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Tramcar to Tomorrow retrospective collection - 31 August 1998 Be Bop Deluxe Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Third Floor Heaven 02) Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape 03) Mill Street Junction 04) 15th Of July (Invisibles) 05) Maid In Heaven 06) Stage Whispers 07) Sister Seagull 08) Blazing Apostles 09) Crying To The Sky 10) Peace Of Mind 11) Panic In The World 12) Love In Flames NOTES: Tramcar to Tomorrow was a natural follow up to Radioland issued four years previously, in that gave the first official release to a selection of Be Bop Deluxe BBC studio session recordings made for The John Peel Show . It wasn't a definitive collection by any means, but it was a start for those fans who had spent part of their youth recording this material onto cassettes either from the original Peel programmes or from various re-broadcasts on the Alan Freeman show or the Friday Rock Show presented by Tommy Vance. Sourced from 4 different sessions and giving the first release to the lost song "15th of July" (recorded for a 1974 Peel session), Tramcar to Tomorrow provided a decent overview of the band's BBC recordings made to promote the albums Axe Victim , Futurama , Sunburst Finish , and Drastic Plastic . The omission of the three tracks from a 1973 Peel session ("Axe Victim", "Bluesy Ruby" and "Tomorrow The World"), plus one track from the 1975 session ("Lights") and two tracks from the 1978 session ("Superenigmatix" and "Love in Flames") was disappointing to those looking at least for complete sessions, if not a complete anthology of such recordings. The subsequent release of At the BBC 1974-1978 (2013), with the inclusion of the previously omitted tracks from the 1975 and 1978 sessions, was a huge step in the right direction, but frustratingly three tracks found on Tramcar were omitted from the 2013 box set release. The Peel session from November 1973 wouldn't see an official release until the Cherry Red/Esoteric Recordings reissue of Axe Victim in 2020. PAST RELEASES: None of this material was previously available on official releases. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This compilation is now out of print. Collections Menu Future Past

Signals From Realms of Light Bill Nelson album - 1 October 2011 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) I Am The Universe 02) Past And Present (And The Space Between) 03) Beam Service 04) The Spirit That Remembers 05) Happy Realms Of Light 06) Days Of Golden Dreams 07) Dark And Bright ALBUM NOTES: Signals From Realms of Light is an instrumental album released on the Sonoluxe label issued in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album's concept was first announced on the Dreamsville forum in June 2011 having grown out of an album titled The Mysterious Echo Chamber of Priapus Stratocaste r. A change in musical direction and difficulties in realizing appropriate artwork for an album with that title led to a revised working title of Greetings from the Realms of Light . Nelson then decided that the material he had assembled for the project was best split across two quite different albums, and the tracks initially created with the Priapus Stratocaster album in mind were removed to allow the Signals From Realms of Light album to develop along the lines we know from the finished album. Pre-release copies of the album were first made available at the The Art School Ascended on Vapours of Roses event held at Leeds University along with Model Village on the 1st of October, 2011, before going on general release through S.O.S. just 3 days later. Signals From Realms of Light sold out in November 2019. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Non-Stop Mystery Action , Theatre of Falling Leaves , Mazda Kaleidoscope , Palace of Strange Voltages , Gleaming Without Lights , Wah-Wah Galaxy , Dreamland to Starboard , Neptune's Galaxy , Map of Dreams BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It's a hybrid sort of album which, whilst entirely instrumental, (save for several 'found voice' samples), contains long-form, reflective, quite serene moments as well as the aforementioned psychedelic guitar thrashings. The latter serve as interludes for the longer, more introspective pieces but I think the real key to the album will be those much longer, slowly evolving, exploratory tracks... The new working title is 'Greetings From the Realms of Light' . ('Light' being a recurring theme/symbol in some of the voice samples). As always though, until the album is mastered and manufactured, this could be subject to change!" _____ "The mood is that of a series of sound paintings, gathered from a romantic, imaginary future that never arrived." FAN THOUGHTS: Puzzleoyster: Re: Which album do you consider to be Bill's Magnum Opus? "Back against the wall, it has to be Signals From Realms of Light . A complete Life-affirming 68 minute miracle, delivered sonically in the Bill Nelson Style...No words spoken or delivered - the instrumentation delivers the words if you know the language." paul.smith: "Possessing everything I love about Bill's abstract instrumental albums - absolutely stunning and full of layers - each time I have the pleasure of playing it I get something new - fantastic..." alec: "Getting pretty addicted to SFRofL . It's a deep one. Turns the mind into a cinema." Serge Ruel: "WARNING/INTICEMENT: Listening to this record will shift your consciousness. If you want an album that reflects many/many/many of Bill's recent themes and their development; this is the one. BRAVO/BRAVO - An artistic tour de force! More than worth the price of admission! Thanks for keeping on (continuing to develop)!!!" johnofdeath: "I've always loved the way Bill uses samples of voices in his music and these longer pieces contain lots of them. Really nostalgic/atmospheric...(At one stage I was a bit concerned about the repeated use of "recalculating" until I realised it was my Sat Nav telling me I'd taken a wrong turning but it did fit in with the music!!!)" tom fritz: "I've just been loving "Past and Present", from Signals From Realms of Light - 22 minutes of "pure joy". A real treat for the guitarists - we're all wired that way. At the 4:00 mark, the e-bow shines in, chills abound & the day starts over." andygeorge : "I am the Universe"...Just how f*****g good is that blistering guitar sound when it kicks in...the tone, the texture, the body...I literally stopped what I was doing when I heard it the first time, had to savour the moment and not miss a note...Bloody marvellous Mr Nelson!!!" aquiresville: "Sorry, Fellas, but it's "Beam Service" all the way 'til Friday. Such a perfect soar-worthy, slick-n-slide Bill guitar solo! Only one artist sounds like that!" mthom: "I think Bill's new stuff is truly the best. I oftentimes go back to the old stuff and think, wow, this sounds kind of primitive. But in a good way, but not so textured and...full. Signals From Realms of Light continues to amaze me, with some of the best damn guitar playing I have heard in a long time. So textured and...full. There's a lot going on there, and it seems to get better with repeated listens. Hooya!" felixt1: " Signals From Realms of Light is one of those albums with instant reward. It's got all of the attributes that Nelsonians of all vintages will enjoy. Gorgeous guitar, chimes, piano, lush synths, cool science fiction type sounds, they're all there in abundance. An absolute triumph, I am instantly hooked on this album. "The long form track in particular, "Past and Present (and the Space Between)" is a corker with many a twist and turn and lots of nice guitar...and some nice chilled ambient moments. Buy it !!!" Analog: "This has my favourite found voice piece, without doubt, (possibly my favourite track of all for a single piece of music from any artist ever!) - and when you hear it I'm sure you'll agree that it is outstanding - "Days of Golden Dreams", and my second favourite found voice piece - "The Spirit That Remembers", though my favourite could not exist in its delightful form without the other which comes first on the album. "Overall an album that is a MUST buy as it really sets a mood as only Mr. Nelson can, and what a great mood. (Listening as I type - typing ceases, listening now! THE TRACK...Ah, Yes! Repeat play for that track! Bravo Mr. Nelson. Always does it for me. Creativity in its finest. Needed that. I feel better now.)" Paul Andrews: "Bill unleashed from standard song format to a truly creative peak." Albums Menu Future Past

Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms Bill Nelson album - 20 September 2010 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) One Thing Leads To Another 02) Sky Scooter 03) Speedboats From Another World 04) In An Aeroplane 05) The Dream Of The Unified Field 06) Binky And The Dancing Astronomers 07) Real Worlds And Dream Worlds 08) The Kid With A Cuckoo Clock Heart 09) What Station Is This? 10) After The Rain, Pick The Fruit 11) Binky's Blues 12) Another Slice Of Wonder Cake 13) Buddha And The Rain Cloud 14) The Day That Came And Went 15) Wing Thing ALBUM NOTES: Modern Moods for Mighty Atoms is a mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces released on the Blue Shining Fountain label in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album was born out of unused material composed and recorded at the time Nelson was compiling Fables and Dreamsongs and Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus (the album compiled especially for Nelsonica 10 ). With a number of high quality tracks that didn't fit within the style or concept of those two albums, Nelson set about the task of adding a handful of new tracks written especially for the album and soon had a third new album to master. Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms sold out in August 2019. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "These tracks were originally made for the forthcoming albums in this new series of releases [Fables and Dreamsongs and Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus] , but either they didn't fit in terms of concept, or there was simply no room left on either album to include them. So, in a sense, Modern Moods is a compilation of 'left-overs'. But the amazing thing was that these left-overs actually fitted together in an interesting way and have created a rather nice album with lots of variety." FAN THOUGHTS: BenTucker: "It really is an absolute stunner - it will blow a lot of people's minds, I suspect." BobK: "I love the variety. Rocky, poppy, jazzy, up-tempo, slow tempo, some with vocals, some instrumentals, and some 'strange ones'. My goodness, that IS variety. Well variety is nice, but it helps that every single track is very impressive indeed." andygeorge: "First impression? An absolute corker of an album! "If anybody had any doubts about Mr Bill Nelson being able to 'cut it' anymore, I defy them to listen to this and not be blown away by the sheer genius of the man. As Bob has said, variety rules here...something and more for anybody's taste buds to savour...Love it! "And these are 'cast offs' Mr Nelson?...Well, roll on the next chapter! "..."Another Slice of Wonder Cake?"...Yes please! "...enough of this, back to the music..."Sky Scooter" is playing now...Love it!" MondoJohnny: "I love it! All the tracks grab me instantly. I particularly like the vocal tracks so far." "It just gets better and better with repeat listens! "Sky Scooter" is great! I think it's greatest hit material, even though there aren't any lyrics." "I was blown away by how much energy this album had. When most artists start getting older they adopt a more "mature sound" which usually seems to mean that they throw out all the whistles and bells, and produces really low pulse thoughtful music. Bill seems able to still capture high energy pieces, but he infuses them with his working knowledge of life, and his technical mastery and restraint. It is a winning combination to be sure." Holer: "Hi Bill - Just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying the new record. It's fun to hear an album where all of your moods and styles are on display. It really confounded my expectations at every turn and that's a good thing. I am particularly enamoured of the instrumentals "What Station is This?" and "Wing Thing". I've always had a soft spot for your penchant for high weirdness, and those tunes really fill the bill. (oops pun.) I could literally listen to hours of that kind of stuff (and often do...). "Anyway, thanks once again for delivering another elpee of cracking tunes." Pathdude: "A true classic with tremendous vocals and instrumentals of all types. It seems to touch upon every mood. One of my absolute favorites." "This one is too good to miss." JMH: "What Station is This?": "I literally had to pull to the side of the road, stop the car and listen to this wondrous piece. The artist and his definitive art of perfect invention are in superb form on this track...takes me backwards and forwards in time...little does Mr. Nelson realise , perhaps, that he is the preeminent inventor/arbiter of Modern Western Musical Mysticism...I certainly got misty eyed listening to this track." "This was a stop-dead-in-your-tracks awe inspiring listen." Alan: "I can say that this one hooked me on the first listen. I love every track on it. I'm off work tomorrow and can hardly wait to listen even more closely. "If anyone is wondering whether or not to get this album, I say go for it." Albums Menu Future Past

Non-Stop Mystery Action Bill Nelson album - 25 November 2009 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) This Is Like A Galaxy 02) Welcome To The Dream Transmission Pavilion 03) Yes And No 04) When The Invisible Circus Comes To Town 05) Materialisation Phenomena 06) The Departure Of The 20th Century In A Hail Of Memory ALBUM NOTES: Non-Stop Mystery Action is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album is a collection of lengthy instrumental pieces, three of which are soundtracks to videograms that Nelson produced in 2008 and 2009. These are 'Welcome to the Dream Transmission Pavilion', 'Materialisation Phenomena' and 'The Departure of the 20th Century in a Hail of Memory', all of which were included on the Picture House DVD issued in 2010. Nelson's first announced the Non Stop Mystery Action album in his online diary, dated 21 July 2009, at which point the album had seven tracks, including three that failed to make the final cut: "Like a Woman Levitating", "Machines of Loving Grace" and "Stranger Flowers Now Than Ever". These were replaced with "Materialisation Phenomena" and "When the Invisible Circus Comes to Town". The final track listing was confirmed on 1 November 2009, with all artwork and mastering commitments completed ready for its pre-Christmas release. Non-Stop Mystery Action sold out in December 2020. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "I'm currently working on the assembly of what will be my next CD album release, the NON-STOP MYSTERY ACTION album. It looks like the album will only contain six tracks...but they are all 'long-form' pieces...some of them very long. It is also shaping up to be one of the strangest albums I've ever released. Nearly all the tracks have voice samples and one features my own spoken voice-over. "This is not an album for casual listening, playing in the car, (too many quiet and subtle details will be lost), or for tapping toes to. But it IS an album for those of you who appreciate being taken on strange and somewhat dark journeys. No orthodox arrangements here, just a magnetic, hypnotic continuum of sound and atmosphere, a stream-of-consciousness flow on which to sail your paper boats of dreams. "I'm trying not to underestimate my audience's capacity for enjoying a little weirdness with this one. I've deliberately kept it quite single-minded and 'pure' in that sense. There are no sops to orthodox tastes. In fact, there's little to hang on to if you're not used to being cast adrift in strange oceans without a life-belt. But, I'm going to take the gamble that some of you will be equal to the challenge. Are you up to it?" _____ "The album's style ranges from dark, industrial improvised blues loops to extended, long-form compositions incorporating found-sounds, digital noise, treated voice samples, neo-classical orchestrations, spoken word narratives, sliced n' diced samples of once popular songs, jazzy guitars, towers full of bells, bad-acid psychedelia, autobiographical commentary, subtle irony and melancholic, time-travelling whimsy." _____ "Non-Stop Mystery Action functions as a kind of 'sonic cinema'. Extended pieces that project flickering, dream-like images on the screen of the listener's imagination. In fact, three of the pieces on the album, (tracks 2, 5 and 6), were created as soundtracks to video artworks that I screened at the 2008 and 2009 annual Nelsonica conventions. These three 'long-form' pieces provided me with the starting point and concept for the album. The other three tracks were created to contrast and compliment them. So, dim the lights, sit back and let the dreams unreel..." _____ "Materialisation Phenomena": "Oh, I forgot to mention: the album also has a track that features ten minutes of digitally-delayed acoustic 'thumb-piano' improvisation. "A 'thumb piano', for those of you scratching your heads, is a small gourd with seven rusty bits of metal attached to it. These are 'sort of' tuned to a series of notes. (The 'sort of' indicates that they're not actually in-tune at all, at least in the normal sense). The notes are sounded by flicking the metal bars with one's thumbs. It sounds like a music box from hell (at least it does after ten minutes of the damned thing!) Still, in the mix, I occasionally fade it out to be replaced with a swathe of tinkling wind chimes. And a LOT of sampled windy weather and rustling leaves. "Those of you already complaining about my musical perversity and single-mindedness will be pleased to know that, at the end of the ten minute improvisation, my thumbs were actually cut and bleeding and took a few days to heal, although copious amounts of antiseptic cream were applied to counteract the toxic effects of the rusty metal. Then again, YOU, dear listeners, may require more than antiseptic cream to counteract the deliriously toxic effects of the track itself. One must suffer for one's art, don't cha know!" FAN THOUGHTS: John Spence: "Dark, scary, intense, moody, joyful, uplifting and humorous, but above all beautifully sequenced and laid out. Not an album to "dip in to" I suspect, more a listening experience from start to finish. After we'd finished mastering and Bill had gone I sat and listened to the production master all the way through again. 'Nuff said...enjoy (and I'm not on commission !)" jetboy: "I'm not very good at reviews as such, especially music reviews, but here goes...Listen to this album in one sitting, decent volume and a 'do not disturb' sign on the door, then be carried away, totally immersed in sound...imagine yourself in a dream and are walking across a landing, at the end of the landing lies a door, phosphorescent light seeping out of the keyhole and from under the door...open the door and see a figure from the back, hunched over a worktop or bench surrounded by vials, bell-jars glass tubes, brass machinery, dials, clocks, amp-meters dusty valve radio sets, all kinds of electrical paraphernalia ...there's random voices, radio broadcasts just picked up from some alternative yesterday (was it 1932 or is it tomorrow? It could be one and the same)...flashes of light, crystal guitars, shimmering keyboards touches of infra-bass...welcome to the Sound Laboratory of Professor Nelson...! Buy it and be spellbound." Martin Bostock: "You'll certainly be having some very strange, dark & wonderful dreams after listening to this! Especially with the beautifully dark "This is Like A Galaxy" and "Materialisation Phenomena"...superb stuff!!" G. Vazquez: "I must say this CD is one of the most fantastic musical trips I have ever had. It's overload with emotional power. It seems to me that every note carries a profound significance. Yes there's static, wind chimes, wind, etc. but when out of the blue comes a note, it hits like a lighting strike. Who am I to say this, but I believe those songs came from a very deep, personal chamber from Bill Nelson's heart..." Holer: " Non-Stop has been playing, well - non-stop, and it's still thrilling, chilling and fulfilling me, particularly the main piece, which has that magical ability to sound different almost every time I hear it. It is an absolute feast for the deep listener in all of us. I recently came across a copy of John Cage's book, Silence, a truly great book of essays, and in it, he talks about how, when confronted with new and different types of music, it is the listeners DUTY to strip away any pre-conceptions and experience it without our judgmental little mind chattering away in the background. Beginners Ears, I guess you could call it. I think that's exactly the kind of attention Non-Stop deserves..." "Materialisation Phenomena": "is really one of the most evocative and interesting tracks Bill has ever done - I don't think it has any precedent in his canon - I can't say - oh it reminds me of this or it sounds like an extension of that - it's just a completely different direction for Bill and one I find damned exciting. The whole album is a stunner, but that particular track has a real vapor lock on me right now - chimes, thumb piano and all." "Bill's always been able to move in multiple directions at once - I just hope that this is one direction he continues to explore. I truly think this is one of the most significant albums of his long, lustrous career." noggin: "I find myself enjoying NSMA immensely, and find the music thoroughly engrossing. I also generally prefer the more accessible (if that's the right description) music that Bill creates, but this album has got me well and truly hooked. It's also totally unique." stpetelou: "I LOVE it! It's obvious how much work and care went into "The Departure of the 20th Century in a Hail of Memory", not to mention the other tracks. I listened to the entire album early this morning while still lying in bed, and though I was wide awake, I felt as if I was floating through a dreamscape. A stunningly beautiful album." Peter: "This one is something different and genuinely special. Bill likes to paint with guitars...this one conjures a whole different mood and atmosphere. I really like it." Alan: "When I first heard about this album, it sounded like something that would interest me, but it's much more than I expected. Once again, Bill has taken us to another corner of the musical world, and has done it with style." A Kinder Light: "I'm really enjoying Non-Stop Mystery Action . It's difficult to add anything else other than to say that it's an expansive piece of work that ranks amongst the best of the Sonoluxe catalogue. And I'm not saying that just the for the sake of mentioning it. Wait 'til you all have a chance to get lost in this thing! Truly amazing, Bill...truly amazing. BenTucker: "It's an extraordinary-sounding album. Not to separate elements of it, but the guitar in "Yes and No" has to be heard to be believed (or perhaps you still won't believe it even after you've heard it), and the opening to "The Departure of the 20th Century"...is (to understate things) haunting. You'd have to be insane not to order a copy of this immediately." Albums Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) October 2009 Jan Jul Aug Sep Nov Dec Monday 5th October 2009 -- 12:00 pm Have just been speaking on the 'phone with Emi who is still in Japan. She's been away for 10 days now and there's still no indication of when she'll be coming home. Today is her 61st birthday. It's the first time since we've been a couple that we've not been able to go out for a meal together to celebrate it. Before she left England, I gave her two birthday gifts. The main one, (a watch), she opened there and then. The second birthday gift was packed unopened in her suitcase, to take with her to Japan, with strict instructions from me not to unwrap it until today. It's a very nice gold and turquoise blue dress ring with a silver dragonfly set on top of the stone. She's now opened it and says that she loves it and that it fits fine. But we're missing each other terribly and the days just seem to drag and drag. Emi's back problem is still bothering her so she's visited a Tokyo physiotherapist for treatment and has booked another appointment for next week. Her mother seems to be a little better than she was on Emi's previous visit. I'm told that she is eating and communicating more than before and gives the impression of being a little more positive in her outlook. But, despite her mother's slight improvement, the general picture out there remains vague. It's a trait of Japanese culture that nothing is as clearly or directly expressed as it would be here in England. There's lots of hinting and reading between the lines but getting a straight answer is hard work. I'm still amazed that anything gets done in Japan at all, so diffused and foggy are the decision-making proceedures. Nothing is ever hit 'head-on.' I know that many western people living or working there find this facet of Japanese culture difficult to understand and often frustrating. Life here without Emi became even more stressful last week. On Thursday, I returned home from town around 6 pm to be greeted by the sight of Django, (my cat,) in the garden, waving his tail around in a very odd, agitated manner. I sensed something was amiss and as I walked towards him saw that there was something wrong with the end of his tail. It was at a strange angle and when I looked closer could see that the end section of the tail was almost cut right through. I tried not to panic but, in a state of shock, immediately 'phoned the nearby vetinary surgeon where our two cats are registered. The lady who answered the 'phone said they were just about to close but that I should call their emergency number. This connected me with a different vetinary practice which, from what the voice on the other end of the telephone told me, was in the process of 'taking over' our usual vet's business. I was instructed to take Django to a different surgery which was somewhere over the other side of town. I put Django into his transport box,which is always a struggle as he hates going in it, (and to the vets), and set off in the car. When I arrived somewhere in the general vicinity of the new vet's surgery, I parked the car and carried Django in his box along the street towards where I thought the surgery was located. My sense of panic increased when, after walking some distance, I couldn't see anything remotely to do with a vet. Maybe I'd gone in the wrong direction. I turned around and walked several hundred yards along the main road in the opposite direction with Django becoming more and more stressed inside his box. And still I couldn't find the place. I tried calling the vet's number on my mobile phone but got only an answering machine. Eventually, I asked someone passing by if they knew where the vet's surgery was and they pointed me back in the opposite direction, where I'd just come from, but said that it was quite a way further along the road than I'd originally presumed. By this time, I was as stressed as Django, my heart pounding like a drum. After an about face and further walking I eventually arrived, breathless, at the surgery which was located in an imposing Victorian town house, quite some distance from where I'd parked the car. I was instructed by the receptionist to wait in a high-ceilinged, brightly lit room until the vet arrived. When he did arrive, he very carefully examined Django's tail, indicating the protruding bone and informed me that it was almost completely severed and could not be stitched together. The only solution was to amputate the latter part of the tail. This would involve Django staying at the surgery overnight prior to an operation to remove the damaged part of the tail the following morning. Meanwhile, the vet gave Django two injections, one a pain-killing solution and the other an antibiotic to try and stop the wound from becoming infected. I explained how I'd come home to find Django in the garden with the injury and couldn't think what might have caused it. The vet said that it appeared as if someone had deliberately slammed a door on his tail, almost severing it completely. Now, Django and Tink both spend a lot of time outside. There are fields beyond our garden although we're flanked on both sides by neighbours. That afternoon, when I'd gone into town, Django and Tink were outside in the garden, lazily enjoying the autumn sunshine. Django was perfectly fine with no signs of injury. This was around 3:30 in the afternoon. Our cats have always been o.k. when I've needed to go out. They'll happily terrorise the local rodent population for a few hours and usually come home when they hear us return, or sometimes a little later when they become hungry. They're both quite independent creatures yet, at the same time, a delightfully domesticated and inseparable part of our family. Both cats are very affectionate and bring a great deal of joy and warmth into our lives and, as readers of this diary know, Django and I have a particularly magical relationship. But I'm at a loss as to exactly what or who caused this injury to Django's tail. I've been deeply upset by it and wish I knew what the cause was. Anyway, I had to leave Django with the vet and I drove back home alone, feeling shocked and concerned. I'd earlier been given an invitation to have dinner with some good friends who live just down the lane, but in the end I had to call them to apologise and explain that I was in no fit emotional state to be anything other than the most miserable of guests. That night, I couldn't sleep, worrying about Django's condition and being angry at the thought that someone may have deliberately done this to him. The next morning, I called the vets to ask how things were but they said that Django hadn't had his operation yet but would be having a general anaesthetic soon, prior to the amputation. Around 11:45 am I received a telephone call from the surgery to say that he had now undergone surgery and that I could collect him around 2:30 pm. I drove to the vets, this time knowing exactly where it was, and informed the receptionist who I was and that I'd come to collect my cat. I paid the £250 bill for the operation and was directed to a waiting area at the rear of the building where, after a few minutes, a lady nurse appeared with Django in his box. As soon as he heard my voice, he called out to me. The nurse gave me some medication called 'Metacam' and instructed me to administer this to Django orally, every day, via a kind of needle-less syringe. I was also told that he must not be allowed to lick his tail and was given a transparent plastic, cone-shaped collar which I would have to fasten to his neck if he showed any signs of doing so. I was also told that he was not to be allowed outside the house for at least ten days. Now, all of the above conditions are guaranteed to be a form of torture for poor Django. In fact, almost as soon as I got him home, he began his cleaning/grooming routine, something he likes to do at least a couple of times per day. And, of course, his tail is always part of this proceedure. Now though, because of the amputation, his tail is a sorry sight...a couple of inches shorter than before and shaved of fur. The shortened tip of the tail bears sutures and looks sore. As I expected, Django attempted to lick his wound which meant there was no option but to fix the cone-like restrictive collar to his neck. The result was most upsetting, Django desperately trying to get the cone off by banging it into doors and furniture, walking backwards as if to walk away from it, pawing at it and finally sitting stock-still with a kind of catatonic stare, gazing at the wall as if in deep shock. It was heartbreaking to watch, or at least it was for me. I'm terribly sensitive to the plight of animals and empathise with their struggles...far too emotional I suppose. I'd make a terrible vet...I'm afraid I'd be shedding tears at the first sign of an animal in distress. Pathetic, really, but that's how I've always been. After the cone collar had been on for a while, Django finally sat by the front door, crying to be allowed outside. As mentioned above, I'd been strictly told that he must remain in doors for at least ten days, so I had to refuse to let him out. He looked up at me like I was some kind of monster. Well, that was Friday and the situation continues in similar fashion. Django can't get to his food bowl with the collar on so I have to remove it at certain points in the day when he shows signs of wanting to eat something. It's then a struggle to get it back on afterwards, (and another bout of stress for both of us). On Saturday, I slipped out to the supermarket to get some much needed litter-tray material, (he normally goes outside to do his 'business' but that's out of the question for quite a while). When I got back, he'd somehow managed to get a front leg jammed into the cone of his protective collar and was limping around the house in some discomfort. I freed his leg and tried to adjust the collar a fraction tighter to prevent it happening again. But even so, he sneaked off into some dark corner of the house and, three times now, miraculously managed to get the collar off completely. Consequently, I need to know exactly where he is at all times so that I can guard against him getting to his amputated tail and causing more damage to it. Night times are difficult too as he's always enjoyed being 'out on the tiles' (or rather, out in the fields). Not being allowed to leave the house makes this impossible. Instead I've attempted to have him sleep on the bed with me where I can, hopefully, keep a weary eye on him. He sleeps for a while, curled up in the curve of my arm, but then wakes up and, perturbed by the cone, goes on a bender from room to room, trying to get it off. The last couple of nights I've managed but a few hours sleep, and these only at intervals throughout the whole night. I'm feeling exhausted and frustrated by it all, especially as Emiko is not here to help me deal with it. I'm confined to the house along with Django, frightened to leave him on his own for long. Both of us suffering from cabin fever. Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment to take Django back to the vet for a post-op examination. Inevitably too, the ordeal of the cat travel box once more. This unfortunate and untimely episode has brought my work, (and just about everything else, including visiting my mother), to a halt as my life now seems to centre around Django's well-being and the struggle to keep his tail from further damage. But he is a rather special cat, and worth the effort. As I've mentioned before in the diary, it seems to have been one thing after another these last few years. Nothing for it but to just keep going, I suppose....So that is what I will do. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are:- 1: Bill's Gus G1 midi guitar and his live processing equipment. 2: Just a few of the Nelsonica 09 guitars, backstage in Harrogate. 3: Poorly Django. 4: Django with post-op tail. 5: An early 1980's photo of Bill signing autographs. 6: A recent snapshot of Bill's studio. Top of page

Rooms With Brittle Views Bill Nelson single - 13 February 1981 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) Rooms With Brittle Views B) Dada Guitare ORIGINALLY: A & B) were both non-album tracks NOTES: Rooms with Brittle Views is a one-off single released by Les Disques du Crepescule. This single was initially released as a Belgian import, issued in 2 different picture sleeves. The single was a popular seller on import, and effectively became a UK 7" when the exact same record was included in the Permanent Flame box set of 7" singles in 1982. A slightly different edit of the A side was included in the limited edition double 7" single of Youth of Nation on Fire later in 1981. PAST RELEASES: A) and B) were included on The Two Fold Aspect of Everything comp (out of print). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: A) Available on the remastered Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam CD (Mercury, 2005). B) Available on the various artist compilation: Auteur Labels: Les Disques Du Crépuscule (LTM, 2008). BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The Rooms With Brittle Views single and the track on the From Brussels With Love cassette were only ever intended as one-offs. There wasn't an ongoing deal with the label. The tracks were recorded at home, (not in Belgium), on the eight track machine I had back then." "The way it came about was that I was invited to contribute a track to a limited edition cassette titled From Brussels With Love , issued by 'Les Disques Du Crepescule', a Belgian post-punk art label. Other artists approached and included on the cassette were Michael Nyman, Brian Eno, Gavin Bryars and Harold Budd, (amongst others). I believe that Harold heard my music for the first time on this cassette...a piece titled "The Shadow Garden ", (very much in the same musical area as my Sounding the Ritual Echo album from the early 1980s.)" Singles Menu Future Past

Acquitted By Mirrors - Issue Fifteen - Published early 1990 Back to Top

Live Archive Pl ectronica A celebration of Bill Nelson at 70 Picture Gallery from fans and Dreamsville staff

Telecommunication single - 1981 A Flock of Seagulls Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer on the A-side. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

New Northern Dream More Listening Notes Go to Album Listening Notes to accompany the album New Northern Dream by Bill Nelson General introduction: 'New Northern Dream' is a sequel to 'Northern Dream,' the album I recorded way back in 1970, when I was 22 years old, and released independently as my first ever solo album in 1971. Whilst 'New Northern Dream' doesn't attempt to copy the original album's style, it does have something of the early 1970s about it, albeit viewed through post-modernist glasses. There's a psychedelic tint to some tracks, along with a hint of irony and gentle humour. I think it reflects some of the subject matter of those long lost days, but with a subtle twist and an affectionate 'wink', acknowledging their innocence and naivety. It also contains new versions of two tracks that were actually on the original album, ('Photograph' and 'Northern Dreamer' plus a couple of references to 'Everyone's Hero.') Otherwise, it's an entirely different creation, perhaps, more 'pop' in flavour than you would expect of me these days. What I found interesting about making this album was the challenge of putting aside some of the 'sophistication' (for want of a better word,) that inevitably accumulated over the 46 years since the original album was recorded. I'm not quite sure you can 'undo' that stuff and return to a more naive state, but that was partly the intention. In 1970, I was younger and had no experience of being a professional musician, just a kid living in the West Yorkshire City of Wakefield, dreaming dreams which somehow found their expression in music. I had little hope of becoming a 'professional' musician at all. It seemed such a thing was out of reach, an impossibility, something which happened to other people, but not to me. I had, of course, been playing guitar for several years prior to recording 'Northern Dream,' in various local bands on the pub and working men's club circuit. A necessary 'dues paying' exercise. However, I first became interested in playing the guitar at the age of 10 or 11. A long time ago now. The years get rather blurred when you arrive at the age of 68, which, much to my astonishment, I'll be, this coming December. As some of you may know, it was Duane Eddy, whose 'Because They're Young' single, first fired up my enthusiasm for the electric guitar. This was followed by the recordings of The Ventures and The Shadows and eventually led to the discovery of Chet Atkins and Les Paul. Things progressed from there and before long I was listening to Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and Jim Hall, along with several more obscure instrumentalists. It really was a time of revelation, an eye and ear opener...and a mind opener too. But, I've harboured a love of music in all its forms since I was an infant, possibly due to my father being a saxophonist and big band leader in the 1940s. I didn't possess the academic knowledge required to completely dissect and understand what the great guitarists were doing, but I had a deep rooted emotional and spiritual response to their work. Even today, I'm not an 'proper' musician in the sense that I don’t have at my fingertips a knowledge of scales, modes or theories of harmony and other formulas that are essential to most musicians. I approach music in a totally intuitive way, which comes from years of trial and error, from the heart coupled with the imagination. It seems to flow from a natural foundation, something hard to rationalise, almost a spiritual thing. Now, I'm not saying that this approach is better, or for that matter, worse than a more formal approach. But it's all I have to work with. I generally throw myself off the roof of the academically acceptable, and trust that the music will guide me to a safe landing. That's all that's possible under the circumstances. Right, let's get into the album: 1: 'Photograph: A New Beginning.' This is an instrumental version of the short 'Photograph' song that appeared at the start of the original 'Northern Dream' album. I've replaced the original vocal line with a layered guitar section playing the vocal melody in stacked harmonies. The track then goes into a brief quote from 'Everyone's Hero' which also featured on the original album but is treated here purely as an instrumental. 2: 'Indigo Trees Hold Back The Stars.' A mood setting instrumental featuring an acoustic guitar simulating an Eastern sitar sound but with a Celtic feel. An electric guitar recorded with fairly clean, ambient echo enters part way through before giving way to the sitar-guitar again. Part folk, part psychedelia, the Incredible String Band meets Davey Graham perhaps? 3: ‘Consolation Street.’ A play on the words 'Coronation Street,' a nod to the long running tv soap series. But, in this song, it's a kind of dreamy street filled with odd characters. A brass band enters with a poppy hook before an electric guitar solo and a brief vocal reference to 'Everyone's Hero' from the original 'Northern Dream' album. Elements of psychedelia, images of 'Mr and Mrs God' sitting in front of the fire, a surreal but happy atmosphere and a drifting, long, semi-ambient coda. Mixing up some of my past musical approaches with more recent ones. 4:‘Time Stops Here.’ This track sounds very early '70s to me. It features acoustic guitars and electric guitars plus a big orchestral component. It captures the feelings I have about 'old yorkshire' and its vanishing past. The lyrics, (which I won't detail here,) paint nostalgic and melancholy pictures of a period in time which has vanished but which stays close to me heart. One of my favourite tracks from the album. 5: ‘The Trip.’ As the title suggests, this is a very late '60s, early '70s styled song. It has a trippy but poppy feel. A flowing, outpouring sensation with plenty of old-school guitars, ecstatic and free, but with a note of cynicism in the final bar of the music. 6: ‘November Fires.’ Another hippy-trippy song with a reference to 'Keep Your Feathers Fine,' one of my earliest songs. Brass bands feature here to give it that 'Northern' vibe. Also about my childhood memories of 'Bonfire Night', on November 5th, when neighbours would gather around a bonfire in the back garden of the house to celebrate the gunpowder plot. 7: ‘Between The Seasons.’ This carries a direct reference to 'End Of The Seasons' on the original 'Northern Dream' album. It's a waltz, as was the earlier song, but has a slightly different, and perhaps more melancholic feel, as is to be expected 46 years after the earlier song was recorded. It has a slightly country feel with the guitars emulating pedal steel at times, swathes of strings and an epic atmosphere. The lyric concerns a man "in between seasons, drifting away..." 8: ‘The Lamp Of Invisible Light.’ A song about the tides of time and my love of old gaslit Yorkshire and its East Coast. Lyrics include "These words are forged by fire and time, the savage languor of midsummer..and I am drunk with love and wine, but we're not getting any younger...” I guess it tries to record the passage of time and the 'wonder in the air' available to us all if we simply open up to it. The 'Lamp Of Invisible Light' is something we each carry within us, according to our individual capacity for illumination. 9: ‘New Northern Dreamer.’ Perhaps the closest reproduction of a track from the original album. A deliberately straightforward rendition of the main theme but taking the psychedelic coda a little further out, using reverse wah-wah guitar, (as on the original,) but extending things into somewhat more drifting territories over a longer running time than the first recording. 10: ‘Daydreaming.’ A gentle acoustically driven song with electric and orchestral overdubs. The lyrics refer to a state I fall into sometimes, a state of nostalgia and drifting into past reveries. An attempt at some sort of continuity against the odds. We're all 'running scared' as the lyrics state. Mellotron flutes and archaic string samples are for those of us old enough to remember the psychedelic '60s. 11: ‘The Pond Yacht.’ This piece could easily have found a place on the 'Sailor Bill' album as it attempts to capture the simple joy of sailing a boyhood pond yacht in the 1950s. Mainly acoustic driven but with electric overtones, it's a totally instrumental evocation of those times. 12: ‘In A World Of Strange Design.’ Contains the lyric "I met the ghost of my former self, he didn't speak to me, he was somewhere else..." Funny how your former self chooses not to acknowledge your present self, isn't it? This is another poppy, sweetly psychedelic song with lots of guitar and straight forward rock drumming. Lyrics also state: "It's almost supernatural, the way God plays with time, the days go by so quickly, feels like a pantomime..." 13: ‘Miracles To Happen.’ Features accordian and brass band quite predominately, along with acoustic rhythm guitar and strident lead guitar. Lyrics state: "I am drunk with holy water" and, "The scene is set for miracles to happen..." Reads like a screenplay in some ways but is another blatantly old fashioned pop song. 14: ‘The Legendary Spaceman Blues.’ A sly nod to 'Bloo Bloos' from the original 'Northern Dream' album. I guess had to include one blues number as a homage to the earlier album. Lyrically, it has its tongue firmly in its cheek, (as did the original track come to think of it.) But it does give me a chance to air my blues playing in public! Lyrics state: "I'm driving through heaven, I've got the spaceman blues...Lost in the cosmos, with those old spaceman blues." 15: ‘A Month Without A Moon.’ Perhaps the most romantic song on the album. Big guitars, big orchestra, big chord changes, tender vocals. As the lyrics say: "How bravely Autumn paints the sky..." 16: ‘A Northern Man.’ One of my personal favourite songs from the album. I tried to hint at a really old fashioned music hall feeling with some of it, particularly the vocal and waltz time tempo, adding in early '70s guitar playing, Yorkshire brass bands and a touch of that old psychedelia again. The lyrics are an affectionate pean to the dated and cliched view of Yorkshire, (and Northern,) men, as flat capped, ferret and pigeon rearing innocents, somewhat unsophisticated, but honest, decent and hard working. In this song, I try to portray the typical old school Northern Man as a sensitive and philosophical soul, walking in the park and smelling the flowers. It both reinforces and destroys the stereotype, setting up ambiguities in the listener's mind as to whether the song celebrates or satirises that particular view of a 'Northern Man.' I'll leave it up to you to decide! 17: ‘Hymn Of The Old Albion Co-Operative Society.’ When I was a child, my mother and grandmother would visit the Wakefield Co-op, which occupied a vast area of the Unity Hall. It was like a glamorous department store in some ways, with corridors leading to various departments, from food to clothing and furniture. It was originally established in Victorian times and really hadn’t changed much in the early 1950s when I recall going there. My grandmother also used to collect 'dividends' from the Co-Op as a regular customer. The 'Divy' man called at her house in Marriot's Buildings every week to allocate the latest 'divy' to her. This final track on the album may seem like years away from that time but I hope it contains some of the old fashioned charm that made a visit to the Co-Op in those days seem magical. New Northern Dream, released November 2016 as a limited edition pressing of 500 CDs. More Listening Notes Go to Album

Friday 8th April 2005 -- 1:40 pm Finally, 'Rosewood' is complete. Last night, I put the finishing touches to the final track of Volume Two, a newly recorded piece to nicely round off the album and bring the listener back to the starting position of Volume One . It's hard to say which of these two albums I like most. Perhaps Volume One at this point in time but this could easily change according to my mood. They belong together, basically. One compliments the other. I made an unmastered copy of Volume One for my friend Paul Gilby who, after listening to it said:- "beautiful, emotional and mature... a masterpiece!" Well, there's one good review! Jon Wallinger, upcoming Mayor Of Dreamsville has a CDR copy of it at the moment also and has promised to write a review of Rosewood Volume One to upload to my new official website, once it goes public. More tweaks being done at the moment to compensate for varying screen resolutions amongst the computer-using public. A bit of a design compromise but nothing too drastic. A new discussion board has been arranged in the form of 'The Dreamsville Inn' so that visitors to the site can communicate with each other and discuss whatever. 'The Dreamsville Inn' will go live when Dreamsville itself officially launches. Not too long now, I think. Dave Graham has completed the layout work on the packaging for Rosewood Volume Two now and, once again, it's hard to choose a favourite between them. Each follows the same visual concept/layout/plan but has different colours and uses different photographs from Volume One. But, as on Volume One , these are photograps that I took of my old Hoyer acoustic guitar in various locations around Yorkshire. Together, the two albums will look quite stunning. The track listing/running order for Rosewood Volume Two will be as follows: Tinderbox Aliumesque Little Cantina Rolling Home (Yorkshire Raga No.1) Sunbeam Bramble William Is Wearing The Cardigan Of Light The Autumn Tram (Yorkshire Raga No.2) Hi Lo La Rising Sap Blue Cloud See-Through-Nightie Ordinairy Storm Waiting For Rain The Light Is Kinder In This Corner Of Corona Your Whole Life Dreaming It has been an exhausting project, this one. I can't recall any of my previous albums having quite this intensity of effort, other than perhaps the gargantuan Noise Candy project. (Which reminds me, it's time to remind Lenin Imports about accounting again, I think.) I feel quite drained by the 'Rosewood' process but, of course it doesn't end here. The next step is to book myself into Fairview Studios to master both albums, all thirty tracks of them. Then it's time to get them physically manufactured. I'll release Volume One as soon as it's ready and hold Volume Two back a while, perhaps until the Autumn. Autumn looks like it will be an interesting time, for various reasons that I'll keep under my hat for now, but I do have a lot of work to prepare for that part of the year. A slightly new venture which I'm looking forward to. Once my Dreamsville site is on-line, subscribers to the town's newspaper, 'The Dreamsville Rocket' , will be able to keep up with the latest developments as they happen. I've also spent a lot of time and energy this last couple of weeks on the 'Museum Of Memory' section of the Dreamsville site. I've been piecing together a visual history of my early life, including my great grandparents and my parents. I've found and scanned well over fifty photographs so far and I'm writing text explanations for all of them. It amounts to a sort of 'potted autobiography', not as detailed and complete as my 'proper' one, 'Painted From Memory', but reasonably interesting, nevertheless. The text accompanying each photograph tells the story behind them and puts things into a chronological context. 'The Museum Of Memory, of course, is just one area of the Dreamsville site and there are many other areas to develop. All the foundations are laid but, as I keep stressing, it will be an ongoing task to build the entire town, a task which will occupy me for a long time. Bearing in mind that my priority is music making, a little patience will be required from Dreamsville's visitors. They can rest assured though that quality is of the utmost importance and nothing will be done just for the sake of it or simply to cobble something together. In time, this will build into a fantastic resource for fans of my work and become an extension of that work for myself. Harold's concert getting nearer... more emails from him this week. The tension mounts and all that. It will be upon us before we know it. Top of page Thursday 21st April 2005 -- 1:00 pm Today is our wedding anniversary. Emiko and I have now been married ten years. Hard to believe as it genuinely feels like yesterday that we tied the proverbial knot. We had planned a small and quiet affair but were pleasantly surprised when a number of good friends, many from 'down south', (and one from even further 'up north'), travelled to Yorkshire for the occasion: Richard Chadwick, Roger Eno and Family, Kate St. John, Emi's friend Kyoko, my eldest daughter Julia and several others, plus local friends such as John Spence and my brother Ian. It was a lovely sunny day and we all got fruits of the vine happy after the ceremony at the Gateforth Hall Hotel, just behind the tiny apartment Emi and I were renting at that time. Besides being the culmination of a lengthy, (and beautifully on-going), love-affair, it was a treasured day spent amongst our best pals. Anyway... ten years ago today! That old time warp thing, yet again. Emi's anniversary present to me this morning was a little tin steam train containing chocolate hearts, (tin is the symbol of ten years of marriage), and a marvellous bottle of Pecksniff's 'Oriental Wood' Cologne. This company is the last traditional, English-originated and owned perfumiers in the country. They create some wonderful perfumes and colognes. Fragrances are one of my many passions and I'm a sucker for trying out different ones in shops whilst on my travels. I often emerge from Harvey Nichols' store in Leeds smelling like a million dollars without spending a single penny. (They have a great selection of testers.) I usually try out the 'Creed' range and a few other specialist perfumier's products, mainly the one's that cost the earth and smell like paradise. I stay well clear of those obvious famous footballer colognes, the Versaces, Hugo Bosses, etc, in favour of more unusual and exotic scents. I prefer such things as Czech and Speake's No 88, I and E Atkinson's 'I Coloniali' range, a couple of Penhaligon's classics and the eternally elegant and clean 'Acqua Di Parma'. I'm more of a sensual aesthete than a macho athlete anyway, a bit of a waxed mustache twiddler, had I got the moustache to twiddle. Maybe I could adopt a decadent lothario persona, perhaps a cross between Leslie Phillips and Charles Rennie Mackintosh? Or Aubrey Beardsley and Harrison Marks? Hmm... maybe not... But given the opportunity of a foppish ribbon bow tie, a crushed velvet suit and a boudoir filled with gilded mirrors and brocade, I'd be handing out those Phillipsian oily "hellos" to every pretty dolly within earshot. And me married for ten years too. Mucky bugger, says Emi, ('though she says it in Japanese, which makes it sound like an exotic attribute, rather than a summing up of my senile lusts). For a wedding anniversary gift, I bought Emi a tin clockwork rabbit that plays a pair of little drums when wound up, and a beautiful antique,1920's, costume jewellery necklace. She is going to wear it tonight when we go out for a celebratory dinner at a rather up-market and old-fashioned restaurant sited in a beautiful nearby manor house. We haven't been before but, as this is a special day, we decided to push the boat out and indulge ourselves, just the two of us and to hell with the expense. I must try not to get a hangover though, as I'm booked into Fairview studios tomorrow morning to begin the work of mastering the two volumes of Rosewood with my engineer pal John Spence. Then the albums go off to the manufacturers and finally to the Dreamsville Department store where the music can at last be accessed by its audience. Well worth the wait, I think. It's a complex and richly detailed work. I'm unusually proud of it. All being well, this particular diary entry will be the first to appear on the new Dreamsville website. We're really close to launching it as I write... hopefully, it should be live and on-line sometime early next week. It's only at the first stage of its existence but I'm soon to lay plans to launch stage two. As soon as possible really. Obviously, there are financial costs involved in all of this but by taking things a step at a time, I hope to be able to afford the site's development. As much as cash, time is at a premium too. My year is already planned out ahead of me and I have a full schedule of projects to work on. Adrian at the office emailed me a year planner with the next seven months or so mapped out on it. I was impressed. Will I really achieve all that? Fingers crossed. It seems as if the website will need to fit around the more pressing tasks on the cards. We'll get there in the end, fear not. No holiday again this year, though, that's for sure. I grumble to myself but it's all pretend. I love what I do. A solo tour is planned for the autumn and I intend to pursue a new direction with this. Although I've toured as a soloist in the past, it has always been based around my instrumental performances. This time, I hope to include some vocal items too. I've made a tentative start towards writing some brand new songs that I might be able to sing without the aid of a band. These would use 'foundation tracks' in a similar fashion to my instrumental performances but would be tailored to support my vocals as well as my guitar playing. At this point in time, it's difficult to say exactly what the ultimate concept or mood of these songs will be, but current working titles for the project are 'The Lovely And Mysterious Tour' or 'The Dreamy And Mysterious Tour'. At least, that's the mood I'm aiming for... a few dream-like, beautiful songs, melodic and swoony but with strong, lyrical guitar playing. I'll also include some new and some old instrumentals in the concerts. I need to create fresh video backdrops too although this will be dependent upon how much time I can spare to work on these. The videos take an eternity to make. There will certainly be some new visual material though. The plan, at the moment, is to attempt 15 to 20 concerts around the U.K. Also to travel further South than last year's tour. Now that Dreamsville and The Dreamsville Rocket Newspaper are in place, I'll be able to keep fans informed as this project progresses. It will be good to have The Dreamsville Inn in place for fans to communicate too. I have to admit to missing their input. Looking forward to a bit of good natured banter. Next year, (2006), I'll be looking at the possibility of putting a new band together for another tour and creating some new songs for that project. Unfortunately, a band-based tour, as I was reminded last autumn, takes much more time and money to mount than a solo tour, even with the extremely generous sponsorship that Sound-On-Sound magazine contributed last year. Without their help, that event would simply not have been possible. Because of this year's workload, (the unforeseen need to design and build a new website, plus the intensely involved two-volume Rosewood project and various other 'in-the-pipeline' issues), a band project, with all it's complexities and costs, is impractical. I need to be able to set everything else to one side to give such a venture my full attention. So... next year will be the best time to assemble a band, particularly if all goes well on this years forthcoming Autumn solo tour. I'd like to approach the band thing from a different angle anyway, sharpen up the act as it were. It's important to me to keep pushing the envelope. In fact, this Autumn's outing is intended to break new ground for me, both in terms of music and territory. It will offer an opportunity to explore a different approach to songs in a live presentation. I'm very excited about it, although It will be quite nerve-wracking, (singing alone on a stage, I mean), but it's a tremendous challenge that I'm looking forward to meeting. I intend to release an album of these new songs to coincide with the tour... plus some surprises that I'll keep under my hat for now. Talking of nervousness... Harold Budd's tribute concert is looming ever larger. We have yet to settle on a little duet piece... I've posted a couple of suggestions to Harold, just to see if there's something there that we could pursue together. Harold is also working on a piece for us at his end. I recently posted him a copy of my published 'Diary Of A Hyperdreamer' book. He wrote generously about it last night, said he was very impressed by it. For me, praise from Harold is praise indeed. I'm extremely grateful and flattered. I'm also extremely nervous about the Brighton show. General election stuff pouring through my letterbox daily. The Tory party promotional bumph seems to be never ending. 'Are You Thinking What We're Thinking?' is their chosen slogan this time. Well the answer is, "NO, I'm not, so please bugger off and take your slimy nationalistic fear-mongering with you... " Michael Howard and his cronies give me the heebie-jeebies. What an arrogant, manipulative, condescending bunch of hypocrites they are. Mind you... politicians, eh? Fertile soil for the seeds of corruption, the lot of 'em. Steer well clear and don't let them kiss your kids. I'm tempted to go back to the kind of creative anarchism I advocated during my art-school years. But we were just kids... what did we know? Actually, come to think of it... what do I know now? Only how to make music and not much else. Ambivalent and proud of it. A bad boy. Talking of elections... seems the Catholics have got themselves a new boss. Tougher than the old boss. What's his name, Pope Rottweiller or something? Apparently he was a member of the Hitler Youth Movement as a kid. Seriously. Well... He seems to have the old hard-line attitude to contraception and homosexuality. Religion: always happy to do the devil's work. Oh, dear. Still haven't got around to listening to the new Vic Chestnutt album that I bought the other week. Bill Frisell's on it. So I bought it. I'm still a big Bill Frisell fan. Somehow though, I've been far too caught up in my own music to have much of an ear left for anyone else's. Despite this, I have heard Emi constantly playing Rufus Wainright's latest two albums downstairs. I bought both of them after hearing the first one last year on a visit to Opium's offices in London. Richard and Adrian turned me on to him. Now, Emiko and I have actually got tickets to see him live next month. He's bound to make me insanely jealous as he's nauseatingly gifted. I enjoy Rufus Wainright's baroque pop songs very much although they can sometimes veer from the stunningly gorgeous to the oppressively over-sauced. Sometimes, I wish a little more restraint had been applied, but he's young and I guess you could level the same criticism at my work too, (and I'm not young). Nevertheless, I've always liked to gild the dear old lily, so what can I say? It's back to that perfume thing again, that extravagant, lush, fertile fecundity. Music as cornucopia, fountain of plenty, sheer ecstatic sensuality. Sound you can swoon in and swim in. Naked if possible. Better change the subject... getting a bit sticky. From the sublime to the ridiculous: Found a DVD of 'Torchy The Battery Boy' the other day. A charming puppet TV series from the early 1960's, one of Gerry Anderson's first productions. Torchy has a big magic lightbulb in his hat that can find things that have been lost, (my long lost youth perhaps?) He also has a spiffing rocketship that I wish they'd manufacture as a commercially available model. But I'm probably the only saddo who'd buy it. All together now: "Torchy, Torchy, the battery boy... He's a walkie-talkie toy... " Yup, those were the days. Reading several books at bedtime, as usual. At my bedside at the moment are:- 'Peter Blake' by Natalie Rudd; 'The Rise Of The Sixties' by Thomas Crow; 'Audio Culture' edited by Cristoph Cox and Daniel Warner; ' 'The Making Of Modern Britain' by Jeremy Black; ' Jazz Modernism' by Alfred Apel Junior; 'Satori In Paris' by Jack Kerouac; and 'The Lion Annual, 1957'. At least a dozen more books sit in a pile on top of some bedroom shelves, awaiting their turn at my bedside. Hope they're patient... Wish we could move to a bigger house where I might have one room set aside as a dedicated library to house my treasured tomes. I used to have a library when I lived at Haddlesey House in the late '70's and through the '80's. It was oak panelled, had a stone 'Minster' fireplace that crackled with logs in the winter, a huge desk with a captain's chair and my Hornby train set spread out on the deep green carpet. I used to love going up there and closing myself off from the outside world. Between that and my Echo Observatory studio, I had all the cultural, creative isolation I needed. Now I'm crammed into a small box room surrounded by junk and broken keyboards. And lots of lovely guitars. Shouldn't grumble. Top of page Thursday 28th April 2005 -- 12.14 pm Floating in my warm and comforting bath this morning, watching rain clouds gather in the grey air above the bathroom skylight, I heard, for a few magic seconds, the first cuckoo of spring. Its call echoed on the wind from the nearby fields, summoning archytypal English Albion country images, Powell and Pressburger 'Cantebury Tale' landscapes, the music of Elgar, ('though Delius immortalised the bird), Post Office film unit documentaries from the 'thirties and 'forties, children's stories from post-war annuals and a host of other sweet n' sentimental nostalgias. A pity that the glorious sunshine and clear blue skies of the last few days were nowhere to be seen. Not that I've been able to enjoy the outdoor life of late. I have been and still am, feeling 'proper poorly', to use an Albert Fitzwilliam Digby style phrase. (I wonder what American readers of my diary make of such hermetically sealed 'British' terms and references?) It all started last Saturday, whilst visiting my Mother in Wakefield. I suddenly felt that inner chill that warns of an impeding cold. Within an hour I was feeling dizzy and sick and had to return home where I took straight to my bed, shivering and feeling absolutely bloody awful. My temperature shot up, my stomach sick and uncomfortable, I didn't want to move. During the night, I was throwing up acidic bile. By Sunday my temperature had dropped but I felt like a man trapped between two worlds, neither of them desirable holiday locations. I've remained in this aching, fuzzy limbo ever since, only yesterday applying a razor to my face and shaving off the four day growth I'd accumulated. It's some years since I've sported a beard and I was horrified to see that, these days, it's predominantly grey, despite the fact that the hair on my head, though thinning dramatically, has hardly any grey in it at all. I also, yesterday, took the chance that some fresh air might revive me and ventured out of the house to accompany Emi on her trip to Leeds. This was a mistake. After 20 minutes of shopping I felt terrible, wobbly, weak and dizzy. We quickly returned home where, after a rest, I began to feel a little better. Today, there's no great improvement, although I'm certainly better than I was at the weekend. Friends inform me that there is a particularly nasty virus doing the rounds, laying people low for a couple of weeks. Well... surprise, surprise, it appears I've caught it. Emiko has been suffering ill health too. She's managed to hold off from catching my virus so far, but has been complaining of a pain under her armpit. On Tuesday evening, she suddenly announced a disturbing tightness across her chest and back. Both of us immediately thought of heart problems. The tightness got worse and Julia, a good friend and neighbour, generously offered to drive Emi to the 24 hour walk in clinic in town. I was too ill to take her myself. Three hours later, (three hours that saw me pacing the floor, worrying myself silly), Emi returned looking much relieved. The doctor had said that her heart was fine and that the problem was most likely caused by a trapped nerve. In fact, she'd lifted a heavy pot of plants at the flower shop some days earlier and this may have lead to the trapped nerve. The three hour wait at the walk in clinic was simply because of the number of patients queing to be seen by a doctor. These sort of incidents really make you think. I don't know how I'd cope if anything should ever happen to Emiko, (God forbid) She's the rock that I cling to in my troubled sea... The prediction I made in my previous diary entry, (21st April), that my Dreamsville site would be up and operating by then, turned out to be overly optimistic... at this precise point in time, the lauch date is still somewhere in the future. The delay has been caused by the complication of transferring the .com address over from Permanent Flame's server to the new U.K. Dreamsville one. It's taking longer than anticipated. I also suspect that Chuck, (Bird), is away on one of his regular business trips and hasn't been available to deal with things at the U.S. end. We're now hoping to have it all sorted out in time to launch the site next week. This could, of course, end up not being the case. However, if you are reading these words, then Dreamsville will have finally opened its gates as this diary entry and the previous one have been posted exclusively on the Dreamsville site, and not on Permanent Flame. Permanent Flame, as I may have mentioned before, has now been enshrined as an exhibit in 'The Permanent Flame Museum' within the 'Pleasure Park' area of Dreamsville . This means that the ten year old website has been preserved, frozen in time, for future reference and as a tribute to Mark Rushton and Chuck Bird who began and ran the first ever Bill Nelson website, long before I even had a computer to look at it. Last Friday, I travelled over to Fairview studios to transfer the Rosewood recordings and master them with John Spence. John cheered me by saying that he thought they sounded fabulous and needed hardly any equalisation changes The masters, and the packaging artwork, have now gone off to the manufacturers and finished copies of Volume One will be available soon. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result, the first release on Sonoluxe. I had to borrow Emi's car to get over to Fairview as my vehicle has a rapidly deteriorating exhaust problem. In fact, the car needs a lot of work on it at the moment, particularly body work. There are some increasingly alarming areas of rust that need treatment. As the house is also in need of several structural repairs, both internal and external, it's a matter of deciding on priorities and letting the rest rot. Truth is, the economics of the situation make it difficult to keep up with it all. In some ways, I wish we could afford to move house, find somewhere a little bigger and more private. I really need a dedicated, roomier space for my recording and musical equipment. Considering the fact that recording work is right at the centre of my creativity and career, finding myself and my gear crammed into such a small box room is both ironic and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, developers in and around the city continue to exploit every bit of land they can get their hands on. We've recently been trying to stop attempts to turn the fields next to us into an industial storage unit. Boundary queries have temporarily slowed down their plans but you can bet that it hasn't halted them. It's all going to the dogs. (In fact, a dog track was one developer's proposal for the same field!) The area that Emi and I chose to live in eight years or so ago has changed quite a lot since we came here, particularly in terms of our own privacy and outlook. Had we known how much our immediate environment would suffer, we probably would have looked elsewhere to make our home. We're saddled with it now, of course. Things could always be worse, but still... Sometimes, I long for the seclusion of a home bounded by its own space, immune from the claws of development. Haddlesey House, where I was fortunate enough to live in the 'eighties, was such a place. I really cherished that old house and it's surrounding, protective walls. Plenty of room to set up a drum kit, marimbas, amplifiers and no need to worry about noise. AND a river bank at the bottom of the garden where I could sit at twilight, listening to ripples and blackbirds whilst waiting for lyrics to materialise like ghosts. Even that lovely old place, as regular readers of this diary know, was eventually raped and pillaged by the amoral greed of property developers. It's like a cheesy, up-market housing estate for accountants and insurance salesmen now. What I really need is to land a lucrative Hollywood film score commission. Then again, could I put up with all that bullshit just to earn enough money to build myself a proper studio space? Probably not... but I could try. The truth is, my nature doesn't really lend itself to such careerist manipulations. You really need to hang out, network, put yourself about, etc, etc. Oh, I've got ambitions enough but they're not of much practical use. It's all dreams and dreaming, techniques designed to encourage the flow of, (gulp), beauty and magic through my life, not to hold onto the bland material signifiers that seem to become the alpha and omega of contemporary achievers. Still... I'm no purist. I'd happily drive an Aston Martin or a Bristol or some equally beautiful, exclusive and snotty assembly of steel and leather, should I ever be able to afford such a luxury. As the old Buddhist saying has it:- 'it's fine to drive an expensive car, as long as the expensive car isn't driving you'. It all comes back to the notion of attachment/non-attachment. More than ever these days, people find it hard to let go. Watched a lovely documentary film on DVD last night. It's called 'Dharma River, Journey Of A Thousand Buddhas' and was made by John Bush. It is a filmic record of river journeys through Laos, Burma and Thailand, visiting ancient Buddhist temples and communities along the way. It's visually stunning and brings home the tremendous beauty of Buddhist art and architecture. Some of the larger temples, over two-thousand years old, are breathtaking. I commented to Emi that, of all the religious options available to us, Buddhism, for me, remains the sanest, the clearest, the gentlest, most rational, simple, direct, humane and downright beautiful. The word 'religion' however, at least in my opinion, is a limitation and an encuberance. Buddhism's direct pointing at reality goes way beyond such limitations, right to the heart of things. But what do I know? I'm not a very good Buddhist, (as I've said before in these pages). In fact, by some people's definition of the term, I'm not really a Buddhist at all. My 'organised spiritual group' days are behind me. I prefer to walk my own path at my own pace, nor am I in search of a guru or an avatar. Perhaps I'm just trying to enjoy each moment without hurting anyone, and offering my art as thanks for that. Insight and inspiration are all around us, always. This too , is Buddha nature. There's a key here that, once grasped and turned, opens a door onto infinite possibilities. It's so impossibly direct and simple that it is usually overlooked, misunderstood or considered invisible. That it can't be communicated by words does not neccesarily make it an impenetrable secret. Letting go, is part of the process of discovering this marvellous and subtle thing. It's a jewel beyond price. And now I'm tired again and my shoulders ache from sitting in front of my Mac. My computer screen's background image, for those who may be interested, is a lovely, vibrantly coloured painting of the Tibetan White Tara Buddha. Sometimes, I exchange her for an image of a vintage green and cream Blackpool tram. The two things, ultimately, are the same. Theories as to why this should be are welcome down at 'The Dreamsville Arms' which can be found in 'The Pleasure Park.' More communications from Harold. Good words from him about Rosewood. He says:- 'That's the album you've always wanted to make...' He also has two titles/pieces settled for us to work on for his concert at Brighton next month. Nearer and nearer now. As soon as my health returns, I need to prepare a couple of guitars or more in readiness. Some set-up work needed with intonation and action. I'm planning to take several variations of equipment so as to be prepared for whatever the music demands. I have no idea, at this stage, how it will turn out, or what the music will be. I'm sure it will be fine in the end, despite my trepidation. All for today... I need to take a break. Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) April 2005 Feb Dec Mar May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Northern Dream Bill Nelson album - 1971 Albums Menu Future Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Photograph (A Beginning) 02) Everyone's Hero 03) House Of Sand 04) End Of The Seasons 05) Rejoice 06) Love's A Way 07) Northern Dreamer (1957) 08) Bloo Blooz 09) Sad Feelings 10) See It Through 11) Smiles 12) Chymepeace (An Ending) ALBUM NOTES: Northern Dream is the debut album from Bill Nelson, recorded at Holyground Studios in Wakefield, and released independently on Smile Records. Holyground was an independent studio run by local music enthusiast Mike Levon. Nelson had a two year association with Holyground by the time he came to make Northern Dream in 1970, having made his recording debut on two Holyground releases, A to Austr (1969) and Astral Navigations (1970). The Northern Dream album was financed by a couple of Nelson's friends (Ken and Betty Bromby), who owned and ran a small record shop, The Record Bar, in Wakefield. The intention was to press just 250 copies. The initial run was individually numbered, and came with a set of typed lyrics and a booklet. Its release date appears never to have been documented with any accuracy, and with it being an independent release, music papers and record company archives are of no help. The search for clues goes on. PAST RELEASES: Over the course of Nelson's career the album would be reissued several times on vinyl and ultimately CD, with perhaps the authoritative version being the 2011 reissue by Cherry Red/Esoteric on the newly created Cocteau Discs imprint. The 2011 reissue was also issued on vinyl in a limited run of just 250 copies. The earliest reissue of Northern Dream is believed to have appeared in 1977 (unnumbered and minus the booklet/lyrics), but without the consent or knowledge of Levon and Nelson. A more visible reissue appeared in 1980 on Butt Records (in a sleeve featuring a reduced version of the original album cover on front and back), but didn't include the album's final track, "Chyme Peace". In the mid-80s, a fourth distinct pressing appeared (also on Butt Records) that curiously carries a production date of 1979 on the label. This issue has the picture of the bearded singer on the rear of the sleeve that had originally appeared on the inside of the original 1971 (& 1977) release. "Chyme Peace" is listed, but presumably isn't included (as per the third edition). The album first appeared on CD in 1996 while Nelson was contractually being handled by Voiceprint. The record label created for this release was Smiled, which was not a typo, but a deliberate act as a nodding glance towards the original release and it also marked the start of Nelson actually receiving royalties for the album. The digital transfer was created using Nelson's personal copy of the original vinyl edition. Esoteric/Cocteau Discs released this album in 2011 as part of their re-issue program. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The album cost very little to record and manufacture. There were initially only 250 copies made. Its costs, including printing, (the printing was done by the local Wakefield Express newspaper), were around £300. The money to manufacture it came from a local record shop that I used to be a regular customer of. I'd talked about wanting to record my songs and they offered to put up the money to do so. "The cover drawing was created in the sitting room of 27, Anderson St, Westgate End, Wakefield...my home at that time. I can remember kneeling on the floor, drawing it on a piece of white card or cartridge paper. Seems like only yesterday. The drawing was meant to be an almost Disneyesque or '50's style children's illustration of my boyhood bedroom. The view outside the window is supposed to be Wakefield itself. If you look closely, the books on the shelf reveal some of my interests as the 1960's rolled over into the 1970's. "The photo's were taken in Clarence Park in Wakefield, which had been one of my favourite places since infancy. The rear cover shot is of me sitting on the park's 'Arena' steps. They are on the edge of an open grassy space that once was used by my school for sports events. It had also, during my early boyhood, been the site of an annual fair and model aircraft displays, both of which I'd attended with my mum and dad. "I also organised Wakefield's first ever free open-air 'hippy' concert in that same park, on the old bandstand. It was quite an unusual thing for Wakefield at that time and made the local papers. I organised it from my desk at the West Riding County Supplies Department where I worked before becoming a professional musician. "Northern Dream also made the Wakefield Express's columns. There was a feature in the paper about it, with a photo of me under the headline: "Local Government Officer Makes L.P.". Of course, John Peel eventually played the album on his radio show and raved about it. The first time he played it, he played every track in sequence, with just a break to turn the disc over. It was an amazing thing for me...I'd listened to John's programmes for a long time and loved the sort of things he played. To have my entire first, 'home made' album played from start to finish by him was a tremendously exciting honour." _____ "I owe my career, such as it is, to John Peel. He was so important in bringing Northern Dream to a radio audience and ultimately the attention of EMI Records who, after some deliberation, agreed to sign my band Be Bop Deluxe to the Harvest Label, (though they were initially only wanting to sign myself as a solo artist)." _____ 'Smile Records' was simply a name I dreamed up. I drew the record label design myself. There was no 'Smile Records' company as such. That was just an illusion. It was a completely independent release." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review on It's Psychedelic Baby FAN THOUGHTS: Shirley Levon: "I am the widow of Mike Levon of Holyground Records and it is good to see the recognition of Holyground for Northern Dream and Electrotype , thank you. With regard to Northern Dream , Bill was a good friend, and Mike always recognised his genius, for that reason there was no charge for Mike recording Bill, only the £15 which was the cost of the actual tape. Mike never had a copy of the original recording which went to Bill's friends at the Record Bar, who would not allow Mike to make a copy for himself." Albums Menu Future

Live Archive Old Haunts A launch party previewing the new CD - Saturday 9th November 2019 - During a 'Nelsonica Team' get-together, back in June 2019, Bill happened to mention that he would like to put on a launch party, to celebrate the release of his 'Old Haunts' album which he was then working on. Even though it was very late in the day to start making the arrangements, a launch party was duly arranged. Due to the previous year, when many fans missed out on buying tickets because of how quickly they sold, an announcement was made, giving fans a date and time that they could purchase tickets. This seemed to give everybody a much fairer chance and tickets sold out in less than 24 hours. The event was again held at the Clothworker's Centenary Hall at the University of Leeds. After the success of the previous year's live streaming of the event, it was decided to offer the same service this year, to enable those fans that couldn't make it the opportunity to see the live performance. Unfortunately, due to technical failures with the venue's equipment, the live broadcast failed completely. Luckily, the live show was recorded and the video was made available to view 'On Demand'. The show kicked off with a new 12 minute video entitled 'Piano Meditations' that Bill had prepared - this can be seen here in Dreamsville here at the Essoldo Cinema. For the live show, Bill played a set of instrumental pieces and introduced a different guitar for each of the 12 tracks that he played . Set List:- 1: 'Gloria Mundae' 2: 'I Always Knew You Would Find Me' 3: 'Hypnos' 4: 'Elliptic Waterfall' 5: 'Luxeodeon' 6: 'The Awakening Of Dr. Dream' 7: 'Antique Gods' 8: 'The Raindrop Collector' 9: 'A Dream For Ian' 10: 'Mars welcomes Careful Drivers' 11: 'Beyond These Clouds, The Sweetest Dream' 12: 'Sleepwalk' (Encore) Bill Nelson was a patron of the charity Sara's Hope Foundation. For this event, Eastwood yet again kindly donated one of their guitars, a fabulous Eastwood Airline - Coronado '59 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. Once the live set was finished, Bill took a short break and then returned to the stage to present his new album ' Old Haunts' . Using a backdrop of a new video he had created, Bill introduced each track from the album, giving a brief explanation of his thoughts behind each track - these album notes can be found here. After the album playback, Bill said his farewells and said he MAY be back again sometime...Let's hope so!!! 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: Regarding the brief vocal rendition of the old Elvis Presley song 'Mystery Train,' it was a spontaeous, unrehearsed piece, prompted by the fact that the Peerless SC guitar that I was playing at that point in the performance was basically a copy of the gold-topped Gibson archtop that the legendary guitarist Scotty Moore played on those early Elvis rock n' roll recordings. Not only were the audience taken by surprise but John Spence, up in the crow's nest where he was mixing the live audio, was also unaware of what was coming and had to cope with the unscheduled inclusion of a brief vocal performance. It was entirely off the cuff and just a bit of nostalgic rock n' roll fun, a nod to my roots. One of the earliest records I heard as a kid was 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore's wonderful electric guitar sound was a major inspiration for me, along with Duane Eddy's equally inspirational 'Twangy' sound. FAN THOUGHTS: Gary Warner: Unlike most people at the event this year's album launch was the first one I've been to. I found Bill's music somewhat late totally by accident. Whilst looking through some vinyl in a second hand shop I came across a copy of Modern Music and Drastic Plastic. I had managed to miss Be Bop totally growing up in the 70's and only remembered Bill from the Red Noise era. I thought I would give them a go and soon found myself massive fan. So I worked forwards, through Be Bop and solo as far as I could, then onto selected current stuff not on Apple music to the present (still ongoing). I was too late for last years event but managed to get a ticket this year. I didn't know what to expect, but it far surpassed my expectations. Firstly queuing to get in I immediately felt at home with others who love Bill, then going in hearing the piano renditions of Be Bop songs whilst getting some merchandise was wonderful. The people I spoke with were friendly and a nice atmosphere of anticipation. The event itself was fantastic, the live pieces, some I knew some I was unfamiliar with, were all impeccably played and the number of beautiful guitars used was an unexpected treat for me. Bill's introductions were both witty and interesting. The album launch and accompanying visuals were great and fit together well. Even though the songs were new to me, I knew the album was going to be a favourite. I will never forget being part of the audience for the launch. For me, coming in so late, it's difficult...half of me because I haven't experienced the early songs live and want to hear them (even if in new arrangements to suit Bill now). The other half likes the fact that Bill is constantly moving forward and doesn't want to be a greatest hits act, like most of his contemporaries. He's doing his own thing, left of field, which is why I love him. I think the album is some of his best work and to be releasing new music in the quantity and quality at this stage of his career is amazing. The music and lyrics fit just right for this stage of my musical journey through life, the shadows are there but always hope and light. The guitar playing and ambient sounds all fit perfectly. So I'm late getting here, but I hope this year's event will be the first of a few more to come. I'm in for the rest of the journey. Rob Lucas: Just have to say it was a great evening and a pleasure meeting so many like minded people! Watching the master again plying his artistry in many ways! tobyhoward: What a fantastic performance! That's it really! Thought Bill was on cracking form, seemed to be enjoying himself. What a treat. returningman: A big thank you to Ian and the other helpers for making this wonderful event happen. Bill you were relaxed and in great form. The Mystery Train interlude was magic! Looking forward to next year...again!!! Peter Fricker: What a brilliant evening it was, your playing and chat was spot on. And I look forward to watching the live concert when it is available. Well done and see you next year?? David Inch: I wasn't expecting this at all on the guitar change to his golden 'Scotty Moore' Peerless Gigmaster SC guitar, on what initially appeared to be no more than a little interlude on the strings we were treated to a rendition of Elvis Presley's 'Mystery Train'. I nearly fell off the edge of my seat...what an amazing night we all enjoyed.

The Dream Transmission Pavilion Bill Nelson album - 19 September 2009 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Billy And The High Blue Horizon 02) Beauty Lifts Her Skirts 03) The Sound From This Recording Travels To The Stars 04) Once More Around The Moon 05) Prairie Hula 06) Kiss You Slow 07) The Boy Who Knew The Names Of Trains 08) Picture In A Frame 09) Sway And Swoon 10) A Thought For You 11) Where Does It Come From, Where Does It Go? 12) Transcendental Radios 13) The Walls Of Which Are Made Of Clouds 14) I Am The Captain 15) Here I Am For You 16) Once More Around The Moon (Monitor Mix) ALBUM NOTES: The Dream Transmission Pavilion is an album mixing vocal and instrumental pieces issued for Nelsonica ‘09 on the Discs of Ancient Odeon label. With the decision to end the 500 limit on copies of the Nelsonica releases, Nelson created instead a novel special edition of the CD by issuing 250 copies (as an incentive to buy Nelsonica 09 tickets). The special version was housed in an autographed tin box, which included an additional alternative cover. With Nelsonica attendance running at 240, this allowed ten copies of the special edition to be sold through SOS which were snapped up by a fortunate few within hours of going on general sale. The remainder of the standard issue went on sale through SOS allowing non-attendees of the event to at least enjoy the music without having to worry unduly about placing an order within days of it going on general sale. One track on this release had appeared previously – albeit under a slightly different title. "Kiss You Slow" (then known as "Kiss You Slowly") had been issued as the B-side of a free digital single I Hear Electricity on Nelson's 60th Birthday (18 December 2008). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "This year's Nelsonica album benefited from more 'A' list tracks than usual. (Although my subjective 'B' list category tracks are often considered 'A' list by many fans! ) "I simply had too many good compositions to fit onto other projects this year, (plus a handful of perfectly acceptable tracks that didn't quite suit the style of some of the other releases,) so The Dream Transmission Pavilion album is, for me, a much more satisfying and 'finished' album than I initially expected it to be. It's certainly worthy of extended listening and some of its tracks may well contribute to a 'classic songs' list at some point in the future. "And here's an admission: I personally prefer it to Fancy Planets !" _____ "The Dream Transmission Pavilion album is nearly all vocal, apart from a couple of instrumental tracks. Stylistically, it covers a variety of genres. I won't itemise all the angles here...you'll just have to buy it and find out for yourself! But tell the wife they're both vocal albums...and if she says that she can't hear any vocals on Theatre of Falling Leaves , just say they're a bit too far back in the mix." FAN THOUGHTS: major snagg: "And I thought Fancy Planets and Here Comes Mr Mercury were good. Wow, Dream Transmission Pavilion is also fantastic. The bar just keeps getting raised higher with every new CD. AND I love the CD cover(s). "Prairie Hula" is a favourite today...every day another favourite track! This is like Christmas and Birthdays all rolled into one..." Grey Lensman: "It is a really cracking CD...Great guitar work, not that one expects any less. Fabulous range of sounds." JohnR: "I just love this album and some of the guitar playing is spine-tingling good stuff...For me, this is a Nelsonica collection that has a real coherency to it and is my most played album of Bill's since Whimsy." Dar: "I had the "Where Does it Go?" half of that pegged right away as primary Nelson, and it has risen to the status of Archetypal. It puts together so many of my favorite elements and blends them sublimely. I'm far from an 'every note of every song is great' fan, but this 2nd 1/2 of this song just works like a miracle on me; every note, every turn, every 'riff', every little clicky sound of the guitar pick, every subtle touch and treatment, all the feedbacky guitar, and the main chord line over the top. "This is perfection and it comes together at the highest, most current level of evolution." MG: "Sonically superb as expected. I would also like to send some kudos to Real Men With Ray Guns for their beautiful artwork." Pathdude: "After listening to this CD multiple times, I have to say that it is a classic. I remember when Bill said that he was especially proud of this convention CD as containing "A-list" material. Well, I would have to agree. There are many fabulous tunes on this CD. When I hear "Once More Around the Moon", it sounds like a standard in the traditional sense. And there are so many on this CD. "Thank you Bill for another wonderful CD." Swan: "I've only just listened to TDTP , in the car today, I have to say it is soooooo lovely! I nearly fell asleep to one of the tracks, fortunately I had my woman in the passenger seat and she stabbed me with her nail file so a gruesome accident was avoided!" Albums Menu Future Past

Rain Tree Crow album - 1991 Rain Tree Crow Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on three songs: "Big Wheels in Shanty Town", "Blackwater" and "Blackcrow Hits Shoe Shine City". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Electra (In Search Of The Golden Sound) Bill Nelson album - 1 July 2022 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this CD Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) A Bell Awakened 02) A Memory Lost 03) The Dust That Falls From Dreams 04) Autumn Vapours 05) The Ache At The Heart Of The World 06) Found In Foreverland 07) Darkness Sparkles 08) Endless Summer Ahead 09) No Thoughts, I Think 10) The Elegant Outsider 11) In Search Of The Golden Sound 12) This River Runs Deep ALBUM NOTES: Electra (In Search of the Golden Sound) is an album of instrumentals pieces issued on the Sonoluxe label as a limited edition. The album was first mentioned by Nelson as "progressing extremely well" in a Dreamsville forum post dated 26 April 2016 and was evidently completed by the time that Nelson revealed the final running order on 8 May 2016. This brought the tally of unreleased albums to twelve at that point. Electra would sit patiently for six years, awaiting its turn to be heard, until in February 2022 it was chosen from the collection of unreleased material. The album was mastered at Fairview Studios by John Spence with artwork compiled by Martin Bostock using images selected by Nelson as the album approached release. Burning Shed started taking pre-orders for Electra on 14th April 2022 with the album initially being due for release in May. However, due to delays with the mastering process, the release date was pushed back to 1st July 2022. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This CD is available to purchase here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Electra is an album of guitar soundscapes, ambient improvisations and the occasional jazzy excursion. It continues and develops the style of albums such as Quiet Bells and Silvertone Fountains but has its own distinct character." _____ "Electra (In Search Of The Golden Sound) is one of several albums recorded between 2015 and 2019 that have languished unreleased in my archives for several years. I am slowly getting around to releasing them and they will all eventually see the light of day." Albums Menu Future Past

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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