is. This guitar will have three P90's, a Bigsby vibrato and a powder blue paint job. Guitars still thrill me, even after all this time. As readers of this diary may have noticed. Whilst on the subject of guitars, the long awaited issue of the Japanese 'Player' magazine featuring an interview with myself plus photographs of my guitar collection has finally been published. (Since the article was put together, there have been some further additions to the collection so, whilst relatively comprehensive, it's not completely up to date.) Four copies of the magazine arrived by mail from Tokyo. It's a big article. The guitars look good, though I'm not so keen on the photo's of myself that they've used. Don't misunderstand, technically, they're excellent, but it's just that they seem to have chosen rather unflattering shots. But, these days, there's probably no possibility of obtaining a 'flattering' photograph of me whatsoever. I'm beyond the reach of such a thing. It's beyond the laws of physics. And I used to be such a pretty boy too. Weather is cold but none of the snow that has troubled London and the south. Some signs of spring in the garden already though too early, I suspect. Nature not what it used to be, or should be. A weird winter. The latest scientific information on the subject of climate change/global warming reads like the stuff of nightmares, like a science-fiction disaster movie. And still world leaders dance around the topic. Some of them pick up on it but as if it were a fashion trend, to be worn but not completely understood. What sort of planet are our grandchildren going to have to deal with when they hit old age? No wonder so many of us feel down these days. The news is always bad. Books: Bedtime reading only, (as usual), but the personally signed Les Paul autobiography that was given to me as a gift at Nelsonica 07 is proving to be a delight. A hero. How I wish I could shake his hand and add my appreciation to all the thousands of other grateful people he has inspired through the years. Music: mostly working and therefore listening, to my own but, in an odd moment or two, I've enjoyed listening to some swing era stuff and also Ella Fitzgerald. I've felt the need for a kind of patinated elegance, copper-plated 78's rather than shiny gold discs or silver CDs. Sex under sophisticated wraps, silk gowns, nylon stockings and patent red leather stilletos. Oh, well. This could be one of the longest diary entries I've ever written. I could, amazingly, add more but won't. Time to deal with other things. Top of page

Flaming Desire Bill Nelson single - 23 July 1982 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 7" Single: A) Flaming Desire B) The Passion 12" Single: A) Flaming Desire (Long Version) B1) The Passion B2) The Burning Question Flaming Desire And Other Passions 12" EP: A1) Flaming Desire (Long Version) A2) Flesh B1) The Passion B2) The Burning Question B3) He And Sleep Were Brothers B4) Haunting In My Head ORIGINALLY: On the 7", the 'A' side was taken from The Love That Whirls album, and on the 12" it appeared in an extended version, clocking in at 6'30". The 'B' sides were both non-album tracks from The Love That Whirls sessions. NOTES: Flaming Desire was the second single released to support The Love That Whirl s album. The single was issued in 2 formats commercially (7" and 12"), and as a 7" promo featuring an exclusive radio edit. The 7" sleeves for the commercial and promo copies are identical. The 12" version included an exclusive extended remix of "Flaming Desire" and an additional non-album cut, "The Burning Question". Flaming Desire And Other Passions was Canadian/US release Including the additional tracks from the Eros Arriving 12" single. The single was promoted by a short promo video that Nelson directed, made on a shoe string budget and featured his then wife Jan. Stills from this video would later feature on the sleeve of the Chimera mini-album. PAST RELEASES: The B-sides were both included on The Two Fold Aspect of Everything comp (out of print). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: B/B1 was added to the remastered 2005 CD of The Love That Whirls , and The Practice of Everyday Life box (2011). The album is still in print. The box set is out of print in physical form, but available as a digital download from major online retailers. Singles Menu Future Past

Astroloops Bill Nelson mini-album - January 2015 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Purple Loop 02) Sky Loop 03) Slippery Loop 04) Sun Loop 05) Blue Loop No 1 06) Jazzy Loop 07) Honey Loop 08) Blue Loop No 2 09) Space Country Loop 10) Fantasmo Loop 11) Wonky Loop 12) Lazy Loop ALBUM NOTES: Astroloops is a CDR release issued on the newly established Astrotone imprint in a very limited edition (just 24 copies) to purchasers of the Astroluxe Custom Ltd. guitar produced by Eastwood Guitars. This release is a mini-album due to its relatively short playing time. News of the project was first announced on the Dreamsville forum in July 2014, with orders being taken for the guitar from 2nd September (initially only 12 were to be manufactured but this was doubled to 24 within 2 days due to the level of demand). By the 26th of September it was confirmed that all 24 copies of the guitar had been purchased although buyers had to wait until mid-late January 2015 before the goods had been delivered, with the US customers getting their hands on the music before those in the UK for a change! Fans that either couldn't afford the guitar, or couldn't play the guitar, or simply missed out in getting their order in on time, will hopefully get the chance to hear this very limited item one day. When asked of the possibility of this, Nelson indicated that it might require Eastwood Guitars to give permission for this to happen and warned fans that they may have to wait for 1 - 2 years before reissuing it as a download. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It's an interesting set of recordings, quite spontaneous and relaxed...not concerned with being perfect, but beautifully raw and charmingly naked. It's all done using only the 'Astroluxe' prototype guitar which has the ability to sound like a soaring rock beast, a smooth n' sweet jazz archtop, or an alien twang machine, and all at the flick of a pickup selector switch plus my Fractal Audio Axe-FX unit!" _____ "Just guitar improvisations over guitar loops, with no other instruments. Recording very quietly to minimize the ear problem." _____ "Astroloops is an album of instrumental improvisations based on looped guitar patterns. It is limited to an edition of 24 copies only and is given exclusively to those who have bought one of the 24 Eastwood 'Astroluxe Custom Ltd' Bill Nelson signature model electric guitars. "My own prototype 'Astroluxe' guitar has been used to record the album and all the guitar parts you will hear are performed exclusively on that instrument. There are no keyboards, bass or percussion overdubs on these recordings, (with the exception of a couple of tracks where extremely minimal use of keyboard has been added). "All the guitar sounds were processed via a Fractal Audio Axe-FX digital device and a first generation Line 6 Pod 2 modeller, recording direct to a Mackie HDR 24/96 digital multitrack machine. "The music was created spontaneously and offers a glimpse of the raw first-take, stream of consciousness approach that often provides the foundation for my more commercially available work. In this instance, however, I've resisted the temptation to attempt perfection or modify/flatter the recording and instead allowed its inherent flaws to become a component of the music itself. I hope you will enjoy this private peep behind the magic curtain!" Albums Menu Future Past

Tony Goes to Tokyo The Revox Cadets single - 6 November 1981 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) To Heaven A Jet - Airfields B) The Revox Cadets - Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train) ORIGINALLY: The b-side was a non-album track. NOTES: "Tony Goes to Tokyo" was a one-off track credited to The Revox Cadets , included as a double A side to a single entitled Airfields , issued by To Heaven a Jet on the Cocteau label. The Revox Cadets was a pseudonym used by Nelson, although he was permitted at this time to release material on Cocteau despite being under contract to Mercury. PAST RELEASES: Up until Transcorder , the track on this single had not appeared on Bill Nelson compilations. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This track is available on the retrospective compilation album Transcorder (The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings) . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The Revox Cadets was not a real band, just me pretending to be one! The track was recorded at home on an analogue four track system. V.U. Disney was me too..." Singles Menu Future Past

The Strangest Things Bill Nelson retrospective collection - 4 October 1989 Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) The Strangest Things, The Strangest Times ( Giants Of The Perpetual Wurlitzer EP, 1984) 02) Acquitted By Mirrors (Furniture Music single, 1979) 03) The Spirit Cannot Fail (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights, 1987) 04) Fellini's Picnic (Map Of Dreams album, 1987) 05) Dancing In The Wind (Touch And Glow single in the Permanent Flame box set, 82) 06) Instantly Yours (Do You Dream In Colour? single, 1980) 07) Heroes De Lumiere (Simplex album, 1990) 08) Um, Ah Good Evening (extra track from the UK CD version of the Optimism album, 1988) 09) Several Famous Orchestras (Sex-Psyche-Etc EP, 1985) 10) A Dip In The Swimming Pool Reactor (Chamber Of Dreams album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 11) Youth Of Nation On Fire (Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album, 1981) 12) Eros Arriving (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 13) Short Wave (extra track from the UK CD version of the Optimism album, 1988) 14) Life In Your Hands (non-album single, 1989) NOTES: The Strangest Things is a compilation album issued by Enigma Records covering the ten year period immediately after Nelson had disbanded Be Bop Deluxe and is exclusive to the US market. While the UK market got Duplex , the US were treated to this rather different compilation, which is best described as falling somewhere between Duplex and The Two Fold Aspect of Everything . The collection (issued on CD and cassette) mixed album tracks with rarities, acting as a sampler for the Enigma series of reissues, but offering the collector something beyond that at the same time. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: There are no plans to reissue this compilation, although all but track 14 have been reissued fairly recently, or are expected to be again in the near future. Collections Menu Future Past

A B C D F H I J K E G L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ A - Z Song List Discography Menu A A Ablaze With Glory Abstracted Acceleration Acceleration (Dub Version) Acceleration (Long Version) Accessio Lucis (The Coming Light) Accordion Night The Ache At The Heart Of The World Aching Heart Acquitted By Mirrors Acquitted By Mirrors (Demo) Adventure Annual Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape (BBC Studio Version) Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape (Decca Studio Version) Aeolian Magic (Blip No 9) Aeroplane Mind Aeroplane Wings The Aerostatic Balloonist After All These Years After Life After Midnite (Twang, Echo And Hoedown) After The Rain, Pick The Fruit After The Stars Age Of Reason Airmail Guitar Albion Dream Vortex Alchemia The Alchemy Of Ecstasy Alice In The Palace Of Stardust And Pearl Aliumesque All Aboard The Skylark All A Dream, After All All Alone In A Boat Of His Own All Dressed Up In Your Art School Clothes All Hail The Dreamer (Miss Futurama Smiles) All Hail The Happy Captain All Hail The Witching Hour All I Am Is You All My Wives Were Iron All Our Yesterdays All's Well In Wonderland All That I Remember All The Fun Of The Fair All These Days Are Gone (For Ian) All The World Flies Kites Tonight All This And A Girl Like You All You Need To Know The Almost Invisible Man Almost Unchanging Aloha Niagra Alone In A Lunar Light Altar Natives Always And Everywhere Always Looking Forward To Tomorrow Always Summer Always You Amazing Things Ambiguity American Moderne Ampex Eight Ampex Eleven Ampex Five Ampex Four Ampex Nine Ampex One Ampex Seven Ampex Six Ampex Ten Ampex Three Ampex Twelve Ampex Two Ampex Xtra An Acre Of Sunshine Ancient Angels Watching Me Ancient Guitars And All The World Was Ours And Now The Rain And The Train Left The Station Trailing Sparks And Stars And There I Am And We Fell Into A Dream Andromeda Gardens An Electrical Christmas The Angel At The Western Window Angel In My System Angel Like You The Angel Of Hearth And Home Angels In Arcadia Angels Obey Bells The Angel With Television Eyes Annunciation Another Day, Another Ray Of Hope Another Happy Thought (Carved For Ever In Your Cortex) Another Kiss For Your Slender Neck Another Luxury Wonder Moment Another Planet Another Rainy Day Another Slice Of Wonder Cake Another Tricky Mission For The Celestial Pilot Another Willingly Opened Window Antennae Two Antique Gods Antique Interiors Antoria Aphrodite Adorned Appolinaire Apollonian Tremolo Apple Tree Swing Aqua Celeste Aqua Magica Arbor Philosophica (Tree Of Philosophy) Archetypes Arco Volta Ardent Hands Are You Listening? Arising Arrangement Of Roses Art Deco Dance Art/Empire/Industry Art For Art's Sake Artifex Art Is Long And Time Is Fleeting Artismo Loco Art Is My Aeroplane The Art Of Thinking Ashes Of Roses Art Of Vision As If It Was A Moment Ago As Quickly As A Kiss As The Stars Began To Glow Astra The Astral Tramways Of England Astro-Astoria Astro-Coaster Astro Logic Astroluxe Astron The Astronomy Of The Heart Astrophysical The Asylum At Home In High Clouds At The Center At The Gates Of The Singing Garden Atlantika The Atom Age The Atom Age (Demo) Atom Blasted Cadillac Atom Man Loves Radium Girl Atoms And Electrons Atom Shop (Is Closing) Atoms, Neutrons, Strangeness And Charm Atoms Orbit Around The Sun The Attempted Murder Of Jane Attempt To Re-Assemble My Fragmented Self Aura Hole Auraville Autosexual Autosexual (Demo) Autumn And Spring The Autumn Balloonist Autumn Drowns Apples In Golden Tides Autumn Fires Autumn Noodle No.1 Autumn Stars Autumn Tram (Yorkshire Raga No.2) Autumn Vapours Awakening The Awakening The Awakening Of Dr Dream Away Axe Victim Axe Victim (BBC Studio Version) Axe Victim (Decca Studio Version) Axe Victim (First Version) Axiomata Azure Extension Babe Baby Buddha Baby Robot Baby Ruth's Big Special Back Of Beyond Back To Dreams Bakelite (The 50th Birthday Song) Ballyboots Bamboozled Banal Barely There Batch # 70172 Bats At Bedtime BC1675 Beach Hut Beauties Beam Service Beams Of Light The Beast In Solitude Beatniks From Outer Space Beat Street The Beat That Can't Go Wrong Today Beautiful Big Boobies Beautiful Diamonds Are Falling From The Clouds The Beautiful Machine Beautiful Nudes Beauty And The Beast Beauty Enters The Castle Beauty In A Sparkly Bra Beauty Lifts Her Skirts Beauty Rides The Last Bus Home Beauty Secrets Beauty Secrets (First Version) Be-Bop-Bac Because Of You Beep, Beep, Beep Before We Fall Begin To Burn Be Here Now Behold Dumb Wonders Behold These Present Days Being And Nothingness Land The Bel-Air Rocketman A Bell Awakened Bell Bird Bell Weather (Blip No 2) The Bells Of Villefranche Bells Ring Sweet Across The Meadow Be My Dynamo Beneath Her Dappled Apple Tree Bending A Knee At The Altar Of Sacrifice The Best Of You A Better Home In The Phantom Zone A Better Home In The Phantom Zone (Demo) Between Autumn And Winter Between The Seasons Between The Worlds (Album Version) Between The Worlds (Single Version) Beyond All This Beyond Recall Beyond The Sun Beyond These Clouds The Sweetest Dream Beyond Yonder Bicycle Building Big Blue Day Big Broken Buick Big Empty Sky The Big Illumination Big Noise In Twangtown Big River Big Ship Big Yellow Moon Bikini Avanti Bill's Blues (Live) Bill's Last Waltz Billy And The High Blue Horizon Billy Beyond (Everyone's Clean In Paradise) Billy Builds The World Of Tomorrow Billy Infinity Billy's Blues Billy's Holiday Binky And The Dancing Astronomers Binky's Blues The Bird Charmer's Destiny The Bird Charmer's Destiny (First Version) Birdie A Bird Of The Air Shall Carry Thy Voice Bird Ornaments Birds And Blue Stuff Birds In Blue Sky Again The Birds In The Sky Say Hi! Birds In Two Hemispheres Birds Of Tin Bittersweet Black Fish/Silver Pond Blackpool Pleasure Beach And The Road To Enlightenment Blaze Ye Now The Golden Trail Blazing Apostles Blazing Apostles (BBC Studio Session) The Blazing Memory Of Innuendo Bless Me, Bless You Blimps Blink Of An Eye Blink-Agog Bliss And Abyss Blonde And Built To Last The Blossom Tree Optimists Bloo Blooz Blood Off The Wall Blowin' The Dust Off The Book Of The Future Blown Away Blue Amorini Blue As A Jewel Blue As A Jewel (Demo) Blue Beams Blue Cloud Blue Dawn Blue Distant Stars Blue Loop No.1 Blue Loop No.2 Blue Nude Blues For A Broken Time Machine Blues For Orpheus Blue Skies Listen, The Unstruck Bell Blue Sky Blue Sky Seeks Red Guitar Blue Sparks Flying Blue Spin Bluesy Ruby (BBC Studio Session) Bluesy Ruby (Decca Studio Session) The Blue Taint B-Movie Bug Boy A Boat Named St. Christopher Boat To Forever Body Of Light Boom Year Ahead Boy Chases Butterfly Boyhood Rockets Boyhood Shadows The Boy Pilots Of Bangkok The Boy Who Knew The Names Of Trains The Boy Who Learned Everything The Boy Who Lived In The Future Boy With Bubblepipe Bramble Brave Flag The Breath In My Father's Saxophone The Bride Of Christ In Autumn Bride Of The Atom Bridge Across The Void Bright And Glittering (Blip No 6) Bright Magic Bright 'N Breezy Bright Sparks Bright Star (Moonlight Over Ocean Blue) A Brilliant Night For Rain Bring Back The Spark Bringers Of Lights To The Feast Broadcast News (Theme From Right To Reply) Broken Broken Blues Bronze The Brotherhood Of Sleeping Car Porters Brutal Tinkerbell Bubbledreamer Bubbles In The Cosmos Bubbling Blue Buddha And The Rain Cloud The Buddha Boys A Buddha For My Brother Buddha Head Buddha's Eyes Are Everywhere Buddha Smoked My Cigarettes Bugging Me Bumpcycle Burning Down The Burning Question Burning The Grove Of Satyrs Burnished The Buzz, Buzz, Buzz Of The Forever Bee Buzz Was Honey B B The Cabinet Closes California Boombox Caligari Disciplines Cesare Caligari Feeds Cesare Caligari Opens The Cabinet Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven, Over Call Of The Wild Candelabra And Gargoyles Candyland Capricious Skies Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus The Captain's In The Wheelhouse (Fabled Quixote) Carnival The Carousel Of Time Cascade (Improvisation For Three Harp Guitars) Cassidy's Electric Campfire Song The Castle The Celestial Bridegroom Celestial East The Celestial Steam Locomotive The Celestial Travelator Celestina Swoons Celestrum Celluloid Ghosts The Century That Dared To Dream The Ceremonial Arrival Of The Great Golden Cloud Certain Circles A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind Cesare The Somnambulist Chameleon Channel Surfing Chapel Of Chimes The Charm Of Transit A Charming Trick Chelsea Flash Chiffon Child Of The Dream Chills For You Chiming Church With Rusty Bell Chiming Shires The Chinese Nightingale A Christmas Cowboy Outfit The Christmas Gift Christmastide Christ Via Wires Chroma Chymepeace (An Ending) Cimbercom Cinnamon And Mint Circle The World In A Paper Canoe Circo Infantil Circular Tour A Circus To Remember The City Dreams Of Christmas City Of Tomorrow City One Clavis Angelicae (Key Of Angels) Clear Controls Confirmed Clear Skies A' Coming Climbing Clock Conscious The Clock That Time Forgot Clocks Wind Slow The Clockwork Light Machine The Clockwork Rocket Close Your Eyes (The Sleepytown Symphony) Clothed In Light Amongst The Stars The Clouded Mirror The Cloud Of Unknowing Clouds Above The Corn Clouds Drift North Cloudwater Canal Cloudy Billows Kiss The Moon Coastal Starlight Coasting Cold Tired And Hungry The Colonel Has An Anti-Decimal Scheme Colossal Figures Shrouded In Clouds Colour Floods The Bay With Blue Come Closer And See My Dreams Come To Me In My Dreams Comic Cuts Complicated Coney Island Confessions Of A Psychedelic Dandy Confused The Conjurer's Companion (Every Blessed Thing Is So Damned Fragile) Consolamentum Consolation Street Contemplation (Original ABM EP Version) Contemplation (Album Version) Contemplation (Redux 2007) Contrary Wise Cool Blue Heaven Coop's Place The Corridor Corrosive Cosmic Country Ghosts A Cottage On The Moon Country Cola Country Season Covered In Chrome The Cowboy Club Cowboy Christmas Cowboy Song Crazy Dreamer Crazy Right Now Creamy Clouds Cremona Crimsworth Cross Country Crying All Night Crying To The Sky Crying To The Sky (Alternate Guitar Solo) Crying To The Sky (BBC Studio Session) Crying To The Sky (First Version) The Crystal Escalator In The Palace Of God Department Store Crystal Gazing Crystal Gazing (Alternate Vocal Version) The Crystal Gazing Room (No Sleep For The Alchemist) The Crystal Lights Of Chrismastown Crystal Springs C-Shell Cubical Domes The Curate's Cassock Is Troubled By The Breeze Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass Curiosity's Domain The Curious King Of Dreams The Cycle Factory Cyclebumps C C D Dada Guitare Daily Bells Dali's Dream Of Venus Dance, Mighty Robot, Dance! Dance Of The Anti-Gravity Enthusiasts Dance Of The Cosmic Signaller No. 2 Dance Of The Fragrant Woman Dance Of The Luminous Dials Dance Of The Mullard Valvemen Dance Of The Orchard Angels Dance Of The Pagan Energy Ghosts Dance Of The Sonic Culture Gods Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone) Dancing In The Wind Dancing Music Dancing On A Knife's Edge Dangerous Lady Dangerous Stranger Dangerous Stranger (Demo) The Darcey Bussell Rubberwear Fantasia Dark And Bright Dark And Complicated Dark Angel Dark Eyes Dark Horse Dark Is The Spark Darkness (L'Immoraliste) Darkness Sparkles The Darkness Will Remain Darling Star Daughter Of Dream Come True A Day At West Acre Daydreaming The Day I Dreamed You Up Day Of Eternity Days Of Golden Dreams Days Of Wonder The Day That Came And Went Dazzle (Blip No 10) The Dead We Wake With Upstairs Drums Dear Mr. Fantasy December Days-Diamond Bright December Waltz Decimal Point For The Thousand Races Decline And Fall Decode Me Baby Deco Super Cruiser Deep December (Bright And Shiny Day) Deep Dream Decoder Deeply Dazzled Deep Sky Demon Raising The Departure Of The 20th Century In A Hail Of Memory Designer Dance De Soto Deva Dance Devil In Me The Difficulty Of Being Dig The Sparkles A Dip In The Sparkle Jar A Dip In The Swimming Pool Reactor Dippety-Doo Disneyland After Dark Disposable Dissolve Distant Town With Different Lights Distant Years From Now The Divine Raptures Of Sisterhood The Diving Bell Dizzy In The Head A Dizzy Spell Django Dreams Of Twinkleland Doctor Caligari The Doctor Was An Alchemist Dog Day Afternoon Domain Of Echo Don't Be A Stranger Don't Cry, Space-Guy Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric) Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric) (BBC Session) Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric) (Demo) Don't Wait The Door Do Space Trams Dream Of Fictitious Passengers? The Dove Consumed (The Serpent Slumbers) Down Comes The Rain Downhill Down On Terminal Street Do You Dream In Colour? The Drawing Room Dreamboat Situation Dream Car Romantics (In Death's Garage Antics) Dream Cities Of The Heart Dream Cycles One Dream Cycles Three Dream Cycles Two The Dream Dance Of Jane And The Sonambulist Dreamed Embraces A Dream For Ian A Dream Fulfilled Dreamgirl Dream Guitar Dreaming Of A Girl Dreaming Of Another World Dreamland Avenue Dreamland Illuminated The Dreamlike Day-To-Day Dreamlike World Dreamnoise And Angel Dream Of An American Streetcar Dream Of Imperial Steam A Dream Of Thee (Blip No 3) The Dream Of The Unified Field Dreams And Smoke (Flow With The River) Dream Ships Set Sail Dreams Of Yesterday Dreams Returning To The Night Dreams Run Wild On Ghost Train Tracks Dreamstate USA Dreamster 2.L.R. Dreams (The Merchant Sleeps) Dreams Turn To Dust Dreamsville The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment Dreamt I Was Floating In A Summer Sky Dream Up, Billy Drift Fictions Drift Of Narcissus Drive Shaft Drive This Comet Across The Sky Driving Through England Dr Synth's Disco Demento Duality Duane's Dream The Dubious Virtue Of Loveliness Duende Dumb Palooka Dumb-World Duraflame The Dusk Before The Dark Dust And Sunbeams And The Ticking Of A Clock The Dust That Falls From Dreams Dynatron Dynatron Blues D E E Earthbound Eastern Electric Ecclesia Gnostica Echoes Of The Age Echo In Her Eyes (The Lamps Of Oblivion) The Echo, The Shadow, The Empty Shell The Ecstatic Transfiguration Of The Great Northern Twang Magus Ectoplasm Turbine Edge Of Nothing Edge Of Recall Edge Of Tears Edge Of The World El Swingo Collapso Electric Atlanta Electric Milkcart Blues Electric Railway Overhead Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air Electrical Adepts Of The Celestial Bed Electrical Language Electrical Language (Demo) The Elegant Outsider The Elegant Parabola Elevated Railway Elliptic Waterfall Emak Bakia The Embarkation Song Of The Last Fast Airship Emerald City The Emperor Of The Evening Emphatically Yours Empire Of The Senses Emptiness Sings (A Lonely Boy) The Enchanted Cathedral The Enchanted Glove The Enclosed Garden Endless Autumn Endless Orchids Endless Summer Ahead Endless Torsion End Of The Seasons End Of The Future Enigmatron Enlightenment Erectoplasm Eros Arriving Eros Ghost Trails Gleaming Echoes Eros In Autumn Erotikon Escape Over The Rooftops Escondido Oleander Essoldo Stripshow The Eternal Fascinator The Eternal Female Eternal For Emiko Eternal Lightbulbs (For The Infinite Stars) Eternally Ethel's Attic (No.3, Marriot's Building, 1948) Evening Adoration Evening Illuminator The Evening Peal Evening Star Electric Park Evening Tide Ever The Dreamer Everyday Feels Like Another New Drug Everyday Is A Better Day Everyday Now Is Forever Again Every Moment Infinite Everyone's Hero Everything Changes With The Weather Everything Everywhere Everything Is Ancient Now Everything Permitted Every Tiny Atom Evocation Of A Radiant Childhood Exactly The Way You Want It Existentialism Experimental Erotica (Scene One) Experimental Erotica (Scene Two) The Experimental Time Traveller The Exquisite Corpse The Eye Of Heaven Shines F Fables Of The Future The Fabulous Foals Of Faraway Farm The Fabulous Fountain Of Your Savoir Faire The Fabulous Mr Futurismo The Fabulous Whirlygig Of Now A Face In The Mirror Face In The Rain Fading Away The Fading Light Faint Aroma Of Snow Fair Exchange Fair Winds And Flying Boats Fair Winds And Steam Machines The Fairground Fairyland Before The Fire Falling Blossoms Falling Into Blue Falling Water False Alarms Familiar Spirit The Family Fancy Planets Fantasmatron Fantasmo Loop The Fantastic Futurama Ride Fantastic Guitars Fantastico Far Beyond The West Of Me Far Side Of Nowhere Far Too Flip Fascinating Noise Fear (The Merchant Wakes) Fearless Beauty (Kisses And Cream) Feast Of Lanterns Feeling Floating Away Feels Like Up To Me Fellini's Picnic Female Form Female Nebula Fever Dream Of The Starlight Man The Fields Beyond 15th Of July (Invisibles) (BBC Studio Session) Filament Filigree Filigree Balcony The Final Curtain Finis Gloria Mundi Finks And Stooges Of The Spirit Fire Gods Of The National Machine Fires In The Sky First Boy On The Moon First Memory Fish Are Dancing In The Fountain Of Dreams Fish Owl Moon Five Flying Horses 598 Rundown Flaming Creatures Flaming Desire Flesh Flicker And Fade Flights Of Fancy Flipside Float Away Flower Kiosk Flowers And Stars Flowers Within (Version 2) The Flower Thief Fluffy Bunny Business Flutterbye (Blip No 7) Flux Of Desire Fontaine Fontana Footsteps Footsteps In Rain Forbidden Lovers Forbibben Lovers (First Version) Forever Ago Forever Blue Sings The Sky Forever Orpheus Forevertron Forked Tongues, Mixed Blessings Forms In Open Spaces For Stuart (Triumph And Lament) Fortune Favours The Fall Guy Forward Motion For You And I For Young Moderns For Young Moderns (Demo) Found In Foreverland A Fountain In The Middle Of Nowhere Fountains Are Singing In Cities Of Light The Four Square Citadel Fractious Electrons Frankie Surfs The Milky Way Frankie Ukelele And The Fire In The Lake French Promenade Friday In The Future Friends From Heaven From Another Place From Another World From Here To Far Orion Frost-O-Matic Frosty Lawns (Snowballs And Oranges) Fruity Ornaments Full Colour Fontana Full Of Desire Full Sail The Fundamental Blues The Funeral Furniture Music Furniture Music (BBC Session) Furniture Music (Demo) Futura Future Gothic Twang The Future Life The Future Now Becomes The Past The Futurian Futurist Manifesto Fuzz Rocket Fantasia Fuzzy Dux F G Garage Full Of Clouds 2 The Garden Garden In The Sky Garden Of Cascades Garden Railway A Garden That Sings To The Sky The Gates Gathered In At Gloaming Gazing Through Golden Windows Gentle Spirits Prevail Get Out Of That Hole The Ghost In The Machine Ghostland Ghost Of Gilded Ruin Ghosts Behind Glass Ghosts Dance In Ghostland Ghost Show Ghosts Of Ancient Houses Ghosts Of Ancient Orchestras Ghosts Of Invisible Things Ghosts Of The Space Age Ghosts Of Utopian Cities Ghosts Wind The Parlour Clock Ghost Train Ghost Trains Travel On Phantom Tracks Giant Hawaiian Showboat The Gift Gift Of The August Tide Girlfriend In Mini-Skirt Girlfriend With Miracles Girl From Another Planet Girl From A Satellite Town The Girl I Never Forgot The Girl In The Galaxy Dress The Girl In The Glass Aeroplane The Girl In The Park In The Rain The Girl On The Fairground Waltzer The Girls I've Loved The Girl Who Disappeared Into A Cloud The Girl Who Was Electrically Carried Away Give A Damn My Dear Giving It All Away The Glance Of A Glittering Stranger The Glass Breakfast Glass Fish (For The Final Aquarium) Gleaming Without Lights The Gliding Club Glisten Glittering Figures (A Gnostic Lullaby) Glittering Rails Glittering Star Gloria Mundae The Glory Days Glow World Gnosis God Bless Me God Glows Green In Small Town Park God In Her Eyes God Man Slain God's Own Neighbourhood The Gods Speak God Thundered Boy The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow The Gold Beyond The Blue Golden The Golden Age Again Golden Balloon The Golden Bough Golden Coda (Farewell To Electric City) The Golden Comet The Golden Days Of Radio Golden Dream Of Circus Horses Golden Girl The Golden Hour Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow Golden Mile Golden Moments The Golden Roundabout Rides Again Golden Satellites Golden Shrine The Golden Soul Of You Golden Spacemen Rock N' Roll Gondola Goodbye Golden Sands Gooseberry Jam Grand Arcade The Grand Magician Brings A Blessing The Great Hall The Great Magnetiser Great Plains Green Tiger In The Gold Greeting A New Day Greetings From Surf Guitar Island A Guitar For Christmas G H Haiku Detour (Bop Kyoto) Half Asleep In A Hall Of Mirrors (Theme From Dream Demon) Half-Man, Half-Static Halogen Hammertheme Hang This Moment On A Sigh Hank And Duane In Reverbland Hank Marvin Goes To Mars Happily Addicted To You The Happy Clock Happy In My Helicopter Hat Happy Little Hovercar Happy Realms Of Light Happily Haunted Hard Facts From The Fiction Department Hastening The Chariot Of My Heart's Desire A Hat Like This Haunting In My Head A Head Full Of Lights And A Hat Full Of Haloes Heading For Home In A Hillman Minx Headlamp Moon He And Sleep Were Brothers Heart And Soul Heartbeat Thru The Telephone Heartbreakland The Heart Has Its Reasons The Heat In The Room Heaven Holds A Grand Parade Heaven Is A Haunted Realm Heaven Is A State Of Mind Heaven Lights Its Lamps Heavenly Homes Heavenly Homes (Flashman Remix) Heavenly Message Number One Heavenly Message Number Three Heavenly Message Number Two Heaven's Happy Hemisphere Heaven Takes No Prisoners Helios In Memoryland Hello Children Hello, Hello Hello You Beautiful People Help Us Magic Robot Henrietta Through The Looking Glass Heptarchia Here And Now Here Come The Rain Comets Here Comes Mr. Mercury Here Comes The Big Blue Moon Here Comes The Sea Here I Am, (And You Can Hear Me) Here I Am For You Here Is Where I Dream Here On Earth Here We Go Her Laughing Torso Hermetica Automatica The Hermetic Garden Heros De Lumiere Her Presence In Flowers Herself With Her Shadow Hers Is A Lush Situation Her True And Perfect Serpent Her True And Perfect Serpent (Acoustic Version) Hey, Bill Diddley! Hey Ho, There You Go The Hidden Flame Hide And Seek Hieronymous Bosch Beyond High And Mighty High Beam Sensation Highway 2000 Hi Lo La Hip-No-tize The Hipster Gimmick His Astral Form Hi-Tone Saturday Hold On To Your Heart Holey Moley It's A Parallel World Holiday Express A Holiday In Dimension X Hollywood Still Burning Holy Of Holies (Waiting For The Night) The Home, The Light And The Third Honeybee In Autumn Honey Loop Honeymoon On Mars Hope For The Heartbeat Horse Eats Hat Hostess Twinkie Vapourised Hotel On Wheels Hot-Rod Racer The House At The End Of Memory Lane The House Of A Hundred Clocks The House Of Morpheus House Of Mystery House Of Sand Howlin' Wolf In Me How Many Miles To Babylon How Near We Are Humming In The Void/Girl With The Thousand-Watt Smile The Hunt Hymn Of The Old Albion Co-Operative Society Hyperluminal Hypnos H I I I Always Knew You Would Find Me I Am The Captain I Am The Only Monster Here I Am The Universe Ian's Radio Is On Ice And Fire Icing On The Cake Iconography I Danced In A Dream (Blip No 11) Ideal Homes I Dream Of Giant Telescopes I Dream Of Lightning I Dream Of Waves I Drift Away Amongst The Stars If I Was The Pilot Of Your Perfect Cloud If Love Were Gold If Stars Should Fall If Wishes Were Horses I Hear Electricity I'll Be Everywhere I'll Be Your Vampire The Ilfracombe Steamer Illuminated At Dusk Illuminated Promenade Illuminated Sky With Pale Blue Lightning Illumination Fascination Blues The Illuminator Illusions Of You I Looked At The Sea Imaginary Music I'm Dancing The Impatient Hour Imperial Parade Imps In The Undergrowth In A Cloud Of Stars In A Haunted Arcade In An Aeroplane In Anticipation In Arcadia In A Streamlined World In A World Of Strange Design Incident At Astral Motel The Indelicate Levitation Of Katie's Skirts Indigo Trees Hold Back The Stars Indiscretion Indoor Astronomy (Bella Luna) In Dreams Awake Infernal Apparatus The Infernal Machine Infernal Regions Infinite Station Infinity Meets The Moment Initiation Of The Heart's Desire Insanity In Search Of The Golden Sound Instantly Yours Intensia Interlooper Interstellar Courier An Interval In The Chapel Of Her Sparkles In The Forest Of Storms In The Land Of Far Beyond In The Land Of Nothing Doing In The Middle Of A Dream In The Neighbourhood Of Normal (My Style Of Writing) In The Palace Of Strange Voltages In The Rain In The Realm Of Bells In The Realm Of The Super-Cute In The Realms Of The Unreal In The Wings Into The Luminous Future The Invisible City Of Christian Rosenkruetz The Invisible Man And The Unforgettable Girl The Invisible Spectator The Invisible Venus Of New York City I Oil The Ticking Of Antique Clocks I Really Don't Exist I Recall Jets At Dawn I Remember Circus Boy I Remember Marvelman I Saw Galaxies I Saw You In A Sailplane I Send These Dreams To You Islands In The Sky Islands Of The Dead Islands Of The Dead (Demo) Islands Of The Dead (Take 4) Is This Alchemy? I Swear That The Girl In The Painting Moved It Just Doesn't Rain Like It Used To I Travel At Night It's A Big World And I'm In It (The Great Rememberer) It's A Comic Book World It's All True It's A Long, Long Story It's A Long Time Between Dreams It's Always Maybe It's A Simple Life It's OK I Wait For You I Want You I Was Speaking With Orson Welles I Watch The World I Wonder J J Jane Discovers Cesare Japan Japan (Demo) Jazz Jazzy Loop Jean Cocteau Jericho's Armband Counsel Jet Pack Jive Jets At Dawn (Single Version) Jets At Dawn (Album Version) Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus (Electrotype Version) Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus (Axe Victim Version) Jet Town The Jewel Jimi Sifts The Sands Of Time The Jingler The Jitters Jollytown Junc-Sculpture Junk The Funk Jupiter Commander Just A Kid And All That Sky K K Kaleidoscopic Windows Karma Kisses Katharos Katstatik Keep Your Feathers Fine (Version One) Keep Your Feathers Fine (Version Two) Keep Your Telescope Focussed On The Stars Kid Flip And The Golden Spacemen The Kid With A Cuckoo Clock Heart Kid With Cowboy Tie Killing My Desires A Kind Of Loving Kinda Fuzzy The King And Queen Of Now Or Never Kingdom Of The Sky King Frankenstein King Of The Cowboys The Kingdom Of Consequence Kirkella Bells Kiss Goodbye Kiss It Off Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel The Kiss Of History Kiss Of Light A Kiss Recalled Kiss You Slow Kitchenette Konny Buys A Kodak Koolerator Kut Up In Cartoonsville L L Lacuna Ladders Leading Nowhere Ladies Removing Lingerie Lady You're A Strange Girl Lagoon Lakeside Lampdownlowland The Lamplighter's Lament The Lamp Of Invisible Light Lamps Are Lit In The Land Of Tomorrow The Land Of Dreams Is Closed The Land Of Lost Dreams The Land Of Lost Time Language Of The Birds Lanterns Are Lighting The Last Lamplighter (For John Henry Griffiths) The Last Romantic The Last Summer For Dancing The Last Transmission The Latest Delay The Latest Skyline Late Transmission: This Song Is History Laughing Sailors, Raging Seas La Vie Moderne Lay-Zee Boy Receiver Lazy, Lazy Bones Lazy Loop The Legendary Spaceman Blues Legions Of The Endless Night Les Amoureux Let Flow The Wine L et It All Pass You By Let Me Dream You From Afar Let's Dance Letter To Jacques Maritain Let Us Melt And Make No Noise Life And Death Life As We Know It Life Class Life In Reverse Life In The Air-Age Life In Your Hands Life Is Like This Life Runs Out Like Sand The Light Fantastic The Light Gathering Garden Of Omar Kadiz The Lighthouse Keeper's Waltz Light In The Head The Light In The Mirror (The Bone Beneath The Skin) The Light Is Kinder In This Corner Of Corona Lightning Strikes The Steeple Light Rain Lights Lights (BBC Studio Session) Lights Of Kingdom Come Lights Shine When We Dream The Light This Universe Attracts The Light We Cannot See Like A Boat In The Blue Like a Dream Like An Old Blues Like Autumn Leaves We Fall Like A Woman Levitating Like Clockwork Like Rain (Rust's Dim Lustre) Likewise Is Said Elsewhere Lilac Shirt, Dark Glasses A Line Of Trees Gives Rise To Thought The Listening Station Listening To Lizards A Little Bit Of Nelsonia Little Cantina Little Cosmos Little Daughters Of Light Little Kisses Wrapped In Chocolate Little Luminaries A Little More Time Little Motors Move The Moon Living For The Spangled Moment Living For Today Living In My Limousine Living On The Moon Tonight Lo And Behold Locarno The Lockdown Song (It's All Downhill From Here) Loco-Motive (Off The Track) The Lonely Spaceman Lonesome Cowboy Bill The Lonesome Cowboy Radio Show Long Ago, By Moonlit Sea Long Grey Mare Longing For Light The Long Lost Summer A Long Time Ago Looking For A Lantern Loom Loose Box Loose Chippings Loose Connections Loosening Up With Lady Luck Lost In Space Lost In The Cosmos Again Lost In The Neon World Lost In Tijuana Lost In Your Mystery Lost Light The Lost Planet Of Sunday Afternoon Lost Planet Sunset Lost To Me Lost To Tomorrow The Lost Years Lotus In The Stream Love And A Bucket Full Of Holes Love In Flames Love In Flames (BBC Studio Session) Love In Flames (Demo) Love In The Abstract Love Is Swift Arrows A Lovely Dazzle Lover Boy At Heart Lovers Are Mortal Lovers In The Pleasure Gardens Love's A Way Love's First Kiss Love's Immortal Shining Angel Love To Win Love Without Fear Love With The Madman Loving Tongues Luana Lucis Lucky Sometimes Lucky Star Lumia Luminatron Luminous Intelligent Sexy Adults A Luminous Kind Of Guy A Luminous Kind Of Guy (Acoustic Version) Luna On The Beach Luna Rosa Luxeodeon M M Machine Voodoo Machines Of Loving Grace Madam Midnight Madhouse Magic And Mystery Magic Hill Magic Radio Magic Star Magnetism Made Me Do It Magnificent (The White Horse) Maid In Heaven Maid In Heaven (BBC Studio Session) Maid In Heaven (Top Of The Pops Backing Track) Make The Music Magic The Man In The Rexine Suit Manipulating The Phonograph Man Machine Man Of Dreams Man On Fire Man Or Astroman (Cat Or Mouse) The Man Who Dreamed Of Glory The Man Who Haunted Himself The Man Who Was Tomorrow March Of The Metaphysicians Marine Drive Mars Welcomes Careful Drivers The Martian Boulevardier The Marvellous Model Kit Marvellous Realms Mass Equals Energy The Mastery Of The Thing Materialisation Phenomena Mathematical Prairie Maybe It's My Eyes Maybe It's The Future Maybe Strange Imagination Mazda Kaleidoscope Meanwhile, Elsewhere The Meat Room Mechanical City One Meek And Wild (The Ghost In Joe's Studio) Melancholia Melancholia Lagoons Melancholy Dreams Mellophonia Mellotronix Memo Recorder Dream Narrative No.1 Memory Babe Memory Is A Data Cloud Forever Primed With Rain A Memory Lost The Memory Museum (Room One) Memory Skyline Memory Time No 1: A Wakefield Adventure Memory Time No 2: The Rock N' Roll Years Memory Time No 3: Eagle, Beezer, Topper, Beano Memory Time No 4: A Dansette Fantasy Men In Search Of The Milky Bosom Mercuria Magnetica Merry And Bright Merry Are The Wind Blown Crows Meshes Of The Afternoon Mess Around Metaphysical Jerks Meteor Bridge (Blip No 5) Method Acting Mex-Arcana Mexico City Dream (For Gil Evans) Migrating Angels The Milky Way (Burning Bright) Mill Street Junction (BBC Studio Session) A Million Moonlight Miles A Million Whistling Milkmen Mind Is A Harbour From Which Dreams Set Sail The Miracle Belongs To You Miracles To Happen The Mirror The Mirror Maker's Daughter (Other Fish To Fry) Mists Of Time Mitsukini Mixed Up Kid Mobile Homes On The Range Modern Music Modern Music (Reprise) The Moment Has Gone Moments Catch Fire On The Crests Of Waves Moments Flash Like Stars Between Them Moments In The Day Mondo Bravado Monorail Monster Man Monster Over The Fence Monsters From Heaven (Flowers And Rain) A Month Without A Moon (Jupiter in Saggitarius) The Moon Came In My Window Moon Gold Palladium Moonlight Rider Moon Over Echo Lake Moon Rocket Highway More Rain More Than Glory, More Than Gold Morning's Herald Mortal Coils The Mount Fuji Ice-Cream Factory Mountains Of The Heart Move Through This World Mr. Magnetism Himself Murder Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage Music From Another Star Music In Dreamland Music In Dreamland (Phonogram Studios Version) Music Spins My Globe Mutually Enchanted My Amigo My Botticelli Angel My Catalogue Of Dreams My Dark Daemon My Dream Demon My Dreamy Life My Electrical Empire My Elevated Sweetheart My Empty Bowl Is Full Of Sky My Ever Gleaming Dreamertron My Favourite Atom My Favourite Urban Chrome-Green Sky My Giddy Levitation My Intricate Image My Life In Neon, My Life In Sound My Light My Light (Demo) My Little Book Of Secret Knowledge My Luminous Planet My New Erotic Guest My Pal Hal (For Mr. Budd) My Paranoia My Philosophy My Private Cosmos My Private Cosmos (Part Two) My Shadow Cast By Midnight Moon My Ship Is Lost To Semaphore My Ship Reclines On Clouds Of Sail My Sputnik Sweetheart Mystere The Mysterious Bath Mysterious Chemicals Of Love The Mysterious Echo Chamber Of Priapus Stratocaster Mysterious Mysterium Mysterious Object Overhead Mysterium Mysterium Magnum (The Great Secret) The Mystery Demo Mystery Engine Mystery Vortex (Oberon Touchstone) Mysteryworld The Mystic My Sublime Perversion My Wild Atomic Wedding Day My Wonder Book Of Wings And Sails My World Spins N N Narcosis Naughty, Naughty Naughty Boy, Dirty Girl The Navigator Near East The Nebulous Adventures Of Newton Kyme The Nebulous Land Of Nod Nebulous Trolleybus Neil Young Neither Puck Nor Pan Neon Lights And Japanese Lanterns Never A Dull Day (For Les Paul) Nevermore Nevernoon Nevertheless New Dream Island New Moon Rising New Mysteries New Mysteries (Demo) New Northern Dreamer New Precision New Precision (Demo) News From Nowhere New Vibrato Wonderland Nightbirds Night Boats Pass Beneath The Stars Night Creatures Night Creatures (Electrotype Version) Night Creatures (Spoken Word Version) Night Is The Engine Of My Imagination Night Song Of The Last Tram Night Thoughts (Twilight Radio) Night Tides 1948 Nipples Of Venus No Bee In His Bonnet No Fool For You No Meaning No Memories Here To Make You Sad Noonday Venus No Room In My Head North-East Northern Dreamer (1957) A Northern Man North Yorkshire Moors Rain (For Harold Budd) Nostalgia (For The Future) Not As Easy As It Looks Nothing Is The New Something Nothing Up My Sleeve Nothing Yet No Thoughts, I Think No Time Says The Clock (Version 1) No Time Says The Clock (Version 2) No Trains To Heaven No Two Thoughts November Fires (My Northern Dream) Nowhere Fast Nowhere In Particular Now I Come To Think Of It Now Is Not And Never Was The Now That Never Was O O Ocean Afternoon Ocean Full Of Wishes Ocean In The Sky Ocean Over Blue The Ocean, The Night And The Big, Big Wheel The October Man October Sky Odeon The Offering Oh Moon In The Night I Have Seen Thee Sailing Old Brown Town Older Joe Old Goat Old Haunts The Old Nebulosity Waltz Old Weirdola On An Ocean Of Dreams On A Train I Never Boarded Once I Had A Time Machine Once More Around the Moon Once Upon A River One A.M. One Day At A Time One For You One Man's Fetish Is Another Man's Faith One Summer Night One Thing Leads To Another One Way Track Only A Dream But Nevertheless Only Dreaming Only Love Can Tell Only One Blue Moon On The Beach On The Beam Opening Opium Opus Hermeticum (The Work Of Hermes) Orange Turning Blue Ordinary Idiots Ordinary Idiots (Original Demo) An Ordinary Man Ordinary Storm, Waiting For Rain Organola Orient Of Memphis Orient Pearl Orphans Of Babylon Orpheus Dreams Of Disneyland Orson's Ghost The Orson Welles Memorial Sleighride Osram Diadem Otherworld Our Friends In The Stars Our Lady Of Apparitions Our Lucky Stars Out Of The Window, Into The Night Out Of Touch Out Of Touch (BBC Session) Out Of Touch (Demo) O Vee Over Ocean Over The Moon Overture P P Pageant Paging Mr. God Pagoda Dreamhouse Painted Boats On Still Waters Painting Your Sky With Marvellous Birds Palace Of Gnosis Palais Des Marine Pamela And The Pony Club Panic In The World Panic In The World (BBC Studio Session) Panic In The World (Juan Les Pins Mix) Pansophia Parade Of The Inhabitants Of A Phantom Fairground Paradise And Purgatory Paradox Jukebox The Paradox Machine Parklands Drive Parks And Fountains, Clouds And Trees A Parting Of The Ways The Passion Past And Present (And The Space Between) Path Of Return The Pavilion Of Diana Pedalscope One Pedalscope Two Peppermint Forever Perdita Rose Perfect Bliss Perfect Monsters A Perfect Night - The Dawn Rejoices Perfect World Perfidia 2017 Perfidio Incanto Phantom Gardens Phantom Island The Phantom Palace Of The Prince Of Dreams Phantom Sedan (Theme From Tail-Fin City) The Phonograph Bird Photograph (A Beginning) Photograph: A New Beginning Piano 45 Piano Angelica Piano-Guitar The Piano Lesson The Piano Room Picture In A Frame Picture Perfect Piece Of Mine (BBC Studio Session) Pilgrim (Fantasia On A Distantly Remembered Hymn) Pilots Of Kite Pink Buddha Blues Pink Poodle Parade (Organ Version) Pink Poodle Parade (Piano Version) Pink Trick Panties A Place We Pray For Planet Of Ghosts Planet Of Guitars Planet Of Sleeping Buddhas Planets We Once Knew The Plastic Flower Show Plastic Mac Playback Playbox Playful Playing Jesus To Her Judas Pleasure Bikes The Pleasure Boaters Plectricity Pointing At The Moon Pokus Polishing The Chromes A Pond For The Moon The Pond Yacht Pondering The Mystery Popsicle Head-Trip Portrait Of Jan With Flowers Portrait Of Jan With Moon And Stars Possession Possession (BBC Studio Session) Possession (Demo) Possession (Rough Mix) Postcard To A Penfriend Powder Blue Powerglide Prairie Hula Prayer For The Living A Prayer To Sleep With Mercurial Women Preamp Prelude: The Night Is Lit By Diamonds Premium Standard No.1 Pretty Little Bubble Of Dreams Prima Materia (First Matter) Prisoner Of Love A Private View Prize Of Years The Profaned Sanctuary Of The Human Heart Profiles, Hearts, Stars A Promise Of Perfume Propellor Of Legend Puckish Pure Imagination (Blip No 8) Pure Joy Purple Loop Push Button Bang Push The Button, Spin The Dial Puzzlepop Q Q Quarter Moons And Stars Quarter To Eleven The Queen Of Atlantis Queen Of The Infra-Red Queer Weather Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars (Demo) Quick As A Flash Quiet Bells Quiet Planet Quietly Now (Manipulating The Phonograph No.2) Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam R R Radar In My Heart Radar In My Heart (Demo) Radiant Nature Knows Not The Worker's Sorrow Radiant Spires Radiated Robot Men Radio Andalusia Radio Control Radio Rialto Radio Waves Lap Memory's Shore Radium Cocktail Rain And Neon Rainboy And Whistledog Rainclouds Over Paris Of My Dreams Rain Dance The Raindrop Collector Raindrops Raindrum Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin Rain Falls On Sleepytown The Rainiest Day In The World Raining Rain Made Us Shine Rain On A Caravan Roof Rain Town Rambling Through The Meadows (Wonder Wise) Rapture Parade Rattlin' Trams The Real Adventure Real Gone Reality Check The Reality Of Imagination Real Men With Ray Guns Realm Of Archons Realm Of Dusk Realm Rider Real Thing This Time Real Worlds And Dream Worlds The Receiver And The Fountain Pen Red Planet Blues (The Ritual Transfiguration Of Spaceman Albert Fitzwilliam Digby) Reflect On This Rehearsal Of Thought Reighton Sands Rejoice Relaxin' With Bill At Luxury Lodge Relaxo Supremo A Reliable Bicycle And A Map Of The Heart (Trip Two) The Rest Of The World Rolls By The Retro Modernist Retronauta The Return Of Magnificent Return To Jazz Of Lights Revenge Of The Coda Kings The Revenge Of The Man In The Burning Ice-Cream Van Reverse Engineering Reversing Through Willows Revolt Into Style Revolt Into Style (Demo) Revolving Globes Rhythm Unit Rialto Riders Of My Love Riding The Go-Tubes Right, Then Left Ringing True Ripples On A Blue Pool Rise (Above These Things) Rise Like A Fountain The Rise Of Pandemonium And The Fall Of Kingdom Come Rising Sap The Ritual Echo River Of Love A River On The Edge Of Time The Road To Elsewhere Robots On Parade Rockarolla Rockers Of The Rosy Cross Rocket Billy Blues Rocket Cathedrals Rocket Cathedrals (First Version) Rocket Rabbit's Secret Dream (Osram Energy Device No.1) Rocket Science Ranchboy Rocketship Rocket To Damascus Rocket To The Moon Rocking The Dreamboat Rolling Home (Yorkshire Raga No.1) Rooms With Brittle Views Rosalia The Rose And The Beast The Rose Covered Cottage At The End Of Time Roses And Rocketships Roses, Haloes, Crown Of Thorns The Rossetti Effect Roto-Scope Roundabouts And Swings Royal Blue Royal Ghosts The Roy Rogers Radio Ranch The Ruins Of Youth, The Twang Of Tomorrow The Rumbler (For Duane) Runaway Running Running From My Own Shadow Rural Shires Rusty Bells S S Sacrament Sad Feelings Safe Inside Her Wonderwear Sail Away Sailing My Boat Sailing Through Skies Of Blue Sailing To The Moon Sailor Blue Same Shape, Different Meaning Sanctus Illuminatus (The Sacred Illuminated) Santos Saturnalia Saturn's Groove The Saxophonist (Demo) The Saxophonist (Juan Les Pins Version) Say Hello, Electric Ghost Scale Model (Assembly Required) Scenic Elevator Science And Sacrament Science Fiction Times The Science Of Extraordinary Things Seaglass Search And Listen Searching For An Island Off The Coast Of Dreams Searching For Utopia And Other Shangrilas Secret Agent At Science Park Secret Ceremony (Theme From Brond) Secret Club For Members Only Secret Song (Oh, Emiko) Seduction (Ritual With Roses) See It Through See-Through Nightie Selectatone Self Impersonisation Self-Initiation Sell My Soul Send The Rain Senor Mysterioso Sentimental September Promenade Sequinned Skeleton Blues Serene In Silver The Serpent Holds The Secret Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart Set Your Dials For Dreaming Seven Keys To This City 17 Electric Women Seventh Circle 72 Christmases On Planet Earth Several Famous Orchestras Sex And Drums And Saxophones Sex Magic Sex Party Six Sex, Psyche, Etcetera The Shadow Garden Shadow Haunting Me Shadowland Shake It Up Shaker The Shape Of Things To Come She Dreams Of Fires She Gave Me Memory She Sees Me Sleeping She Sends Me She's Got Flower Power She's Got Me Floating She's Got The Power She Signals From Across The Bay She's So Extreme She Swings Skirt Shibuya Screen Shifting Sands The Shimmering Threshold (On Your Bike Emperor Ming) Shine Shine Your Light Shining Reflector The Shining Staircase Shining Through Ship In A Bottle Blues (The Modern Mariner) Ship Of Summer, All Lights Blazing Ships In The Night Ships In The Night (Alternate Vocal Version) Ships In The Night (First Version) A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain A Short History Of The Future Short Wave The Shot Shower Of Sparks Show Home Showtime Science Fiction Times Signal Destinations Signalling As We Go Signals From Earth Signs And Signals Signum Natura (Symbolic Nature) Silent Glides My Armstrong Siddeley The Silent Hour Silent Night The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes Silver Rain (Marooned In A Fairytale) Silver Sailboat On Samsara Sea Silver Sparks And Coloured Stars Silver Stars Will Shine Silver Tears Silvertone Fountains A Simple Thought Flashes Through My Mind Sine Waves Singing In A Silver Tower Sing Ye Golden Sunbeams, Sing The Singing In The Air Above The Village Green Singing My Life Away Sister Seagull Sister Seagull (BBC Studio Session) Sisters And Sedan Chairs The Six Coiled Serpent Six Legged Critter Singing In The Trees Six String Skyway Six Strings For Sara Skidoodling Skies Are Not Cloudy Skimming Stones Skull Baby Cluster Sky Loop Sky Scooter The Sky, The Sea, The Moon And Me Skylark's Rise Sleep The Sleep Of Hollywood Sleep That Burns Sleepcycle The Sleeping Body Sings Sleepless City Sleepless In The Ticking Dark Sleeplessness Sleepy Snakes Slinky Incantations Slippery Loop Slow Clouds Slow Jig And Whirligig Slow, Slow, Slow Slow Smoulder Slow Sundays Slumberlite Small Red Birds Smiles Smoke And Vine Smoke And Wires Smoke Drifts Silent In Autumn Air Snakes With Wings Snoozy Winks Snowfall Snowing Outside Snow Is Falling Snow Light Soakin' In The Bathtub Soda Fountain Swing So Far Soft Light So Insane And So In Love So It Goes Solid Spaces Soluna Oriana Some Days It's Orange, Some Days It's Blue Some Distant Time Some Jiggery Pokery Something's Going On Sometimes, These Times Somewhere Else Is Here Somewhere In Far Tomorrow Somewhere, Nowhere, Everywhere The Sonambulist And The Children A Song Of Heart And Mind The Song My Silver Planet Sings Soon September (Another Enchantment) The Sound From This Recording Travels To The Stars Sound Track Southport Space Ace Gets His Girl Space Age Dreamer Space Country Loop Space Cowboys Spacefleet (The Golden Days Of Dan Dare) Spacehopper Spaceport Space Ranch Spaceship Away! Spacesuit Parade Spanish Galleons Cruise The Sunrise The Spark Sparkle And Spin The Sparkle Machine (Phenomena 77) Sparklette (Blip No 4) The Sparkling Idea Sparky And The Spearmint Moon Spearmint And Moonbeams Special Metal The Spectral Waltz Of Venus Speedboats From Another World Speed Of The Wind Speed Of The Wind (Demo) Spindrift Sphinx Spinnin' Around Spinning Creatures Spinning Dizzy On The Dial Spinning Pentagrams Spinning Planet The Spirit Cannot Fail A Spirit Map Of Montparnasse The Spirit That Remembers Spooks In The Shed Spooky Little Thing Spring Springtime Comes A Dancing Spring Will Come Spy Vs Spy Squeaky Toytown Squirm Stage Whispers Stage Whispers (BBC Studio Session) Staircase To No Place Standard Fireworks The Standard Fireworks Stomp Stand By: Light Coming... Standing In A Starlit Room Standing On Tiptoes, Reaching For The Sky Stanley Blues Tail A Star Named Desire Star Sugar Sky Stargazing Whilst Smoking An Imaginary Pipe (Pipedreams) Starland Starlight And Moonbeams Starlight Stories Stars Will Shine Start Beaming And Get On The Gleam Starward-Ho! Station Clock In Cloud Of Steam Stay With Me Stay Young Stay Young (BBC Session) Stay Young (Demo) Steam Radio Blues Steamboat In The Clouds Stereo Star Map Number One Stereo Star Map Number Two Still Shining (BBC Studio Session) Still Waiting Stone In Your Palm Stop/Go/Stop Stop/Go/Stop (Demo) Strange And Wonderful (That's My Life) Stranger Flowers Now Than Ever The Strangest Things, The Strangest Times Streamlined Train, Passing Fast Streamliner Strictly For The Birds Strolling With My Father Strong Enough Struck Dumb By Beauty Again The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of Stupid-Stupid (Deep And Serious) Substitute Flesh Substitute Flesh (Demo) Suburban Mermaid One Twenty Three Suburban Pearl Summer Comes In Colour Summer Hums In The Bee-Loud Glade Summer Over Soon Summer Shower Summer Woman Sun At Six Windows Sunbeam Sunglasses After Dark Sun Kings Suffer (As Time Goes By) Sun Loop Sunny Bungalows Sunny Day For A Happy Postman Sun On Water, Wind In Wire Sun Will Rise Superadventure (Sound-On-Sound) Superenigmatix Superenigmatix (BBC Studio Session) Superhappyeverafter Super-Hyper Hocus Pocus Super Noodle Number One Superscope The Super-Sensualist Superserene Superslippy Surf King Sails In Surreal Estate Surreal Estate (Demo) Suvasini Swan Song Sway And Swoon Sweet Dead Bunny Sweethearts In Swimsuits Sweet Is The Mystery Sweet Little Dreamer Sweet William's Epiphany Swept Away Swing Swing Song Swing With The Rhythm Boys Switchback Switch Off That Desert Sunset Switch On The Sky, Light Up The Stars Symphony In Golden Stereo Synchromatic T T Take It Off And Thrill Me (Jazzy Option) Take It Off And Thrill Me (Rock Option) Tales Of The Intergalactic Glee Club Talk Technique Tangle Of Wires Tantra Tantramatic Tarnished Tears As Diamonds (The Gift Reverses) Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams Techno Punk Gets Rhythm Teenage Archangel Telepathic Cats A Telescope Full Of Stars Tender Encounters (States Of Grace) Tender Is The Night Test Card Testify Test Of Affection That Old Mysterioso That's The World That Sunburst Sound That Was A Beautiful Dream, She Said That Was Then Theatre Of Falling Leaves Thematix Theme From Uncanny Valley Themis Aurea Theology There Are Ghosts Here There Are Stars Beyond The Night There Is A Moment There's A Star Somewhere These Are The Dreams These Minutes Are Ours These Stars Are Fire These Tall Blue Days (Are Lark Amazed) Theurgia They Tell You This, They Tell You That Thicket And Loam A Thing About That Things To Come Think And You'll Miss It Third Floor Heaven Third Floor Heaven (BBC Studio Version) This And That This Clockwork World This Dangerous Age This Everyday World (Instrumental Version) This Everyday World (Vocal Version) This Gilded Age This Information Arrives From Dreams This Is Destiny This Is Like a Galaxy This Is Not A Dream This Is True This Land Is Haunted This Leads To That Leads To This This River Runs Deep This Very Moment (Version 1) Thought Bubble No 1 Thought Bubble No 2 Thought Bubble No 3 A Thought For You A Thought In Passing Thoughts Travel (For Miles) Thoughts Without Friction The Thought That Counts Thousand Fountain Island A Thousand, Thousand Ghosts Threnodia Through Drifting Clouds Through My Window Thunder Blooms In The Heat Bruised Sky Thundercloudy Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade Thunder On The Wing Thunderous Accordions Thunder, Perfect Mind The Ticking Of Time Tick-Tock-Tick Tick Tock Ticking Time In Tokyo Time Is A Mechanism Time Is A Thief Time Is Running Away (The Blue Nowhere) Times Of Our Lives Time's Quick-Spun Globe Time's Tide (The Dreams That Escape Me) Time Stops Here Time Stops Right Here Time Today Time Tracking Time Travel For Beginners Tin Sings Bones Tinderbox Tingalary Man And The Scarlet Fever Kid Tiny Aeroplanes Tiny Little Thing Tiny Mice Are Dancing In The Cottage Of Her Dreams Tip The Wink Tired Eyes To A Child To Disappear To Imagine Is Hard To Jan From The Shining Stars Tomorrowland (The Threshold Of 1947) Tomorrow's World Tomorrow The World (BBC Studio Session) Tomorrow Today Tomorrow Will Not Be Too Late Tongues Of Fire (Resist) Tonight Picasso Dreams Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train) To The Sea In Ships Touch And Glow A Touch Of Body And Soul Tower Of Jewels To What Strange Place Will This Transport You? A Town Called Blue Tomorrow The Toy Trumpet The Trace We Left When All Was Gone The Tragedy Train Of Thought Train Travelling North Train With Fins Transcendant Transcendental Radios Transcendental Tittycups Transformation No. 1 Transformation No. 2 Transition No. 1 Transition No. 2 Transition No. 3 Transition No. 4 Transition No. 5 Transition No. 6 (The Journey) Transmission (N.B.C. 97293) Transoceanic Transparent Towers At Dusk Travelling In Mind Travels In The Spirit World The Trees Are Full Of Whistling Birds The Tree That Dreamed Of Violas A Trembling In The Air Trembling Rainbows Tremola The Trip Trip Thang Tropicus True North Try Tumbletown Turn Me Over Turn To Fiction Tuxedo Moon The TV's On The Blink Twang Rings True Tweetime The Twentieth Century The 21st Century 23,000 Feet In The Air Twice In A Blue Moon Twilight And The River Twilight Capers Twilight Crescent Twilight Planetarium Two Brothers Test The Kite Flying Winds Two Hearts Beating 2000 Miles To Midnight (My Ghost Burns Fire) U U U.H.F. Um, Ah Good Evening Under Fading Stars Under The Red Arch Unearthlings Unforgetting The Universe Is Fast Asleep A Universe To Give You The Unmasking Unsaid (Starry Lamps And Blazing Comets) Until All Our Lights Combine Until The Blue Whenever Until Tomorrow Uphill Up In The Attic, Down In The Lab (Hubble Bubble And Starshine) Up On A Star V V The Vanilla Summer Of Mr. Whippy Vanishing Parades Vapour Grey Variation On The Theme Of A White Christmas Velo-Sola Velocity Dansette Velorama Pastoral The Venetian Conjurer Venetian Submarines Ventura Venus Over Vegas Vertical Games V-Ghost (For Harold And Ellen) View From A Balcony The View From Lantern Hill The View From Mount Palomar The Village Dreams Beneath The Stars Villefranche Interior The Violins Of Autumn Visionary Visions Of Endless Hopes Visions Of Endless Hopes (Demo) Vista-Dome-Railcar Viva Le Voom-Voom A Voice Without A Face The Void Beyond The Line Vortexion Dream Vulcan Street W W Wah-Wah Galaxy No.1 Wait For Tomorrow Waiting For Rain Waiting For The Midnight Flyer Waiting For The Night (Demo) Waiting For Voices Walking Away From Paradise Walking On Thin Air The Walls Of Which Are Made Of Clouds Waltz The Waltz At The End Of The World Wanderings Warm And Wonderful The Warmth Of Women's Eyes Wasted Lives Watching My Dream Boat Go Down In Flames Watchword (A Return) Water Of Life (Transfiguration) Waves The Way Way Back When The Way My World Works The Way Of The World Weather Blows Wild Inside My Head Weatherproof The Weather Song Weatherwood We Hail The Wind Down Long Arcades We Here Who Were There Weird Critters Welcome Home, Mr. Kane Welcome To Dreamshire Welcome To Electric City Welcome To Realm Seven Welcome To The Dream Transmission Pavilion Welcome To Wonderland Well, Well, Well (Rock N' Roll It) We Run Before The Wind West Deep We Two In Love Forever Dreaming We Vanish At Shadowfall We Were Young We Who Are Awake Will Not Be Asleep We Will Rise What Furnace Is The Brain? What Have We Got To Show For This? What's A Boy Supposed To Do? What's It All About? What Station Is This? What Time Is This Space? What To Wear Now, What To Wear Next What We Wish For Whatever I Do The Wheel Of Fortune And The Hand Of Fate When Accident Became My Bride When Aeroplanes Were Dragonflys When Art Schools Shaped Tomorrow When Beauty Came To Call When Boys Dream Of Guitars When Boys Were Lost For Words When Day Is Done When God Was A Rabbit And Buddha Was A Mouse (Over The Moon Two) When I Don't Feel Blue When Midnight Falls When The Birds Return When The Invisible Circus Comes To Town When The Wind Blows All Away When The World Was Beautiful When We Were Beautiful When We Were Young When Your Dream Of Perfect Beauty Comes True Where Are The Stars That Fall From Heaven Where Are We Now Where Do We Go Where Does It Come From, Where Does It Go? Where's The Wonder? Where You Is, Is Where You Are Whimsy Whirlaway The Whirlpool Into Which Everything Must Whirl Whirlpool Meditation Whirlwind Winters Wind The Clocks Of Spring Whistleworld Whistling While The World Turns White Falcon One White Falcon Two White Sound Who He Is The Whole City Between Us Whoop-Be-Doopy-Doopy! Whoops! I'm Going Back In Time Who's That Floating Above The Trees? Why? Why Be Lonely Why Does It Do That? Wide Awake/Half Asleep Wide Awake In The Heart Of You A Wide Open Window (With A View Of The Stars) Wider Windows For The Walls Of The World Wild And Dizzy Wild And Serene Wild Blue Sky Cycle Wild Blue Yonder Wild Lilac Wildest Dreams Will William Is Wearing The Cardigan Of Light Willow Silk The Wind Blows Silver And The Bees Hum Gold Wind Chimes Of Memory The Wind In The Wood Windmill Interlude Windmills In A World Without Wind A Window Open Onto Eden Windsong Of The Flying Boy Windswept Wing And A Prayer Wings And Everything Wing Thing Winterchyme The Winter Mermaid Wiping A Tear From The All Seeing Eye Wireless World Wishes With All The Will In The World Without A Blue Horizon The Woman Of Tomorrow Wonder And Excitement Wonderful Weather In Woodgates Lane The Wonderful Wurlitzer Of Blackpool Tower Wondering Wondering Why? Wonder Kid Wondermonster The Wonder Of It All Wonder Of The Age Wonder Of The Moment Wonders Never Cease Wonder Story Wonder Street Wondertown Wonder Toys That Last Forever Wonder Where We Go Wonky Loop Word For Word Words Across Tables The Word That Became Flesh Workcycles Working Man The World And His Wife The World Is Lost To Us All In The End World Of Dreams The World Sleeps Late On New Year's Day World Still Turns World Thru' Fast Car Window The World To Me The World Wakes Up Wow! It's Scootercar Sexkitten! Wysteria XYZ XYZ Year 44 (The Birthday Song) The Years Years From Now Yes And Always And Forever Yes And No Yesterday Yonder Gleams Your Star You Do Like Music? (Blip No 1) You Don't Love Me You Freak Me Out You Here Now In William's World You Know How To Hurt You Make Me Cry Young Angels By An Ancient River Young Dreams, Whirled Away Young Eyes Young Marvelman Your Hand Today Holds The Future Of Tomorrow Your Imagination Your Magic Man In The Sky Your Morning Blessing Your Name Completes This Frequency Your Nebulous Smile Your Secret Sign Your Sexy Thunder Your Taxi To The Stars Your Whole Life Dreaming Youth Of Nation On Fire The Yo-Yo Dyne Zanoni Zip, Boom, Bang Zodiac Zoom Sequence

Electrotype retrospective collection - 14 February 2001 Bill Nelson Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Global Village - Dear Mr. Fantasy 02) Global Village - Long Grey Mare 03) Global Village - You Don't Love Me 04) Global Village - 598 Rundown 05) Global Village - Babe 06) Global Village - Stanley Blues Tail 07) Global Village - Keep Your Feathers Fine 1 08) Global Village - Country Season 09) Global Village - Keep Your Feathers Fine 2 10) Global Village - Young Eyes 11) Global Village - Batch #70172 12) Global Village - Summer Woman 13) Be Bop Deluxe - Riders Of My Love 14) Be Bop Deluxe - Jet Silver & The Dolls Of Venus 15) Be Bop Deluxe - Be-Bop-Bac 16) Be Bop Deluxe - If Stars Should Fall 17) Be Bop Deluxe - After The Stars 18) Be Bop Deluxe - So Insane And So In Love 19) Be Bop Deluxe - Night Creatures 20) Chris Coombs - Yesterday 21.1) Chris Coombs - Cold Tired And Hungry 21.2) (Unlisted Track) NOTES: Electrotype is an archive release taken from acetates and 2 track recordings made at Holyground Studios in Wakefield between 1968 and 1972 compiled by Mike Levon, who sadly passed away on 5 September 2011. For anyone who had read Nelson's personal reminiscences of his earliest somewhat amateur recordings and wondered what these various outfits sounded like, then this CD provides most of the answers. Coming with an informative and superbly illustrated booklet, that perfectly reflects the times when this music was made, Electrotype (together with Nelson's 1971 debut album Northern Dream ) tells the story of Nelson's formative years in wonderful detail. The inclusion of seven Be Bop Deluxe demos from 1972 (ignore the 1971 date claimed for some of these, as this is an error) should be enough to attract any Nelson fan but the entire collection is a fascinating glimpse of the Holyground years that fleshes out his formative years with tracks from Global Village and Be Bop Deluxe. The inclusion of 2 tracks by Chris Coombs on which Nelson guests is of interest to only those who have to own everything Nelson recorded. PAST RELEASES: None of this material was previously available. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This collection can be purchased directly from Holyground ( http://www.holyground.co.uk/electrotype/ ). Collections Menu Future Past

Willerby album - 1991 The Rhythm Sisters Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer, Guitar, Sitar and Keyboard. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

The Last Lamplighter Bill Nelson album - 24 August 2019 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) The Lamplighter's Lament 02) Tick Tock Ticking 03) Wide Awake In The Heart Of You 04) The Winter Mermaid 05) Strictly For The Birds 06) Plastic Mac 07) House Of Mystery 08) Ghosts Of Utopian Cities 09) The Woman Of Tomorrow 10) Vulcan Street 11) Serene In Silver 12) What's A Boy Supposed To Do? 13) My Life In Neon, My Life In Sound 14) Lost Light 15) The Last Lamplighter (For John Henry Griffiths) ALBUM NOTES: The Last Lamplighter is an album of songs and instrumentals issued as a download only via Nelson's Bandcamp page issued on 24th August 2019. Originally titled The Last Lamplighter (Return to Vulcan Street), the subtitle was dropped at the artwork stage. The album was recorded between January and May 2019 and was largely compiled from material that had been omitted from the Stand By: Light Coming... album issued simultaneously. The recordings making up this album are likely to be amongst the last completed on Nelson's trusted recording and mixing set up that has served him so well since 2002. This operational change stemmed from Nelson's Mackie D8B mixing console having become unreliable and expensive to repair. It will be interesting to see how Nelson makes the transition to his new computer-based system that he acquired in March 2019 and which will receive its inaugural use in time for his next recording project. Amongst the guitars used on these recordings were two new acquisitions – a Backlund Super 100 MDX purchased by Nelson's fan base in honour of his 70th birthday the previous December and a Musicvox Space Cadet that Nelson acquired from the funds left over from the donations received for the birthday gift. The album took shape immediately after Nelson had selected material for Stand By: Light Coming... on 18 April 2019. The starting point for this was to select the best material from the 11 surplus recordings from the January to April recording sessions. As this material was insufficient to make up a full album, Nelson recorded additional tracks in late April and early May 2019. He then added in two tracks, 'Serene in Silver' and 'The Woman of Tomorrow' recorded for, but not used on, Auditoria and Drive This Comet Across the Sky. The Last Lamplighter was mastered at Fairview by John Spence on 10 May 2019. With the album successfully mastered, Nelson turned his attention to the album artwork. Assembly of the sleeve design fell to Martin Bostock working with images that Nelson had selected as the recording sessions that resulted in this album neared completion. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: 'The Last Lamplighter' :- "Is a brand new album and is intended as a companion piece to 'Stand By: Light Coming...' Many of its tracks were originally intended for the latter album but running times dictated otherwise. I decided to combine them with tracks I'd laid aside for an album titled 'Vulcan Street', an album and title I'd abandoned. A few more tracks were also recorded to make up the track count and the 'The Last Lamplighter' was the end result. 'The Last Lamplighter,' at first, had a subtitle: ('Return To Vulcan Street,') but this was dropped from the final artwork. "The album contains 15 tracks of mostly vocal-based songs but with a couple of instrumental interludes. It has an eclectic mix of styles. "The title track is dedicated to my Great Grandfather on my Mother's side of the family, (John Henry Griffiths,) who actually worked as a lamplighter in the city of Wakefield in the 1930s and '40s. He passed away in the early 1950s when I was very young but I can remember visiting him in his bedroom at Marriot's Buildings where I was born. He spent his last couple of years in bed and seemed to be a gentle old man although my Mother tells me that he was sometimes difficult and often drunk when she was a child. She acknowledges that he mellowed in his old age and that he liked and looked forward to seeing me. My Mother also recalls, as a young girl, sometimes accompanying him on his rounds as a lamplighter on the then cobbled streets of Wakefield. A romantic image that inspired the album's title track. "What was to be the central track of 'Vulcan Street' is also included on the album. 'Vulcan Street' conjures images of terrace houses, infernal factories and sparks and fire in my mind, the industrialised grey and foggy North of the 1940s and '50s. Had there been a Vulcan Street in Wakefield back then, I'm sure it would have had its lamps lit by my Great Grandfather. "This new album is a download only release and is exclusively available from my Bandcamp page or via the link this website. It comes complete with downloadable artwork which you can print out to use when burning the album to a CDR. I hope you will enjoy it!" _____ "Have been more or less constantly working on the 'overflow' album, titled 'The Last Lamplighter,' which will contain tracks that did not find a place on the 'Stand By: Light Coming...' album. Some tracks were left off that album because there wasn't room for them, others were left off because they didn't really feel right to me, (although several fans have expressed an interest in hearing them.) So, I've been experimenting with different track lists for 'The Last Lamplighter' in an attempt to make an interesting album from the left over material. "After some soul searching, I think I've come up with a good solution. A few of the left over tracks have now definitely been consigned to the waste bin. These are not songs that I consider worth hearing and I certainly won't miss them. Others, however, sound ok and I have included them in the album. "But to make sense of it all, I've had to record some new tracks to not only bring the track count up to scratch, but to add mood and variety. I now feel the album has a real purpose, both as a companion piece to 'Stand By: Light Coming...' and as an album in its own right." _____ " And what about 'The Last Lamplighter (Return To Vulcan Street.)' ? This is an album made up of tracks left over from the sessions that produced 'Stand By: Light Coming...' so, inevitably, a certain amount of the thematic structure is carried over from one album to the other. There are a couple of references to 'clocks ticking' and the passage of time in these songs too, but there are a few diversions, particularly in the five instrumental tracks that are included to break up the vocal ones. "As for the sonic qualities of these albums, I'd say that they were textured and richly rendered, noisy at times, spontaneously put together, never perfectly executed, sometimes abrasive, quirky, even scary, sometimes tender and naive. Hopelessly flawed, but perhaps forgivably and poetically so. At the end of the day, it's just stuff that emerges from Being." FAN THOUGHTS: Tourist: "Well, I'm on my own, it's late and everyone else here is peacefully resting...I've just, literally, just finished my first full listen through of this new album of Bill's and I really don't know what to say...don't know where to start...I certainly won't try some kind of mini-review or walkthrough, I think all I'm going to say is that it's just knocked my socks off!...It really is absolutely wonderful and the whole one hour? (I think) running time seemed like it was over in a flash. I honestly think Bill is currently writing and composing some of the best music of his life, it really is quite superb and I think The Last Lamplighter is right up there...I believe Bill just gets better and better as the years go on, and you can't say that, with hand on heart, about too many musicians. I wouldn't do the album justice with any form of track reviews, I won't highlight any specific songs, but I will say it's a 'killer' album, every track is a gem. I think it's been put together fantastically well, the running order sounds great, the interspersion of instrumental tracks perfectly placed and if there are any people out there who aren't sure whether to buy this download, I would urge you to go ahead, as I'm pretty sure you will love it!...If you don't, I'll regret it for you! And, I just noticed it says on iTunes, 'Bill Nelson The Last Lamplighter Unknown Genre'...finally they begin to understand. Great album Bill!!….seriously folks, don't miss this one." "The more I listen to this wonderful album, the more I fall in love with it...It's actually competing with Sailor Bill ...sometimes I think it might be my favourite Bill Nelson album. ...And!...any Be Bop fans that haven't jumped into Bill's solo recordings, well, that's fine too, but if you're looking for mind-blowingly fabulous guitar work, please try this album...Fantastically haunting, always touching the melancholy, reaching back to something we once knew, but definitely a firm message for the here and now!...gloriousness...it's superb!!" lee_elliot59: "Another stunner...and very much a compliment to 'Standby '. Worth any price of admission for just 'Strictly For The Birds' which towers amongst Bill's finest. "With these most recent releases it's easy to hear Bill reaching for new expressions which straddle various aspects of his technique." Alec: "Along with everything else that's great about this recording is it's a great rock 'n roll record as well, full of great rock grooves." mo497: "Like fine, vintage wine, Bill Nelson's guitar virtuosity continues to improve with age. Case in point, this wonderful new release. Not to be missed! Thank you, Bill!" Albums Menu Future Past

Cinema Menu Bill Nelson Videos A collection of videos Bill has created for his music, with a couple of 'guest' videos that Bill enjoys. The Studio Tour Here's a video showing a walk around Bill's studio in intimate detail... It features the tracks 'The Raindrop Collector' and 'A Perfect Night - The Dawn Rejoices'. September 2018 Video and music by Bill Nelson Drive This Comet Across The Sky 'Drive This Comet Across The Sky' is an album now available to download from Bandcamp. It's an album with a number of rock-pop songs on it and a single instrumental track. Here is a simple little video I've made to give you a preview of the title track. Hope you enjoy it! Bill Nelson, January 2018 Video and music by Bill Nelson Instromix Created in October 2017, 'Instromix' includes manipulated photographs and images to the backing of five fantastic guitar -based instrumental tracks Video and music by Bill Nelson The Awakening Of Dr. Dream The title track from the 2017 album 'The Awakening Of Dr. Dream' Video and music by Bill Nelson Hyperluminal From the 2016 album 'Perfect Monsters' Video and music by Bill Nelson Only A Dream But Nevertheless From the 2015 album 'Plectrajet' Revisiting Wakefield and the ruins of memory... A personal odyssey through the decaying landscape of my past Video and music by Bill Nelson The Boy Who Lived In The Future Taken from the 2013 album 'The Sparkle Machine', this video was premiered at the Hepworth Gallery concert in Wakefield in September 2013 Video and music by Bill Nelson Albion Dream Vortex The title track from the 2013 album 'Albion Dream Vortex' Featuring Bill's photography throughout the years Video and music by Bill Nelson Let's Dance This track from the 2012 album 'Return To Tomorrow' is Bill's cover of the Chris Montez hit. Julian Hanford has done a fantastic job of coupling the music to a dance sequence from the 1969 Universal Pictures film 'Sweet Charity'. Music performed by Bill Nelson, written by Jim Lee Film footage by Bob Fosse Video produced by Julian Hanford Model Village Take a trip with Bill around some of his favourite Yorkshire Landscapes. Featuring the tracks 'Windmill Interlude' and 'Cross Country', from his 2011 album 'Model Village' Video and music by Bill Nelson The Golden Days Of Radio From the 2009 album 'Fancy Planets' Video and music by Bill Nelson Once I Had A Time Machine Taken from the 2008 album 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow', this video was premiered at the Songs For Ghosts launch party in October 2017 Video and music by Bill Nelson Young Dreams Whirled Away From the 2008 album 'Silvertone Fountains' Video and music by Bill Nelson Astron From the 2007 album 'Secret Cub For Members Only' Video and music by Bill Nelson The Ceremonial Arrival Of The Great Golden Cloud From the 2005 album 'The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill' Music written and performed by Bill Nelson Video produced by Julian Hanford incorporating footage from various sources Be Bop Deluxe In The South Of France Footage shot by Bill during the recording of the Drastic Plastic album in 1977. The material remained unseen until Bill found it, digitised it and made this film...first shown during the 'Be Bop and Beyond' tour of 2004 Video and music by Bill Nelson Pink Buddha Blues Taken from the 1995 album 'Practically Wired (Or How I Became Guitar Boy)'. The music is Bill's, but the video sequence isn't... However, Bill very much approves of the video, which is why it is featured here in the Essoldo Cinema. Music by Bill Nelson Video uploaded by Zastava Flaming Desire From the classic 1982 album 'The Love That Whirls' Music and video by Bill Nelson Do You Dream In Colour? A very well spruced up video of this classic single from the 1981 album 'Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam' Video and music by Bill Nelson Cinema Menu

My Private Cosmos Bill Nelson 6-CD album set - 17 December 2021 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this 6-CD Set DISC ONE TRACKS 01) Are You Listening? 02) My Private Cosmos 03) I Dream Of Giant Telescopes 04) Lightning Strikes The Steeple 05) Hang This Moment On A Sigh 06) They Tell You This, They Tell You That 07) Driving Through England 08) Light Rain 09) Set Your Dials For Dreaming 10) Kingdom Of The Sky 11) Kirkella Bells 12) Living On The Moon Tonight 13) The Dusk Before The Dark 14) Glittering Figures (A Gnostic Lullaby) 15) Days Of Wonder 16) Picture Perfect DISC TWO TRACKS 01) Thunder, Perfect Mind 02) With All The Will In The World 03) The Crystal Gazing Room (No Sleep For The Alchemist) 04) The Astronomy Of The Heart 05) On An Ocean Of Dreams 06) This Land Is Haunted 07) Friday In The Future 08) Mists Of Time 09) In The Chapel Of Her Sparkles 10) The Trees Are Full Of Whistling Birds 11) Dreaming Of Another World 12) Time's Tide (The Dreams That Escape Me) 13) Your Secret Sign 14) Under Fading Stars 15) Forever Ago DISC THREE TRACKS 01) I Watch The World 02) Through My Window 03) Another Rainy Day 04) When The Wind Blows All Away 05) Time Stops Right Here 06) I Was Speaking With Orson Welles 07) Techno Punk Gets Rhythm 08) Merry And Bright 09) Old Brown Town 10) Lanterns Are Lighting 11) The Universe Is Fast Asleep 12) Seven Keys To This City 13) Osram Diadem 14) Fantastico 15) The Paradox Machine 16) The 21st Century DISC FOUR TRACKS 01) Silver Sparks And Coloured Stars 02) Helios In Memoryland 03) Gazing Through Golden Windows 04) The Navigator 05) An Acre Of Sunshine 06) The Light In The Mirror (The Bone Beneath The Skin) 07) Ghosts Dance In Ghostland 08) The Memory Museum (Room One) 09) Silver Stars Will Shine 10) Ghost Trains Travel On Phantom Tracks 11) I Recall Jets At Dawn 12) There's A Star Somewhere 13) The Spectral Waltz Of Venus 14) My Private Cosmos (Part Two) 15) Curiosity's Domain DISC FIVE TRACKS 01) A Dip In The Sparkle Jar 02) This Clockwork World 03) When We Were Beautiful 04) Hi-Tone Saturday 05) Mechanical City One 06) Dreamlike World 07) Coasting 08) Some Days It's Orange, Some Days It's Blue 09) In The Land Of Nothing Doing 10) Magic And Mystery 11) The Super Sensualist 12) White Falcon Two 13) Far Side Of Nowhere 14) The TV's On The Blink 15) And All The World Was Ours DISC SIX TRACKS 01) Moonlight Rider 02) Ancient Angels Watching Me 03) The Long Lost Summer 04) The Roy Rogers Radio Ranch 05) Space Cowboys 06) White Falcon One 07) Wonder Kid 08) Puzzlepop 09) My Catalogue Of Dreams 10) The Infernal Machine 11) Until Tomorrow 12) Comic Cuts 13) The Listening Station 14) There Are Stars Beyond The Night 15) Celluloid Ghosts 16) Hey Ho, There You Go 17) Mortal Coils Purchase this download Purchase this download Purchase this download Purchase this download ALBUM NOTES: My Private Cosmos is a 6CD box set of mainly song based material issued on the Sonoluxe label in a limited edition of 1000 copies. The newest material included on the album was recorded between March and July 2021, immediately on the back of completing work on Dazzlebox . However, the full content of the album represents a greater recording period going back well into 2020 and comprises 94 new tracks. My Private Cosmos represents the third Bill Nelson album to be released since he moved to his recently established Cubase recording set-up assembled in 2019 and which he began utilising from January 2020. It also has gone some significant way to clearing his archive of unused material written and recorded during the past 18 months. Plans for the album were first announced on the Dreamsville website in a Journal entry on 11 April 2021 when Nelson revealed the title of his next project as well as indicating that some of its content would comprise tracks from his Cubase archive that hadn’t been chosen for inclusion on the previous two albums. By mid-July 2021 Nelson revealed, in a follow up Journal entry, that he now had sufficient material for the proposed release to fill a triple album although he remained unsure if the actual release itself would be a humble single album or perhaps a double. In fact, from the list of potential tracks Nelson had to choose from, provided in the same piece, there were then 76 different tracks available from which to compile My Private Cosmos . That would be enough to fill five albums' worth of material with the promise of still more to be recorded. By 19 July 2021 Nelson revealed through a post on the Dreamsville Forum that he was still not quite sure how big a project My Private Cosmos would turn out to be, wavering between a 2CD and 3CD set. Three days later, in a follow up forum post the indecision was still there but by now the choice was between a 3CD and 4CD boxed set. The fans' response to the suggestion of a 4CD set was resoundingly positive with almost everyone that stated a preference encouraging Nelson to opt for the 4CD route. In another subsequent post, on 25 July 2021, Nelson confirmed that he was set upon the idea of a 4CD set, comprising 57 tracks, going as far as posting the track listing for it, but admitted he was toying with the idea of offering more material as download exclusives sufficient to fill up a fifth disc. This option would most likely have affected physical sales as some fans would undoubtedly have only committed to buying the full digital download to acquire the 15 exclusive tracks. Having pondered the situation some more, on 29 July 2021 Nelson confirmed that he had decided to commit to a full 72 track 5CD physical set which although adding to the cost would at least allow all fans to buy just one edition of the album and in doing so get all the material on offer. However, over the coming days not only would Nelson add some additional music to the 5 CD set, bringing the total number of tracks to 75, he couldn't resist also adding a sixth disc's worth of material that would appear separately as an exclusive download album available through Bandcamp, to be entitled The Listening Station (My Private Cosmos Sector Six) . With the digital album comprising 16 tracks this brought the combined package to an impressive 91 tracks. Further deliberations over the next couple of weeks would see Nelson add a further 3 tracks to the proposed album but more importantly he would reach a decision on the format, confirming this to be a 6CD physical set after all, with no additional exclusive digital material. Not only did the musical content of My Private Cosmo s develop with time, so did the proposed artwork, as did how the set would be presented. Initially, with the album appearing to be a 5CD set, Nelson envisaged My Private Cosmos as being presented in a 'digital - box' but when he added a sixth CD to the proposed set, his thoughts on this changed, preferring it to be housed in an 'ear-book', complete with lavishly illustrated attached booklet of notes and images. This is best described as a 10" hardback book with the discs held on the inside faces and is the first Bill Nelson release to be housed in such a way. As usual Nelson selected and provided the images for the artwork and enlisted the services of Martin Bostock to design it. My Private Cosmos was mastered at Fairview Studios by John Spence from 17 August 2021 taking a week to work through the entire 94 tracks featured. The set also includes an exclusive plectrum and postcard, with early pre-order customers receiving their postcard signed. Two lucky pre-order customers, drawn at random, will also win the original line-drawing artwork that was used as part of the package design. Pre-orders for My Private Cosmos were announced by Burning Shed on 21 October 2021 with it being released on 17 December. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This 6-CD box set and digital version of Discs One, Two, Three and Four are available to purchase in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: (The following comments detail how this album's content evolved from Bill's initial concept through to the final decision ...) "I'm slowly making my way through a mass of tracks recor ded on my Cubase software system. These recordings cover the entire period since the system was installed, right up to the present day. Already New Vibrato Wonderland and the double album Dazzlebox have taken tracks from this archive, but I'm now attempting to assemble a future album, an album which currently bears the title My Private Cosmos. The trick is to select tracks which feel as if they belong together or at least relate to one another in some way, either conceptually or tonally. With such a diversity of tracks covering so many different moods, it's not an easy task... " _____ "I continue to record new music. I've amassed a hu ge number of tracks for the My Private Cosmos album, far more than I need, probably enough for three albums at least. The more tracks I accumulate, the harder it gets to choose which ones to put on the album. One way to deal with it, is to make it another double album of course. I'm in two minds about that. Many of the songs are complex and lengthy and so may need repeated listens to fully appreciate. Keeping the number of tracks to a manageable amount may help speed that process. But on the other hand, that would leave so many other curious and interesting tracks out. I'm certainly not ruling out the double album route. We'll see..." _____ "I've begun to assemble the track list/running order for My Private Cosmos. I think it's going to present something of a challenge to those listeners who gravitate more towards the 'straight rock' end of my musical spectrum. Whilst there are plenty of electric guitar parts featured, the structures and surrounding framework of the songs are not exactly orthodox. There's something dark and mysterious about several of the tracks. "How to describe things? Some might think of the tracks as resembling 'ambient, psychedelic avant-garde pop songs.' And that's not a bad description, despite its convoluted connotations, but it's only part of the story. Sonically, there's a deep, cavernous quality to several of the tracks, a 'lost in the void' feeling that requires a simpatico response from the listener. "There are grandiose moments too, set against stripped back, minimalist verses. Electronic distress gets mixed up with smooth, tuneful guitar tones to create a feeling of gleaming chrome blighted by rust and decay. The album pulls together several threads of my musical interests and weaves them into an obscure, perhaps 'baroque' tapestry. It's sometimes familiar sometimes bizarre. Certainly not an album to be grasped and appreciated in a superficial listen, but, I hope, one that will blossom fully from extended plays. It's a slightly weird work, a little different from my usual, but also perfectly reflecting and extending some aspects that you may have become familiar with over the last few years. Oh, and at the moment, it's going to be a double album, maybe even a triple masterwork..." _____ "Well, I'm considering a bold step: I've now already worked out a running order for three discs, (a triple album,) but still have other tracks I'd like to include. As a result of that, I'm thinking about the possibility of making it a quadruple album, perhaps in a box. I've never done this with my 'cottage industry' releases before, so not sure what the manufacturing costs would be for a relatively small run of pressings, nor how many fans would support such a Quixotic adventure..." _____ "I've decided to release a complete set of five CDs in a DVD shaped digital-box with a connected (not loose), book inside containing all the relevant info and images. I've also now copied the 72 songs to a flash drive ready to take to Fairview for mastering. This is, in total, a mammoth work. Months of recording, mixing and sorting running orders out to get to this stage, but more work yet to be done. Sometimes I wonder if projects as epic as this one are worth it. Well, it's what it is, an architectural monolith of an album..." _____ "I've now added some extra songs to the five discs, making it 15 tracks per disc. That's 75 tracks on the five cd set in total. I do, however, still have several tracks left over from these sessions so will gather them together to form a mini album which I'll make available as a digital download 'annexe' to My Private Cosmos on Bandcamp. This entire project is insane, a mad folly, but I'm going to ignore reason and get it all out there intact..." _____ "The 'left over' tracks from the five CD set are more than enough for a further sixth disc. There are 16 extra tracks that I want to release from these sessions so, what I'm hoping to do is to create a sixth 'virtual' disc and release it under its own steam as a digital download only...Utter madness indeed!" _____ "Now, my first idea is to make this sixth disc a stand alone, download only album, a kind of bonus item. I'm, thinking of giving it the title 'The Listening Station, (My Private Cosmos Sector Six).' This way people have the option of downloading an extra 16 tracks or to just stick with the five physical CD box set. The other option is to include the 16 bonus tracks as a physical CD, as part of the main set, basically expanding it from five CDs to six." _____ "I've added a further three tracks to the set, though their inclusion will depend on there being enough space on the discs to take them. John [Spence] will gradually assemble each disc and will then be able to judge if there is room to add the three extra tracks. If there is room the total track count will be 94 songs. I'm still awaiting costings for a possible 'ear book' package and I am thinking of all six discs being included, rather than five and a stand alone download." Albums Menu Future Past

Soluna Oriana Mick Karn appeal download track Click image for cover Artwork FREE download track - Released June 2010. SOLUNA ORIANA Currently unavailable on any album Ambient instrumental feauring e-bow guitar improvisation. This track is dedicated to the Mick Karn appeal. Written, performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2010.

The Last Of The Neon Cynics Bill Nelson album - 21 May 2012 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Riding The Go-Tubes 02) Interstellar Courier 03) Decimal Point For The Thousand Races 04) Jericho's Armband Counsel 05) Cassidy's Electric Campfire Song 06) The Colonel Has An Anti-Decimal Scheme 07) The Blue Taint 08) Mathematical Prairie 09) Do Space Trams Dream Of Fictitious Passengers? ALBUM NOTES: The Last of the Neon Cynics is an instrumental album (with a single vocal track) released on the Sonoluxe label issued in a single print run of 500 copies. The album was a collaboration with illustrator Matt Howarth that was commenced in 2003. At one point it had been hoped that the artwork would be presented in book form with the accompanying CD but manufacturing costs ruled this out. Instead, the album was pressed as an Enhanced-CD, with the Howarth's illustrated story included as s a PDF file, accessed by loading the CD onto a PC. On May 4th, 2012 (Star Wars day!) a taster track "Decimal Point for the Thousand Races" was officially released through Soundcloud with the full album finally available on May 21st, 2012. The limited nature of the release (Nelson's first CD restricted to just 500 copies since Arcadian Salon in 2006) meant that collectors had to be alert to get their hands on a copy. Consequently on June 26th an announcement was made on the Dreamsville forum that the CD was almost sold out, with the last copy being snapped up on July 2nd. A few lucky latecomers though were able to get autographed copies by ordering from Matt Howarth's website in October that year. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Neon Cynic is a collaboration between myself and respected American comic book artist Matt Howarth. Its full title is The Last of the Neon Cynics , a project I began working on quite a few years ago now, (in 2003 to be exact). "The Last of the Neon Cynics was conceived as a sci-fi comic book/graphic story, about a cosmic cowboy called 'Cassidy' who has a robot guitar as his side-kick. Cassidy travels the multiverse in an inter-dimensional tram that utilises galactic wormholes to get from one place to another. The story takes in his battle with an evil entity called 'The Blue Taint'. "Matt wrote and illustrated the tale, (after we originally discussed the idea, way back when), and I have, over the last seven years, written, performed and recorded the musical soundtrack for it. "This project has taken a very long time to come to fruition, mainly my fault due to my unrelenting, intense work-schedule which has only allowed me to devote time to the Neon Cynic music in between other projects. And as Dreamsville citizens know, there are virtually no 'in-between' times in my schedule at all!" [2010] _____ "Whilst there are only nine tracks on the album, they're all long ones and act as a 'soundtrack' to the sci-fi story contained within the CD, (you'll be able to access this by popping the disc into your computer). All the tracks are instrumental with one exception, a rather novel song written and sung from the central character's point of view. The song also features a kind of robot guitar that can play any style of music, (in the song's case, with touches of Jimi Hendrix and Chet Atkins!)" FAN THOUGHTS: BenTucker: "It has a lot of really incredible guitar, and it's mostly instrumental (just one song with vocals). It's an essential purchase for any aficionado of Bill's guitar music." "The Colonel Has an Anti-Decimal Scheme": "How outrageously great is that track!! Just incredible..." mitchellmichael: Best Bill Nelson release of 2012 Poll: "No puzzle here! For me it wins hands down. Great concept, great art/artist, and great music!!! Download Neon Cynics . Best BN release of 2012!" martin jordan: Best Bill Nelson release of 2012 Poll: "Overall my vote has to go to The Last of the Neon Cynics - I love every track and the guitar playing is incredible!" swampboy: "While I think that all of the albums released this year [2012] are very good to excellent, I still think that The Last of the Neon Cynics was the best release out of the bunch. Tight, concise songs with layers of gorgeous guitar." "The whole CD is a smorgasbord of aural delights." Iron Man No. 28: " The Last of the Neon Cynics is the standout release for me: particularly like hearing the music in sync with reading the comic. Personal favourite track is the coda, "Do Space Trams Dream of Fictitious Passengers", for its incredible sense of yearning and regret for what might have been. When I put it on, it's like I've died and gone to Twangolia Heaven. Transcendentally wonderful. Thanks, Bill." GettingOnTheBeam: "Some very heavy rock oriented instrumentals in this one. This CD is extremely underrated." felixt1: "On "Cassidy's Electric Campfire Song", Bill is channelling - Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck! On the following song, "The Colonel Has An Anti-Decimal Scheme", Bill delivers a bit of a guitar tour de force along similar but different lines to "Machines of Loving Grace"." novemberman: "Mr. Nelson you've done it again - another masterpiece! After one play through, stand out moments are "Interstellar Courier" and "The Colonel Has an Anti-Decimal Scheme". Now I've got to have a look at the book to find out what these tantalising titles are all about." Albums Menu Future Past

Living For The Spangled Moment Bill Nelson mini-album - 8 September 1986 Albums Menu Future Past Available on this reissue TRACKS: 01) Heart And Soul 02) Living For The Spangled Moment 03) Feast Of Lanterns 04) Illusions Of You 05) Word For Word 06) Finks And Stooges Of The Spirit 07) Nightbirds ALBUM NOTES: Living for the Spangled Moment is a mini album issued by Portrait Records, comprising five tracks that had appeared as bonus tracks on the UK cassette edition of Getting the Holy Ghost Across . As a special bonus, two exclusive tracks, "Feast of Lanterns" and "Nightbirds", were added to the mini-album to encourage those who had bought the cassette edition to add this to their collection. Although marketed as a mini-album, the record was packaged more like a 12" single, in a thin card sleeve with no inner sleeve. PAST RELEASES: All 7 tracks were added to the Sonoluxe reissue of Getting the Holy Ghost Across (2006). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All 7 tracks can be found on the Esoteric/Cocteau 2CD reissue of Getting the Holy Ghost Across (2013). FAN THOUGHTS: Peter: "I REALLY love Living for the Spangled Moment and several others [from that period], both because they are especially good and because they struck those emotional chords at the time (and to some extent still do, even now). That's what makes music special to me, how it connects with my thoughts, feelings and view of the world...and for me, no one does it better than Bill somehow." felixt1: "Word for Word": "has just finished playing and it totally stopped me in my tracks. A great song that I have heard many times has suddenly just clicked with me. Great lyrics and vocal from you there, Bill." finlay street: "Living for the Spangled Moment" - "just the most perfect, beautiful song." russellsmith: "Spangles: FOR THE UNINITIATED and our friends across the water... Spangles were fruity boiled sweets, with a very slight fizz about them. You could suck them thinner and thinner until you felt like you could cut your tongue on them, but upon trying they would always snap in your mouth. 'Old English' spangles were a more 'traditional' boiled sweetie, with flavours like butterscotch and humbug rather than a non-medicinal version of Tunes (a cold sweet). They were a kind of aniseed/boiled molasses/cough medicine flavour and were the sort of sweets you ate for penitence. They came in a black and white packet. At one point, Spangles launched a 'guess the mystery flavour Spangle' competition. There were two in a normal packet and they were wrapped in white waxed paper covered in question marks." Albums Menu Future Past

Marvellous Realms Bill Nelson album - 13 January 2023 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this CD Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Nevernoon 02) Marvellous Realms 03) The Way Of The World 04) The Gold Beyond The Blue 05) The Weather Song 06) Signalling As We Go 07) Some Jiggery Pokery 08) Here On Earth 09) Whoops! I'm Going Back In Time 10) It's A Long Time Between Dreams 11) The Mystic 12) Imaginary Music 13) The Illuminator 14) Heaven Is A State Of Mind 15) A Thought In Passing 16) Your Magic Man In The Sky 17) Bonus Track: The Weather Song (Monitor Mix) ALBUM NOTES: Marvellous Realms is an album comprising a mixture of song based and instrumental material issued on the Sonoluxe label in a limited edition of 1000 copies. The bulk of the material was recorded between November 2021 and May 2022, initially being seen as a natural follow up to Mixed Up Kid . The first mention of the album, then called 'Man of Dreams', came in a Dreamsville Forum post on 18 December 2021. At this early stage Nelson had completed all but a couple of tracks for the proposed album, and in a follow up forum post, on 28 December 2021, went as far as saying that the album was "almost complete" promising a track listing soon. However, as with many of his projects, time would see those plans significantly change over the next six months or so. On 5 January 2022, in a further forum post Nelson revealed a list of thirteen songs destined for 'Man of Dreams', while also stating that the album title may change. Nelson decided that 'Man of Dreams' was too similar to his 1987 release Map of Dreams and suggested that two alternative titles, 'All the Fun of the Fair' or 'Signalling As We Go', were now being considered. From that initial list of tracks, just three would make it to the completed album... 'Some Jiggery Pokery', 'Signalling As We Go' and 'The Weather Song'. Further details emerged in a Dreamsville Forum post on 11 March 2022 in which Nelson announced that the 'Man of Dreams' album had developed into two separate projects, Marvellous Realms being the first album, and a second then called 'Here on Earth'. A total of 33 tracks were listed as being currently recorded and mixed for the project with no indication at that stage as to what tracks would feature where. Comparing this list with the final track running order reveals that a total of seven songs would make the final cut of Marvellous Realms . Further progress on the album was reported on 1 June 2022, when Nelson posted in the Dreamsville Journal that he had by then completed a total of 53 tracks from the new album projects, again without revealing what tracks would appear where. In fact, he had by then completed a total of 13 tracks that would eventually make up the Marvellous Realms album, the remaining three tracks - ' Heaven Is A State O f Mind' , ' A Thought I n Passing' and ' Your Magic Man I n T he Sky' , being completed in the intervening months. Marvellous Realms was mastered at Fairview Studios by John Spence week commencing 21 November 2022 with the artwork, prepared by Martin Bostock as usual, already underway. Pre-orders for Marvellous Realms were announced by Burning Shed on 2 December 2022, with a release date for both the physical CD and Bandcamp digital download on 13 January 2023. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Marvellous Realms emerges from another intensive, almost perpetual, recording session. The studio is my favoured outlet for my creative endeavours (and perhaps has always been so), especially having now forsaken live performances due to various unwelcome health concerns . Creating music in my modest home studio is an absolute joy, never a chore. I'm constantly exploring an evolving and very personal universe of sounds, concepts, thoughts and whimsical imaginings. Dreaming whilst awake perhaps, ongoing real time fantasias, embracing both the past and the future with equal enthusiasm. From the latest batch of 80 or so new recordings comes this album, Marvellous Realms , a meditation on time and impermanence, wonder and mystery, magic and melancholy, all familiar themes to those who are attuned to my music, but with their own peculiar twist and distinctive flavour. So, sit back and enjoy the view, on the musical journey that never ends…" Albums Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) August 2008 Jan Feb Sep Oct Tuesday 5th August 2008 -- 3:00 pm Was my previous diary entry really six months ago? A shockingly quick passing of time and the longest gap in my journal so far. There are several reasons for this, as I'll attempt to explain, 'though some of those reasons must, for purposes of practicality and discretion, only be superficially touched upon. The really short story is that it's been a tough period, one way or another and continues to be so. Work, as always, has made it difficult for me to allocate enough time to write these pages but personal complications have contributed even more to my silence. There have been far too many depressing moments, things I haven't particularly wanted to write about... But where do I start? How can I fill in the gaps in a manner that will be quick, practical and sparing of text? Thinking back through these last six months, there has been so much going on that a brief resume would not do events justice. Nevertheless, I'll attempt to keep this entry as economic and concise as possible whilst still retaining the essence of the situation. The major topic of my previous diary entry was the death of my stepfather. Unfortunately, the aftermath of that event has caused my mother untold grief. Not only has she suffered the emotional anguish of bereavement but has since been forced to seek legal advice regarding what appears to be her late husband's lack of adequate and fair provision for her within his will. I don't intend to go into specific details here as there is now an ongoing legal dispute, a dispute that must eventually be settled by a judge in a court of law. However, I WILL say that, when my mother's friends, neighbours and family heard about the way she had been dealt with, their reaction, without exception, was one of shock and anger. The most commonly used expression seems to have been 'shameful.' Everyone said she should not ignore this, that she should stand up for her rights as a dutiful wife of long-standing. As a result, she has sought professional advice, first from solicitors and latterly from Queen's Council and has been assured that, in their experienced opinion, the 'provision' made for her by her late husband is both unfair and inadequate. Not wanting to enter into confrontation, she tried to talk reason with the beneficiaries of her late husband's estate in the hope of achieving some sort of settlement. Sadly, all attempts to negotiate have so far proved futile. In fact she seems to have been cruelly 'cut-off' by the aforementioned beneficiaries, a development which, some might say, speaks louder than words. As you might imagine, my own thoughts on the whole sorry mess are not only damning but unprintable... Everyone I've spoken with considers it unforgivable that my mother has been made to endure such stress and anguish on top of all else she's suffered in recent years. The really sad thing is that this current unpleasant situation could have been avoided if fairness and love had prevailed in certain quarters. It's not just the financial issues, but also the ethical, personal and emotional ones. It's stresfull, hurtful and absolutely uncalled for. Whatever happens, I'm determined to help mum to see things through to the end, (and, all being well, to finally resolve the problem). Nevertheless, these events have left a bitter taste in the mouth, tainting memories and relationships that, in more reasonable circumstances, would never have have been tainted at all. My mother was married to George for 28 years, helped raise his children through their teens, looked after him through various illnesses, including his final, terminal one, and much more besides. Everyone has said that she deserves far more respect, consideration and kindness than has been shown to her. Enough of this, I'll move on to other topics:- Yet another negative development in our domestic life has been Emiko's unfortunate redundancy of a few months ago. This was due to a re-structuring/downsizing of the flower business where she'd been employed for the last eight years. Her income was always basic but, nevertheless, the loss of it has created a noticable and negative impact on our finances. Her input was of tremendous help to us in dealing with the cost of living. Now things have become even more of a struggle. Finding alternative work for her has proved difficult, partly because of Emi's age, (like me, she will be 60 this year), and partly because of the lack of genuine artistry and sophistication in so many of the local floral businesses. Many people just want generic, predictable floral arrangements. Emi approaches her work as an artist and finds it difficult to dumb things down for the mass marketplace. (Sounds familiar this, doesn't it?) Of course, the current economic climate hasn't helped matters much either. Small businesses are taking a battering, particularly independent ones. Still, Emi's genuiness and natural talent will, I hope, eventually win the day. At least, that's my idealistic opinion. Right now, she needs all the support she can get. I'm trying to guide her towards setting up an independent, bespoke floral design service aimed at discerning customers who appreciate something special, a little more personal and refined than the approach offered by high street florists. But neither of us have much of a business head on our shoulders, being more focussed on creativity and quality, rather than chasing profits. Besides that, my own work is so constantly intense that it's difficult for me to find enough time to help Emi as much as I'd like. But, we'll see. Here in our home town, there seems to be more empty shop premises than ever. Locally-based firms appear to be going under on a daily basis. Walking around the streets can be quite depressing, especially when you come across businesses such as the renowned and long-established Scotts the butchers who, it seems, have finally shut up shop for good. It even seems that being featured on James Martin's tv celebrity chef show hasn't saved them. I visited a local independent music store to buy some guitar strings the other day, ('Rock-Ola Music'). Whilst there I had a conversation with the shop's owner about the outrageous rates charged to small businesses by the local council. It does seem terribly unfair. What this city needs is more independents, not less. Much more diversity and not so much of the same old chain-store, corporate, identi-kit businesses that proliferate in every town and city in the U.K. We really should buy far more regularly from these independent, local businesses than we do... and from recent experience, I can confidently point people in the direction of 'Rock-Ola Music' (in York), for helpful, knowlegable service. AND they stock 'Peerless' guitars! Talking of which, my recently aquired (and very beautiful) Peerless 'Monarch' archtop guitar continues to be an absolute delight. I've been incorporating it continuously on recent recordings. It's one of those rare guitars that immediately win a permanent place in a player's heart. My musical life has always been eclectic, incorporating many contrasting musical inspirations and aspirations and my guitar choices are subsequently dictated by a wide range of creative needs. Whilst my initial career was predominately built on whatever reputation I'd established as a rock guitarist, jazz has always been an important, if subtle, element of my style. I was listening avidly to the great jazz guitarists long before I became a professional player with Be Bop Deluxe and I've always 'had a thing' about the sound and feel of a traditional archtop acoustic-electric guitar. My recent instrumental music fuses these long-time jazz leanings with rock, avant and ambient tendencies...it's not 'fusion' music but something beyond that, something personal. The recently released instrumental albums, 'Silvertone Fountains' and 'Illuminated At Dusk,' provide particular examples of this approach. The guitar playing on them mixes more traditional, rich and luxurious jazz guitar sounds with bright n' shiny rock n' roll tones. (The former from my Peerless 'Monarch,' the latter courtesy of my Campbell 'Nelsonic Transitone' signature solid-body guitar and my Eastwood/Airline retro-styled instruments.) I've always derived a perverse pleasure from playing games with musical expectations, whether those expectations are mine or my audience's. As I've mentioned before in these diary entries, my passion for guitars and guitar-based music has been dramatically re-kindled in recent years. Not the guitar styles of current '70's revivalist young bands but something that bridges the gap between the more distant past and a romantic, imaginary future.., anything that avoids current predictable popularisms. Difficult to accurately describe, (which makes it difficult to market), but, hopefully, it speaks for itself to those ready to hear it. Whilst on the subject of guitar-based bands, I came across an old photo of Be Bop Deluxe taken at the time when we were just a trio, prior to Andy joining the band. I was taken aback with my own appearance in it...I look like the mutant love-child of Rufus Wainwright and Prince! It WAS a long time ago but, my oh my, how the years rob us of our youthful good looks. Nowadays, I can't bear to see photos of my current self, too sad, too depressing, too worn and weary. But perhaps that's probably just vanity on my part. Daily life in my home studio has become hyper-intense in recent months, even by my usual workaholic standards. I've written and recorded a tremendous number of vocal and instrumental tracks, often working late into the early hours to keep things on course. It's been a punishing schedule and I've become acutely aware of the negative effect it's had on my health...I'm feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. Some days I feel as if my soul has been scattered across some nebulous interior universe like the atoms of an exploding star. I wonder if this kind of self-inflicted insanity can ever be justified, bearing in mind the small and specialist audience my music attracts. The practical reward, (in terms that most people would understand as a reward for such non-stop hard work), is pitifully small in comparison to the concentration and energy expended. Nevertheless, here is a list of tracks currently awaiting release in one form or another. It's up to date at the time of writing but is still being added to every few days:- VOCAL TRACKS:- 1: 'Welcome To Electric City.' 2: 'I Saw Galaxies.' 3: 'Once I Had A Time Machine.' 4: 'Oh Moon In The Night, I Have Seen Thee Sailing.' 5: 'Fountains Are Singing In Cities Of Light.' 6: 'Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air.' 7: 'Summer Hums In The Bee-Loud Glade.' 8: 'Time's Quick-Spun Globe.' 9: 'My Empty Bowl Is Full Of Sky.' 10: 'Help Us, Magic Robot.' 11: 'God Glows Green In Small Town Park.' 13: 'The Old Nebulosity Waltz.' 14: 'When Aeroplanes Were Dragonflys.' 15: 'Until All Our Lights Combine.' 16: 'Night Is The Engine Of My Imagination.' 17: 'When Rain Made Us Shine.' 18: 'The Golden Roundabout Rides Again.' 18: 'A Town Called Blue Tommorow.' 19: 'Mystery Vortex, (Oberon Touchstone.)' 20: 'A Million Moonlight Miles.' 21: 'The Sparkling Of Frosty Lawns. (Snowballs And Oranges.)' 22: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version One.) 23: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version Two.) 24: 'Yonder Gleams Your Star.' 25: 'How Many Miles To Babylon?' 26: 'Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass.' 27: 'Strange And Wonderful, (That's My Life.)' 28: 'A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind.' 29: 'Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin.' 30: 'Dig The Sparkles.' 31: 'Searching For An Island, (Off The Coast Of Dreams.)' 32: 'Just A Kid And All That Sky.' 33: 'Test Card.' 34: 'I Travel At Night.' 35: 'Signals From Earth.' 36: 'The Experimental Time Traveller.' 37: 'The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes.' 38: 'Heaven Is A Haunted Realm.' 39: 'Distant Years From Now.' 40: 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.' 41: 'Cinnamon And Mint.' 42: 'The Emperor Of The Evening.' 43: 'The Rainiest Day In TheWorld.' INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS: 44: 'Mellophonia.' 45: 'Attempt To Re-Assemble My Fragmented Self.' 46: 'Rocket Billy Blues.' 47: 'Dance Of The Duane Eddy Twanglobots.' 48: 'Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage.' 49: 'Dreamland Airships.' 50: 'Artismo Loco.' 51: 'The Birthday Gift From Outer Space.' 52: 'Twang Rings True.' 53: 'Mars Welcomes Careful Drivers.' 54: 'Table Top Trainset.' 55: 'Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade.' 56: 'Cyclotron.' 57: 'The Phonograph Bird.' 58: 'Clear Skies A' Coming.' 59: 'The Standard Fireworks Stomp.' 60: 'Rotorbell.' 61: 'The Lost Art Of Doing Nothing.' 62: 'The Marvellous Model Kit.' 63: 'Frankie Surfs The Milky Way.' 64: 'The Walls Of Which Are Made Of Clouds.' 65: 'Ghosts Of Christmas Past.' 66: 'Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams.' 67: 'Dynatron Blues.' 68: 'The Way Things Go.' 17 of the best vocal tracks will make up a forthcoming vocal album release titled 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.' 38 other tracks, (a mixture of vocals and instrumentals), will go onto a special, limited edition Nelsonica convention DOUBLE album, to be titled 'Clocks And Dials.' The left-over tracks will form the basis of a further album, (as yet untitled), to be released towards the end of the year. The majority of these pieces, particularly the vocal-based ones, (and particularly the 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' tracks), are quite complex, epic works. They're constantly evolving compositions that rarely conform to standard rock or pop songwriting forms. Some pieces bring together several contrasting genres within the space of a single song, starting off in one place and ending up in an entirely different musical environment. They are not designed for quick, easy consumption but are perfect for listeners who enjoy following a progression of ideas, an interplay of details and layers. They're packed with melodies and sound textures. I was hoping to announce running orders for both projects in this diary entry but I'm still fine tuning things on 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow.' However, I CAN disclose the running order for the Nelsonica double album, 'Clocks And Dials.' The track listing on the two discs will be as follows:- CD 1: 1: 'Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade.' 2: 'Mystery Vortex (Oberon Touchstone.)' 3: 'Test Card.' 4: 'Clear Skies A' Coming.' 5: 'Rain Made Us Shine.' 6: 'Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage.' 7: 'A Town Called Blue Tomorrow.' 8: 'Searching For An Island Off The Coast Of Dreams.' 9: 'Signals From Earth.' 10: 'Frankie Surfs The Milky Way.' 11: 'I Travel At Night.' 12: 'Just A Kid And All That Sky.' 13: 'Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin.' 14: 'Artismo Loco.' 15: 'Dynatron Blues.' 16: 'No Time Says The Clock.' (Version 1.) 17: 'How Many Miles To Babylon.' 18: 'The Rainiest Day In The World.' 19: 'Twang Rings True.' ----------------- CD 2: 1: 'The Phonograph Bird.' 2: 'The Experimental Time Traveller.' 3: 'Dig The Sparkles.' 4: 'The Golden Roundabout Rides Again.' 5: 'Mellophonia.' 6: 'Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air.' 7: 'Yonder Gleams Your Star.' 8: 'Cinnamon And Mint.' 9: 'The Marvellous Model Kit.' 10: 'Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass.' 11: 'Rocket Billy Blues.' 12: 'Distant Years From Now.' 13: 'A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind.' 14: Oh Moon In The Night I Have Seen Thee Sailing.' 15: 'Dreamland Airships.' 16: 'Strange And Wonderful. (That's My Life.) 17: 'A Million Moonlight Miles.' 18: 'The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes.' 19: 'No Time Says The Clock. (Version 2.) For readers awaiting these new albums, I can say that both the 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' and the 'Clocks And Dials' albums will initially be made available at this year's Nelsonica 08 Convention on Saturday November 1st. They will then be released more widely on the following Monday via the Dreamsville on-line store. As always, the quantity and availability of the convention album ('Clocks And Dials'), post-Nelsonica, will depend upon how many are left over once ticket holders have claimed their inclusive copies. This year's Nelsonica convention is meant to be a little special as it will act as a sort of early birthday celebration party, as well as a fan convention. (As mentioned above in this diary entry, I'll be 60 in December.) Preparation for Nelsonica 08 is already underway, not least with regard to the 38 track double album but also in terms of the integral concert performance and other programme events for the day. There's an increasingly strong possibility that a full band will be assembled to perform some older favourites, as well as my usual solo performance. In fact, there's just one component to put in place, band-wise, before I can confirm this as 100% certain but it does look as if there will be a SEVEN PIECE BAND performing at the convention, plus a solo set (and possibly an Orchestra Futura set too). The concert aspect of the convention has always been popular with attendees but the inclusion of a full band will make this year even more memorable. Full details of the band, its line-up and the name I'll eventually choose for it, will be announced both here in my diary and also on the Dreamsville Inn Forum and Nelsonica webpages as soon as the above mentioned final component is put in place. Those people who have already secured tickets for the event will be guaranteed a rare oppportunity to hear a live performance of some classic back catalogue songs from the Be Bop Deluxe and Red Noise era, as well as some more recent contemporary solo instrumental pieces. For those who haven't yet got their tickets it may be wise to secure some sooner, rather than later, especially if hearing me perform some old favourites with a live band appeals. Ticket numbers are limited and once capacity is reached, there will be no further opportunity to see something like this for a long time, or, who knows, maybe ever, again. As with all recent Nelsonicas, the biggest problem is how to fit everything into a single day. Once the convention's doors open, it's non-stop until closing time, around 11pm. It's always a tightly packed schedule of presentations and the live concert is just one of the highlights. So much work yet to do, for both myself and the team and time is rushing on. Before all this, there is still one more new album release in the pipeline. This is 'Mazda Kaleidoscope,' the third part of the triolgy begun with 'Silvertone Fountains' and 'Illuminated At Dusk.' The first two albums of the trilogy have been very well received by those who obtained copies. 'Mazda Kaleidoscope' carries the concept a little further with much longer pieces and a slightly more abstract approach. It is, even if I say so myself, a beautiful and mysterious set of tunes. The packaging artwork is now complete and the album should be available towards the end of this month (August). Here's the final track list/running order for 'Mazda Kaleidoscope':- 1: 'ALL THE WORLD FLIES KITES TONIGHT.' 2: 'BLUE SKIES LISTEN, THE UNSTRUCK BELL.' 3: 'THE NEBULOUS ADVENTURES OF NEWTON KYME.' 4: 'LAMPS ARE LIT IN THE LAND OF TOMORROW.' 5: 'YES AND ALWAYS AND FOREVER.' 6: 'EVENING ILLUMINATOR.' 7: 'MAZDA KALEIDOSCOPE.' 8: 'THE TRACE WE LEFT WHEN ALL WAS GONE.' Despite my heavy work schedule and time spent helping my mother, there have been a couple of snatched moments where I've been able to get away from my studio, if only briefly. I actually managed to attend two concerts in June. The first of these was a celebration of the work of composer Ralph Vaughan-Williams who passed away 50 years ago this year. The concert was held at York Minster on June 21st and was performed by the York Musical Society Choir and Orchestra, (A full orchestra of strings, brass, woodwinds, harp, percussion, etc plus a choir of 115 singers.) The programme featured Vaughan-William's 'Five Mystical Songs' as well as the evergreen 'The Lark Ascending, (A Romance For Violin And Orchestra)'. Well, what can I say that might do the experience justice? It was simply stunning, achingly gorgeous, wonderfully performed and rapturously received by a packed minster audience. Emi and I were both moved to tears by the poignancy and sheer beauty of the music. Unmissable. The second concert was an open-air affair, Eric Clapton in concert at Harewood House near Leeds on June 29th. Emiko and I had generously been provided with guest tickets by Eric's management and we had a very enjoyable evening despite it becoming a little chilly once the sun had dropped to the horizon. Our guest status allowed us to use a separate hospitality enclosure with bar and toilets which made matters a little more comfortable. We're both unused to festival type concerts so anything that made it a little more comfortable for such 'old folks' as us was most welcome! Our friends Steve Cook and Sarah had bought tickets for the concert too and we met up with them, pre-show, for drinks and a snack at a nearby pub. When Eric took the stage, we joined Steve and Sarah in the audience to enjoy the concert. Eric was an important inspiration to me in the 'sixties, from his Yardbirds period, through John Mayall, Cream and Blind Faith. My band 'Global Village' actually covered a couple of Blind Faith songs, back in the day! We'd also cover Cream numbers, literally learning them from the albums on their day of release. We'd be playing them in local blues clubs the following night, before many people had actually heard the album that they were taken from. I'd last seen Eric perform 'in the flesh' at 'The Last Waltz' in San Francisco in the 'seventies. My band, Be Bop Deluxe, were playing the same venue the following night and we were booked into the Miyako Hotel where all the musicians involved in The Last Waltz seemed to be staying. I was given guest tickets to that event and a backstage pass too. I've documented my experience before in this diary and on the Dreamsville Forum so won't repeat it here, other than to say it was a fabulous show, as anyone who has watched Martin Scorcese's film of the event will know. At Harewood House, Eric's playing was sublime and his band were faultless. A great choice of numbers too, not purely blues but some other items including a standout performance of George Harrison's 'Isn't It A Pity' and a wonderful rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's 'Old Rockin' Chair.' Eric continues to inspire musicians and does so with dignity and grace. It was also my pal Steve's birthday so the concert was an apt way to celebrate. One particularly nice surprise in recent weeks was receiving a lovely letter from Robert Douglas, author of the marvellously atmospheric and moving autobiographical book 'Night Song Of The Last Tram.' Regular readers of this diary will be aware that the book became the inspiration for a track of the same title that I composed and recorded for my 'And We Fell Into A Dream' album. Mr. Douglas had been informed of this fact by his publishers and they'd sent him a copy of the album along with my diary reference to his book. He then wrote to me to tell me how flattered he was. The truth is it is me who is ultimately flattered as I was absolutely bowled over to receive Mr. Douglas' generous and kind letter. I've been meaning to write back to thank him but, due to pressures of work and family as mentioned above, I'm deeply embarrased to say I have yet to drop him a line. I MUST try to do this very soon and also see if I can dig up a spare copy of my published diary to send him as a thank you. But it was a great and extremely pleasant surprise. Moments like that are rare jewels in this 'business' of making music. I treasure them. Whilst on the subject of literature, I continue to slowly inch my way through a mountain of books at my bedside. A few minutes of reading every night, before my eyes close, is all the time I've been able to spare, book-wise, of late. Here are a few of the ones I've attempted to digest: 'The Best Of Jazz' by Humphrey Littleton. 'Duke Ellington And His World' by A.H. Lawrence. 'The Longest Cocktail Party' by Richard DiLello. 'The Secret History Of The World' by Jonathan Black. 'Music Downtown' by Kyle Gann. 'Considering Genius' by Stanley Crouch. 'Moondog, the authorised biography' by Robert Scotto. I've been particularly impressed by the 'Music Downtown' book, a collection of published articles and essays on various American contemporary composers and musical artists. It's one of the most perceptive, passionate and entertaining critiques of modern music I've ever had the good fortune to read. I found it stimulating, informative and intelligent but would dread laying my own work in front of this fellow for his assesment! He has good things to say about my pal Harold Budd though. Supposedly the height of summer here in the u.k. but rain hitting my studio window as I type. It's been a very poor summer so far. I did manage to take my mother out for a day at the Yorkshire coast, just over a week ago, when the sun actually shone allday long. It was a glorious day...we drove first to Reighton Gap, a place my mother hadn't visited since the 1950's when we used to holiday as a family there. I've written about this place in earlier diary entries but the basic story is that my mother and father were good friends with a couple called Herman and Ada Ackroyd. They owned a wooden, pre-war seaside bungalow at Reighton Gap. They allowed Mum, Dad and me, and later Ian when he was born, to have holidays there in the 1950's. There are photos of that time in my 'Memory Codex' video. Anyway, I have very fond memories of those holidays and thought I'd take mum back there to see how little or how much it had changed over the intervening years. The old wooden bungalows on the clifftop have long gone, replaced by large, static caravans but the line of the surrounding landscape is just the same. We wandered a little further along the clifftop to a fairly isolated spot and gazed out at the sea for a while. Just before we were about to drive away, I spread my map open on the car boot to plot our next route. A car pulled up nearby and a man got out and walked towards the cliff. As he passed by he looked over in my direction, then paused and came over to me. I thought he may be needing directions and perhaps, as I had a map in my hands, presumed he was about to ask me the way. I was totally surprised when he spoke. He said: "Excuse me, aren't you Bill Nelson?" When I replied that I was he then said, "I'm a huge fan of your music. Your music changed my life!" Well...what an amazing compliment and how nice to be recognised in such an out-of-the-way spot! It made my day. Later, Mum and Emi and I drove to Flamborough Head and had ice cream at the little cafe nearby the lighthouse before taking a gentle stroll around the surrounding cliffs. The sky and sea were a wonderful blue, so warm and delicate. It was a tonic for mum, and for me. I've spent far too much time indoors this year and being out in that east coast sunshine, albeit briefly, really lifted my spirits for a while. From there we drove to the village of Sewerby and to an unfortunately fly-infested pub called 'The Ship' where we ate fish and chips for dinner before driving back to Wakefield via the Yorkshire Wolds. Since then, it's been back to the busy work schedule, solicitor's meetings and associated concerns, and helping my mum with her supermarket shopping. I travel over to Wakefield a couple of times per week to take her out and I telephone her every morning and evening to check on her well being. My other pre-occupation is finalising the running order for 'Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow' and working with David Graham on the packaging artwork for the album. Next up will be artwork for 'Clocks And Dials.' Looks like this one will be a digipak. Then I'll need to master the 38 tracks for 'Clocks And Dials' and the 17 tracks for 'Golden Melodies.' This will mean booking studio time at Fairview with my friend John Spence. There's also a long list of work I need to do in preparation for Nelsonica 08. Plus, I'm hoping to put together a compilation album for release early next year, focussing on some of my favourite instrumental guitar tracks, an album I may place with a distributer to put into shops and out for review. I plan to call this album 'Plectrajet,' something to attract possible listeners who may not have previously been aware of my work in this area. I'll maybe do the same with a vocal compilation album too. Try to spread the music a little wider? So still no proper respite or chance to take a decent break. A proper holiday would be wonderful but it is a luxury I cannot afford, either time-wise or economically at the moment. Maybe next year. Yet another long diary entry...and still I haven't told the whole story of the last six months. This will have to do for now...I'm all typed out. ***** The images included with this diary entry are as follows:- 1: Some of Bill's favourite archtops from his collection. The Peerless Monarch is lower centre. 2: A 'Golden Melodies' flyer. 3: Bill with his Peerless Monarch jazz guitar. 4: Be Bop Deluxe in trio form. (1970's.) 5: Bill and his Mum at Reighton Gap, 2008. 6: 'Plectrajet' teaser ad. Top of page