Search Results

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) September 2010 Jan May Jun Nov Dec Monday 20th September 2010 -- 2:00 pm Where to start? These long gaps in my online diary make catching up a laborious task. I really ought to write regular (and shorter) entries but, as usual, I'm constantly distracted by endless 'other things.' Sooner or later, the urge to communicate catches up, but then I sit in front of a blank screen dreading the task and resenting the way that it drags me away from music-making. And since my last diary entry I seem to have been making more music than ever. There are now four new albums completed, a fifth album two-thirds completed, and a sixth album half-finished. Their titles are: 'Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms;' 'Fables And Dreamsongs;' 'Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus;' 'The Last Of The Neon Cynics;' 'Model Village' and 'Lampdownlowland.' All with their own identity and all beyond logic or reason. Of course, inspiration knows no reason, nor is it a polite guest. It suddenly appears at the door, forces entry and eats everything in the house, including precious hours ticking desperately away on the dial of the clock, along with anything that might remotely resemble a normal life. Normal life? An interesting concept. I wonder what a normal life consists of...No such thing exists, I suspect. 'Normal'= a Chimera, an illusion, a wishful thought unfulfilled, a lifestyle product sold to us by our corporate masters, a concept forced upon us by our society's containment officers. In other words, another sly trick of Church, State and Industry. Best keep our wits about us and a sense of humour to hand. So, ok...here's an attempt at a brief summary of my day to day existence since last writing: Have been discussing a licensing deal with Cherry Red Records' 'Esoteric' label with regard to re-issuing more than a few of my out-of-print back catalogue albums. The plan is to first of all put together a six cd compilation set that will feature various tracks from right across my almost 40 year recording career. Then there will be a systematic re-issue programme of individual albums over a fixed period of time. Amongst these re-issues will be the 'Noise Candy' box set. The company that originally released it for me, (Lenin Imports), have never properly accounted to me for sales and copies apparently now sell on e-bay for hundreds of pounds. With that in mind, it will be good to have Noise Candy available via a proper label at a sensible price, and, hopefully, to see a little benefit for myself after all this time, especially considering the tremendous effort I put into creating the music and the packaging in the first place. Ongoing work with EMI's Be Bop Deluxe re-issue compilation too, 'though it seems that the idea of an actual 'box' is no longer in the frame. Abandoned along with my suggestion to have the individual albums packaged in card replicas of the original album's sleeves. Too expensive apparently. It now looks as if it will end up being packaged as a three or four multi-CD jewel case. I'm still hoping that the company will agree to have an extra cd dedicated to compiling rare or unreleased tracks as a bonus. I actually mixed some unreleased live tracks at Fairview studio for the project a few years back, (when Mark Powell was at the helm), but I've recently been told that EMI can't locate these mixes. I've made enquiries of John Spence and, luckily, he thinks that they're still on file in Fairview Studio's mix-computer, so I'll arrange for new masters to be created and sent to EMI, hopefully to be included as part of the set. But we'll see...space may be at a premium. Glanced back at my previous diary entry. It reads like a breathless, flushed schoolboy after attending his first rock concert. But this is how meeting Duane Eddy affected me, sent me reeling back through the years, spinning dizzy on the dial, all the way back to an eleven year old 'eureka' moment. I've since slowly returned to earth and to the present. It all felt rather unreal. If it wasn't for the photographs, I would swear I'd dreamt every moment of it. However, dreaming or not, it seems that I've been invited to attend Duane's Royal Festival Hall concert next month. I'll probably become inarticulate and schoolboy-like yet again. (And Duane is going to be playing here in York too...) I received an email from Reeves Gabrels a couple of days ago. Haven't heard from him in ages though I've often thought about him. We once discussed recording together but our individual schedules got in the way. Well, Reeves enquired if I'd still fancy it and, of course, I'd fancy it very much. In my opinion, he's one of the most inventive and intelligent rock guitarists on the planet. But what he will make of my uneducated smoke and mirrors leaps in the dark I have no idea...I just hope he's possessed of a forgiving nature. (And lots of patience.) We're thinking about getting to grips sometime in 2011. Nelsonica is rushing up at light speed and it feels as if I've been in a state of panic for months now. Not that I've got any of it under control. Still so much to prepare, particularly if I'm to have the three live performances ready in time. Have yet to decide on my choices of material, then write out lyrics and arrangements, learn the songs in basic form at home before rehearsing them with the full equipment during the week before the event. Lots of guitars to prepare too, some adjustments needed and general setups. This is very time consuming. I've decided to move my solo set to the second day of the event. It was originally supposed to be part of the first day, but three completely different sets in one evening, all of which require me to be highly active was, I think, asking rather a lot of myself, especially as I'm the sort of chap who has more or less given up on live performances altogether. Anyway, much more sensible to shunt one of the sets to day 2...and so that is what we've decided will happen. Day one will feature the Orchestra Futura trio and the 7-piece 'Gentleman Rocketeers' set. Day 2 will feature my solo set along with various other regular Nelsonica presentations. Speaking of which... Today, I completed the decoration of two Eastwood 'Breadwinner' guitars. It's taken me a while to do this but they are now finally finished. One of these guitars will go up for auction at Nelsonica. The other is for Mike Robinson, commander in chief at Eastwood Guitars. Mike has very generously donated the auction guitar to the event. He actually sent me these two 'Breadwinner' guitars a while back and asked if I'd decorate one of them for himself. Well, yes, of course! I'm going to let Mike choose which one he'd like to keep for his private collection and the other one will go into the Nelsonica auction. Having said that, Mike's choice won't be an easy one...I've decorated each guitar with the same care but themed them differently. One is titled 'The Alchemical Guitar Of Sailor Bill' and I've given it a nautical/seashore style with real seashells glued to it and a drawing of a steamship and a lighthouse. (And other details). The other guitar is titled 'Twanglomino Mysterioso-An Illuminati Guitar.' This one features an esoteric 'eye-in-a-triangle' design and Dr. John Dee's mysterious 'Monad' symbol. (He was court astrologer to Elizabeth the first and a ceremonial magical practioner.) Both guitars have artificial jewels and rhinestones glued onto them and will look rather nice hung on someone's wall. (See photographs attached to this diary entry.) Both are fragile though so will need careful handling. Still to create for Nelsonica: artwork to auction, the hand made DVDr for every attendee, the guitar exhibition and some onstage special presentations. I have managed to record a 22 minute long instrumental titled 'Past And Present And The Space Between' which will be premiered at Nelsonica as an opening piece on one of the days. No time to create a video for this, unfortunately. There's a possibility that I might not hold a Nelsonica Convention next year. I need to free up some time for future projects...the event does occupy an extraordinary amount of my attention throughout the year and tends to limit other activities. (I've even considered making number 10 the last one completely.) But, we'll see... A surprising email from 'Classic Rock' magazine asking if I'd like to review two re-issued King Crimson albums for the magazine. These albums are part of a 40th anniversary King Crimson re-release project. I accepted and have written a review of 'In The Wake Of Poseidon' and 'Islands,' albums which, despite buying 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' back in 1969, I'd not heard until now. It proved an interesting and informative experience. I've always had the utmost respect for Robert Fripp's considerable talents and, as you dear reader may already know, this very Hyperdreamer's diary owes its existence to him. (It was Robert who first suggested to me that I should write an online diary, a good few years ago now.) Reviewing those early King Crimson albums for 'Classic Rock' magazine was somewhat daunting. A lot of music to listen to, plenty to take in, and of course, a professional deadline to get my copy in to the magazine. I was asked to write approx 370 words but the finished review ended up being over 1,000, even though I did attempt to cut it down from a much higher word count. (Well, there was rather a lot to write about.) Thankfully, the magazine were very kind and didn't insist that I cut it down even more, so the full piece will appear in a future issue of the magazine. My friend Clive English surprised me a couple of weeks ago when I met him at Steve Cook's hair salon near Halifax. I was there to have Steve search my head for anything that might be worthy of submitting to his talented scissors when Clive walked through the door. Clive plays guitar and, at odd times in the past has done a bit of guitar tech work for me. He travelled with me in that capacity to Mexico City when Harold Budd and I were engaged to give a concert there, quite a few years ago now. Unfortunately, the concert was pulled due to promoter problems so we just ended up drifting around Mexico City for a week, taking in several art galleries and an occasional cantina or two. Or three. Anyway, back to Steve's salon: Clive and I got talking about guitars, as guitarists predictably do, and it turned out that Clive had bought a rather expensive digital guitar processor that had been intriguing me for some time. It's called a 'Fractal Axe-Fx.' I felt rather jealous as the device was somewhat out of my own reach, (budget-wise), but Clive very kindly offered to let me borrow it to see what I thought. At first, I wasn't entirely convinced that it was a 'must-have' item but must now admit to not really wanting to give it back to him. It's a very clever and complex device but one which, given time, I feel I could explore and use to my musical advantage. Having said that, there are several pressing problems regarding the maintainance and upkeep of our home, problems that require the application of a serious amount of money if they are not to drift beyond the point of no repair. The sensible thing would be to deal with these problems before the entire place crumbles from lack of care, rather than buy new musical equipment for my studio. (Although I suppose I could always just sit amongst the ruins of the house and play my guitar through an Axe-Fx.) Volume One of my autobiography, (titled 'Painted From Memory-Recollections Of A Radiant Childhood'), is almost ready for the printers. Cover art completed, photographs chosen, all carefully captioned and sequenced. (Over 80 of them.) A proof copy to be ordered first, then, if all's well, a proper print run will go ahead. It's taken ages to get it to this stage, mainly because I haven't found time to keep hammering away at the writing of it. Started the book several years ago, then didn't touch it for ages. When I did eventually return to it, I revised long sections of it as I'd uncovered further bits of information regarding my childhood. Volume One runs from the 1940s to the early 1960s. Volume Two, (if I ever get time to write it), will continue from there to the end of the 1970s, or maybe a little further depending upon how much I can recall...the '70s are something of a blur, I'm afraid. (Or am I just blanking them out?) A rather melancholy but meaningful special event next month. For some time now, my mother and I have wanted to commision a public bench dedicated to the memory of my brother Ian who sadly passed away four years ago in 2006. Mum and I have often discussed where such a bench might be located. One possibility was Wakefield Park, a place that holds memories for the Nelson family, memories that go way back. (I have photographs of my mother and father that were taken there before I was born.) Another possible location for the bench was the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where Ian worked for several years. He was first employed in the on-site shop but eventually found himself working in the main office and involved in the complex day-to-day affairs of the park. He became a valued member of staff and very much enjoyed his time there. I used to drive over to Wakefield and meet him for lunch. We'd often go to a nearby pub called 'The Station' and enjoy a sandwich and a pint whilst feeding the jukebox with coins. I recall him selecting 'Kid Creole' by Elvis Presley which was, I thought, an unusual choice for a younger brother as I'd presumed that the rock 'n' roll era would be more meaningful to my generation than Ian's. These lunch meetings were always warm, funny and enjoyable. We shared a brotherly camaraderie, a rapport we'd found in childhood, even though, like all brothers, we had our occasional moments of sibling rivalry. When Emi first came to England to share my life with me, I took her to meet Ian at the sculpture park. I was very proud of her and also of Ian so introducing them at the sculture park was a special moment for me. (I have a photograph somewhere of that first meeting.) Occasionally, celebrity guests or artists would visit the sculpture park. I was there with Ian when Toyah and her husband Robert Fripp visited. I also remember Ian telling me about George Melly's visit. Apparently, Ian was delegated to collect George from Wakefield railway station and drive him to the sculpture park. George Melly was, Ian told me, an extremely amusing chap. So, Mum and I decided that the sculpture park might be the best location for a bench dedicated to Ian's memory. Mum made preliminary enquiries with Ian's sister-in-law Angie who is now a curator at the sculpture park and Peter Murray, the park's director and founder, (who was also my fine art painting tutor at Wakefield Art School during the mid-'sixties), suggested that the Yorkshire Sculpture Park itself might like to collaborate with the Nelson Family to provide a memorial bench for Ian. So, that is what will happen. It will be a private, invitation only dedication for family, close friends and colleagues, but once the bench is in place, anyone visiting YSP will be able to find it. I will post details of its location after the bench has been officially dedicated so that fans who wish to will be able to sit there and perhaps spare a moment or two to remember Ian. I think this is a generous gesture from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and my mother and myself are extremely grateful to Peter and Angie for their kindness. Emiko and I attended another memorial event last week. This was in honour of the late husband of a good friend of ours. That friend is Kyoko Wainai, someone I've known since Emiko and I have been together. Kyoko is an old friend of Emi's and was married to Japanese actor Eiji Kusuhara who had appeared in films by Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and Mike Leigh, amongst others. Sadly, Eiji passed away in the spring of this year after a long battle with cancer. He spent the last months of his life in Japan where he had been receiving treatment for his illness, although he and Kyoko have lived in London for many years. Kyoko spent a few days staying with us after she returned from Japan where Eiji's funeral was held. It's always painful to see friends suffer a bereavement and Kyoko was hit hard by the loss of her husband. Emiko and I did what we could to help, but, obviously, it's never enough in these sort of circumstances. Last weekend's tribute to Eiji was held at a Japanese restaurant in the Grays Inn Road in London and Emi and I travelled down by train to attend. Lots of film people there and other creative folks, both English and Japanese. Nice to meet up with fashion designer Michiko Koshino again who we hadn't seen for some years. She too is a good friend of Emiko and Kyoko. I recall a very funny and somewhat inebriated evening spent with Emiko, Michiko and Mika, (one time vocalist of 'The Sadistic Mika Band'), in a restaurant in Tokyo, when I lived in Japan briefly during the early 1990's. (Imagine one English guy speaking very little Japanese sitting around a low table with three increasingly tipsy Japanese women, all of whom were in 'good time' mode. Very enjoyable!) Eiji's tribute included a film compilation of his work, including tv, commercials, voice overs and theatre stuff. I had no idea he'd been so versatile. It was a nice afternoon with moving speeches from several people. Very emotional for everyone there. I've been in the wars a little of late. Just over a week ago, I started with what felt like the first cold of the season. Woke up with a sore throat and that shivery, burning wind-pipe sensation that often signals a virus in one's system. This developed into some sort of chest infection which lasted only three or four days but left me feeling weak and tired. Now Emiko seems to have caught it but is much worse than I was. She has developed a very nasty cough and spent all of yesterday in bed. If she hasn't improved by tomorrow, I'm taking her to the doctor. Whilst suffering with my own cold, I added to my discomfort by accidentally hitting my head on the sharp edge of a shelf in the hall. I'd bent down to unplug something from an electrical socket and when I stood up the sharp corner of the shelf cut into my scalp with a fair amount of force. There's not a lot of hair on top these days and the skin of one's scalp is quite thin.The resulting gash was rather nasty and extremely painful. I seem more prone to accidents of this type than ever. I'm convinced it's down to the onset of some sort of age-related debility. Or maybe just sheer, stupid clumsiness. But our cat Django hasn't been well either. Had him to the vet's last week. He's not been eating, seemed slow, tired and lethargic and slept most of the time. The vet gave him an anti-biotic and an anti-inflammatory injection as his throat seemed a little inflamed. He perked up a little not long after but has not maintained the improvement as much as we'd hoped. Still doesn't seem quite his usual self. I may have to take him back to the vet's if things don't improve. As always, there's lots more to tell than I have time or energy to spare to tell it, so this modest entry will have to suffice. Reading-wise, it's been the Ken Russell biography and Nat Hentoff's wonderful, 'At The Jazz Band Ball.' The latter was sent to me by a very kind fan in America called Robert. He was the person who showed Les Paul the signature Nelsonic Transitone guitar and who sent me the autograph and message from Les, not long before Les passed away. He's recently sent me a signed message from legendary jazz guitarist Jim Hall and a personally signed album and note from Laurie Anderson too. Not much time available for relaxing but watched Terence Davies' 'Of Time And The City' on DVD again the other night. Still wonderful! I love his work. Also managed to watch the film adaptation of 'The Time Traveller's Wife.' I adored the book and expected the film to be something of a compromise, which, to some degree it was, but I enjoyed it and thought it attempted to respect the book and didn't destroy the intimacy of its main characters. Nicely photographed and acted too. As always, calling my mother twice a day and making regular visits to her in Wakefield. We're still dealing with the final details of the two and a half year long struggle to protect her from the problems left by her late husband's will but it is finally coming to its conclusion now. Just a few things to sign off and formalise. Music-wise, I haven't had time to listen to much other than my own works in progress...and only then because I'm physically engaged in giving them birth. What little music I have heard has been ancient or vintage...and none of it rock. A little Elgar and Vaughan Williams and Faure. Easy listening stuff, I suppose. Also some 1940's and '50s swing and jazz. My usual refuge in times of stress. Nothing too demanding, just warm, uplifting and heartfelt. I'm waiting for contemporary music to get over its fixation with either 'experimentation' (more like regurgitation), or pop-rock predictability. I may be waiting for some time. Both sides of the coin devalued beyond my need to purchase. But then I'm a jaded old so and so. Not quite beyond redemption yet though. As always, back to work... ***** Images accompanying this diary entry are as follows:- 1: An ad for 'Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms.' 2: Front cover image for 'Model Village.' 3: The two Eastwood Breadwinner guitars decorated by Bill. 4: The 'Sailor Bill' guitar decorated by Bill. 5: The 'Twanglomino Mysterioso' guitar decorated by Bill. 6: Django the cat, photographed by Bill 20-Sept-2010 Top of page

Variation On The Theme Of A White Christmas Free Christmas download single Click image for cover Artwork Special FREE Christmas download single - Released December 2017. VARIATION ON THE THEME OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS Currently unavailable on any album Bill's instrumental version of the classic Christmas song. Watch the accompanying video in the Essoldo Cinema Performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2017.

Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus Bill Nelson album - 26 November 2010 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus (Plastic Mix) 02) Sex And Drums And Saxophones 03) Blue Sky Seeks Red Guitar 04) Howlin' Wolf In Me 05) Dance Of The Mullard Valvemen 06) The Aerostatic Balloonist 07) The Indelicate Levitation Of Katie's Skirts 08) Full Colour Fontana 09) The Man Who Was Tomorrow 10) Sun Kings Suffer (As Time Goes By) 11) The Mount Fuji Ice-Cream Factory 12) Illuminated Sky With Pale Blue Lightning 13) Neil Young 14) Like A Woman Levitating 15) Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus (Crystal Mix) ALBUM NOTES: Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus is an album comprising a mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces recorded especially for Nelsonica '10 on the Discs of Ancient Odeon label. As with the 2 previous Nelsonica releases, a print run of 1000 was employed, ensuring non-attendees could get hold of it without panicking or resorting to eBay. Remaining copies of the album went on sale through SOS on 2 December 2010. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: Psychotronic: "an amalgam of the words 'Psychedelic', 'Psychologic' and 'Electronic'." _____ "This one was created specifically for Nelsonica , rather than just being a collection of 'leftovers'. It's loosely themed around the Psychotronic Circus mood, but not in its entirety. Nevertheless, the tracks were chosen for the way they worked together, as a whole, so perhaps there is a kind of completeness to the album." _____ "A Psychotronic Circus could be, (and only could be, mind), a multi-coloured tent in which Alfred Hitchcock, dressed as a ringmaster, cracks his whip at a bunch of clowns stylishly cloned to look like actor Anthony Perkins in the role of a hallucinogenic lotus eater, who has given up his job as a motel owner to instead become a tv-repairman. A tv-repairman who, for some obscure reason, likes to visit the houses of peroxide blondes to re-wire their consoles whilst their husbands are away on business trips. This scenario, of course, is entirely fictional and in no way related to an incident where I just may have happened to re-align a certain lady's antennae after she waved at me from her bedroom window. In a sheer, powder blue Parisian negligee. With a bottle of champagne in one hand. And two glasses in the other. But, as you all know...I'm not that sort of person...I'm a serious, high-minded guitar player. Sometimes..." _____ "I'm a long-time fan of Neil [Young] and the song ["Neil Young"] came about while I was playing my Gretsch White Falcon in my studio and messing around with sounds on my Line 6 Pod processor. The guitar sound I arrived at reminded me very much of Neil Young and I recorded the basic backing track using that sound before writing any lyrics. The phrase 'everything sounds like Neil Young' popped into my head and kick-started the lyric writing process...the words are meant to imply some sort of linear meaning but in actual fact are just disconnected phrases that suggest a surreal scenario where 'even my car sounds like Neil Young'. The whole song is simply a kind of enigmatic tribute to him." FAN THOUGHTS: Tourist in Wonderland: "Every year to coincide with Nelsonica , Bill records and releases a 'special' studio album, that is presented to all the convention attendees, as part of the overall package. This has kind of become a tradition, if you like. By its very nature, it becomes a commemorative album of that particular Nelsonica and these albums are, as you would imagine, highly thought of and sought after, in their own right. Another (generous) part of the fantastic experience that is Nelsonica . These albums can be, as Bill mentions, a collection of 'leftover' tracks, that didn't make the final cut for the various studio albums recorded throughout the year, a kind of compilation album, representative of that years work, or, as in this year's case, an album specifically composed and recorded especially for Nelsonica ...and a fine album it is too!" "You are hooked from the very first track and pulled along the 'journey' at a fair old rattle, with subtle 'breath catches' at the perfect moments. It's an exhilarating, but very smooth, first class ride. Absolutely fantastic. And for fans of Bill's guitar wizardry, there's plenty of fine playing to sink your teeth into and keep you coming back time and again... Thanks Bill, you are a true star." Merikan1: "You want to get this one! It rocks, it twangs, it has some truly nightmarish bits. It has blues and harmonica. It is a truly surprising direction." felixt1: "It's an incredibly funky, sexy album - full of great rock and pop music. Definitely one for the rock fans, but with much more going on." swampboy: "I love Captain Future . My absolute favorite song is "Blue Sky Seeks Red Guitar". The whole album is amazing, with Bill squeezing new sounds out of his guitar. It's a keeper." donger: "Mr. Nelson takes us in several directions all at once. Delightful! My favorites are the most whimsical ones: "Dance of the Mullard Valvemen", "Sun Kings Suffer (As Time Goes By)" and "The Mount Fuji Ice-Cream Factory"." Andre: "I didn't expect to like it too much (I don't like clowns), but was surprised on first hearing. This is a classic!...What great sounds!!" old_goat: "I have been listening to the Psychotronic Circus a lot recently, and as I am want to do, looking at the art work, and it struck me suddenly that the clown on the cover looks startling (to myself at least) like Bill. I've looked at all the artwork I could from the concept; the stuff posted for the Nelsonica , posted here, etc. and there is not a single clown that comes close to looking anything in similarity than the one on the cover of the CD. I'm probably waaaay off base, but I think it's friggin' cool!" jetboy: "The images were sourced from various advertisements from the 1890's up to around the 1930's, from Barnum and Bailey ads, a New York lemonade manufacturer from the 1900's, an old East German Sci-fi magazine cover, a Parisian dance troupe from 1910 etc." emotional hooligan: "It's a cracking CD! If anyone still hasn't got round to ordering it...get it now...!" Albums Menu Future Past

Nelsonian Navigator - Issue Three - Published June 1996 Back to Top

Loom Free download track Click image for cover Artwork FREE download track - Released December 2015. LOOM From the album of the same name... The CD 'Loom' was released in December 2015 and featured 18 tracks. Unfortunately the title track 'Loom' was wrong and the error not spotted before the CD was pressed. So, I'm making the correct track available here free-of-charge. Written, performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2015.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) October 2007 Jan Feb Apr May Jul Sep Nov Dec Tuesday 9th October 2007 -- 8:20 pm Since my previous diary entry, I've been working solidly towards the 2007 Nelsonica fan convention which is scheduled for the 27th of this month. By 'solidly' I really mean ' flat out.' It feels as if I've spent the entire year locked into a punishing schedule with hardly a moment to catch breath, one project after another. Time, as so often noted in this diary, has become an elastic, ill-defined thing. It seems to flow in two directions at once and I end up feeling somehow outside of it and yet a slave to it. Inevitable when much of the work I do is done alone, I suppose. Being cocooned in my studio for almost the entire year has an adverse effect on my health. Lack of fresh air, little or no exercise, comfort eating, etc, all take their toll in one way or another. Hours on end surrounded by the electro-magnetic fields of my recording, video and computer equipment doesn't help much either. Current scientific research seems to indicate that electro-magnetic radiation, caused by close and long exposure to any technology involving electrical energy can cause all manner of unpleasant side-effects. I read an article about it and could tick several of the boxes in this respect. Apparently, you can now buy special devices to plug in and counteract 'EMR.' I'm not sure whether such a gadget is much more than a scam though, a wide-open market opportunity. Nevertheless, the negative effects of working constantly in close proximity to a great deal of electrical gear is something I can personally testify to. I have walls of electronic equipment on three sides of me and all within arm's reach. Anyway, despite being exhausted, some sort of forward momentum has to be maintained. There is still a long list of things to pull out of the hat. All manner of magic rabbits. Today was spent over at Fairview Studios, assembling and mastering the backing tracks for the live concert aspect of Nelsonica. My friend and engineering maestro John Spence helping with this as usual. At least that side of things is finally ready, barring the much needed rehearsal. (A rehearsal room has been booked for me on the 25th.) I also need to schedule a rehearsal with keyboard player Steve Cook who will be joining me on stage for some of the pieces. This year's live performance will last around two hours, split into two sections with a 20 to 30 minute interval. I've given the concert the title: 'Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams.' I'd originally planned to play for no more than one hour but once I began to assemble draft set lists of possible material, I realised that the show would have to be much longer, mainly because I wanted to include a few of the brand new pieces that I'd originally hoped to play at the concert with Harold Budd. (Which was, unfortunately, the victim of unforseen circumstances.) I've spent just over a week trying out different combinations of music for the Nelsonica concert, changing my mind about its content on a daily basis. After much agonising and re-jigging I finally arrived at what I think is the definitive set list for this year's event. There's certainly no time left to tweak it further so I decided to commit it to the mastering process and booked the session at Fairview to copy everything across and master it, integrating the sound of the newer pieces into the overall audio spectrum. The set will contain 21 pieces of music in all: a few older ones, some very recent ones and some brand-new, previously unheard ones. The set also includes a new version of a 'vintage' composition of mine, stretched out to almost 14 minutes long, plus another surprise or two. I won't give too much away in this diary as it would spoil the audience's anticipation. I CAN reveal that some of the pieces I'll be performing on the 27th come from the soon-to-be-released 'And We Fell Into A Dream' album, some from the limited edition Nelsonica album, ('Secret Club For Members Only'). Other's go back a fair way. (Three are 17 years old. One is a LOT older.) But, all in all, I think it will prove to be an interesting and satisfying selection. There's still so much to prepare though and I'm trying to squeeze as many hours into my day as possible. I've now made a start on the artwork that I need to provide for the auction but I've discarded more than I've kept. I really have to be in the right mood to make drawings and that mood has been eluding me. Tiredness I suspect. Music, for whatever reason, presents less of a problem in that I generally feel inspired on a daily basis to write and record, regardless of exterior pressures. But it looks as if the artwork will be a last-minute addition. No doubt I'll get there in the end. Maybe I should be dealing with that instead of writing this diary. I've also been working on video material for the new pieces I'm to play at Nelsonica...I've completed backdrop video for 'The Raindrop Collector,' 'Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams,' (the video for which allows a glimpse into the clutter and chaos of my home studio,) and 'Night Song Of The Last Tram.' I now have such a massive accumulation of music that I can perform live (in the solo-artist/one man band context), that it's becoming increasingly complicated and time-consuming to selectappropriate material for the occasional concerts I give. So many possibilities and combinations. It's impossible to include ALL the pieces I enjoy playing so some titles have to be sacrificed in favour of other ones. I can't judge a running order until I've made a test-assembly and tried playing through it, which is why it takes so long to finalise. Invariably, I'll copy up several set-list variations to cdr, here at home, before settling on the final one. All this is done in real time and a lot of searching through my performance archives is required before I begin to copy individual tracks across to the draft set-list CD. I always try to choose the music according to each concert's individual concept and atmosphere and attempt to ignore the obvious crowd-pleasers, instead going for thematic development according to my perception of the event's mood. Sometimes, locating that mood can be almost as difficult as interpreting it. There's a sense of panic I experience, a panic that increases in intensity until the final set list is unveiled. Then a moment's grace before the panic returns with even greater ferocity when I realise that, (because of the rarity of my live performances these days,) I'm unfamiliar with much of the material. And, worse still, that I have little time available to remedy this problem. Time-constraints mean that certain things are always left to the last moment: a flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, wing-and-a-prayer, jump into the deep end, tightrope walk without a safety net situation. It's all down to luck and sleight of hand. I'm probably as unscientific a performer as anyone could wish for. It's a wonder that my fingers can form a single chord, so many of them are crossed. But, superstitious or not, it's magic I'm after. Not so much a musician, more like a conjuror who dreams of being a sorcerer. I was telling John Spence today how much I worry about standing up in front of an audience, how nervous and stressed-out I get. More and more these days, I find myself thinking that, if I could get away with it, I'd probably retire from live concerts altogether and just work in my studio. THAT'S where I'm most at home, painting with sound rather than performing the music in front of an audience. The stage has become an increasingly akward and uneasy environment for me. I have little confidence in my ability to entertain and have to fight hard to enter the performer's mind-set. It wasn't always so. In the past I had the shield of youthful ignorance and naive bravado, believing myself invincible and marvellous. Life eventually teaches us that it's otherwise. Perhaps this loss of certainty is why we should continue to create, to attempt to communicate and perform. To transcend our personal limitations. Incredibly, despite the years of wear and tear, (or because of them), many of us discover that, at this late stage of our lives, we actually have something of real depth to share with our audience, something hard-won and meaningful. The emphasis shifts from the reckless energy of youth to the compassionate warmth and wisdom of maturity. Worth sharing, I think. I sometimes wonder though, whether 'rock' music audiences in general are prepared to have us share our maturity with them, rock music being increasingly predisposed to the realm of the teenager. So many people seem to regard music as little more than a disposable distraction, rather than as a life-affirming, illuminating and spiritual, (for want of a better word,) exchange. Performing live is always a two-way process but the gulf between artist and audience can sometimes be vast. Expectations, presumptions, demands and so on can weigh heavily on both sides of the footlights. It's a very odd relationship, sometimes. Entertainers, on the other hand, seem better equipped to deal with such things. The best of them are born to it. 'Artists' (as opposed to 'artistes'), are often crippled by insecurity, too anxious about the next step, too wrapped up in their own dark and private worlds to step into the bright theatre of other people's expectations. Secretive, furtive, full of fear and trepidation. Just too hung up? At least, that's my experience. No need to speculate about alternative universes, some of us have been cast adrift in them for what feels like an eternity. And music acts as both our distress signal and our life-raft. The entertainer seeks and gets instant gratification but there's an inevitable time-lag, an eternal disappointment that accompanies almost every public flickering of the true artist's latest flame. Then, year's later, some long-rusted lever is freed and thrown and a light goes on in minds that were previously dark or indifferent. How often does recognition come long, long after the event? So often that it's become a cliche? Again, this is how I see it though it may not be the experience of others. But there's no doubt that it does take a while for some things to blossom. I could list several pertinent examples from my own career. (But, graciously, won't.) Why there should be such a time-lag, I have no idea. I always presume that my audience is perfectly in step with me, intuitively making the same connections, crossing the same bridges over the same rivers. And, of course, a great many of them ARE doing just that, willing me on, holding my hand, encouraging me to keep up the pace, dragging me along behind them even. But, some pennies seem to take years to drop. My hat, laid forlornly on the pavement, has a few coppers but precious little silver and virtually no gold in it. Maybe it will arrive too late, maybe never. It's not that important really, is it? Still, I wouldn't have it any other way. There's something here beyond the value of coins. Whatever it is, I'm searching for it still. I've finished the decoration of this year's 'work box.' I think it's o.k. I've yet to decide upon, and prepare its contents though. I made the first work box last year and it was a much sought after item at the 06 convention. I plan to do one per year. Hopefully, it will be one of the highlights of this year's auction. I've still to prepare the illustrated material for the talk I'm to give about the history of my Gibson 345 stereo guitar. This instrument has accompanied my life from teenager to soon-to-be senior citizen. Like myself, it has been 'through the wars' somewhat. I'm hoping that my presentation of its story at Nelsonica will prove interesting to players and non-musicians alike. For a thing of wood and metal, its story is a remarkably human one. The fan convention album, 'Secret Club For Members Only' has been made ready and will be given to every convention attendee as part of their welcome pack when they register at the door of Nelsonica on the 27th. This welcome pack is another new addition to the events and will, I suspect, prove to be a collectable little item in itself. My new 'proper' album, 'And We Fell Into A Dream' is also ready and will be offered for sale for the first time at Nelsonica. It will be officially available to the wider public via the Dreamsville/Sound-On-Sound site the following week after the convention. There are other albums in the pipeline too although my dream of releasing them all in time for Christmas may be unrealistic due to the manufacturing pressures around that time of year. However, at some point in the not-too-distant-future, there will be the 'Picture Post' album of the soundtrack music I created for the 'American Stamps' documentary film plus the re-structured 'Frankie Ukelele And The Fire In The Lake' album. There may also be a double album, currently titled 'The Evening Illuminator', (or maybe just 'Evening's Illuminator'), which will contain 'The Enlightenment Engine' and some other similarly minimalist, abstract pieces. (I'm hoping to include accompanying video material with this project, encoded onto the actual CDs.) Next year will be equally as busy as this one, probably more so: I'm planning to release a selection of previously unheard archive material and some re-issues of out-of-print albums...plus a new complilation album, (possibly a double), as part of my 60th Birthday celebrations. Lots of work involved in the preparation of these, choosing the material, sequencing it, coming up with appropriate packaging art and so on. And, if all goes well, a brand new vocal album too. I'd like the latter to take priority but it all depends on the schedule and time available to me. Nelsonica itself will be adapting to the 60th birthday thing and there may even be a couple of live concerts to tie-in to the celebration, should time and budget allow. One further album project I'm hoping to get underway next year is the composition and recording of a pure orchestral album. This would be several steps on from some of the ideas incorporated on my 'Sailor Bill' album, but it would have no vocals and no guitar. It would be a totally 'symphonic' sound, though not deliberately neo-classical or 'ambient'. Just a modern, 'through-composed' piece drawn from all the musical treasures I've been exposed to throughout my life and which are buried in my subconcious. I want it to be a timeless and emotive work, something of real maturity. It may well be that this won't see the light of day for another year or two. Or maybe, once it is begun, it will capture my imagination so powerfully that I'll decide to work on it to the exclusion of all else and release it to coincide with my 60th birthday. Now that would be nice. Social life has been meagre, to say the least. I managed to escape my studio for Emiko's birthday last week, ('though I almost forgot it, so distracted was I by Nelsonica preparations.) We went out for a meal together to a new restaurant called 'Indochine' which specialises in south-east asian cuisine. They feature Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Korean food, amongst other oriental specialities. I had a very nice seafood Udon and Emi enjoyed an Unagi Bento. No doubt it will become one of our local favourite places to eat. I'm looking forward to taking a break in Paris in November, 'though I've yet to find time to sort out a hotel for us...or transportation. We would like to go by train and the new Eurostar station should be open by then. I haven't visited Paris since the early 'eighties but it's a city I very much love. It will be the first time that Emi and I have been there together. a romantic and relaxing few days, I hope. Until then, I must keep my foot on the accelerator. Nelsonica almost here now. Top of page Friday 19th October 2007 -- 9:00 pm Nelsonica now only ONE week away. I've completed more artwork and Jon Wallinger has collected it from me today. Another four drawings. This is the cut-off point in artwork terms as I now need to concentrate on the music preparation for the two hour performance I'm to give. I've selected six possible pieces for Steve Cook to play with me. They've been burned to CDr and posted to Steve so that he can audition them and choose as many or as few as he feels comfortable with. There are some equipment issues to deal with. I called Music Ground in Leeds today to make arrangements with their guitar tech/repair man, (Gordon), to adjust two of my guitars. I need to bring the action down on my Nelsonic Transitone and my Eastwood Saturn 63. Guitar necks tend to shift a little over time, particularly when they're only taken out of their cases when needed for recording or live performance. As the latter is a rare occurence these days, and the former has taken a back seat for the last few weeks due to the preparation of video and other projected images for Nelsonica, a little tweaking of my truss rods is needed. (Sounds like a hernia!) Whether I can play them, once adjusted, is another matter. I've accidentally sliced open the index finger of my left hand whilst framing a piece of the above mentioned artwork. It's now bandaged and I'm unable to play guitar. Not a good thing when I'm about to start some kind of rehearsal schedule. Hope it's healed enough to play at the convention, if nothing else. There's a lot of material for me to familiarise myself with, some of it brand new, as noted in my previous diary entry. There are two distinct approches to this problem. One is to spend every waking moment between now and next Saturday running through it until it's second nature. The other approach is to just skim across it lightly, hoping that it will leave a faint tint of colour on the blank screen of memory and that there will be enough of a residue to invisibly guide me on the day, (regardless of the all too visible panic my audience will no doubt observe.) The latter method has the debatable advantage of imparting an 'edge' to the performance, a tightrope act without a safety net. Time being what it is, I'll probably have no choice in the matter. It will be the latter casual, (read 'hopelessly unprepared'), approach. It's worked before...sort of. I completed another video backdrop piece earlier this week and have now delivered all the video material to Paul who will fulfill the role of Nelsonica's projectionist next Saturday. My hope, with all these recent Nelsonicas, is to help shape them into a complete sensory experience. They reach beyond the limits of a fan gathering and aspire to something more satisfying and unique. That they've blossomed so much over the last few years is testament to the dedication and imagination of the Nelsonica team, a group of generous and hard working fans who, between them, have carefully expanded the event's potential. The team members have become highly adept at preparing the details of Nelsonica over the last few years. Their energy, enthusiasm and imagination seems boundless as my attempts to keep up with them sinks under the weight of the year's work. They are, of course, much younger than me, so perhaps I can be forgiven for appearing exhausted by comparison...But I couldn't wish for a nicer, more genuine and caring group of people to look after the foundations of the convention for me. They're family now. The core of the day still provides the opportunity for fans from both the UK and abroad to meet each other in harmonious and pleasant surroundings. This year there are more American attendees than ever and also several UK 'first timers.' But there's much more to Nelsonica than this. The new venue will, I think, be the best yet. It feels like the perfect space for what the team and myself have in store. All we need now is a little good luck and lots of good will and everyone attending should depart with happy memories of a day spent amongst excellent friends. Other topics now: Whilst sorting through photographs to scan for my Gibson guitar talk, I came across some photo's I took only a couple or three years back. They were of places in Wakefield from my past. I'd returned there to capture some of the sites that were important to me as a youngster. Since then, a more recent visit has showed that several of these places have already been demolished or changed out of all recognition. Apparently there are big plans for Wakefield, plans to 'regenerate' the city. From what has been published, apart from the proposed Barbara Hepworth Gallery, these regenerations seem consistent with the nation's current (and far too commonplace), shopping mall approach to 'modernisation.' Just more of the usual, uniform, corporate halls of consumersism that can be found in any British city. Nothing unique or distinctive. One of these malls is set to be built on the site of Wakefield's old bus station, an edifice that was demolished a few years ago. Perhaps some may not have fully appreciated its merits, but at least it had something recognisably architectural about it. It had character and a distinctiveness that is now so often anhililated by our contemporary urban planners. Unsurprisingly, it's not architecture or art that secures these bland palaces of plenty in our less than major cities, but hard cash under the table. Pointless to moan. Wakefield has long suffered from the indifference of councillors grown fat on quiet corruption. I used to work for the West Riding County Council and saw these attitudes first hand. If they'd shown as much anger about the erosion of the city's history as they did about the 'outrage' of me wearing a pink satin tie to the office, there may have been a few more buildings preserved for future generations to enjoy. I weep for what they've done to the place. Even the County Supplies Building where I worked, (and where my father and uncle once worked before me too,) was a pile of undistinguished rubble when I last visited. A kind of triumph, in some ways. A tradgedy of the heart for me, nevertheless. But then, I'm an unredeemable sentimentalist, as readers of this diary are perfectly aware. Despite the insane rush to prepare Nelsonica for its attendees, I've finally managed to organise a few days break in November for Emiko and myself. We're travelling to Paris by Eurostar, and from the newly refurbished St. Pancras Station too, during its first week of operation. I'll be thinking about John Betjeman when we board the train. He loved St. Pancras and presented a very good television documentary about its history and design, many years ago. I've just tonight secured a hotel for us in the St Germain area of Paris and I'm finally allowing myself an atom or two of anticipation. It's many long years since I was last there, 'though Emi and I managed an all too brief holiday on the Cote D'Azur several years ago. I really wish I could afford to park my work for twelve months and travel through Europe with Emi. We have a wonderful rapport with regard to architecture and art. I've never enjoyed such an intimate and relaxed understanding in previous relationships. We take in sights and sounds as one, swooning over the same beautiful things. I'm very lucky to have found her at such a relatively late juncture in my life. She's quietly given me the calm confidence to be absolutely myself without fear of being viewed by others as odd or strange. It's a wonderfully subtle and, (dare I say it), sophisticated understanding we share, perhaps invisible to the outside world but close, warm and tangible to the two of us. We're soul mates, in the proper sense of the phrase. And with that small fire blazing in my heart, I'll close this diary entry until the next one. Which will probably serve to report the roller-coaster ride that is Nelsonica. Back to preparing the music now. ***** The images posted with this diary are as follows:- 1: Dreamsville advert. Photography by Bill Nelson. 2: Dreamsville advert with one of Bill's Gretsch guitars. Photography by Bill Nelson. 3: Photo of Bill Nelson with Guild X 500 guitar. Taken approx 14 years ago. 4: Photo of Bill's father's garage, (second from right), which Bill helped him build in the 1950's. This photo taken by Bill approx four years ago. The garage has since been demolished. 5: A photo of Conistone Crescent, Eastmoor, Wakefield, taken by Bill approximately four years ago. Bill lived here in the house to the left of the photo, (behind telephone pole), from around 3 or four years old until his early teens. 6: Anderson Street, Plumpton, Wakefield. The end terrace house, (no. 27), was the first home that Bill himself owned. He lived here with his first wife Shirley and his daughter Julia and it was here that he wrote the music for 'Northern Dream,' 'Axe Victim' and 'Futurama.' Top of page

Automatic Channel Light Vessel album - 24 June 1994 Albums Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Testify 02) Train Travelling North 03) Dog Day Afternoon 04) Ballyboots 05) A Place We Pray For 06) Bubbling Blue 07) Duende 08) Flaming Creatures 09) Bill’s Last Waltz 10) Thunderous Accordions 11) Fish Owl Moon 12) Little Luminaries Extra tracks added to original Japanese CD: 13) Faint Aroma Of Snow 14) Lost In Tijuana ALBUM NOTES: Automatic is the first album issued by Channel Light Vessel, released by All Saints Records. Channel Light Vessel was formed following Nelson's work on The Familiar , an album by Roger Eno (piano and keyboards) and Kate St. John (saxophone, cor anglais and oboe), who were already under contract to All Saints Records. With the addition of fellow All Saints recording artist Laraaji (zithers and kalimba) and Mayumi Tachibana (cello), Channel Light Vessel secured a two album deal with All Saints Records. Work on the album began at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, but the bulk of the work was completed by Nelson, working in Fairview Studios, Hull. The album was issued on CD in the UK, CD and cassette in the USA (on Gyroscope), and on CD in Japan. Japanese copies contain 2 bonus tracks, 1 of which ("Lost in Tijuana") remains exclusive. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: A repackaged version of the album was issued in the UK in 2006 in revised artwork, with the addition of a bonus track "Faint Aroma of Snow" (which had previously appeared on a UK sampler CD 'Future Perfect'). This title is out of print, but still available as a download through major online retailers. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "For myself, CLV was a highpoint in my musical life, a peak experience, as was working with Harold Budd. This is the music I most naturally respond to and would do more often, given the opportunity. I absolutely LOVE CLV and would put another CLV album together tomorrow if the funding was there to do it." "Personally speaking, CLV is one of my all time great joys." ____ "The name comes from the BBC's shipping weather forecast which, for many years, was broadcast daily on the radio as an aid to sailors in waters around Britain and beyond. A rather 'posh' voice would intone the wind, temperature and sea conditions for each area, and gave mention to a 'channel light vessel', (referring to a ship in the English Channel, a 'light vessel'). The announcer would say 'Channel light vessel: automatic', meaning, I think, a ship with a lighthouse, (or lightship), facility switched to automatic. That's how we came by the name of the first album too." ____ From a Roger Eno Interview: As far as his involvement with the latter is concerned, Eno explains that the band came together "by pure chance. I was doing concerts promoting The Familiar with Kate St John in Japan. Laraaji, Bill Nelson, and cellist Mayumi Tachibana were on tour with us, and we'd all play our solo spots. As an encore, we started to jam spontaneous pieces with all kinds of different influences thrown in. To our surprise, these were the bits that the audiences liked most. Things somehow melted together, and because they were encores we weren't over-extending ourselves. It was suggested to us that we make a record on that basis, and that was exactly how Automatic came into being, with everyone throwing in their influences: Bill's hi-tech electric stuff and serious guitar playing, Kate St John's love of French chansons, Laraaji and his spiritual zither, and so on. We put it all spontaneously together in the studio in about three weeks. [Sound on Sound Magazine, October 1996] FAN THOUGHTS: Flying: "Channel Light Vessel was a great outlet for your talents and it sounds as if the format allowed you to explore other areas of your creativity... One of my all-time favourite pieces of music is "Bill's Last Waltz". It is so simple and beautiful. If any of you have not heard this, I strongly recommend it as one of Bill's top tunes." simplex: "Bill's Last Waltz": "This is one of my favourite pieces also, so much so that I've planned for it to be played at my funeral. Bit morbid I know, but there you go." juninho: "Not having CLV recordings in my collection I set about getting Automatic and Excellent Spirits . How chuffed I am now I have these 2 albums ,they are brilliant...Accomplished musicians all and on top of their form with the Bill Nelson influence on both discs shining through. Some stunning e-bow from Bill on both. Both albums certainly keep your attention and you just want the music to go on and on. An array of instruments that blend in perfectly. Oh, and on the too short "Duende" I wonder if Bill was doing some kind of Riverdance type moves. I bet he couldn't keep still playing on that track. I know all the old stagers will have these recordings but anyone who hasn't got these gems I would highly recommend getting them. Magical are both, and timeless." Albums Menu Future Past

Tomorrow Never Knows single - 1982 Monsoon Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar and Bass Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Between the Worlds Be-Bop Deluxe single - 7 February 1975 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) Between The Worlds B) Lights ORIGINALLY: "Between the Worlds" is an earlier recording of a song better known as a Futurama album track. "Lights" is a non-album track that later appeared as the 'B' side of the follow up single "Maid in Heaven". NOTES: Between the Worlds was the third Be Bop Deluxe single issued during the band's existence. The single was issued in a generic white sleeve and quickly withdrawn. Promo copies exist with the words "Demo Record Not For Sale" and a large 'A' printed on the label, and gives the intended release date of (7.2.75). It appears the release date slipped a week. PAST RELEASES: "Lights" would first appear on album on The Best of and the Rest of Be Bop Deluxe (1978), and both tracks would be included on the Singles As and Bs compilation (1981). Both tracks would also be included as bonus tracks when the album catalogue first appeared on CD, "Between the Worlds" on Futurama , and "Lights" on Drastic Plastic (1991). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The single is long deleted, but both tracks can be found on the Cherry Red/Esoteric Recordings reissue of Futurama (2019) - both in physical form and as a digital download. Singles Menu Future Past

The World and His Wife Bill Nelson ep - 7 November 1983 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) The World And His Wife B1) Dream Car Romantics (In Death's Garage Antics) B2) Dancing Music ORIGINALLY: All three tracks were non-album tracks exclusive to this EP. NOTES: The World and His Wife is a three track EP featuring two vocal tracks and one instrumental piece. This was the fourth in the series of Cocteau Club EPs issued to fan club members, included in Issue #7 of the club magazine, Acquitted By Mirrors . All three tracks were recorded at the Echo Observatory. "Dream Car Romantics" is a fairly abstract instrumental dub mix of "Living in My Limousine". PAST RELEASES: Track A was released on the 1989 Enigma US CD release of Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All tracks are available on the retrospective compilation album Transcorder (The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings) . Singles Menu Future Past

Gone to Earth album - 1986 David Sylvian Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on six songs: "Before the Bullfight", "Wave", "Silver Moon", "The Healing Place", "Answered Prayers" and "Sunlight Seen Through Towering Trees". Bill also receives a co-writing credit on "Answered Prayers". BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Working with David on those tracks from 'Gone To Earth' was fairly straightforward and comfortable. The tracks were in a sort of skeletal state and I was given the freedom to play whatever I felt would work. Various takes were made of the guitar with slightly different approaches which David later would sort through and compile to frame the song. I believe the same approach was taken with regard to Robert Fripp's guitar on the album. It's a kind of 'painterly' approach using spontaneous, intuitive brush strokes and then seeing where they lead, before shaping up the final composition." Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Perfect Monsters Bill Nelson album - 29 February 2016 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Perfect Monsters 02) Deco Super Cruiser 03) A Holiday In Dimension X 04) The Carousel Of Time 05) The Dubious Virtue Of Loveliness 06) Skidoodling 07) Apple Tree Swing 08) The Ghost In The Machine 09) Hyperluminal 10) Flower Kiosk 11) It's A Long, Long Story 12) Relaxo Supremo 13) Magic Star 14) Katstatik 15) Weatherwood ALBUM NOTES: Perfect Monsters is a mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces issued in a one off print run of 500 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album was born out of surplus material produced during the sessions for the Phantom Fuzzbox album that was completed between November and December 2014, which at the time of writing remains unreleased. Perfect Monsters was completed in January 2015 and would wait in the queue of albums forming Nelson's release schedule until finally arriving on 29 February 2016. It was taken off sale 5 days later with all remaining copies sold through email enquiries. On 17 March it was confirmed that the album had completely sold out. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Awakening of Dr Dream , Electric Atlas , Swoons and Levitations , Dream Transmission Pavilion , Blip 2 , Kid Flip , Stereo Star Maps , Shining Reflector , Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms , Clocks & Dials BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Released today and available right now from the Dreamsville Department Store is my latest album Perfect Monsters , a vocal and instrumental extravaganza which I think you will love. The title song itself refers to my two cats, Django and Tink, rather than Frankenstein and his chums, it's a blissful, relaxing song evoking the cats sleeping in the warm sun. The album also contains many richly textured instrumental tracks with a broad palette of electric guitar tones conjuring up colourful soundscapes." _____ "You know, I'd forgotten what this album sounded like, such is the amount of work I've done since recording it. I decided to have a listen the other day and was knocked out by what I heard. It's a really good album, (even though I do say so myself), a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks with a blissful, euphoric feel and some fabulous guitar tones. I'm very pleased with the way this one has turned out and I think you'll love it!" _____ "The front cover of the album...it's a paper and scissors collage made by myself." FAN THOUGHTS: Puzzleoyster: "I am on 'round three' of listening through PM and my personal instant non-musical review would be... If this was a Boxing Match I would have been knocked out by track 5 each time of listening the initial 15 minute impact is immense purposeful and Beautiful. I am on the 'canvas' simple as... Pick up ones self back in the ring and... It has xxx classic written all over it" mark smith: "I can't stop playing it. I don't know of another recent release that has hooked me like this. It makes me smirk every now and then at its understated beauty. 10 out of 10 !!!" felixt1: "Is firmly becoming one of my all time favourite albums from Bill. This album has surprised me with its musical and emotional depth. It sounds to me like quite a personal album for Bill, but perhaps deceptively so... At the end of a working day I find myself most often turning to the song "Perfect Monsters", as a way of de-stressing and generally cheering myself up! To me this perfectly encapsulates the mood of the end of a challenging but ultimately happy day. Bill describes his cats both lyrically and musically in a way that for me, fills the song with a chilled but playful happiness. There are plenty other stand out moments throughout the album, both instrumental and lyrical - "The Carousel of Time" is another classic Bill song about life and the passage of time...too many moments to cover in a brief post but I just wanted to get the message across that I think this is a special album." Chimera Man: "The overall tone and feel has great charm. Some immediate stand out tracks for me are "The Carousel of Time", "The Dubious Virtue of Loveliness", but most delicious of all "Relaxo Supremo"." BigManRestless: "Contains what I'm sure will rapidly become one of my favourite vocal tracks - "The Ghost in the Machine", and one of my favourite instrumentals - "A Holiday in Dimension X"." soteloscope: "On a family drive we listened and all really like the title track - as we have 2 black cats (Gooch & Panther)..."bellies full and battles won". Love the instrumentals - lush and thoughtful. My son and I had to repeat "A Holiday in Dimension X" - we dig the drum machine beat! Have to mention "The Ghost in the Machine" - get down with your bad self, Bill. Over all, the mostly mellow mood I'm getting is soothing to my soul. I'll need to listen many more times." "Love the song "Magic Star" with the fast tempo sophistication. Please do keep on not going gentle into that goodnight." Archimedes Woo: "All the way from The Magic Toy Shop to The Land of Oranges, Perfect Monsters llegó esta mañana. Extra texture. Artwork phenomenal. Buen hecho señor Bill." Angie: "This is an absolute gem. It was a dull day down south, yesterday, and the music gave me a "sun on my back" type of feeling. Absolutely sublime. Obviously I'm still 'exploring', but that was my immediate overall reaction. Thank you, Bill" CoachMatt: "Lovely tracks that gave me a carpet ride feel during my travels, which only Bill can do." chazzy3: "Bill -- Thanks so much for a wonderful new album. This is a gem, a very moving, beautifully structured musical journey. The family is enjoying this very much. With deep appreciation." james warner: "A deceptive title, as this is a laid back, chill-out album but for a couple of more fiery tracks ("The Ghost in the Machine" and "Magic Star") which may jolt you out of your revery." Peter: "An instant classic! Whether with vocals or without, this album speaks to me. Especially with a title that's a reference to Bill's cats! I especially like "Skidoodling" which has a nice groove..."Apple Tree Swing" features some lovely playing (Bill, dude, you are SO good!), and "The Ghost in the Machine" rocks pretty hard in Bill-style, and several others are just lovely, melodic joys. A wide range of styles and tones...it's got everything. Love it." Albums Menu Future Past

Leaving the Electric Circus album - 2010 Sea of Wires Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Co-Producer, Guitar and mixing on one song, "The Sunglass". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Discography Menu Christmas Video Cards & Singles The following compilations do not link to full entries yet...They will soon. The Dreamsville Electric Sleigh Ride 2025 Video Christmas Card A Christmas Garland 2024 Video Christmas Card Bill's Christmas Guitar Shop 2023 Video Christmas Card Future Gothic Twang 2022 Video Christmas Card An Electrical Christmas 2021 Video Christmas Card 72 Christmases On Planet Earth 2020 Video Christmas Card The City Dreams Of Christmas 2019 Video Christmas Card The Crystal Lights Of Christmastown 2018 Video Christmas Card Variation On The Theme Of A W hite Christmas 2017 Video Christmas Card Winterchyme 2016 Video Christmas Card Christmas Guitars 2015 Video Christmas Card A Guitar For Christmas 2014 Video Christmas Card Snow Is Falling 2013 Christmas Download Single Yule Chime Dream 2013 Video Christmas Card Silent Night 2012 Video Christmas Card A Christmas Book 2011 Video Christmas Card Frost-O-Matic 2010 Free Christmas Download Single The Jingler 2009 Free Christmas Download Single The Silver Bells Of Christmas Valley 2008 Video Christmas Card Ghosts Of Christmas Past 2007 Video Christmas Card Discography Menu

Dreamy Screens box set - 8 December 2017 Bill Nelson Collections Menu Future Past Purchase this box set Sounding The Ritual Echo: 01) Annunciation 02) The Ritual Echo 03) Sleep 04) Near East 05) Emak Bakia 06) My Intricate Image 07) Endless Orchids 08) The Heat In The Room 09) Another Willingly Opened Window 10) Vanishing Parades 11) Glass Fish (For The Final Aquarium) 12) Cubical Domes 13) Ashes Of Roses 14) The Shadow Garden 15) Opium Das Kabinett: 01) The Asylum 02) Waltz 03) The Fairground 04) Doctor Caligari 05) Cesare The Sonambulist 06) Murder 07) The Funeral 08) The Sonambulist And The Children 09) Caligari Disciplines Cesare 10) Caligari Feeds Cesare 11) Caligari Opens The Cabinet 12) Jane Discovers Cesare 13) The Attempted Murder Of Jane 14) The Dream Dance Of Jane And The Sonambulist 15) Escape Over The Rooftops 16) The Unmasking 17) The Shot 18) The Cabinet Closes La Belle Et La Bête: 01) Overture 02) The Family 03) Sisters And Sedan Chairs 04) In The Forest Of Storms 05) The Castle 06) The Gates 07) The Corridor 08) The Great Hall 09) Dreams (The Merchant Sleeps) 10) Fear (The Merchant Wakes) 11) The Rose And The Beast 12) Magnificent (The White Horse) 13) Beauty Enters The Castle 14) The Door 15) The Mirror 16) Candelabra And Gargoyles 17) Beauty And The Beast 18) Transition No. 1 19) Transition No. 2 20) The Hunt 21) The Gift 22) The Garden 23) Transition No. 3 24) Transition No. 4 25) The Tragedy 26) Transition No. 5 27) The Enchanted Glove 28) Tears As Diamonds (The Gift Reverses) 29) The Beast In Solitude 30) The Return Of Magnificent 31) Transition No. 6 (The Journey) 32) The Pavilion Of Diana 33) Transformation No. 1 34) Transformation No. 2 35) The Final Curtain ALBUM NOTES: Dreamy Screens is a limited edition 3CD boxed set that compiles three early Bill Nelson instrumental works initially issued in the period 1981-82. The albums included in the box set are Sounding the Ritual Echo, Das Kabinett and La Belle et la Bête . The subtitle, Soundtracks from the Echo Observatory , is a reference to Nelson's domestic recording facility. The Echo Observatory was situated in a room above his kitchen, and remained the creative centrepiece for his more experimental recordings spanning a ten year period that began in 1979. Both Sounding the Ritual Echo and La Belle et la Bête were initially released as a limited editions of 10,000 copies, included with the initial pressings of Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam and The Love That Whirls respectively. In that context, the albums are inextricably tied to those major releases, and can be seen as representing one side of the two-fold aspect to Nelson's creative approach. This box set is part of the Esoteric/Cherry Red series of reissues on Cocteau Discs. Each album is presented in individual card sleeves, reproducing the albums' original artwork (which were jettisoned in favour of new sleeves when these titles were last reissued between 1985 and 1989). Das Kabinett and La Belle et la Bête are appearing in the UK on CD for the first time, having been previously available on the US reissues on Enigma. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This 3 CD box set is available to purchase in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "At the time, I saw Ritual Echo as being more indicative of my inner, deeper self (in 'artistic' terms), whilst Quit Dreaming was perhaps a little more superficial, closer to my commercially minded work. Perhaps I was still chasing fame and fortune with one hand but rejecting it with the other. Here and now, in the 21st Century, the production quality of Ritual seems, (to my ears), simplistic and dated, but its approach and content feels contemporary and connected to my current creativity." _____ "Whilst I understand that some people might have thought of these recordings as 'experimental' or 'avant garde', I never really approached them in that way...for me, they seemed accessible, direct, and far from difficult... All I wanted to do was make music which transcended limitations of genre and instead came across as beautiful and timeless. To achieve that goal, now more than ever, is the driving force behind my music." _____ "In some ways, that period of my life was very exciting as there seemed to be a very open-minded spirit in the air. People were, it seems, a little less less conservative than now and more ready to experiment and foster a more artistic approach to popular music. These days it seems as if there's a reluctance to open up to beauty and wonder, an element of dumbing everything down to the lowest common denominator. It's as if cynicism and pessimism has triumphed over good faith and optimism. Cocteau's work celebrates the artistic vision and the inner life and does so without shame, irony or embarrassment . Beauty is the brave hero and the Beast is subdued by her power. A lovely metaphor for the civilising influence of Art." _____ "Context has a lot to do with it. Also, not to beat around the bush, it's an 'art' piece, not pop, rock or ambient. It was also made with very slender resources, minimal recording gear, (four track), and primitive instrumentation. It's music to accompany a theatrical performance, but, if you can dig it, it also works on its own as semi-abstract sonic fragments, little vignettes of sound. It's a bit like painting. Close your eyes and let your imagination project pictures. It might help to see Cocteau's film, (the music fits it almost as well as it fitted the stage production). If you like it, great, if you don't, no problem. "Sometimes I make music for lots of people to enjoy, sometimes for just a few to enjoy. Of course, I personally enjoy making ALL of it and I think of it as just one continuous expression of my creative life. But, some people might say that Be Bop and Red Noise comprise my mainstream, mass market work, the 'ambient' instrumentals are for folks who like to float, dream and chill, and things like Beauty and The Beast , Caligari and Crimsworth are for art gallery and theatre goers...and so on, (add your own categorisations according to taste, personal bias, etc). At the end of the day, they're all just aspects of my personality, reflecting my interests, curiosity and passions. "I've often talked about the wide range of music that I enjoy listening to and the equally wide range of film, art and literature. Add a dash of occultism, esoterica and left of centre philosophy and you'll get an idea of what all this diversity adds up to when I choose tones, textures and forms to express my own inner life. There's no escaping the fact that it's deeply personal music and that it only entertains by accident, rather than design. But...when in doubt, simply shove it all in a big box and simply call it MUSIC. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone knows music...It's the food of LOVE. And we're ALL forever hungry for that." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review by Dmitry M. Epstein FAN THOUGHTS: paul.smith: "Sounding the Ritual Echo eventually had more of an an effect on me than its parent [ Quit Dreaming ] -- [Sounding ] is probably part responsible for the way that I started to look at certain things as a young kid - not just this fractured set of sounds full of intention and serendipity but titles such as "Glass Fish for the Final Aquarium" really got my imagination. It's a haunting album full of sounds that conjure up images I can't ever explain. I played QDAGOTB on the way to work today because of these posts reminding me of the 30 year anniversary and played Sounding the Ritual Echo on the way back - I think it's got to be one of the most evocative albums I have the pleasure to possess." John Izzard: "A quick word about Bill's demos and sketches. It was many of those early demos, including Sounding the Ritual Echo and the Trial by Intimacy box set that inspired confidence in me to make my own music and helped shape my attitude towards the creative process. Those records taught me that it was not necessarily about the big production, budget - or 'being signed', but the seed of an idea being the important thing. I'm sure many other musicians, here and elsewhere, feel the same. It was brave of Bill to release those pieces in their raw form...although the truth is, the music and ideas were strong enough to stand naked and proud, without the need for further stylization or polish." tommaso: "There is a lot of interesting detail here, and as usual, marvelous and unique sounding synths, creating an appropriately spine-chilling character in places." Mozo: "As the years have passed, I find that if I have Das Kabinett , Trial By Intimacy (The Book of Splendours) and Savage Gestures for Charms Sake playing in the background, I seem to become more creative at anything that I happen to be doing, at the same time I'm listening. So I've come to appreciate the different facets of Bill's creativity all the more." Collections Menu Future Past

Lines of Desire album - 1995 Su Lyn Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer, Guitar and Bass on three songs: "Out of the Ice Age", "The Photograph" and "Precinct of Life". NOTES: Bill, with John Spence's assistance, produced 3 tracks in 1991, which Su later added upon to finish this album for 1995 release. The CD and download are available via Bandcamp. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Heaven And Hell Volume Two album - 1991 Various Artists Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Contributed a cover of the Velvet Underground song "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", credited to Bill Nelson and The Roy Rogers Rocketeers. Producer and Keyboard on the Mock Turtles cover of the Velvet's "Pale Blue Eyes". NOTES: Bill's cover is not featured on any of his other releases, and remains unique to this tribute album. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Dancing on a Knifes Edge Bill Nelson ep - May 1983 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A1) Dancing On A Knife's Edge A2) Indiscretion B) Contemplation ORIGINALLY: Initially all three songs were non-album tracks. NOTES: Dancing on a Knife's Edge is an EP featuring three vocal tracks. This was the third in the series of Cocteau Club EPs issued to fan club members, included in Issue #5 of the club magazine, Acquitted By Mirrors . All three tracks had been recorded at the Echo Observatory, but for broadcast on BBC Radio 1 (for the David Jensen show), along with a fourth track "Time Tracking" (which was left off the EP). "Contemplation" would effectively kick-start work on the next song-based Bill Nelson album Getting the Holy Ghost Across (see separate entry), as it would be re-recorded for that purpose. PAST RELEASES: Track A2 was released on the 1989 Enigma US CD release of Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All 3 tracks, plus the previously unreleased "Time Tracking", were included on the 'bonus disc' of The Practice of Everyday Life (2011). All tracks are available on the retrospective compilation album Transcorder (The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings) . BILL'S THOUGHTS: With this issue [of Acquitted by Mirrors fanzine, issue 5] comes another in the series of exclusive Cocteau Records E.P.s. This one containing three of the four tracks recorded for the B.B.C.'s Radio One David Jensen show. These songs were written specially for the show and were recorded at my home studio, The Echo Observatory. They are not available elsewhere and are therefore an exclusive privilege of club membership. I hope that you will enjoy them. Singles Menu Future Past

Issue 1 Issue 3 Issue 2 - June 2005 ROSEWOOD VOLUME ONE FINALLY RELEASED Bill Nelson's custom record label, 'SONOLUXE, ' has released the long-awaited album, 'Rosewood Volume One'. This is the first ever Bill Nelson instrumental album designed to spotlight his acoustic guitar playing and is also the first ever release on the 'SONOLUXE' label. The album's15 instrumental tracks paint beautiful pictures with sound, providing an ideal accompaniment to a mythical, dreamy English summer. The music blends tints of folk, ambient, jazz, blues and contemporary composition along with spontaneous improvisation and discrete digital processing. The album is both melodic and mysterious, humming with the electricity of imagination. 'Rosewood Volume One' is only the first half of Bill's acoustic guitar project. 'Rosewood Volume Two, ' containing another 15 tracks, will be released a little later in the year. Volume Two has a slightly more uptempo feel, whilst still atmospheric and evocative. The two albums are companion pieces and should be heard in sequence to follow the music's developmental thread. 'Rosewood Volume One' is instantly available from 'The Dreamsville Department Store '. Simply click on the Dreamsville Department Store name on the Dreamsville Home Page, then click on the 'Rosewood Volume One' listing and you will be automatically connected with Sound On Sound magazine's store. (Sound On Sound have kindly provided facilities for ordering by mail). Select your country of residence, click on the 'Bill Nelson Music' name on the menu listed on the left hand side of the page and then select the product you require. Follow instructions through to the checkout, completing your details where requested. Your order will be processed for immediate dispatch. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque. DREAMSVILLE WEBSITE PROVES TO BE A BIG HIT WITH FANS The response to the recent launch of 'DREAMSVILLE, The Official Global Bill Nelson Website', has been overwhelmingly positive. Although the site is still in its infancy and much work still remains to be done, the initial reaction from fans has been extremely encouraging. Within hours of its launch, the site was flooded with enthusiastic praise and the Dreamsville Inn forum is now constantly buzzing with the vibrant thoughts and conversations of hundreds of regular visitors. Bill Nelson, when asked how he felt about the public response to the site said: "I'm overwhelmed by the kind words and continuing loyalty of all those who have posted messages of support on the Dreamsville Inn Forum . It's a fabulous feeling to know that my music and work continues to connect with those generous hearts and minds who are tuned into it. I intend to continue the development of Dreamsville far into the future, gradually building up a self-contained resource that will diligently serve all who enjoy my music, wherever they may reside. Of course, Dreamsville has received tremendous help from various quarters: Ian Gilby, Paul Gilby, Dave Graham, Chuck Bird and Jon Wallinger being amongst the principal guardian angels, but the ultimate success of the site is down to those many afficionados of my work who continue to support what I do, year after year... people who have been open-hearted and brave enough to negotiate the twists and turns of my creative life with me. My map is also their map and the complex journey is accomplished in unison as a shared experience, together. It is to these people that Dreamsville owes its being. And it is because of them that I'm pursuaded that my efforts might be worthwhile, despite my occasional bouts of self-doubt. I'd like to thank everyone, both behind the scenes and out in the public auditorium, for their much needed help in dragging my dreams from the shadows into the light of day. I hope that they will continue to enjoy sharing these musical and visual explorations with me." BILL NELSON'S AUTUMN TOUR PLANS BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE Opium (Arts) Ltd, Bill Nelson's management company, are currently working with a London-based agency to book venues for Bill's planned November Solo UK Tour. Several possible venues have been suggested but, at this stage, nothing has been officially confirmed. It does seem that one venue in the midlands has already been advertising tickets for sale, despite the fact that official confirmation for this particular concert has yet to be given from Bill's management team. The Dreamsville Rocket advises fans to wait until official dates are properly confirmed on the Dreamsville website before buying tickets. Basically, until a proper tour announcement is made on this site, all other announcements are unauthorised and speculative. Whilst these plans are being discussed, Bill Nelson is working towards the actual concept and presentation details of the November tour. Bill plans to write new songs and instrumentals for these concerts, AND hopefully put together backing tracks for one or two older songs too. ('Though this latter idea is only a possibility at this stage. It will depend upon having enough time available beyond the new material). He also hopes to be able to assemble a brand new presentation of his videogram-style visuals, to act as a stage backdrop. Bill has been constantly developing ideas for the tour and, until the deadline for advertising is reached, everything will be subject to change. Like Bill's recordings, the ideas are in a constant state of flux until the final shape and form materialises. One possible concept, however, can be revealed by the Dreamsville Rocket, and it is this: The tour may go out under the following banner: 'BILL NELSON AND THE GREAT NORTH YORKSHIRE ASTRAL ORCHESTRA, One Man, A Galaxy Of Overdubs... ' The Great North Yorkshire Astral Orchestra, of course, is simply Bill with his pre-recorded interactive backing tapes, over which he will play guitar and sing live. But the framework that the title provides adds a theatrical, romantic element to the performance, a context within which Bill can feel inspired. Long time fans of Bill's music will be familiar with his passion for inventing fictional names and frameworks for his work so it will come as no surprise that the forthcoming tour will continue in that tradition. The element of 'play', (in the sense of a child using play to explore and respond to its personal environment), is an essential component in Bill Nelson's creative life. He has always attempted to preserve a wide-eyed wonder, a feeling of joyous awakening, whilst creating his music and visuals. An appropriate choice of titles for songs, albums, videos and concert tours becomes an essential part of this process. The 'naming of things' gives them pupose and power. Names become magical incantations, keys to unlock other realms. Whilst Bill's music could be thought of as, on the one hand, subtle, serious and knowing, on the other it is playful, whimsical and gently surreal. It is the balancing and blending of these various elements that has shaped Bill's working methods and creative choices over the years. The forthcoming Autumn tour, whatever banner it eventually goes out under, will provide a platform for further experiments in the fine art of practical dreaming. DID BRIGHTON ROCK? A weekend in Brighton to celebrate the work of Harold Budd, his last live performance as sadly Harold is retiring from music. A long and frustrating drive down from Selby on the Friday meant I had a long soak in the bath as soon as I found my hotel, then with the aches and pains washed away, it was out to find a pub. The first pub I found, I went into, and who should be at the bar but Pete Harwood (guitar tech from the tour last year) and fellow Satellite, Dave Standeven. They were the guitar techs for the show, so I knew I was going to be filled in on all the gossip! They gave me a run-down of what I was to expect the following day, including mention of a gong solo... very intriguing! Early hours of the morning and time to find my hotel... Saturday lunchtime found me (again) in the pub... who should be sitting there this time but Harold Budd himself! I introduced myself and he said he recognised my face from the couple of times we had met previously. It was then time for Harold to head back to the venue to continue with rehearsals and he invited me back with him so I could say "Hi" to Bill. I hung around during the rehearsals for a while, then decided to make an exit as I didn't want to spoil the evening's entertainment by seeing too much of the show too early! But what I did see was a real interesting mix of musicians and musical styles. So back to the pub and met up with several of the Nelson-Faithful... then onto the show. First up was the 'Balanescu String Quartet'. String quartets are not my favourite thing, probably because I have no idea what they are doing or how they are doing it, but very enjoyable all the same! Then, on comes Harold, with Theo Travis on flute and sax. For me, this was the real start of the show. An excellent mix but over far too soon. Then it was Bill's turn, nice to hear a great welcome from the crowd when he walked on! Firstly, Bill played a couple of pieces with his acoustic guitar, but the sound mix did not do the music any justice, it all seemed rather bass driven... if only Ian Thorpe had been mixing engineer this would have been awesome! On came John Foxx to join Harold and Bill. This, for me was one of the highlights of the evening. Bill was playing his Gus guitar, so the mix was better, unfortunately there was an electrical buzz coming from somewhere, but I didn't care! John Foxx's dreamy choral chants blended perfectly with Bill's guitar and Harold's piano, this trio really did seem to gel. Harold closed the first half with a couple of beautiful piano pieces, which although very minimal at times, had a beauty that had me hanging on every note. So flip the disc and let's see what's on side two... The programme stated - Steve Jansen: solo gong. I had been forewarned about this event by Dave and Pete, so was really looking forward to it. Steve started by almost brushing the surface of this huge gong, doing very light drum rolls around the edge, slowly increasing in force and moving the playing area form edge to centre to edge. The resulting sound was a resonant bass hum which tended to phase in and out while pitch was ridden up and down depending on what Steve was doing at the time. I could tell that the couple next to me weren't as impressed as I was, their tutting and complaining "Hurry-ups" was starting to get on my nerves, I could have listened to this bit alone for hours. But Robin Guthrie's guitar soon took over from the gong-hum, playing sustained/looped chords and building layer upon layer of them until there was a wash of sound. Steve Cobby then sat at his laptop and introduced bells and swirling electronic noises, which fit in so well with the background guitar. Then came Harold, followed by Theo, then Alexander Balanescu, all adding their piece, again the mix started to suffer as people could be seen playing but not much heard at times! Bill then joined the band with some exquisite E-Bow work, at times it seemed like a bit of a scramble between who would be playing their bit next and at times when everyone was playing it all got a bit muddy. Then came Jah Wobble and Steve Jansen and with the addition of bass and drums, this really kicked the piece into gear! Both Steve and Jah were exceptionally solid, a tight and dynamic sound that took the existing music to a different dimension. My only criticism was that I thought Jah Wobble could have varied his bass riff a bit. Whether it was to drift into a gentler style for a moment before raising the stakes again, or just to take his riff somewhere else so that it wasn't so repetitive. It made Jah look a bit like a one-trick-pony, which I know he isn't as I have seen him live before. Also towards the end of the 'second half' was an annoying feedback sound which seemed to be getting worse and worse and which the sound engineer didn't seem to have a clue about how to rectify! So as the piece suddenly finished (I don't think an ending had been worked out) the audience gave deserved applause in the hope of an encore... but after playing a piece of music that lasted almost an hour, how could you top that? They didn't try, but we had certainly already got our money's worth. Best wishes to Harold and whatever venture he decides upon, I will hold fond memories for a long time. Jon Wallinger. THE DREAMSVILLE DEPARTMENT STORE OFFERS RARITIES FOR SALE Three of Bill Nelson's favourite albums have been acquired from stock that Voiceprint Records were apparently planning to destroy. The albums are: 'Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer', 'Crimsworth' and 'After The Satellite Sings'. These recordings are essential works in the Nelsonic canon and, for those who don't already own them, are 'must have' items. The Dreamsville Rocket asked Bill how these albums fit into the overall scheme of things and what his feelings are about them today. Bill said: "Crimsworth is an unusual album in that it contains music I composed for an art installation, back in the early 'nineties. The installation was actually called 'Crimsworth' and was built by the artist Rob Ward. The music itself was recorded at Fairview Recording Studio, near Hull, on the 21st and 22nd of July 1994, and comprises just two long 'movements.' It is primarily concerned with particular textures and atmospheres, rather than thematic development. In this sense, it is quite abstract but, at the same time, deeply reflective and soothing. Some people have said that they consider it the most 'ambient' of my works. I'm not sure whether the term is one that I'm entirely comfortable with as I find it generically limiting. Like my friend Harold Budd, I prefer the term 'discrete', in the sense that the music doesn't force its attention upon the listener. At the same time, however, I wouldn't consider it background music. It is full of detail and ever evolving micro-patterns that slowly reveal themselves to the focussed ear. It is quite accessible as a surface piece but offers further information beneath this. The deeper one listens, the greater the reward. 'Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer' (My Secret Studio volume 2), is a double-album set. (The set comprises two cds in one box). The first of these is called 'Weird Critters' and the second is 'Magnificent Dream People.' They contain a mix of vocals and instrumentals. It's actually one of my favourite collections of music. Some pieces were recorded in my 'TAPE RECORDER COTTAGE STUDIO, others at Fairview studio. Most of the recordings come from the earlier part of the1990's, 'though the album itself wasn't released until '96. I chose several tracks from these two albums to provide foundations for my videograms, many of which found their way onto the 'Flashlight Dreams And Fleeting Shadows' DVD a couple of years ago. I still think 'Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer' has a timeless feel that will come across as fresh to new listeners. It's also a very accessible collection of songs, easy to digest. The packaging features some of my visual collage art which is intended to complement the music. The other album we've rescued is 'After The Satellite Sings'. This is a very important piece of work for me in that it explored the fusion of rock music with drum n' bass and trip-hop. It was somewhat ahead of its time and was cited by long time David Bowie collaborator, Reeves Gabrels as being inspirational in the creation of David Bowie's 'Earthling' album. In actual fact, my much earlier 'Practically Wired' album touched on similar experiments even before I recorded 'After The Satellite Sings.' In more recent years, one or two other guitarists have gone down the same avenue, Jeff Beck in particular, but 'Practically Wired' and 'After The Satellite Sings' were 'first off the starting block' as it were. I guess, in their own way, these albums have been quietly influential. 'After The Satellite Sings' was composed, recorded and mixed in Fairview Studios over a two week period. Remarkable, when I listen to it now. It sounds rich and complex, the recording quality being superbly handled by engineer John Spence. The songs are melodic and immediate too, an album I'm proud of." All three of these albums are now available from The Dreamsville Department Store for £9.99 pence, plus postage and packing. Supplies are extremely limited so copies will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis. HAROLD BUDD BIDS FAREWELL TO LIVE PERFORMANCE AND RECORDING On the Saturday the 21st of May, 2005, American composer and recording artist Harold Budd gave his farewell performance at Brighton's Dome Theatre in the U.K. Harold was joined by friends and collaborators who helped to celebrate Harold's tremendously influential career. Bill Nelson, John Foxx, Russell Mills, Steve Jansen, Jah Wobble, Steve Cobby, Theo Travis, Robin Guthrie, Alex Balanescu and the Balanescu Quartet all performed alongside Harold in various combinations in what proved to be a memorable occasion. For an overview of the concert, see Jon Wallinger's first hand account in this issue of 'The Dreamsville Rocket'. For a behind the scenes take on the event, see Bill Nelson's diary entry dated 29th May 2005, which can be found in the study of 'Villa Nelsonica ' within the Dreamsville website. A review of the concert also appeared in the May 27th issue of 'THE INDEPENDENT' newspaper. PLANS FOR THE EXTREMELY LIMITED EDITION OF THE 'CARSBRO NELSONIC DELUXE 'GUITAR AMPLIFIER NOW IN PROGRESS The Nelsonic Deluxe custom built amplifier and speaker cab, designed by Bill Nelson and used by him on last year's 30th anniversary UK tour, is almost ready to go into limited production. No more than 50 of these highly exclusive amplifiers will be built. Bill Nelson has recently fine-tuned some details of the design, providing hand-drawn sketches of specific control knob concepts, plus a front panel logo design, for Carlsbro's custom workshop to implement. Once Bill has authorised these improvements, the amplifier, with its matching 4x12 speaker cab, will begin a highly limited production run. Each unit will also carry a rear mounted metal plaque engraved with the limited edition serial number and Bill's personal signature. There are also plans for a hand-signed, framable certificate to be issued to each purchaser, authenticating the amplifier's exclusive status and its individual number. 'The Nelsonic Deluxe' is destined to be a highly sought after, super-collectable item and its future rarity will ensure that it becomes an extremely good investment for buyers. A percentage of the profits from the sale of the amplifier will go to The North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre, a charity that Bill feels is deserving of support. For further details of this special production, please log on to www.carlsbro.com or click on the link in the Dreamsville Transit Lounge . To learn more about the valuable work of The North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre, please log onto www.music-therapy.org.uk THREE ENGLISH GUITAR MAGAZINES RUN FEATURES ON BILL'S NELSONIC DELUXE AMPLIFIER It seems that Bill Nelson's 'Nelsonic Deluxe' guitar amplifier design has captured the imagination of the English guitar magazine market. 'Guitar Buyer', 'Guitarist' and 'Guitar and Bass' magazines have all carried items featuring Bill's amplifier in their June issues. The design has made a big impression when it was exhibited at the recent Frankfurt musical instrument trade fair too. Carlsbro have been very pleased with the overwhelming response that the design has generated. A NEW DIARY ENTRY IN VILLA NELSONIA Bill has written a new diary entry, (dated Sunday 29th of May), which deals with the circumstances of the Harold Budd farewell concert in Brighton and Bill's personal involvement in it. Bill also takes a trip down memory lane, recalling the previous time he'd visited Brighton in the 1970's. This part of the diary provides a personal and autobiographical insight into Bill's earlier career. There are also photographs of Brighton's seafront that Bill took himself whilst attending the Harold Budd rehearsals, which serve to illustrate the diary text. The Diary of a Hyperdreamer is now open for you to read on the desk of William's Study in Villa Nelsonica. See the Dreamsville home page map to locate this. NELSONICA: THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Bill has been looking at the possibility of hiring a new venue at which to hold NELSONICA 05. Bill and Lord Mayor Of Dreamsville, Jon Wallinger, recently visited 'The Royal York Hotel' in the City of York and were very impressed by the facilities on offer there. They constitute a tremendous improvement over those available at The Duke Of Cumberland where the last three Nelsonica conventions have been held. Enquiries were made about the cost of hiring two properly equipped areas of the Royal York for Nelsonica 05 but, unfortunately, the hire fee, when a quotation eventually came in, was way above the convention's budget... Mind bogglingly expensive, in fact! A shame as the venue would have been absolutely perfect for Nelsonica's needs. York offers a range of attractions that would benefit convention attendees: Historic architecture, museums and galleries, good restaurants, excellent shopping, etc... It would provide Nelsonians with wives and families an all round treat and, for those travelling to the convention from overseas, add extra value to their trip. It was hoped that people might make a weekend of it, staying at the Royal York Hotel, attending the convention and enjoying the ancient and beautiful sights of York and the surrounding area. Sadly, it seems this may not now be practical, due to the high cost of hire. There is one more new option being considered, this one in Leeds... but it may be that this too proves to be financially unsuitable. Until the final quotations come in though, nothing can be decided. It may be that, for this year at least, 'The Duke Of Cumberland' in North Ferriby may have to suffice. If this should be the case, a more upmarket venue will be sought for next year's convention instead. Please keep an eye on 'The Dreamsville Rocket' and the 'Dreamsville Inn Forum ' for further announcements about this year's convention though.

Cinema Menu Be Bop Deluxe Be Bop Deluxe video clips...more will be added soon! Be Bop Deluxe - BBC Sight And Sound Full Concert - 1978 Be Bop Deluxe - Live Radio Broadcast - Dec 1976 - AUDIO ONLY! December 6 1976 - WLIR FM Broadcast Recorded at Calderon Concert Hall Garden City. Life In The Air Age, Fair Exchange, Sister Seagull, Ships In The Night, Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape, Forbidden Lovers, Down On Terminal Street, Blazing Apostles, Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids. Cinema Menu

Loose Routes: Two album - 1991 various artists Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on one song: "From King John's Christmas". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Starlight Stories Bill Nelson album - 1 December 2023 Albums Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) A Wide Open Window (With A View Of The Stars) 02) Sailing Through Skies Of Blue 03) Antoria 04) My Signal Light 05) Goodbye Golden Sands 06) Everything Is Ancient Now 07) Standing In A Starlit Room 08) Slow, Slow, Slow 09) Meanwhile, Elsewhere 10) Ghosts Of Ancient Houses 11) Celestrum 12) Starlight Stories 13) The Land Of Lost Dreams 14) The Doctor Was An Alchemist 15) Ian's Radio Is On Purchase this CD Purchase this download ALBUM NOTES: Starlight Stories 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 material for the album was recorded during the same sessions that produced Marvellous Realms and All The Fun Of The Fair , recorded between November 2021 and October 2022. The album title was first announced in a Dreamsville Journal entry dated 5 April 2023 which also confirmed that Nelson had tracks set aside for inclusion on it and was already busy working away on his next project, called Guitars of Tomorrow . The titles of all fifteen tracks destined to appear on Starlight Stories were then revealed by Nelson in a Dreamsville forum post dated 30 April 2023. These were among a list of 127 tracks that would make up future releases including All the Fun of the Fair (which was released on 3 November 2023), the afore mentioned Guitars of Tomorrow and another new album project, Fables of the Future . One song title earmarked for Starlight Stories was initially reported as being called 'Sailing Through the Clouds of Blue' but this was eventually to appear as 'Sailing Through the Skies of Blue'. Other than that minor modification, all fifteen tracks identified back in April 2023 would retain their place on the album. Starlight Stories was mastered at Fairview Studios by John Spence on 1 June 2023 with artwork completed by Martin Bostock in October 2023. Pre-orders details for Starlight Stories were announced by Burning Shed on 2 November 2023 for release on 1 December 2023. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The tracks on 'Starlight Stories' were recorded during the same 2022 recording sessions that produced tracks for the 'All The Fun Of The Fair' album. However, 'Starlight Stories' has a quite different atmosphere and intent. The inspiration for many of the songs came from my memories of a set of children's story books, published in the 1920s, that my mother had owned when she was a child in the early 1930s. She had kept these books and would read to me from them when I was an infant in the early 1950s. They were thick, heavy bound books, with embossed covers and had titles such as 'The Golden Wonder Book For Children'. They were brilliantly illustrated by artists who displayed a combination of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. The books contained stories by famous authors such as HG Wells, Miguel De Cervantes, Homer, William Blake and others, plus poems by various poets, both classical and contemporary to those times. I was entranced by the wonderful stories and illustrations they contained. They had an aura of magic and mystery about them, with fairy tales and evocatively British poetry, filled with seasonal and rustic imagery. A treasure trove of fantasy and adventure, which I loved. 'Starlight Stories' doesn't attempt to directly portray those old books but it does try to capture some of their atmosphere and manifest my nostalgia for them. Consequently the songs on this album have a softer, melancholic quality about them, albeit with some distressed, patina-like textures that evoke the scent and feel of those old books. They are dreamy meditations, wistful reveries fed through the filter of my contemporary musical sensibility. I hope they will, in some small way, connect you with your own lost story books, as well as with mine." Albums Menu Future Past

Thursday 5th October 2006 -- 7:00 pm The weather has changed quite dramatically, cold and wet today, the Indian Summer banished overnight. Emiko's 58th birthday yesterday. Despite my constant work on the Nelsonica material, I managed to get into town for an hour and find a gift and a card. We actually went out together for a meal last night. My own 58th birthday coming up in December, not far away now. Can't believe that we're both so close to 60. When I think about how rapidly the last ten years have flown, and how quickly a week passes these days, it's difficult not to get into a state of panic. So much still to achieve in both creative and personal terms. Life's too short when your mind is buzzing like a hive full of idea bees. Into the last stages of pre-Nelsonica work now. The main things all in place but still a few details to attend to. Mastering the new backing tracks next Tuesday, the earliest Fairview could accomodate me. A rehearsal room now booked for Thursday to set out my equipment and wire it all up, attend to any repairs needed and try to get to grips with the new material and re-aquaint myself with the older pieces. I've made my 'charts' for the musical aspect of the set but can't make notes about the effects unit changes and which guitar goes with which number until next Thursday. Friday will be packing up other extra bits of gear, choosing, ironing and packing clothes for stage and the rest of the event and, hopefully, trying to get an early night. (Probably sleepless.) It's going to be an extremely busy Saturday. Whilst the attendees will have approximately 11 or 12 hours of unique entertainment, I'll be there sometime before the doors open to sound check and generally try to get my act together. Jon Wallinger and the dedicated Nelsonica team will actually be there even earlier, on the Friday night, making a start on some of the preparatory tasks. Their organisational work is, as always, carefully considered and meticulous. Each year, the project becomes increasingly more complex but also equally more professional. I'm deeply touched by the team's dedication to the music and filled with admiration for their expertise. Their vibrant enthusiasm and love shines through every aspect of what they do and gurantees that the day will be special. I'm very lucky to be surrounded by such genuine people. I hope that they realise how grateful I am. As always, we have visitors from overseas but, this year, they'll have the wonderful City of York to enjoy during their weekend, as well as the live music, videos and other presentations. An exciting change from the village of North Ferriby no doubt, even though I have many happy past associations with that place. I've had news from Campbell American guitars that my Nelsonic Transitone prototype 2 is winging its way across the Atlantic and should be here for me to play, (and unveil in public,) for the first time at Nelsonica 06. Dean, (Campbell) has sent me some new photographs of the instrument, a couple of which are attached to this diary entry. It looks great and I'm eager to get to grips with it. Once I've assesed it and made any final suggestions, and the proposed minor cosmetic details are added, it will go into production...My first signature model! It's like giving birth but, I'm sure, somewhat less painful... There's some work to do towards an extra, unadvertised item on the Nelsonica agenda, but I won't spoil it by giving details here. It should, however, add further interest to the day. I'm also planning to bring Lost Satellite Steve Cook on stage with me for an improvisational piece. He may end up being part of the Orchestra Futura feature too. We'll see...He and I are getting together this coming Sunday to work on some ideas. And he'll cut my hair at the same time... (No, not on stage, here at home!) I do find the current juggling of one thing or another difficult, stressful. There seems to be so much going on at the same time. But then, hasn't that always been the case? I'm always trying to push towards, not the future so much, as the NOW, the instant moment when fresh possibilities arise and the past is left to the sadness of ghosts. The older we get, the more the tendency arises to perpetually dwell in what we perceive as our 'glory years'. Perhaps this is simply a sign of our increasing inability to keep up, not so much with the wider world, (which often lags even further behind), but to keep up with the rate of our own inner mercurial change and progress. The artist must conquer such tendencies, such laziness, such temptation to be sweet talked into servitude. He must constantly refuse the easy laurel, the placatory kiss on the cheek and renew his commitment to the visionary impulse that, unbidden, compelled him to embark on the work in the first place. There is no place for living art in the mausoleum of lost youth. But our maturity, our ever refined and re-defined adulthood, allows us bigger and greater adventures. Not that many people have the nous or guts to grasp this and run with it. What brought this mood on, I wonder? Maybe the nostalgia that inevitably accompanies certain aspects of Nelsonica? A frustration with the pace of progress here in my little room, in my life? 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' was finished several months ago but won't be heard by my audience until 14th of this month. I'm already thinking about the next step, where I should go from here. Is this part of the problem? That I'm in some sort of hyper-speed realm whilst the 'real' world inevitably drags its worn-out heels? Or am I just bored and disgusted with the dull, tired conservatism that seems to permeate 'pop' and 'rock' culture in general? Maybe the latter, maybe all of the aforementioned. I actually haven't a clue. Or if I have, I'm not telling here. Well, that's it. A cutting of certain ties, a new freedom, a new resolve. Bob's your uncle and the world's your oyster. This is where it begins. Yet again. One of the things I'm looking forward to, once the pressure I'm feeling eases off, is to sit down and listen to some music, other than my own. I have a pile of cds that haven't been out of their jewel cases yet, some Lennie Tristano, some old recordings of John Cage's piano sonatas, the latest Bill Frisell album, some Derek Bailey, a little bit of Charles Ives, some Nino Rota. Then there's the new Madeline Peyroux album that I'm eager to buy and hear, oh, it goes on, a long list of lovely sounds and none of them remotely connected with what some people might think of as Bill Nelson's music. But then, they're not listening hard enough and so, as far as I'm concerned, their opinions don't count. Talking of Nino Rota, I've been reminded of his work by the score he created for Fellini's 'Juliette Of The Spirits' which I've managed to watch late at night on DVD, ('though not all the way through yet). I first saw this film in the '70's, I think, and loved it. Almost finished the fabulous George Melly's , Slowing Down' book, which I've been reading when I wake up in a cold panic in the middle of the night. It calms me no end for some strange reason. My brother Ian once spent a little time with George. When Ian worked at The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, he was once assigned to collect George Melly from the station and drive him to the park. It must've been a special visit or something. I can't recall the exact circumstances now but, sadly, Ian isn't around for me to call him up and check. Anyway, Ian was apparently quite impressed by George, particularly his apparent ability to allow himself the vigourous consumption of the kind of food, drink and cigarettes that were not perhaps wise for a man of his age. Somehow, George, despite various medical issues, appeared to be immune to these transgressions. My mother once commented that Ian took this as an example of the possibility of his own immunity to such things. Ian thought quite highly of George, as do I, but everyone's physical constitution is different. Not that I am particularly wise with my own health. Far from it. but, there you go...I'm reading a book by the man my brother once drove to the sculpture park. Life's like that, isn't it? Sitting here surrounded by several bright guitars. A kind of sculpture park here in my room. They're beautiful, colourful, inviting. But I'm avoiding dealing with them and their demands. It's an ambivalent relationship sometimes. I'll have to face the music tomorrow though as I still need to run some of the Nelsonica concert set through to try to grasp the shape and form of it. It's getting closer and closer. The clouds are parting and the stars are rising, a theatre of possibility. And myself alone and trembling, moving on. Top of page Tuesday 10th October 2006 -- 9:00 pm Spent much of the day at Fairview studios with engineer John Spence, mastering the new instrumental pieces and assembling the final backing tracks for my live performance at this coming Saturday's Nelsonica convention. No second guessing now as the set list is finally 'written in stone.' After a quick run through, (and a haircut), with Steve Cook on keyboards on Sunday, I've decided to add 'Nebulous Trolleybus' to the list, so there will now be 20 instrumentals performed at the convention. It makes for a quite sophisticated set lasting around one and three-quarter hours. 10 of those 20 numbers are brand new, receiving their premiere live performance at Nelsonica. The other ten include some pieces that are also relatively new, so everything should sound nice and fresh. Some of it so fresh that I'll be struggling to remember it! As always, it was a pleasure to sit with John as he mastered the backing tracks for me. This process makes a noticable difference to the sound of the performance, ensuring that each piece sits at the correct level with the other pieces and that the sound is uniform and as punchy as possible. Not only does this provide a better listening experience for the audience but it also allows me to more clearly pick out the details within the backing tracks and thereby play in the most appropriate manner. I need to feel inspired by the on-stage sound if I'm to be at my best. John was planning to visit Hull's annual autumn fair this evening. I would have loved to tag along with him but there's too much to attend to here, not least this diary update. The autumn Hull fair, John tells me, is the largest in Europe and has been a regular fixture for many years. I really would have enjoyed taking my camcorder along to grab some footage for possible use in one of my videograms, but time doesn't favour this. Maybe next year...Actually, I'll probably be just as busy with Nelsonica then, AND there's the possibility of an American Nelsonica right after it. Have been speaking with Simon Warner about our on-stage interview. Sent him some albums to fuel his questions. Should prove to be an interesting talk for those fans who take an interest in the subjects that have inspired me during the last year or two. Simon called me a few minutes ago to confirm some of the pieces to be discussed. We will have one more conversation on Friday to tie up any loose ends. I still haven't prepared any thoughts or words for my Guitar Talk though. (A separate thing from the Simon Warner interview.) Perhaps time is against me now. I'll have to rely on my wits on the day. If the weather favours my imagination, it may yet turn out to be an interesting talk. Before I could go to Fairview this morning, I had a diversion. I received notification that Parcel Force were holding an international package for me. It was prototype 2 of my signature Nelsonic Transitone guitar. I called John Spence to delay our starting time at Fairview and drove out to the Parcel Force depot on the edge of the city, paid the import duty on the guitar and brought it home. I took the guitar case from its exterior packaging and opened it up. A stunning colour...the red and cream and gold make for a very rich and warm looking instrument. I bundled it back into the car and headed off towards Hull and Fairview, eager to try it out against the soon to be mastered backing tracks. There are a few minor cosmetic details still missing on the guitar, but these will definitely be present on production models. Even without these, it's a striking instrument, as John noted. It sounds excellent. I specified a Seymour Duncan jazz pickup in the neck position which provides a glowing, warm tone to contrast with the bridge pickup's wiry twang. One thing that is remarkable about Campbell American guitars is their consistency. The quality standards are always the same, from one instrument to another. So often, you have to sort through a batch of supposedly identical guitars to find what might be considered a 'good' one. No such problem with these instruments. The three Campbell guitars I own all perform to the same high standard. As noted in previous diary entries, this year's Nelsonica will be very much a guitar-centred affair. I'm taking several favourite instruments to Thursday's rehearsal to decide on the final allocation of which instrument fits best with which track. There will be another special treat for guitar fans at the convention too. (But I'm keeeping that as a surprise.) An enthusiastic and positive reaction on the Dreamsville site to the announcement about the forthcoming Dreamsville/Nelsonica Art Awards. I'm hoping that the standard of entries will be high and that the work submitted will serve to demonstrate the intelligence and imagination of those fans who appreciate the potential of art to enliven and enlighten our lives. I have to admit that I've always felt a little uneasy using the word 'fan' to describe those people who find enjoyment and information from listening to the music I create. I tend to think of fans as being young teenagers with little experience of life and not much sophistication, cannon fodder for the big bad music industry's marketing machine....BUT: My own experience, as regards my 'fans', is more complex than that and far less easy to define. Two things seem to emerge from my experiences of meeting them. One is their clearly evident warmth, good judgement and humanity. The other is their wide-ranging cultural appetite. (Not the best phrase but the closest to what I feel, especially at this hour of night.) Music seems to have informed their lives to a tremendous degree. Many of them regularly demonstrate an awareness and depth of insight that an intelligent exploration of the creative arts inevitably brings to those who care about these things. There often seems to be what one might refer to as a 'spiritual dimension' too. Certainly, my personal encounters with my audience via my concerts and the Dreamsville website bears this observation out. So perhaps there's another word, one less loaded with notions of immaturity that might apply to those who share and enjoy my musical output with me. But I'm damned if I can come up with something appropriate... 'Connoisseurs' comes close but doesn't completely hit the spot. The word 'patrons' could be considered as part of the equation too. It's both these attributes but something more, several things more. So, out of sheer frustration at a true definition, maybe for now, the epithet 'fans' has to suffice. Nevertheless, the word belittles the actual deed. Perhaps something as plain and simple as 'friends' comes closest. If there's one thing I should be proud of it is that my music has attracted, in the main, people of this calibre. Or am I just imagining that this is so? No matter how hard one tries to communicate, there will always be a minority who, from no great fault of their own, nor mine, misunderstand the work in one way or another. This is, as in other aspects of human interaction, inevitable. (A cliche, I know.) One has to accept that such confusions will be part of the scenario, no matter how hard one tries to aim for clarity. This can, for any artist driven by his or her creative forward momentum, prove to be frustrating. I've jumped through this particular hoop over and over again during my life as a musician and no doubt will be forced to do so again and again. This is part of the 'job,' I suppose. But, as painful as it feels sometimes, it has to be done. There is no choice, other than to give in to things that one instinctively rejects as alien to one's sensibilities. It's a compulsion, in the end. Not everyone will feel like keeping pace, no matter how hard the artist pushes. But that too is the way it should be. Things eventually find their own level. For every thing left by the wayside, a new thing is gained. I'm more than happy with that. It seems natural enough to me. Whilst on the subject of art, (and I WAS on that subject, somewhere further back in this diary entry), I'm intrigued by Carsten Holler's work currently on show at Tate Modern. It's a kind of conceptual, futuristic fairground slide, taking up much of the vast space of Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. I plan to travel to London at some point during the next few weeks and will definitly be paying a visit to Tate modern to see this. Whenever I go to London, I make a habit of visiting one or other of the Tates, (more often than not Tate Modern), where I browse in their bookshops, have lunch in their cafe's and generally try to resit spending money on books that I can ill afford. But I do so much enjoy the experience of visiting these galleries and wandering amongst other art lovers. (There's now't more civilised than an art gallery tha knows!) How I'd love to be able to create an audio-visual piece for the Turbine Hall. Or for York Minster, or the Cocteau Ampitheater just outside Monte Carlo, or...well, the list goes on and on. A series of concerts-come-installations at beautiful or inspiring locations around the world, maybe with a documentary film crew in tow to document it. A celebration of the sound of special places, the resonance of travel. In today's 'Independent,' an interesting article about Facel Vega cars. A company long defunct but, if I were able to indulge myself along the lines of a super-rich pop star, a company whose elegant and stylish automobiles I would enthusiastically collect and drive. 'Automobile'...so much more evocative a word than 'Car', I think. The real news,in the REAL world, really ugly and worrying, is that North Korea has tested its first nuclear weapon. A country ruled by what appears to be a very unpredictable fanatic has now become a serious threat to its asian neighbours and the rest of the world. As if there wasn't already enough bloody-minded insanity on our own doorstep. Bought a copy of 'The Oldie' this week...Much more provocative and stimulating than the average rock rag or whatever. What will folks think? But then, I'm getting to that age when I'm damned if I give a bugger what folks think! One of the benefits of maturity is the ability to absolutely disregard the timid mediocrity of youth, my own youth included, by the way. We thought we had the world in our pocket but all we actually had was a soiled Kleenex and a copy of 'Spic and Span.' (Look it up on the web if you weren't a male teenager in the early to mid 'sixties.) Late middle age allows us to behave disgracefully whilst maintaining an annoying air of knowing nonchalance and crotchety grace. If there is such a thing. Well, there IS in MY book. But it's only valid when backed up with a certain savoir-faire, (or something or other), but definitely not the loutish, beer-soaked whinging that some oldies carry over into middle-age from the cultural desert of their lost youth. I'm back in the last diary entry's territory here, by the sound of it. Railing against the dying of the light? No! Quite the opposite, trying to shield my eyes from it's brilliance so that I can see my way forward. Sometimes, I'm deeply dazzled. Sometimes there's a headlamp that sees through the overbright darkness as if by magic. Torchy The Battery Boy...A sky full of brilliant stars, obvious if you've got a telescope, less so if you're shoegazing. It's autumn and the leaves are soon to be swept aside. A new broom, clear days ahead. Always looking forward to tomorrow... Saturday soon and nerves of steel. Ready, willing and able! Top of page Monday 23rd October 2006 -- 6:00 pm Sometimes I wonder. Reading back through the most recent diary entries I can sense the pressure and stress of the last few months. There's much that I would, (and should), change. My choice of words or phrase is sometimes ill-considered or untypical. At worst, totally off-target. A head spinning and dizzy with, if not euphoria, then ecstatic panic. Yes...Peter Panic, my alter-ego, a stretched-on-the-rack-of-existential-angst Cliff Richard, a dark shadow of the boy next door. Or maybe just the village idiot, the one who raided the local library and stole all the weird books that no-one ever read. (And then scribbled in their margins, slightly obscene doodles, fingerprints, ejaculations of dissent.) I'm exhausted but buzzing with new ideas. Spinning. Nelsonica 06 went pretty well last Saturday. Already over a week ago but still a blur for me as I was 'on tap' virtually all the time. Lots of people there, the best attendance yet, I think. The Nelsonica team had done a fabulous job of tricking up the venue with huge posters depicting various aspects of my work, including a magnificent one for the Dreamsville website. A tremendous effort all round. I exhibited part of my guitar collection. First time I'd seen these particular instruments out of their cases all at the same time. They looked beautiful. I took my Carlsbro Nelsonic amp to display too, 'though I went 100% digital with my live on-stage performance as I generally do at solo concerts these days. Prototype number two of my signature model 'Nelsonic Transitone' guitar had arrived at Nelson Acres a few days before the event and I was able to give it its first proper airing during the live performance. It sounded great and there are just a few minor tweaks that I've suggested to Dean Campbell before it goes into production. The guitar caused quite a stir amongst the players in the audience during the performance. It looks striking too, the colour has turned out just as I'd intended. My live set wasn't strictly solo. This time, I actually had other musicians to share the stage with, at least for three numbers in the set: It was a pleasure to work, during the encore section of the live set, with Theo Travis, Dave Sturt and Steve Cook who joined me for three numbers under the alias of 'Orchestra Futura,' (an improvising ensemble of some considerable skill and imagination). We had no rehearsal, just dived in and swam for it. An ocean of sound but strong swimmers all. Theo played impressive flute and saxophone, treating his flute via a delay-looper. Dave played bass, using an unusual Viger fretless bass guitar with a metal fretboard, going via processors and a lap top. Quite a few people in the audience were intrigued by this instrument, judging by comments made afterwards. Steve played his keyboard, sticking with piano and Fender Rhodes sounds. The entire ensemble had a beautifully fragmented jazz-electronica sound. The feed back on my website about this ensemble has been very encouraging, though, as might be expected, it was seen as a little too left-field for some of the more traditinally minded fans. For me, it was a positive step towards another bright horizon. I'm rather keen to see where this might lead. A stimulating side-project with potential for both recorded and live music and an opportunity for me to stretch out and enjoy playing unshackled by people's pre-conceptions about the kind of music I'm 'supposed' to make. None of this should come as much of a surprise to those fans who have been aware of my long-time passion for slightly more esoteric music. There have been plenty of precursors to the Orchestra Futura approach over the last 26 years or more, so it's not as if it's a newly aquired taste on my part. The 1980's saw me virtually abandon anything connected with straight rock music, apart from a few diversions. Works such as 'Sounding The Ritual Echo,' 'Simplex,' 'Trial By Intimacy,' 'Crimsworth,' the two 'Orchestra Arcana' albums, amongst others, explored avenues flanked by a noticably different musical architecture from the old Be Bop Deluxe sonic suburbia. In more recent years, I've re-introduced some familiar, (to the older fans), elements to the mix. Perhaps the vocal approach has opened out a little and the music has assumed a broader, more general appeal. Even so, I've kept elements from the left-of-centre material and incorporated them into the straighter pieces. Nothing I do is ever quite as straightforward as it might first appear. I think that, after all these years, it's fair to assume that the average listener has grown less luddite about my music...after all, I'm not exactly known for sticking with the same formula for very long. Even Be Bop Deluxe rang the changes. It's amusing to note that the style of electronica-based music that I adopted in the early 'eighties, a style that seemed somewhat controversial to many Be Bop Deluxe fans back then, has since been absorbed into the mainstream and is now perfectly ordinairy and acceptable, cropping up in everything from tv advertising to movie soundtracks. Minimalism, sampling, digital glitchs, sonically 'distressed' sounds, modal music, drones, poly-rhythmic beats, artificially created timbres and post-modernist, conceptual ideas are just as familiar to the general public as guitars were back in the '60's and '70's. Cheaper technology has made that kind of music even more common, especially now when computer sequencing software has enabled almost anyone to try their hand at it. Not only has yesterday's Abbey Road become every man and his dog's home studio, yesterday's avant-garde has become today's popularist music too. What was once an outsider form has been embraced by the herd. Of course, there's no reason why all these different 'genres' can't happily co-exist. To the open mind and ear, not only do they already co-exist but they mingle, mix and match also. The barriers have been down for some time and, for those of us who scraped away at them in the first place, the future is a wide open space. If the sound of dragging heels can sometimes still be heard it's probably from those who still locate their listening pleasure in the sphere of adolescent nostalgia. Now, don't misunderstand, I have a tremendous respect and love of the music that I grew up with and it naturally and unconsciously informs and inspires a lot of my contemporary output. Nevertheless, I'm constantly trying to widen my horizons...it's an approach I've nurtured almost from the beginning, a vigorous curiosity, a hunger for more. I'm just not one of those people who stopped listening to music post-Elvis, post-Hendrix, post-Sex Pistols, etc. (or post-Be Bop Deluxe for that matter). Life's too short to impose those kind of limits when there's so much more to get to grips with, explore and enjoy. But that schoolboy, 'either/or' situation where one has to join one tribe or another, (but never both), that thing of never stepping over the line, of always having to wear the correct uniform, when music becomes a 'my favourite band is better than yours' slanging match, where there's no opportunity for forward movement, where musical taste becomes a closed shop. Well...I don't really go for that. What causes such a dogmatic, narrow attitude? Fear of the unknown and the security of the familiar? Aesthetic timidity? It's sad how many people live in fear of Art with a capital 'A'. The one thing that might brighten and enliven their lives, more so than religion or politics. Back to Nelsonica... There were lots of other things for the audience to enjoy: An onstage interview with myself conducted by Simon Warner, Senior Teaching Fellow at Leeds University's School Of Music, was well received. I've known Simon for quite a few years now and have contributed to his classes at Bretton Hall College in the past. Also given talks with him at Wakefield's Unity Hall. (The latter place filled with memories for me. It was here that I first recall seeing my father play his saxophone with his own band at the silver wedding anniversary ball of Ada and Herman Ackroyd, who were good friends of my parents back in the 1940's and '50's.) Simon's interview this year centred on the topic of songwriting. It was relatively stress-free, perceptive and a real pleasure to take part in. I also improvised a talk about guitars and guitar playing. I managed to do it without the list of prompts I'd prepared the night before, which, unfortunately, meant I missed some of the topics I'd intended to cover, but I just let it ramble wherever it needed to go and all seemed to work out o.k. in the end. I can't recall much of what I said now, but I did manage to show everyone a video clip of Joe Pass playing in concert. This seemed to blow a few minds in the audience, particularly those who hadn't previously come across Joe's work. It felt like my younger days, when I'd turn friends on to my latest musical discoveries by lending them albums I'd found. The hardest part of the convention, or at least the most emotionally testing part, was the little tribute to my brother Ian that I'd arranged. Again, I had not written anything down or reheased a speech...things just happened on the spur of the moment. I tried to talk about the childhood that Ian and I had shared, about how much I missed him, how much I wished I could talk with him. I wasn't particularly articulate, I fear. Afterwards, I realised that there was much more that I'd intended to say about him, but, due to nervousness and an inner struggle not to let my emotions run away with me, I didn't quite manage to include everything I'd hoped to get across to the audience. But at least I managed to say something, which is more than I could manage at Ian's funeral service when words would have been impossible and only tears articulate. My mother, (and her husband George), and also Ian's two sons, (my nephews), Julian and Louis, were in attendance at the convention. I hope they felt the high regard the audience demonstrated for my much-missed and loved brother. I know he would have been deeply touched by it all. At Nelsonica, I placed two framed photographs of Ian, (playing his saxophone), on a little table next to me on stage. Emi had made a flower arrangement which was displayed in a vase next to the photo's of Ian and I brought a small Buddha figure from my home studio, with a tea-light illuminated in it, to sit on the table too. It was symbolic of the fact that Ian had planned to share this year's Nelsonica stage with me. We'd discussed it just two weeks before he passed away. There were times during the performance that I felt his prescence. Ian once was part of a group called 'Fiat Lux', back in the '80's and the band's vocalist and songwriter, Steve Wright, kindly agreed to come along to Nelsonica to talk about his memories of Ian. We also showed some old Fiat Lux videos and played some of Ian's last recordings, (made with his friend and musical partner John Nixon), to the audience. There was a wonderfully warm response from everyone for this. Later on in the event, I had scheduled two separate 'meet n' greet' sessions of one hour each, where attendees could sit down, have a photograph taken with me by official Nelsonica photographer Martin Bostock, and get their Nelsonica album signed. As always, we'd underestimated how long this would take and the reality was that I ended up having one very long, continuous session of over three hours without a break. It's always nice to meet the people who enjoy my music and I'm always happy to make time to chat with them but, towards the end of this long, long signing session, my brain was less than sharp. (Not helped by a magic wine-glass by my side which, amazingly, always seemed full!) It was a very exhausting experience, not just for me but for the people at the back of the apparently infinite queue. In the end though, I think everyone went home happy, despite the fact that we'd been given less than enough seating arrangements by the venue itself. Most people had been on their feet all day, (as had I), something we must guard against at next year's event. One new feature of the convention was the presence of the rather lovely 'Nelsonettes,' a group of young ladies decked out in specially made 'Nelsonette' t-shirts. They added a much needed feminine touch to the event as they moved amongst the attendees with camera and microphone, interviewing willing participants for a little souvenir audio-visual piece that we're hoping to assemble soon. Actually, there was a much higher number of females in the audience this year. A good thing in my book. I hope this trend continues! amongst the attendees with camera and microphone, interviewing willing participants for a little souvenir audio-visual piece that we're hoping to assemble soon. Actually, there was a much higher number of females in the audience this year. A good thing in my book. I hope this trend continues! One of the sweetest aspects of Nelsonica is the unexpected giving of gifts that some fans bring. They're very generous and thoughtful with their choices too. This year, I was given two extremely special and valuable books, one dealing with Chet Atkins' life and one with Les Paul's. The Les Paul book is a limited edition publication, hand-numbered and signed by Les himself. It's a superbly produced book and, for me, a huge Les Paul fan, it is something that I'll alway treasure. I was also given a book dealing with Jean Cocteau's 'Testament Of Orphee' film, which is my favourite Cocteau movie, 'though not neccesarily, in critics eyes, his best. Cocteau himself 'stars' in it though and it is clearly personal and autobiographical. I find the film very touching. Other gifts: A vintage style tin robot-spaceman, a copy of Madelline Peyroux's latest album, (excellent by the way), a sailor's Theodolite, (fascinating!), some cds of fans' own musics, a bottle of wine, some photographs of myself at previous year's Nelsonicas, a set of American Hot Rod and Custom Car magazines from the late 1950's and early '60's, (takes me back to my early teens and the model car kit mania I had then), a set of cdr copies of vintage radio shows and interviews with Derek Bailey and Bill Frisell, some video cdrs and even a 'Jesus Soap On A Rope'!!! (And there were more besides.) It felt as if my birthday had arrived two months early. A really nice touch was when the Nelsonica team presented Emiko with a large bouquet of flowers, (for putting up with me, I suspect!) She was completely taken aback and genuinely touched that the team had thought to do this for her. After a very long day, we eventually got home in the early hours of Sunday morning, slightly worse for wear but relieved that all had gone reasonably well. Mission accomplished, at least until next year. On Sunday, I had to be up early to get all my equipment back into the house. My guitar tech, Pete Harwood, who had done a super job of looking after my on (and off) stage guitar needs, brought everything back in a large van. We stacked the guitars and other equipment in the dining room and hall. I wasn't in the mood, (or energetic enough), to deal with the task of carting it upstairs, item by item, and trying to fit it into the limited space I have available for storage. (I made a start at this on the Monday but it was Wednesday morning before absolutely everything was tidied away.) Paul and Ian Gilby called around 1 pm on the Sunday and we went to a tiny village pub a few miles from where I live for a traditional Sunday roast. It was such a pleasure to be able to relax amongst genial company after the long, stressful build up to the convention. Ian and Paul have been such good friends in recent years and their help and support is something I appreciate very much. Sitting in the little village pub allowed us time and space that, due to our various workloads, would usually be at such a premium for us. A very pleasant, civilised afternoon. Time still runs fast however and already more than a week has flown since Nelsonica 06. I've been trying to catch up with various domestic duties that had been pushed to the back of the queue due to Nelsonica's demands, but...I'm still behind. Thought I might get a proper break but that seems out of the question too. I tried to book a cottage on the end of Whitby's harbour, part of my plan to have a three or four day 'mini-holiday' with Emi. However, the cottage we wanted was fully booked apart from the week around my birthday in December. This actually would have been ideal for me, a terrific birthday present but, unfortunately, Emi has to work during that week as it is one of the flower shops busiest periods, (being Christmas), so we've had to give up on the idea of a break altogether. Maybe I'll just book an overnight stay, one weekend, at the White Horse and Griffin hotel and restaurant. Better than nothing. I was really looking forward to the view from 'Captain's Cottage' though...it has windows overlooking the harbour, the harbour mouth and the ocean. It would be cold, dark and wild in December but I love Whitby out of season and the winter weather and early nights suits it somehow. So much more atmospheric than summertime when it's crowded with tourists. A very good documentary on the Artsworld tv channel the other night, dealing with Miles Davis' electric period. It featured several celebrity guest musicians talking about him, as well as interview clips and performances from Miles himself. I was amused when reminded of how some critics and many of Miles' fans reacted negatively to him introducing electronic keyboards and amplified guitars into his music, back in the 'sixties. It caused something of a stir. As did Bob Dylan going from acoustic folk to electric rocker, Joni Mitchell adding jazz elements to her music, etc, etc. (On another level, Be Bop Deluxe to Red Noise, Red Noise to 'Quit Dreaming', and so on. Familiar reactions for me too...but I've come to expect it and shouldn't be too surprised). The documentary's interviews emphasised one major point: A true artist can't stand still. It was also stated that Miles, and many other creative musicians, are not in the business of being entertainers. It was inspiring and encouraging to hear these attitudes and sentiments, (which I've held since the start of my 'career'), being confirmed by artists whom I deeply respect. I caught this tv programme halfway through but the timing was perfect as I'd just come down from an evening of trying to explain, on the forum of my website, why I can never look backwards for too long. I was feeling a little marginalised for sticking to my ideals and had been suffering some mild despair. The comments from Miles and fellow artists gave me some much needed confidence. At times, there is a sense that one is a small part of a bigger picture and, no matter how meagre, that one's own contribution is both worthwhile and honourable. How I would have loved to have played alongside Miles and other's of that calibre. Perhaps that's an over-ambitious wish, in musical terms. But, hell...I'd have liked to try. Just finished reading Frank Letchford's biography of Austin Osman Spare which throws light on the more human side of his life. So many of the (very few) books about AOS focus on his esoteric magical theories. It was good to read, in Mr. Letchford's 'Michaelangelo In A Teacup' book about the sensitive and preceptive character behind the magical image. Frank Letchford was a long time friend of Austin's and has written very much from that priveleged perspective. Another book about Spare waiting on top of my bedside pile. So many books to read. My scanner has broken down. First it kept quitting on me and now it's packed in altogether. It's not even switching on...completely inactive. I need it for album sleeve artwork and for website/diary images. I went to buy a new one but they all seem to require much more recent Mac operating systems than the one I use. I could, of course, install a newer OS but then my other software programmes wouldn't work. And I need my Final Cut Pro for the development of the 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' film. It's a love and hate relationship, computers and me. What I REALLY need is a NEW computer, even though mine is only 6 years old. The new Mac pro dual core G5 tower would be like a breath of fresh air. My current G4 is ancient in computer terms. What a game this computer lark is. Autumn now has a firmer grip. Red and gold and brown, 'though there's still more green on the trees than is usual for this time of year. Not particularly cold either. Lots of Canada geese wheeling over the river in town today, great screeching circles of them. A girl lifted her tourist map over her head in self-protection, frightened of being dumped on. Had one of my apocalyptic dreams last night. Extremely realistic. High tech Eurofighter style planes with the ability to hover flying low and slow over English villages pumping hot lead and rockets into crowds of running, screaming people. A rain of metal and fire. I was there, trying to dodge the deadly hail. Got hit though. Who were these people, glimpsed through jet plane canopies, crystal clear, strange insignia on their craft? The machinery was awesome in it's efficient beauty, bright light glinting from metal surfaces. Designer fighter aircraft, their pilots tricked out like military fashion plates, but merciless, trigger happy, ruthless. Why did I dream such a thing and why was it sharper and more vivid than my usual dreams? I've had far too many disturbing dreams of late. I'm thinking of buying myself a new bicycle, my old one being a bit heavy, a bone-shaker. I could do with something lighter and more comfortable that would encourage me to get out of the studio more and take a little gentle exercise. Saw a nice one in a shop called 'Cycle Heaven' the other day. Like most things that catch my eye, it was expensive. I'll search around for something more sensible. Actually, one of those 'electrically assisted' ones might be fun. Or a French Velo-Solex with the little petrol engine over the front wheel. I can just see me, putt-putt-putting along, from the village into town, dressed in my American newsboy's cap and steam engine driver's jacket, autumn leaves flying behind me. The neighbours would have a field day! And now what? My 'to do' list is far from empty. Lots to tackle in the ensuing months. Difficult to know where best to start. Some much needed household repairs first though. Try to leave the guitars in their cases for a little while. Or am I asking too much of myself there? Enough diary for now. I'm getting cabin-fever. Time for a stroll around town. Top of page Tuesday 31st October 2006 -- 10:00 pm I'm in a kind of limbo, a place when I've got plenty to do but little energy to do it. I feel as if I'd benefit from a week's holiday in Villefranche-Sur-Mer, strolling through the lamplit tunnel of Rue Obscura, or sitting in a seafood restaurant on the salty dog harbourside, taking a sneaky peek at the French girls' shapely legs whilst winking the tinest hint of a twinkling eye, a salacious old Riviera goat, living the poet's life. I've made a start on the 8 X 8 inch canvas artwork that I'm trying to create for the 'Stars On Canvas' celebrity charity auction being held in Brighton in November, but I've thrown two half-completed canvases in the bin so far. I'm rushing it instead of considering what I really want to do. I've also wasted time trying to use oil pastels on a roughly textured and small canvas. Far too blunt an instrument. Despite this, I have managed to complete a very simple piece, almost minimalistic, using just a brush, black ink and the merest hint of colour. It's not really a painting as such, just a drawing executed on canvas. But it's not bad. It will be my failsafe if I don't come up with something better in time for the rapidly approaching November 10th exhibition date. I went out and bought four more blank canvases this afternoon though. So, even if nothing better comes down God's pipe, I can at least pursuade myself that I've tried. Attended a memorial service in Wakefield for my brother Ian this last Sunday. It was an emotional affair, fuelled even more by certain aspects of the religious ceremony. Perhaps that was the purpose of it...a deliberate and cathartic prodding of wounds. Although the vicar and his begowned acolytes were plainly sincere in their beliefs, I still couldn't help thinking that there was a frightening lack of light beneath all the ritual. Plenty of smoke and mirrors, though. I just instinctively felt that there was a catastrophic misunderstanding of what was really required in such a situation. There was some talk of healing, there was talk of solace, but also the usual evocation of the tortured and meat-racked Christ, the cannibalistic body and blood feast, a darkly guilty and sin-soaked ecstasy of gothic remorse. Not much sunshine or true celebration of Ian's life as it was actually lived. There was one aspect of the service though, that came closer to being universally appropriate to the situation and our love for Ian, and that was the lighting of a candle with his name on it, which we, as a family, were allowed to physically, directly deal with ourselves, with only minor assistance from the church 'staff.' I guess the problem, for me at least, is that Christianity is shackled by the Bible and the history of the Church itself. It also makes me feel mean and churlish when I inevitably pick the fabric of faith apart, especially when so many good hearted people seem to gain something helpful from their involvement with orthodox religion but...It seems to me that much of religious thought and dogma is out of step with the true 'spirit' of the human condition. I know it is out of step with my own spiritual experience and I also know that my brother Ian had little time for religion in any form. He was a 'live-life-to-the-full' and 'damn the torpedoes' sort of chap. Any kind of religious or spiritual debate became an easy target for his scorn. Having said that, I do feel that he would have appreciated SOME sort of meaningful gesture, some declaration of love towards him from those of us left behind. He would also have returned the gesture with equal love. It was with that in mind that we, Ian's family and loved ones, gathered together at last Sunday's memorial service. I think he would have appreciated the lighting of the candle too. My mother, Ian's wife Diane, Ian's children, Emi and I and some close friends of Ian's all shed a good few tears in the more difficult moments of the service. The still unsettled grief, the emotional rawness, did somehow glue us together. I wish that I could spend more time with what remains of my family but I always seem to be caught up in a desperate, headlong rush to maintain what passes for my day-to-day existence. The curse of modern living? This fearful sense of time running out dissolves even the best of intentions. Before the service, Emi and I had taken fresh flowers to Ian's grave. The beautiful spring blossoms that filled the avenue of trees near his grave not long after he was laid to rest have now given way to equally beautiful russet and gold autumn leaves. How quickly time has flown. Ian's headstone is being carved at the moment and should be in place by Christmas. It will be in light gray Indian marble with silver text. For now though, only the framework that held the flowers spelling out the word 'DAD' and a couple of rain soaked cards mark Ian's resting place. And three glass vases pressed into the soil, filled with flowers. Emi and I left just pure white ones this time. Ian's mother-in-law, who passed away only a few weeks after Ian, lies at peace in the plot just behind Ian's. Her headstone will be erected there soon also. It is being carved by the same person who is creating Ian's. I've probably mentioned Wakefield Cemetary before in this diary, how, in the early 1950's, I used to visit it on Saturday mornings as a child with my mother and grandmother to place flowers on my great grandfather's grave, his location now long lost to me. How also, I used to visit the cemetary during my art school years in the 1960's, sometimes to sketch or photograph stone angels, sometimes just to wander amongst the Victorian graves and memorials, marvelling at the names and lives of souls who I never knew but, nevertheless felt some strange kinship with. An impossible nostalgia born of shared mortality perhaps? There was always an immense, overwhelming sadness in the air, but an aching, tender beauty too. It was a place where people had been left behind, waylaid, abandoned by time and the world, yet freed from its ravages, despite the inevitable sense of decay. Those perpetual Victorians, eternal miners, frozen in time mill workers, industrialists, authors, artists, doctors and clergy, etc, etc...Forever framed by and fixed in ancient Yorkshire landscapes of gaslamps, smoke and chimneys, cobblestones, dusty sash-windows, slate roofs and rainy, hooting, whistling railway sidings...Each and every gravestone marking an individual life filled with its own personal joys and sorrows, (and its own UNIVERSAL joys and sorrows!) For some strange reason, I felt more compassion, more connectedness with these distant, imagined lives than with flesh and blood passing strangers on the street. Perhaps, because death robs us of our insecurities, anger and greed, there is nothing to fear from the dead, only the living. Ghosts are our mortal fears made manifest. After the memorial service at the church, Emi and I drove my Mum and her husband George up to the 'Kings Arms' pub on Heath Common, just on the edge of Wakefield. It's an old haunt of mine from my 'sixties art school days and also the early 'seventies. It also holds some memories of Ian for me, (though not as many as the pub he and I used to meet up for lunch at when he worked at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the '90's.) It was here too that the Nelson family came after Ian's funeral service and reception last April. 'The Kings Arms' and Heath Common itself form part of my own history. The food may be uninspiring but the atmosphere is special. Mum, George, Emi and I decided have a meal there, nothing too fancy as George isn't a fancy eater, preferring what he refers to as 'traditional' food. Not that there was anything that he would have considered exotic on the menu anyway. So it was meat pie and veg for him and Mum and fish n' chips for Emi and I. George did let me buy him a pint of lager though. The Kings Arms ancient atmosphere soothed and charmed us. It is still lit by gaslight, a soft flickering amber-tinted glow. The pub has several small, nook-and-cranny wood panelled rooms, all crooked and tobacco stained and stone flagged. A PROPER pub and authentically old. Outside, the common stretched away in the clocks-just-changed darkness, the village of Heath quiet in the autumnal Sunday night air, a few lights visible from distant stone cottages. If I were ever to return to Wakefield to live, this would probably be my ideal location. But I can't see me returning for anything other than to visit family or to take flowers to Ian. Car touble last week...Emi's car needed repairs. Costly but unavoidable. Fixed now but we need to seriously think about changing both our vehicles. Milage too high and trade in value too low, but that's the way it goes with cars. TV broken in the living room too, has been for months now. And I still haven't called a repair man. Communicated with Matt Howarth about our ever ongoing collaboration: 'The Last Of The Neon Cynics.' Matt is looking for some more music from me. I got a disc from him with a full colour version of the story on it...looks great. Too tired to write more now. I spend far too much time on website matters. It's surprising how much mail I get from fans and how often I feel compelled to respond to topics on the Dreamsville Forum. It does occupy a great deal of my time. Perhaps its just part of that impulse to leave footprints in the sand. Melancholia setting in. Time to go downstairs and watch tv. Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) October 2006 Jan Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) January 2011 Feb Mar Apr Dec Saturday 22nd January 2011 -- 3:00 pm One of my recordings, ('Zoom Sequence' from 'After The Satellite Sings'), has a voice sample that says, "Time becomes a loop...". Bob Dylan once sang, "Time plays strange tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet...". Nick Drake sang, "Time Has Told Me". Sandy Denny sang, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" and "It'll take a long, long time...". What has that got to do with this? Well, here we are, it's already the 22nd of January 2011 and my first diary entry of the year is, typically, overdue. Time seems to have not only passed quickly but somehow become compressed, twisted and folded. No matter how good my intentions are with this journal, time zips by at light speed. Whilst the gaps between entries become longer and longer they, weirdly, seem to have hardly any duration at all, at least in my own mind. Yes, time plays strange tricks and just when I was trying to be so quiet. Perhaps in growing older our thoughts slip through the temporal cracks more easily, as if the thinning out of our being makes us ever more prone to Time's sneaky side-steps and unpredictable glitches. Maybe we're all unconsciously engaged in the act of vanishing, both conjurors and conjured. Ok...Christmas came and went, wrapped in a blur of shopping madness and the usual nostalgic anticipation of childhood miracles, until the inevitable 'well...what was that all about?' despondency kicked in. Actually, it was ok. I brought mum over to our house on Christmas Day and Emi prepared a traditional Christmas dinner. Mum stayed here with us overnight, (bravely enduring the extremely cramped quarters of our spare bedroom), and Elle and Elliot came over on boxing day. Amongst their other Christmas gifts, I'd bought them each a 'Recording King' acoustic guitar, decorated with rather kitsch and colourful graphics. Elle's featured a cowgirl motif and Elliot's boasted a Hawaiian surfer design, palm trees and a big ship. As far as playability goes, I guess they were fairly basic...but were really intended as kitsch art-objects to prop up in a corner of a room to make the place look pretty. So...visually, 10 out of 10. I can't recall much of what we did on New Year's Eve...not that I celebrated to the point of drunken amnesia...just that Emi and I did little more than sit in front of the television trying to stay awake. Channel after channel of dumb, bland, dull as dishwater programming. Enough to turn even an intelligent teenager into a grumpy old man. Oh yes, television plays strange tricks when you're trying to be so quiet.... Since then? A flurry of activity to do with the re-releasing of a number of albums from my back catalogue. Activity in terms of mental energy more than physical at this point in time. As I think I've noted here before, Cherry Red's 'Esoteric' label are planning to assemble a career compilation boxed set: 6 cds containing examples of my music from the early 1970's up until recent years, all packaged together as a career overview. This last week, I've been occupied with trying to create a suitable title for it. A very long list of possible titles to begin with, then the tough process of attempting to cut it down to size. Not there yet with this really, 'though Mark Powell, who runs 'Esoteric Records' and is the person behind the re-issue program, has come out in favour of 'Further Adventures On Planet Earth.' I'm not sure whether this might be a wee bit too lengthy, 'though I did actually like it when it originally occurred to me. Perhaps I should post a selection of titles on my website forum and get fans to vote on it. Then again, maybe not. Creating art by committee is not something that I've ever found of much value. Maybe it's better to stick my own neck out for what I believe in rather than to delegate and diffuse ideas via some sort of popular consensus. A very nice thing happened a week or so ago. I was contacted by Dave Gascoigne of ROSEWELL AMPLIFIERS. www.rosewell-amps.co.uk Dave hand builds '50's style classic amps that look and sound like vintage models. Models that would normally cost over a couple of thousand pounds. Rosewell amplifiers have all the style and vibe of vintage amplifiers, with the singular, hand-built excellence of high-end boutique American product, but are actually hand made here in the UK, (and in Yorkshire at that), to a far more realistic price than any equivalent US amp. The Rosewell custom model I now have sitting beside me here in my studio is, quite simply, a gem. A tweed covered combo, in the style of a mid '50's Fender, but with so much more going for it. It has three 10" genuine vintage speakers, (not modern re-issues), and is all tube throughout. Dave rates it at around 35 watts but it is an extremely loud 35 watts. And sweet as a bell. Plugging my D'Angelico semi, my Peerless Monarch archtop, my Gretsch White Falcon or my Guild X-500 archtop into the Rosewell produces rich and warm jazz tones that bring to mind the sounds of Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and Joe Pass. Just the right tonal balance of lows and highs. Wind the amp up and you get beautifully textured blues and rock tones. Add an overdrive or distortion pedal and the thing screams like a jet-pack angel. A pallette of classic guitar tones in one box. Now, whilst many fans will have been aware of my enthusiastic use of digital guitar processors for the last 20 years or so, I've never ruled out the benefits of a traditional valve amp. I'm not the sort of player who thinks one approach is 'better' than another. It's always a 'horses for courses' situation as far as I'm concerned and I try not to draw hard and fast lines (or erect unnecessary barriers), with technical equipment, or with the music itself. The Rosewell amplifier adds another dimension to my sound palette. An authentic, physical tonality that couldn't be replicated any other way. There's a possibility that this particular amplifier, which Dave designed exclusively with me in mind, might be made available as a signature model, literally with my autograph personally added to each one produced. At the moment, Rosewell amps are built entirely by hand by Dave in his workshop. As such, they are made to order, rather than rolling off a factory production line. This means that each amp takes a few weeks to complete, but the wait is very much worth it. Ironically, despite my extensive use of digital gear, I now have, unbelievably, here in this tiny recording room of mine, 9 guitar amplifiers and just 4 digital guitar processors. For readers of this diary who are interested in such things, my amps are as follows: 1: The aforementioned, custom-built Rosewell Combo. (My latest acquisition and a really fabulous and authentic sound.) 2: My custom built Carlsbro Nelsonic Amp and Cab which I designed in conjuction with the one-time Carlsbro 'custom shop' team. (As used on the 2004 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour.) 3: A small 'Booker' valve combo with art-deco radio-style wooden cabinet. 4: A Line-6 Vetta 2 combo. (Also featured on the 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour.) 5: A '70s era Pignose mini-amp. (Used on various Be Bop Deluxe recordings.) 6: A '70s Vox mini-amp. (Also used on Be Bop Deluxe recordings.) 7: A very rare, vintage early 1960s 'Shaftsbury' 'tv front' style combo with two elliptical speakers. 8: A rare and unusual Carlsbro 'Tower' combo that resembles a space-age humidifier more than a guitar amp! 9: A late 1950s Selmer 'Little Giant' mini-combo that is missing it's gilt-plastic Selmer logo but not its vintage sound. So...Not bad for someone who has recorded and performed so often with digital processors! Whilst on the subject of recording, I've been dipping in and out of one of my upcoming but as yet unfinished album projects. 'Lampdownlowland' is an album I've mentioned before in these pages. I have two more currently unfinished tracks to add to that album... Both are 'non-linear' pieces which began life as abstract instrumentals but which now contain lyrics and a vocal top line. They're interesting, atmospheric, constantly evolving songs but I haven't yet got to the point where I feel they're ready to mix. I've had quite a few other things to deal with though, which may have contributed to my current distracted state. I'm not even sure if I will retain 'Lampdownlowland' as as title for the album, although it will contain a song bearing that title. We'll see... The almost three weeks of unbroken snow we experienced before Christmas now seems like a distant memory. Nevertheless, it has turned really cold again and we've been forced to keep the central heating switched on for far longer periods than usual. Yesterday and today have felt particularly chilly, especially here in my studio where the only source of heat comes from the equipment it contains. I've been trying not to get too stressed about what 2011 might or might not hold. This time of year always feels grey and slightly depressing. I've not yet made any hard and fast decision about whether to stage a Nelsonica convention this year but I think that, if a small number of live concerts could be arranged at nice or 'interesting' venues, it might be good to take a break from the demands of Nelsonica and give some time over to other things. The next new release will be the long-overdue 'Last Of The Neon Cynics' project, the collaboration with American comic book artist Matt Howarth. As I've mentioned before, this was begun a few years ago but due to the intensity of my work rate, has developed at a very slow pace. It's almost ready to manufacture now but requires me to write some sleeve notes and work with David Graham on the physical package design. I read several pages of my 'Painted From Memory' autobiography last week, just out of curiosity to see how it felt now that it has assumed book form. Immediately, I spotted several things that I would phrase quite differently, or expand on, if I was able to go back and work on the book again. A few little typos I hadn't spotted previously too, plus a missing chapter heading and number. If I ever decide to reprint, these are things that could be picked up and corrected. But at some point in the near future, I really ought to make a start on volume two which will cover the 1960's and '70's. Strangely, the closer to the present my story gets, the more blurred it becomes. I can recall my childhood with an uncanny clarity but the 1970's are somewhat foggy. I'll need to dig into my substantial but highly disorganised career archives to help me with that particular era. That's all for this entry, though there may be another one fairly soon. I'm awaiting confirmation on an upcoming event which might prove exciting. I'll not say any more for the moment but...stay tuned! ***** Images attached to this diary entry are as follows:- 1: Bill's studio with Peerless Monarch guitar and custom built ROSEWELL guitar amplifier. 2: A closer view of the ROSEWELL amp. 3: An even closer view of the ROSEWELL with 'GOLDEN AGE' ribbon microphone. 4: Spare bedroom with a handful of guitars. 5: A closer view of the above guitars, left to right:- a Gibson Les Paul Custom, a Peerless Deep Blue Custom, a rare Musima Record archtop semi, a Gretsch White Falcon, a Greco parlour-sized jazz archtop, a Peerless Monarch jazz box and, on the sofa at the back, an old Arnold Hoyer 'Man In Black' acoustic archtop. The teddy bear in the background is as old as Bill...it was bought for him by his parents when he was born, 62 years ago. Top of page

Sunday 23rd October 2005 A sense of relief and satisfaction this morning. And a hangover. Yesterday's annual Nelsonica Convention turned out to be another grand day out for all its attendees and particularly for myself. It's always a pleasure to spend the day with such devoted fans and friends but yesterday's event was particularly heart warming for me, in so many ways. As always before these conventions (and indeed, before any public appearance of mine), I seem to get myself worked up into a state of nervousness approaching outright panic. I had been working flat out over the past few weeks, preparing new material for the forthcoming tour, including video pieces to project behind me on stage. In fact, I lost a lot of time when two days worth of video footage and seven days worth of render files were inadvertantly erased from my computer's hard disc... the second such loss this year (although the first time it happened was on my multi-track hard-disc recorder, rather than my computer). The days before the convention saw me working into the early hours to try to catch up with lost time. In the end, I managed to make videograms for 10 of the pieces of music in the set. But it was tough going. My friend Paul Gilby burned my finished digital video tapes to DVD for me, literally on the night before Nelsonica opened its doors to the public. It was all very much a last minute thing. Fortunately, Jon Wallinger and the convention team of Ian, Eddie, Ged and Dave had pre-planned the actual event to perfection and didn't suffer from the computer malfunctions that blighted both myself and Paul's efforts. Everyone attending the event commented on how extremely well organised the day was. But, what appears on the surface as relaxed and smooth running is actually the product of months of hard work, forward thinking, careful teamwork and organisational skill. The Nelsonica team coped superbly with all the logistics involved and, apart from a frustrating mistake at the pressing plant involving the manufacture of both the 'Sailor Bill' album and the convention's limited edition 'Orpheus In Ultraland' album, all went like clockwork. The pressing plant problem was completely unforseen and entirely out of our control. It seems that they hadn't printed up the albums sleeve art in time to deliver to Nelsonica and it was only after some very formal complaints from Paul that we got anything from them at all. In the end, they sent up just enough convention albums to give to ticket holders, but, unfortunately, minus cover artwork and sleeves. We now have to send each convention ticket holder the artwork through the post. Once the factory gets around to delivering them to us, that is. Annoying, frustrating, etc, etc... especially after all the hard work that went into finishing those albums in time to get them manufactured. Nevertheless, this problem didn't seem to mar people's enjoyment. I heard nothing but praise from attendees and the event was a great success. There were many familiar faces there but also many new ones too. People are always extremely sweet and kind to me at Nelsonica and this year's convention was no exception. I was bowled over by the warmth of sentiment shown to me by everyone I spoke to. It was also a pleasant surprise to meet up with someone I hadn't seen for many years, someone I remember fondly from the very earliest days of Be Bop Deluxe, before we were professional musicians. The band played the Leeds pub circuit in the early 'seventies and the person I'm referring to used to be a regular audience member. Although she was usually accompanied by her boyfriend, she managed to slip away from him to spend a little time with me. I was very flattered by this attention, particularly as she was an attractive 17 year old at the time and I wasn't the typical, 'party animal' type of rock guitarist. I hope I was a bit more sensitive than that. I'll admit to always having a deeply romantic nature and I guess that was the way that this particular relationship took me, although I was actually married at the time... but not happily, or for long, I must stress! Of course, I was a much younger, less wise man back then, skinny, selfish and ambitious. What time does to us though, eh? Well, the years have certainly changed my waistline for the worst, if not my ambition. But maybe the ambition is focussed elsewhere now, less concerned with commercial success and glamour. But I still want to achieve so many other things. But I do hope I've developed more compassion for others and have tamed the wilder aspects of my ego. Anyway... it was lovely to see that the person mentioned above looked hardly any different from those long ago days, apart from a rather vivid change of hair colour! I, on the other hand, have less and less hair to worry about these days... (Probably as a result of bleaching it blonde, back in the 'eighties!) The stresses and strains of a life spent battling to preserve some kind of musical freedom have left their unfortunate mark, I guess. I'm sure my appearance must have come as something of a shock to someone who hasn't met me for over thirty years. It comes as a shock to me everytime I catch my reflection in a mirror! But life is strange and things go around in circles it seems. Old faces return out of the mist with warm smiles and welcoming eyes. It's beautiful, sad and poetic all at the same time. As well as the happy opportunities to meet with friends, Nelsonica this year provided a new item on the programme. I was the subject of a 'live on stage' interview with Simon Warner who coaxed out my thoughts about the arts in general and their influence on my musical career. I really enjoyed this part of the programme and, from what I can gather, the attendees did too. There was also an opportunity to give everyone a preview of the 'Sailor Bill' album, even if we had no copies available for them to take home. I included a piece from the album in my live performance, the song 'The Ocean, The Night And The Big, Big Wheel'. I chose this track as it is one of the easier songs to tackle from the album, at least in a 'solo performance with backing tracks' style. (Which is what my forthcoming November tour will be.) I had some reservations about including vocals in the set at all, but the four I've allowed myself to perform seem to work quite well. Much better than I expected. As with all the recent Nelsonicas, I end the day feeling a little bit melancholy as well as happy. It's the celebratory aspect of the event that both encourages and warms one's heart but it also helps to underline the passing of the years and how much is still to be achieved. So many possible ideas to pursue and yet nowhere near enough time to fulfill them. I could never be one of those self-conscious minimalist types who squeeze out an album once every few years as if it was some gargantuan triumph over a kind of creative constipation, or some precious god-like artefact torn from deep within the soul. Music for apartment dwellers and aging yuppies? That sort of approach feels a little too restricting for me, too tedious and slow and too obviously tweaked to fit a certain marketplace. I prefer the constant fireworks display, the snowstorm of thought, the perpetual fountain of sound. The Kerouac continuous roll. Having said that, 'Sailor Bill' just about exhausted me beyond anything I've ever done before. A lot of work and attention to detail... But it was made over a few months, not years. I'm still very pleased with the way it came out though, compromised or not. Considering I made it on a non-existent budget, without the help of other musicians, engineers or whatever, I think I can allow myself to feel a little pride and satisfaction with regard to the end result. I think that time will vidicate me on this one. Now I'm back in video making mode, creating further videograms to project behind me on next month's concert dates. More slow and painstaking work, but it is getting there, bit by bit. Weather definitely colder now, leaves falling faster from the trees, rain and grey skies, darker earlier. I'm glad we have such seasonal changes and not the less dramatic seasonal uniformity of mediterranean countries. Living here in Yorkshire, the landscape really allows one to see nature's cycle in a vivid and wonderful manner. I consider myself extremely lucky to have such beauty on my doorstep. And, as Nelsonica serves to remind me, to have such beautiful, warm hearted fans to share my music with. I'm hoping to dream up some new ideas to incorporate in next year's Nelsonica, to try and make it even better and more unmissable. With a fair wind and the blessing of the fates. Thanks to everyone involved in this year's event, both on the organisational side and the attendee's side. You gave me a day I'll never forget. Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) October 2005 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

A to Austr album - 1970 A to Austr Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: "Global Village" Bill Nelson played guitars, including steel and Hawaiian. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) February 2008 Jan Aug Sep Oct Thursday 14th February 2008 -- 9:00 pm My stepfather George passed away during the early hours of 30th January. Less than 24 hours after being admitted to the Hospice in Wakefield. Emi and I drove over there, as mentioned in the previous diary entry, but George was sedated, barely conscious and breathing with difficulty when we arrived. The deterioration in his condition from only two days previously was quite shocking to see. There were a couple of extremely fleeting moments of recognition from George but it was impossible to ignore that the disease was in its terminal stage. He died sometime around 5:30 am, surrounded by his family. George's funeral was held at Wakefield Crematorium just over a week ago. A short but well conducted service which included music of George's choosing. Afterwards, the mourners gathered at Holmfield House in Wakefield Park for an informal buffet. George's daughter Jennifer, over from Australia where she lives, had assembled a laptop slide show of photographs from George's life. It was placed on a table for friends and relatives to view. George has gone now and nothing can change that but my mother Jean is left to face the tribulations and lonliness of widow-hood and there are serious concerns that I need to help her with. Emiko and I have driven over to Wakefield to support her almost every day. She's beginning to find her old resilience and strength again but it will be some time before she can discover a new path in life. She will be 80 years old this year and has health issues of her own to surmount but, despite her soft, generous and non-confrontational nature, she's a pragmatic, intelligent and aware woman, and certainly not one to give up the ghost. Nevertheless, at this point in time she's terribly vulnerable and needs time and love to regain her sense of self. I'm feeling the responsibility of caring for her keenly, particularly as my younger brother Ian is no longer with us. I've missed Ian even more these last few weeks. This sad situation has really underlined his absence. In many ways he was much tougher than me and his no-nonsense attitude would have been a tremendous asset during the last month or so and particularly in the weeks ahead. But the Nelson clan is not large and I'm now the only remaining offspring from the original union of my father and mother. Of course, my mother has grandchildren, (and let me just put on record that Ian's two sons and daughter have been wonderfully supportive of my mother during her latest bereavement). And mum has a wonderful great-grandson in the form of Luke, (my eldest daughter Julia's son). But, as the only surviving offspring of Jean and Walter Nelson, I guess I'm very much central to my mother's well-being. Poor mum, stuck with me as her only son. I make a pretty poor 'head of the family,' being generally hopeless at dealing with my own problems, but, whatever my shortcomings, I must do my best to help my mother through this difficult time. Awareness of mortality and the brevity and fragility of existence has been with me for much of my life but it has increasingly and painfully been brought into focus these last 18 months via a whole series of bereavements, both of family and friends of family. It inevitably casts a shadow across my own life and emphasises the need to work diligently at my music whilst I'm still able to. Morbid to think that way, I know but think about it I do (and probably far too often than is healthy). Music making has taken a back seat to recent pre-occupations but I have managed to maintain some sort of momentum by working late at night after returning from Wakefield. I've fallen behind schedule with the 'Silvertone Fountains' album, which I'd hoped to have made available by now but this hasn't neccesarily been a bad thing as I've had time to re-think aspects of it. I think I've finally settled on its ultimate form after several atttempts at it. It is, as of today, a 15 track album. Here is its track list: 'SILVERTONE FOUNTAINS.' 1: 'BEAUTY RIDES THE LAST BUS HOME.' 2: 'THE FABULOUS WHIRLIGIG OF NOW.' 3: 'AUTUMN DROWNS APPLES IN GOLDEN TIDES.' 4: 'SILVERTONE FOUNTAINS.' 5: 'LA VIE MODERNE.' 6: 'SLOW CLOUDS.' 7: 'HAPPY IN MY HELICOPTER HAT.' 8: 'DECEMBER WALTZ.' 9: 'THE WORLD SLEEPS LATE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.' 10: 'YOUNG DREAMS, WHIRLED AWAY.' 11: 'SPEARMINT AND MOONBEAMS.' 12: 'WE VANISH AT SHADOWFALL.' 13: 'THE BELLS OF VILLEFRANCHE.' 14: 'FISH ARE DANCING IN THE FOUNTAIN OF DREAMS.' 15: 'SHOWER OF SPARKS.' There were so many tracks left over after I'd made the above selection that I decided to create a second, companion piece album which I've titled 'ILLUMINATED AT DUSK.' I intend to release the two albums simultaneously shortly after Easter. The track list for 'ILLUMINATED AT DUSK' is as follows:- 1: 'SWITCH ON THE SKY, LIGHT UP THE STARS.' 2: 'THE VIEW FROM MOUNT PALOMAR.' 3: 'DANCE OF THE LUMINOUS DIALS.' 4: 'THE VENETIAN CONJURER.' 5: 'A SPIRIT MAP OF MONTPARNASSE.' 6: 'ANGELS OBEY BELLS.' 7: 'NO MEMORIES HERE TO MAKE YOU SAD.' 8: 'ART IS MY AEROPLANE.' 9: 'SILVER SAILBOAT ON SAMSARA SEA.' 10: 'SPRINGTIME COMES A' DANCING.' 11: 'THE VANILLA SUMMER OF MR. WHIPPY. 12: 'FRANKIE UKELELE AND THE FIRE IN THE LAKE.' 13: 'LAKESIDE.' 14: 'THE ETERNAL FASCINATOR.' 15: 'THOUGHTS WITHOUT FRICTION.' 16: 'SUMMER OVER SOON.' 17: 'LITTLE KISSES WRAPPED IN CHOCOLATE.' 18: 'ILLUMINATED AT DUSK.' Packaging artwork is almost complete for 'Silvertone Fountains' and just begun for 'Illuminated At Dusk.' Mastering has yet to be done for each album and I need to book my good friend John Spence at Fairview Studios to accomplish this. The two albums offer 33 new pieces of music but there are STILL several pieces left over to be used as possible Nelsonica 08 album tracks. No doubt by the time autumn and the Nelsonica convention rolls 'round, I'll have a few more out-takes and misfit tracks to add to the list. For now though, 'Silvertone' and 'Illuminated' represent an intense period of work that began last year with the now abandoned 'Frankie Ukelele' project. This is a very rich and dense seam of music which will, I hope, reward the diligent listener for quite some time to come. For whatever reason, (and the reason is beyond both my control and understanding), music keeps coming down the pipeline and, despite all the work I've done over my career, despite all the previous music I've recorded, I'm still searching for creative satifaction...But it's hard won. Maybe I'll never find it but I'll keep on trying until I can't try any more. Very little else makes much sense to me in this world, more's the pity. Top of page

Soluna Oriana Bill Nelson download single - 30 June 2010 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 1) Soluna Oriana NOTES: "Soluna Oriana" is an exclusive instrumental piece composed especially for a fund raising campaign launched on behalf of former Japan bass guitarist, Mick Karn, who was then undergoing treatment for cancer. Sadly, on the 4th of January, 2011, Karn lost his battle against the disease. Initially Nelson had written an exclusive song to donate to the Mick Karn campaign called "Bluebird", spending a week working on it in June 2010. With the track nearing completion though, Nelson re-thought his plans, concluding that the lyric to "Bluebird" was not in line with his original intentions, and he immediately set to work on "Soluna Oriana". The download was made available through SoundCloud, where it remains as a tribute to Karn. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available as a free digital download on this page, or in the Free Downloads section . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Soluna Oriana has turned out to be an ethereal, floating, gentle piece, featuring an e-bow improvisation over a modal 'puzzle pattern' backdrop. It's a track that I would have been pleased to put on any upcoming album of mine but am excited to offer as a free download for those of you who would like to contribute to the Mick Karn appeal and receive a heartfelt little musical gift from me in return." _____ "I have fond memories of working with him in the 1980's. A wonderfully talented musician and artist." _____ "Like so many of my titles, the sound and juxtaposition of the words is enough to make the thing attractive to me, but...'Soluna' could be interpreted as a marriage of 'Sol' (Sun), and 'Luna' (Moon). Which, alchemically could be thought of as male and female, yin and yang, etc, etc. 'Oriana' suggests to me the 'Orient' and East, or even 'Queen Oriana'...certainly, to me, something royal and mystical. But above all, it feels poetic and exotically beautiful. In the context of the music it brings identity to the piece, but the real meaning is to be found in your own heart when you hear the music and understand the reason for its existence." Singles Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) June 2010 Jan May Sep Nov Dec Tuesday 15th June 2010 -- 7:00 pm (Begun Sunday 13th June 2010 and concluded Tuesday 15th June 2010.) Well, what a fabulous week it's been! Last Sunday, 6th of June, I received an email inviting me to attend Mojo magazine's annual 'Honours List' award ceremony in London. The email informed me that the magazine was planning to give a special signature award to one of rock n' roll's legendary artists and that they would like me to personally present it to him at the event. Well...you could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather. I was both excited and terrified by the prospect. The truth is I'm never really at my best in these 'celebrity situations,' being rather quiet and maybe a little shy compared to many rock musicians, but THIS was something that I couldn't possibly pass up, this was something REALLY special: Mojo magazine's 'Icon' award was going to be bestowed upon the legendary American guitarist Duane Eddy, an artist who, I can genuinely say, I owe my love of the guitar to. I've cited Duane many times in interviews over the 36 years since Be Bop Deluxe released their first album and journalists took an interest in my musical roots but, for the record, I really should tell the story again here. In fact, I'll throw caution to the wind and allow readers of this diary a sneak preview of my unpublished autobiography. This short excerpt from the book relates how Duane came to inspire my original passion for the electric guitar. So, here's an exclusive peek at the relevant section. Remember, at this point in the autobiography, I'm just eleven years old: "Around this time, Rock and roll entered my life in a big way via radio, television and records. My parents had bought a second-hand radiogram, a big console model with a beautifully veneered cabinet and an automatic turntable. It was a vast improvement on the family's ancient wind-up gramophone. A number of records came with the purchase, mostly old 78 rpm discs but with a few modern 45's scattered amongst them. Some were early Elvis Presley records and others were English 'skiffle' music, the precursor of rock n' roll in the UK. Whilst listening to the console's radio one day, I heard a BBC programme, (hosted, I think, by DJ Johnny Walker), that used a beautiful instrumental recording as its opening and closing theme. It was a single, released on the 'London' record label, by a young American guitarist called Duane Eddy. The track was titled 'Because They're Young.' It was originally composed as the title theme for a movie in which Duane briefly featured with his band, 'The Rebels.' (The film also featured actress Tuesday Weld.) Duane Eddy was cool and handsome, a kind of rock n' roll James Dean. He developed a highly distinctive and original approach to the guitar. Duane played a beautiful Gretsch 6120 electric archtop, (although I wasn't aware of such technical details back then), and, as a result of the sound he created with producer Lee Hazelwood, became known as the 'King Of Twang.' This new and unique sound was achieved by playing the melody mostly on the bass strings of the guitar, which were then amplified and fed through a reverberation chamber, often with the addition of tremolo. I discovered, many years later, that Duane had actually used a Danelectro baritone guitar on this recording, rather than the Gretsch he was so often photographed with. When I first heard 'Because They're Young' on the radio, I had no idea who was playing the piece, all that I was aware of was a beautiful, deep, shimmering sound, offset to great effect by an orchestral string arrangement courtesy of Lee Hazelwood, the record's producer. But this sweet little tune, played so perfectly by Duane Eddy, was the spark that lit the fire under me, the one record that inspired all my consequent guitar dreams. Not long after, I caught some flu virus or other and was allowed to stay at home to recuperate, rather than go to school. Resting in bed, I asked my mother to switch the radio on so that I could listen to 'Because They're Young' at it's usual broadcast time. She evidently realised my delight in hearing this piece of music and somehow made a note of its title and the name of the artist performing it. The next day she went into Wakefield and purchased the 45 rpm single for me in the hope of cheering me up and encouraging my recuperation. I was ecstatic about being given the single and asked for it to be played over and over on the radiogram which stood majestically in a corner of the living room. I vividly recall laying on my bed, the sound of Duane's guitar floating through from the front room, echoing across the narrow hallway of 28 Conistone Crescent, and into my bedroom. Somehow, it was as if the future had finally come knocking at my door. The B-side of the single was titled 'Rebel Walk.' This was a supremely moody piece, a kind of beatnik, 'film-noir' theme, based around a haunting, simple riff augmented by wordless backing vocals in a kind of 'Jordinairs' (Elvis Presley's backing vocalists), style. I enjoyed this piece just as much as the 'A' side. Looking back on this, 50 years later here in the 21st Century, I now realise that I had found my life-changing 'eureka' moment, the sort of moment we are never able to never forget, a moment to appreciate forever, and, yes, to feel genuinely grateful for. If I had to sum it up in one single word, it would be: 'Magic.' Actually, I still have the original 'Because They're Young' single in my possession and treasure it greatly. Owning that record inspired me to attempt to play 'Because They're Young' on my recently acquired Zenith guitar, but I only got as far as the opening few bars of the main melody. The size of the real guitar's neck was much bigger than the toy guitar that I had been more familiar with, and the steel strings were much thicker and cut into the ends of my fingers. I was temporarily discouraged but it didn't diminish my passion for the sound of the instrument. Or the look of the thing. In fact, the visual appeal of the guitar was very important to me. Not long after getting the single, I discovered a photograph of Duane Eddy in one of my mother's magazines and was impressed by how sharp he looked and how 'sci-fi' his Gretsch electric guitar appeared with it's shiny pickups and mysterious controls. I made a life-sized copy of this guitar from a flat piece of cardboard which I cut to the appropriate shape and then painted, gluing it to a piece of wood to represent the neck. (The wood was appropriated from a child's painting easel I'd had for a few years. It was the first time that I sacrificed the visual arts to music!) To emulate the controls of the guitar, I glued old shirt buttons onto the cardboard body, totally unaware of the function of these controls on the real thing. Once my non-playing facsimile was complete, I would stand in front of my bedroom mirror and mime to Duane's record, throwing the appropriate shapes, as observed from his publicity photographs." Ok, dear diary readers...I'm not going to give away any more of my autobiography here...but the above brief excerpt should give you an idea of the impact that Duane had on the life of an eleven year old schoolboy living in a council estate flat in Wakefield, fifty years ago. Fifty years ago? Wow.... And THAT'S the amazing thing. I've held onto my original 'Because They're Young' single and kept it close to my heart, (and all that it symbolised), for fifty years. I guess that the unassuming young guitar player who recorded that track had no idea of the power it contained, the ripples that radiated out from his far away American reverb tank, out across the world, to a skinny schoolboy here in Yorkshire. As an eleven year old kid, I would sometimes dream about meeting Duane Eddy and, in these dreams, I'd ask him about guitar playing and he'd pass on a secret technique or two. But if anyone had said to me, "one day, fifty years from now, you will personally present Duane with an award recognising him as an icon of rock n' roll." Well, I would have thought that they were crazy. But, it seems, magic happens. (Well, I of all people, should know that!) Something about the award ceremony itself now: The three days before travelling to London were excruciatingly stressful. I hardly slept, worrying about what to say, about my appearance, my clothes, worrying about every single thing to the point of feeling physically sick and ill with it all. I tried to keep as much of this trepidation to myself as possible but it leaked out in even the most mundane tasks around the house. Emiko was not able to travel with me to London to attend the Mojo awards. She had been given an important and prestigious freelance floral design commission which required her to work long hours thoughout the week if she was to prepare all the complex arrangements for her client. At first, I thought that I wouldn't be able to face the stress of the Mojo event without her by my side. I am not naturally gregarious in social situations and my nerves often betray me. Emiko has the quiet charm and ease that I lack, and her gentle presence is a great asset whenever I have to socialise in such circumstances. Don't misunderstand, I'm fine and dandy around people who I've had the opportunity to get to know and trust, but the superficial celebrity charm that seems to work for other people often evades me. Anyway, I called my friend Paul Gilby and asked him if he'd be at all interested in accompanying me to the event to lend a little moral support. Paul, very encouragingly, said he'd be honoured to do so and I felt a little less anxious about the whole thing. However, once the day arrived, my nerves kicked in again...even more excruciatingly than before. I was shaking at York station, shaking on the train to London and trembling like a daisy as I changed at the hotel before being whisked off in a limo to the event itself. All I could do was think of the alternative, which would have been to stay at home and later regret not accepting this wonderful opportunity to say 'thank you' to my first ever guitar hero. I HAD to do this, for Duane and for myself. First little miracle of the evening came when the limo arrived to pick me up to take me to the event. As I walked out of the hotel door, there in front of me, (actually with his back to me), was a person I thought I knew. He turned his face, ever so slightly, to speak to someone standing next to him. The resultant half-glimpsed profile was instantly recognisable to me. It was Peter Hammill, an artist who I'd toured with many, many years previously during the early days of Be Bop Deluxe. I probably don't need to introduce readers of this diary to Peter's extensive and highly respected work as a singer-songwriter and founder member of the band 'Van der Graaf Generator.' He is a unique and very special artist who anyone interested in music as an art form should be aware of. (And shame on you if you're not.) Peter has chosen to plough the same deep furrow as all those artists who are driven by something other than the lure of the corn market. In short, he's the genuine article. The first ever tour Be Bop Deluxe undertook as a support act was with Peter Hammill, on one of his solo concert tours. I remember it with great fondness. Peter treated us kindly and sympathetically. We landed our contract with EMI records during the course of that tour and Peter seemed genuinely overjoyed for us. To celebrate our signing, Peter bought a bottle of Polish White Spirit for us...(a fierce alcoholic drink with pyrotechnic capabilities). I remember a drop or two of it being poured onto a wooden bench in the dressing room of a venue on that tour. And a match being set to it...It caught fire in a whoosh of incandescent energy. We were lucky...the entire building could have burned to the ground, such was the drink's potency. Rocket fuel in a bottle. We each, (this was the original line-up of the band), had a sip from the bottle...but it was far too fierce and strong a medicine for us. Remarkably, the band's drummer, Nicholas Chatterton-Dew, seemed able to handle it without the top of his head coming off in a cloud of fire and brimstone. What a guy! Towards the end of the tour, Peter gave me a copy of a book of his lyrics and poetry that had recently been published. In the first pages of the book he drew a little caricature of me and signed it. I still have that book and treasure it, along with the now distant memories of that first Be Bop Deluxe tour. So, meeting Peter again, after all these years, was a very happy experience for me. But, back to the Mojo Honours List awards: There was a red carpet awaiting at the venue. And a line up of press photographers. A kind of modest Hollywood Oscar moment, I thought. I had my photograph taken by the gathered photographers and, despite my trepidation and natural inclination to be dismissive of the importance of such things, I somehow slipped into the grin and bear it mode that was so often required during my Be Bop Deluxe years. "This way Bill...", "Could you look into the camera, Bill?", "Head up a little Bill...", Etc, etc. It wasn't too difficult, just a bit embarrassing. I guess it's that, 'once you've learned to ride a bike' syndrome. All bollocks, of course, but a kind of acceptable bollocks. Most artists just grin and give out what's required of them, no matter how ridiculous they feel or how surreal it all becomes. I suppose we're all flogging our individual horses, dead or alive, according to public perception. Truth is, I don't mind this sort of thing at all really. In fact I almost enjoy it, musician's egos being what they are... Entering the interior of the venue, I mingled with the crowd who had not yet been invited to sit at the circular tables situated before the stage where the actual awards would be given. The stage was designed to resemble an oversized stately home library, or something similar, complete with fake wood panelled wall, a giant fireplace complete with a video fire, (a pair of Gibson Les Paul guitars crossed above it like armorial bearings), and a huge screen and table filled with the actual Mojo award trophies. All very impressive I thought, but also a little overwhelming. Amongst the crowd of celebrities I came across my old pal John Leckie. Ah...here was someone I actually KNEW and could relate to without pretence. John is a dear, dear friend who has always remained the same sweet and lovely person he was back in the '70's when we first worked together. And that despite his fame and success as the producer of many well-known bands during the intervening years. I was relieved and pleased to see him. We'd last met at the 2009 Nelsonica fan convention when John and I gave an on-stage interview about our years of working together. John's also coming up to this year's Nelsonica. I think he really enjoyed himself at last year's event. But there were other familiar faces too: Some I knew personally from other situations, (Mark Powell, Peter Blake, John Foxx, Marc Almond, to name just four), but also people whom I had only previously been able to admire from afar, (Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Page, Jarvis Cocker, Roy Wood, Wilco Johnson, Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO, Roger Daltrey, Tony Christie, Richard Hawley and others.) The place seemed to be teeming with pop and rock celebrities. Shame Julian Cope didn't show though...it would have been nice to thank him for the kind words he's written about me on his website. The table at which I was seated was graced by Beth Orton, Alex James from Blur and Andy Gill and Jon King from Gang Of Four. All very nice people. A combination of shyness, nerves and ambient noise from the hall limited my entering into anything other than superficial conversation with my fellow diners, but it was good to be seated amongst them, even though my mind was constantly fretting about the daunting task ahead of me. We were served a three course meal, (vegetable terrine starter, braised lamb main course, then bread n' butter pudding desert). Each table was groaning with its own vast supply of booze: several bottles of wine, a crate of beer, even a bottle of Scotch. I stuck to water, worried that I might become a bit too 'loose' if I drank the wine. It then turned out that the Mojo Icon award was going to be the final presentation of the evening, the culminating event. I would have to sit through all the other presentations before I could do my bit and relax. As the evening went on, my nerves became more and more acute. I watched in envy as each presenter took to the stage and announced the various awards in witty and professional style. How could I compete with such bravado? My nerves leapt up another octave, almost to the realm of 'screech.' Ok...maybe just a half glass of wine wouldn't go amiss. I'd prepared a pre-composed speech which I'd printed out, as a back up, just in case my nerves got the better of me but, as it happened, the format of the presentation was slightly different to what I'd expected and the speech would not have worked in the actual context of the show. A very nice girl, one of the event's staff, came over to our table and explained the drill to me. The format was that I would take the stage, say a few words but not reveal who the award was for. I then had to say, 'and let's have a look at his work' which would cue a short video presentation. At the end of the video, I was then to announce Duane's name, he would come on stage and accept the award from me. Right...(mild panic). It looked like I'd have to wing it, come up with something reasonably spontaneous but loosely based on my original idea. I decided to trust to the moment and play it by ear. I watched the various award trophies being handed over to their recipients by the presenters until there was just one award left. I took a deep breath and began to squeeze my way between the closely packed tables, heading toward the stage. I was expecting the ceremony's host, Mojo editor Phil Alexander, to say something basic along the lines of, "and here's Bill Nelson to present the Mojo Icon award...". But, Phil was very generous and said some quite flattering things about my work, which came as a welcome surprise and gave my confidence a much needed boost. (Thanks for that Phil, it was very kind of you.) I'd got up from my seat a little too soon so stood at the foot of the stage for a few moments until Phil's introduction was concluded...it must have appeared as if I was incredibly eager to get onto the stage but, the truth was, I wasn't expecting such a nice introduction. Finally I was on stage, shook hands with Phil and walked to the microphone. I'd taken my 50 year old copy of 'Because They're Young' on stage with me. I began my short speech with "Some people will try to tell you that records don't change lives..." (Then I held up my Duane Eddy single), "But THIS one changed mine...!" I'm afraid that was all I could remember from my prepared speech, the rest of it I made up as I went along. I can't recall exactly what I said now as the next five minutes or so became a dream-like, near hallucinogenic, blur. I managed to give the cue for the video, (which showed various album sleeves of Duane's whilst a selection of his tracks played,) then said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, the legendary King Of Twang, Mr. Duane Eddy!" Then suddenly, walking towards me across the stage was the man whose music had launched an 11 year old boy on a fifty year long journey to here and now. I can't describe how emotional a moment it was. Quite unbelievable! Duane walked right up to me and gave me a big hug and thanked me warmly for my introduction, then took the microphone and spoke to the assembled celebrity audience. He was given a wonderfully enthusiastic reception by everyone. We were then both led backstage where we were to be photographed together, then on to a joint interview for the Mojo website, then a few more photographs. Next came the group photographs with a selection of winners and presenters lined up in three rows. I stood on the back row next to Richard Thompson. Rufus was on the next row down and Duane sat at the front. As I said, it was all a bit of a blur and quite unreal.Duane and I were then asked to sign a Gibson Les Paul guitar that will be auctioned to raise funds for the War Child charity. It's not every day that my signature sits on a guitar alongside the signatures of Duane Eddy, Jimmy Page and Richard Thompson. Another honour that I'll treasure. Duane also offered to sign my original 'Because They're Young' single...which was what I'd hoped he'd do. I plan to frame it along with a photo of Duane and hang it on my studio wall, next to my Les Paul, Hank Marvin and Joe Pass framed photographs. One more nice surprise: Duane and his lovely and thoughtful wife Deed thanked me for all the things I've said about Duane in interviews and on my website over the years. I had no idea that they were aware of me at all so this came as a happy surprise. Duane's wife told me that she supports Duane in the same practical ways that Emiko supports me, so it seems Duane and Deed actually read this diary sometimes. What a thrill to discover that! Duane asked for my 'phone number and we exchanged email addresses. It would be terrific if we could keep in touch and perhaps collaborate on something in the not too distant future. I would definitely be thrilled to create a track for both of us to play on. Oh, I also gave Duane two albums of mine, 'Rosewood Volume 1' and 'Here comes Mr. Mercury.' I'd grabbed them just before setting off to the station to travel to London. I hope they're a good choice for him. With such a large and varied catalogue of music, it's sometimes difficult to know what to choose when I want to introduce someone to my work. None of it follows the usual routes anyway, but these two albums might have one or two tracks on them that a guitar player might enjoy. Next, it was off to the aftershow party. This was held in a little cellar club, just across the road from the awards ceremony venue. The place reminded me of a 'sixties club called 'Cafe Des Artistes' which, all those years ago, used to be in Fulham Road, (I think). I'd visited it in the latter half of the 'sixties when I'd spent a weekend with an art school pal whose parents lived in Hampstead. (And THERE'S another tale to tell in volume 2 of my autobiography!) The aftershow party place however, had a much louder sound system than any 'sixties club. The DJ played some classic music from the past, 'Green Onions' by Booker T and the MG's, and other tracks that evoked a groovy '60's retro atmosphere. Great track choices but it was just a little too loud, and of such an aggressive mid frequency that conversation was nigh on impossible. It would have been nice to have a slightly quieter environment where people could have met without having to literally yell in each other's ears. Nevertheless, it WAS enjoyable to hear some classic tracks and watch several rather attractive girls dance a 21st Century version of the 'Hully Gully' or whatever. I almost joined in but thought better of it...best to hang on to whatever decorum that remains to me as a 61 year old! John Leckie and I shouted into each other's ears for an hour or so and I managed to catch a few words from Mark Powell and a nice guy from the band 'Kasabian.' (At least, I think that's who it was.) I also met a guy from Gibson guitars who was very helpful. I had my photo taken with ace vocalist Tony Christie too. What a very nice chap and looking enviously slim and youthful too. Oh, and I managed to wish Roy Wood well, just as he was about to head back to the hotel. I first met Roy on a Kid Jensen radio show, quite some years ago now. He's another lovely chap...he'd been given a well deserved songwriter award at the Mojo Honours List. I still recall those early Move singles...they were a band I very much enthused about back then. The noise levels eventually got the better of me and Paul and I decided it was time to head back to our hotel in Bloomsbury. A car was summoned, I thanked everyone in sight for allowing me to bestow my first ever guitar hero with the Mojo Icon award, and fell gratefully into the back seat of the car and set off for the hotel, tired and happy. Next morning, I awoke, after little more than three hours sleep, with a very sore throat and an extremely hoarse voice, probably a direct result of the previous evening's aftershow yelling. I met Peter Hamill in the hotel foyer and we exchanged emails and 'phone numbers. Then Paul and I wandered down the street for breakfast, and then to Foyles bookshop so that I could peruse the 'Ray's Jazz' section. Bought a book dealing with English swing bands of the 1930s and '40s. Also a Bill Frisell album titled 'Where In The World' that I'd not previously heard. Whilst in Foyles, I got a call from Richard at Opium on my mobile. He was calling to say that the Mojo site had my 'red carpet' photo' on it. Then it was a taxi ride to Kings Cross and the train journey back to York and home. And a huge sigh of relief. Saturday morning, I helped Emiko to deliver the final part of her important flower commission. She had enlisted a friend of hers to help her on the Friday morning, whilst I was in London. Everything went to plan and her client was overjoyed with the many arrangements that Emi had created for her. I'm so pleased when people recognise the sophistication of her designs. Our new kitchen is now, finally, complete. (Fanfare!) All that remains is to move various items back into it, a task which Emiko and I began this weekend. We've almost concluded that process now and it is so good to have our kitchen back, in much brighter and shinier condition than before. There's more to tell, as always, but this diary entry has taken up more time than I expected. I'm now going to catch up with some recording work. But what an unexpected and much appreciated honour that was. Duane, thank you so much for being so gracious to me. And Mojo magazine...thanks for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. All I can say, to end this diary entry is: WOW! ***** The images accompanying this diary are as follows:- 1: Bill and John Leckie at the Mojo Honours 2010 event. 2: Bill and Peter Blake at the Mojo Honours 2010 event. (Note Jarvis Cocker in the background.) 3: Bill and Duane Eddy at the Mojo Honours 2010 event. (Bill holding his original 50 year old 'Because They're Young' single, now signed by Duane.) 4: A close up of the single that Duane signed for Bill. It reads: 'To Bill, thank you so much, Duane Eddy.' 5: Bill with Tony Christie at the Mojo awards aftershow party. 6: The Gibson Les Paul guitar, signed by various guitarists, including Duane and Bill, at the Mojo awards. This guitar will be auctioned to raise funds for the 'War Child' charity. All photographs taken by Paul Gilby with the exception of the close up of the signed 'Because They're Young' single which was taken by Bill Nelson in his home studio. Top of page

Air Age Anthology retrospective 2CD collection - 17 February 1997 Be Bop Deluxe Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: 1-01) Axe Victim 1-02) Love With The Madman 1-03) Sister Seagull 1-04) Heavenly Homes 1-05) Ships In The Night 1-06) Twilight Capers 1-07) Kiss Of Light 1-08) Crying To The Sky 1-09) Sleep That Burns 1-10) Life In The Air Age (Live) 1-11) Electrical Language 1-12) Panic In The World 1-13) Maid In Heaven 1-14) Between The Worlds 1-15) Blazing Apostles 1-16) Lovers Are Mortal 1-17) Down On Terminal Street 1-18) Darkness (L'immoraliste) TRACKS: 2-01) Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape 2-02) Night Creatures 2-03) Music In Dreamland 2-04) Jean Cocteau 2-05) Beauty Secrets 2-06) Life In The Air Age 2-07) Speed Of The Wind 2-08) Modern Music 2-09) Dancing In The Moonlight 2-10) Honeymoon On Mars 2-11) Lost In The Neon World 2-12) Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids 2-13) Modern Music (Reprise) 2-14) Fair Exchange (Live) 2-15) Autosexual 2-16) New Mysteries 2-17) Surreal Estate 2-18) Islands Of The Dead 2-19) Visions Of Endless Hopes 2-20) The Bird Charmers Destiny 2-21) The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow NOTES: Air Age Anthology is a double CD compilation offering the new listener a thorough introduction to Be Bop Deluxe. No room was found for any rarities, but three tracks came with previously unheard studio talk (Nelson counting in a couple of tracks, and ending one take with the observation "we'll keep that one"). The set was enhanced by a nicely illustrated booklet with a sleeve notes written by Kevin Cann. PAST RELEASES: 36 of the 39 tracks on this compilation album were taken from the six albums released in the band's lifetime (issued between 1974 and 1978), with the remaining 3 tracks originally released on The Best Of and the Rest Of double album (1978). See individual entries of those albums for full details including vinyl editions of the same material. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This compilation is now out of print in physical form, but is available to download from online stores. Collections Menu Future Past