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Joy Through Amplification More Listening Notes Go to Album Listening Notes to accompany the album Joy Through Amplification by Bill Nelson 1: 'Ampex 1': The first of the 'Ampex' tracks. These are a series of abstract/ambient guitar instrumentals that act as interludes between the more rock-oriented vocal tracks. The idea is that these Ampex pieces function as 'palette cleansers' between the noisier tracks the album offers. They can also be listened to on their own as an album within an album. The title 'Ampex' comes from the name of an analogue tape manufacturer whose reels of recording tape I used back in the '80s prior to my home studio going digital. It also fits in with the word 'Amplification.' This first track has watery elements, all generated from processed guitar. Virtually all the Ampex tracks are purely guitar generated sounds, though they are often twisted and processed beyond recognition. This one stills the mind before the following 'rock' track kicks in. 2: 'Sex Magic': This song begins with a deliberately coy instrumental reference to 'Panic In The World,' an old Be Bop Deluxe song. This is to trick the listener into thinking that the rock songs on the album might be a return to the '70s era rock music I made back then. But, as the song develops, it moves away from that into something more contemporary and 'pop.' The title 'Sex Magic' can be interpreted in various ways. It could be a reference to occult sexual practices designed to bring about a change of consciousness and/or a tangible fulfillment of one's desire in the physical world. (As written about by occultist-magicians such as Crowley, Spare and Grant,) or it could be about the 'magic' that happens when a loving couple joyfully abandon themselves to each other without fear or inhibition. 3: 'Ampex 2': Sheets of guitar fed through extended reverbs and shimmering modulations. Volume pedal swells on the top lines. Impressionistic and minimal. 4: 'Vortexion Dream': This song's title was inspired by a company called 'Vortexion' who made tape recorders, amplifiers and other electrical gizmos in the '50s and '60s. It is also partly inspired by Buckminster Fuller's similar sounding 'Dymaxion' car which he designed in 1933, (though I have an instrumental up my sleeve which will use the 'Dymaxion' name when it eventually is released.) The lyrics to 'Vortexion Dream' refer to 'weird science everywhere' and 'my bright electrola'...The song hints at a kind of steampunk science-fiction. Is it a utopia or a dystopia? (Spot the sly reference in the lyrics to another album of mine...) Distorted, heavy metal type riff. Knife-edge guitar fills, an octave talk-box style solo-break, double speed motifs.The song ends on an ambient coda that leads us into the next track. 5: 'Ampex 3': An ethereal reverse loop drift with a gentle sub-bass throb ending in guitar chimes and static. 6: 'The Conjurer's Companion': This is an energetic metallic riff-driven track with an almost cartoon-like, tongue-in-cheek guitar shredding intro. Lyrics tell of the conjurer's companion who, "takes off her magic dress, winks and waves and vanishes...a trick of light, I guess..." References to 'swirling ectoplasm' and 'every blessed thing' being 'so damned fragile.' Melodic but raw guitar solo with thick modulation and wah-wah pedal manipulations. A fun track which gives vent to some noisy and fast guitar wrangling. 7: 'Ampex 4': Quite a pretty one this...chiming guitars, reverse whooshes, electrical noises, double and half-speed loops. 8: 'Orpheus Dreams Of Disneyland': I was thinking of the story of Orpheus decending into the underworld and wondered what it would be like if this underworld was instead a kind of ethereal, dark Disneyland. What would Orpheus encounter there? The lyrics are enigmatic enough to leave the answer to the listener. The song features a heavy riff and hard electronic percussion throughout but features a fairground-like middle section with hints of seaside Wurlitzers. 9: 'Ampex 5': Suggests some sort of strange whirling machine, a supernatural carousel perhaps. 10: 'Imps In The Undergrowth': An enigmatic lyric hinting at some sort of invisible occult presence behind the visible world, a song for magicians? Big guitars in layers. 11: 'Ampex 6': Weird clockwork, a child's toy from another world. It has doors and windows from which tiny smiling creatures emerge and return on invisible springs. 12: 'Arco Volta': The title came first. It suggests electrical energy, lightning, a Tesla effect. High energy drums and guitars and a lyric about 'how sweet we were when birds of youth' and 'holy fools.' Short and punchy. 13: 'Ampex 7': A surreal steamboat puffs into an other-dimensional harbour, playing a crazy tune on its whistles as men and women in tall hats wave welcoming flags. 14: 'Fire Gods Of The National Machine': An almost flamenco-style opening. Lyrics about 'ghosts in the gallery' and 'magic priests will come in waves.' From a ballad style first verse the song erupts into a heavy, distorted guitar chord progression. A drifting, dreamy middle section shifts the scene. A variety of guitar tones and textures including some sick-sounding wah-wah effects. 15: 'Ampex 8': A Martian cowboy rides a robot horse across an alien landscape into a two sun sunset. 16: 'To What Strange Place Will This Transport You?': Big drums, big guitars, an orchestra, harmony vocals, echoes and modulations. The title says it all... 17: 'Ampex 9': Imagine an ancient town at night. In the town square stands a gothic clock tower with ornate doors, high up, as if they were the doors of a giant cuckoo-clock. Suddenly the doors open, beams of dazzling light shoot out from all sides of the tower but instead of a cuckoo, a figure resembling Duane Eddy emerges on a mechanical platform, his guitar chiming the hours in place of bells. 18: 'Heaven Holds A Grand Parade': Another mysterious, enigmatic lyric. It hints at a dream-like circus parade whose participants may or may not be phantoms and angels. One of the lyrics says 'this radio is now on fire... no-one receiving, there's no one in this room at all.' Is it a song about ghosts, a parallel universe, the after-life? Trumpets add a carnival atmosphere. Guitars climb and spiral like sonic helicopters. 19: 'Ampex 10': A strange laboratory in a dark forest. A man made of machine parts operates levers and observes glowing dials. Sparks arc around the room. Outside, a horse without a rider gallops by, vanishing deep into the forest. 20: 'Weather Blows Wild Inside My Head': A spooky intro, an almost vocal wah-wah guitar, lyrics that suggest Elvis' ghost dancing in a haunted ballroom on the other side of time. It's a blues from another planet, a song about the mysterious workings of the creative imagination, about obsession and possession. 21: 'Ampex 11': A delightful garden filled with summer flowers through which a miniature railway rattles carrying imps, elves and other denizens from the land of faerie. An old man dressed in clothes from the 1920s places a rose in his buttonhole and smiles. 22: 'Why Does It Do That?': Frantic tin-can drums, heavily processed guitars, metallic riffs, an apocalyptic vibe. Lyric: 'It was as if the clocks had all gone wrong and time was topsy-turvy...' One of the heaviest sounding tracks on the album. 23: 'Ampex 12': A tropical island paradise. A steel guitar plays, gleaming like a chrome snake. Seven beautiful girls dance on the beach, dressed only in sunshine and smiles. But all is not as it should be...the sea is purple and the sky is green. 24: 'These Tall Blue Days Are Lark Amazed': A mid-tempo, semi-ballad. Twangy surf guitars exchange phrases with Chinese sounding guitars. This one is a love song with a strong vocal melody and backing vocals that reference a certain early Beatles song. Ends with a dusting of needle static. 25: 'Ampex Xtra': This is the first of two bonus tracks. The John Barry Seven jamming with The Tornadoes in a space station on the outer reaches of the galaxy. 26: 'Monsters From Heaven. (Flowers And Rain.)': This is the second bonus track. It's built around a strange, looped, distorted blues guitar riff. The loop has a slightly asymmetrical metre. Over this an amplified blues harmonica improvises in a style reminiscent of Captain Beefheart. A slide guitar adds to the swampy, but alien, blues feel. A wah-wah guitar solo adds further tension. No drums on this track. The vocal is treated to sound as if it's coming over a telephone line or from the speaker of an old radio. The lyric says: "This dwelling is humming, with monsters from heaven...thunder and lightning, creatures of flame..." More Listening Notes Go to Album

The Familiar album - 1992 Roger Eno with Kate St. John Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Co-Producer, Guitar, Percussion and Synthesizer Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Nelsonian Navigator - Issue One - Published July 1995 Back to Top

Practically Wired album - 2 March 1995 Bill Nelson Albums Menu Future Past Currently unavailable TRACKS: 01) Roses And Rocketships 02) Spinning Planet 03) Thousand Fountain Island 04) Piano 45 05) Pink Buddha Blues 06) Kid With Cowboy Tie 07) Royal Ghosts 08) Her Presence In Flowers 09) Big Noise In Twangtown 10) Tiny Little Thing 11) Wild Blue Sky Cycle 12) Every Moment Infinite 13) Friends From Heaven 14) Eternal For Emiko ALBUM NOTES: Issued within a month of the appearance of Crimsworth , Practically Wired was a complete contrast in style and content. Issued by All Saints Records as an off shoot of the deal Nelson had acquired through the work with Channel Light Vessel, Practically Wired (Or How I Became Guitar Boy) was very much a guitar album, recorded at Fairview Studios, which would quickly play an increasing role in Nelson's career and remains his main option when it comes to mastering his current work (with engineer in residence, John Spence). Practically Wired was issued in the US by Gyroscope about two months after it appeared in the UK. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Currently out of print and a potential future Bandcamp digital download reissue. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Practically Wired is very much a studio album with me playing all the (quite complex) parts. Many tracks on the album have reversed tape parts, backwards reverb and several layers of overdubbed guitars, various samples, loops, electronic percussion, sequenced beats and so on. The album was actually written in the studio (no pre-prepared demos or structures), using all the technology at hand to create an entire guitar fantasia, a virtual cornucopia of pluck n' twang...Extremely tricky to recreate live, if not totally impossible." _____ "Like so many of those vocal samples from the '80s and '90s, they were spontaneous captures...often being edited, chopped and changed and re-pitched, reversed and looped, so in many cases my sampling bears little resemblance to the original starting point. I can't recall exactly where the "Spinning Planet" one originated, but it was edited and changed in pitch from the original sample phrase...and cut into a loop to create the rhythm that it brings to the tune. When I make these pieces, I work 'on the fly' most of the time, rarely writing anything down for future reference...it's all created on the spur of the moment, manipulating whatever sonic material happens to fall to hand. I kind of like the fact that these creative acts happen only once and constitute a unique event in time...impossible to recreate." _____ "I didn't have any design input for the original Practically Wired sleeve, other than supplying the childhood photo' of myself and writing the sleevenotes. And, as you might suspect, the 'flying V' guitar silhouette was the wrong choice as it is not a guitar I'm associated with." "I was never 100% convinced by the album's original sleeve design, but the re-issue version captures the feel I originally intended. It's a clever evocation of the 1950's 'Practical Wireless' magazine visual style. The magazine was avidly read by my father who was an amateur electronics/radio boffin and I grew up seeing copies of 'Practical Wireless' around the house. I won't give too much away here and now but the re-issue of the album will be much closer to my original concept." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review by Dmitry M. Epstein FAN THOUGHTS: amok: " Practically Wired is absolutely required in any BN collection, IMO. I love this disc; it's with me on every road trip of more than 1 hour. PW marks the beginning of a new chapter in Bill's sound and playing, a turn to what we know and love about his output of the last 20 years or so." "If you have not heard Practically Wired ...it is in a class of its own." JovialBob: "I think the best introduction you could have of Mr. Bill's later guitar adventures will be Practically Wired , an instrumental CD featuring some of his most blistering guitar playing. The first track has to be one of the most exciting album starts ever, it also demonstrates the eclectic nature of Bill's musical influences. It will also show that Mr Bill is very up to date..." Dar: Which of Bill's albums would you take on an island: " Practically Wired ...It has "Wild Blue Sky Cycle", "Friends from Heaven", "Thousand Fountain Island", "Big Noise in Twangtown", and some others, in a balanced variety of styles. Wildly original and inventive stuff that made a huge and instant impact." "I had grown used to Practically Wired , Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars , After the Satellite Sings , Summer of God's Piano , and Deep Dream Decoder , and was eagerly awaiting Noise Candy , by the time I first heard any BBD. It sounded dated, frankly, compared to the forward-reaching sounds of the Bill I knew, and although there was lots of yummy guitar on what little I heard, it didn't have nearly the pull that the later work, and the then-future Noise Candy did." "Be Bop sounded dated (though fine indeed for its time and context), while Practically Wired sounded explosively fresh and wonderfully inventive." machman767: "What a blinder! Stylewise it has everything in there, full on guitars, more ambient-ish pieces, the lot." Pathdude: "My reintroduction into the world of Bill Nelson. And what a wonderful thing it was. My daughters still love "Roses and Rocketships" today." Quinault: "Just start listening to "Roses and Rocketships" and see if your mood doesn't change for the better." GettingOnTheBeam: "Roses and Rocketships": "That is one of many Bill Nelson songs which for me achieve musical perfection. Whenever I play that for someone they excitedly ask "Who is this. who is this?!?!" felixt1: "I had had a couple of stressful days, but last night I was ready to be happy again. I put on Practically Wired because I somehow needed to hear "Pink Buddha Blues"...instant gratification (or should that be Karma?). This composition is one of many that Bill has written that simply lifts your spirit and brings a little sunshine into your life. I cannot recommend Practically Wired enough." "This one is pretty essential. As well as the awesome guitar stuff it's got a couple of beautiful piano pieces and the genius ambient track "Her Presence in Flowers"." Johnny Jazz: " Practically Wired was one massive Nelsonic breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned. Bill's muses must have worked overtime during the, I believe 14 days Bill spent on it in the studio? Anyroad, this album is very special, if only for "Pink Buddha Blues", but thankfully the whole shebang is more than worthy. Practically Wired kinda hotwired itself into the mind of the listener. It was 'Immediate', it was, as far as I'm concerned, the start of Bill's present creative phase which leads us to now." steve lyles: "If I was going to recommend just one to track down it would be Practically Wired from 1995, an upbeat cornucopia of guitar delights...I envy you hearing it for the first time. You will not be disappointed." Mozo: "I have heard nothing but continual improvement of recordings from Bill, ever since the mid 90's Practically Wired CD. I simply marvel at how the man keeps topping the last effort." Bluegoldfish: "It's a flawless album, and a must have for any fan of Bill's." Albums Menu Future Past

Acquitted By Mirrors - Issue Eight - Published January 1984 Back to Top

Holey Moley, It's A Parallel World Bill Nelson download single - 15 December 2010 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Holey Moley, It's A Parallel World NOTES: "Holey Moley, It's a Parallel World!" is a track Bill composed and recorded exclusively for the Sara's Hope Foundation . The charity's aim was "to provide holiday breaks for children living with cancer, giving them smiles, hope, and precious memories". Fans could download the song in return for a modest donation to the charity. "Holey Moley, It's a Parallel World" was announced first by Ged Hoburn of Sara's Hope Foundation on 30 November 2010 in a Dreamsville post that reflected on the events at Nelsonica 10, at which a charity auction was held on behalf of the foundation. Nelson confirmed his plans to release a new track for Sara's Hope Foundation in a diary entry dated 1st December 2010, two weeks ahead of its release. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Currently unavailable but may be made available again as a charity download at some point. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "This vocal track will not be available elsewhere...it has been exclusively created to raise funds for Sara's Hope Foundation. It's a whimsical, mid-tempo sexy little number with a catchy, 'sing-along' chorus...I think you'll like it!" To Sara's Father, Ged: "I'm proud to be a patron of Sara's Hope Foundation , Ged. You and your family are helping to provide a very special service for the children (and their parents), who are suffering the effects of this cruel disease. I hope that Dreamsville citizens and fans generally will download this year's special Bill Nelson track and donate something, no matter how small, to this worthwhile cause." Singles Menu Future Past

Burning Rain single - 1987 Crazy House Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on the title track. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Novel Romance single - 1981 Nash the Slash Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Infotainment single - 1990 The Rhythm Sisters Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer, Guitar, Sitar and Keyboard. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Thursday 16th June 2005 -- Mid Evening. Damaged my left hand last week, mainly middle finger, by accidentally hitting the bannister on the stairs whilst rolling up my shirt sleeves. Yes, I know, a dumb thing to do but, as pathetic as it sounds, it hurt like hell. The blow pushed the finger inwards, against the joints and tendon. It's been painful, swollen and red and I couldn't play guitar for a few days. Difficult to grip things and to drive without discomfort too. Finally on the mend but still a little tenderness. I seem to be either much more clumsy in my late middle age or simply more accident prone than of yore. Two envelopes from Harold arrived in the post last week, one containing photographs of the desert house within which he composed the 'Bride In The Trees'/'Widow In The Trees' pieces that we duetted on at the Brighton concert. The other envelope contained a letter with Harold's thoughts on his 'retirement', his reflections on the concert itself, and more general chit-chat. Harold's letters are always a joy to read and I consider myself fortunate to receive them. Whilst on the subject of communications, I received a long and generous email from artist Russell Mills recently. Good to hear from him. I'm going to try to contribute a few 'off cuts' of music to a sound assembly project he's working on. Lots of interesting people involved in it. Hopefully, I can donate some prima materia to the communal sonic soup. Also recieved an email from Kate, (St. John), and spoke with her on the 'phone. As I've mentioned before in this diary, I'm very fond of Kate, she's one of those rare people who I can relax around and talk openly about anything. I hope to ask her and Theo Travis to join me for parts of my London concert this coming November, if I can come up with some music worthy of the two of them. Actually, the writing of new music is not going too well right now, and not just because of my hand injury. After I returned from Brighton the other week, I listened back to the unfinished tracks I'd been working on prior to Harold's concert and suddenly decided to abandon them. They just didn't tweak my nipples. Not a writer's block, just a barking up of the wrong tree. You'd think that, after completing the Rosewood project, I'd be full of confidence and optimism... but I'm not. All I can hear is its flaws. Perhaps I need to lose my current 'weight of the world' worries, rid myself of the various doubts and fears that have been bothering me, just let things flow more. I've often given this same advice to friends who have hit a similar sort of creative obstacle but, typically, I find it hard, if not impossible, to deal with myself. I just seem to be overburdened with self-doubt and existential angst at the moment. Or is that my regular condition? Anyway... I've consigned the unfinished pieces to the, 're-consider several months hence' bin. I've now started on an entirely new piece, a vocal one, for both the tour and the tour album. I've completed a couple of mixes of it but... not sure if it's right yet. So, still more tweaking to be done and then a backing track mix of the song to be made for the shows. The song is called 'AND THEN THE RAIN', yet another melancholic rain song, the sort that seem to have become a regular part of my musical vocabulary. This particular one could be said, (by some), to be a 'classic' Bill Nelson romantic rock/pop tune. (Is there such a thing?) There's nothing stylistically new about it but it certainly fits into a certain melodic niche that a lot of people tell me they like. Not that I composed it with that specific result in mind. Like everything else that happens to me, it just happened. More worryingly, I'm pretty much ambivalent about it right now. I'll see how it stands up after I've forgotten about it. Let it settle. Because my digital recording system allows me extra control, further options, I tend to spend far more time recording each piece than I did with the old analogue tape system I used for so many years. An inclination to fiddle about presents itself. And then, because I spend longer working on each piece, I become bored, indifferent or immune to it. There's a lot to be said for working quickly with limited means. It certainly speeds the process and stops the rot setting in. Not that I'd really go back to the old technology, even though I do, ultimately, prefer the warmth of tape. The major creative problem I'm having at the moment is caused by the pressure to come up with lyrics. Perhaps it's because I'm not in a vocal-oriented state of mind right now. My passions are pulling me more towards the instrumental end of the spectrum. In fact, not just the instrumental end of the spectrum but the very abstract end of it. The bit that verges almost on silence. Nevertheless, I've been pursuaded to present some vocal songs, (as well as instrumentals), at the autumn concerts so I have to come up with something worthwhile. Maybe, I'm panicking unduly, but panicking I definitely am. What I really need is a holiday or at least a healthy break away from all of this. (How often have I said that?) I don't seem to have stopped for the last few years now, a constant chasing of my own tail. Is it so surprising that I'm feeling exhausted? My own fault, of course, no-one to blame but me. But... Because of the amount of work I've produced over the years, people often think it comes easy, that it's stress free and constantly on tap. If only that were the case. The reason I've produced so much stuff isn't because it's easy, it's because I work very hard at it and with a passion, to the point where I regularly endanger my physical health and mental well-being. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it often feels like I'm emptying my life and soul into these things. I love doing this work, but it's much more of a struggle than people might realise. Adrian at Opium asked if I could suggest four tracks from my catalogue that could be given to the agent to play to promotors to give them some idea of what my solo concerts are like. I certainly can do this, if it helps, but I'm pretty amazed that, after the extremely well attended 'Romance Of Sustain' solo tour I presented in 2003 and last year's sell out solo+band tour, that it's neccesary for me to 'audition' for promotors in this way. Or am I presuming too much? I'm not exactly expecting two weeks at the Albert Hall, after all. Maybe these people are too worried about losing money to really make any, too concerned with certainty to take chances. It's almost boringly predictable, safe bets all round. As my father used to say: ' jobs for the boys.' How unexciting, how banal. Unfortunately, such attitudes don't sit comfortably with my own. It's way too sleepy slow for me. Still, musn't grumble. I'm just as effective and happy in my little studio as out on the stage, probably more so. If the tour happens, it happens, if it doesn't, I've certainly got plenty of other things to get on with. My CD burner still not fixed. My fault for not unwiring it from the studio set up and hauling it over to Leeds to get it repaired. Must do this soon. Must also do same with my Line 6 Vetta combo which is still sporting a broken volume control. Domestic repairs needed all over the house, too...not just my studio equipment. Serious repairs. Trouble is, I get terribly distracted by the ongoing creative stuff. It grabs me by the throat and won't let me think about anything else until it's had its wicked way with me. And not just that but administrative stuff too, little niggly things that take up time and make the things I really want to do more pressurised than they need be. Life at this end of 'the business' is far tougher than when I used to play the commercial game. God knows if it's art or not but, whatever it is, it's bloody hard going sometimes. One area of progress: A new keyboard is on order, a Yamaha Motif ES 88. To replace my busted Emulator E4 K workstation. I should try to sell the latter, even though some of the keys need replacing. I've used it for the last ten years or so, some great sounds in it plus it operates as a sampler. It would be a fine instrument for someone who was prepared to get the keys fixed. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to getting the new keyboard in the hope that some unfamiliar sounds will spark fresh creative ideas. Car troubles this last week. Both Emi's car and mine have been in the repair shop for work to get the vehicles through their MOT's. An expensive business. Cars are generally a nightmare, especially old, high mileage ones like ours. Four-wheeled money vampires. A nice series started on tv last Sunday, about the English landscape and how it has influenced artists throughout history. Beautifully photographed and uplifting. Of course, Yorkshire figured highly in the first episode. God's own county, as they say. I never tire of having that glorious landscape on my doorstep. I consider myself blessed to live amongst it. It's not all glorious landscapes though. Royal Ascot horse races are being held in York this week. A Royal pain in the arse, I call it. (Arsecot?) It disrupts the roads around here dramatically. An entire week of being stuck in traffic on some routes. (And when I say 'traffic' I mean mostly those flashy, 'look how much cash I've got' sort of cars, the type I gave up for lost 20 years or more ago.) Still, I've been able to giggle at all the drunken, flimsily clad women tottering around town on their high heels with their spotty boobs hanging out. Bolly dollys a-go-go. Cheap as chips and twice as greasy. Pink and purple and yellow and green...and that's just their faces. You can tell I love 'em though. Flirty tarts dancing to dated disco music around their tacky pink handbags at after race parties all over town. Pissed as arseholes. Absolutely! Desperate! The men are as just bad too, puffed up like red faced baboons in grey morning suits and top hats. Makes the place look untidy. It's hilarious to see the fuss being made about the event locally. Shove the Queen (and the few other Royals that bothered to show up) into the equation and everyone starts strutting around as if they're suddenly in on something of earth shattering importance.. 'It's The Queen, you know... Yes, my dear, here in our town, on our doorstep...' (Actually, she's staying in our village, just a short walk from our house, so shove that down your majestic pipe and flush it. Of course, me and ol' Charlie were down the local boozer the other night, riffing about Abba. We're the same age, don't cha know...) What this event has proved is that most people are so transparently desperate for celebrity that any slight brush or association with it will be gobbled up greedily. Endless lines of local traders clambering over each other to genuflect in front of the old boiler. Sad really, if it wasn't such a comedy. Still, keeps 'em in idle chit-chat if nothing else. Maybe I'm cynical and jaded, the 'been there, done that' attitude. I shouldn't begrudge them their little stab at self-aggrandisment. God knows life's dull enough for most folks around these parts. Let 'em enjoy their brush with 'royalty' whilst it lasts. Mind you, the weather has been less than cheerful for the event most of the week. Certainly dampened the silly hats down a bit. Then again, it's made those exquisitely flimsy dresses even more amusing. Wish I'd have had my camera handy to show you what I mean. What's the word you're looking for to describe me? Incorrigible? Rude? Disrespectful? Scandalous? Anarchic? Jealous? (Gimmie a break!) Probably something much stronger if you're a saddo royal limo chaser. If nothing else, this event has provided me with a useful stage on which to act out my grumpy old man scenario. Royalty and advocates of blood sports...ripe for scorn in my book. Still, the betting shops and bookies will be happy. Plenty of pseudo-posh dosh being squandered, despite the current local opinion that the event has been something of a failure. Not enough people bothered to show up apparently. A case of Southern snobbishness and indifference meets Northern greed and shiftyness. Hotels and other local businesses were hoping to be run off their feet, dreaming of train-loads of cash flowing in from the migrating Southerners. Local prices went up with local expectations. Trouble is, the buggers stayed home in droves, (thankfully). Well, it's crowded enough 'round here at this time of year without mock-toffs and posh totty adding to it. Obviously, I've never been one for frequenting the old betting shop... can't afford it of course, being a tortured artist and all that. And probably wouldn't if I could. My Dad used to like the 'gee gees 'though. But personally, those high voices and beards never appealed to me. Actually, Dad used to occasionally win some money on the horses. Even though he was far from being a wealthy man and couldn't place large stakes. But he had a certain way with 'accumulators', the winnings from one race being immediately placed as a bet on the next, and so on. A sort of a 'system', he claimed. He was pretty good at it. Won enough to pay for our family's entire holiday in Blackpool once. The bookie behind the Pleasure Beach banned him from placing bets there ever again, told him not to come back. Dad cleaned him out, it seemed. Oh, how we laughed. It was extra sticks of Blackpool rock all round. My Dad liked soccer too but that never appealed to me either. I do know the name of one football player though... Stanley Matthews. Little guy with big shorts and Brylcreemed hair from what I recall. A 1950's schoolboy hero for some. Actually, (and obviously), I'm playing the fool a bit here... I did actually go to a soccer match once. My Dad took me to a game in Blackpool, when we were on holiday there, (but not the time when he got banned from the bookies). He hoped I'd be enthused by a real live soccer match but I was bored rigid. Much preferred going to the Tower Circus or listening to Reginald Dixon play the mighty Wurlitzer in The Tower Ballroom. Or go for a spin on a promenade childrens ride called 'Fairyland'. My mother says I really liked that one. Sounds about right. I was, so I'm told, a sensitive kid and according to my school chums something of an odd-bod. And there's me thinking that it was everyone else that was strange. Times change but maybe not so much. Watched Fellini's delightful and shouty 'Amacord' on DVD the other night. Music by Nino Rota. Great name that, 'Nino Rota'. I really like Fellini's colour sense and the way that his camera moves against the wonderfully choreographed crowd scenes. 'Juliet Of The Spirits' is one of my Fellini faves. And 'Eight And A Half' of course. Great opening scene in that one. Lets go fly a kite but dreamy-weird. I'm reading 'In The Half Light' by Anthony Lawrence. The author is a poet and this is his first novel and it's a cracking one. The entire book is imbuded with the quality of poetry, a flowing, beautiful, compulsive read. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys intelligent, unusual, imaginative and elegantly written prose. This is a book that doesn't treat its reader like an idiot. I was initially attracted to it by the cover image which is subtly haunting. These days, in my opinion, book graphic design has overtaken album sleeve design for inventiveness. Recently bought a 'moleskine' blank notebook and a graphite pencil from Salt's Mill. Had a late Sunday lunch there again last weekend. Emi and I love visiting the place. The combination of Hockney's work and the historic 'utopian model village' setting creates a very civilised atmosphere. The excellent book shop in the gallery previously had several copies of my 'Diary Of A Hyperdreamer' book on the shelves, but they've sold out now. (I know because some Japanese friends whom we took there recently wanted to buy copies but the assistant at Salt's Mill said they'd all gone.) Anyway, I intend to carry the moleskine notebook with me in my shoulder bag at all times, to use as a sketchbook. Always to hand should inspiration strike. Of course, I'll either forget I'm carrying it or I'll be too busy trying to create music for the autumn tour to get any sketching done, more's the pity. Must write to John Foxx soon. Harold and John and I should try to get together to record something. Despite Harold's retirement. I meant to contact John a week or two ago but seem to be constantly distracted by one thing or another. I really should make more of an effort to stay in touch with people. By 'people,' I mean those whose sensibilities would encourage me towards a less pessimistic outlook. Those who would inspire me to take a few more sunlit chances. Positive creatives who understand all this stuff. But, left to my own devices, I retreat into shadow, spitting and hissing to no effect at all, other than to alienate those who might otherwise share their time with me. Darkness and light, and not much of the latter. Something's up, but what? Depression again? Maybe... but as I said, it doesn't get any easier. Come on, William, you're raving. Buck up... just get on with it! Sound of helicopters passing overhead, ferrying the wealthy to and from their royal race meeting. There must have been thirty or more 'copters parked in a field near the race course at the start of the week, just opposite the allotments. Less now though. Some local farmer will probably be making a few extra bob by allowing them to land there. I've seen the pound signs in so many people's eyes these last few weeks, the sudden lust for personal glory. Can't say it's a surprise. Police everywhere too... What this nonsense is costing us locals is anyone's guess. Outrageous, probably. Never mind... Back to normality next week. The right wing nouveau-rich will be back in their kitsch little boxes where they clearly belong. What a relief! All that frilly, fluffy pink bad taste makes the place look untidy. Pip pip! Cheerio chums! Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) June 2005 Feb Mar Apr May Jul Aug Sep Oct Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Sunday 25th September 2005 -- 9:00 pm I've begun to look at the calendar with the same feeling of horror I get when looking in the mirror. It's scary and something I'd rather avoid dealing with... but no choice. Time is of the essence and deadlines are looming in all directions. The mastering session for the two new albums is set for the 29th. This coming Thursday. No more changes to the recordings are permitted now so things have to stay as they are. Nor am I allowed to change the running order of the songs as I've given my erstwhile art and design assistant, Dave Graham, the go ahead to typeset the text for both projects. In fact, we're close to having the packaging art finished although I've just now sent Dave more images for possible inclusion; photographs I took at Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay earlier today. I made the trip specifically to gather photographic images and camcorder footage. I'm supposed to have video projection material ready for the November tour dates too but, at this moment, there's neither tour material, nor tour concept, to work with. I've simply not had enough time, what with everything else I've had to do these last twelve months. I think one of the problems is that everything seems to become focussed on a single point of time in the year, (i.e. autumn). There's the fan convention with it's now obligatory album, visual work and live performance, plus the tour schedule and it's equally obligatory new album and staging. But, it's not just that... Alongside these major projects are other tasks, some associated, some completely separate. Many of these seem to occur at the back end of the year also. Naturally, it all ends up being a sort of juggling act, a crazy attempt to keep various balls in the air at once. But, I shouldn't really blame anyone but myself. I guess I'm the sort of girl who can't say no. Hope I'm not in a terrible mess. I just feel drained and empty at the moment. Some information has been missing from this diary of late due to writing it in a rush, particularly when other things have been on my mind. In some ways, the music making part of my life should be the easiest. Why should I complain about workloads? It's a privilege, a sort of 'calling', a natural by product of my being. It's unavoidable, automatic, self-evident. It's essence. On the other hand... it's dangerously unhealthy, sometimes questionably unhinged and, whichever way you look at it, time consumingly hard work. For anyone else to understand just how hard, they'd need to be with me throughout an entire year, spending the same time as myself (in this tiny room that I'm audacious enough to refer to as my 'studio'), working constantly without reference to real time or real life, being totally immersed in the creation of something that begins with blind faith and usually ends up with what I can only describe as either self-doubt or godless despair. The former is preferable to the latter but neither are much fun. I wonder how many people would continue to put up with it, the boredom , the insecurity, the selfishness, the obsessive and remorseless attempt to elevate a meagre musical ability beyond its sorry limitations? (And why the hell do I do it?) How quickly would the fun wear off, the glamour be exposed for what it really is? A few months, or, as in my case, more than thirty years? And yet, despite all this angst-ridden, pathetic, mock dramatic chest beating, I still can't give it up. Sometimes I'm actually disgusted by the hold this thing has over me, how weak I've become in its grasp. Too eager to swoon, that's me. Too desperately in need of love from strangers... But, oh, how wonderful to be given the chance to try, to be given the gift of creating music from such dreamy weakness. What a stunningly beautiful two-edged sword I've been handed! Praise the lord and load the water pistols. You know, sometimes dealing with words is almost as much fun as making sounds. Almost. Everything is drama and our lives vain fictions that rarely advance beyond a short run at some local theatre. But, during the brief time that the footlights burn, we play the part to the hilt, believing every red velvet moment, playing it as if our lives depended on it. Which, perhaps, they do. Gilded fictions, beautiful illusions, fables made real by our sheer desperation. So what activities of mine have I forgotten to include in the last episode or two of this diary? Well... I omitted to mention my quite probably broken foot. It happened like this: A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded that, earlier in the year, I'd accepted an invitation to officially open a new recording studio at the College of West Anglia in Kings Lynn. The opening was scheduled for September 15th. At the time of accepting, I'd no idea that September would see me pushing things to the limit in terms of project completion. When I received the reminder about the opening, at the start of September, I realised that it had completely slipped my mind. However, determined not to let anyone down, I made plans to travel down to Kings Lynn to do the honours and to talk to the students. The night before the journey, I was dashing around the house trying to prepare clothes for the trip. I hadn't got my house slippers on and clumsily hit my right foot on the edge of either a door or a bookcase nearby, my toes taking the brunt of the blow. Instant pain but I thought it would fade after a few minutes. It didn't. That night, sleeping was difficult. The slightest contact of the bed sheets with my toes brought on more pain which kept me awake. The next morning I was a wreck, limping about the place and grimacing. My toes and foot were black and blue, badly bruised and it felt as if a couple of them might have been cracked or broken. For a moment, I considered calling Jon Lawrence (the tutor who had asked me to open the new studio), to beg off the engagement but I felt that this would not be a good thing. So I decided to go ahead as planned. Getting a shoe onto the injured foot was another problem. I had to force myself through the pain barrier but, once my foot was in there, I grabbed a walking stick from my collection and set off for the station by cab. Luckily, Emiko had taken time off from work to accompany me so she was able to support my injury, spiritually if not physically. It was a long journey from Yorkshire to Kings Lynn, involving a change of train at Peterborough and then again at Ely. It rained all day as we sat on station platforms awaiting our connections, gazing out at the grey skies. I felt like an old, old man, limping around, clinging on to my walking stick. I was also embarrassed to have to explain to the college staff why I appeared so decrepit. A stupid injury. Nevertheless, I managed to get through the event which involved an interview with local media, the opening ceremony itself and a question and answer session with the students. The tutors and staff were all very kind to me and I was glad that I'd made the effort to get there, despite the physical difficulty. Jon kindly gave us a lift to the station where we waited fifty minutes for the train before making the long trip back home. More long waits for connections at other stations required medicinal administrations of wine from platform bars to ease the pain. By the time I got home, I was pleasantly inebriated. Now, over a week later, the foot is looking much better although still bruised in some places and my little toe continues to be uncomfortable, particularly when walking. But on the mend. Last Friday brought me another invitation. This time to travel to Liverpool where Gretsch guitars were holding a promotional roadshow event. The show was at the Cavern Club, appropriate considering the late George Harrison's endorsement of Gretsch guitars. Fans of my own music will already be aware of my passion for Gretsch instruments and will have seen them grace the stage of my concerts over the last few years. Once again, Emi accompanied me on the train journey to Liverpool, another unusually long trip, especially considering the distance. Not a high speed intercity train though, just a sprinter type that stopped at many stations en route. We were met at Liverpool station by Fender/Gretsch artist relations whizz Hoda Armani, a lovely man who did his utmost to make us feel comfortable and welcome. After treating us to dinner, we were taken to the Cavern Club where a very tempting array of Gretsch guitars glittered from the stage, including the new 'Billy-Bo' model, an adaptation of Bo-Diddley's unique custom built Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird guitar that Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top has helped Gretsch to adapt from Bo's original design. As I said... tempting, very tempting! I was introduced to Gretsch's current main man, Mr. Mike Lewis who was going to give the audience gathered at the Cavern a talk about the history of Gretsch guitars. Not only did Mike do this in an entertaining and informative manner but he 'illustrated' his talk by playing guitar instrumentals to backing tapes, in a similar fashion to the way I do at my solo concerts. Not only was Mike knowledgeable about Gretsch guitar history, he could play the hell out of them as well. He opened with a wonderfully affectionate instrumental version of The Beatles 'Please, Please Me', but finished his talk by playing one of my all time favourite instrumentals, Santo and Johnny's 'Sleepwalk'. Mike has an adult understanding of the roots of rock guitar and his playing was direct and soulful and I sat there with a big smile on my face. He even played some Duane Eddy, Chet Atkins and Eddie Cochran licks so it was worth the trip just to hear him perform, as much as to see all those juicy guitars. I wanted to stay longer, pick up some instruments to try out, talk to people more, but the trains back to Yorkshire were a somewhat inhospitable. We were left with two alternatives, catch the 9:30, change at Manchester and arrive home just after midnight, or catch the 10:30 and get home around a quarter to two in the morning. My foot was still playing me up too so we opted to catch the 9:30 train. Hoda bundled us into a cab and saw that we got to the train in time. Eventually arrived back at Rancho Nelsonia around 12:20, feeling tired but happy, not least because of Hoda and Gretsch's generosity with the occasional glass of vino! Another recent(ish) thing of mine which I seem to have overlooked in the diary, was my concert at the Lewes Guitar Festival, not far from Brighton. The event took place in what was once a small but very pretty church. There was a full house and I spent some time after the concert chatting with fans and friends, a very pleasant evening altogether. Someone asked me what guitars, if any, I might still lust after. Well, as I once said, you can never have too many guitars and there are certainly a few out there I wouldn't mind getting my hands on, from the cheap and cheerful to the seriously luxurious. Of course, Gretsch have a few models that would be nice to own, including the 'Jupiter Thunderbird' adaptation mentioned above, but also a Syncromatic 400 acoustic archtop, the big one without cutaways, a real swing band of a guitar. Then there's the 6120 model that apes Eddie Cochran's guitar with the P90 style neck pickup and transparent pick guard. Then there's the White Penguin, or the Duo-Jet. Of course, what would really constitute a dream come true would be to work with Gretsch towards a custom instrument. I already have strong ideas about styling and so on... but, pointless going into details, it's just a dream. Another guitar would be a re-issue sixties Fender Stratocaster in Fiesta Red, just like the one Hank Marvin played in the Shadows heyday. But with a rosewood fretboard , rather than a maple one. (I think Hank's had both at different times.) The semi-hollow Partick Eggle Vienna is very tempting too, a kind of larger version of my Berlin model, but with 'f' holes. And of course, a full sized, big bodied D'Angelico archtop would be fabulous for my sojourns in the jazz joints of my imagination. As far as cheap and cheerful guitars goes, well, there are things like the De Pinto Belvedere Deluxe, which is a cool retro styled guitar that doesn't cost the earth. The same company's 'Galaxie 4' guitar is fun looking too. Another U.S. company, Eastwood Guitars, do some great reproductions of 60's era cheapo guitars. They have a wonderful version of a Guyatone LG 200-T solid body which looks great in white and costs only 399 dollars direct from their site. They also do a nice reproduction of two Airline guitars... the one with full set of pickups and trem is a real mad scientist of a guitar. Nice in red, this one, or white. Of course, all this is sheer greed on my part... an addiction, but one that I manage to turn into music, somewhere along the line. Enough of guitars, I'm starting to drool. The weekend has been mostly spent dealing with artwork tasks. I'd already spent most of last week sourcing images to use for the 'Sailor Bill' album. It can take a while to find ones that are interesting, and just as long to discover where the actual 'feel' of the album might lay in visual terms. There's a fair bit of trial and error to start with. Some of my earlier image selections were too much on the jolly or jaunty side. Whilst looking at the ones I'd accumulated, I played back the 'Sailor Bill' album to see if they fitted. The album's moody and melancholic nature ruled out some of the more modern, zippy images and I ended up making the decision to go down the 'antique' route. A call to Dave on Saturday morning to prime him on the general direction and things got properly underway. The initial searching around now done, we're currently in the fine tuning stages (apart from the possible addition of today's coastal photo's to the package). The album will be mastered this coming Thursday and the artwork should be ready to go off to the pressing plant along with the master by the start of October. Same goes for the Nelsonica album, 'Orpheus In Ultraland'. Before long, these two intensely detailed projects will be set aside as 'finished'. All that will remain is the process of getting them into peoples hearts and minds. Last week, I gave an interview about the creation of the albums. The interview will appear in the forthcoming issue of 'The Dreamsville Rocket' on-line newspaper and is intended to prime the imagination for the music's arrival. The 'Sailor Bill' album requires 'slow ears...' It isn't an album that reveals itself in a hurry but, with a little care and patience, should reward the diligent listener for some time to come. A quaint and old-fashioned album but not for the narrow minded. I'm hoping to have a playback/preview party for friends and members of the Dreamsville-Nelsonica team. I'm thinking of holding this at Fairview studios so that the album can be heard on some pro-standard studio monitors. Another side project now completed (and I may have mentioned this before in the diary), is my contribution to a book that is being published by Leeds University. This is a book about the Beat Generation, written to coincide with the university's School Of Music celebration of the 50th anniversary of Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl'. I've written, for the book, a piece about my own encounter with the Beats and the inspiration that they generated in terms of my work. And, amongst even more new work ('though I'm keeping real details under my hat for a short while...) is a project I've undertaken for Sound On Sound magazine's anniversary issue. I can't say any more at this point in time (sworn to secrecy) but Dreamsville will inform you of what this involves soon. Stay tuned! Bob Dylan documentary on TV tomorrow evening. Must make time to watch this... essential viewing for me, being a great admirer of Dylan's work. Recently finished his 'Chronicles Vol 1' autobiography which Emiko bought me last Christmas. Only recently got around to reading it but it was an interesting book. Not much time for reading now, though, still far too much to do. Nelsonica rushing up, as is the solo tour. I ought to start thinking about the material I'll perform... God knows how I'll get that AND the accompanying video together in the few weeks that are left before things get underway. If I'm exhausted now, what state will I be in by the start of November? I hope things work out. Looking forward to a break in December... 'though Christmas will take up a fair amount of time and energy. Before I know it, it will be new year and a new set of projects to get to grips with. As tough going as it sometimes is, the joy is in the making of all this stuff. Well, I must enjoy it to devote so much of my life to it. All photographs by Bill Nelson Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) September 2005 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Oct Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

And We Fell Into A Dream Bill Nelson album - 27 October 2007 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) And We Fell Into A Dream 02) Somewhere In Far Tomorrow 03) Fever Dream Of The Starlight Man 04) The Raindrop Collector 05) Night Song Of The Last Tram 06) Dreamt I Was Floating In A Summer Sky 07) The House At The End Of Memory Lane 08) A Line Of Trees Gives Rise To Thought 09) Blue Amorini 10) Here Come The Rain Comets 11) Cloudy Billows Kiss The Moon 12) The Rose Covered Cottage At The End Of Time 13) Streamlined Train, Passing Fast 14) At Home In High Clouds 15) Chapel Of Chimes ALBUM NOTES: And We Fell into a Dream is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. Work on the album was effectively commenced in mid-2007 when Nelson was developing an album project called Frankie Ukelele and the Fire in the Lake . Before that album had been fully realised much of the completed material was transferred to the And We Fell into a Dream album, with the residual material initially retained for a revised Frankie Ukelele album which fragmented further into a number of albums including Silvertone Fountains and Illuminated at Dusk . The album was issued at Nelsonica '07 with remaining stock then sold through SOS. The track "At Home in High Clouds" is erroneously listed as "At Home in the Clouds" on the artwork due to a proof reading error made during production. It was announced on 6 January 2016 that the album had sold out. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Several of the tracks are from the same sessions that produced the Gleaming Without Lights album...AWFIAD uses exactly the same instrumentation as Gleaming but offers a more deliberately 'composed', melodic, economical path." _____ "The similarities to Dreamland to Starboard are deliberate but there's a more minimal element at work here. There's more of a minor key feel, a touch of melancholy, even a hint of 'unease', (especially in "Fever Dream"). Dreamland , by contrast, has a lighter mood, is generally a 'sunny' album. And We Fell Into A Dream purposely plays the moon card in response to this. Dreamland is Solar, Fell Into A Dream is Lunar. They're complementary works, two sides of one coin. "More and more, my music is cross-referenced. Albums are not made in isolation but as components in one epic structure. There's a web of connections, a grid on which ideas are passed back and forth and modulated and modified." FAN THOUGHTS: BobK: "Whilst all of BN's albums are hugely enjoyable there are certain releases that, in my opinion, can be classed as 'career peaks'. In recent years I personally think Romance , Dreamland and Sailor Bill are in this category. (Possibly Plaything and Rosewood ?). Well, I think Dream is another. It is absolutely wonderful...The top line melodies are rather gorgeous, but I think the real pleasure (as is often the case) is what is going on BEHIND the guitar/piano melody. Personal preference I guess, but the noises/sounds/instruments etc that often come in and out of the mix are fascinating to listen to." Peter: "The little touches, the subtle musical elements and the fun little whirs and buzzes and swooshes...they add delightful character and depth that no one else equals. I think of them as part of the "Bill Nelson-ness" of Bill's music..." "This is a beautiful album...love it from beginning to end." steve lyles: "It is a magical experience...almost too rich to take in in one sitting...even for me. It is one of Bill's richest musical paintings...a masterpiece." Johnny Jazz: "This CD is very special...It's bloody lovely. Ambient soundscapes, a retro, jazzy feel. I love it" Holer: "Bill - the jazz elements are definitely there, as are many of your signature sounds and motifs that echo other recent albums. The thing that I find really striking about this album though is the way you deploy those different aspects of your arsenal. I get an overwhelming sense of the absence or stripping away of certain sounds, almost like there is just enough of something to remind me how little it is used, or that it suggests more than it actually reveals. I feel like you are minimising or stripping away familiar themes to reveal new sounds and experiences, but even the new stuff is presented in a spare, almost austere fashion...It's like you are paring away layers to get to an essential sound, reducing and concentrating the experience...An outstanding record all around for me." Kalamazoo Kid: " AWFIAD is certainly beautiful...Like Gleaming Without Lights , it is understated but intricate, quiet but large. Enveloping." "I think the gradual drift of Nelson's music has been away from the traditionally structured song into a far more narrative mode, in which the song unfolds with evident themes and variations, but also with a gradual development that is strongly beginning-middle-end...Seriously, I think that he has cast off traditional forms far more than in the past. In the instrumentals this ranges from a fairly constrained investigation of improvisational possibilities and minimalist patterns to very systematic constructions that justify Nelson's comparison of Gleaming Without Lights to "progressive" music... On And We Fell Into a Dream , he seems to want to pare it down to a minimum, while still filling up the composition to a maximum. At a distance, this album can be enjoyed the same way as Simplex . But up close, it's often as active as Atom Shop ." wonder toy: "What an excellent album!!! SO much great stuff from top to bottom...This is one of those records that when you first listen to it you never want it to end." Terminal_Street: "This album has some cracking stuff on it and every time I listen to it I hear something new to excite me. I think this one will last the test of time and be added to my personal faves in years to come. Great stuff Bill." Radium Girl: "What a perfect title for this gorgeous ensemble. I did fall into a dream that day, and in fact - I'm still in it! I am particularly in love with "Fever Dream of The Starlight Man" at the moment. Though I have to admit every time "The Raindrop Collector" starts I get the most exquisite shudder all the way through me." Lonnie: "Fever Dream of The Starlight Man": "Oooooooo! What a tasty, jazzy, smooth as glass groove. Bill solos on that one like a mother! The man can play jazz." wadcorp: " And We Fell Into A Dream may be the standout release of the Twenty-First Century for Bill. Tops my list. "The Raindrop Collector", "Fever Dream of the Starlight Man", "A Line of Trees Gives Rise to Thought" and more. Classic in every way." felixt1: "One of Bill's absolute, absolute best guitar instrumental albums." Andre: "It may be Bill's most romantic sounding music, AND on top of that his sexiest album cover. Everybody on this planet should own a copy of And We Fell Into A Dream . And THAT'S the bottom line!" Albums Menu Future Past

Museum of Memory A collection of pictures from Bill's personal archives Pictures of Bill and his family as a youngster. Select image for expanded mode and description. Early pictures of Bill's family. Select image for expanded mode and description. Bill's Childhood locations. Select image for expanded mode and description.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) May 2007 Jan Feb Apr Jul Sep Oct Nov Dec Thursday 3rd May 2007 -- 9:00 pm And there I was thinking that I might actually squeeze another diary entry into April but, too late. Already May is waltzing merrily through the blossom strewn gardens of North Yorkshire. Clear blue skies this last week and sunny, warm temperatures. Still more like Summer than Spring. The Leeds University School Of Music concert went well on Saturday 28th of April. I spent a full day at the venue with my backup team, preparing the various technical aspects of the performance. Thankfully, this and the previous three months of music and video preparation paid off. There seems to have been a tremendously positive and encouraging response from those who attended the concert. A lot of hard work but a positive result. The School Of Music generously provided me with a beautiful Grand Piano and a superb Marimba, (the latter equipped with a lower octave than my own). These two instruments were used to best advantage on the almost 13 minute long piece, 'Only A Dream But Nevertheless'. Its duration was made interesting, (hopefully), by the additional tone colours that the Marimba and the Piano provided. If nothing else, this particular piece allowed me the opportunity to move beyond my more familiar electric guitar textures and explore a different kind of soundscape. Whilst on the subject of sound, I'm told by several people that the front-of-house mix, despite some initial concerns from John Spence and myself concerning the reverberant qualities of the hall, was very good indeed. The video projection facilities were also excellent and the visual elements of the concert came across well, despite the fact that the autobiographical videos were rough sketches for what is hoped to be a much more elaborate presentation, a year or two hence. I was lucky to have tremendous help from John Spence and Paul Gilby in the sound and vision departments, plus some sterling backup from the loyal Nelsonica team in other areas of the event. Nice to see Ian Gilby there too, someone who I never seem to have enough opportunity to sit down and relax with. I consider myself fortunate to have found such genuine and enthusiastic friends.Treasures, each and every one of them. The Clothworker's Hall is a remarkable building and atmospherically suited to the style of presentation I'd settled on for the event. The music and overall concept was much more suited to a sitting down and attentive audience, rather than a 'milling around and spilling beer' one. It's horses for courses. (Of course.) Perhaps this type of venue provides a more comfortable and appropriate setting for my current musical tastes. It seems to place the music within a sympathetic framework, an environment where sophistication and subtlety is not only possible but positively encouraged, both from myself and my audience. I accept that it harks back to more 'traditional' notions of the concert hall, but, these days, that's not entirely inappropriate. Perhaps that's where my heart ultimately resides. It's certainly a more comfortable place to be, (in my 'almost-upon-me-and-vaguely-dreaded' sixties), than some corporate rock n' roll arena. A receptive audience in an aesthetically pleasing setting plus the generous help and support of like-minded people. More than I deserve, I'm sure, but, all in all, a pretty fabulous way to be present in the world. But now I'm trying to shift gears, look at the map, plot the next route through the maze of possibilities. Lots of things on my 'to-do' list, as always. Time I got on with mixing the early '70's Be Bop Deluxe Decca sessions that I've been postponing and moaning about for so long. Still a psychological barrier there for me in some ways...Wish I could really get enthusiastic about it. I won't go into the problems I face with this, technical or otherwise, but will just, once more, say it's not something I've been particularly inspired by. but I WILL make a start on it soon and try to give it my best shot. Naturally, I'd much rather get on with something new. Nothing surprising about that. I've never had any great compulsion to maximise the potential of my own history, no matter what the pressures from elsewhere. Should I foolishly try to qualify this again here, in these pages? Is it really worth the effort? O.k...one more time: What I'm doing now feels so much more alive and vital for me than anything from 30 years ago. (How could it be otherwise?) It's about being 60 next year, about knowing much more than I did back in the early 1970's, knowing even more than I did last week. It's simply about 'now' as opposed to 'then.' But this hypothetical 'then' still provides the foundation of what I'm doing now, whether in musical or social/cultural terms. We can't escape our history entirely, or pull up our roots. But roots are exactly that and nothing more: just ROOTS. They're not blossoms or blooms or towering trees but just a starting point, a place to begin. Without enough space and encouragement to grow, without light and energy, roots become stagnant, dead things. No one should forget their roots, but neither should they be strangled by them. I suppose I still feel a little shackled by what has unfortunately become my mythical rock band past. I really shouldn't be concerned. After all, I've been sailing through other musical realms for a long time, for what feels like an eternity now. Surely it's no surprise to whatever audience I still retain that I'm duty bound to wander away from their expected course from time to time? it's become the expected thing, hasn't it? Someone sold me a peculiar treasure map a long time ago and I'm still trying to get my money's worth out of it. It may yet prove to be a red herring, but I'm a dreamer and a romantic, even though there's a secret price to pay for such things. Well...that's life. Or maybe it's the internet that's to blame. No longer 'life' or society, but the damned internet. It's a fair cop...the web made me do it! Certainly, the web made me aware that there's an audience out there, a 'marketplace,' a target I'm supposed to aim at. Previously, I never gave it more than a moment's thought. (Didn't really matter, didn't really care.) Arrogant enough to ignore it. Was that better than now or worse? At the proverbial end of the proverbial day, it's only music. And, If I'm REALLY brutal, it's only pop music. 'Pop!' Like a soap bubble, shiny, colourful and GONE! But now? Well, I enter into conversations with my audience every day. Know them on first name terms. Worry if they'll understand the latest album, (or at least worry about the fact that I don't seem to care whether they understand it or not.) The scary thing is that these fans, customers, afficionados, whatever term is most appropriate, these LISTENERS, against all odds, become, day by day,more like friends...and no one likes losing friends. I do understand why many artists keep their audience at arms length. But, at this point in time, the arms length thing isn't something that comes easily to me. Is it a need for love? For recognition? For confirmation? For acceptance? Too scary to go there. So I won't. Maybe, someday, one day, when I'm in my mid-to-late-sixties, (God willing), I'll become a hoary old, (whore-y old), cult legend and I'll step into a celebrity-sized virtual limousine and be whisked off to the sort of glitzy restaurants that only rich rock stars can truly afford. Will I feel a sense of fulfillment, of triumph? Probably not, knowing my track record regarding such things. It will just be like the '80's, all over again, Thatcher on the throne and Tony Blackburn making a bizarre comeback. And I'll forget about angst and ethics and authenticity and buy myself a villa in Spain in the middle of an English ex-pat community. And we'll ship baked beans from the U.K. direct to our Spanish kitchens. Spanish Kitsch(en) Magic. And lovely, sweet Emiko will transform herself from a quiet, thoughtful Japanese lady into a foul-mouthed, artificial blonde haridan who would NEVER miss an episide of East Enders. A fearsome she-monster, guzzling Asti Spumante without ever once taking the drooping Marlbro out of her mouth. What an outcome. But, never mind, I'll have more extra-marital pussy than I can shake my middle-aged appendage at and I'll be as happy as the proverbial Larry. Or not. Christ, enough cynicism. What the hell... I shouldn't even think about it, nor let it affect the outcome. Then...I open a magazine, ('Uncut,' I think), and in it is an interview with Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco. I have a couple of Wilco albums on my shelf and, from what little I've read about Jeff, he seems to be a good bloke, my sort of chap. I'd certainly buy him a beer in a bar in Barcelona or a wine in Winona. In this recent magazine interview Jeff states that, whenever we artists release a new album, we 'piss somebody off, every time.' Later in the interview, he says the following in response to the mythology of rock music being about rebellion, aggression, about being fucked up: 'It's ludicrous. It's absurd. It's unfortunate. It's a sad thing for a lot of people to cling to, in my opinion. it's a very limiting and ultimately unrewarding mythology. It certainly prevents a lot of deep thought. It prevents a lot of emotional growth. It's like being a teenager forever. God, what could be fuckin' worse than that? But that's what people want to hang on to.They don't like hanging on to the wonder and the openess, and the feeling that you can be transformed.' Well..Jeff, Amen to that. Spot on, Here here, etc. As I said, my kind of chap. And a familiar topic of conversation for regular readers of my 'Dreamsville Inn' website forum. So, God bless the artists and all who sail in them. We suffer, not for YOUR sins, dear reader, but for our singular inability to deal with our own. We're trapped in a fractured realm of mirrors, along with the fate of the wider world. But, like everyone else, we hang on by the slenderest of threads. As the man with the Frank Sinatra hat and harmonica soundtrack once so iconically and ironically demonstrated: You're never alone with a strand. I'll save the good stuff for the next diary entry. ***** The images accompanying this diary are:- 1: Bill Nelson playing his D'Angelico guitar at Leeds School Of Music concert, April 28th 2007. 2: Bill Nelson Playing the piano at Leeds school Of Music concert, 28th April 2007. (These concert photographs by Martin Bostock.) 3: The man in the 'You're Never Alone With A Strand' advert, (Terrance Brook), 1960. Top of page Sunday 27th May 2007 -- 7:00 pm Strange weather. After several warm and pleasant weeks, today has felt like late autumn. The temperature dropping dramatically, grey skies and rain all day. Tomorrow is to be colder and wetter, or so the television weatherman says. Central heating on in the house now and dark clouds circling. And we're almost into June. Talk of climate change and global warming has brought a sense of concern in response to unseasonal weather patterns. The humble household barometer has become a meter of impending doom. Maybe soon we'll be thinking of building rocketship arks in our back gardens in preparation for the forthcoming ecological apocalypse and our migration to the stars. Then again, I may simply be indulging my perchant for sci-fi nostalgia. I did, after all, grow up with '50's DC comics and the story of Superman's father, Jor-El, preparing a rocketship for his son, Kal-el, to escape the immanent destruction of the planet Krypton. If that happened here though, there'd be no escaping in some cute little rocket with a glass canopy and chromium fins. Even if there was, we'd probably be either too lazy or too complacent to care. An hour ago, I returned returned home after visiting my Mother and George in Wakefield. Nice to see them but not so nice to see Wakefield's ongoing sad demise. I've written often in these diary pages about how the city of my birth has suffered at the hands of its insensitive council planning department, (and I'm being extremely charitable by using the word 'insensitive). Today, I found even more to lament . Yet another building that should have been listed and preserved, or at least renovated in some way, has suddenly and unceremoniously been reduced to rubble. My heart sank when I saw the empty space left by its demolition. The City Baths in Sun Lane, a charming 1930's building that displayed elements of Art Deco and early Modernism and boasted a sculpted panel by the artist Eric Gill on its facade, is no more. Since my childhood until just a few months ago, when I filmed the very same building for inclusion in one of the videos I made for my Leeds School Of Music concert, the architecture of Sun Lane Swimming Baths has pleased my eye. It's hard to accept that it was destroyed with such casual abandon and, as far as I know, with very little protest from those who should have known better. Another little Wakefield gem lost forever. And what will replace it? Apparently, a block of flats. (Or 'apartment houses' as developers are so keen to call them these days.) Such currently profitable building projects, I predict, are destined to become the ugly slums of the mid-21st Century. Just give them fifty years or so. The standard of architectural design and construction exhibited by these tiresomely 'contemporary' (but dreadfully conservative), apartment blocks would make a child's lego-house look like the epitome of structural sophistication. There was a time when people aspired to move out of such rabbit hutch dwellings into something more humanising. It now seems that the current generation dream of becoming factory farmed chickens, crammed into identical stacked cages where space and individuality are sacrificed in preference for a banal conformity. It's a trend. It's no longer WHO you are and what you can bring to the world that's important, it's who you WISH you were, or PRETEND to be. And then only according to some lingering, post-Thatcherite, right-wing, consumerist fantasy. Nothing deeper than labels, badges and uniforms, a Sunday-supplement pre-packaged, footballer's wives lifestyle. Identikit 'cool.' No knowledge or sophistication is neccesary, just a few credit cards and a sense of desperation. No aesthetic value, no hearfelt sense of poetry, just a shopping list of 'designer' names. The only ideas people seem to have are those that they stumble across in Sunday supplements or on some TV make-over programme. Few of us seem capable of thinking for ourselves anymore. And despite all the wealth on display, a new vulgarity reigns. Expensive tat and a conspicuous boorishness rules the roost. Signs of a civilisation in decline or just the rantings of a terminally disillusioned old art-fart? Your call. I've struggled against this kind of conformity for years. The slightest thought of capitulating or following the trail of the new yuppie herd horrifies me. It's not the money I mind, but the ostentatious show, the designer labels worn on the outside of clothing, etc. All that brassytrumpeting of 'status' brings out the anarchist in me. I wouldn't mind if there was something recognisable as 'taste.' or authentic style. But, generally, its glittering garbage, all the way. Getting back to the crumbling ruins of Wakefield: I do appreciate that local council cultural vandalism goes on everywhere these days but Wakefield seems to have been unfairly and unforgivably blighted by confused and ill-advised town planning and re-development policies. Naturally, this holds a personal significance for me as I was born there in 1948. I grew up, was educated and lived in Wakefield until my musical career moved me on in the mid '70's. My mother, sister-in-law and neice and nephews still live there and I have a genuine affection for the city. Nevertheless, Wakefield seems to be suffering a slow, dull and painful death at the hands of its own council planning department. A victim of indifference. I've watched the once familiar streets deteriorate over many years and it truly saddens me. Not only does it feel as if the heart has been ripped out of the place but also out of the hearts of those of us who grew up there in the '30's, '40's, 50's and '60's. And, all sentiment aside, we knew Wakefield at a point in time when it still had something genuinely worth calling 'character.' It had colour, energy and optimism. These feelings aren't the product of nostalgia, they're consistent with a recognition of our modern architectural heritage, a heritage that deserves to be respected and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. It's about aesthetics, social and cultural history and community. Too often in 'The North,' people still make the mistake of thinking that these things only apply to 'big' cities like London. ( Cliched flat-cap provincialism refuses to die.) But it's equally important to understand the value of our 20th Century heritage on a local level. I'm not alone in these thoughts...this same lament is played by a reasonably large orchestra of Wakefields citizens, not by a small group. But the council's 'planning buskers,' the one-chord wonders of County Hall, are in the conductor's chair and the result is an ill-tuned, vulgar trumpeting. The ignorant fiddling of civil mediocrity. If architecture is 'frozen music,' (as has oft been stated), then we're surrounded by the equivalent of local cover bands hacking out some god-awful copy of an equally awful original, but with far less personal investment and enthusiasm.. It's the architectural/planning equivalent of a quick knee-trembler with a groupie behind the gasworks. Those who SHOULD be leading and guiding architectural development and preservation in Wakefield are, sadly, not in any position of power. And it seems to me that those who ARE in command are far too busy laying out their caps to catch the passing coin rather than taking time to consider the implications of their acts. Politics, lies and corruption.The universal solvent. The rot starts here. A little further down Sun Lane, where it meets Kirkgate, sits another building which I fear will very soon vanish into the mists of memory. This is the old ABC Regal Cinema, built in the 1930's. A Deco-modernist building which has now stood empty and unused for several years. It's boarded-up condition has grown ever more depressed and dirty. Even the row of shops incorporated into the Sun Lane side of the cinema have now been left to decay. Empty, unapppreciated, unloved. A sorry sight, especially for baby-boomers such as myself whose lives were changed by the place. It was here, at The Regal, that I went to Saturday morning matinees as a schoolboy. I'd enrolled as a member of the 'ABC Minors Club' and enjoyed the specially selected films that were shown exclusively for children, especially the flickering black and white 'Flash Gordon' and 'King Of The Rocketmen' cliff-hanger serials that were screened before the main feature. Membership of the ABC Minors Club allowed me to wear a luminous badge which glowed green in the velvety maroon and cream art-deco darkness. Parents would drop their children off there at 9 am, go shopping and collect them later at noon. Some of us were even allowed to walk to the cinema on our own, or at least with a group of school friends. I looked forward to those Saturday morning ABC Minors' matinees, it felt like entering another world. The art-deco ambience of the cinema's auditorium was as exciting as the films themselves. I can picture it now. On special occasions live entertainment was presented between the films as part of the programme and I recall Johnny Kidd And The Pirates being booked to play a couple of numbers. The guitar crazy kids in the crowd were thrilled. Johnny's 'Shaking All Over' single had been a popular hit and the record was often played over the Regal Cinema sound system, along with twangy hits by 'The Shadows' and 'The Ventures.' This was the musical backdrop that we youngsters enjoyed as we took our seats in the stalls as the Saturday morning matinees began. I was thrilled by the opening, shiny, trembling, echoing electric guitar theme that created the iconic signature of 'Shaking All Over,' I heard it first there, at The Regal Cinema, rather than on the radio. It felt truly electric and added to the youthful passion I was already nurturing for the guitar. During my final year at school, I too performed at the Wakefield Regal Cinema's ABC Minors' Matinee: I'd pursuaded the cinema's manager to allow 'The Cosmonauts,' (the little instrumental trio I'd formed with two school pals, Ian Parkin and Jimmy Crossland), to play between films. So, one stage-frightened Saturday morning, we entertained the cinema's young audience for 10 minutes whilst the ice cream lady presented her wares. It was a kind of modest 'dream come true' at the time. We played some Shadows and Duane Eddy tunes and felt extremely nervous standing there in front of the big screen, squinting out into what was a very large auditorium. I can conjure that moment up from my memory right now. I was thrilled to realise that the cinema manager had ordered the lighting man to focus directly on me as I played the lead guitar parts. My eyes were dazzled and, for the first time in my life, I felt the blue-white heat of the spotlight.. I imagined myself to be Hank Marvin playing to a packed theatre of adoring girls, rather than to the bunch of rowdy school kids sprawled in the stalls before us. I'm sure they wanted us to hurry up and get off stage so that the 'Looney Tunes' cartoons could be screened. Not that I noticed, of course... I was deep in the music, living the dream. The sound of my guitar was like mercury shining under silver moonlight, all electricity, echoes and stars. There was no going back. The earliest photograph I have of me holding a guitar was actually taken in one of the stairwells of the Regal Cinema. I may have reproduced it in this diary previously but I'll attach it once again as it's poignantly relevant to this entry's subject matter. I'm standing on the left of the photograph, holding my first electric guitar, a dark sunburst Antoria that my father had bought me for Christmas. In the centre of the photograph is drummer Jimmy Crossland and next to him, on the right of the photo', is Ian Parkin with his red Watkins Rapier guitar. Ian, of course, eventually joined me in the very first line up of Be Bop Deluxe. He sadly passed away around 12 years or so ago. I established a warm and ongoing relationship with the Regal Cinema's manager. Unfortunately, I can no longer recall his name. He seemed to genuinely appreciate whatever meagre talent I had and was always helpful and encouraging. In those days, older people were seen, sometimes justifiably, sometimes unfairly, as the 'enemy.' They were perceived as disciplinarians, authoritarians, the jailers of our young imagination, 'though, of course, we had yet to find words focussed enough to poetically articulate and express this rebellious notion. The counter-culture psychedelic scene that gave voice to late '60's teenage 'revolution' had not quite arrived. Still, in the manager of the Regal cinema, I'd found a mentor of sorts, even if he did look geekily uncool. On one occassion, two of the junior principal singer-actors from a stage production of Lionel Bart's 'Oliver,' (which was being staged at a Leeds theatre that week), were invited to perform a song from the musical at the Regal Cinema's ABC Minor's matinee. For some reason, the band that had been booked to back up the singers didn't show up for rehearsals, and the cinema manager asked me if I could come and play in their stead. So, at the last minute, I rounded up the group that I had at that time and we dashed down to The Regal Cinema to quickly knock up a very rudimentary arrangement of the song 'Food, Glorious Food.' I have a photograph of me performing it, live on The Regal's stage that day, with the two principal boys from the musical wailing away in front. I'm playing an Epiphone Casino guitar that I'd borrowed from a friend for the performance. That particular guitar would now be worth serious money to a collector. The roof of the Regal Cinema later served as a location for a photo-shoot for another of my early '60's groups, 'The Midnite Kreepers,' (again thanks to the kindness of the cinema's manager). The group bought matching dark blue and white polka dot tab-collar shirts from a nearby tailors in Kirgate especially for the photo session. I remember that a certain amount of bargaining went on with the shop's owner. We felt that we should get a discount because we were buying for the entire group. The fact that there was only three of us didn't deflate our enthusiasm for haggling. In the end, we were given a small discount on the total price and honour was served. The shop owner said that, if we ever made the big time we should return to his shop for some 'proper' hand-tailored stage suits. The Midnite Keepers, (with a different drummer,) also played in the foyer of The Regal Cinema for the opening of the first Doctor Who movie. It was made by Hammer Films and starred Roy Castle and Peter Cushing. I pursuaded rhythm guitarist Ron Oldroyd to rip his shirt and let me make him up to resemble a zombie for our performance. Ron obligingly played the part to the hilt whist myself and drummer Barry Houghingly wisely kept our cool. Again, I'm fortunate in that I have a photograph from that day, taken as we performed on a ledge adjoining the balcony above the cinema's foyer. Poor Ron...the photograph doesn't really reveal the details but he looked as if he'd just had a car accident! The cinema manager actually gave me one of the very large publicity posters from the Dr. Who film. I wanted it, not as a souvenir of the event, but because I could use the reverse, blank side of the poster to draw on. It provided me with a very large space to create something visual. I eventually used it to make a hand drawn poster for another of my early groups, ('The Untouchables'). Unfortunately, the coloured inks I used bled through to the other side of the paper and ruined the Doctor Who poster. If it was in it's original condition, it would be worth a LOT of money to a film memorabilia collector today. But, perhaps I'm underestimating the value it might have to a fan of my music. It's certainly a unique and hand made period piece from my musical past.. It must be more than forty years old. ( I actually exhibited this 'Untouchables' poster at a Nelsonica fan convention a few years ago.) I performed at The Regal Cinema several more times during the early 1960's. I have photographs of myself with the Gibson Trio and the Gibson Four there. With the latter group, we performed alongside two, (then) well known TV celebrities, Ted Rogers and Ronnie Hilton. Ted Rogers later went on to become the host of the tv quiz show '3-2-1.' Ronnie Hilton, on the other hand, had made a hit record or two, 'Tulips From Amsterdam' was one, I think. (Or was that Max Bygraves?) Anyway, Ronnie had definitely recorded a very kitsch, surreal song about seeing a mouse wearing clogs, on a stair in a windmill in Holland! Seems there was a Dutch theme in the air in those days for some reason. My Mother made The Gibson Four a set of matching blue and silver striped waistcoats for this occassion. I guess playing alongside tv and recording stars felt like a big deal for us back then. The Gibson Four had mutated into a sort of cabouret band, maybe because of the vocalist/bass player that we'd introduced into the group. His name was Mick Shaw and he was very much of the 'old school,' aspiring to be a bit of an all-round entertainer. As a result, the instrumental side of things began to feature a little less in our performances which, unsurprisingly, wasn't to my taste. In those days I saw vocalists as a neccesary evil, someone to stand up front and create a framework for my guitar playing perhaps! I could never imagine myself being a vocalist and my record collection, in the main, consisted of purely instrumental music. The Gibson Four played at a nightclub in Leeds called 'The Ace Of Clubs,' on a show that included a stripper as opening act and a performance from skiffle king Lonnie Donegan. My Dad was managing the group then and I was a little shocked to see him chatting merrily away to the rather attractive stripper backstage. He'd pursuaded us to play a Glenn Miller number for this gig, as an instrumental showpiece. It was called 'American Patrol' and I remember it taking me a while to learn as it was quite a complex arrangement. Hard to say no to your dad though. He kept at me until I got it right. It paid off as we went down well at 'The Ace Of Clubs.' Bearing that in mind, I suppose appearing alongside Ted Rogers and Ronnie Hilton at The Regal was par for the course. We were in the heart of working men's clubland and it was all about entertainment. Eventually though, I had a big disagreement with Mick Shaw after a gig at a pub on the edge of Wakefield. The group sometimes closed the evening with a few old rock n' roll numbers, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, things like that. Nothing particularly 'out there.' Even so, I don't think Mick was so keen on this part of our show as he preferred singing the sweeter, popular ballads. Anyway, on this particular occasion, during the 'rock n' roll' section, I accidentally turned up the output volume of my Watkins Copycat Echo Unit. This had the effect of overdriving the front end of my guitar amplifier, resulting in my first experience of feedback and sustain. It was like a gift from the gods, a revelation and I ripped into the guitar solo with a new found enthusiasm. I remember thinking, 'so THAT's how they do it..! Unfortunately, Mick Shaw didn't like it one bit. Afterwards, in the dressing room, he said to me, "Do that one more time and you're out of the band!" Well, considering that I'd been a founder member of the band and that he'd been the last to join, I thought he'd got a damned cheek! On top of that, I'd just discovered feedback and wasn't about to let some cheesy vocalist spoil my fun. So I just said, "Don't worry about it, I'll just quit here and now." And that was the end of my cabouret-style adventures. Before long, I'd be wearing crushed velvet loon pants, growing my hair and organising and performing at free psychedelic concerts in Wakefield Park. The magic light bulb had been switched on. Nevertheless, those more conservative days had their moments. I still have a photograph of The Gibson Four in The Regal's foyer, posing cornily with the cinema's staff , Ted Rogers and Ronnie Hilton in the background. We're wearing the blue and silver waistcoats my mother made for us. And the jolly person in the foreground of the photograph, reclining on the floor, is the aforesaid cinema manager. One of the good guys. So, that's why I fear for the ruined hulk of The ABC Regal Cinema. It wasn't enough that, in the late '50's, I'd walk past it and marvel at the poster for 'Forbidden Planet' or whatever...I had to eventually perform there and leave the ghost of my guitar playing youth inside it. It became part of my personal history. If, and when, the powers that be eventually demolish the old Regal Cinema, they will take a part of me with it. These thoughts went through my head today, and more besides. So many places I'd spent time in during my Wakefield youth have been destroyed. Out of all the schools I've attended, only one remains and that was the first school I ever went to, 'though it wasn't built as a school. It's the old orangery in Back Lane, a building that was leased to the Collegiate School, (an offshoot of The Wakefield Academy). I went there at five years old. It was a private school, rather than a state one. I've probably written about it in a previous diary entry so I won't go on about it again. My autobiography will contain more details. (When I find time to continue writing it that is.) The other schools I attended, (The Wakefield Tutorial School, St. John's Junior School, Ings Road Secondary Modern school, Wakefield School Of Art), have all been demolished. Emi and I decided to park up and go into 'The Ridings Centre,' a typical '80's era shopping mall that was built on the site of the old Mecca Locarno ballroom where I used to go dancing in my teenage years. I wanted to check out the WH Smiths' shop in there as I knew they carried books on Wakefield's history. I suddenly felt in the mood for researching the city's past. Emiko and I entered the shopping complex. I led her to an area that, if the old Locarno building had still been standing, would have been directly where the Locarno's balcony once overlooked the mirror ball-bespangled dance floor. It would also have been the exact spot where Richard Harris stood in a legendary scene in Lindsay Anderson's 'This Sporting Life' film, looking for trouble. (The Locarno Ballroom was used as a location in that film.) And the very same spot where I had oggled the girls when I was barely into my teens, watching them whirl to the music of Del Shannon, Eddie Cochran, Brenda Lee, Bobby Vee, Little Eva and Chubby Checker. A couple of years later, it would be the music of the Tamala, Stax and Atlantic artists, and I'd be down there dancing with the girls, rather than just gazing at them from the balcony.. But all that remains of those days are memories and a few feet of celluloid. The Locarno Ballroom has long since slipped into another dimension, it's physical space now occupied by cheap coffee shops and a branch of T.K. Maxx. Another bland shopping centre. It pays no tribute to the brylcreemed, quiffed, cola-drinking, hot-dog and onion scented, jiving rock n' roll palace that once stood there with it's red neon 'Locarno' sign blinking in the long-lost Wakefield rainy night. Emiko and I walked into WH.Smiths and I located the local history section. I already have several books dealing with Wakefield's history but I found four others that I didn't have. Two of these were written by Kate Taylor. Kate is now in her seventies and is a well respected local historian. She was born in Wakefield in 1933. I already have two or three books by her but decided to purchase these newer ones. One of them is called 'Not So Merry Wakefield.' (Wakefield was once known as the 'Merrie City.') In this book, Kate Taylor tells the story of the city from a very personal perspective, that of her own life story. She documents and laments the damage done to Wakefield by planners and developers over the years. I've yet to read the book properly but, briefly scanning through, it seems to contain experiences common to us both, even though Kate is 15 years older than me. She mirrors my own anger and melancholy for architecture long lost. Another book I bought deals with the history of Wakefield's trams. These had been phased out in favour of buses by the time I was old enough to be aware of public transport although trams were still a big feature in Leeds throughout my boyhood. We returned to the car park and left the Ridings Centre. The drive to my mother's home passed other dramatically altered sites from my youth. Just past the railway bridge on Ings Road is the spot where Ings Road School's woodwork block once stood, where I'd once attempted to build a solid body electric guitar. There's nothing there at all now, just a new road that cuts between the bridge and the industrial shopping sheds of Toys R' Us, etc. These typical retail outlets stand in the space that Ings Road Secondary Modern school once occupied. Behind this, where the school's old prefab gardening and music classrooms once stood, is a multiplex style cinema. When we were pupils there in the 'fifties, we could never have imagined that this is what the future would hold for our school. Not that we would have particularly cared back then. We were always glad to get out of the place and go home. Still, it was in Ings Road School's Hall that I gave my first ever public performance as a guitarist. It was part of the school's Christmas concert and I plugged my guitar into the hall's pa system...one speaker and about 3 watts of power. The guitar caused it to break down so the science master ran into the wings of the stage to give the little amplifier a mighty kick. It started up again immediately, much to my relief. After visiting my Mother and George, Emi and I drove back home, the rain and spray from trucks on the motorway making conditions hazardous. It's a bank holiday weekend and Emi isn't back at the flower shop until Thursday. I'm trying to take a break too but I think it will be difficult as there's a list of things to do. As usual. I'm already working on this year's Nelsonica convention album, even though the event isn't being staged until October. Jon Wallinger and myself have now selected and booked a new venue, the Park Inn in York. There will be far better seating arrangements than last year and a slighty larger room. The date of the convention has been fixed as Saturday October 27th. The dedicated Nelsonica team and myself will soon be meeting to discuss this year's approach. I've given this year's event the title: 'SECRET CLUB FOR MEMBERS ONLY.' It's tongue-in-cheek, taken from a new instrumental that I unveiled at the recent School Of Music concert. A studio version of the piece will be on the convention cd as the title track. Other pieces set created for the cd so far are: 'Ghost Show.' (A previously unreleased vocal piece from 2005.) 'I Remember Marvelman.' (A new 'pop' vocal piece.) 'Dark Ivy.' (A new instrumental in a similar style to 'Secret Club.') Only four tracks so far but I will continue to work on more this week. I have to get the convention cd music completed very soon as an exciting new project is on the horizon: This is a soundtrack commission for an American Documentary film being made for screening on the Public Broadcasting System over there. It's a film about the history of American Postage Stamps, told from the point of view of the artwork that they carry. The film, (I've seen the pilot version), has interviews with several artists who have designed stamps for the U.S. Post Office and there's lots of footage of these designs, with themes ranging from literature, art and music to sport and science. It's been beautifully shot and edited by an American company called 'twenty2product.' Actually, this project has been on the drawing board for a couple of years or so but has only recently secured the backing of PBS and the US Post Office. As a result, it can now go into final production. I have to create a thirty minute soundtrack for the film, plus a couple of 30 second promo stings. Before I begin to compose and record, I need to clear the decks a little and prepare my studio for the concentrated period of work. required. Once things kick in, it's going to be relentless and I'll have little time for anything else for a couple of months. (This diary included.) My Mackie mixing desk has developed a new problem which I need to rectify. For some months now, the 'play' button on the tape transport controls, ('though there's no tape as such, it's just controlling hard disc playback), has been loose and wobbly. The other day, it vanished inside the desk, leaving a thumb-sized hole in the desk's surface. I can still get things to play back by shoving my finger into the hole and locating the stub on the pcb that the 'play' button once used to connect with. It's far from convenient though. It's also not a good idea to stick one's finger inside a mixing desk that is switched on and connected to the mains. I wonder if Mackie can supply me with a new control button to clip onto the playback stub? Once the bank holiday is over, I'll need to investigate this. The buttons on the Mackie D8B desk are definitely one of its weak spots. There are other buttons on the desk that sticking or giving me cause for concern. I suppose I do work the thing hard though. It's hardly had a day without use since it was installed, seven years ago. As with the old analogue system I used before going digital, I work around technical problems and restrictions in all kinds of peculiar ways. It gets a bit Heath Robinson at times but eventually I arrive at some sort of result.. Another current project involves the painting of a guitar. Respected American Custom Car and Motor Cycle paint artist, Nicholas Del Drago, is to paint a standard Campbell Transitone guitar for me. Nicholas' work is stunning and I'm thrilled that he has offered to create something for me. The theme will be 'fifties British sci-fi so I'm in the process of scanning images from Dan Dare and so on to send him as reference points. The guitar may be ready in time to exhibit at this year's Nelsonica. I also need to work with David Graham on the design details for this year's convention, particularly the 'Secret Club For Members Only' cd packaging art. And, of course, the Be Bop Deluxe Decca Sessions mixing project is still languishing on the back burner. AND all the other stuff noted in previous diary entries. It gets to be more than overwhelming at times. But...that's the way it goes. Emiko is always pointing out that people don't realise how many hours I put into my work. God, is that the time? I've been writing this thing for AGES and I still haven't scanned the images I want to include with it. Another epic diary entry. More of an autobiogaphy chapter in places. I'll search out the photos and do the scanning tomorrow and post the diary later in the week. Right now it's time for bed. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are as follows : 1: A 2004 photo' of The Regal Cinema in decay. 2: The Cosmonauts at The Regal. (B.N. on left of shot.) 3: Bill Nelson and two of the cast of 'Oliver' on stage at The Regal. 4: The Midnite Kreepers on the roof of The Regal. (Left of photo to right:: Jez Shaw, Bill Nelson, Ron Oldroyd.) 5: The Midnite Kreepers at The Regal's opening of the film 'Dr. Who And The Daleks.' (B.N. in shades.) 6: The Gibson 4 at the Regal. The group, (in striped waistcoats), left to right: Mick Shaw, Jez Shaw, Ron Oldroyd, Bill Nelson. Ted Rogers and Ronnie Hilton behind with cinema staff. The Regal's manager laying down in foreground. Top of page

Website Recommendations A collection of links to websites recommended by Bill and Dreamsville residents Equipment Campbell American Guitars Carlsbro Amplifiers Eastwood Guitars Gus Guitars Gretsch Guitars Line 6 Patrick Eggle Guitars Peerless Guitars Timber Tones Plectrums Artistes Bill Frisell Chet Atkins Duane Eddy Les Paul The Shadows Jean Cocteau Orson Welles Harry Smith Harry Partch Austin Osman Spare Frank Olinsky Magazines Frieze magazine Guitar Player magazine Juxtapoz magazine Sound On Sound magazine The Wire magazine Tricycle magazine Heroes Dan Dare Hopalong Cassidy Roy Rogers Nudies Rodeo Tailor Recording Burning Shed Cherry Red Records Fairview Studios Holyground Records Miscellaneous Martin Bostock photography

Here To Go single - 1987 Cabaret Voltaire Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Old Haunts More Listening Notes Go to Album Listening Notes to accompany the album Blip! by Bill Nelson General introduction: Towards the end of 2012 I began work on a series of recordings which were ultimately intended for release as a double album titled 'Grand Auditoria.' The idea behind 'Grand Auditoria' was that it would touch on the diverse musical styles explored throughout my life as a musician. I hoped each track would reflect a different genre from my past, but with a contemporary twist. These were not to be re-arrangements of old songs but brand new compositions. The album would feature rock, pop, jazzy instrumentals, acoustic pieces, neo-classical orchestral compositions, minimalist electronica, ambient and avant- garde experiments, and so on. It would be a way of celebrating the breadth of my music over the years and, hopefully, illuminate the threads that tie it all together. As each track for the project was completed, I set it to one side and immediately began work on the next. I didn't dwell on the end result of each piece, didn't even listen back to it beyond the final mix but eagerly moved on in anticipation of the next track. Gradually, over some months, enough pieces were completed to fill the album's proposed two discs. I called a halt to the recording process and listened through to the accumulated tracks to choose a running order. To my surprise, (and somewhat to my horror,) I realised that what had actually emerged from the months of 'heads down' writing and recording was not at all what I'd originally had in mind. True, there was a certain amount of variety in the material but it appeared to have followed a far more 'pop and rock' direction than I'd originally hoped for. Worryingly, I had no idea why this was the case. I couldn't recall any particular inner or outer reason for it straying into such territory. Somehow, it just turned out that way, seemingly of its own accord. Creating music in such an intensely focused and seamless manner can instigate a sort of trance- state in the mind of the musician or composer. Hours melt into days into weeks into months and life beyond the studio door becomes an intrusion. I often feel as if I'm existing in an intermediary realm between sensible, pragmatic reality and something far more nebulous, otherworldly and strange. No matter how poetic or romantic that particular description may sound, I am not entirely convinced that such a realm is a desirable or healthy place to locate one's life but, worryingly, it seems that I've long ago lost the will or ability to escape. Eventually I had to concede that 'Grand Auditoria' had been weirdly hi-jacked by something just beyond my reach and it became clear to me that this was now quite a different album from my original concept and as such required a new title to suit its altered nature. So... I temporarily put the 'Grand Auditoria' idea to one side for possible future use and decided to re- think the album's title to better embrace the music that had emerged from the months of recording. Almost immediately after making the decision to shift my creative gears the word 'blip' came to mind. It made me think of an unexpected event emerging from an ocean of possibilities, a bubble on the surface of a calm pool, a 'blip on the radar,' a happy surprise, a little explosion of air and light against a dark background. The word seemed to resonate with the way this music had 'popped up' out of the void, and it evoked a sound, an acoustic-organic, but also synthetic-electronic sound. It was this coincidental sound inference which led me to the idea of creating short instrumental pieces to link the main vocal tracks together. This, I realised, would be a similar approach to the abstract guitar instrumentals I'd used to link the songs on the 'Joy Through Amplification' album, though this time I would be working with more whimsical, analogue synth textures. I immediately began to record some brief 'linking' pieces, recording them quickly and resisting the temptation to polish them too vigourously. The intention was that they would be be simple, direct, relaxed...light, concise and, hopefully, fun. Just as with the 'Ampex' interludes on the July 2012 'Joy Through Amplification' album, listeners are free to treat them as an album within an album or, alternatively, a set of 'sonic sorbets' to refresh their ears between main courses. Once these interludes were recorded and set in place within the general running order I then made the decision to release the album as a single disc, rather than as a double, choosing certain tracks for inclusion over others, tracks which I felt offered the listener a more cohesive, developmental journey from the beginning of the album to its conclusion. The tracks which were 'left over' from this process have been gathered together to create a limited edition, hand-signed CDR album, which I am giving as an exclusive bonus to those fans who have supported the 'BLIP!' pre-release launch party by attending the event. This limited edition pressing bears the title 'The Tremulous Doo-Wah-Diddy, (BLIP 2.') It further illuminates the process by which these recordings came about. It also has some more loosely arranged songs with longer improvisational sections. Well, that's the background to the album. Now here is a track by track breakdown: 1: 'BATS AT BEDTIME.' 'Bats At Bedtime' wouldn't have felt out of place on the 'Joy Through Amplification' album. It's perhaps my favourite track on the album, which is why it's right up front. I've incorporated non-musical sounds into my music for many years and this track features the sound of the jack plug on the end of an electric guitar cable being shorted out by tapping it on the edge of a metal table which supports my mixing desk in my home studio. The same sound also works in unison with the bass drum in the first verse of the song. One of the guitars is heavily fuzzed and features a broken, asymmetrical solo with both fuzz and octave divider effects. As well as the bass and drums and layers of guitars, an imaginary, utterly synthetic Indian orchestra enters for the bridge section. The opening lyrics make a surreal, 'wink-wink' reference to 'The Wizard Of Oz,' as follows: “I am the great and powerful Oz, I am the wizard of what once was, I am ecstatic, drunk and giddy, I am the tremulous doo-wah-diddy-wah-diddy...” After an instrumental section the lyrics continue: “I drive a blue car through the stars, in search of miracles and small surprises, boost my mind into bloom of Spring, bumble bees and bats at bedtime...” More Indian orchestra, then a segue into a gentle coda with chiming guitar and ambient choir. 2: 'YOU DO LIKE MUSIC?' (BLIP No 1.) This is the first of the short Blip interlude instrumental tracks. It's based on a found voice sample which speaks the tune's title. Perhaps this piece connects with my 'Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus' album in that it conjures up a whimsical sci-fi carnival atmosphere via its plastic, '60s Farfisa organ and space-age waltz time rhythm. It's patently a track with its tongue set firmly in its cheek, a candy-floss, sugar pink confection, an antique seaside postcard apparition, a steam-driven fantasy written for a parade of pavilion ghosts. 3: 'WHERE YOU IS, IS WHERE YOU ARE.' A combination of layered electric guitars, hard drums, distorted Hammond organ, bell-tone electric pianos, a subliminally pulsing string section and lyrics which suggest that we are only ever in the moment, even though our minds are constantly turning over past events and anticipating future ones. A sample of the lyrics: “I see the moth fly to the flame, I see myself in all but name, sometimes I feel like John Coltrane, like a saxophone in the pouring rain...” The ecstasy and exuberance of the artist versus the banality of the weather. A pair of wah-wah infected, neo-psychedelic guitar solos puncture the chiming backdrop, tubular bells enter later as the lyrics sing cheerfully of “ghosts in your window pane...” 4: 'BELL WEATHER.' (Blip No 2.) The second of the eleven Blip instrumental interludes. The title of this one goes some way towards describing its mood. Glockenspiel, a high pizzicato bass, synthetic strings, a brief, light-filled change of mood. Some things exist only in passing moments. 5: 'YOUR NAME COMPLETES THIS FREQUENCY.' A sort of techno-psychedelic fantasia embracing reversed guitars, fragmentary electronics, artificial strings, hovering synths and a lyric whose chorus states, “It seems to me that recently, your name completes this frequency...” A short, acid inflected pop-trip into luminous realms of the mind. 6: 'A DREAM OF THEE.' (Blip No 3.) Pulsing synths, sitar decorations, retro TR808 percussion, mini-moog squiggles suggesting a Blade Runner-like off-world exotica and a voice sample which anchors the title in a vague, mock- religious, nowhere-land....A chirping bird of an instrumental. Evaporates after only one minute and forty two seconds. 7: 'THE FABULOUS MR FUTURISMO.' Begins with a brief soundscape of abstract noise, leading into an angular piano, radio dial and orchestra riff. The lyrics sing thus: “The Captain's captured his caution horses/kept their treasure in crystal cages...The fabulous Mr Futurismo/waves from his window high in the sky...” A full orchestra joins the piece stating an oblique melodic theme. Elements akin to 'The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill' album begin to colour the mood before the lyric sing : “Where were you when the snow was falling...where were you when the sun was rising...” Later there is mention of “pie in the sky.” (Is that a God shaped pie or a corporate McDonalds one?) The mood shifts to describe a girl with a 'wiggly walk.' Guitars join the orchestral flow as the song winds its way to a rusty needle-static coda, distressed and patinated. But just who is this nebulous Mr Futurismo? A time-travelling philanthropist from some utopian world of Far Tomorrow? A techno-gnostic being from beyond space and time? Or, your next door neighbour who has the secret ability to levitate through the ceiling of his 1930s semi-detached bungalow and hover like an angel under silver suburban stars? Well...only you know the answer... 8: 'SPARKLETTE.' (BLIP No 4.) Another brief instrumental interlude, this one hinting at the textures and moods of the 'Model Village' album, but with a central glockenspiel motif. Also connects with certain tracks from the 'Picture Post' album. The title comes from the name of a vintage soda water syphon company. I do enjoy creating music inspired by the minutiae of memory! 9: 'YOUR SEXY THUNDER.' Another of my personal favourites from this album. Possibly a song about sexual dalliance, or at least flirtation. It begins with a stuttering electric guitar and a brief blast of electronic sound before mutating into a kind of twisted heavy metal riff over an asymmetric, crippled drum pattern. Features wah-wah guitar, a non-linear arrangement and lyrics which state: “I saw your luxury lingerie in a dream inside my head, you were in my most mysterious thoughts, here in my celestial bed...Your sexy thunder, was always under my skin...” Chorus changes to a more major key mood with Blackpool Tower organ overtones. Wailing, ecstatic wah-wah guitar spurts crazily. Mad piano ending. This too could have fitted nicely on the 'Joy Through Amplification' album. 10: 'METEOR BRIDGE.' (Blip No 5.) A mysterious start leads to a rattling percussion loop and a squirmy mini-moog melody followed by a cute, bleeping bridge and more moog style leads lines...brief piano section followed by mock '80s synth horns. A track filled with deliberately cheesy, '80s synth irony. The title is a play on 'Meter Bridge,' the area of a recording studio's mixing desk which houses its VU meters. Is this real or is it Memorex? 11: 'IN A CLOUD OF STARS.' Keyboard intro, joined by pulsing string quartet then french horn, oboe, xylophone and choir, leading to melodic, harmonised vocals. The opening lyrics state: “Restless are the ides of March, the wind that howls beneath God's arch...but here at home by hearth and fire, I fan the flames of heart's desire...” A neo-classical hymn to nostalgic, romanticised domesticity, or something like that. 12: 'BRIGHT AND GLITTERING.' (Blip No 6.) Another brief instrumental interlude. This one has a rather spooky feel with electronic percussion, electric piano, flanged synth and a sampled voice which repeats the phrase “Bright and glittering in the smokeless air...” An airship gliding by, high in golden sunlight. 13: 'WHIRLWIND WINTERS WIND THE CLOCKS OF SPRING.' Floating synths, reggae organ, sub-bass, filtered guitar, hand-bells, mellotron-flutes and lyrics which begin “There's a half-moon in the sky, a full moon in her eye, but right now the sun is shining in her garden...Birds are singing in the trees, her skirts are blowing in the breeze, and I'm down on my knees to please my darling...” As John Peel might have said: 'a song in praise of fair weather and sturdy thighs.' 14: 'FLUTTERBYE.' (Blip No 7.) The title is a play on the word 'butterfly,' which infants sometimes charmingly pronounce as 'flutterbye.' This short instrumental evokes the shining flight of a cabbage-white butterfly as it dances, Tinkerbell-like, amongst the flowers of an idealised English country garden. Mini-Moog lines and a delicately arpeggiated keyboard backdrop hark back to my earliest synth recordings on albums such as 'Sounding The Ritual Echo' and 'The Summer Of God's Piano.' 15: 'PAINTING YOUR SKY WITH MARVELLOUS BIRDS.' A gentle, trippy ballad decorated by speeded-up backwards guitars, clockwork percussion, electric piano, floating synths and, on an extended coda, a twisted sample of an orchestra which, with the addition of further guitars, gradually transforms into something a little more sinster. Opening lyrics are “Soft treble sings in amber light and all is well beyond the night...” 16: 'PURE IMAGINATION.' (Blip No 8.) This retro-styled instrumental interlude has an almost cartoon like atmosphere...toytown reggae with a munchkin-like sampled voice. Lead lines are handled by a series of mini-moog tones evoking some of the synth sounds used on Be Bop Deluxe's 'Ships In The Night.' A short burst of musical surrealism. 17: 'NO TWO THOUGHTS.' A strange one, this. Opening lyrics state: “Weird thoughts wind my clockwork brain...and no two thoughts are ever the same...” Sung over a repetitive, filtered choir sample,Wurlitzer piano and electro-bleeps. The chorus shifts gear and becomes pseudo-romantic with smooth synths, chiming guitar and lyrics which sing of 'lantern light.' A love song for shiny robots. The song ends with a short coda which changes the landscape yet again. 18: 'AEOLIAN MAGIC.' (Blip No 9.) The word 'aeolian' comes from the greek god 'Aeolus,' the god of wind in greek myth. An 'Aeolian Harp' is a stringed instrument whose strings produce sound when the wind blows across them. This short keyboard instrumental does not attempt to evoke a wind harp but used a sampled voice which speaks the track's title over a brisk percussion track, electric piano, synths and orchestra. Another blip on the radar. 19: 'DARLING STAR.' Opens with electric guitar, keyboards and e-bow. First verse lyrics sing: “Sunday morning's little swimmers, seek thou swift the sleeping egg...” Reverse guitars and choir lead to the repeated refrain “Holy River...Holy River...” Features guitar solos which change texture and direction throughout and a trippy looped guitar coda. I didn't quite realise until after recording the song that it is probably about the mystical nature of conception and the urge of life's essence towards incarnation and birth. Sometimes interpretation comes after the event of creation. 20: 'DAZZLE.' (Blip No 10.) The title is spoken by a sampled voice over pulsing synth and jigsaw-puzzle toy xylophone patterns on this short instrumental interlude. 21: 'AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.' Another of my favourites on the album and, in some ways, one of the 'straighter' more orthodox tracks. Predominantly guitar driven, this is a philosophical sort of song with lyrics which state: “Man goes to the mountain, the mountain disappears...Man goes to the fountain, with all his hopes and fears...Behind the wizard's curtain, nothing to be found, of this I am quite certain, our clocks are all unwound....” The song contains two nice, contrasting guitar solos and coda with guitars that peal like church bells. 22: 'I DANCED IN A DREAM.' (Blip No 11.) The final instrumental interlude and the last track on the album...A sampled voice states the track's title over a hybrid acoustic guitar/harpsichord pattern whilst a distant choir and curious backwards sounds decorate. Little melodies emerge from synths to dance freely over all. Ends with the words “And everything glowed with a gleam...” Music and Lyrics Copyright Bill Nelson 2013 All Rights Reserved. More Listening Notes Go to Album

Chameleon Bill Nelson album - November 1986 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) City One 02) Science And Sacrament 03) Machine Voodoo 04) Chameleon 05) Circular Tour 06) The Shape Of Things To Come 07) Astro Logic 08) Tropicus 09) O Vee 10) On The Beam 11) Mex-Arcana 12) Man Machine 13) Hip-No-Tize 14) New Dream Island 15) Blue Sky 16) To The Sea In Ships 17) Blonde And Built To Last 18) To A Child 19) Rosalia 20) Golden Shrine 21) Playback 22) Designer Dance 23) On The Beach 24) Like A Dream 25) Mitsukini ALBUM NOTES: Chameleon is an instrumental album of "library music", initially released on the Themes International Music label. On its release Chameleon was extremely difficult to obtain, as albums of library music (for use in production of TV and radio programmes) were always pressed in limited numbers and unavailable outside of their intended market. Precise information as to its release date is difficult to verify, but its existence was first mentioned in the fan club magazine Acquitted By Mirrors towards the end of 1986. PAST RELEASES: After years of being unavailable to all but the most avid collectors, Chameleon was re-issued in 2002 (Fabled Quixote). Note that the original vinyl release included spoken titles (not by the composer) at the beginning of each track which were omitted on the CD reissue. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Very simply recorded, slightly quirky, short pieces...a little bit whimsical and often quite jolly...not so serious as Simplex or Chance Encounters." _____ "You have to keep in mind that this was made as a Library Music album. Library music is created to be used as television or radio background music and will more often than not end up with a narrator speaking over the music...sometimes the music is chosen to lend a mood to a documentary film, so there will possibly be other sounds laid over the music by the TV studio technicians, as well as narration. For this reason, one of the rules of library music is that it should contain no prominent melodies or a strong lead instrument. It has to function as aural wallpaper, a background atmosphere rather than a dominant musical motif." FAN THOUGHTS: REG: "Vinyl copies of Chameleon are a REAL rarity. I was lucky enough to acquire my copy from a friend who worked for an advertising company. When the firm went bust he snaffled their copy of Chameleon for me. A couple of years ago I got Bill to sign the album and if I remember rightly he said at the time that he had never even seen a copy of the record, so it must be genuinely scarce." Peter: "It dates from that period when Bill was relying less on the "guitar and vocals" as the backbone of his work, leaning heavily towards keyboards, drum machines and samples. It is an interesting period, especially the later works, as Bill's compositions grew more elaborate and rich. One can hear Bill maturing as a composer, discovering and building the incredible range of musical tools that have made him such a truly unique and amazing artist. Lots of wonderful songs here...spanning ambient to "dance". Well worth any real fan's time -- over and over again!" Westdeep: "Ebay was primitive in those days but I was easily able to fill the gaps at a reasonable price all excepting a mint copy of the Chameleon LP which I still haven't told the wife about!" Albums Menu Future Past

The Dreamer's Companion Volume One retrospective collection - 13 January 2014 Bill Nelson Collections Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Golden Balloon (Luxury Lodge) 02) Take It Off And Thrill Me (Rock Option) (Arcadian Salon) 03) Ghost Show (Secret Club For Members Only) 04) Real Men With Ray Guns (The Romance Of Sustain) 05) Escondido Oleander (Rosewood Volume One) 06) Sailor Blue (The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill) 07) The Golden Days Of Radio (Compact Mix) (Fancy Planets) 08) For You And I (Return To Jazz Of Lights) 09) Once I Had A Time Machine (Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow) 10) Boyhood Shadows (Secret Club For Members Only) 11) Moments Catch Fire On The Crests Of Waves (Alternative Mix) (Orpheus In Ultraland) 12) Silent Glides My Armstrong Siddeley (Blossom Tree Optimists) 13) Creamy Clouds (Dreamland To Starboard) 14) Hey, Bill Diddley! (Secret Club For Members Only) ALBUM NOTES: The Dreamer's Companion is a three volume series of compilation albums designed to introduce both new and lapsed fans to Nelson's recordings from the 21st Century. These are significant in that they represent the point where Nelson embraced the notion of downloading as a way of generating additional interest in his music. Prior to their announcement in August 2013, there had been frequent mention by fans of the advantages that Nelson would see from going down the download route, but the artist consistently resisted doing so on the basis that he remained unconvinced that it would yield much in the way of sales. What seemed to change his opinion, or at least convince him to give it a go, was a Be Bop Deluxe Facebook page which clearly indicated that there are a significant number of fans who knew little of Nelson's work over the previous 30 years. Nelson therefore set about compiling three volumes in The Dreamer's Companion series that provided a detailed overview of his output since 2003. Even for fans who had rediscovered Nelson's music at some point in the period from 2003 to 2013, these offer some out of print material. And for the lapsed fans that knew nothing at all from this period, they offer them a chance to find out precisely what they have been missing. For those who aren't willing or able to spend £30 on a full set, each volume of The Dreamer's Companion is available at £10 each. The 42 tracks featured are taken from a total of 28 different albums, and provide a healthy mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces covering a range of styles and moods. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "There's nothing difficult or tricky about any of my music, it's all very easy to listen to. I certainly don't aim at purely esoteric targets, I just make pop music with a twist. But, if you're feeling a bit nervous about buying some albums, it doesn't get less esoteric than Fancy Planets , Joy Through Amplification , and Songs of the Blossom Tree Optimists . Easy listening all! Or, to get a great overview of my 21st Century recordings, try downloading the digital three volume compilation set, The Dreamers Companion from Bandcamp. It acts as a really nice taster or 'grazing' menu. A bit of everything on there." Collections Menu Future Past

What, Me Worry? album - 1982 Yukihiro Takahashi Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar and E-Bow Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment Bill Nelson and the Dreamsville Poets download single - 3 December 2007 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 1) The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment NOTES: "The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment" is a spoken word piece that was the combined work of Nelson, who provided the music, and 69 members of the Dreamsville community who each provided a single line of prose. The idea to "create a surrealist 'found' poem" was proposed by Nelson himself on April 2nd, 2007. "I may try to create a spoken word/instrumental piece with the resultant text being spoken over it". "We each provide one line of a poem without reference to anyone else's line...but at a given signal as it were so that every line is posted at the same time in chronological order to be read as a continuous piece". A 2 hour time slot was pre-arranged on April 22nd, 2007, in which Jon Wallinger assembled the lines in the order in which they were received. Work on the music commenced in September 2007, with the intention of recording two versions – one with the lyrics as originally transcribed by Jon Wallinger, and a second version with the lyrics re-sequenced by Nelson to achieve a more cohesive result. In the end, Nelson abandoned the second version, being satisfied enough with the original lyrical order and his accompanying backing track to premier the work at that year's Nelsonica on October 27th, 2007. "The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment" was later made available as a free download via the Dreamsville website. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available as a free digital download on this page, or in the Free Downloads section . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The idea is to have fun with this but not to spoil it by writing anything purile or stupid...try to say something beautiful, atmospheric, surreal, amazing or mysterious." _____ "Play it straight, don't be ashamed to apply your intelligence or imagination, don't fall into the pub-bore trap of gutter-level humour. Bring something beautiful and strange to the project rather than something predictable or base. Respect your own ability to dream and have the courage to share it with others." Singles Menu Future Past

Six Strings For Sara Bill Nelson download single - 26 November 2007 Singles Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 1) Six Strings For Sara NOTES: "Six Strings for Sara" is an instrumental track that was the first exclusive musical offering to be made available through Sara's Hope Foundation , a charity for which Nelson was a patron. The Charity was set up in the memory of Sara Hoburn, who tragically lost her battle with colon cancer in 2001 at the age of 16. Inspired by Sara's strength, warmth and positivity, her family and close friends raised the funds to build and run a holiday retreat in the sun for children facing similar battles and emotions. After meeting Sara's dad at a fan convention, and hearing how brave Sara battled the disease, the guitarist was so moved that he decided to compose and record the instrumental. All proceeds from the download have been kindly donated by Bill to the foundation. Fans could download the song in return for a modest donation to the charity. The track was re-released on a special ' Bill Nelson (Charity Single)' Bandcamp p age on 30 October 2023. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available to purchase from the Bill Nelson (Charity Singles) Bandcamp page. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "You'll never be able to hear this piece of music anywhere else, and it's a corker... And don't forget, by choosing to listen to it, you'll be bringing a little sunshine into the lives of people who will really appreciate, and benefit by your generous support. So, show your good, kind hearts, citizens of Dreamsville and go for it!" Singles Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) August 2009 Jan Jul Sep Oct Nov Dec Thursday 20th August 2009 -- 8:20 pm (Noon) Feeling tired, sad and somewhat less than chipper. Was up at 6 am this morning to take Emi to Leeds/Bradford airport. She is flying to Japan today (20th August), to visit her mother who is terminally ill. The last few weeks have been very difficult for Emi due to her mother's deteriorating health, plus having to honour a freelance wedding flower commission which made it impossible for her to fly to Tokyo any earlier. But now she's finally on her way to be by her mother's side. We waved a sad goodbye to each other at the airport this morning after a 45 minute drive through the pleasant Yorkshire countryside. Couldn't help thinking how different Tokyo will seem to Emi. She's become as fond of the beautiful North Yorkshire landscape as myself. Leeds/Bradford Airport, which is actually situated near the village of Yeadon, is very convenient for us, far more so than Manchester, (which is where Emi flew from last year). Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Japan from Leeds/Bradford Airport so Emi's journey is via Amsterdam where she will have a three hour wait for her connecting flight to Tokyo. Her flight from Manchester Airport last year wasn't direct either so, really, there's no particular advantage in travelling all the way to the far side of Manchester when there's a much more convenient departure point just 45 minutes drive from our Yorkshire home. And, as I said, it's a pleasant, scenic drive free from motorway pressures. The early morning sunshine warmed the hills and fields as we skirted the edge of the en-route Harewood House Estate, (where we'd been guests at the Eric Clapton concert last year), before turning off the main road onto the A659 winding its way through the village of Arthington, then on to Pool, then left, before Otley, and up the hills towards Yeadon and the airport itself. As the journey progressed, the golden sunshine gradually gave way to grey clouds, suitably matching our increasingly sad mood. We'd both been dreading the moment of parting, trying not to think about it...but when it came it was emotional and distressing, made even more so because of the reason for Emi's trip and the uncertainty about when she will be able to return to England. Although her return ticket is booked for the 4th of September, (in two weeks time), there's a very real and worrying possibility that she will need to stay in Japan for quite a while longer than that. It all depends on her mother's condition over the next two weeks. It doesn't seem very long since Emi's previous trip to Japan, last year, when her mother was admitted to hospital for surgery related to intestinal cancer. At the time, the surgery was deemed to be successful and Emi's mum made what appeared to be a reasonably good recovery. Sadly, it was not to last and now we've now been told that nothing can be done to stop the progress of the disease. Emi has regularly called the hospital in Tokyo to speak with her mother but each time, her mum seems to have become weaker. Such a vast distance between England and Japan...It's made the situation really hard for Emi to bear. My heart has gone out to her but I've felt helpless. All I can do is try to be supportive and understanding. But now Emi and I are to be separated by thousands of miles too and my help will be little more than words on a telephone line, stretched half-way around the world. We both need to be strong. Emi's eldest brother has warned her that she will be shocked when she sees her mum's physical condition. Equally worrying is Emi's impression, from her calls to the Tokyo hospital, that her mother is becoming increasingly weak and depressed and has given up her struggle to fight the illness. We're praying that Emi's arrival in Tokyo will ignite some spark of energy and hope in her mother. But, it's a time of suffering. It seems the last few years have been blighted with one mortal situation after another. We're at that time of life, I guess. My lonely drive back home from the airport this morning was filled with dark thoughts and dark clouds, the mood lifted only for a couple of minutes when my mobile 'phone rang. It was Emi, calling on her mobile from the airport departure lounge to tell me that she was now waiting at the gate to board the 'plane to Amsterdam, which was on time, and that she wished I was by her side. As I've attempted to explain before in this diary, we are a very close and fortunate couple in that we complete each other, live for each other and, even though we were born on opposite sides of the world with quite different social and cultural backgrounds, we have a quiet, gentle, almost telepathic relationship. Soul mates in so many ways. And, despite the fact that I'm not the easiest person to live with, (aren't most artists obsessive, driven characters with a stupidly stubborn streak and a desperate need for love?) Emi stoically accepts my negative attitudes and heroically nurtures whatever positive ones I can muster. I'm extremely lucky to have her to share my life with me. But, right now, here I sit totally alone in the house, (except for two sleepy cats), contemplating what might turn out to be several weeks of solitary existence. No choice in the matter. I'll have to get used to it. Of course, I have plenty of work to attend to. I always have, 'though today I'm not much in the mood for anything other than writing up my sorrows in this diary. But I must try to get on with my work as best I can...and soon too. There's still tons of Nelsonica work for me to prepare. I've been so busy these last few weeks, creating new video and live performance pieces for the event. I've now completed several brand new backing tracks to improvise with. The problem is, only a scant few of these tracks appeal to me. Many of them are 'shunters,' (ie: they'll end up on next year's convention album). Nevertheless, I've probably got enough decent new pieces to add to the older pieces in my solo performance set. I THINK... Having said that, I've yet to choose ANY pieces to perform, old OR new, let alone deciding upon their sequence before mastering the backing tracks at Fairview. Actually, there's another new instrumental piece in progress at the moment...it might be completed by tomorrow evening. (Or it might not.) No fixed title for it as yet but it's definitely shaping up to be a contender for the Nelsonica set list. Took a break after the above paragraph, during which I received two more 'phone calls from Emiko. She's arrived safely in Amsterdam. First call was to tell me of that...second call an hour later to tell me she's bored with waiting for her connecting flight, but that the airline is soon to begin the boarding proceedure. She'd found a noodle bar on the Amsterdam airport concourse and treated herself to a lunch of Japanese-style Ramen. Noodles are one of her favourite Japanese foods. At this stage, the psychic umbilical cord that connects us doesn't feel too stretched. Hearing her voice from Amsterdam is like hearing her call from York to home to ask if there's anything I need from the supermarket. But soon, as her flight carries her further and further away, the sense of distance will become more and more acute. It was only two days ago that I helped her deliver and set up the wedding flower arrangements that she'd created for a reception at the rather splendid Rudding Park Hotel on the edge of Harrogate. She'd worked very hard all last weekend, without any assistance, sculpting away at a huge array of flowers, including some stunning roses, to provide several table arrangements, a big mantlepiece arrangement, two large bouquets for the mothers of the bride and groom, plus the bride's own bouquet, etc, etc. When we delivered the arrangements to the venue, the wedding supervisor at Rudding Park praised Emi's work, saying that it was 'absolutely beautiful.' Everyone who sees her work says the same. Nice to have such a genuine response, I think, especially when Emi is so modest and unassuming about her talents. I'm very proud of her. Another break since the above. It's now 6:32 pm. The clouds cleared briefly this afternoon but the sun shining through my studio window made it difficult to see my computer screen...so I decided to go into town for a while. Needed some treats for Django and Tink and something easy to cook for my dinner. There will be lots of microwave tv dinners over the next few weeks I suspect. I have no time or inclination to cook something decent for myself. I expect the village fish n' chip shop will see me more frequently than usual too. Had to negotiate heavy traffic on the way home from York city centre. It's the races, 'The Ebor' I believe this particular one is called. Whilst horse racing brings business into the city during the season, they're a curse for those of us who live nearby and get stuck in the constant tacky parades of stretch limos and excursion coaches. Always amusing to see the drunken race-goers staggering along the pavements from the racecourse though...Men with hilarious footballer-style haircuts in bad suits accompanied by women with orange-coloured skin, dressed in bust-revealing frocks at least a size too small for them, wobbling about on heels unsuitable for anything other than bedroom entertainment, whilst clinging on to hats that might be better employed straining a salad. I overheard one worse-for-wear guy mumbling to someone on the other end of his mobile 'phone: "Well, I didn't actually WIN anything...but I only lost a few hundred quid." Yes I know I shouldn't laugh, but I did. Change of subject: Les Paul, a guitarist whose work, (both as a musician and inventor of studio technology), had inspired me since I was a young man, has sadly passed away. The news came as something of a shock, even though I knew he was 94 years old. Les always seemed invincible, having survived all kinds of physical set backs throughout his life. He was, to quote the old cliche, 'one of a kind.' A unique and brilliant artist to whom all modern day guitarists owe a debt. His albums grace my shelves and his fortitude and attitude continue to inspire. And, his little note to me is framed here on my studio wall, something I will always treasure. And now a break for dinner. A Tesco microwave fantasia of salmon fillet in watercress sauce with two new potatoes with some peas and broccoli. Close the door and ZAP! Instant dinner. Emi isn't the only one suffering airline food. It's now 8:28 pm. I ate the microwave meal, (which actually wasn't bad), then spoke with my mother on the 'phone. We speak to each other two times per day, morning and evening. She's a compulsive worrier and needs regular reassurance. That's where I get my own weird nervousness from, I guess. Anyway, I'm now back in my little studio, typing these words, a glass of Merlot by my side. Django and Tink are outside in the fields somewhere, terrorising the rodent population. I'm wondering whether I should attempt to post this diary entry on my website now or have a shot at mixing the previously mentioned backing track first? I need to decide on some images to accompany the diary, which means a little computer re-sizing and tweaking work. Or, maybe I'll finish this diary entry tomorrow and attempt the backing-track mix tonight, or at least get the first stage of it set up. Hell no, it's now 9 pm and I'm far too tired to start a mix. I'll try to post this entry on the Dreamsville site instead...maybe add some photo's of Emi's flowers and a snap of my autographed Les Paul note. Then watch a movie on tv, or a DVD. In any case, tiredness aside, I'm hoping to be awoken in the early hours by a 'phone call from Emi to tell me that she has arrived safely at Narita airport. Another diary entry soon, I suspect. Need someone to talk to. ***** The photos accompanying this diary entry are of Emiko's recent wedding flowers, plus a pic of the framed Les Paul autograph that hangs on my studio wall. Top of page

Live Archive Pl ectronica A celebration of Bill Nelson at 70 - Saturday 1st December 2018 - To celebrate his 70th birthday, Bill put together his 'Plectronica' live show. The event was held at one of Bill's favourite Yorkshire venues, the Clothworker's Centenary Hall at the University of Leeds. Unbelievably, tickets to this show sold out in just 5 hours. Catching the organisers and fans completely by surprise, unfortunately it meant that a great many fans were left disappointed as they were unable to secure tickets due to strict 'Fire Regulation' maximum numbers. To enable more fans to enjoy the show, Bill decided to offer a live streaming service of the event, this was new territory for both Bill and the organising team, but it seemed to work extremely well. The show consisted of a live solo set by Bill, who was joined on stage for three numbers by his 'Orchestra Futura' band, featuring Theo Travis (Flutes & Saxes) and Dave Sturt (Bass), plus Bill's special 'Mystery Guest', none other than Harold Budd, who had flown over from America for the event. Set List:- 1: 'Gloria Mundae' 2: 'I Always Knew You Would Find Me' 3: 'Forevertron' 4: 'The Eye Of Heaven Shines' 5: 'Beyond Yonder' 6: 'Luxeodeon' 7: 'Blue Amorini' 8: 'Golden Dream Of Circus Horses' (With Theo Travis) 9: 'The Institute Of Enchantment' (Department One) (With Orchestra Futura & Harold Budd) 10: 'The Institute Of Enchantment' (Department Two) (With Orchestra Futura & Harold Budd) 11: 'The Antiquarian Futurist' (With Orchestra Futura & Harold Budd) 12: 'A Dream For Ian' 13: 'Beatniks From Outer Space' 14: 'Beyond These Clouds, The Sweetest Dream' 15: Encore Bill Nelson was a patron of the charity Sara's Hope Foundation. For this event, Eastwood donated one of their guitars, which Bill decorated. The guitar was raffled off, raising a great amount for the charity and it meant that a very lucky ticket-buyer took this fantastic guitar home with them. After the live set, Bill took a short break and then returned to the stage for an interview conducted by event organiser Ian Haydock, covering Bill's recording career. Ian included reading out tributes from Bill's musician pals including Harold Budd, John Foxx, Laraaji, Kate St John... Read all the tributes here. Bill was also given a nice surprise...the news that for his 70th birthday present, his fans had clubbed together to buy him a limited edition guitar, a Backlund 'Super-100', which was due for production and would arrive in January 2019. A cardboard cut-out of the guitar was presented to Bill at the end of the interview. PICTURE GALLERY If you have any pictures of the event that you would like to share - please get in touch! MARTIN BOSTOCK PICTURES FAN PICTURES BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The audience were, quite simply, wonderful. From the moment I walked on, right through to 'goodnight,' they were extremely warm and very enthusiastic. I couldn't have wished for a kinder crowd and their appreciation went some way to calming my usual nervousness." "This year was extra special as I was joined by 'Orchestra Futura' for three improvised pieces. And to put the icing on the cake, the trio of Theo Travis, Dave Sturt and myself were joined by very special guest Harold Budd on piano. Harold is one of my oldest and dearest friends and it was a joy to be on stage with him again, (the last time being his 'farewell' concert in Brighton, quite a few years ago.) Harold had flown over from his home in California to attend the concert, initially just to see my performance but generously agreed to sit in with us without any rehearsal." "Another huge surprise came when it was revealed that a number of fans had got together to fund the purchase of a very special 'Super-100' guitar for me...it seems some very generous fans have solved the problem by purchasing one for me. It will be delivered sometime in January, (once built,) and I'm very much looking forward to playing it. I may even have to set up another performance next year to show the instrument off..." FAN THOUGHTS: The Mad Scouser: Let's get the easy bit out of the way first--Bill was bloody brilliant. I know you're always hypercritical of your own performances Mr N, but from where I sat you were faultless. Too much good stuff to pick out individual tracks, but your collaborations with Dave Sturt and Theo Travis always leave me jaw agape in astonishment at the sheer musicality you manage to produce in each other. There is surely no greater pleasure in life than watching three ridiculously talented musicians combine so well....unless you are one of those three musicians, of course? andygeorge: After missing last years shindig, I was really looking forward to this one and boy, it exceeded my expectations. Bill's health issues didn't seem to hamper his ability to put on a terrific performance, attacking each number with gusto and leaving us all mesmerised with his unique style and class as he showcased his guitars with each number. The Q and A section was expertly handled by Ian Haydock, who is brilliant at these Nelsonica events, along with the rest of the team and Bill comprehensively covered a lot of his history...a lot we all knew, but some new revelations that I haven't heard before... As someone has said already, it was a great moment when Bill's lovely mum came out and received a very loud round of applause! Bill's reaction was priceless when he was handed a cardboard cut out of the Buckland Super..."Am I really going to get a real one?" he asked, genuinely surprised! Chimera Man: Another fabulous event and a big thanks to everyone involved in setting it up and helping Bill make it a success. I was genuinely shocked that Harold Budd was the special guest and I am even more convinced that "Orchestra Futura" should create and release an album. I was really gripped by the Q&A - I thought Ian did a superb job of posing the questions and did well to focus on some key landmarks within Bill's career. The story about Bill's Dad buying him his first "proper" guitar plus the move from focusing on guitars to synths and back again and the GTHGA recordings were of particular interest. Most touching were the comments read out from fellow artists. Great to hear the heartfelt comments from all, especially those from Iain Denby, John Foxx and Cabaret Voltaire. Tremendous to see old friends again and so many who had travelled from across the pond. The amount of American (and possibly Canadian) accents I heard in the crowd was very impressive. Chris N: A truly splendid evening in a great setting. Bill played with passion and verve throughout. What more could you want? Except for about 3 more hours! EERO: I am so thrilled that I was finally able to make one of these events after years of pining away looking at photos of all the fun and scrambling to order the special cds before they were sold out. Bill was spectacular, it has been nearly 40 years since I last heard him in New York, but as Gloria Mundae began, and the soaring notes of the ebow engulfed us in their luxurious velvety swoon, I teared up. It was profoundly emotional. Thanks to so many for making me feel welcome. I hope there will be more events in the future and that I may have the opportunity to tell the great man to his face how much his music and his conviction have meant to me through the years. Peter: I'd like to add my thanks to all. It was a wonderful day and evening. The performance was sublime, as always. Like Eric and others, I was tearing up at times. So special. And there are almost no words to express how amazing it is to be in the company of so many incredible, friendly, kind, generous and fun people. From Bill and Emiko, to Dave and Theo, to Ian and the entire team, to every single fan who was there...everyone was fantastic. I hated for the day to end.

New Northern Dream Bill Nelson album - 29 October 2016 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Photograph: A New Beginning 02) Indigo Trees Hold Back The Stars 03) Consolation Street 04) Time Stops Here 05) The Trip 06) November Fires (My Northern Dream) 07) Between The Seasons 08) The Lamp Of Invisible Light 09) New Northern Dreamer 10) Daydreaming 11) The Pond Yacht 12) In A World Of Strange Design 13) Miracles To Happen 14) The Legendary Spaceman Blues 15) A Month Without A Moon (Jupiter In Saggitarius) 16) A Northern Man 17) Hymn Of The Old Albion Co-Operative Society ALBUM NOTES: New Northern Dream is an album of vocal and instrumental pieces issued on the Sonoluxe label in a limited edition of 600 copies. The album was the fourth to appear in Nelson's Super Listener Series and was presented in a jewel cased sleeve. New Northern Dream was first announced on the Dreamsville forum on 9 February 2016, nearly 9 months ahead of release. At that stage Nelson had completed just one track, but had formed the idea to make an album that represented "a portrait of vanished Yorkshire". The album was not a remake of Nelson's 1971 debut Northern Dream , but did contain a few musical references to that 1971 debut, including new versions of "Photograph" and "Northern Dreamer". The final track listing for the album was confirmed on 5 May 2016 - the same day that Nelson announced tentative plans for a launch party (provisionally to be held on 3 September 2016). Those plans were firmed up on 10 July 2016, with a revised event date of 29 October 2016, at the by now familiar surroundings of the Clothworkers Hall at Leeds University. Over 200 attendees were rewarded with an autographed copy of the New Northern Dream CD, a live performance (Nelson's first such outing for just over 3 years), and the customary play back of the album (with track by track commentary provided by Nelson himself). The event sold out within days of going on sale. Of the initial pressing of 500 copies, the remaining 288 copies of the album went on general sale Tuesday, November 1st, selling out in less than four hours. In fact, demand so rapidly outstripped supply, that a second pressing of 100 copies was rushed to honour outstanding orders. Once these were fulfilled, the remaining 63 copies went on sale on November 15th (which also sold out within a matter of hours). Inbetween pressings, it was reported that a copy on eBay sold for a staggering £455! CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Northern Dream , All That I Remember , The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill , Tripping The Light Fantastic, Golden Melodies of Tomorrow , Kid Flip , Satellite Songs , Fancy Planets, Fantasmatron , Custom Deluxe, BILL'S THOUGHTS: " New Northern Dream is a sequel to Northern Dream , the album I recorded in 1970 and released independently in 1971. It brings a new perspective to the album's concept with totally new songs but also some direct references to material on the original album. It's a fusion of my early '70s style with my more current sounds. The album has an 8-page booklet with some photographs by Martin Bostock reproducing some of the original album's settings." _____ "I've been turning this idea over in my mind for quite some time now, wondering whether I might record an album with the title New Northern Dream . The idea would come full circle, as it were, to create a mainly acoustic vocal album that had certain connections with my first ever solo album Northern Dream , but without slavishly emulating that particular album. It would be a 'New' Northern Dream ...perhaps with a similar scenario to the original, but seen through the lens of a time-camera, bringing the sounds and songwriting sensibilities into the present, and with brand new songs written in a more contemporary style. The main connection would be concerned with acoustic foundations, (though with more avant-garde overtones), bringing electronica and some discreet orchestral textures to bear on certain songs. Subject matter might still resonate with 'Old Yorkshire' though, evoking memories of when the county had a less obvious modernist appeal...a portrait of a vanished Yorkshire perhaps." _____ "Sonically, it owes nothing to the earlier recording at all, it's much more lush and richly textured than the original album...the sound is light years away from that...technology has moved on so much since then. In terms of sound, it's very much like my other current albums rather than anything from the past. The connection with Northern Dream is difficult to explain, it's more of a spirit or feeling than anything directly tangible. But there's a little quote from 'Everyone's Hero' for 8 bars in the middle of 'Consolation Street', a humorous aside, a little nod and a wink to those who own the original album." _____ "There was obviously a certain amount of thought about how to make a connection with the original album without trying to reproduce it's sound and style (and innocence). That would be totally impossible without rendering it as a pastiche and would ultimately not be respectful to the original album. We have to accept that the album was a product of its time and of the place I inhabited back then, both physically and internally in my own head. And, naturally, I don't live there any more, how could I? Are we exactly the same as we were 46 years ago? Have we not grown and changed and matured? If we're trapped in the past, we're not living life to the fullest. We can't go back, only forward. The past is, as they say, a foreign country. Music isn't easy to manipulate in a strictly scientific way, at least not the way I do it. It can only be expressed as a result of the immediate moment, the actual moment it's created, with all the various forces that influence it at that particular point in time. It's a diary entry, an ongoing journal, a record of where we are now, which in turn becomes a record of where we were then. That's the beauty of it. It's not something we can force or demand, it emerges according to our circumstances which, naturally enough, are in a constant state of flux. In the case of this album, I had to reconcile the way I think now about music, combined with the recording equipment I possess, and my current production values, with this vague notion I had about wanting to reflect my very first solo album, made 46 years ago. Finding an inroad to this hasn't been easy. I've no real idea whether I've succeeded or not. On the surface it sounds very much like one of my more current recordings. How else could it be? But I think there are some conceptual tags that make it connect to the first Northern Dream . I don't quite know how to articulate these in this explanation...it's all kind of nebulous and vague, but it's there, nonetheless. Whilst it's very much a 'modern' Bill Nelson album, it somehow links to the very first Bill Nelson album of all those long years ago. Don't come to it with any heavy expectations, though...just let it be itself." _____ "It has an intentional '70s vibe but with a few twists. (I never play anything completely 'straight', do I?!)" _____ Bill's Listening Notes for the album: 'New Northern Dream' Listening Notes FAN THOUGHTS: Chimera Man: "It is a cracker. One of the most "immediate" albums I'd say since Joy Through Amplification . Full of great melodies, pop hooks, ebow, and a mix of styles too." "I'm enjoying the whole NND album in its entirety, but "The Lamp of Invisible Light" should be a massive hit single. Confident, fulsome, melodic. Right 'on the money'." BobK: "Quite brilliant. Catchy, lyrically moving, great tunes. Love the acoustic guitar and flute sounds. Looks back but looks forward too. As always, listen on headphones!" Merikan1: "This one should appeal to both those that like BBD as well as those that like Bill's pop/rock albums. I played it twice today. Love it." Angie: "This is an absolute gem. A nod to the past but a different album. I don't know how you keep doing it, but you've done it again. Your music has kept me company for over 40 years, through the highs and the lows of my life, enhancing every moment. Thank you x" P. Cozi: "I just can't get you out of my head. Humming, whistling "singing" both at work and home, it can't just be me can it. "Photograph" a new beginning revitalised and just as refreshing some 40 years later. The whole album is just sublime. Another masterpiece..." John Fisher: "Abandon any preconceived ideas, all who enter here... You might imagine that an album which finds Bill in a sentimental mood might be more reflective and quiet. Maybe more pastoral...Yet nothing could be further from the truth. It's funny, despite the fact that Bill has released over 100 albums stretching across four and a half decades, I don't think of him as a singer-songwriter per-se. When I think 'singer-songwriter', I think monochromatic and repetitive - boring. Whereas to me, Bill's music defies categorization. Fans are used to Bill releasing albums back to back that each explore different styles, sometimes with very little in common. But with New Northern Dream I hear a master singer-songwriter at the height of his powers. The electric and acoustic guitars intertwine in bittersweet harmony, as we are treated to one powerful, melodic ballad after another." Reg: "I really feel that this time Bill has hit the nail on the head and achieved the aims that he related when presenting the preview of the album. A great balance between looking back and looking forwards. The musical references to the original Northern Dream fit seamlessly into what I personally feel is his strongest collection of work for quite some time without overpowering it with a sense of nostalgia or whimsy. The album has a more 'rock' feel than I was anticipating and despite Bill's often proclaimed aim to avoid the tropes of mainstream rock elements in his music I actually think they work to his advantage here." andygeorge: "I've been listening to NND since the launch last week and it's just simply wonderful! Where other artists falter and stumble as they get older, Bill just continues to go from strength to strength...this is a work of art that, for me, captures the essence and innocence of Northern life from a bygone age....and I'm a Londoner! If you were expecting a Northern Dream part 2, then think again...this is an album that absolutely stands tall in its own right. Bill's guitar work is exquisite as usual and the prominance given to the acoustic guitars just add something special, a nod to ND I suppose. Buy it now! ( maybe not, sold out! ), beg, borrow or steal or download it when available, you will be blown away!... Thanks Bill!" Novemberman: "It's a lot harder than I expected. I assumed it would have been a more electro-folk album to align with the original, something like Songs of the Blossom Tree Optimists . Most of the songs are more rock orientated than anything else with a couple of ambient instrumentals thrown in for good measure. A couple of nods to the original, but as Bill has stated, this is quite a different beast. Highlights for me are "Indigo Trees", a beautiful ambient style guitar piece, "New Northern Dreamer", but my favourite is "A Month Without A Moon" - superb song capturing the anthemic feel of "Another Day Another Ray Of Hope", "Boat To Forever", "God Man Slain" and the like." james warner: "While this album revisits the themes of looking back to Bill's youth, it has a more pop oriented feel than previous retrospective albums. Indeed, some of the tracks wouldn't sound out of place on mainstream radio, but still have that distinctive Bill Nelson sound." Debtworker: "Hi Bill, For me listening to your music is like preaching to the converted - but NND is really the most cohesive cd that, in my humble opinion, you have produced in many years. All the songs are stunning and original, but NND is so textured, so considered, original and beautiful that it has had me listening to it about 4 times in a row today - it is that enjoyable!!! I think this is the best series of songs that you have done for ages, no offense meant, and really show that you are at the top of your game. It is a great pleasure to own this cd and to have the joy of hearing it again and again...gush, gush...but it's all meant. Well done Bill! New Northern Dream is stunning and beautiful." neill_burgess: "It's definitely "accessible" (horrible word, but you know what I mean) and while it is coherent I'd stick my neck out and say it's one of Bill's more stylistically varied albums. Yes, Bill's hallmark multi-layered electric guitar pieces and extended codas feature frequently, but other tracks make welcome use of acoustic guitar as rhythm or lead instrument. Two tracks in particular, "Indigo Trees Hold Back the Stars" and "The Pond Yacht" bring back memories of the wonderful Rosewood albums, though now the acoustic guitar work is complemented by clean electric playing. While there are no out-and-out rockers, there are several poppy numbers such as "Consolation Street", "In a World of Strange Design" and "Miracles to Happen"; wistful ballads such as "Between the Seasons" and "Daydreaming", and a great slow blues number "The Legendary Spaceman Blues", all featuring strong electric guitar work (and sparingly effective use of e-bow). Lyrically, there's a strong element of nostalgia, though not for the flares and Afghans of the 70's that some might have hoped for (or feared!) – the references are to earlier times: steam trains and gas lights, the shops and toys and bonfire parties of Bill's childhood. The present and future are not forgotten though, with "The Trip" and "Miracles to Happen" waking us from our reverie to remind us that even now, "life is such a blast" and we can and should still be "dreaming of tomorrow"." BigManRestless: "On my first listen now and my first impression is simply wow! It just amazes me after so many albums Bill that you can still maintain such quality. I'm having to revise my all time favourite Bill top 50 again! But which ones to go on..."Consolation Street"? "The Trip"? "Time Stops Here"? "November Fires (My New Northern Dream)"? I might just have to make it a top 75..." Albums Menu Future Past

The Way Out Is The Way In album - 1995 Audio Active and Laraaji Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on one track: "Music & Cosmic (Feel Yourself)" Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) March 2011 Jan Feb Apr Dec Tuesday 8th March 2011 -- 9:00 pm I really should be dealing with the upcoming television show preparations, but have found myself pottering about on the 'Dreamsville' website every day, answering questions and responding to fan's postings. It's as if I'm trying to deny that the 'Legends' television appearance is actually going to happen, even though full band rehearsals kick in on the 19th of this month. Trying to pretend that the programme doesn't exist is one thing, but denying the presence of stress in my life as a result of it is impossible. I've not had a full night's sleep since this thing appeared on my horizon. I wake up at crazy hours with endless details of this or that or the other buzzing around in my head like a vicious swarm of synaptic bees. Lack of confidence, I suppose, and a general uneasiness about appearing like some flickering digital ghost in the electronic picture frames of our nation's living rooms...Or maybe I'm simply frightened of looking like an ancient fish in a haunted fishtank. I wonder, will I regret doing this? As I've said before, my gut instincts are screaming 'run, run, run, run away...!' But common sense and commercial expediency says, 'do it and damn the torpedoes... 'I've been trying to choose some solo pieces to add to the 14 band songs that we are planning to perform. I've decided to include a couple of melodic familiars frommy solo concerts: 'For Stuart,' and 'A Dream For Ian.' Both pieces were written as deeply felt tributes to people who are sadly no longer with us: the first to an old friend, the second to my dearly missed brother Ian. Perhaps these tunes will reach out and touch those who are unfamiliar with my more recent work, (provided nerves and failing memory don't make me screw them up). I also want to include something a wee bit more left of centre in the show, something that dances a little closer to my current sensibilities...At the moment this look like being 'Golden Dream Of Circus Horses' and 'Above These Clouds The Sweetest Dream.' Neither piece could be considered radical or avant-garde, I admit...but they're probably more than enough enough of a challenge for anyone unaware of my musical development since the 1970s. Recurring themes throughout my creative life: Dreams, reveries, memories, meditations, musings, coupled with desperate attempts to get to grips with it all, to try to figure out what it all might mean, if indeed it means anything at all. Always the age-old tension between an egotistical desire to mean something...and our deeply repressed awareness that, ultimately even the most profound artistic commentary amounts to absolutely nothing. Had to search through some old photo' albums today to find images of a particular guitar I once owned. Looking through these albums I was shocked to discover how badly deteriorated many of the photographs have become...colours changed, contrasts lost. Washed out memories, once taken for granted, now precious and fragile, fading fast. I realised that I need to spend time scanning them into my computer and adjusting the quality as much as possible if these old images are not to be lost forever. There are polaroids taken on US tours in the '70s, very early black n' white shots of Be Bop Deluxe, family archive photographs...etc, etc. All suffering from the accelerating effects of entropy. So...I made a decision to try and scan and restore some of them each day. And not just do this but also publish them here in Dreamsville. As the only means of personal access I have to the site is this diary and the Forum, I've decided to do a sort of 'archive photographs' version of the diary. It won't have much to say about what is going on here and now but will comment a a series of photographs that I'll upload. The text will be brief but the images will hopefully speak volumes. I'll flag these types of diary entry up on the forum in a way that will distinguish them from my more usual 'journal' type entries. This particular entry will introduce the first six images from my archives. It may be that I've posted some of these images on the site previously. If so, my apologies...but stay tuned over the next few weeks for some regular updates on these visual archives. Here are the first six photographs: 1: Bill Nelson in the grounds of The Century Plaza hotel, Los Angeles, USA, 15th April 1976. 2: Bill and Be Bop Deluxe standing beneath a Be Bop Deluxe 'Sunburst Finish' advertising billboard on Sunset Boulevard, Los angeles, USA, April 1976. 3: Bill Nelson standing by a vintage American Car, New York, USA, 1970s. 4: Bill Nelson at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC, USA, 26th March 1976. 5: Bill Nelson rehearsing at S.I.R. sound studios, in Los Angeles, USA, 1970's. 6: View of Beverly Wiltshire Theatre frontage with billboard announcing Bill Nelson solo concert, Los Angeles, USA, early '80's. Top of page Wednesday 9th March 2011 -- 3:00 pm Another in a new series of diary entries specifically intended as a way of sharing a few of my personal archive photographs with fans on the Dreamsville website. Nothing new to report progress-wise so I'll get straight to the six images that I've attached here. These are all from 1977, (35 years ago!) 1: This is a photograph of Villa St. George, in Juan-Les-Pins in the South Of France. It was where Be Bop Deluxe began recording the songs that eventually made up the band's 'Drastic Plastic' album. Sadly, this lovely villa was demolished more than several years ago. The last time I visited Juan-Les-Pins, all that remained was a huge quarry-like crater in the garden where it had stood, although the gates and perimeter fence were still intact. Recording in this location was an unforgettable experience, one of the most treasured memories of my life. We were a particularly happy group of people, all working together to make the album, but in a romantic, relaxed and idyllic atmosphere. In this photograph of the villa you can see the white Range Rover which was used by the band for travelling to concerts in the UK. It was taken to the South Of France to serve as general band transport, although I travelled there in my black Daimler. On the left of the photograph you can glimpse the Rolling Stones mobile recording truck which we used on these sessions. The band played in the lower room (with the white shutters). Microphone cables were run from the truck, (which contained the 24 track recorder and a mixing desk), into the villa to capture the performances. The balcony with the red sunshade was part of my bedroom. The views down to the sea were wonderful and I recorded my vocal for 'Islands Of The Dead' on that very balcony, a microphone set up so that I could gaze out to sea as I sang. 2: This photo' shows me standing on that same balcony although the angle doesn't reveal the full view. 3: This photograph shows me sitting at the grand piano inside Villa St. George. It was a lovely old French piano, a 'Gaveau' I believe, ('though I may have got the spelling wrong). This was the room where the majority of the recording was done, although I think this photograph was taken just before we left the villa to return to England as the band's equipment is no longer set up in the room. The villa was filled with lovely old French furniture and had some nice vintage light fittings. Most evenings we ate in the villa's dining room, our meals being cooked by wives and girlfriends who were with us. I forget exactly how many people made up our team but we had John Leckie and Haydn Bendall and their wives and children, our crew and road manager, sometimes our business manager and his girlfriend...mealtimes were a communal affair.After dinner we might do a little more recording but usually we'd amble down the road into the centre of Juan-Les-Pins and take a couple of tables at one of the open fronted bars, (usually 'Le Pam-Pam'), and indulge ourselves with colourful cocktails and ice cream extravaganzas whilst watching the beautiful local girls and boys parade around the block in their open-topped Ferraris and Porches. 4: Just to show that I was once a lithe young thing before the years took their terrible toll, here is a photograph of me sitting on the rocks on the edge of one of Juan-Les-Pins beaches. I had to spend rather more time at the villa recording than the other guys in the band so didn't get as much time as them for sunning and relaxing. However, once in a while, I'd take a few hours out of the day to work on my tan! 5: And here's another photograph of me at Juan-Les-Pins enjoying the salt-water sparkles and the glorious Cote D'Azur sunshine. Again, taken 35 years ago. 6: This photo' shows mestanding outside the gates of the Villa Santo-Sospir on the little peninsula of St Jean Cap Ferrat. Cocteau lived at Santo Sospir for quite a time and decorated the interior with his artwork. I actually own an original Cocteau letter which is written on Santo Sospir headed notepaper. Like these old photographs, the ink is fading on the letter now but I bought it over 35 years ago and it hangs on my dining room wall today. It took me a little while to find Villa Santo Sospir back in 1977. I didn't have a full address, though I knew from books that it was somewhere in St. Jean Cap-Ferrat. I also had seen a photograph taken in the villa's back garden and noticed that Cap Ferrat's lighthouse was visible in the background. When I decided to try and find the villa, I located the area where the lighthouse stands and drove up and down various streets until I finally discovered Villa Santo Sopir on Rue De Phare. Like some sort of crazy groupie, I sneaked into the villas front garden and pulled up a small flowering plant which I eventually took home to England where I planted it in my own garden at Haddlesey House. I've no idea if it still grows there as Haddlesey House's gardens have sadly been turned into a housing estate by a local building company. But for a while, a little piece of Cocteau's Santo Sospir grew in the Yorkshire sunshine of my garden. Well, that's all for today...not really a diary entry, more of a reminiscence, but hopefully an entertaining one. I'll perhaps continue this theme tomorrow. Stay tuned! Top of page Thursday 10th March 2011 -- 1:00 pm Emi has caught a nasty cold and is in bed feeling poorly. We suffered a sleepless night due to a combination of Emi's restless coughing and the wild weather. Strong gusts of wind and rain rattled the windows and stormed the rooftops all night long. Feeling tired and without energy today. I now have to avoid catching whatever virus Emi has come down with. Not easy when we live in such close proximity to each other. The last thing I need at this point in time is to fall ill. Rehearsals for the tv show start soon and then the show itself. Strange how this has happened now...the same situation cropped up just before last year's Nelsonica when I was desperately trying to stay clear of a bug that Emi had caught at that time. I managed to avoid it but succumbed to a different flu virus right after Nelsonica was concluded. Today's diary entry once again serves as a means of publishing more photographs from my personal archives. This selection continues with yesterday's theme of Be Bop Deluxe in the South Of France. All these photographs are from 35 years ago. Photograph number 1: Here is a snap of John Leckie and myself in Juan-Les-Pins, strolling from the town's central square and heading towards Villa St. George to get back to work on the 'Drastic Plastic' album. I think we'd been for an early morning coffee and croissant. 2: A portrait of myself taken in the bedroom I had at Villa St. George. The guitar pendant I'm wearing around my neck was a gift from EMI Records. They had it specially made for me. I think it may be made, (legally I hope), from old ivory. It has solid silver fittings and I still own it today. That blue, flecked shirt is rather nice too. I remember buying it in the Kings Road in London, before Kings Road became just another corporate chain store high street. I don't have the shirt anymore but, even if I did, I wouldn't be able to squeeze into it! 3: On the final day of recording at Villa St. George, we had a sort of 'wrap' party. Lots of good food and wine and a fun jam session, part of which featured Charlie Tumahai playing my acoustic guitar, Simon Fox playing the harmonica and myself playing percussion, (which I'm doing in this photograph). The guy in the pale grey shirt on the left of this photo' was, (if I recall correctly), called Mathieu. We'd befriended him at one of the bars in Juan-Les-Pins. He turned out to be a purveyor of the odd 'jazz woodbine.' ;-) 4: Another shot of the same jam session at Villa St. George. I think that is Andy Clarke behind me holding the drumsticks. 5: Whilst we were working in Juan-Les-Pins, the Queen's Jubilee day occurred. None of us were staunch royalists or anything but we used the Jubilee celebrations as an excuse to stage an open air party in the grounds of Villa St George. We decked the place out with red, white and blue bunting and balloons and laid on a very nice feast for everyone, even inviting in locals we'd met at various locations in town. One of the people who turned up to our party was Bill Wyman, at that time still in the Rolling Stones and living nearby, close to the walled hilltop town of St. Paul Du Vence. This is a snap of him having a drink and a snack in Villa St. George's garden. The Jubilee party features in my 'Be Bop Deluxe In The South Of France' video on the 'Picture House' DVD. In the video, Mr. Wyman can be glimpsed popping in to the Stones truck to have a listen to what we'd been up to. 6: A snap of me with my Canon home cine camera, the one I used to capture the footage that I would eventually edit to make the 'Be Bop Deluxe In The South Of France' video. This photo' was taken during those sessions at Villa St. George in 1977. Well, that's all for today. If I find time, I'll scan some more archive photo's and post them here tomorrow. Top of page Friday 11th March 2011 -- 3:00 pm Woke up this morning to the shocking news of a huge earthquake off the coast of Japan. The 'quake is the largest in Japan's recorded history and has caused a huge Tsunami that has swept inland carrying all before it. The scenes on television were unreal, like something from a Hollywood disaster movie. Predictions are that the effects of the earthquake will result in Tsunamis throughout the Pacific region over the next 24 hours, reaching as far as New Zealand and South America. Tokyo has suffered some damage as a result of the earthquake itself but the coastal towns to the north east of the capital have suffered most. Here both earth and water have conspired to cause devastation. Emiko's brothers are in Tokyo and it seems that they will be ok. However, Emi has a Japanese friend called Akko who lives in the next village to us here in Yorkshire. (Like Emi, she married an Englishman.) Akko is originally from Sendai, the Japanese town nearest to the centre of the earthquake, and Akko's mother still lives there. She must be very worried about her. Emi's 'cold' has turned out to be 'flu. She felt much worse yesterday evening and developed a high temperature. Today, her cough is quite severe and she feels terrible. She has remained in bed and I'm doing my best to look after her whilst trying not to pick up the virus that has laid her low. I dread to think of the consequences if I should catch it. The entire tv show could go belly up. I did have a sore throat and a headache this morning and have taken all the precautions possible, multi-vitamins, echinacea, several glasses of fruit juice, etc, etc. Fingers crossed that it doesn't get me. I'm continuing with my archive photo' presentations in the diary today. Here are six more from my personal snapshot albums: 1: This is a polaroid photograph of Eddie Condon's jazz club in New York, taken in 1976. That's me in the long coat with the fur collar, standing in the club's doorway, beneath the striped awning. I was first introduced to this club by a guy called Bob Bonis who worked for an American agency who handled Be Bop Deluxe's concerts in the 'States. Bob was a lovely man and became a good friend to the band and myself in particular. He had been the Beatles AND the Rolling Sones tour manager when they first toured America. Bob was a big jazz music fan and knew many famous jazz musicians personally. I remember him trying to get me to go and sit in with the great Joe Pass, (who was also one of Bob's friends), one evening, just to have a jam. I might have had more confidence in my playing back then then than now but, even so, I was wise enough to know that I'd be completely out of my depth and so politely declined the offer. What I really should have done was just go to see Joe play and let Bob introduce me so that I could shake Joe's hand and tell him how much his music meant to me. But Bob took me to Eddie Condon's club, and to Jimmy Ryan's club which was right next door. I'd known about Eddie Condon since my early teens when I'd read Condon's 1948 autobiography, 'We Called It Music.' Eddie Condon played tenor guitar with various bands before running his own band. He worked throught the 1920's, '30's and '40's with many famous jazz musicians including Louis Armstrong. He established his 'Eddie Condon's Jazz Club' in 1945. Eddie died in 1973 but his guitar was still hanging behind the bar when Bob Bonis first introduced me to the place. Eddie Condon's and Jimmy Ryan's became favourite places for me to visit whenever I was in New York. The atmosphere was mellow and sophisticated and the live music sublime, even when played by musicians who were not so well known. I have fond memories of spending a relaxing evening or two there whilst enjoying the food and music so was shocked when, several years ago now, I was in New York and went to visit these two clubs only to find that they had been pulled down. All that was visible where they once stood was a car parking lot. Such a shame. As a footnote to the above story, I came across an article in the March issue of Mojo Magazine regarding a recently published book of photographs Bob had taken of the Rolling Stones. This book, ('The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs: The Bob Bonis Archive 1964-'66') collects together Bob's personal photographs of the Stones, taken whilst acting as their US tour manager. It wasn't until I read the piece that I realised that Bob had actually passed away. I then searched the internet and discovered thatBob died in 1991...10 years ago now. I had no idea. I've never forgotten him though, or his kindness to me and that wonderfully chilled-out evening at Eddie Condon's in New York. 2: This is a photograph of me on the top of the Empire State Building in New York, in the 1970s. It was taken through an observation gallery window so suffers from some reflections which I've attempted to remove without much success. But I like the mood of the shot and that it was taken as the sun was going down. I look a little bit like Rufus Wainwright in this, don't you think? 3: This is a photograph of Be Bop Deluxe's keyboard player Andy Clarke, taken whilst touring America with the band. He's wondering if his weird little herbal roll up might turn him into a munchkin. ;-) 4: Here's a snap of myself looking thoughtful in Abbey Road studios during a Be Bop Deluxe mixing session. I'm thinking, "Hmmm...maybe that vocal is too loud..." 5: Here's John Leckie in the control room at Abbey Road, probably during the above mentioned mixing session. He's probably thinking: "Hmmm...that vocal needs to be louder..." 6: This is a photograph of some of Be Bop Deluxe's equipment in Abbey Road studios. (Studio 3, I think.) A lot of it is still in flight cases and not set up yet but you can see, in the centre of the room, the gong that Simon Fox used on a couple of Be Bop tracks and, if you look carefully towards the rear of the room, sitting against the far wall, between the red door and the control room window, you can glimpse my twin Carlsbro amp set up. A noisy beast and that's for sure. Well, that's all for today. Since beginning to write this entry, my sore throat seems to have become more noticeable. I'd better go and take some more 'First Defence.' Top of page Saturday 12th March 2011 -- 3:00 pm Another restless night due to Emiko's flu which troubled her with a constant cough throughout. She's feeling exhausted and washed out with it all. Her condition hasn't been helped by the news from her home country, which she is finding very upsetting. Once again, all the tv news programmes today are filled with terribly distressing footage from Japan. First the earthquake, then the Tsunami and now a nuclear emergency at an atomic power station. There has also been new footage shown of the Tsunami destruction which swept away property and lives yesterday. It's hard to take it all in, almost incomprehensible. Many other countries have offered help, including England and America. How long it will take to clean everything up and put it all back together is impossible to estimate. A huge task. Emi has made contact with her brothers who seem to be ok. Her youngest brother, (who is a singer), was about to start a session in a Tokyo recording studio when the quake struck. He said it was the worst he'd ever experienced and very scary. He eventually managed to get back home to his apartment where, miraculously, everything was intact. Not so for Emi's older brother. He was at home when the quake hit and his apartment shook so violently that all his shelves and cupboards were emptied of their contents and crockery, glassware, family mementoes and decorative objects were smashed on the floor. Luckily he escaped unscathed but his apartment is a mess. A friend of Emi's had just parked her car in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo when the first, slightly less powerful 'quake struck. Even then, she had to cling to a tree to stop being thrown off her feet. Then the tree started to sway loose...She ran back to her car and the shaking subsided. Then, as she desperately tried to drive back to her apartment block, the main earthquake began. This was the 8.9 one which was long and violent. Emi's friend watched from her car as a huge crane mounted on the top of a tall building toppled over and fell to the ground. She said it was as if she was in a disaster movie. Another friend of Emi's spent the night in her office as there were no trains running to get her home. Many commuters simply walked along the empty train tracks to get back to their apartments. From what we can gather from Emi's brothers, people in Tokyo are now worried about radiation leakage from the crippled nuclear power plant. Whilst the source of the problem is some distance from Tokyo, there are concerns that weather conditions might bring the radiation or dust clouds in the direction of the city. Publishing more photographs from my personal archives seems churlish in view of the above...but I promised more snapshots and the time I've spent preparing them has helped to keep my mind of other things, including my worries about catching Emiko's 'flu virus. So here they are. Today's selection goes way back, much further than the 35 years of the Be Bop Deluxe ones I've previously posted. Todays selection dates back to the 1950's. Photograph number 1: This is a photograph of myself, when I was very young indeed. It was taken outside the caravan where my parents took a holiday at Chapel St. Leonards, near Skegness. (1949 or 1950?) I seem to be sporting a 'pudding-basin' haircut. This is the only photograph from that particular holiday that didn't make it into volume one of my 'Painted From Memory' autobiography. Those fans who have the book will find today's selection of snaps adds further detail to the story and an extension of the photographs contained in the book itself. 2: This is my mother and myself standing on the cliff tops at Reighton Gap on the East Coast with the sea behind us. We used to stay at at a wooden bungalow owned by friends of my parents and this particular spot was just a few yards from there. A couple of years or so ago, I took my mother back to that same spot and Emiko took a photograph of us which I published in my online diary at that time. But here's the inspiration for it. In the book, there is a photo' of my father and I in the same spot, taken on the same day. As I child, I loved visiting Reighton Gap and staying at the bungalow. Where the old bungalow once stood is now a 'static' caravan site but the surrounding landscape has hardly changed. It's a lovely spot and always brings back fond memories whenever I find time to go back and spend a few minutes reminiscing. 3: This is a photograph of my mother, my brother Ian and myself, sitting in the garden of the Reighton Gap bungalow. You can just glimpse the sea and its horizon beyond the bushes to the right of the shot. 4: In this photo, I'm kneeling with my brother Ian in front of the family's Hillman Minx, which is parked at the rear of the Reighton Gap bungalow. This was the second car we'd ever owned. The first was an old 1930's Jowett, (either a Jowett Kestrel or Jowett 10 model). The Hillman seemed quite modern by comparison. It's number plate registration was 'MUM 333.' 5: This photograph shows my mother, Ian and myself on the ferry that took us to France for a day trip outing when we were holidaying at Dymchurch on the South Coast. It was the first, (and only), time that the family had ventured out of the UK. We were back in England by late evening, our day trip taking in a World War 2 cemetery where many British soldiers were buried. I'm still in short trousers and have a little Kodak camera in a canvas camera case, hanging around my neck. 6: I'm not sure where this photograph was taken...a beach in Yorkshire I would think. Bridlington? Withernsea? Scarborough? Or was it in Blackpool on the other coast? Anyway, it shows myself, (on the left of the photo), and my brother Ian making a sandcastle. (I'm looking rather smart in my little blazer and Brylcreemed hair.) Behind us is my mother and next to her, on the extreme right of the photo' my grandmother Ethel Griffiths. Ian's hair was wonderfully curly back then. My mother recently told me that he hated his curly hair when he was little. Apparently he used to say, "I want it straight like my big brother's..." But everyone used to say, "Hasn't he got lovely curly hair?" Well, that's all for today. I'll see how things are tomorrow before scanning more. Maybe some very early, first line-up Be Bop Deluxe ones next. Top of page Wednesday 23rd March 2011 -- 10:00 pm Back home from the final day of band rehearsals for the 'Legends' tv show. It's been an eventful five days. The first day, (last Saturday), was cursed with car breakdowns: Before I left home to drive to the rehearsal studio in Leeds on Saturday morning, I got a call from Adrian at Opium Arts to say that our drummer for the tv show, Gavin Griffiths, had suffered a broken car exhaust on his journey from South Wales to Yorkshire and would be late. As it was the first day of rehearsals and the technical equipment required setting up and checking through, it seemed that this might not be a particularly serious set-back. The extra time for equipment wrangling could prove useful. Emiko was busy that morning putting on a traditional Japanese Kimono with all the trimmings in preparation for a fund raising event to help children suffering from the effects of the tragic Japanese earthquake and Tsunami. The event had been quickly put together by our local Japanese Family Association and Emi had volunteered to make traditional Japanese Tea for visitors. The event featured a Koto concert, Japanese martial arts and a 1,000 Crane Origami challenge amongst several other attractions. Earlier on Saturday morning, intrepid guitar Tech Andy Newlove arrived at Nelson Acres with a Transit van to pick up my guitars, processors, pedal boards, cable boxes, etc, etc, before setting off for the rehearsal studio. After Andy had left, I then loaded a few extra bits and bobs into my car, jumped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition...only to be greeted by a stony, electrically cold silence. Nothing, zero, zilch. Not a 'vroom-vroom' to be heard. I rushed back into the house and told Emiko that I would have to borrow her car to get to rehearsals. Of course, she was just about to leave for the aforementioned charity event, so I drove her across town to the venue before doubling back on myself and heading out of the city in the direction of Leeds. At the rehearsal room, the band, minus Gavin, (and Theo, who would only be available to rehearse with us on the coming Tuesday,) were still setting up their gear. Andy was busy with my guitars and associated equipment, sorting through a maze of cables and pedals. Meanwhile, poor Gavin was suffering further setbacks in Monmouth where his car had been taken in an attempt to facilitate exhaust repairs. At the garage, an over-enthusiastic mechanic drove Gavin's car at a recklessly hasty lick onto the hydraulic ramp that would lift the car up so that its exhaust might be repaired. As a result, the car hit the ramp at such a speed that it ripped off what was left of the exhaust and severed the air-line that powered the up and down motion of the ramp. It seems the car was lifted up high on the ramp without too much of a problem, (other than further damage to the exhaust), but then, due to the severed air-line hose, the ramp wouldn't descend. To cut a long story short, Gavin eventually, (once they'd managed to get his car back on the ground), had to drive the long distance from Monmouth to Leeds with his exhaust tied up with string. He finally made it to the Leeds rehearsal room around 4pm. We were all acutely aware of how stressed out Gavin must have felt, particularly as this was his first day with the band, none of whom he had ever met or played with before. But he rose to the challenge with great style and, once his kit was set up and we got under way, it was as if he'd been playing with us for some considerable time. My own car problem continued: I decided that I'd have to attempt to get my own car started for the next day so I bought an expensive power pack from 'Halfords,' a piece of kit apparently capable of starting any car whose battery was failing. Unfortunately, when I got this 'jump-start' gizmo home, it turned out that it wasn't going to be an immediate solution to my problem...the power pack required a 36 hour charging-up period before it could be used. Once again, I had to borrow Emiko's car to get to Leeds. On my way home from rehearsals that day, Emi's car also developed a worrying problem: a high pitched, metallic screeching, grinding noise. It continued all the way home, a relentless, nerve shredding racket, extremely disconcerting. I did manage to get the car back safely but I couldn't risk using it again to get to and from rehearsals. Since then, every morning, I've used the jump-start machine to get my engine going, both here at home and at the rehearsal room in Leeds. A nuisance but it's got me there and back. Tomorrow, I need to source a new battery, or find out if the alternator is at fault. BUT, alongside these mechanical problems, health has become an issue. Emiko has been suffering from a nasty flu' virus and I've been desperately trying not to catch it. Miraculously, with the aid of various herbal potions, anti-bacterial sprays, vitamins and so on, I've managed to steer clear of it, despite it keeping Emi bed-ridden for a few days and leaving her with a terrible cough for a week and a half. You can imagine the paranoia I felt with the tv show rehearsals looming, (not to mention the show itself). Anyway, I thought I was going to be ok. Then, a couple of days into rehearsal it became apparent that Steve Cook, (keyboards), was not as chipper as usual. He looked poorly and it turned out that he'd caught some nasty bug or other and wasn't feeling at all well. Lo and behold, damn and blast, if I didn't wake up a day or two later with a sore throat, runny nose, feeling clammy and weak, and little physical energy. So, I'm now trying to fight this thing, doing not too bad during the day when my mind is occupied with rehearsal details, but going downhill later, (in the evening), and waking up feeling like I might not be able to utter anything beyond a hoarse whisper. I've had to adapt some vocal melody lines to accommodate my virus stricken voice, singing lower or part-speaking some lines, but I've managed better than expected. How things will develop is hard to say...I might get worse, I might get better. Impossible to know for sure. All I can report here is that I'm not feeling great at the moment and that my energy levels are down, and a cough now seems to be developing. Nevertheless, being part of the post-war generation, raised on the golden age of Hollywood musicals, I'm trying to follow the tradition of 'The Show Must Go On.' Even though, at 9-15 pm on Wednesday 23rd of March, I'm feeling utterly crap. But rehearsals are concluded. The guys in the band have been brilliant, I couldn't wish for a more dedicated group of musicians. As always, there are still a few rough edges, (mostly mine), that could easily be smoothed out by a series of regular live performances, (a luxury we don't have, I'm afraid). So, what will be will have to be. I just hope that we will have a sympathetic audience and suitable technical resources to make the best of our modest performance this coming Saturday. And, despite all else, I pray I'll find a source energy (and less of a cold and cough), to deliver something approaching the dream of excellence that I always seem to wake up from with a sense of disappointment these days. But maybe I demand too much of these situations... It's now all down to Saturday...and the two days prior to that. Scary stuff... Top of page

All Dressed Up In Your Art School Clothes Bill Nelson download single - 3 November 2023 Singles Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) All Dressed Up In Your Art School Clothes 02) Five Flying Horses NOTES: "All Dressed Up In Your art School Clothes" is a single Bill composed and recorded exclusively for the Sara's Dream Foundation . The charity's aim is to raise money for the families of children suffering from cancer to help provide some happiness and to create special memories. Fans can download the songs in return for a donation to the charity. The single also includes a 'b-side' entitled 'Five Flying Horses' which is an instrumental version of the single's title track. "All Dressed Up In Your Art School Clothes" was released on a special ' Bill Nelson (Charity Single)' Bandcamp p age on 30 October 2023, with news of the release first announced in a Dreamsville newsletter on 3 November 2023. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available to purchase from the Bill Nelson (Charity Singles) Bandcamp page. Singles Menu Future Past

Neptune's Galaxy Bill Nelson album - 11 July 2006 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) My Ship Reclines On Clouds Of Sail 02) She Signals From Across The Bay 03) All Alone In A Boat Of His Own 04) Coastal Starlight 05) Ship In A Bottle Blues (The Modern Mariner) ALBUM NOTES: Neptune's Galaxy is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 500 copies. The album was created as a companion album to The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill . All five tracks are lengthy pieces that feature electric piano and guitar set to a background of suitably sourced sound effects. The album sold out in October 2006 - less than 4 months after being released. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill , Gleaming Without Lights , Quiet Bells , And We Fell Into A Dream , Mazda Kaleidoscope , Dreamland to Starboard , Crimsworth , Rosewood One , Rosewood Two BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Neptune is a great album to listen to whilst picnicking on the cliff tops on a warm summer day, the lighthouse to your left, the harbour below, white sails of little yachts bobbing out at sea, seagulls soaring in a blue sky overhead, and your best girlie by your side. I'm hoping to release Neptune towards the end of June, whilst the summer still sings." _____ "I am VERY satisfied with Neptune's Galaxy , but in a different way to the Sailor Bill album. Neptune's Galaxy is much more low key and ambient. It's not trying to be a bold new statement, but is an exploration of an area of music I've visited before, (Ie: Dreamland , Crimsworth , Rosewood ), but it stretches and extends those moods via an oceanic soundscape. Parts of it reference the kind of work I've done with my pal Harold Budd too, in fact some of it is directly inspired by the concert I took part in with Harold about a year ago in Brighton. "You might say that Neptune's Galaxy is more abstract, contemplative, an 'art' piece, an impressionist painting, if you like, whilst Sailor Bill is cinematic, linear, figurative, biographical. They compliment each other by being connected to the coastal theme whilst being rather different in execution. "I guess the most similar piece in terms of atmosphere on Sailor Bill would be the final track, "My Ship is Lost to Semaphore". This track serves as a bridge or portal to the alternative world of Neptune's Galaxy . For now, enjoy Neptune's Galaxy whilst the sun shines and the waves lap the shore." _____ "As the tracks on the actual album are very long, it's impossible to give more than a wee taste of the album's mood via a short sample. The tracks develop at a very relaxed pace, they don't rush through their changes, but they do unfold and develop quite dramatically as you listen to them. It is an easy album to absorb in many ways as it's all melodic, pastel coloured and quite gentle. But it IS an album to listen to properly if you're to enjoy the subtle way each track blossoms out from its initial premise. It takes its time and asks you to do the same. The more time you spend with it, the more it will reveal." _____ "For me, I can't just keep turning out exactly the same style of music over and over...I'd get so bored with it, so I keep moving the atoms around, keep things in motion as much as possible. I like to challenge myself, as much as the listener. But it's all from the same true source, my imagination, heart and soul. And it all means something and that 'something' will never be too difficult to grasp." _____ "Didn't I tell you that I was about to release my hyper-thrash-metal album, 'Satan Wants Your Daughter's Flip-Flops And Will Leave Marks On Your Floor If They Don't Fit'? Every copy comes with a free one-million-watt home public address system so that your neighbours can join in the fun. But if you really want to make them scratch their heads, Neptune's Galaxy will provide a more controversial and subversive listening experience. Especially if you start bringing mermaids home to frolic in the bath with you whilst you play the album full blast on your wind-up gramophone." _____ "Glad you like the merladies on the cover. Took me ages to catch them and days afterwards to mend my nets." FAN THOUGHTS: Johnny Jazz: "Words fail me...it's beautiful." "I love the fact that I've listened to NG half a dozen times since Saturday, each time it felt as though I were listening to a different album. There is so much going on, new motifs to discover, so many different ways to listen to it as well." neill_burgess: "First impressions are very, very positive indeed. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is absolutely gorgeous. At times, ambient yes, but often so much more, with wonderful guitarwork (most reminiscent of Dreamland to Starboard ) and skittering percussive beats and bleeps of a level I've not yet heard on any of Bill's albums. On top of that, it strikes me that this could be the best produced/mixed of any of Bill's albums, the whole sonic landscape clearly defined in a way that is itself a sheer pleasure." Parsongs: "Bill tells us about his previous life as a sailor, and then paints a musical picture about what he sees. It's a beautiful view from any coast." Sue: "After the opening ceremony and official listen-in, this relaxing and enchanting CD is certainly more delicious than strawberries and ice-cream, sweeter than honey, more magical than a childhood Christmas, has more aaahhhh!! than a Cadbury's eclair, and is smoother than the smoothest of silks. A real delight." Twilightcapers: "Don't know about anyone else, but I absolutely love this album. It's probably one of my most played CDs since it came out. There are moments of pure magic on there when I forget it's Bill Nelson manipulating the instruments and I just get lost in the ambience. Along with Sailor Bill , my two favourite BN releases, and they are not guitar based works either! Hard to pin down exactly why I like them so much - they're just so different from everything else." Pathdude: "I think it is fantabulous. I wish it was twice as long. That style of Bill's is transcendent (in my mind)." BenTucker: "One of the things I find with Bill's albums from, say, after 2000 or so, is their inexhaustibility of appeal - you can go back to them again & again. Neptune's Galaxy seems to have a vast amount of "musical information", whilst at the same time being the ultimate 'chill-out' album (not a term I particularly like, but you know what I mean)." "Particularly struck with the first track - you feel as if you're floating listening to it (while simultaneously being dazzled). This is how "ambient music" should be: colourful and blissful. Absolutely essential listening - you really should buy it if you haven't already." machman767: "On the subject of the first track, Bill has made much of the cd being perfect summer listening material. The first time I played it, however, it brought back emotions of walking on a cliff top in late autumn, with a faint sea mist hanging around. Even in the middle of a belting heatwave it still conjures up the image. I've got to say there ain't much music around these days that manages to create ANY emotions!" mvande2: "One of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard ever is the first 2 1/2 minutes of "She Signals From Across the Bay". My eyes involuntarily close and I melt." thunk: "I tend to see this kind of music as 'expressionistic', while other ambient albums may rely more on the hypnotic effect of 'tones' & 'repetition' to seduce in an alternate way ('impressionistic?) - that's just 'one' take on this interesting & challenging form of music, and it can be SO much more rewarding than a collection of more structured songwriting from which an 'instant' appeal must somehow reach further..." "Bill's music is 'most-rewarding' it seems in the long-term, and as with Neptune's Galaxy , its depth & beauty will emerge as we all give it more 'plays' and allow it a natural place in our Nelsonic heart..." Angeltide: "I hope this doesn't sound too pretentious (ie wanky) but if you have had a go at making a bit of music yourself, you begin to get some idea of the level of inspiration, hard work and determination that goes into creating a serious 'noodle' like this. I've only listened a couple of times, as I like to savour these things properly, but my impression is that the album never stands still and is constantly introducing new sounds, ideas, mood shifts, references elsewhere and stylistic nods of the head to influences big and small. And all with apparently minimal effort and fuss." "It's just absolutely beautiful. If you haven't ordered it do so. I said before that Sailor Bill had a curiously relaxing feel from the moment it starts and this one is even more so. Can't praise it highly enough." Albums Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) February 2005 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Dec Tuesday 22nd February 2005 -- 9 pm Snow these last two days. Heavy yesterday. I decided to drive Emi to work rather than let her risk the treacherous roads on her own. Today a slight thaw and now a freeze. Icy conditions tomorrow. Still working intensely on the website images with Dave Graham. Slowly but surely coming together. This is just the 'skin' for some areas of the site... Soon, the cavities beneath the skin will have to be created and filled with content from my archived 'private' sources and also from the Permanent Flame files supplied by Chuck Bird. Still a long way to go before we're fully operational but things will be added as time progresses. It will be several months before the site approaches the kind of strength and complexity I've got in mind. I'm also working on visual content for Paul Sutton-Reeves book about my career. Due to various things beyond his control, he's had to come back to me for more photos to go into the book. I've spent the last few days scanning things from my own collection and have just put out an appeal to fans to send in any photographs they may have of Red Noise. As Red Noise's career was relatively short, I don't have much visual material relating to the band. It's one area where my archives are a lacking. Duncan Ahlgren and Garry Nichol have sent in some of their own personal shots of Red noise though and we should be able to use a couple of these for the book. Also working on the possibility of major label re-releases... the EMI box set and Universal's proposal to re-issue the 'Mercury' years. It's a complex project though, particularly the latter as much of the material has been issued as part of my Cocteau Records catalogue. Adrian at Opium is trying to get to the bottom of it. Adrian just got back from the Grammys in L.A. Sounds glamourous. Not sure I'd want to go though, other than to ogle those girls in almost non-existent frocks. Oh, yes... I saw them on TV and thought, 'lucky Adrian'. Yes, maybe I would go, given the chance... drool all over their chiffon like the shameless old dog I am. Adrian shared a table with the Foo Fighters who, so Adrian told me, said very nice things about my music. Credibility time with Elle and Elliot again, then. A brownie point for me. My acoustic guitar based instrumental album at a standstill. Frozen like the weather. No time available to work on it right now. I hope I can get it finished in time for a spring release. I've got more ideas in mind for it though... more little snippets of composition that I ought to record before they melt into air. I'd like to assemble a guitar instrumental compilation album too, as I may have mentioned before in these pages. Pull together some of my favourite pieces from across the years and add in a couple of unreleased tracks for good measure. Could be an interesting combination of things. Lots of other little things nagging away in the background. Some I can't speak about here yet... but some very interesting developments coming up soon. Quite exciting, I think. I'll tell more when the time is right. Enough work for today. Maybe I'll watch TV for a while until bedtime. Unwind. A short diary entry but, to be expected considering my tiredness. Some more website visual promo attached to make up for it. Top of page Saturday 26th February 2005 The snows have melted and the view across the field from my studio window is green again. Quite cold, nevertheless. Became frustrated by the constant visual scanning and photoshop work I've been so busy with and decided to put it all to one side and spend a day or two recording some new pieces for my electro-acoustic guitar album. This thing seems to take a different turn each time I return to it after a lay-off. Two new tracks completed and more ideas bubbling under. For an acoustic album, it seems to have developed a jazzy turn of phrase. Jazz has always been a subliminal force in my music, even from the pre-Be Bop Deluxe days. ( I didn't chose the words 'Be Bop' just for the sound they made.) As the years advance, however, I seem to be mutating into some kind of 'jazz' guitarist, though not in the sense that other musicians would generally recognise within the academic implications of the term. As a man who neither reads music nor has ever had a guitar or music theory lesson in his life, I'm ill equipped to deal with jazz in its orthodox, commonly accepted sense. Perhaps I shouldn't really use the word in this context at all. It's just that, for some time now, I've found myself feeling increasingly more inspired by (and empathetic with), the lives of jazz musicians. For all the glittering (if dumb), excess of rock music's iconic figures, it seems to me that jazz music's icons lived their musical lives more completely, intelligently and profoundly. Equally as self-destructive as some rock musicians (sometimes perhaps)... but even so, as a species, it's obvious that there's something a bit more evolved going on. My real bottom line is that it's all just music and that categories are as much a restriction as a help. We're all victims of the kind of conceptual packaging that sorts music into conveniently labelled boxes... boxes that not only divide the music up but also restrict our free movement within music's ocean of sound. Perhaps it is naive of me to believe that it is possible for anyone to respond positively to the whole range of musical expression available to us as 21st Century consumers but I like to think that an ability to appreciate a broad range of music is everyone's birthright... even the girls who work with Emiko in the flower shop who seem blissfully unaware of any music outside of the radio and disco 'norm'. I've said it before but, we need a higher standard of musical education in our schools... the subject needs taking much more seriously than at present, particularly with reference to music's wider implications. By this, I mean abstract thought, pure aesthetics and philosophical development. For me, naturally, it's the one true religion and always has been. All else is heresey. Which brings me to a very special event: I've now been given permission to write about a concert that I'm to be involved in on the 21st of May this year. It is (for want of a better term), a tribute concert to my long-time and very dear friend Harold Budd . Harold announced his retirement from performance and recording last year, his latest album, 'Avalon Sutra' purporting to be his last. He played a farewell concert in Los Angeles towards the end of 2004 but there is now going to be a similar event here in the UK as part of this year's Brighton Arts Festival . A number of artists are to take part in this and a band is being put together around Harold for the final segment of the concert. The artists involved in this are myself, Michael Nyman, Jah Wobble, John Foxx (of Ultravox), Steve Cobby (of Fila Brasilia), Robin Guthrie (of Cocteau Twins), Steve Jansen (of Japan), The Balanescu Quartet and others still to be confirmed. Channel Light Vessel was once given the title 'ambient supergroup' by the music media but this event promises to take that term somewhere else entirely. Harold has been dropping me letters and e-mails over the last couple of months or so about the project and I'm pleased to see that it is finally coming to fruition. Harold naturally had some personal reservations about the project, unsure of what stresses and strains might be involved but I think these have been overcome. Everyone taking part in this event has a personal respect and love for Harold and his work and it will be a privelege and sheer thrill for me to take part and honour Harold alongside everyone else. And of course, I will be absolutely terrified too. Neverthless, when all's said and done, it will be an absolutely unique, one-off event that anyone who gives a damn about the possibility of art within music should not miss. I should spend time with Emiko today. I've been working late in the studio every night for some weeks and Emi has to sit downstairs watching TV when she comes home from work. Saturdays and Sundays are usually the only time we get to do anything together socially. I'll switch off the music and visuals and take her out somewhere. Recharge my own batteries too. Top of page