Search Results

New Way to Move mini album - 1983 The Units Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer, Guitar and Keyboards on "New Way to Move", "Your Face" and "More Alike". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

The Cote D'Azur ep Bill Nelson ep - 8 October 1986 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A1) A Dream Fulfilled A2) Familiar Spirit B1) Palais Des Marine B2) Letter To Jacques Maritain B3) Villefranche Interior ORIGINALLY: All five songs were non-album tracks, although B3 would appear on Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights (Cocteau, 1987). NOTES: The Cote D'Azur EP was included in Issue #13 of the fan club magazine, Acquitted By Mirrors , and would turn out to be the final Cocteau Club EP. Although the label would exist for another 3 years, the magazine would struggle to appear with anything like the regularity of 1982-84, and eventually would stop altogether with Issue 15. The single was housed in a green die cut Cocteau sleeve, and oddly while side 2 was pressed at 33 1/3 rpm, when you play it, B2 should be played at 45 rpm. PAST RELEASES: B3 was included on Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights (Cocteau, 1987). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All tracks are available on the retrospective compilation album Transcorder (The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings) . BILL'S THOUGHTS: from the Acquitted by Mirrors fan magazine: "The music on the E.P. was recorded on my return from holiday in Villefrance-sur-Mer and it is an impressionistic soundscape of my 'adventures' there. On the track "Familiar Spirit" you may recognise the voice of one J. Cocteau (conjured into The Echo Observatory by various nefarious rites). The track "Letter to Jacques Maritain" features yours truly reading Cocteau's words from the aforesaid letter. I hope you find some things to enjoy within these hallowed grooves." _____ "I venture to suggest that a big percentage of my soul belongs to the South of France, particularly the Cote D'Azur... the one place I feel I could live in a sort of artistic exile, (provided I could return once in a while to the raw beauty of the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire coastline)." Singles Menu Future Past

Map Of Dreams Bill Nelson album - 12 January 1987 Albums Menu Future Past Currently unavailable TRACKS: 01) Legions Of The Endless Night 02) Spinning Creatures 03) At The Gates Of The Singing Garden 04) Heavenly Message Number One 05) Heavenly Message Number Two 06) Heavenly Message Number Three 07) Fellini's Picnic 08) Dark Angel 09) Infernal Regions 10) Dance Of The Fragrant Woman 11) The Alchemy Of Ecstasy 12) Aphrodite Adorned 13) The Wheel Of Fortune And The Hand Of Fate 14) Forked Tongues, Mixed Blessings 15) Another Tricky Mission For The Celestial Pilot 16) Water Of Life (Transfiguration) ALBUM NOTES: Map of Dreams is an instrumental album from Cocteau Records issued barely a month after Iconography . Map of Dreams initially appeared on vinyl and cassette formats, with the CD appearing later in the year. For this album, Nelson was commissioned by Channel 4 to provide a soundtrack to a TV show broadcast in 4 short episodes each lasting approximately 12 minutes. PAST RELEASES: Map of Dreams would get its first US release when it appeared on CD and cassette (Enigma, 1989). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The album is currently out of print, but may reappear as a digital download via Bandcamp at some point. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Originally, I was approached to come up with a series of programmes based on my occult interests. I produced an outline based on that exact premise but when it was put forward to the 'powers that be' they decided that a slightly less esoteric angle would be more suitable for viewers who might possibly be, er, 'unsettled' by the ritual/masonic/magical/alchemical angle I'd initially envisaged...(hence the somewhat more easily acceptable, 'astrological' line on which the series was eventually based). Interesting enough for all that but certainly a rather more compromised result than I'd originally hoped for. But, there you go...that's the nature of the game when you engage with the machinery of commercial television. No matter how pure or potent the original intent might be, the artist has to accept that dilution will occur. Still a very interesting project though...and one of which I remain proud." "As far as I know, the Map of Dreams series didn't make it to official DVDs...which is a shame as they're rather unique TV programmes by today's standards." FAN THOUGHTS: Peter: "This is an album to play for someone who doesn't understand that Bill is NOT "just" a guitarist, but is a musician and composer. With hardly a guitar in evidence (I think only "Fellini's Picnic" features the guitar, though there may be instances of heavily synth-processed guitar that I am not knowledgeable enough to pick out), this rich collection of soundscapes, developed for use as a soundtrack for a TV program, offers so many moods and "colors". Interesting, and at times challenging, listening." alec: "The Map : Used to listen to "Fellini's Picnic" over and over, rewinding it often in the car ..." mlr_pa: "Fellini's Picnic": "from Map of Dreams should have been 10 minutes longer! Bill on an acoustic! WOW!!" wadcorp: "What a great album." Alan: "I've seen it on youtube before, and agree it's a wonderful program, visually and musically. I wish I could have seen it's release on television...Anyway, Bill has every right to be proud of this one, in my opinion." Albums Menu Future Past

Demonstrations Of Affection Bill Nelson album box set - December 1989 Albums Menu Future Past CD 1 - Chimes And Rings: 01) Lady You're A Strange Girl 02) Kiss Goodbye 03) Call Of The Wild 04) Lost To Me 05) Dangerous Lady 06) Working Man 07) Giving It All Away 08) Ice And Fire 09) Wonder Where We Go 10) Dreams Of Yesterday 11) Sell My Soul 12) Back To Dreams 13) I Wait For You 14) Walking Away From Paradise 15) Playing Jesus To Her Judas 16) Something's Going On 17) The Miracle Belongs To You CD 2 - Nudity: 01) Feels Like Up To Me 02) Prize Of Years 03) Still Waiting 04) Lover Boy At Heart 05) The Wonder Of It All 06) Devil In Me 07) A Little More Time 08) What's It All About? 09) Thunder On The Wing 10) Shake It Up 11) Love To Win 12) Running 13) If Love Were Gold 14) I Want You 15) Kiss It Off 16) Angel Like You 17) Crying All Night 18) Only Love Can Tell CD 3 - Heartbreakland: 01) You Know How To Hurt 02) Broken 03) You Make Me Cry 04) Mess Around 05) Why? 06) Insanity 07) Confused 08) Heartbreakland 09) Lucky Star 10) Heartbeat Thru The Telephone 11) One Day At A Time 12) Tip The Wink 13) Shadow Haunting Me 14) Raining 15) Love's Immortal Shining Angel CD 4 - Details: 01) Maybe It's The Future 02) Wondering 03) Wasted Lives 04) The Best Of You 05) Stay With Me 06) Love And A Bucket Full Of Holes 07) Prisoner Of Love 08) Don't Wait 09) Man On Fire 10) Visionary 11) The World To Me 12) Strong Enough 13) Everything Permitted 14) Aeroplane Wings 15) One For You 16) Let It All Pass You By Purchase this download Purchase this download Purchase this download Purchase this download ALBUM NOTES: Demonstrations of Affection is a 4CD box set issued on Cocteau Records. It was also released on cassette. Both versions came with a free T-Shirt alongside the 4 albums of new material. This was the final official release by Cocteau Records. The recordings that make up Demonstrations of Affection were commenced at The Echo Observatory in 1988, but span a very difficult period of time for the artist, who was going through separation, leading ultimately to divorce. This resulted in him moving to a new home in 1989, rechristening his domestic recording facility Studio Rose Croix in the process, where the recordings were completed. PAST RELEASES : The set had just one pressing and has been out of print since 1990. Note that each CD forming the set was issued separately, but again went out of print with the demise of Cocteau Records. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All four albums are available to purchase individually as digital downloads here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It's a fairly straight, song-oriented album with pop overtones rather than an experimental/abstract instrumental affair. Of course many of the songs dealt with an uncomfortable time in my life when I was troubled by marriage breakdown and management/financial problems...I guess the music was, in some instances, a cathartic response to this and could be interpreted as an involuntary expression of personal angst. But, it has what I'd consider some nice songs on it, emotional and direct." _____ "I'd say that there are lots of songs in the set that work independently of the situations that inspired their writing. Perhaps if you didn't know the context they would be little more than fairly straight-ahead pop songs...as most pop songs deal with love or loss and the complications of relationships. There are a handful of songs in the set that I think are very good, particularly when I think back to the basic recording equipment I had at the time. But a lot of it I find marginally embarrassing as my life has long since moved on and, as always happens with these things, you look back and wonder what all the fuss was about and why you couldn't see the bigger picture. It doesn't take long to realise that these sort of changes are always going to be for the better. My life is infinitely more fulfilled and happy now that it ever was all those years ago. So, the album, if it documents anything at all, is a demonstration, (not so much of affection), but of the human inability to see beyond the moment to a much brighter tomorrow." FAN THOUGHTS: TheMikeN: "The songs - they are excellent, belonging to a phase of Bill's work that works for me completely. They are also unusually direct and heartfelt and so seem to be more immediately memorable than those from albums just before or after the set was released. Some very simple catchy melodies are included as well. I can hum most of them from memory and they turn up in my head unbidden surprisingly often." weirdcritter: "I've just got to say that DOA is my favourite of all the 'box sets'. Features some of Bill's best songs I reckon." Marshall: "The recordings do jump off the speakers, with saxophones and massive drum arrangements: much more ambitious stuff than I remember." Tony Raven: "I have to plug for Chimes and Rings . Wonderful tunes, perfect synth, breathtaking moments of varied guitar. Pop elements with subversive jazz sensibility. After dozens of plays, the whole CD still sounds great, whether at close listening or in the background, on the stereo rig or in the car." steve lyles: "I really love the Demonstrations of Affection material." "I have never thought of any of your songs as demos Bill...I prefer the 'sketches' term myself, the content has always been of more importance to me than the gear or place it was recorded." zebrapolish: "Been away from this set for far too long. Some really terrific tunes here." TwentySmallCigars: "I know that this was recorded at an exceedingly tumultuous and stressful time in Bill's life, and I have always found it remarkable how gifted musicians and composers can produce such beauty out of such dark circumstances. When I have trouble and stress in my life my work tends to suffer, not thrive." tommaso: "At the time I found it an incredibly 'stylish' and typically Nelsonesque thing. I mean, other people simply write one or two songs to cope with losing a lover and/or trying to get her back, Bill made a set of four albums! And I found the idea of 'spontaneous' music-making quite interesting, and it's something that Bill continued to do with later albums, of course...Those who dismiss Demonstrations should listen again to tracks like "Wondering", "Let it All Pass You By", "Love's Immortal Shining Angel", "Giving it All Away" or "Strong Enough". And the list can easily be continued. As always with Bill, each of these discs has some true gems." hong_kong_simon: "The album that affects me most on an emotional level has always been Demonstrations of Affection . The songs and music seem to me the most heart-felt of all Bill's works, covering love, pain, anger, hurt...Now, I've never gone through a divorce, but at the time of release of that album my wife and I had just suffered a tragic loss, and many of the feelings in that work were very similar to feelings I was experiencing (for very different reasons). It helped me to be able to feel some form of emotional connection through the music." John Fisher: "There's a temptation to view Demonstrations of Affection like several of the other box sets in Bill Nelson's long career (Trial by Intimacy , the My Secret Studio sets, Noise Candy ) - as a collection of like-minded songs. Sketchbooks collected from a period of several years. But Demonstrations is unique in this regard. It's really more like a diary - one that chronicles a particularly difficult and emotional period of the artist's life. Coming through the dissolution of his marriage, moving house, management problems, and financial strain, some might be tempted to lay open a vein. But instead, Bill Nelson lays open his soul. The music on this set seems to explode from his chest as if it cannot be contained. Where Chances Encounters in the Garden of Lights features music quickly bourne from a state of spiritual meditation, these songs sound like compositions freed from spontaneous combustion. It a wild ride thru heartache, anger, resentment, bewilderment, passion, lust, elation, resignation, nostalgia, and finally - hope. Yet, despite having a catharsis as catalyst, these are some of the most melody-driven pop songs of Bill's long career. Although one can point out that they betray their origin as demonstration recordings, and that you can hear the influence of the 80's loud and clear, Bill wrote some cracking good pop songs here. In fact, many of the best songs from Demonstrations were not included on What Now, What Next? and Practice of Everyday Life box sets." Albums Menu Future Past

Ieyasu compilation track - 1982 Jobson and Nelson Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Background music on the only track credited to Richard Jobson and himself. NOTES: Found on the cassette music magazine SFX, issue #5. The track was later collected on the Cocteau Records compilation Signature Tunes . Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Discography Menu DVDs and Video Productions The following compilations do not link to full entries yet...They will soon. Filmed Live At Metropolis Studios 2012 DVD Picture House 2010 DVD Flashlight Dreams...And Fleeting Shadows 2003 DVD

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) November 2009 Jan Jul Aug Sep Oct Dec Sunday 1st November 2009 -- 6:00 pm Emi finally returned home last Monday evening, (26th of October). She's been away for more than one month, even longer than that if you add in the two weeks she spent in Tokyo prior to this year's Nelsonica. To say that I'm glad to have her home would be a total understatement. I've missed her very much and, even though we've spoken on the 'phone every single day, having her back here with me once again is such a joy. Our two cats, Django and Tink were pleased to see her too, though Django tried to hide his amputated tail from Emi's view when she first entered the house. It was if he didn't want her to see his injury, or was embarrased by it. He's recovering o.k. now, no longer having to be confined to the house or forced to wear the protective collar that was causing him so much suffering. I had him back to the vet's at one point though, when his tail seemed to be bleeding, but it's healing well at the moment, if still bereft of fur and a few inches shorter than it should be. Still no idea how he was injured, although it looked to the vet as if it was a deliberate attack. My own life has been mainly focussed on looking after the house andmyself. Now that Emi is home, I can think about a few other things, including adding this entry to my online diary. But I've spent the last few days helping Emi back into her life here in the U.K. Her mum has returned to hospital. Her condition not good but not really any worse than it was a few weeks ago. There is, however, little that can medically be done for her and at some point in the future, the inevitable will have to be faced. This could be very soon or early next year, according to the doctors over there. But it's not possible to put any accurate time-scale on it. It's all very upsetting and worrying, especially for Emiko. At some point, as things move towards their sad conclusion, she will have to go to Japan again.For now though, I'm trying to be supportive and helpful, bring Emi a little respite from her worries. We need to spend time together...one thing this situation has underlined is the preciousness of life, (and its fleetingness). As I've metioned before, the last few years have been very difficult for us. Mortality, illness, family problems, legal matters, job redundancies, one thing after another. Yes, we're at that time of life when these things happen, but we're also at a stage when many of our contemporaries have taken early retirement or are about to retire and settle down to enjoy a calmer, more gentle lifestyle. My work as a musician hasn't afforded me such an opportunity and I have nothing to fall back on. Not that I want to give up my creative work, but I sometimes wish it wasn't quite so pressurised. I spend a great deal of my life locked away in this cramped little room, surrounded by electricity and the low hum of recording equipment. That in itself isn't particularly healthy, but the constant desire to create and, (if such a thing were possible), 'perfect' my music, to express my thoughts and feelings through sound and words, has become all-consuming to the point of obsession. Of course it's also a pleasure, a privelege...but it can sometimes be a curse too. Yesterday though, Emi and I drove over to Castle Howard for the afternoon. Autumn is beginning to change to winter now but there are still enough golds, mustard yellows, rich browns and deep reds on the trees to bring home the fragile beauty and gentle melancholy of the season. We had afternoon tea in the main house's cafe. Sandwiches and cakes, a pot of Earl Gray tea for Emiko and a small bottle ofMerlot for me. We sat at one of the window tables, watching as the light shifted, flickered and faded, whilst peacocks wandered aimlessly across the lawns, their tails truncated, though still carrying a few short feathers of electric blue and green. Less people there than the last time we visited, which is fine by me. I often wonder what it must have felt like, in times gone by, to be the owner of one of these glorious piles. Perhaps no need, back then, to think in commercial terms of how to best market it, to make it pay for itself. I imagine myself, late at night, walking out through one of those magnificent french windows, stepping from the warm glow of a firelit, candle yellow, gilded grand hall, out into the sweet velvet twilight, into a landscape commissioned from some personal architect of dreams... To walk alone amongst dark trees and silver fountains, to touch the ancient, rain-kissed statues as if they were supernatural consorts, frozen forever by their own chilled beauty, to taste wine-drunken breezes flowing from distant hills, to glimpse dragonflies darting over star-reflecting ponds, neon wings whirring like tiny kites veined with phosphor. And to know that all I surveyed, from here to forever, was MY domain, a realm where dreams could be realised, made manifest. What must that have felt like? Even if that perfection was only sensed for a second? Amazing that such lives existed...no, still exist! Today, we've stayed home. Rain and wind outside and a lingering grey darkness. I've spent some time on the forum of my website. I'm always in two minds about such a thing. It isn't always good to know what some people think. Fan websites are a mixed blessing. It's a bit like working in a shop or a supermarket checkout. Not everyone who crosses your path is someone you'd want to encounter under any other circumstances. Many fans, of course, are understanding, warm, thoughtful and supportive. Others more contentious, rude, deliberately confrontational or transparently egotistic. But, artists cannot choose their fans, just as most of us cannot choose our neighbours. Only friends and lovers come within our remit. The rest is down to chance. I guess that, on the whole, I've been lucky. Oriental dinner tonight, Emi cooking Japanese style for us. Last night we ate out at 'Ceasars' restaurant in town...Italian and a fairly regular haunt of ours. Not expensive but, usually, a satisfying meal with good service from friendly and welcoming staff. The packaging artwork for my next album 'NON-STOP MYSTERY ACTION' was completed yesterday. Just before Emi returned from Japan, I'd taken some rather surreal photographs of myself for it, sitting at the table in our dining room. In one photograph, I have the head of a rabbit and on the table in front of me stands a pair of toy robots. In another photograph I have the head of a robot, (actually a 1950's Selmer guitar amplifier turned on its side), and there are two small toy rabbits standing on the table. The album is built around three soundtracks I recorded for three special Nelsonica video presentations. But there are six tracks in all, each one quite lengthy. They are like sound pictures, or scenes from a kind of sonic cinema. Spoken word, (my own), plus voice samples from movies and radio. Also digital static, drones, electronic flickerings, jazzy guitars, the sound of wind and rain and bells, even an opening dark blue 'blues' piece. A stream of consciousness kind of thing. Dreams unreeling in the night. Track list/running order is as follows:- 1: 'THIS IS LIKE A GALAXY.' 2: 'WELCOME TO THE DREAM TRANSMISSION PAVILION.' 3: 'YES AND NO.' 4: 'WHEN THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN.' 5: 'MATERIALISATION PHENOMENA.' 6: 'THE DEPARTURE OF THE 20th CENTURY IN A HAIL OF MEMORY.' Everything now ready for manufacture. Hopefully have it available in time for Christmas. The strangest Christmas album, maybe, but there's definitely something of a winter's night about it. This will be my fifth album release this year...and two more already in the pipeline for later. Compulsive? Obsessive? Driven? Perhaps. Or maybe just thrilled by the gifts that music bestows. ***** The images accompanying this diary are as follows:- 1: A nice photo of Emiko , taken around the time Bill and Emi first got together. 2: An autumnal photo' of Castle Howard, taken by Bill 31st Oct '09. 3: Another Castle Howard photo' by Bill taken same day as previous shot. 4: A statue at Castle Howard, photo' by Bill, date as above. 5: Bill's self-portrait photograph for 'Non-Stop Mystery Action' album artwork, taken October '09. 6: Another 'Non-Stop Mystery Action' self-portrait by Bill, same date as above. Top of page Saturday 28th November 2009 -- 11:00 am Feeling tired and anxious. This diary entry, once again, begins with Emi leaving for Japan. The last few weeks, since Emi returned from her previous trip to Tokyo, have been difficult. Her mother's condition has fluctuated, some days not too bad, others much more worrying. Every day, Emi has kept in touch with the situation in Tokyo, via telephone calls to her elder brother and also to a lady who has been a long-time friend of her mother. From them, we've recieved updates on the progress of the illness, or lack of it, and Emi has also regularly spoken on the 'phone with her mother, direct to the hospital. It's been an emotional roller coaster for Emi and very stressful. Obviously, the immense distance from here to Japan has made the situation even more painful. On some occasions, Emi had expressed optimism after putting the 'phone down...her mum had been able to eat and sounded positive. On other occasions, things didn't seem good at all and Emi's despair was impossible to hide. This last week though, her mother had been given a transfusion, (as she had been losing blood), and the result seemed to indicate that she might find the strength to survive through Christmas and into the New Year. Emi's younger brother, (Masakazu), was already in the process of moving to a new apartment that would be suitable to accomodate himself and Emi's mother. The idea was that she would leave the hospital and move in with Masakazu until her illness became unmanageable, at which point she would have to be re-admitted to hospital. Professional day-care was also being discussed so that Emi's mum could be monitored at the apartment and helped as much as possible. Although very ill, she was looking forward to getting out of the hospital and spending some time with Masakazu and Emi's older brother, Kazutami. Sadly, this was not to be. At 11:15 on Tuesday evening, (24th November), the 'phone rang. Emi and I had been watching television and we were almost about to retire to bed. Emi answered the 'phone. The call was from a friend of Emi's mother. She had telephoned to inform Emi that her mum had suddenly passed away, only one hour previous. No one was with her when she died. Emi was inconsolable, absolutely devastated. Witnessing her distress, her raw outpuring of grief, was heartbreaking for me. I can't begin to explain the anguish and helplessnness I felt and I won't even try. The next few hours were filled with tearful calls to and from Japan. All I could do was hold Emi close and bear witness to her pain as the news sunk in. Emi had spoken with her mother only two days before and there had been no indication that the end was quite so near. Consequently, the shock we experienced was far more severe than expected. We had optimistically presumed that things would continue unchanged into the New Year, or at least until a serious deterioration would signal that it was time for Emi to fly to her mother's side. To add to this awful situation, Emiko was due, the following morning, (Wednesday), to create a unique floral arrangement for the Lord Mayor's Mansion House in York. As mentioned in a previous diary entry, she had been invited to take part in a special Christmas Flower Festival in aid of the Lord Mayor's annnual charity appeal and had spent the previous two days getting all the neccesary materials and flowers together. She'd had a wonderful design in mind, but, after the 'phone call from Tokyo, she was so emotionally disraught that I couldn't imagine how she could possibly go ahead with the work as planned. I suggested that, first thing in the morning, I should call the organiser and explain the situation to see if it would be possible to excuse her from the project. Emi, however, insisted that she must try and get through it and honour the invitation. That sad night, we hardly slept and by morning were both feeling weak and emotionally drained. We had to be at the Mansion House very early to unload all the flowers and other neccesary items from the car, so got dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast of tea and toast. I was acting as 'flower roadie' for Emi and packed everything she needed into the boot and rear seat of the car before setting off into the city through the slow moving early morning traffic. Once at the Mansion House we unloaded everything and carried it up the grand staircase into the Mansion House's State Room where Emi had been given a personal site for her arrangement. This was situated on an antique table beneath a pair of imposing oil paintings of two ancient York Mayors. I left her to begin work on the arrangement and returned to the car to remove it from the precinct and drive to a car park. The traffic was still jammed up so it took a little while to get where I needed to be. I then walked back through the crowds of office workers and tourists into the centre of town and was admitted back into the Mansion House. For the next couple of hours, I watched as Emi created a beautiful, classy arrangement that perfectly complimented the two enormous portraits that towered over it. Her face looked tired, sad and careworn but, as she became more and more engrossed in the creative process, I could see some inner light return to her eyes. I know from personal experience how healing creative work can be, even if only temporary. Emi worked quickly and with greatpurpose, knowing exactly what she was aiming for. At one point, she stood back from the arrangement to view its progress, then turned to me and said, "I'm doing this for Mama, she wants me to make it beautiful for her..." And the finished result was indeed beautiful, subtle, sophisticated and perfectly suited to its setting. I felt so proud of her. There's something about Emi's work that is hard to define. Just as there are many musicians who have technical or academic excellence and yet whose work somehow doesn't move the listener beyond a superficial kind of admiration, there are flower artists who can reproduce the latest floral fashions with competent technical skill but who lack the warmth and depth that is required to make the work sing. Emi's work is different, it sings graciously...it has, for want of a better word, 'soul.' It's this subtle quality that appeals to those with cultured tastes, a quality that connects on a deeper level, without recourse to 'trendy' gimmicks or flashy display. But, just as with music, sophisticated work can often pass a mainstream audience by. Well...that was Wednesday morning. Once the arrangement was completed we returned home and began the process of finding a flight to Tokyo for Emi. After several calls to a travel agency in London, (the same agency she had used to book her two previous trips to Japan), a flight was finally secured for today, Friday 27th November. From Manchester to Paris, then Paris to Tokyo. I could sense Emi's relief that she would be able to get there in time for her mother's funeral. Unfortunately, it wasn't practical for me to accompany her to Japan. This will be the third trip to Tokyo for her this year, (plus one last year), and the combined impact of these unexpected but neccesary trips on our finances has been marked. Also, because of the suddeness of recent events, there would not have been time for us to arrange for our cats to be taken care of, (which would also incur further expense). Emi's car is in for substantial repairs too and I need to be here to deal with that and several other pressing domestic responsibilities. So here I sit, typing these words and hoping that all will be well. I'm just praying that Emiko will be able to deal with the emotional impact of her mother's funeral without me by her side. She's told me not to worry, that she can cope...but, of course, I'll worry anyway. As readers of my published 'Diary Of A Hyperdreamer' book will recall, Japanese funerals are elaborate affairs and not a little disturbing for Westerners, especially those of us used to a slightly less viceral approach to cremation. I was in Tokyo with Emi for her father's funeral a few years ago and had first-hand experience of this. I'm thinking back to that time now and, despite Emi's attempts to re-assure me, can't help thinking that it is going to be very tough on her. She's a remarkably strong person in many ways, although very feminine and gentle. But Japanese funerals are something of an endurance test. Nevertheless, she's certainly much stronger than me when it comes to these things. On a less depressing note: Yesterday, we were invited to attend a special lunch party at the Mansion House, given by the Lord Mayor, as a 'thank you' to the various floral artists who had created arrangements for the Flower Festival. Emi wasn't sure at first if she was up to attending, feeling so drained and tired...but she said 'yes' and we once more found ourselves in the State Room, enjoying a pleasant lunch and chatting with the Mayor who seemed very interested in how Emi and I got together. Turned out he enjoys listening to classical music and jazz so we had a chat about music too. He seemed to be impressed by Emi's arrangement and complimented her on her work. Many of the other arrangements for the festival had been created by members of the Acomb Flower Guild (which is apparently one of the oldest and best in the country). The ladies of the Guild also seemed suitably impressed by Emi's talents and have invited her to become a member. One floral artist who spoke with us said that she had been involved with various flower guilds around the country for many years but had never come across one that contained so much talent before. She was full of enthusiasm for it and urged Emi to go along to their next meeting to see what it was all about. I was pleased that Emi responded positively to the invitation and she now has contact details and will be visiting the Guild when she returns from Japan. I think she would like to take up the invitation to join...It might be a very positive thing for her, especially in view of the difficult times she's had to endure these last few years. And it may hopefully provide a further outlet for her talents. Last night was devoted to packing Emi's suitcases. We intended to get an early night as she needed to catch a very early train to Manchester airport but it was midnight when we finally turned off the light. I couldn't sleep, just laid there in the darkness turning over the events of the last few days. Emi wasn't asleep either and we ended up talking about her mother's passing, life in general, and tried to apply a Buddhist perspective.A certain degree of acceptance was, I think, achieved. It seemed as if we'd only just drifted off to sleep when the bedside clock told us that it was 4-30 am and time for Emi to get up and get ready to leave. I stumbled out of bed just a little later, at 5 am, and dragged on some warm clothes I'd laid aside the night before. Outside it felt very cold and there was a light layer of ice on the windscreen of the car. I ran the engine and watched the windows slowly demist, then, with Emi on board, set off for the station. Two sleepy people, travelling in the darkness. There were no other cars on the road until we reached the centre of town, and even then just the odd one or two. I parked and hauled Emi's luggage over the station footbridge to platform nine where the Manchester Airport train was already waiting. I got her settled at a window seat and placed her cases safely in the luggage area. We hugged each other close, saying that it was 'only' for ten days this time, but I knew that ten days would feel far too long. I glanced at my watch and hopped off the train. Then, standing on the platform, waiting for it to depart, I gestured to Emi through the carriage window to take out her mobile 'phone. I called her on mine so that we could talk to each other despite the glass separating us and the train's closed door. Within seconds, the train pulled away and out of the station and we were lost to each other's view, but we continued to talk on our mobile 'phones as I made my way back over the bridge to my car. The usual sadness as I returned home, alone. Undressed and crawled back into bed but couldn't sleep. Turned on the reading lamp and picked up a book. Read for amost an hour, then drifted off into a dream. At 8 o'clock the 'phone rang. It was Chio, a friend of Emi's. She asked if she could speak with her. I informed her that she had already left for the airport. Further attempts at sleep proved fruitless so I eventually got up and made myself some breakfast. Then a brief call from Emiko to say she was at Manchester airport and about to board the 'plane for Paris. A couple of hours later, I got another call from her at the airport in Paris...she was just about to board the 'plane to Japan. She will now be many miles away on her long journey. (It's now 10 pm on the evening of 27th November here.) She will try to call me from Narita airport when she arrives. (There's a nine hour time difference between England and Japan so this will be in the early hours of Saturday morning, UK time.) Then it will be a daily call from me to her mother's apartment until she returns home on the 7th of December. Meanwhile, it's just me and the cats...existing. ***** All images accompanying this diary entry are of Emiko's flower arrangement for the Mansion House Flower Festival in York. Top of page

Listening Notes Occasionally, Bill provides 'Listening Notes' to accompany an album Joy Through Amplification Dreamshire Chronicles Blip! Albion Dream Vortex All That I Remember New Northern Dream Songs For Ghosts

Bill Nelson Live Events Unfortunately, Bill has no live shows planned at the moment and due to health issues it is unlikely that he will perform live in the future... Make sure you have subscribed to this website's mailing list for news and updates. We would like to build a comprehensive archive gallery of Bill's shows. If you have any great pictures or memories that you would like to share... Please contact us HERE Previous Live Show Archive

Singles As and Bs Be Bop Deluxe retrospective collection - 19 June 1981 Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: A1) Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus A2) Between The Worlds A3) Maid In Heaven A4) Ships In The Night A5) Kiss Of Light A6) Japan A7) Panic In The World A8) Electrical Language B1) Third Floor Heaven B2) Lights B3) Crying To The Sky B4) Shine B5) Futurist Manifesto B6) Blue As A Jewel B7) Surreal Estate NOTES: Singles As and Bs is a single album that neatly brings together the Be Bop Deluxe singles issued on Harvest, including 3 singles edits that were appearing on album for the first time. Collectors were drawn to this album (when initially released on vinyl in 1981) by the inclusion of "Between the Worlds", the band's third single, which was withdrawn shortly after its original release in 1975. However, by the time this collection had appeared on CD in '92, that super rare track had re-appeared on the Futurama CD as a bonus cut. All the tracks on this album, including the 7" edits, can be found on the more comprehensive Futurist Manifesto box set issued in 2012. PAST RELEASES: All 15 tracks on this compilation album had originally appeared spread across the band's eight 7" singles issued on Harvest. See individual entries of those singles for full details. In addition to "Between the Worlds", 4 of the 'B' sides and 1 other 'A' side were non-album cuts when first released although all five of these tracks had been included on The Best of and the Rest of Be Bop Deluxe double album a little over 2 years previously. The album was released on CD in 1992 with different artwork. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This compilation is now out of print. Collections Menu Future Past

Studio Cadet Bill Nelson album - 6 December 2024 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this CD TRACKS: 01) A Splendid View 02) Phantom Island 03) Crystal Springs 04) Barely There 05) The Ecstatic Transfiguration Of The Great Northern Twang Magus 06) An Interval 07) Dance Of The Anti-Gravity Enthusiasts 08) Deep Sky 09) Space Age Dreamer 10) Slow Smoulder 11) Sunglasses After Dark 12) My Giddy Levitation 13) I Saw You In A Sailplane 14) Night Boats Pass Beneath The Stars Purchase this download ALBUM NOTES: Studio Cadet is an album of guitar instrumentals issued on the Sonoluxe label in a limited edition of 1000 copies and simultaneous digital download. The album was first mentioned by Nelson as 'half finished' in a Dreamsville forum post dated 20 May 2015 and was later confirmed as complete with confirmed track listing on 1 June 2015. On 14 July 2015, a week after completing work on his very next album of new material, Magnetic Travels , Nelson announced plans to release both albums as a double CD initially to be entitled The Grand Imaginarium (Intergalactic Rhapsodies for Electric Guitar) , although the word 'Intergalactic' was dropped later the same day. A few months down the line however Nelson had reverted back to his initial plan of releasing Studio Cade t and Magnetic Travels as two standalone albums and this plan remained despite Nelson's continued uncertainty of the format. The album was mastered at Fairview Studios by John Spence in February 2024, with artwork compiled by Martin Bostock using images selected by Nelson as the album approached release. Pre-orders for Studio Cadet were announced by Burning Shed on November 1st with a release date scheduled for December 6th. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available to pre-order here in the Dreamsville Store. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Studio Cadet is one of several previously unreleased albums tucked away in my archives. Recorded in 2015 it contains 14 guitar-based instrumental tracks. The atmosphere is relaxed and sometimes dreamy. The album comes in a triple-fold digi-sleeve with a four page booklet insert. A gleaming guitar melodic soundscape." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review on Plus One Albums Menu Future Past

Hired History Plus album - 2019 Fiat Lux Production/Contribution Menu Future Past TRACKS: DISC ONE: HIRED HISTORY PLUS 01) Secrets 02) Photography 03) Blue Emotion (12" Version) 04) Comfortable Life 05) Sleepless Nightmare (12" Version) 06) Aqua Vitae 07) Feels Like Winter Again 08) This Illness 09) Photography (Unreleased Bill Nelson Version) 10) Comfortable Life (Unreleased Bill Nelson 12" Version) 11) House Of Thorns 12) Sleepless Nightmare 13) Three's Company 14) House Of Thorns (12" Version) 15) Solitary Lovers (12" Version) 16) No More Proud (Proud Mix) 17) No More Proud (Dub Mix) 18) Sally Free And Easy DISC TWO: ARK OF EMBERS (LOST ALBUM) 01) The Moment 02) Breaking The Boundary 03) Blue Emotion 04) Embers 05) No More Proud 06) Photography 07) Splurge 08) Secrets 09) Aqua Vitae 10) In The Heat Of The Night 11) Solitary Lovers BILL: Producer on four tracks, Disc One's 'Feels Like Winter Again', 'This Illness', 'Photography' and 'Comfortable Life'. NOTES: The tracks Nelson produced were originally recorded in 1983, but remained unreleased until 2019 with the release of this record. Steve Wright & David Crickmore: "...We have been able to include our earlier work with Bill Nelson as producer. Not only the debut independent single on Bill's Cocteau label 'Feels Like Winter Again' b/w 'This Illness', but also the original Bill Nelson produced version of 'Photography' (b/w 'Comfortable Life'), which was commissioned to be our next single when we first signed to Polydor – a plan soon abandoned by the company in favour of a remake with Hugh Jones at the controls. Riding on the Indie chart success of our debut, Bill's 'Photography' followed the brief to "make it sound like 'Feels Like Winter Again'." We even returned to the same modest local Leeds studio. It is a notable inclusion to this collection as it marks the first time Ian Nelson blew a saxophone on one of our recordings and you can hear that his lovely end solo idea survives right through from Bill's prototype to the bigger budget Hugh Jones replacement version." "It wasn't our first attempt at the number ('Comfortable Life') – Bill Nelson had offered his production of it as the intended B-side of 'Photography', recorded at the same sessions at Ric Rac in Leeds. Unheard until its inclusion here is that unreleased master in its 12" mix form (Polydor never commissioned the 7" edit from it). It comes with the heavy disclaimer that 'Blue Monday' was hot off the press and extremely influential at the time!" Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Monday 5th June 2006 -- 9:00 am Spent most of today at Fairview studios with John Spence. We mastered my two newest albums in preparation for their manufacture. I'm hoping to release 'Neptune's Galaxy' in July, although this has yet to be confirmed. 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' will be held over until autumn. It's a relief to know that the musical and technical aspects of these two projects are finally complete. All that remains for me to do is work with David Graham on the tidying up of each album's packaging art. John was kind enough to comment on the quality of the recordings as he mastered each album. He's always positive and supportive and understands that, recording alone as I do, encouragement and appreciation of my work is very much needed. Sometimes I feel as if I'm working in a vacuum and that only a small number of people grasp the implications of the music I make. But that's partly a result of ploughing an individual furrow, or because I willfully ignore pressures to either conform to my own past or to someone else's present. Occasionally it's tough but it's absolutely the correct way forward. Ultimately, I have no regrets or qualms about any of the difficulties that this approach throws up. I follow where the muse leads and damn the consequences. Is this why the character of Orpheus has always fascinated me? Or Don Quixote? My trip to Japan soon...very soon. In fact just over a week away. I have to start packing clothes. I'll probably take too much, as usual. (I find it impossible to travel light.) Like Don Quixote, I need my armour. I'm not looking forward to the flight. It's not a direct to Tokyo one as there's a long wait at an airport in Holland for our connection to Narita. I don't enjoy flying at all, hate it actually, so I'm now wondering whether I should have stuck to my original plan of staying at home. But, if I'd done that, I'd have been terribly lonely without Emiko and not taken care of myself properly. I'm hopeless at self-sufficiency, at least in real world terms. In creative terms, I'm the captain of my own ship, but that seaworthiness limits itself to the world of art and music. Elsewhere, I'm a fish out of water. Emiko has become my life support system as well as my wife, lover and friend. So...off to Tokyo I go! Actually, it will be good to see my mother-in-law and my two brother's-in-law. Plus my old friend Nick and his wife Yoko. And there's bound to be a guitar adventure or two. We're staying in a inexpensive business hotel in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. When I say 'inexpensive' I mean inexpensive by Tokyo standards. It's still a largish chunk of cash for Emi and I, even though it will be a room the size of a broom cupboard. At least I know the surrounding area like the back of my hand and will be able to find my way around. Shibuya is quite lively and we'll only need the cupboard for sleeping. We're planning a trip out to Kamakura and the Gretsch guitar company have invited me to visit their factory which is about two hours out of Tokyo by train. (In Nagoya, I think.) When I return, a long list of work projects awaits my attention:The EMI box set's live recordings need mixing. I also have a long list of Nelsonica 06 tasks to work my way through. (The annual conventions get more and more elaborate, partly my own fault for trying to raise the bar each year.) Then I have to seriously get down to business with the film I must make for next Spring's contemporary music festival at Leeds University....such a lot of work needed for that. I made a sort of start last week when I paid a visit to Wakefield Museum to talk about the possibility of accessing their archives for info and still photographs.The film is intended to be a poetic, autobiographical exploration of memory. It's working title is 'Ghosts Etched On Glass.' I've also discovered two film archives, one in London, one in York, that may be able to supply me with some historical footage that I'd like to weave into the film. At a price though, from what I can tell. When I get back from Japan, I have to make an appointment to see the curators of Wakefield Museum and also of the two film archives. Just researching this project will take time, before I even begin to deal with its creative practicalities. Nevertheless, I have an outline vision of how this thing should develop and I'm prepared for it to be a long and ongoing process. It's initial showings will be as 'a work in progress' rather than a completed film. I've been speaking with Dean Campbell about my Transitone signature guitar. I gave him a list of my thoughts after working with the prototype model. The prototype plays extremely well but Dean tells me that the finished model will be even better. He seems to think that he can accomodate the majority of things I've suggested. Looking forward to seeing the finished item! Emi and I went to Whitby yesterday. It took ages to get there as a section of the road over the North Yorkshire Moors had been closed by the police due to an accident that apparently killed a biker. A large, yellow, air-sea rescue helicopter was brought in. It landed, just ahead of us, on the road at the site of the crash. After an extensive wait, the police directed us towards an alternative route, a long way 'round but picturesque. We eventually got to Whitby, only just in time for lunch last orders at 'The White Horse And Griffin.' But I couldn't stop thinking about the biker and how his family's life had been changed in the instant of that accident. After lunch, we walked out on the harbour walls to the very end, where the two small stone, lighthouses stand.The sea and sky blurred into one another, a smear of pastel pink and hazy blue, small white-sailed yachts floating in the early summer sunday luminescence, big blue sky arcing overhead. It was blissfull, transcendant. And I hadn't brought my camera. Then, on our way home, we stopped off at Robin Hood's Bay and marvelled at the view from the top of the hill that leads down to the old village. Again, absolutely sublime, so magnificently beautiful, the cliffs of the far coastline framing the bay, sea stretching out to horizon. I turned to Emi and said, " This is what makes life worth living. A place like this and someone to share it with..." Emi said, "That's the important thing, someone to share it with.." We both treasure the times we can get out into the Yorkshire countryside together. No surprise to us that North Yorkshire has just been voted the most beautiful county in the whole of England. I'm intimately connected to this particular landscape. My heart beats in it. Visited my brother's grave last week with my Mother and Emi. We laid flowers. I need to speak with Diane about our plan to raise a headstone for Ian. I must call her before I leave for Japan. For now, that's all I can write. Tired. I'll try to write another diary entry before my trip to Japan. Oh, still reading Lindsay Anderson's diaries and have four new books to take to Tokyo with me. (Or one if I can make up my mind which one to read first.) They are: 'The Necropolis Railway' by Andrew Martin, (author of 'The Blackpool Highflyer'). 'The Mysterious Flame Of Queen Loana' by Umberto Eco. 'Attention All Shipping' by Charlie Connelly and 'Strange Angel' by George Pendle. But right now, I'm going to sit downstairs with my wife and eat strawberries and ice cream. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are as follows: 1. The latest cover art for 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' (The model is Emiko, photographed in the 1960's.) 2. A view of Robin Hood's Bay. Photo by Bill Nelson. 3. An early Campbell Transitone Bill Nelson signature model sketch Top of page Monday 12th June 2006 -- 12:00 pm Only two and a half days until the start of my trip to Japan and I'm feeling unwell. Last Thursday, I awoke in the middle of the night with an excruciatingly sore throat, really painful.This continued for three days before easing off a little but has been replaced by a flu-like lethargy and clamminess. My chest is a bit tight too, irritated but not a fully blown cough. It feels virus-like but is sort of veiled, fogged over. Maybe my system is trying to fight it off or maybe it hasn't yet fully developed. Whatever it is, it's come at a bad time as I have had so much to prepare before we leave for Tokyo. I've been taking my usual daily multi-vitamins and have supplemented these with echinacea which is reputed to boost one's immune system. I just hope that I can shake this thing off before Thursday. All those hours cooped up in an aeroplane won't help matters at all. I've put a few things in place before we leave. Album artwork for 'Neptune's Galaxy' and 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' has now been fully completed and signed off. I need to speak to Paul (Gilby) before leaving to let him know that 'Neptune' is all ready to go to the pressing plant. 'Jazz' can go a little later, once 'Neptune' has been available for a while. I've also made an image for the central 'logo' of Nelsonica 06. It's a fairly free-handed drawing of a satyr-like creature with ram's horns and goatee. I've framed the original. Not sure if I should keep it for myself or offer it for auction at Nelsonica. Further refinements to my Campbell Transitone signature model guitar and another drawing sent off to Dean. Maybe there will be something solid for me to look at when I get back from Tokyo. I've packed everything, suitcase-wise, now. Just a few final toiletries to cram in on the morning of our departure. I had second thoughts about some of the clothes I'd packed and did a bit of a swop around. A token attempt to cut back on the bulk. I think I've got fractionally less in there now but it still feels damn heavy. Emi's case is smaller. (But then she's a lot smaller than me anyway. Her clothes take up less room, even when the quantity is the same as mine.) Have also packed my carry on bag. I need to charge my camcorder batteries before packing that though. All that boring waiting around at Amsterdam airport will give me plenty of time to wander about the concourse with video and still cameras. See if I can come up with images that could be used in future creative projects. I have two pairs of trousers to collect from the alterations shop this afternoon. Damn! Does this mean I'll have to find space in my case for them? Probably. Have been trying to catch up with emails again but with only partial success. People must think that I don't care to respond but I'm actually full of good intentions to do so. It's just that my life is so full of distractions. One has only to look at my creative output to understand that. Went over to Wakefield to visit my sister-in-law Diane last week. Life has hit her hard again...her mother has just passed away, only six weeks after she lost her husband, (my brother Ian). I couldn't believe it or come up with anything to say that would have been of any solace. I just felt absolutely inadequate. It's mind-numbingly sad. Her mother was buried at the weekend in a plot directly behind Ian's. Diane's mum and he were actually very fond of each other, not at all the cliched comedy relationship of 'mothers-in-law' perpetuated by the likes of Les Dawson. I'd last seen Diane's mum two days after Ian's funeral. I'd gone with my mother to visit Ian's grave and, by coincidence, Diane and her mum and dad had also chosen to visit the cemetary at the same time. Diane's mum was in a wheelchair and she'd shed a tear at Ian's graveside. She spoke warmly of him. My generation has reached an age when the harshness of mortality is brought home to us on a fairly regular basis. Knowing that doesn't make it any easier to accept though. Diane told me that she missed Ian even more at this sad time. He would have been a pillar of strength for her in such a situation. After years of marriage, he understood her emotional responses more than anyone and knew exactly how to steer Diane away from too much despair. Other, less depressing news: Emi and I took my son Elliot out for a meal last week. A local Tapas place. We sat on the roof terrace surrounded by sun-tanned girls in skimpy vests. A bit of a cleavage exhibition. Of course, I'm far too old and decrepit to notice such things, (but Emi sometimes points them out to me... She knows I'm an art lover). Got an email from my daughter Elle in London. She's picking up some work designing websites at the moment. The plan to licence my 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across'/'On A Blue Wing' album from Sony is going ahead. It's ironic that I have to pay them an advance and a royalty share as part of the deal for them to give me permission to re-issue the album on my own label. But that's what happens when you dance with the galloping majors. I just hope that enough people want to buy it to warrant me paying out so much to Sony. Still...it will be the first time its officially beenavailable on CD. I really want to start work on 'Romance Of Sustain' volume two. I have several unreleased guitar compositions that I've been performing live over these last two or three years. They should be put onto an album. I still need to dub the lead guitar parts onto the backing tracks, though, and mix them carefully. It shouldn't be too difficult a process as most of the 'writing' is done and the basic recording too. (Nevertheless, I'd like to write at least a couple of brand new pieces for the project.) I'm thinking of calling this album, 'The Last Of The Gentleman Rocketeers.' (Or perhaps have one of the instrumentals called that.) But...before I can even contemplate starting on the project, I have to mix the ancient Be Bop Deluxe live recordings for EMI RECORD'S forthcoming box set. And begin work on my 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' film. Plenty to do. Now I have to attempt to weigh our suitcases. Emi called from work just now to say that she'd heard that new airline regulations restrict the weight of individual cases, rather than the collective weight of the total. If this is so, there may be a last minute frennzy of re-packing to distribute the tonnage between both our cases. As if the trip to Japan wasn't difficult enough already. I do get so stressed out by travel these days. I'll try to take a notebook to Tokyo to jot down some day to day happenings so that I can write them up in this diary when I return. Hopefully, I'll have some photos to attach too. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are: 1. Bill Nelson's drawing for Nelsonica 06 'Arcadian Salon.' 2. Another of Bill's sketches for his Campbell signature guitar. 3. Another photo of Emiko from the 1960's. Top of page Thursday 29th June 2006 -- 7:00 pm THE TOKYO CAPER: PART ONE. Returned from our trip to Tokyo last night. A long journey and a busy, exhausting time in Japan. Far too frought and intense to be called a holiday, but we were not really expecting it to be anything other. I'm feeling jet-lagged and sleepy but Emiko went to work at the flower shop this morning so she's had a much tougher day than me. I spent the day unpacking suitcases and gifts for friends and family and then headed off to town and later to the supermarket to stock up on food and other essentials. It now feels as if we've not been away at all but while we were in Tokyo it felt like we'd been there for at least a month, so much activity did we cram in to our stay. There's too much to tell in a single diary entry and I'm too tired to tell it all in one attempt anyway, so I'll spread it out via two or three entries over the next few days. I also have several photo's to add to the forthcoming diary entries so will select three images for each. I returned to find dozens of emails and Dreamsville Forum private messages awaiting my attention. And a pile of posted mail in the letterbox. (Various bills, unfortunately.) I will only be able to deal with the most pressing correspondence as there is a long list of work-related projects to catch up with. My list of 'things to do' seems to have doubled since I've been away. The most recent of these is the task of photographing my musical instrument collection for a Japanese magazine called 'Player.' This magazine, one of the largest musician's magazines in Japan, interviewed me whilst I was in Tokyo for a six page feature which will appear in an Autumn issue. They arranged a two hour photo session along with the actual interview. Emi acted as translator. It was the first time I'd been in a proper photographer's studio for several years and I wasn't really looking forward to it, (nor was I 'sartorially prepared'), but, as it turned out, it was reasonably painless. I've attached two rough polaroids from the sessions to this diary entry along with a self-portrait that I snapped whilst visiting Zen Master Dogen's memorial monument in Kamakura. The most difficult part of the Player magazine feature is the photographing of my musical instrument collection. The editor wants me to take individual photos of every guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukelele, keyboard, amplifier etc, etc, that I own. The magazine also wants a list of all the serial numbers of the instruments, (a typically Japanese thing, detail being everything) and also would like photos of my recording room from various angles. The individual items must each be photographed against a plain background, keeping the proportions identical. As there are no plain backgrounds in our house, (due to shelves of books, ceramics, paintings, prints, etc), I'll need to go out and buy a roll of plain coloured cloth to pin and drape from the house's ceiling beams to provide a suitable backdrop to photograph the instruments against. Once the photographs are taken, I have to get them burned to a CD to post to Japan...and they must have them by July 10th if the feature is to meet their Autumn schedule/deadline. It looks as if I'll have to make a start very soon as it will take at least a couple of days to photograph everything, if not longer. On the positive side, it will provide an opportunity for me to catalogue my collection and will also double up as source material for the Dreamsville site's 'Guitar Arcade.' As my computer doesn't have a disc burner, I'll have to enlist the help of a more technically articulate friend to get the pics stored to disc for posting to Japan. I desperately need a more up-to-date Mac but can't afford it at the moment as there are so many other, more pressing, domestic problems around the house. Both Emi's car and mine are in need of repair too and I've just booked them in for servicing, repairs and MOT examinations. They have to go in to the garage next week, one at a time so that we're not without transport. Of course, the Tokyo trip has been mind-numbingly expensive. Despite talk of the Japanese economy being less strong these days, we were horrified by how much things still cost. A small glass of fresh orange juice, an iced-tea and an iced- coffee at the hotel cafe came to just over 15 pounds. A two-hour trip from Tokyo to Nagoya to visit the Terada guitar factory cost us one hundred pounds each. A similar length trip from here to London and back can be had for around thirty pounds each, so we were shocked by the quite dramatic difference. Nevertheless, the Japanese Shinkansen is a superb way to travel and makes our British rail system seem antiquated and slow. The trains in Japan are marvels of engineering, clean, fast, smooth and silent...I was seriously impressed. I was also tremendously impressed by my visit to the Terada guitar factory, a family business begun back in 1915. I was expecting something very high tech and modern but it's a very old-fashioned set up and labour intensive. This factory is number one in Japan for building artchtop guitars. They build for Gretsch, D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, Sadowsky and some other makes. the quality and attention to detail is remarkable. I took some camcorder footage of the craftsmen at work which I'll try to assemble into a little video documentary- souvenir of my Japan trip to show at this year's Nelsonica convention in October, (another addition to the day's events. It's going to be a jam-packed convention this year). Tomorrow I have to hunt for plain fabric for those 'Player' magazine guitar photograph backgrounds so I'll keep this diary entry brief. But much more to follow over the next few days. Stay tuned. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are:- 1. Bill Nelson 'Player' magazine Polaroid number one. 2. Bill Nelson 'Player' magazine Polaroid number two. 3. Bill Nelson 'Self Portrait at Zen Master Dogen's memorial, Kamakura, Japan. All photos taken in Japan during Bill and Emi's visit in June 2006. Top of page Friday 30th June 2006 -- 6:00 pm THE TOKYO CAPER: PART TWO. Perhaps I should start at the beginning of my recent trip to Japan, see if I can recall all the relevant details. It seems to have already become a distant blur but this may partly be due to my jet-lag and low energy level. As noted in my diary entry of 12th June, I wasn't feeling well two days prior to leaving. This was due to a virus I'd picked up and, in fact, I was feeling even worse the night before we were due to leave...(so much so that I seriously considered not going at one point). I couldn't imagine how I could endure the long journey. I'd been dosing myself with all the usual remedies but to little avail. I felt weak and decidely virus-stricken. Nevertheless, I decided to pack as much 'medicine' as I could, 'Night Nurse' tablets, vitamins, sore throat tablets, pain killers, etc, etc...(my carry on bag resembled a mobile pharmacist's shop), and made the effort to get myself half-way around the world to Japan, for Emi's sake, if nothing else. I hardly slept the night before the flight, a combination of anxiety and sickness. Our friends Steve and Julia had generously offered to drive us to the airport but we still needed to be up early to get there two hours ahead of our scheduled take-off time. When we got up at the crack of dawn, I was in grumpy old man mood from lack of sleep. My mood didn't improve when we arrived at the airport to find that the airline had seated Emi and I in totally separate parts of the aeroplane, on both legs of the journey. (We were flying first to Amsterdam's Schipol airport, then transferring to another flight to travel to Tokyo.) On top of this, due to new cabin baggage restrictions, one of our carry-on bags was deemed too heavy so some items had to be taken out. During this messing about, my electric razor fell on to the floor and broke. Time for a beard development fortnight, I thought. Eventually we made it through to the departure lounge and grabbed a light breakfast from the cafe before boarding the plane to Amsterdam. Luckily, we were able to wangle two seats together which cheered me up a little. The trip to Amsterdam was short, around 55 minutes actual flight time, but we then had a long wait in the transit zone of Schipol Airport before boarding our Boeing 777 for the connecting flight to Tokyo. We passed some of the time sitting in one of airport's many cafe bars. I nursed a glass of red wine which, in turn, nursed me. By the time we boarded the aeroplane, I was feeling pleasantly, er...shall we just say 'vague?' Once again, we negotiated to obtain seats sitting next to each other and finally succeeded, 'though it was in a row of three. As it happened, our third party companion spoke nary a word throughout the 12 hour flight. After taking off, I had my cutomary Bloody Mary cocktail, something that I only ever seem to drink whilst on long-haul flights. (It's a habit going back to the days of Be Bop Deluxe touring America in the 1970's.) Anyway, it did the trick and my virus-stricken discomfort was slowly buried under a rapidly increasing alcoholic haze. I looked through the list of movies available on the in-flight entertainment centre, a surprisingly large selection covering several tastes. Of course, each seat has its own integral video screen nowadays and each occupant their own individual selection of films and entertainment, but I can recall when things were somewhat different. On those long-ago Be Bop Deluxe U.S. tours of the mid 1970's there was just one solitary screen at the head of each section of cabin and an equally solitary RGB projector suspended from the cabin's roof. As far as having a choice of films goes, there simply was no choice at all, passengers just watched whatever was selected by the airline. Usually, there was a main feature plus a supporting one. (A bit like the old, early '60's days of British cinema minus the ice-cream lady, the cinema organist and the agonisingly slow attempt to slide your hand beneath your new girlfriend's angora sweater, then under her bra...Oh, what sweet joy when the target of one's lust was reached...) But even those 1970's Be Bop American tour long-haul single screen flights seemed high-tech to us back then. I can recall an incident when Charlie Tumahai, a little 'worse for wear', decided to start up a running commentary on the film being shown. He did this in a loud, pantomime 'aussie' style accent, shouting out perceptive phrases such as 'He's behind ya, yer dim-brained bastard!!' and 'I'd shag the arse off that Sheila, mate!" He was always ready with a sophisticated turn of phrase. When the cabin staff asked him to stop spoiling the film for the other passengers, he sulked for a couple of minutes before coming up with the idea of using his hands to cast shadow puppet images onto the screen.These hand shadows, representing birds, elephants, foxes, etc, interacted amusingly with the various characters in the film, although the other passengers seemed to think otherwise for some reason. Eventually, cabin staff and the rest of Be Bop Deluxe had to pursuade Charlie to cease and desist. It wasn't easy to get him to stop but eventually, with the aid of a trip to the toilet for him to smoke a clandestine 'jazz woodbine', he'd settle down and eventually drift off to sleep for the remainder of the trip. A right card was our Charlie...I still miss him. Back to the 21st century and our KLM flight to Tokyo: I decided to watch the recent re-make of King Kong which was listed on the in-flight movie menu. I hadn't gone to the cinema to see it when it was released, (last year?) as I'd always been fond of the black and white original with Fay Wray and didn't feel that a new version would add anything to that. However, after watching the first 15 minutes or so, I was sufficently impressed to decide to rent it out on video when I returned to the U.K. and view it on a larger screen, rather than watch it on the tiny one built into the seat on the aeroplane. So I stopped the playback of 'King Kong' and selected 'Wallace And Gromit And The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit' instead. Well, in the absence of 'Meshes Of The Afternoon' or 'The Testament Of Orpheus', what did you expect? After an amusing chuckle at the wayward adventures of the much celebrated animated plasticine man and his dog, I settled down to read 'The Necroplis Railway' by Andrew Martin which turned out to be not too bad at all. (Now there's a riveting, perceptive review-cum-advertising quote for you:- "Not too bad at all"... Bill Nelson, KLM Airlines.) The author skillfully evokes a vivid picture of the sooty, grim, steam-driven London of the early 20th Century. The fact that the central character hails from Robin Hood's Bay, just outside Whitby, is an extra bonus for me. At this point in time, I'm just over half-way through the book, having found little time to read whilst in Tokyo, but I've been gently entertained by the story so far. Perhaps Mr. Martin and myself have some interests in common. The flight to Japan seemed endless. I slept fitfully, sporadically. Actually, it wasn't sleeping at all, just a semi-unconcious state, the Boeing's engines droning like a million bees in a metal hive, a constantly humming background to the half-stupor I found myself in. The in-flight meals were slight and inconsequential but the little bottles of wine that came with them found whatever edge I had left and hammered, then smoothed it into a rusty bluntness. After what felt like an eternity, we landed at Tokyo's Narita Airport. Emiko, because she is still a Japanese passport holder, was able to go through passport control/immigration like a knife through butter. Myself, being a foreigner, (or 'Gaijin'), went through it like a feather through stone. I joined the back of a long, long line of non-Japanese and awaited my turn to be given entry to the country. After such a long flight, this long wait proved difficult. I felt dizzy and exhausted but eventually I reached the head of the line and presented my passport to the immigration officer. After a few moments of checking on his computer screen to make sure that I wasn't on any list of known terrorists, football hooligans, drug smugglers or people who cross the road whilst the little walking-man signal is still on red, I was waved through to the baggage reclaim area where Emi was waiting patiently for me. But our journey was not yet over. We now had to haul our luggage onto the Airport Limousine. This vehicle is actually not nearly as glamourous as it sounds. The 'limousine' is nothing more than a plain old bus that ferries passengers from Narita airport into Tokyo. We bought our tickets and climbed on board and found two seats at the back, settling down for the two-hour drive into Tokyo itself. Not exactly Tokyo airport at all, really, as Tokyo is a two-hour ride away. But that's Japan. I dozed as the bus swept along the motorway but woke as we hit the first traffic snarl-ups that signalled that we were entering the city at last. We finally, gratefully, got off at the Hotel Excel, (one of the buses several scheduled stops) and wearily hauled our luggage to a taxi to drive to another, much less expensive 'business hotel' that we'd pre-booked from England.The taxi driver, much to my annoyance, stood by and watched me struggle to load our heavy and bulky cases into the boot and the back seat of his cab. Not once did he offer to help me. I was, by this time, beyond verbal complaint and felt like a mere robot switched to automatic...A suitably appropriate condition for Tokyo life. Our cheap business hotel was in Shibuya, up a little hill on a small side road, not too far from Shibuya station. The hotel was due to close down, three days after our check-in, but for now, it was to be our home. The room was tiny, the bathroom even more so, almost microscopic but we were too exhausted to care and simply unlocked our cases, took a bath and wandered out into the neon Shibuya night. It was as if I'd never been away from the place. Tokyo is a kind of glittering hell, a consumer orgy lit by advertising signs, giant video screens and scored by dozens of discordant broadcasts from loudspeakers situated on every building.The message is simple, "Buy me! Buy Me! Buy Me!" It is, as so many first-time vistors say, 'just like Blade Runner'...but the more often you visit, this romantic, futurist impression is diluted and then replaced by something far more mundane. In fact, Tokyo is neither 'Blade Runner' nor 'Lost In Translation' but instead is a city of millions of lives banged up together in a desperate fight for either survival or aquisition. In many ways, it embodies everything that has gone awry with human society, even though, as the tour salesmen say, there is much less crime than in the West. But in Tokyo, to one degree or another, nothing is as it seems and almost everything is fake, simulated or appropriated from somewhere else. I've known this from the beginning of course but, with each subsequent visit, it becomes more and more apparent, less interesting, less humourously ironic, less 'post-modern'. Eventually, it simply becomes something to be endured. A candy-coloured purgatory that can only be safely navigated by a wallet full of cash and a credit card willingly sacrificed to the max. Outside of Tokyo though, Japan has its compensations, its unique solaces. Emi and I spent a day with two of her Tokyo friends visiting Kamakura, a not too long train ride out of Tokyo, near the coast. Kamakura has become a kind of spiritual theme park. It has what seems like an endless collection of old temples which one can visit. A tourist thing, not just for westerners but for the Japanese too. We crammed several of these into one day and it became something of a blur. I can't recall the various names of them, 'though I paid attention to each one that we visited. Each temple seemed to involve the climbing of a hill. In the June heat and high humidity, this was even more strenuous than normal for me. But there were one or two brief moments of grace and beauty. And some very good, locally brewed Kamakura beer. No wonder those Zen monks were looking so blissed out. At one point on our tour of the temples, I got Emi to take a snapshot of me standing in one of the Zendo rooms, where the monks would sit in meditation. I wanted to climb up onto the sitting area mats and pose in Buddha fashion but Emi said I'd better not. Perhaps I would have profaned the space with my lazy Buddha posture... But this opportunity to behave like tourists was an anomaly as the rest of our time in Japan was taken up with a punishing schedule involving meetings with Emi's relatives and friends, plus the Player Magazine interview and photo session and my visit to the Terada guitar factory in Nagoya. (Actually, this last was the highlight of the entire trip for me.) Now I'm tired again so I'll continue with the story in a day or two's time. Meanwhile, don't touch that dial. ***** The photographs attached to this diary entry are as follows:- 1. A Kamakura Temple. 2. Kamakura Beer. 3. Bill Nelson in a Kamakura Zendo. Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) June 2006 Jan Apr May Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Drastic Plastic Be Bop Deluxe album - 10 February 1978 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this box-set TRACKS: 01) Electrical Language 02) New Precision 03) New Mysteries 04) Surreal Estate 05) Love In Flames 06) Panic In The World 07) Dangerous Stranger 08) Superenigmatix 09) Visions Of Endless Hopes 10) Possession 11) Islands Of The Dead ALBUM NOTES: Drastic Plastic is the sixth and final album by BeBop Deluxe, and was recorded using the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit on location in Juan le Pins in Southern France during May and June 1977. The album was stylistically a departure from their past work and signalled a transition in Nelson's work to a more electronic approach, closer to New Wave music than 70s Rock. As a result, some fans found this change difficult to fully accept. Drastic Plastic was the fourth Be Bop Deluxe album in succession to feature the now established line up of Bill Nelson, Simon Fox, Charlie Tumahai and Andy Clarke. The album appeared on vinyl and cassette, and was promoted by the release of two singles "Panic in the World" and "Electrical Language". Like their two previous singles, both of these failed to chart. Vinyl copies were released in a single sleeve, and the record was housed in an inner sleeve featuring lyrics to all songs. In North America the album appeared with a slightly revised track listing, with the track "Visions of Endless Hope" replaced with the UK only single, "Japan". Canadian collectors were treated to a limited edition white vinyl edition. When reissued on CD in 1991, EMI elected to enhance the album by adding 3 bonus tracks, although they represent a mixed bag in the context of this album and the reissue programme as a whole. "Blimps" in chronological terms belongs with Sunburst Finish , and "Lights" with Futurama , leaving just "Lovers Are Mortal" as the only appropriate inclusion. If you no longer kept your vinyl copy of Futurama , but require song lyrics, then this CD edition satisfies that need. The informative sleeve notes penned by Kevin Cann provide useful context. In April 2017 Cherry Red and E soteric R ecordings , who, since 2011, have done so much to raise the profile of Bill Nelson's solo recordings from the period 1980 to 2002, acquired the rights to release the Be Bop Deluxe and Red Noise material issued between 1973 and 1979. While this resulted in the deletion of existing physical editions, Cherry Red kept Drastic Plastic on catalogue from 1 June 2017 via the usual download sites such as Amazon and iTunes while an expanded edition was prepared for a 2021 physical release. On 21 February 2021 Drastic Plastic became the fifth Be Bop Deluxe album to be issued as a Deluxe Edition comprising: a freshly remastered version of the original album. a 2021 remix of the full album. 9 bonus studio recordings comprising of single edits. unreleased tracks and material that later appeared on the 'Best Of And The Rest Of' retrospective compilation. previously released live 'BBC In Concert' recorded for Radio. 4 recordings from a 1978 John Peel session. a bonus CD of previously unreleased Bill Nelson demos. the original album presented in a 5.1 mix. Bill Nelson's previously released 'Be Bop In The South Of France' video. the BBC TV 'Sight And Sound In Concert' appearance from 19th January 1978. The album is presented in a triple fold out digi-pack and contains a 68 page booklet with an essay penned by Bill Nelson, previously unseen photographs from the period, postcards and a replica poster. A 2CD edition of the album is also being released at the same time as the Deluxe Edition which will also replace the standard download edition. The full track listing for the Deluxe Edition is: Disc One: 1. Electrical Language 2. New Precision 3. New Mysteries 4. Surreal Estate 5. Love In Flames 6. Panic In The World 7. Dangerous Stranger 8. Superenigmatix (Lethal Appliances For The Home With Everything) 9. Visions Of Endless Hopes 10. Possession 11. Islands Of The Dead 12. Japan 13. Futurist Manifesto 14. Panic In The World (Single Edit) 15. Blue As A Jewel 16. Electrical Language (Single Version) 17. Love In Flames (Single Version) 18. Face In The Rain 19. Islands Of The Dead (Take Four) 20. The Saxophonist (Juan Les Pins Version) Disc Two: 1. Autosexual 2. Lovers Are Mortal 3. Blimps 4. Speed Of The Wind 5. Quest Of Harvest For The Stars 6. New Precision (BBC In Concert 1978) 7. Superenigmatix (BBC In Concert 1978) 8. Possession (BBC In Concert 1978) 9. Dangerous Stranger (BBC In Concert 1978) 10. Islands Of The Dead (BBC In Concert 1978) 11. Panic In The World (BBC In Concert 1978) 12. Lovers Are Mortal (BBC In Concert 1978) 13. Love In Flames (BBC In Concert 1978) 14. Blazing Apostles (BBC In Concert 1978) 15. Superenigmatix (John Peel Session 1978) 16. Possession (John Peel Session 1978) 17. Panic In The World (John Peel Session 1978) 18. Love In Flames (John Peel Session 1978) Disc Three: 1. Electrical Language (New Stereo Mix) 2. New Precision (New Stereo Mix) 3. New Mysteries (New Stereo Mix) 4. Surreal Estate (New Stereo Mix) 5. Love In Flames (New Stereo Mix) 6. Panic In The World (New Stereo Mix) 7. Dangerous Stranger (New Stereo Mix) 8. Superenigmatix (Lethal Appliances For The Home With Everything) (New Stereo Mix) 9. Visions Of Endless Hopes (New Stereo Mix) 10. Possession (New Stereo Mix) 11. Islands Of The Dead (New Stereo Mix) 12. Japan (New Stereo Mix) 13. Futurist Manifesto (New Stereo Mix) 14. Blue As A Jewel (New Stereo Mix) 15. Autosexual (New Stereo Mix) 16. Face In The Rain (New Stereo Mix) 17. Lovers Are Mortal (New Stereo Mix) 18. Speed Of The Wind (New Stereo Mix) 19. Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars (New Stereo Mix) Disc Four: 1. Speed Of The Wind (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 2. Surreal Estate (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 3. The Saxophonist (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 4. Electrical Language (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 5. Visions Of Endless Hopes (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 6. Possession (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 7. Islands Of The Dead (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 8. New Mysteries (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 9. Japan (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 10. Dangerous Stranger (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 11. Blue As A Jewel (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 12. Autosexual (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 13. Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 14. New Precision (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) 15. Love In Flames (Bill Nelson Demo 1977) Disc Five: 1. Electrical Language (5.1 Surround Mix) 2. New Precision (5.1 Surround Mix) 3. New Mysteries (5.1 Surround Mix) 4. Surreal Estate (5.1 Surround Mix) 5. Love In Flames (5.1 Surround Mix) 6. Panic In The World (5.1 Surround Mix) 7. Dangerous Stranger (5.1 Surround Mix) 8. Superenigmatix (Lethal Appliances For The Home With Everything) (5.1 Surround Mix) 9. Visions Of Endless Hopes (5.1 Surround Mix) 10. Possession (5.1 Surround Mix) 11. Islands Of The Dead (5.1 Surround Mix) 12. Japan (5.1 Surround Mix) 13. Futurist Manifesto (5.1 Surround Mix) 14. Blue As A Jewel (5.1 Surround Mix) 15. Autosexual (5.1 Surround Mix) 16. Face In The Rain (5.1 Surround Mix) 17. Lovers Are Mortal (5.1 Surround Mix) 18. Speed Of The Wind (5.1 Surround Mix) 19. Quest For The Harvest Of The Stars (5.1 Surround Mix) Disc Six: Video Content: 'Be Bop Deluxe In The South Of France' - Bill Nelson's Home Movies Filmed Whilst Recording 'Drastic Plastic' BBC TV 'Sight & Sound In Concert' 19th January 1978 1. New Precision (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 2. Superenigmatix (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 3. Possession (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 4. Dangerous Stranger (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 5. Islands Of The Dead (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 6. Lovers Are Mortal (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) 7. Panic In The World (BBC TV Sight & Sound In Concert) CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This 6-Disc box set is available to purchase in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "I came up with that TV heads image way back in the 1970s, before even some of you good folks might even have been old enough to notice. "It eventually was photographed for the '70s album, Drastic Plastic , (by 'Sleazy' of Throbbing Gristle), and was originally intended for a front cover, but sadly got relegated to the back cover due to Hipgnosis, (the favoured designers at EMI back then), who supposedly had a 'better' front cover image showing paint being thrown over an artificial kitchen. Well, what the heck this ever had to do with the musical concept of the album still escapes me and it is one of those record company decisions that simply baffles...But there you go...Art, in the hands of the infidel, turns to banality." _____ "Getting my first Mini-Moog was exciting because previously you would have had to invest in a bulky and very expensive modular system. The Mini-Moog brought the possibility of synthesis to a much wider range of musicians, myself included. And I wanted to break away from being stereotyped as a 'guitar hero' at that time, but mainly liked the added textures that the Moog brought to the songs." _____ "Several of the tracks on Drastic Plastic feature drum tape loops rather than 'live' playing. Basically, we recorded a few bars of Simon playing the basic beat, then mixed it to a reel of stereo tape whilst feeding it through a guitar fuzz box and compressor, then we'd cut the tape so that it contained just a couple of bars of drums, then joined the ends of the tape together so that it formed a physical tape loop and then ran this 'round and 'round, on constant repeat, copying it back to the multitrack, adding gated reverb to make it more explosive. The band then played to the tape loop rather than to a live kit. Thinking about it now, it was like an early, primitive, version of 'sampling'. The idea was to get a repetitive, neo-mechanical, machine drum feel to the rhythm, rather than the usual rock approach. The home demos I made for the album have a very similar feel and we often spent time in the studio trying to re-create the groove of those demos." _____ "Visions of Endless Hope": "from Drastic Plastic has birdsong and wind sound...but it's all live in real time, as the guitar parts were recorded in the open-air in the garden of 'Villa St George' in Juan Les Pins in the South Of France. Every bird cheep and breezy tree shimmer was picked up by a ring of microphones as I played the Ovation 12-string guitar whilst sitting in the middle of the villa's garden." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review on JP's Music Blog Review on Goldmine Review on AnneCarlini.com YouTube review by Pete Pardo Review on Daily Vault Review on Spill Magazine Review by Dmitry M. Epstein Review on Music Street Journal Review on Immersive Audio Album FAN THOUGHTS: peterc62: "When I first played Drastic Plastic and heard the song "Electrical Language". I thought WTF is this? I grew to love the track and wished there was more pure electronica like it on the album. Although I suspect Simon Fox would have been a bit hacked off not playing a real kit." Michael: "I remember back in 1978 my friend's older brother, who was the first person I ever knew with Be Bop Deluxe records, thought you had lost it with Drastic Plastic . I thought it was the best thing I'd ever heard! Perhaps that was the first but far from the last time you challenged your fanbase." Andre: "I have to say, living in this insane planet, that I bought Drastic Plastic when it was first released and I loved every song on first hearing. It is ALL hit potential...in a sane world." paul.smith: "After absorbing Drastic Plastic in early '78 I remember considering what the next development would bring...tracks like "Possession" and "Superenigmatix" were so not of the previous, and kind of gave a hint of things to come, albeit in hindsight as we now know." andygeorge: "Who would have thought that "Electrical Language" from Drastic Plastic was about people communicating via 'electronic devices' and not talking face to face?...Ring any bells with today's norm of texting and emails?...and Bill predicted this over 30 years ago!" Ian Nelson (from Music In Dreamland by Paul Sutton Reeves): "There are phrases in the English language which, if not entirely original, have passed unobtrusively into common usage after being coined by Bill. How often do you see the term 'Drastic Plastic' used as a strap line for an album review?" Jon Wallinger: "I first heard Be Bop Deluxe as I walked/cycled around the village I grew up in (and live in once again). You could pretty much hear them all around the village as they rehearsed in an old war memorial building that served as a village hall. We used to stand on our bikes to spy through the windows, then when we got a bit braver, we'd sneak into the hall to watch from the back. This will have been rehearsals for the Drastic Plastic tour as I can distinctly remember them rehearsing 'Panic In The World'. How bizarre that 30 years later, I was in a band with Bill Nelson playing some of those very same songs!!!" Albums Menu Future Past

Tuesday 20th December 2005 -- 7:00 pm Such a long time since the last diary entry. Why? Well...partly an insane Christmas preparation schedule and partly the November tour dates. Five concerts in all...Not the 15 to 20 that were originally rumoured. A real disappointment that it ended up being so few after all the effort I put into preparing new material and video for the shows. (I'll draw a discreet veil over the reason for this.) Nevertheless, it was far from disastrous, despite a gremlin-infested first date. Here's my take on the tour, for what it's worth: The concerts I enjoyed the most (and thought musically the best), were the Bilston Robin 2 concert followed by the Manchester Life Cafe event. Enthusiastic and warm audiences at both, particularly at The Robin 2. And, surprise, surprise...more females in the audience than I'd seen for a while. Thank heavens that a set comprised of mainly instrumental guitar pieces had enough of a hint of, (ahem), the 'erotic,' to attract at least a few attractive ladies to say "hello" afterwards. As much as I enjoy talking to male fans about guitars and so on, female input is most welcome! Leeds and Liverpool tied for second place but London, I have to admit, was something of a struggle. It also was the first date of the tour but really should have been left until last. So many technical problems on stage that first night. A monitor system that sounded like it was infested with insects, a pa system without enough headroom, effects pedals that didn't work and a cock-up over projection screen hire. Plus a very nervous Bill Nelson, still trying to get to grips with the new set and the malfunctioning equipment. One good thing about the London show, though, was the contribution made by Theo Travis, whom I'd met for the first time at Harold Budd's concert at the Brighton Dome earlier this year. Theo played fabulously, completely unfazed by the monitoring problems. I'm glad that there was someone up there with me who actually knew what he was doing. I did end up feeling quite depressed about that particular concert though. Really wished I'd not agreed to make it the first date on the tour. Just as the tour came to a close, I was finally starting to relax and get the measure of things, playing much better and getting to use more suitable, better quality pa systems. Given more concerts, I suspect that it would have gone from strength to strength. Unfortunately, after concert five, it was time to pack the gear away for at least another year. Video projection duties on these shows were shared by Paul Gilby and also superfan Ian Clarke who, gallantly and efficiently, stepped in at the last minute to take over the shows that Paul wasn't able to do. When I perform these solo concerts, the video back drops are an essential part of the presentation. Psychologically, they help me to feel that I'm not entirely alone up there. (I like to think that I'm not the only point of visual focus for the audience.) Plus, of course, the videos provide a suitable counterpoint to the music, each piece being created to reflect the content of the songs. I do get stressed out about playing live without a band though. The solo concerts put a lot of pressure on one person playing alone for just over a couple of hours, especially as I'm not the most natural of performers...It's always a bit of an ordeal for me. One of these days, I'll retire back to the studio environment, as I did in the mid-'80s, and leave the live thing alone. The new thing about these concerts however, was the inclusion of some vocal pieces, something that I'd previously only felt comfortable performing within a band situation. But singing and playing guitar to backing tracks wasn't quite as traumatic as I'd expected. In fact, from what members of the audience told me afterwards, it seemed to provide a surprisingly workable solution and it is certainly something I'd consider including again in future solo shows. Already though, those November concerts are fading into memory. Other projects are already occupying my time and more are hovering on the horizon. I've been trying to read through the as yet unpublished 'Music In Dreamland' book, written by Paul Sutton-Reeves. Just before the tour began, I received a proof of the book (in email form), for me to read through. I'm told by the author that approximately 30,000 words may have been trimmed by the publisher from the original text, so it is important that we check for continuity errors as well as factual ones. Because of the tour and other duties, time has only now become available to work through the book. Nevertheless, I'm finding that, because of Christmas, I'm not as readily available as I'd like to be. I have spotted various things that might be corrected, (as has Paul), but there's a certain amount of pressure on us both to get the book corrected and out there...particularly as it has languished in the publisher's office for over a year since the author completed it. As of writing this diary entry, I haven't had available time to deal with it for several days. In fact, I've really only scratched the surface. I'm hoping that there will be more time after Christmas to give it proper attention. I would really like to do whatever I can to check any factual errors or misunderstandings but I expect that a certain amount of compromise will be necessary. Other projects looming on the horizon: 1: I have to mix the Be Bop Deluxe 'Decca Audition' tapes for release as an album. 2: Negotiations are underway for me to produce another recording by the Russian band 'Nautilus Pompilius' who are now known as 'Jupiter.' This may happen in February. 3: I would like to assemble a new guitar instrumental album based on the live pieces that I've incorporated into my solo shows this last two years and which have previously not been available. This means recording my solo guitar onto the various backing tracks and properly mixing everything to create a finished album of instrumentals. The album will include tracks such as 'Blackpool Pleasure Beach and The Road To Enlightenment,' 'Time Travel For Beginners,' 'Blue Amorini,' 'Sexy Buddha,' 'Electric Milk Cart Blues,' I Always Knew You would Find Me,' and 'A Telescope Full Of Stars' amongst others. They will become part of an album with the subtitle: 'Painting With Guitars, Volume 2.' 4: I intend to go through some of my '80's and '90's archive material and release an album of previously unheard music from those eras. There is a tremendous reserve of material from the past that would definitely be of interest to the committed listener. 5: I have already made a (very) slight inroad into what will eventually emerge as an autobiographic/poetic video about my life, told via images, dialogue and music. I hope to find enough time during this coming year to complete a larger section of it. 6: Nelsonica 06 requires planning. I'd like to take the current high standard a little higher this coming year. Research a new venue and add even more to the curriculum. I also need to create a new Nelsonica limited edition album for convention attendees. This one will most likely include the songs 'Snow Is Falling' and 'Ghost Show,' amongst others. 7: I'm burning to begin work on a brand new album. The bar has been raised by the 'Sailor Bill' project and the next step must be equally, if not more, important. This means working very carefully and abandoning anything that doesn't hit the target. A time consuming process. Right now, I'm favouring something a little more stripped down than the orchestral 'Sailor Bill,' BUT until I get to grips with the writing, it's hard to say which way things will go. Titles and mood are already falling into place though. 8: I need to consider what form any live concerts may take in 2006. I have some ambitious ideas but, whether they are practical or not will depend on the support I get from fans and business associates alike. One possibility is that they won't be in the form of a trek around the country's arts centres. I may attempt just two shows, one North, one South, but with a much more ambitious production than this year's concerts, and covering a great deal more musical ground than of late. Something really special is what I'm aiming at. It may be that I need to schedule this for '07 rather than '06, simply to get everything properly in place. But at my time of life, I can't afford to be cautious. Cocteau said that 'A young man should not make safe investments...' Well... I might add that an older man cannot afford to make safe investments! Time is of the essence as my youth is increasingly far behind me now. Speaking of which, it was heart warming to receive so many good wishes from fans on my recent 57th birthday. Frightening to think that, in a mere three years, I will be sixty. However, in my age-addled head, I'm still a seventeen year old. (O.K...twenty three at a push!) One really exciting bit of news is a connection that has been forged between myself and an American guitar designer by the name of Dean Campbell. I recently came across a Campbell 'Precix' guitar in Music Ground's store in Leeds and was knocked out by the instrument's sheer playability. It's a solid body guitar, hand made in New England, U.S.A. and is a very practical but high quality instrument. Dean Campbell's workshop is staffed by luthiers who have, in the past, worked for Guild guitars. I've had a Guild X500 archtop guitar since the '70's so I know just how skilled those people are. Dean and I have been in contact these last few weeks and he is building me a Precix model, tailored to my needs. The really exciting thing is that we are going to bat ideas back and forth about a brand new design that Dean has on the drawing board. He's asked for my input as to the ongoing development of the instrument and I'm thrilled to be able to add my thoughts to the project as it develops. The Precix model that I've been trying out, (and am keeping well within inspirational playing distance, an arm's reach from me as I type these words), has an action and response that really makes me want to play. It's one of those guitars that is difficult to put down, once picked up. I'm looking forward to using this instrument on my next set of recordings as it has a precision, resonance and clarity that is very special. For readers of this diary who are also guitarists, I recommend that you check out Dean's website at www.campbellamerican.com Well, there is probably much more to write...but I really seem to have exhausted my reservoir of memory for this particular diary entry. Life has been a blur of late and every day rushes by without enough hours in it to fulfil my intentions. For now, this will have to suffice. To all those who read these words, I wish you the HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS and a PEACEFUL AND HEALTHY 2006! May all your dreams come true... Thanks also to everyone who has given their time, their talent and their interest throughout 2005...Thank you so much for helping me to manifest my dreams. I'm eternally grateful and couldn't achieve any of this without you...At the start of 2005, there was a brand new website to design and construct. Then four new albums to create, plus the Nelsonica convention extravaganza and a solo concert tour. (And a few other bits and pieces.) Let's see what next year brings. Cheers!!! Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) December 2005 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Publication of 'The Dreamsville Rocket' has ceased, these archived issues are still available for you to read. Issue 1 - May 2005 Issue 2 - June 2005 Issue 3 - September 2005

Bill Nelson Picture Gallery Pictures of Bill after the Be Bop Deluxe years...

Magic Boomerang single - 1990 The Mock Turtles Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Jet Silver Be-Bop Deluxe single - 7 June 1974 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) Jet Silver B) Third Floor Heaven ORIGINALLY: "Jet Silver" and "Third Floor Heaven" are lifted off the Axe Victim album. NOTES: Jet Silver was the second Be Bop Deluxe single issued during the band's existence. The single was issued in a generic record company sleeve. Promo copies exist with the words "Demo Record Not For Sale" and a large 'A' printed on the label. PAST RELEASES: "Jet Silver" would re-appear on the 4 track Hot Valves EP (1976), with both songs also included on the Singles As and Bs compilation (1981). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The single is long deleted, but both tracks can be found on the Cherry Red/Esoteric Recordings reissue of Axe Victim (2020) - both in physical form and as a digital download. Singles Menu Future Past

Castles in Spain single - 1985 The Armoury Show Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Co-Writer of "Ring Those Bells", a B-side on the 12" single. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Kiss of Light Be-Bop Deluxe single - 6 August 1976 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) Kiss Of Light B) Shine ORIGINALLY: "Kiss of Light" was issued in advance of the Modern Music album, from which is was lifted. "Shine" was a non-album cut stemming from a one-off session sometime in 1976. NOTES: Kiss of Light was the sixth Be Bop Deluxe single issued during the band's existence. The single came in a generic record company sleeve. Promo copies exist with the words "Demo Record Not For Sale" and a large 'A' printed on the label. As Charlie Tumahai was unavailable for this session, Nelson decided to change the band name (for the 'B' Side only) to Funky Phaser and His Unearthly Merchandise . PAST RELEASES: Both tracks would be included on The Best of and the Rest of Be Bop Deluxe double album (1978), and the Singles As and Bs compilation (1981). "Shine" would also grace the reissue of Sunburst Finish as a bonus track when it was issued on CD in 1991. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The single is long deleted, but both tracks can be found on the Cherry Red/Esoteric Recordings reissue of Modern Music (2019) - both in physical form and as a digital download. Singles Menu Future Past

Monday 7th August 2006 -- 7:00 pm Made the mistake of presuming that I'd finally completed the track running order for this year's Nelsonica CD but I was wrong. (And after I'd announced it on the Dreamsville Inn Forum too.) The first two versions proved to be far too long to fit onto a CD so I had to drop three tracks and record two shorter, brand new ones to get the total running time to just under 80 minutes in length. The revised, (and hopefully final) track listing looks like this:- Bill Nelson. Album for Nelsonica '06. 'Arcadian Salon.' 1. 'Premium Standard No.1.' 2. 'The Girl In The Galaxy Dress.' 3. 'Take It Off And Thrill Me.' (Jazzy option.) 4. 'Memory Skyline.' 5. 'Distant Towns With Different Lights.' 6. 'The Song My Silver Planet Sings.' 7. 'Spaceport.' 8. 'Superadventure (Sound-On-Sound.') 9. 'Playful.' 10. 'Transparent Towers At Dusk.' 11. 'El Swingo Collapso.' 12. 'The Rest Of The World Rolls By.' 13. 'Wind Chimes Of Memory.' 14. 'Take It Off And Thrill Me.' (Rock Option.) 15. 'Sequinned Skeleton Blues.' 16. 'Snow Is Falling.' 17. 'A Buddha For My Brother.' The three tracks that I couldn't fit on to the album are: 'Railway Across The Roof Of The World;' 'Pilgrim' and 'This Sky, This Sea, This Summer.' These leftovers will either go towards next year's Nelsonica cd or appear as bonus tracks on any re-issue projects that I might undertake next year. It all depends on context and mood. 'Arcadian Salon' has been a tricky album to put together as the music on it covers a quite diverse set of styles. The first six tracks are all from the 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' sessions and have a very jazzy feel. I couldn't find space for them on that album so they are presented here instead. Track 7, ('Spaceport'), whilst not from those sessions ALSO has a jazzy influence and features my recently aquired Greco L10P archtop guitar. (See photo.) Track 8, 'Superadventure (Sound-On-Sound)', is the epic instrumental piece that originally appeared exclusively on Sound-On-Sound magazine's DVD, an item that was attached to the magazine's special anniversary issue. It appears here on one of my own albums for the very first time. This piece covers several of my musical acres in one single composition...it almost constitutes a potted history of my instrumental work. Tracks 9, 10 and 11 continue in an instrumental vein and act as a bridge between the cd's earlier jazzy feel and the 'rockier' tracks that appear on the latter part of the album. Having said that, tracks 13 ,15 and 17 are also little instrumental interludes and serve to break up some of the vocal tracks. The entire cd is now just a few scant seconds under 79 minutes long, making it a somewhat longer listening experience than the 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' album. I now have to try to get some mastering time booked at Fairview so that it can be manufactured in time for the convention. (Actually, after writing that sentence, John Spence literally just called me to say he can fit the mastering session in at the end of this month, so manufacturing should be on schedule if the master goes straight off to the factory, once we've completed the process.) Yesterday afternoon brought a meeting of the Nelsonica Planning Department, which I was invited to attend. Always a pleasure to meet the members of the convention team...they're so enthusiastic and creative and always make me feel rather special. And this particular meeting was made extra special by Ian Haydock who gave me a gift of a 1950's Selcol Toy Guitar (which may well make an appearance at Nelsonica this year). Actually, this is the second Selcol guitar I've been given...long-time fan Scott Tiggert sent one to me by post a week or so ago. Suddenly, I've been re-connected with the very roots of my guitar playing. In the late 1950's, this plastic, toy instrument introduced me to the delights of the guitar for the very first time. I'll relate the story of my guitar beginnings at Nelsonica as part of my presentation. The toy Selcol Elvis Presley guitar I was so generously given yesterday actually has an 'autochord' unit with it...a small box with buttons. This fixes on to the neck and produces a few simple chords when each button is pressed. These Selcol guitars are very rare and, being a collector of retro design items, I'm thrilled to now own two of them, thanks to the generosity and thoughtfulness of my kind benefactors. At the Nelsonica meeting, the team and I talked through various details regarding this year's convention content. It's going to be a non-stop delight if all goes to plan. Fitting everything in to a single day is the hardest part but, there's certainly no lack of content. Apparently, the event has already sold out and there is a waiting list for any tickets that might become available. Attendees certainly get value for money as the ticket entitles them to a copy of the limited edition 'Arcadian Salon' album; (These things tend to become valuable collector's items); A live performance of instrumental music by myself; A 'meet and greet' session; A live on-stage interview between Leeds University School Of Music lecturer Simon Warner and myself; A separate talk about 'guitar philosophy' including the importance of the instrument in my life and some technical hints and tips; A question and answer session; an exhibition of several special items from my guitar collection; An exhibition of some early artwork; Rare video footage presentations of Be Bop Deluxe and Red Noise; A special tribute to my much loved and missed brother Ian featuring rare Fiat Lux videos; A 'Dreamsville Radio Show' with me acting as presenter and DJ; A video presentation of some of my own musical inspirations; A selection of my self-created videograms; A preview of the re-mastered 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' album; Exclusive previews of unreleased recordings from the 1980's; An auction of artwork and memorabilia; A raffle with some impressive prizes; A preview of work -in-progress on the Ghosts Etched On Glass' film. (If I can find time to take it beyond the opening title sequence which is all I've completed so far!) A preview of the previously unreleased Be Bop Deluxe live tracks AND a merchandise stall that will have advance copies of 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' for sale, amongst other things. How we'll fit all that into the day is a mystery but there certainly won't be a dull moment. Now I have to start making a list of the pieces of music I want to include in my Nelsonica 'radio show.' I also would like to create a couple of new pieces to play as part of my live performance too...so, perhaps I should park the diary for a little while and get on with some work. On the domestic front, not much to report. With all the work on my plate at the moment, there's not a lot of time available for socialising, 'though Emi and I are attending our friend's 40th Birthday celebrations soon and also going to a little art gallery party North of York later this week. It would be nice to find a little more time for relaxing though. But work is a pleasure for me...how can music making not be? Saw a beautifully coloured bird outside our house a couple of days ago. Couldn't identify it but we certainly hadn't seen one like it in our garden before. Perhaps it was a finch of some kind. I wonder if it's the result of this particularly warm summer? There seems to have been a few more butterflies in our garden this year too, and bumble bees. The English Summer of childhood fantasy, right here and now. Wish I had more time to enjoy it. ***** Images attached to this diary entry are:- 1. Bill's Greco L10 P Archtop Guitar. 2. Two rare Selcol Elvis Presley toy guitars and a '56 Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster. 3. Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster re-issue in Fiesta Red. Top of page William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) August 2006 Jan Apr May Jun Jul Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Hip Pocket Jukebox Free download mini-album Click image for cover Artwork Hip Pocket Jukebox: A Mini-Album Of Previously Unreleased Bill Nelson Apocrypha From The Private PCM F1 Archives. These tracks were recorded in the late 1980s and mixed down to a Sony PCM F1 stereo recorder. They are unmastered tracks in their raw state. The tracks were originally created as demos or 'sketches', the idea being that they would be, one day, developed further and eventually re-recorded, possibly with a band. This, unfortunately didn't happen so the demos have remained unheard until now. The Hip Pocket Jukebox CDr was a limited edition hand-made CDr, personally numbered and signed by Bill. It was given to all fans attending the University of Leeds "The Art School Ascended On Vapours Of Roses" event, Oct 2011. Less than 250 discs were created and today they are treasured artifacts. The unmastered tracks were burnt onto the CDr. Now you can download them here for free! Written, performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2011.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) October 2008 Jan Feb Aug Sep Wednesday 22nd October 2008 -- 9:00 pm Too much news and not enough time to write it up in any great detail. Nelsonica 08 is almost here and I'm way behind with my preparations, as is generally the case at this time of year...However on THIS particular occasion, I'm REALLY floundering, particularly in terms of the work I still need to complete for my part in the band's live performance. The physical and mental stress has felt much more acute than usual, so much so that I've actually been a hair's breadth away from cancelling that part of the event altogether. The extra pressure has been compounded by so many other problems...difficult to convey to anyone not actually sitting over my shoulder observing the day to day complexities and frustrations. Anyway, more of that later but, first, a resume of matters touched upon in my previous diary entry. And I'll try to keep this as brief as possible: Emiko came back from Tokyo on the 26th of September, (not the 25th as I'd erroneously noted in my previous entry). I was so pleased to have her home again...the two and a half weeks she was away were difficult for both of us, sometimes depressing. Emi's mother has undergone surgery to remove the malignant tumour from her intestine. It was a worrying time for the family. Nevertheless she seems to have come through that process remarkably well, especially for a woman in her 80's. She remained in hospital a few weeks after the operation, slowly recuperating, but was finally allowed home last weekend. We're hoping that she will continue to make progress and enjoy a complete recovery, 'though the matter is still, naturally, of some concern to Emiko and I. Whilst Emi was away, I tried to help the time pass more quickly by spending even longer hours in my studio than usual. I began work on a special audio-visual project for this year's Nelsonica convention. It combines music, spoken-word samples, abstract sound and video cut-ups. It is titled 'The Departure Of The 20th Century In A Hail Of Memory.' The piece took three weeks to complete, (due to my slow computer and long out-of-date software), but I think it will work well as an opening item for the event. The idea is to present the piece as soon as convention attendees have taken their seats, at the very start of the day. The images and soundtrack will create an atmosphere complimentary to the theme/title of Nelsonica 08, (ie: 'The Experimental Time Traveller's Ball'). The piece lasts for a fraction over 16 minutes and can be interpreted as a personal time-travel trip through various cultural moments gathered from of my own era, or as fragmented, cascading images of memory, a mind unspooling in a dream-encrusted, poetic twilight. Besides the above work, I spent a fair amount of time helping my mother with her ongoing struggle to secure an appropriate settlement from her late husband's estate. This has involved the further preparation of legal documents and various meetings with solicitors. My own part in all this has been to give time and support wherever and whenever she has needed it. Sadly, the situation remains unresolved and things have now progressed to the litigation stage. This is a highly unpleasant process for my mother but one which she has been forced into by others. I continue to be dismayed by the 'cold shoulder' she has been given and the whole sorry business is causing all of us who care for my mother a great deal of distress. In a decent world, it should be absolutely unneccesary for her to go to these absurd lengths. Although the next few weeks should see the arrival of the next phase in the proceedings, there still may be a long way to go before the matter is settled. My mind has been constantly divided by conflicting duties, forces pulling this way and that: My mother's inheritance problems, her psychological and emotional struggles as a result of her bereavement, her practical day to day re-adjustment to life as a widow, etc. Her increased dependency on me as an only son. Also, Emiko's concerns about her mother's health and general situation around that, Very worrying for Emi, especially being so far away across the world from her mum. Added to this is Emiko's job redundancy and the difficulties she's faced as a result, especially trying to find employment in the current economic climate. The psychological impact this has inflicted upon her, the loss of self-confidence these kind of situations bring, all conspire to darken the mood. Plus, she's had to endure my self-inflicted, punishing creative workload and the negative effect it seems to be having on my own health, both physical and mental. Self-inflicted, maybe...but unavoidable under the circumstances. Then there's the list of various things required for Nelsonica, a list which seems to become more and more demanding each year. Of course, I'm not, as the saying goes, getting any younger. It definitely feels as if my energy levels are depleting as time goes on. (Or maybe it just seems this way because I take on too much. Perhaps I don't know where to draw the line.) Anyway, I won't continue to list any more difficulties, other than to say that they have sometimes become so overwhelming that there have been moments of utter despair when I've wondered where all of this might be leading. Well, that's life. It's one thing to deal with it in theory, another in reality. On a more positive note, let me try to list what I've actually achieved , in creative and positive terms, during the last 12 months or so: 1: An interconnected series of three instrumental albums, each filled to the brim with new examples of my guitar music. ('Silvertone Fountains,' Illuminated At Dusk,' and 'Mazda Kaleidoscope'.) 2: A brand new vocal album, ('Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow'), that weaves together various colourful threads and styles into something that, I hope, comes across as a unique and personal musical statement. 3: An exceptionally tightly packed Nelsonica limited edition album, ('Clocks And Dials'), that gathers together 38 diverse tracks across two CD's, all presented beautifully in digi-pak format. 4: A musical soundtrack for a documentary film titled 'American Stamps.' (And for which I've managed to secure a 'world premiere screening' at this year's Nelsonica.) 5: Another feature packed Nelsonica convention. 6: A solo set for Nelsonica that I've assembled and re-assembled at least three times before arriving at a concept I've titled 'Clouds, Dreams And Rain: The Melancholy Romance Of Guitars.' 7: The assembly of a band to perform as a separate item at Nelsonica. Band title? 'The Gentlemen Rocketeers.' Line up:- Bass: Dave Sturt. Flute, Sax: Theo Travis. Drums: Dave Cook. Second Guitar: Dave Standeven. Keyboards: Steve Cook. Keyboards: Jon Wallinger. Man up front with a guitar but with not a clue what's actually going on: Yours truly. 8: A continued, regular interface with my audience via this website diary and the Dreamsville on-line forum. Easy to underestimate how much time goes into this activity. More than people realise, I suspect. 9: The creation of a song to donate to 'Sara's Hope Foundation' as an exclusive download. Following in the footsteps of last year's 'Six Strings For Sara' instrumental track, this time it's a vocal piece, 'A Million Whistling Milkmen.' 10: A design for a limited edition Nelsonica watch. 11: I've finally managed to make some drawings and paintings for this year's Nelsonica auction...but not nearly as many as previous years. (The time just wasn't available.) However, the ones I HAVE made are interesting and this year's 'workbox' cover is especially nice, I think, being executed in paint, rather than coloured pencils. I still need to add something further to its contents though. Must remember to do this. And there are more achievements but I don't have time to list them all...lots done but more still to do... The main worry for me at this moment in time is that I haven't found an opportunity to start work on learning the material designated for the band set. Or, for that matter, to re-familiarise myself with the solo set music. Here's the track list, running order for my solo set at Nelsonica:- 1: 'BLUE AMORINI.' 2: 'BEYOND THESE CLOUDS THE SWEETEST DREAM.' 3: 'IF I WERE THE PILOT OF YOUR PERFECT CLOUD.' 4: 'GOLDEN DREAM OF CIRCUS HORSES.' 5: 'THE RAINDROP COLLECTOR.' 6: 'NIGHT SONG OF THE LAST TRAM.' 7: 'THE GIRL ON THE FAIRGROUND WALTZER.' 8: 'ONLY A DREAM BUT NEVERTHELESS.' 9: 'BEATNIKS FROM OUTER SPACE (I was a junior spaceman.)' 10: 'A DREAM FOR IAN.' 11: 'FOR STUART.' This doesn't look like an hour 15 mins worth of music but some of those pieces are quite long. And demanding. I had prepared three new instrumental tracks for the set too but there wasn't enough room for them. I didn't want to change the flow of the above set list to accomodate them, just for the sake of them being new. So maybe another day. But here's the bottom line: I know NOTHING and rehearsals start next Monday for 3 days. Day 1 is me on my own, trying to figure out my complex pedal board/processor rig, (which I only ever use live, never at home due to lack of space). And then I must try to run through my one hour 15 minute solo set and try to become confident enough to play it in front of an audience. The following two days are devoted exclusively to the band, to see if we can bolt together enough tunes to make up a performance. (Two days! Jeez!) Untested territory this as we have a new line-up. And this is where I REALLY haven't a clue. As mentioned above, I'm not prepared in the least for any of this. Just totally out of the loop. And the reason? Well, had I only the band thing to worry about, perhaps it would be o.k. But just take a look back over all those other things I've been dealing with and you'll see my problem. The short answer is: Too many things going on at once. Tomorrow I have to take three guitars for set-ups/repairs, on Friday I have to travel to Fairview near Hull to master my backing tracks. On Saturday I have to disconnect various items from my studio, pack all the equipment I need for Nelsonica and drag it downstairs. (There's a LOT of it!) On Sunday the equipment is being collected from here and will be delivered to the rehearsal room in Leeds on Monday morning. From then on, it's rehearsals for three days as itemised above. Then a clothes dry-cleaning/preparation day, (and, I hope, a haircut), followed by last minute bits and pieces. How I'll fit my personal learning time into any of this is a mystery. I just hope the band will forgive me when I stand there scratching my head and wondering what the next chord is. I've never been so ill-prepared and I absolutely hate it. It's not my style. I hope the Nelsonica audience will forgive me too, when I appear a shaking, nervous wreck on stage on the day itself. This diary entry, of course, helps matters not a bit. It's taken up far too much time already, even though it contains a third of the information I intended it to carry. So, I'm going to close here and see what I can achieve in the time available to me before I go to bed. So... the next entry will be AFTER Nelsonica, (provided my sanity is still intact!) Wish me luck and if you're going to the convention, please be gentle with me! ***** Images with this diary are:- 1: Bill and Emi circa 1983/4. 2: Tinkerbell The Cat in Bill 'n' Emi's garden. 3: A photo of Bill's Nelsonica 08 artworks 4: A closer look at the Nelsonica 08 artworks. Top of page

Hip Pocket Jukebox mini-album - 1 October 2011 Bill Nelson Albums Menu Future Past Download Free Here TRACKS: 01) Blown Away 02) A Universe To Give You 03) Silver Tears 04) Where Do We Go 05) I’ll Be Everywhere 06) Maybe Strange Imagination ALBUM NOTES: The Hip Pocket Jukebox mini-album is a collection of 'PCM-F1' archive vocal tracks recorded between 1984 and 1995, which initially appeared as a CDR bearing no label or catalogue number. The disc came with printed labels that were signed and individually numbered by Nelson. The mini-album was included in the ticket price for an event held at Leeds University on the 1st of October, 2011, entitled The Art School Ascended on Vapours of Roses , and was limited to approximately 150 copies. (Note this is based on the limitations on the size of venue used to stage the event rather than anything officially confirmed by Nelson.) 'I'll Be Everywhere' warrants particular mention since it is the previously released instrumental track 'Tropicus' (from Chameleon ) but with added vocal. Because of the limited nature of this release, and the very high prices paid for a couple of copies that were listed on eBay (which sold for more than £200 each), enquiries from fans led Nelson to release the material as a free digital download on Soundcloud in December 2011. The digital edition came with free downloadable artwork. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Original copies on CDR are near impossible to obtain, but the opportunity to acquire the free download is available here: Hip Pocket Jukebox FREE download. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "As an early Christmas gift for fans, we've decided to make the six tracks which comprised the Hip Pocket Jukebox CDR, (which was given to ticket holders at the Leeds concert/exhibition earlier this year), available as FREE downloads via this site. These are unmastered mp3s from my 1980's PCM F1 archives and are demos or rough sketches for songs that were never developed further or publicly released. They're rough and unpolished but, hopefully, enjoyable within their technical limitations. "This does not affect the exclusivity of the Hip Pocket Jukebox CDR which was produced as a strictly limited edition, being hand-numbered and signed by myself. These physical artefacts remain rare and valuable but the music itself, in basic download form, will allow fans who couldn't attend the Leeds event to hear the music. "These tracks will also give you a taste of the proposed album which will eventually surface on CD. (My plan is to eventually compile more of the best of these PCM archives as an official, physical album once the material has been properly mastered by John Spence at Fairview. Hopefully, sometime in the first quarter of next year.)" [This was later released as Return to Tomorrow .] _____ "I'd thought they were a little naive and somewhat substandard at the time, which is why they've been gathering dust for so long." FAN THOUGHTS: Puzzleoyster: "The PCM Era has taken a lot, if not all of us, by very pleasant surprise! Open mouthed agog as how comes most, if not all these songs and sketches found themselves down the back of the Proverbial PCM Settee!!???" aquiresville: "Amazing that these songs never made it on a proper album! Thank you, Bill!" James Ellis: "I'm Blown away by "Blown Away"! First listen, these are terrific songs, even in their unmixed state, far too good to sit on the shelves." TimeSlip: "These are great pieces. I don't know if they inspire me or depress me. I mean, these are "rough and unpolished"? So that's it: your "demos" are equivalent to the best efforts of others." banality: "Sometimes you play something a few times and you like it well enough. Then you play it one more time and you crack - after that it just sounds fantastic. Well, tonight, Hip Pocket Jukebox has cracked me. Now I've got that thing where your favourite track keeps changing..."I'll Be Everywhere"...no..."Silver Tears"...no..."Where Do We Go?"...and so on. What wonderful confusion! Thanks for the CD Bill." johnofdeath: "If you listen to tracks like "We Will Rise" and "Killing my Desires" from Buddha Head [part of My Secret Studio - Vol 1 ] you get a pretty good idea about how these tracks sound - same style of vocals, synth strings and angry guitar sound." "I'm really enjoying the music. I really hope this is the tip of an iceberg and we all get to hear more of these hidden gems. Thanks for making them available, Bill" Quinault: "I am awed by BN's creativity. It is like looking through a temporal worm hole into the past. Music as well as photography can capture time and these musical projects have a different timeline. We all know how Bill packages wonderfully themed albums. These songs seem like singles, snapshots of another era. Magic." Albums Menu Future Past

Take Me to the Girl single - 1985 The Associates Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on the A-side. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "I remember sitting in the recording studio with Billy and he sang the vocal lines to me, (which hadn't been recorded yet,) without a microphone, over the backing tracks so that I could get a feel for where the guitar might lay. We got on really well and he was enthusiastic and charming and, of course, an absolutely wonderful singer." NOTES: An essay by Mike Nelson (no relation): 1982 – 83 had seen a run of hit singles for The Associates. 'Sulk' had been judged Album of the Year in the music press' judgements of 1982 and … the band had promptly self-destructed as its first major US tour approached. Though it was still fairly straightforward for remarkable frontman Billy MacKenzie to acquire a major label recording contract with which to continue his musical career, the challenge was that of creating an album to follow the complex and unique 'Sulk'. By the beginning of 1985, The Associates 'brand' was in big trouble. The 'Perhaps' album had been recorded in full at least twice, had overrun all cost limits and had gone on to provide disappointing sales. The smooth, funky pop of "Those First Impressions" and "Waiting For The Loveboat" simply didn’t work for the pop-buying public, but, as ever for a commercial artist, that didn't mean that main Associate Billy MacKenzie knew what 'Perhaps' should instead have been. If you don't know what's wrong, what do you do to put it right? Meanwhile, whenever there were no financial and record label pressures, MacKenzie always preferred to be bold and experimental. Given a now-shaky relationship with the Warners label, where could this fit in to what might happen next? Billy was still performing live and including adventurous unreleased songs such as "This Flame" and "Obsession Magnificent" in his live sets. He had certainly not simply 'sold out' for commercial success. In June '85, MacKenzie recorded four demos in Edinburgh. Versions of two of these songs would eventually become tracks on 1990's 'Wild and Lonely', the first album he would release under his own name. Another song, "You Never Thought (That You'd Be The One)" seems to have vanished without trace. The fourth was "Take Me To The Girl", and this song, "an upbeat dance track with a loungey Euro-flavoured melody" (as MacKenzie's biographer Tom Doyle describes it) was selected as a possible single, probably to stand alone to remind the British public that The Associates were still out there. In London, in July or August, the single was recorded at Morgan Studios. Sitting at the recording desk for the sessions was Peter Robinson – known to UK chartwatchers as producer of the immensely successful but MOR-as-can be 'Breakfast In America' by Supertramp, and more recently producer of Rush's more challenging 'Grace Under Pressure'. The guitarist for "Take Me To The Girl" was none other than Bill Nelson, personally asked to take part by MacKenzie. Bill recounts: "It's certainly me on the funky, guitar rhythm parts and any e-bow stuff. I just remember Billy singing me the vocal over the backing tracks of some songs. His voice was really strong. " The only definite products of the sessions were four different versions of "Take Me To The Girl": a 7" single version, and extended 12" version, an instrumental and a slowed and stripped-down piano-led alternative entitled "The Girl That Took Me". Bill is to be heard most clearly on the 12" version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThT0sLihs00 ) and the instrumental (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te7OwbrXH9s ). The production on both of these and the 7" version now seems so obviously too smooth and syrupy, and there are indications that within weeks, MacKenzie felt uncomfortable about both it and its wood-nymphs-in-the-castle-ruins video. Notably, the only touch of sparky energy and humour audible and visible across the entire single release was a cameo appearance by one of Billy's whippets in the video. But the song is melodic, catchy and lushly romantic. What a pity it missed any chart success whatsoever. Bill Nelson said recently: “In my opinion, the production really dates the recordings in a big way, even more than my own recordings at that time. Billy's voice should have had far less reverb, been more solidly 'up-front' to show its strengths. But, it was the '80s, the era of Yuppies and power-lunches.” Of interest to Bill Nelson aficionados is the question of what else was recorded in those sessions. The only other B-side included across the 7" and 12" singles is "Perhaps Perhaps", an alternative take (produced by Heaven 17' s Martyn Ware) from the sessions for the 'Perhaps' album, but only weeks later MacKenzie was recording a Radio 1 session including "Take Me To The Girl", "Give", "Obsession Magnificent", and his first broadcast attempt at Blondie's "Heart of Glass". A Bill Nelson newsletter from Autumn '85 says that Bill "played on a couple of tracks from the new Associates album and indeed plays a short guitar part on the new single", and Bill more recently stated that he "played on a couple of tracks, maybe more". And Bill remembers being sung to by Billy, using backing tracks for "some songs so that [Bill] could get a handle on how they would end up". The question really is what other songs were these and where are the recordings to be found? It is likely that one, two or three more Associates songs (almost certainly unreleased ones) include the guitar skills and artistry of Mr Nelson. Any clues, dear readers? After a few Autumn gigs, Billy MacKenzie travelled to Europe for much of 1986 and half of 1987. Out of these adventures came collaborations with some bold, creative musicians from Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and his working relationship with Yello was particularly productive. His next album, however, 'The Glamour Chase', was a whole new kind of disaster – completed for release in 1989 but shelved until 2002. The next proper release was instead the 'solo' album, 'Wild And Lonely' in 1990. Tracking what happened to the Bill Nelson 1985 collaboration is fairly difficult, but Bill had a sad postscript to add to the story: "Later, in the '90s, and not long before Billy sadly committed suicide, he called me up wanting to collaborate with me on songwriting and playing. He had no studio budget but, at that time, I had no proper home studio set-up either, (living in a rented apartment after my divorce,) so had to explain that it was extremely difficult for me to provide him with the right recording facilities. We left it at that, but not so long after, he was gone. A great talent who should have been served, and advised, better." Billy Mackenzie died on January 22nd, 1997. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

All That I Remember More Listening Notes Go to Album Listening Notes to accompany the album All That I Remember by Bill Nelson As 'All That I Remember' is such a personal, autobiographical album, I've assembled this track by track guide to the stories behind each piece of music. I hope that these notes will add an extra dimension to the album and enrich the listeners appreciation of it. 1: ‘All That I Remember.’ This piece serves as a kind of 'overture' to the album. It sets a mood of gentle melancholy with solo guitar and brief orchestral interludes. It has a light, jazzy feel with the guitars working in (sometimes unusual,) harmony, suggesting Les Paul and other jazz guitarists who made an impact on my young life. Les Paul 2: ‘The View From Lantern Hill.’ Lantern Hill is situated in the coastal town of Ilfracombe in Devon where, in the 1950s, my parents, my brother Ian and myself spent a memorable holiday. It was quite a long drive to get there from Yorkshire. We stayed in a rented upstairs flat right on the harbour where on one side of the living room there were windows looking out onto the harbour itself, and on the other side were windows looking out to sea. My father had a Bolex wind-up cine camera and I can vividly remember him filming a large sailing boat tossing about on the waves from the ocean side window. Ilfracombe is also where the photograph on the cover of my 'Diary Of A Hyperdreamer Volume One' book was taken, (with Ian and myself and a steamship in the background.) Lantern Hill itself is surmounted by St Nicholas' Chapel, (built in the 1300's,) which doubles as a small and quaint lighthouse, hence the name 'Lantern Hill.' I have an old photograph of my brother Ian standing with Lantern Hill in the background which evokes sweet memories coupled with a degree of melancholy. This piece of music is a richly textured orchestral piece, a sort of tone poem, which conjures up that holiday. The track features moments of happy, skipping lightness and other moments where the swell of the sea rises dramatically as the old steamship sails proudly from the harbour trailing clouds of smoke from its funnels. Ian Nelson with Lantern Hill in the background. 1950s. 3: ‘Memory Time No 1: A Wakefield Adventure.’ This is the first of four 'Memory Time' pieces spread throughout the album. This one references my birthplace of Wakefield, where I also grew up. It was a rather different place back then, in some ways more pleasant if rather less modern that today's city. The piece combines electric guitar and orchestra, moving through a panorama of changing moods, each portraying aspects of the city, the Cathedral, the old 1950s bus station with its clock tower where members of 'The Teenagers', (a band I was in,) would meet to be picked up by the band's van to travel to that evening's gig. The grand Unity Hall is also evoked. (I remember seeing my father play there in his band when I was a very young boy.) Also Thornes Park is referenced where, in my infancy, my parents took me to hear brass bands perform. Later, in 1968, I staged Wakefield's first ever free rock concert with my band 'Global Village' on the park's bandstand. My four years at Wakefield Art School, in the earlier part of the 1960s, was a time of adventure and discovery. I created an avant-garde score for a college production of Ibsen's 'Peer Gynt,' using a 'prepared' guitar technique rather like John Cage's prepared piano, threading nails and washers and pieces of glass through the strings and striking them with mallets then recording this to a domestic tape machine and reversing the direction of the tape across the playback head. It was a magic time. A view of Wakefield Bus Station in the 1950s. 4: ‘The Wonderful Wurlitzer Of Blackpool Tower.’ Blackpool is a working-class holiday resort on the west coast of England, famous for its Tower and Pleasure Beach. My parents and I would holiday there quite often in the 1950s and into the early '60s. In fact, I went to Blackpool with my parents when I was only a few months old. The Tower contains a magnificent, gilded ballroom, built in 1894 and re-designed by the famous architect Frank Matcham in 1899. The ballroom has a wonderful Wurlitzer organ which is still in use today. In the 1950s it was played by Reginald Dixon who became a household name through his rendition of 'I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside,' a tune which became synonymous with the town itself. As a child, I would be carried between my two parents as they danced around the ballroom to the sound of the Wurlitzer, coloured lights playing around the waltzing couples on the dancefloor. The Tower also has a permanent indoor circus arena, again designed by Frank Matcham, where I went as a child. The circus, in those days, had lions and tigers and elephants as part of its presentation as well as acrobats and clowns. The circus ring features, (and still does, I believe,) a spectacular climax to each evening's entertainment when it fills up with water and fountains erupt from out of the blue as a water ballet takes place. Blackpool was also well known for its 1930s streamlined art-deco 'balloon' trams and seafront Illuminations, the latter which still exist though the former have sadly been replaced with less visually stylish modern versions. My music on this piece attempts to recreate the Tower Wurlitzer organ sound, quoting from 'I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside' as the orchestra sets up a bright fanfare to match the gilded ballroom's magnificence. A section also hints at the Tower Circus and its various feats of derring-do and clownish mayhem. Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Blackpool Tower Circus water finale, 1950s. Reginald Dixon at The Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer Organ. 1950s. 5: ‘Spacefleet: (The Golden Days Of Dan Dare.)’ The stylistic mood shifts as retro-electronics usher in this track which evokes the science-fiction hero 'Dan Dare, Pilot Of The Future' from the 1950s weekly children's comic, 'The Eagle.' Dan was written and drawn by the artist Frank Hampson who is widely considered to be a genius in the field of comic-book illustration. I was an avid reader of 'The Eagle' and followed Dan's adventures every week with great enthusiasm. 'Spacefleet' was the name given to the organisation which represented Earth in space and Dan was a Colonel in it, piloting wonderfully retro looking rocketships around the solar system. His Spacefleet uniform looked more like that of a World War 2 Spitfire pilot than the super high-tech outfits of current sci-fi movies, and his mannerisms were equally rooted in British 'stiff-upper lip-ism' and old-school jovial banter. Dan's arch enemy was the Mekon, a little green alien with a huge brain who floated around on a kind of sky-scooter. The drawings that Frank Hampson made to depict the alien worlds was imaginative and filled with small details. As a young boy I would pour over these details, noting every technological invention with amazement. The stories were of epic proportion, lasting several weeks before concluding and their ingenuity, twists and turns were worthy of any modern sci-fi movie. The synths that open this track are a kitsch evocation of the mysteries of space before the piece opens out into a widescreen orchestral panorama with electric guitars, suggesting the heroics of Dan and his pals amongst the planets. Dan Dare 'pop-up' book from the 1950s. 6: ‘Memory Time No 2: The Rock n’ Roll Years.’ I shouldn’t underestimate the impact that rock n' roll music had on my early life. It, along with earlier swing band music, laid the foundations for the music I make today. This piece is a poem in sound to those late '50s and early '60s records, tunes that fired me up and made me want to play the guitar. In this piece you will hear lots of different references to that golden age of rock n' roll... The track opens with a nod to Duane Eddy, (my first ever guitar hero,) with a quote from his '40 Miles Of Bad Road.' It then shifts gear into a rhythm guitar that contains echoes of both Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. The lead guitar sound enters and brings in hints of Duane Eddy and Hank Marvin but also some of the slightly more 'outré' guitar instrumentals of the day such as those by 'The Fireballs', 'Peter Jay And The Jaywalkers', 'The String Alongs', 'The Spotnicks' and many others. The Farfisa organ sound brings to mind 'Johnny And The Hurricanes' and 'The Tornadoes', (whose hit 'Telstar' is briefly quoted at the end of the track, along with a line from Duane Eddy's 'Because They're Young' which was the first single I ever owned.) It's a fun track! In the UK in the '50s and early '60s, electric guitars came mostly from Europe or England. American guitars were thin on the ground due to import restrictions. My first electric guitar was an Antoria, made in Japan, which my father bought me for Christmas. I was thrilled to get it, (even though I dreamt of owning a red Fender Stratocaster like Hank Marvin's.) Later on he bought me my iconic Gibson 345, a big step up from the Antoria and a very expensive purchase for him. From a humble schoolboy band, through various local pub and club bands, to psychedelia, blues and rock, and on to Be Bop Deluxe and way beyond...it's been an amazing trip. Duane Eddy. The Tornadoes. The Spotnicks. 7: ‘Christmastide.’ A drum roll and swelling strings usher in this seasonal orchestral piece which recreates some of the gentle magic of childhood Christmases and those long-ago, snow blessed days that seemed to be commonplace back in the 1950s. Christmas Day mornings were always filled with the miracle of the living room floor being filled with glittering gifts. My brother Ian and I would be in a state of great excitement as we knelt in our dressing gowns to discover what Father Christmas had left us: Train sets, Dinky Toys, Meccano outfits, Model kits, Ray Guns, Board Games, Toy Soldiers, Forts and Adventure Annuals. (The swash-buckling heroes of some of those annuals are referenced in the more epic sections of this track,) but also Christmas Carols and the sound of tinkling baubles under shining lights hanging on the Christmas Tree. All this, along with the colourful paper trimmings and balloons that festooned the house, bring back the warm wonder and sweet innocence of childhood. 8: ‘Strolling With My Father.’ My Dad was much older than my Mum and I wish I hadn't lost him when I was relatively young. (He passed away in 1977.) I'm now, (arguably,) more mature and would have liked to ask him about his life and deeper thoughts, had he still been here to chat with. But youth takes things and people for granted, only to regret it later when they are gone and it's sadly become too late... As a boy, I enjoyed a relationship with my father that was a happy one, despite his occasional bouts of bad temper. My childhood years are full of pleasant memories of times when he and I would bond in different situations, walking or helping him to fix the family car. He was a musician, a saxophonist, and his love of big-band swing brought music into my life. He also had enough faith in me as an amateur guitarist to buy me my Gibson 345 guitar when I was still only in my teens, a very expensive purchase. That guitar has become well known to fans of my music over the years. My parents bought a holiday chalet at Withernsea in the early 1960s where we would spend most weekends during the summer months. Dad and I would go off to nearby Hull and explore the second-hand junk shops in search of old radio parts which Dad needed for his electronics hobby. (His home workshop was akin to a mad scientist's laboratory.) We would usually, on these jaunts to Hull, call in at a well-stocked model shop where he would buy me a model aeroplane issued by the Revell or Monogram company, or an American custom car or hot rod kit issued by AMT, which I would patiently assemble back at the chalet in Withernsea. Dad and I would also get up quite early and go beachcombing, looking for unusual shells and bits of driftwood. It's these times, whether walking in search of electronic gizmos in dusty junk shops, or breathing the clear, fresh air of a stroll on the beach, that I've tried to capture in this piece. It has a light, jaunty, jazzy feel, with electric guitar being the dominant component, a slightly cheeky, buoyant mood which contains something of the curiosity and humour my father possessed. Dad and I in Bridlington, 1950s Dad playing his Grafton Acrylic Alto Sax 9: ‘Scale Model. (Assembly Required.)' As mentioned in the previous note, building model kits was a great passion of mine as a boy. My first model kit was a speedboat, bought from British Home Stores in Wakefield for me by my mother. I got glue all over it, in all the wrong places, but it was a start. I soon progressed to model aircraft, World War 2 planes such as Spitfires and Lancaster bombers, and a strange vertical take-off airliner called a Fairey Rotodyne. Also American planes such as B52's and Superfortresses. Later, I became passionately interested in the American custom car and hot-rod scene and built many kits produced by the AMT, Revell and Monogram companies who offered models of these exotic cars. My bedroom became filled with these completed kits, aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling on fishing wire, model cars filling every horizontal space and shelf. There was a rather expensive model kit I dreamt of building...an American hot-rod Model-T Ford in a very large scale, produced by the American Monogram company. It came in a beautiful red colour with cream bucket seats and heavily chromed engine parts. One Christmas, I was thrilled to be given it as a special gift from my parents and couldn't wait to assemble it. It took quite a while to build the kit up from its component parts, but it looked great when completed and I proudly gave it pride of place in my collection. The music on this track reflects something of the logical process of assembling each part of a model kit, bit by bit. It also touches on the sound of that era's guitars and pop music structures. An upbeat piece filled with the joys of assembling a scale model. A 1960s Monogram 'Big-T' hot rod kit fully assembled. A rare Airfix model kit of a Fairey Rotodyne vertical take-off aeroplane. 10: ‘Reighton Sands.’ When I was quite young, (before I had long trousers,) my parents took holidays at Reighton Gap on the East Coast of Yorkshire, at an old wooden bungalow owned by good friends of theirs, Herman and Ada Ackroyd. The bungalow was a wooden clad affair with a sun lounge at the front. It had a wonderful 'between the wars' feel about it and had probably existed since the 1920s. It was situated on the cliff top, above a steep ravine which led down to the sea and the clean, wide beach that lay at the bottom. We spent many a happy hour or two on that beach, building sandcastles and paddling in the more shallow waves. The beach had a few old concrete blockhouses at that time, military gun posts from World War 2 that had long since been abandoned. Covered with seaweed and barnacles, they provided exciting adventures for a young boy's imaginary game play with his his toy boats. At the bungalow, the only entertainment on an evening was a game of dominoes, noughts and crosses or solitaire. I don't recall the place having electricity, only gas light. Nevertheless, it seemed an idyllic location with fresh air in abundance and the beautiful sound of the waves as you drifted off to sleep at bedtime. In more recent years I've re-visited Reighton Gap. The Ackroyd's bungalow is sadly long gone, as are the Ackroyd's themselves, but the area is really not all that much different, in essence, from what it was, in the '50s, (though it's filled with static caravans now.) The old ravine still cuts its way through the cliff down to the sea, and the beach is as wide and beautiful as ever. The music of this piece tries to evoke those long-ago times on Reighton Beach when my family and I would be temporarily freed from the worries and concerns of our home life. It does this through the drifting echoes of guitars and seagull's cries, the sounds that lulled me to sleep back then. Me and little Ian at the bungalow at Reighton Gap, 1950s. Me sitting outside the bungalow at Reighton Gap, 1950s. Mum, Nan, Aunty Sal and myself outside the bungalow at Reighton Gap. 11: ‘Memory Time No 3: Eagle, Beezer, Topper, Beano.’ In the '50s and '60s, my father worked as manager of a shop in Hunslet, Leeds, called R. Broughton And Son. It was situated in Waterloo Road. Dad was the shop's manager. At that time, Mr. Broughton junior, whose first name was Harry, had taken over the business from his father. Harry enjoyed going 'out and about' to visit customers, installing their radios and televisions. As a result, Harry Broughton entrusted the day to day management of the shop to my father, Walter Nelson and Dad would travel from Wakefield each day to manage the shop in Hunslet. On Saturdays, my mother and I would get the bus from Wakefield to Leeds and have lunch in the basement canteen of Lewis's department store on The Headrow. After shopping we would then catch a tram to Hunslet and Waterloo Road to meet my father when he finished work at Broughton's. Alongside radios and televisions, Broughtons also sold Dinky Toys, Hornby Trains, Meccano and Tri-Ang toys. I was always allowed to choose a Dinky Toy to take home with me. In fact, Dad would usually bring me one home every week, even when Mum and I hadn't been to Leeds on some Saturdays. Of course, at Christmas, I was treated to various toys from Broughton's, including Hornby train sets and Meccano sets. My first two-wheeler bike came from there too. But my father, every Friday night, would bring me a selection of weekly comics, Dandy, Beano, Beezer, Topper, Eagle, Radio Fun, Lion, Wizard, Hotspur, etc, which he bought from a little Hunslet newsagent's shop, located at the Swan Junction end of Waterloo Road. Getting these comics was a great gift for me because Dad didn't buy just one or two comics but a huge pile of them. I can remember the smell of the paper they were printed on, the smell of the ink and the anticipation I had when opening them to read their contents. Some contained adventure stories, focused mainly on words with the occasional illustration, stories about World War 2 heroes with titles like 'I Flew With Braddock.' Others had more of a strip cartoon approach with funny tales of oddball characters in silly situations. And some, like 'The Eagle', had amazing cutaway drawings of ships and aircraft showing their inner structures and workings. And, of course, 'The Eagle' carried those epic stories of Dan Dare and his chums. There was also a great space-themed weekly comic called 'Rocket' which carried nothing but sci-fi and fantasy stories. Edited by WW2 flying ace Douglas Bader, it didn't stay in publication for very long and copies are incredibly hard to find today, but I loved this one just as much as my Eagle comics. To be honest, I loved them all. Comic annuals were also a feature of my boyhood. All the major weekly comics published a special annual at Christmas time, the perfect gift for many children in the 1950s. The Eagle annuals were a special treat as they contained a Dan Dare story which was quite different from the ones in the weekly comic. The Beano annual carried fantasy stories of 'Jimmy And His Magic Patch' (a boy who had a cloth patch sewed on his short trousers that could magically whisk him back in time,) and 'Jack Flash, The Flying Boy From Mercury' who had small ankle wings and could zoom around the sky helping his Earth schoolboy chums catch crooks and rescue people from all kinds of perils. (I had a particular affinity with Jack Flash as I had dreamt of being able to fly since first hearing about Peter Pan.) Then there was General Jumbo, a boy who had an entire army of toy soldiers which could be controlled from a radio unit attached to his wrist. And the 'Tin Fish' was a strip about a boy who had a mechanical swordfish in which he could ride beneath and above the waves. So, this piece is a paean to those weekly British comics with their epic, heroic adventures, tales of wonder and imagination, their funny characters and situations. It features an orchestra and electric guitars, the latter with a variety of textures. The No1 issue of 'Rocket' comic. 'Jack Flash' from an old Beano annual of the '50s. 12: ‘When Boys Dream Of Guitars.’ It's pretty clear to me now, that, somehow I was destined, (or doomed,) to fall in love with the electric guitar. This came about by a strange process of fate. My younger brother Ian had been given a cheap toy guitar for Christmas, which he was probably too young to fully appreciate at the time. I managed to pick out the 'Third Man Theme' on it, and my father's ears pricked up. He had unsuccessfully tried to teach me to play the saxophone when I was just eight years old, but it hadn't taken and he'd given up on the idea of me becoming a musician. But he realised there was something going on with me with that little toy guitar. So, he bought me a slightly bigger toy guitar, an 'Elvis Presley' Selcol guitar, made of plastic with a picture of Elvis on the headstock. He taught me three or four ukulele chords on this toy guitar, (which only had four strings,) and saw the beginnings of a chance for me to become a musician like himself. Later, he bought me my first proper guitar, an acoustic archtop 'Zenith' model by Ivor Mairantz, which, to this day, I wish I still had. I'd heard Duane Eddy's 'Because They're Young' single and the small flame of guitar became a fierce blast. I progressed from the Zenith acoustic to an 'Antoria' solid body guitar and from there to my beloved Gibson 345, all of which were gifts from my father. Dad could be extremely critical of my musical abilities but, my mother tells me that, in private, he was very proud of me and didn't want me to get a 'big head' from too much praise. She also says that Dad thought I had an affinity with jazz from early on. Well, this track pulls together various facets of my guitar playing from that time and this...and, if nothing else, is a reasonable excuse to set the strings in motion! Clean and overdriven tones abound, wilder approaches, and more melodic ones too. Building to a nice climax and a reflective coda. A Selcol 'Elvis Presley' toy guitar, exactly the same as the one I had. This is exactly the same model of Antoria guitar I had, with the one difference in that mine sported 3 pickups instead of two. In all other respects it is identical. A 'Zenith' archtop acoustic guitar (like my own first 'proper' guitar.) It carried a certificate inside which was signed by Ivor Mairantz, a well know guitarist in the 1940s and '50s, who endorsed the instrument. 13: ‘The Ilfracombe Steamer.’ As with the track 'Lantern Hill', this track is inspired from the holiday in Ilfracombe that my family enjoyed in the 1950s. It focusses specifically on the old steamboat that plied its way around the coast at that time. Sounds of the sea and seagulls, the rattle and throb of the engine's pistons and the grandeur of the sea. All wrapped up with orchestra and guitars, bringing a romantic vibe to play with French horns and strings. E-bow taking the lead in places, chiming guitars taking the tune out. Bill and Ian Nelson in Ilfracombe in the 1950s. 14: ‘Memory Time No 4: A Dansette Fantasy.’ A Dansette record player was the dream of most youngsters in the late 1950s, as it was of mine. When I got my own record player and the permission to play the records I wanted to hear in the privacy of my own bedroom, it was like a door opening into another world. This is a one of those tracks which attempts to evoke the guitar records of my past, (and future,) with various twists and turns. It has a quote from 'Tuxedo Junction' as a coda, a tune which has resonances, from Glenn Miller to Chet Atkins, for me. I had many of Chet Atkins' albums as a teenager, he was one of my favourite guitarists and his music crossed many boundaries, always beautifully and immaculately played. I can't begin to approach the technical excellence that Chet displayed in everything he recorded but the spirit of his playing definitely infected my own. Another early guitar hero of mine was Scotty Moore, who was Elvis Presley's original lead guitarist. He took Chet's fingerstyle technique and applied it to rock n' roll in stunning fashion. Chet Atkins 'Workshop' album. Scotty Moore. A Dansette record player. 15: ‘Heading For Home In A Hillman Minx.’ In the 1950s, my father bought a second-hand Hillman Mix saloon car in black, its number was MUM 333, (which would be a sought after private plate today.) It was only the second car our family had owned, the first being a pre-war Jowett. I was with Dad when he went to buy the Hillman from a second-hand car dealer near the Hunslet and Sturton area of Leeds. The dealer's location was in Pontefract Road and I can remember driving there in the Jowett and Dad doing a part-exchange for the Hillman. The Hillman seemed a very modern car compared to the 1936 Jowett, (the Hillman was actually an early 1950s model, '51 or possibly '53,) but the old Jowett had served us well, despite its age. I remember us trying to get to Whitby in it and it breaking down on the North Yorkshire Moors. A passing AA patrolman, riding the motorcycle and sidecar combinations that were standard AA fare in those days, stopped to assist us. Dad joined the AA there and then and we were soon on our way again. The Hillman often took us to Reighton Gap, to the bungalow owned by my parent's friends. I have a few photographs of the family posing by the car, taken at Reighton. Dad was very fond of that car and had fitted it with various accessories. The music I've written for this track suggests the proudness my father felt about the car as we trundled along the country roads from Reighton Gap back to our home in Wakefield after a holiday at the bungalow. It features a big orchestral arrangement with electric guitars and a brass band in full flow. A 1936 Jowett like the one owned by my family. My younger brother Ian and myself with the Hillman Minx at Reighton Gap. (1950s.) Dad poses proudly in the Hillman Minx at the rear of the Reighton Gap bungalow. (1950s.) 16: ‘As If It Were A Moment Ago.’ And so we come to the conclusion of the album with a sweet and lyrical guitar-based instrumental featuring a panoramic string orchestra. The memories of my past, as a boy within the bosom of my family, really do seem like only a moment ago and yet, this year, as I hit my 68th birthday, those days are truly at a distance. So, yes, this piece portrays something of a yearning for a gentler, more innocent time but also resigns itself to the fact that those days are now far behind me, only misty memories and faded photographs remain. There is much that has been left out of this album, my time at Art School, the games we played as children, Dad building our first tv set in the back garden outhouse, riding my first two-wheeler bike around Eastmoor Estate, boyhood crushes on slightly older girls, a whole raft of things to inspire further musical portraiture. I have, of course, used other autobiographical themes as the starting point for individual songs and instrumentals on several other albums, but they've mostly been scattered here and there, rather than making up a cohesive whole. The potential definitely exists for an 'All That I Remember Volume Two.' Perhaps, one day, I might locate all the various tracks that deal with my personal memories and gather them together in a compilation, adding in this album plus a 'All I Remember Volume 2' to make up an epic box set, a life captured in sound. Whether such a time-consuming task becomes possible remains to be seen. But for now, I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse of my younger days, captured in music. Bill Nelson...July 2016. My Mother on Reighton Sands, 1950s. My schoolboy band, 'The Cosmonauts.' More Listening Notes Go to Album

Drive This Comet Across The Sky Bill Nelson album - 10 April 2018 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Fables Of The Future 02) Here Is Where I Dream 03) Lost In Space 04) Drive This Comet Across The Sky 05) Here I Am, (And You Can Hear Me) 06) Your Imagination 07) Hello You Beautiful People 08) Time Is Running Away (The Blue Nowhere) 09) This And That 10) Certain Circles 11) Where Are The Stars That Fall From Heaven 12) The Ticking Of Time ALBUM NOTES: Drive This Comet Across the Sky is an album of vocal tracks issued as a download-only album on Tremelo Boy Records, available through Nelson's Bandcamp page. Drive This Comet Across the Sky was created between November 2017 and February 2018. Work on the album was affected to a degree by Nelson's ongoing difficulties with his mixing desk, which left him unable to complete any recording for around a fortnight in December 2017. Work on the album gathered pace though in January 2018, with a proposed track listing announced on 19 February 2018. This list revealed that a total of 16 tracks had been completed for the album - 12 with vocals and 4 instrumentals. During January Nelson produced a video for the album's title track, which was uploaded onto the Essoldo Cinema section of his website on 30 January 2018. At the mastering session (undertaken on 12 March 2018), Nelson elected to re-think the track listing for the album, removing the songs "House of Mystery", "Luna Rosa", "Raindrops" and "Serene in Silver", and in the process reducing the number of instrumental pieces to just one. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Drive This Comet Across The Sky is a loose, eclectic and highly electric rock album containing twelve tracks, all vocal-based with one instrumental exception. Featuring spontaneous songwriting and casual arrangements, it was laid directly to multitrack without revision or refinement. It twists and turns its way through a landscape of surreal lyrics and cosmic guitars sparking thoughts about the nature of time, love and mortality." _____ ALBUM REVIEW: Review by Benedict Roff-Marsh FAN THOUGHTS: CoachMatt: "What a glorious ride into to work this morning. I had my first listen to, Drive This Comet Across The Sky while driving and only Bill can take you on that magic space ride. Fabulous melodies and textures... This album also has Bill playing hard and there are a few jazzy tunes. Listened to 'Lost In Space' while driving in the predawn darkness with snow falling like stars passing the windshield. The song was putting me in a trance, Thank God no one is on the roads that early lol. 'Drive This Comet Across The Sky', thankfully was the next song and it lifted me up with its straightforward rocking style. Bill is really belting out fantastic music. 'Here I Am', such a sweet tune. The whole album flows so very nicely. Will be playing the album all day in my classroom and will be putting the headphones on tonight for more magic." lee59: "While I enjoy all of Bill's releases, this one is really resonating with me. One can hear the spontaneity and 'being in the moment' of the creation of these tracks. And, as always, the guitar solos are sublime and speak with an eloquence that can't be articulated with words. Well done, Bill. God bless, and keep 'em coming!" Jeremy Clarke: "On first listen, this reminds me of BBD albums 2 and 3 (Futurama and Sunburst Finish ) although it's completely different." Albums Menu Future Past

Electrical Language Be Bop Deluxe single - 5 May 1978 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) Electrical Language B) Surreal Estate ORIGINALLY: A) Edited version of the Drastic Plastic album cut. B) Lifted unchanged from the same album. NOTES: Electrical Language was the final Be Bop Deluxe single issued during the band's existence. The single was issued in a picture sleeve with Nelson sporting his Cocteau 'signature' sweater. Promo copies exist with the words "Demo Record, Not For Sale", and a large 'A' printed on the label. PAST RELEASES: Both tracks would be included on the Singles As and Bs compilation (1981) and "Electrical Language" would find its way onto the Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe 7" EP included in the Permanent Flame box set (1982), and on the re-promoted stand-alone 12" EP on Cocteau in September 1983, with an extra track, "Jean Cocteau". CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The single is long deleted, but both tracks can be found on the Cherry Red/Esoteric Recordings reissue of Dr astic Plastic (2021 ) - both in physical form and as a digital download. Singles Menu Future Past

The Dreamer's Companion Volume Two retrospective collection - 13 January 2014 Collections Menu Future Past Bill Nelson Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Superadventure (Sound On Sound) (Arcadian Salon) 02) Once More Around The Moon (Monitor Mix) (Dream Transmission Pavilion) 03) Never A Dull Day (For Les Paul) (Here Comes Mr Mercury) 04) Everything Changes With The Weather (Fantasmatron) 05) Neil Young (Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus) 06) Pilgrim (Gleaming Without Lights) 07) Mystery Vortex (Oberon Touchstone) (Clocks And Dials) 08) The Darcy Bussell Rubberwear Fantasia (Theatre Of Falling Leaves) 09) Clocks Wind Slow (Clocks And Dials) 10) Young Dreams Whirled Away (Silvertone Fountains) 11) Merry Are The Windblown Crows (Model Village) 12) Steam Radio Blues (Return To Jazz Of Lights) 13) The Sky, The Sea, The Moon And Me (Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill) 14) Wonder Of The Moment (Luxury Lodge) ALBUM NOTES: The Dreamer's Companion is a three volume series of compilation albums designed to introduce both new and lapsed fans to Nelson's recordings from the 21st Century. These are significant in that they represent the point where Nelson embraced the notion of downloading as a way of generating additional interest in his music. Prior to their announcement in August 2013, there had been frequent mention by fans of the advantages that Nelson would see from going down the download route, but the artist consistently resisted doing so on the basis that he remained unconvinced that it would yield much in the way of sales. What seemed to change his opinion, or at least convince him to give it a go, was a Be Bop Deluxe Facebook page which clearly indicated that there are a significant number of fans who knew little of Nelson's work over the previous 30 years. Nelson therefore set about compiling three volumes in The Dreamer's Companion series that provided a detailed overview of his output since 2003. Even for fans who had rediscovered Nelson's music at some point in the period from 2003 to 2013, these offer some out of print material. And for the lapsed fans that knew nothing at all from this period, they offer them a chance to find out precisely what they have been missing. For those who aren't willing or able to spend £30 on a full set, each volume of The Dreamer's Companion is available at £10 each. The 42 tracks featured are taken from a total of 28 different albums, and provide a healthy mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces covering a range of styles and moods. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "There's nothing difficult or tricky about any of my music, it's all very easy to listen to. I certainly don't aim at purely esoteric targets, I just make pop music with a twist. But, if you're feeling a bit nervous about buying some albums, it doesn't get less esoteric than Fancy Planets , Joy Through Amplification , and Songs of the Blossom Tree Optimists . Easy listening all! Or, to get a great overview of my 21st Century recordings, try downloading the digital three volume compilation set, The Dreamers Companion from Bandcamp. It acts as a really nice taster or 'grazing' menu. A bit of everything on there." Collections Menu Future Past