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Dreams & Absurdities album - 2015 Dave Sturt Production/Contribution Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Mirage 02) Transcendence 03) Hollow Form 04) Bouncing Like Gagarin 05) Jaffa Market 06) (In My Head) I'm Swimming 07) Unique & Irreplaceable 08) Dreams & Absurdities 09) Whites & Greens In Blue 10) Vast Indifference BILL: Guitar, E-Bow and co-writing on one song, "White & Greens In Blue". NOTES: "Bill plays an absolutely beautiful solo that gets better every time I hear it! So understated and yet it's perfect for the track." - Dave Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Three White Roses & A Budd ep - 2002 Harold Budd, Bill Nelson & Fila Brazillia Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar and Co-Writer on all tracks. NOTES: The brief liner notes say that it was recorded at "Stunk Dusty" (duo Fila Brazillia's studio?) in 2000, although not released until 2002. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Forum Members To test this feature, visit your live site. Categories All Posts My Posts Login / Sign up The Dreamsville Forum Create New Post William's World A forum for discussing the work of Bill Nelson! subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 1.2K Follow World Outside The Window A forum for the discussion of more general topics. subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 979 Follow The World And His Wife A forum for fans to discuss their own music, artwork, poetry...or whatever talent they may wish to share! subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 252 Follow New Posts Alec Moderator Dash · 6h CHIMERA (1983) William's World Like 4 4 comments 4 DogBoy 3h Working On Another Thingy. World Outside The Window Icosa Sphere Build Like 2 3 comments 3 DogBoy 17h Aluminati Guitars- 'The Nedulous' (fretless Aluminum necked twanger for Ned Evett) ((with light-up Perspex body)) World Outside The Window Aluminati Guitars (@aluminati_guitars) • Instagram photos and videos Ned will have it on the 'Surf the Hydra' tour with Satch and Vai Like 1 0 comments 0 Forum - Frameless

Live Show Archive 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 Competition Winner's Meet & Greet - 1983 Nelsonica 02 Nelsonica 03 Be Bop & Beyond Tour - 2004 Nelsonica 07 Plectronica - 2018 Old Haunts Launch Party - 2019

Shining Reflector Bill Nelson album - 8 December 2014 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) BC1675 02) Up In The Attic, Down In The Lab (Hubble Bubble And Starshine) 03) Watchword (A Return) 04) How Near We Are 05) Snoozy Winks 06) Beyond All This 07) Our Lucky Stars 08) Rapture Parade 09) December Days-Diamond Bright 10) Starlight And Moonbeams 11) Shining Reflector 12) It's A Comic Book World 13) Come Closer And See My Dreams 14) The Girl In The Glass Aeroplane ALBUM NOTES: Shining Reflector is an album mixing vocal and instrumental pieces issued in a one-off print run of 500 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The material included on Shining Reflector was created during the Stereo Star Maps sessions when that album was planned as a double. In the end Nelson decided to split the material into three different releases (Swoons and Levitations being the third album), and Shining Reflector was available within a month of Stereo Star Maps . Issued on 8 December 2014, it sold out in an impressive 10 days. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Dream Transmission Pavilion , Swoons and Levitations , Perfect Monsters , Stereo Star Maps , Clocks & Dials , Modern Moods for Mighty Atoms , Secret Club for Members Only , Return to Jazz of Lights , Plectrajet BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Shining Reflector contains vocals and instrumentals recorded earlier this year but has a different feel to Stereo Star Maps . It's a bit more up-tempo and slightly 'pop-rocky' but it has a wide-screen sonic quality too." FAN THOUGHTS: jetboy: "There's smoke coming out of my ears at the moment. In parts it's dirty, electric, loud, playful. It soars, sweeps, twists and turns. Catherine wheel guitars. It's the new thing." andygeorge: "Bloody hell Bill! Shining Reflector is a wonderful breath of fresh air, an instant attention grabber, frequently made me stop what I was doing to take in what I was hearing...some albums take a while to sink in, but this one hits me like a train wreck! Brilliant guitar work by Bill and for those yet to hear it...it'll knock your socks off!! Love it!" noggin: "I'm happy to report its well up to Bill's usual high standards. I've listened to it three times thus far and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Quite how Bill remains so prolific yet continues to produce albums of such consistently high quality though, remains one of the mysteries of our age." BobK: "Beyond All This": "is what they call achingly beautiful." Face In The Rain: "IMHO Shining Reflector is one of the best albums Bill's made since Orpheus in Ultraland and, like Orpheus , is exactly the sort of album BBD would be making now (well of course it is, you idiot, because it was made by the bloke in BBD, wasn't it). Sorry. I'll get my coat." "Bill's music brings me a lot of joy and I want him to know that and to go on making it whatever health and financial tribulations he's beset by. Call that sucking up to teacher, but I don't mind." Merikan1: "As I commented in another post, this is a great time to be a Bill Nelson fan. The hits just keep coming. Stereo Star Maps , Quiet Bells , Shining Reflector . One and all to my taste and among my new favorites. All sit nicely with many other classics such as Palace , Signals , (going back a bit now), Secret Club , Gleaming , and at least a dozen others. No other artist I can think of produces so frequently and consistently such amazing music. Thank you." Prey: "If I had to pay Bill Nelson for every smile, every tear, every bright start to a day or every calm ending that he's responsible for...he'd own my house, car and girl friend. Keep on truckin' Bill." Albums Menu Future Past

Fancy Planets Bill Nelson album - 20 July 2009 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Fancy Planets 02) The Golden Days Of Radio (Compact Mix) 03) Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel 04) The Land Of Dreams Is Closed 05) This Leads To That Leads To This 06) Where Are We Now 07) Twice In A Blue Moon 08) Everyday Now Is Forever Again 09) She Dreams Of Fires 10) I Hear Electricity 11) Mysterious Object Overhead 12) Dream Cities Of The Heart 13) Mystery Engine 14) Golden Days Of Radio (Hypermix) ALBUM NOTES: Fancy Planets is (mainly) a vocal album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album had a working title of Sway and Swoon and was designed to complement another album then called Sparkle and Spin (which was issued as Theatre of Falling Leaves ) which were being worked on in tandem. Eventually Nelson renamed the album Fancy Planets . As the album was being mastered, Nelson noticed that the vocal track on "The Golden Days of Radio" wasn't coming through as clearly as he had wanted. Nelson therefore re-did the vocals on an alternate mix version (sub-titled Compact Mix) and added the original version (sub-titled Hypermix) as a bonus track. Additionally, to avoid having an album with 13 tracks, Nelson then created an extra track "Mystery Engine" from scratch on the eve of the final mastering session and added that to the album too. The album was - alongside Here Comes Mr Mercury – the first Bill Nelson CD to feature 'CD text' allowing you to see the title of each track as it played on certain in car and hi-fi systems. The album includes the 'A' side of the free digital single I Hear Electricity , issued previously on Nelson's 60th birthday (18 December 2008). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Joy Through Amplification , Orpheus in Ultraland , Kid Flip , Special Metal , Satellite Songs , Blip! , Blip 2 , Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus , Modern Moods for Mighty Atoms , Golden Melodies of Tomorrow BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Fancy Planets will have a rock/pop orientation, albeit with a twist. I'm not sure how to exactly describe the music to you as, even within one song, there are lots of ideas at play. The music is very rich sounding, sometimes a 'wall of sound' with lots of guitars and crunchy, chunky drums and beats. It's big, tough and flamboyant, but beautiful too. A couple of tracks, (at least), conjure up the term 'retro-contempo psychedelic glam rock with poptone tints'. Yes, a weird and funny description but it fits some of the material like a glove! "Many of the songs offer an ironic and post-modernist tip of the hat to my rock band past whilst warmly embracing certain nostalgic elements. The material can be enjoyed on multiple levels and I'm sure many of you will have fun spotting the various musical references and cross-references contained on the album. For instance: The song "Dream Cities of the Heart" contains a reference to Be Bop Deluxe's "Night Creatures". In the same verse comes a mention of a much later solo album song of mine, "Fairyland Before the Fire". It's meant to hint at that ambiguous, bisexual, glam thing of first line-up Be Bop. (Later in the same song, there's a veiled reference to sexual magic/tantra too.) "The album is smart and dumb, subtle and flashy, gentle and ultra-violent, funny and serious, all at the same time. It's a terribly irresponsible album for a sixty year old to make!" _____ "That little zip-cut [in the beginning of the title track] is intentional, as if someone had spliced the tape. Also, the second repeat of one of the bridge sections, where the vocal sounds like tape cut-ups, ("all moments exist at once...") is also deliberately fractured...but not by digital, Pro-Tools style cutting and pasting. I actually sung it like that in real time to produce the sliced n' diced effect. Hopefully, it's the real time elements in all this music that separates it from the general software/sequenced/copy and paste methods used by every man and his dog these days." FAN THOUGHTS: Peter: "Wow. On first listen, love Fancy Planets ...Bill, you can still rock, dude. And don't EVER believe the guy in the mirror or anyone else...there isn't an electric guitarist on the planet that can do what you do. And the songs? Again, wow!" WalterDigsTunes: "Easily one of my favorite 21st century releases. With classics like "The Golden Days of Radio", "Where Are We Now", "She Dreams of Fires" and "I Hear Electricity", it's no wonder I feel like it ought to be required listening for anyone curious about the artist's recent output. If there's any album that could lure back fans of 70s guitar heroics or 80s/90s songcraft, it's certainly this one." BFD: "A real gem which is bound to resonate with all BN fans, a very satisfying listen...all the more amazing when you consider its all one (overworked) hyper-perfectionist playing everything. As a guitar freak I especially appreciated the pics/liner notes." knight on the tiles: "It's not a Be-Bop Deluxe album, which I didn't really expect it to be, or want it to be - sometimes the past is best left alone. But the heritage is clear and that works for me. The same sort of things that attracted me to BBD are there; the guitars, the distinctive phrasing Bill has, the subject matter, the balance of pace, the sweet tunes, the staccato rhythms but there's a lot of new stuff too. I also love the retro futurism setting that the cover artwork sets the scene for and the music backs up." wondertoy: "Holy Crap!!! This is some potent stuff. Thank you sooo much Bill for bringing this to the outside world. If this planet had any brains, "The Golden Days of Radio" would be a top ten hit right now. Give it time and maybe it will. The guitar solo on "She Dreams of Fires" is the most brilliant guitar solo I have heard in quite some time. "Mysterious Objects Overhead" totally blew me away. And "Mystery Engine" is a very beautiful piece of sonic artwork that I am very happy to have hanging in my musical gallery. You have outdone yourself once more, Bill. Again the fact that this music is being made by one man in a room upstairs should make a lot of musicians feel REALLY embarrassed to be walking into high priced studios today. Pure magic. Go buy this album now. Can't wait to sit down with this album over and over." Sue: "HOW on earth did Bill fit that band into his bedroom, for surely that can't all be him...But what an amazing album, only had time for a couple of listens so far but I love it, and with all the nods to the past it's a bit of a trip down memory lane too." andygeorge: "Fancy Planets is bloody amazing! Got it this morning and I can honestly say that every track is a beauty. Bill's playing is exquisite, especially on "Dream Cities of the Heart", and as for "Mysterious Object Overhead"...WOW!!" BobK: "These are 13 incredibly catchy and beautifully melodic songs. After quite a few plays they are whirling round and staying in BK's conscious! Lots of retro nods to the past, in the playing, tone and lyrics which are fun spotting. Easy to underestimate how tough it is writing a great melody or a great song. Take a listen to the guitar intro to "Land of Dreams", simple(ish) to play, maybe, but dammed gorgeous and try coming up with something as good as that yourself - few artists do. This is a terrific set of songs!" Merikan1: "I am really loving this one. Right now the two favourites are "Where Are We Now" and "Mysterious Object Overhead". "Where Are We Now" is dreamy, beautiful. Almost a lullaby. The warmth in Bill's voice is perfect. It just wafts me away. "Mysterious Object Overhead" just rocks gloriously. Licks abound. GEEETAR. An instant classic." swampboy: A Favorite Track of Bill's?: "I'd have to say "Twice in a Blue Moon" from 'Fancy Planets'. Like most of Bill's songs, a rollercoaster ride in the dark. You never know when the twists and turns are coming. Pure adrenaline joy!" Littlun : "Thanks for this album. It's as Little Richard once said about Jimi Hendrix - you have made our toes shoot up in our boots once more. You've always been at your best when you are getting down and dirty, and Rocking. Now what's my favorite track again?!" KEVWILKINS: "Where Are We Now": "has totally blown me away. I got really emotional listening to this today. Ten times. I can honestly say I have never been so choked listening to a track in my entire life. Absolutely beautiful." Swan: "Oh!...at the end of the alternate mix of "Golden Days of Radio" Bill plays the riff from "Sister Seagull" as it was and then plays it slowed well down, as if it is dying and struggling for breath. Symbolic I'd say...there won't be another album like it." Colourbox: "Caught myself whistling "Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel", in that whistling to yourself through the teeth stylee whilst in Sainsbugs this morning." seakret: "His best in years - and I thought Clocks & Dials was extraordinary. I have nearly all of the past 15-20 Sound on Sound discs and this is way up top already. Lots of nods to the past - the guitar is riveting and way up front (short, sharp shades of Red Noise in some of the faster rhythm guitar parts). If you downloaded the "I Hear Electricity" free download and thought Bill was onto something, then this album not only contains that song but also an amazing collection of similarly catchy tunes. Nice one Bill!" Angie: "Just listening to Fancy Planets for the first time...shivers up and down my spine. I love them all, but I think this album is going to be one of my favourites. Thanks, Bill, for thrilling my ears, painting pictures in my mind, and feelings in my heart for over 30 years." GettingOnTheBeam: "Fancy Planets is a classic...I can't stop playing it. I was going to burn a copy for a friend of mine...but couldn't bring myself to thievery, so I ordered him a copy through SOS." captainknut: "From some other thread in this forum I saw someone give someone else the advice to start with Fancy Planets if you like the BBD sound and want a way in. So I followed it, too, and ordered Fancy Planets from SOS. It arrived in the post a few days ago, and I just can't stop playing it. It's that good." Albums Menu Future Past

Rice Music album - 1982 Masami Tsuchiya Production/Contribution Menu Future Past TRACKS: A1) Rice Music A2) Se! Se! Se! A3) Haina-Haila A4) Tao-Tao A5) Neo-Rice Music B1) Kafka B2) Rice Dog Jam B3) Secret Party B4) Silent Object B5) Night In The Park BILL: E-bow guitar on the tracks 'Rice Music' and 'Tao-Tao'. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Lovesnake album - 1991 Jean Park Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer of two songs: "Your Body in Soap" and "Feel Like A Wheel". Production/Contribution 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

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

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

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

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

Yablokitay album - 1997 Nautilus Pompilius Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer and various instruments Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Magazine Interviews & Features Acquitted By Mirrors (Magazine Series) The Nelsonian Navigator (Magazine Series) Electronics & Music Maker - 1982 Home Studio Recording - 1984 Electronic Soundmaker - 1985 Sound On Sound Magazine - July 1986 Making Music - August 1986 Bill Meets Robert Wyatt - 1992 Sound On Sound Magazine - October 1995 Sound On Sound Magazine - February 1999 DavidSylvian.Net Interview - 2002 East Bay Times - Feb 2005 My Rare Guitars Feature - June 2006 Post-Punk Monk Article - June 2011 Prog Magazine - 2011 (Published Dec 2023) Guitar Player Interview - December 2012 Bill Interviews Duane Eddy - January 2013 Vintage Guitar Magazine - February 2014 Yorkshire Post - October 2014 Admirable Nelson, Yorkshire Post - March 2016 Classic Rock - May 2016 Eastwood Guitar Guide - February 2017 Eastwood Guitars Interview - February 2017 Songwriting Magazine - February 2018 Vintage Guitar Magazine - June 2018 Record Collector - February 2019 Classic Rock - February 2019 Vintage Rock - March 2019 Goldmine Magazine - March 2019 Paste Magazine US - April 2019 The Strange Brew Podcast - April 2019 Mix Magazine - May 2019 Interviewing The Legends Podcast - May 2019 Interview with Frank Mackay - June 2019 Hit Channel Website Interview - July 2020 Music Republic Magazine Interview - July 2020 Cherry Red Podcast - July 2020 Flood Magazine Interiew - October 2021 Guitar Player Article, Scott Rowley - December 2021 Prog Interview - December 2021 Be Bop Deluxe on 'Jazz Rock Soul' - January 2022 Bill Talks About Ziggy Stardust - June 2022 Martyn Ware Podcast (Part 1) - Feruary 2023 Martyn Ware Podcast (Part 2) - March 2023 Anil Prasad Interview - April 2023 Guitar World Interview - December 2023 Prog Magazine Interview - May 2024 Guitarist Magazine Interview - June 2024 Goldmine Interview - July 2024

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

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

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

The Two-Fold Aspect of Everything Bill Nelson retrospective 2LP collection - February 1985 Collections Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: Original UK 2 record set: Eaux D'Artifice A1) Acceleration (Remix) (Acceleration single, 1984) A2) White Sound (Living in My Limousine single, 1981) A3) Living In My Limousine (Remix) (Living in My Limousine single, 1981) A4) Flesh (Eros Arriving double single, 1982) A5) Eros Arriving (Single Version ) (Eros Arriving single, 1982) A6) Hope For The Heartbeat (Remix ) (U.S. promo single, 1982) A7) The Passion (Flaming Desire single, 1982) B1) Ideal Homes (Do You Dream In Colour? single, 1980) B2) Instantly Yours (Do You Dream In Colour? single, 1980) B3) Atom Man Loves Radium Girl (Do You Dream In Colour? single, 1980) B4) Mr. Magnetism Himself (Banal single, 1981) B5) The Burning Question (Flaming Desire 12" single, 1982) B6) Haunting In My Head (Eros Arriving single, 1982) B7) He And Sleep Were Brothers (Eros Arriving double single, 1982) Confessions Of A Four Track Mind C1) Connie Buys A Kodak (Sleepcycle club ep, 1982) C2) Be My Dynamo (Youth Of Nation On Fire single, 1981) C3) Touch And Glow (single from the Permanent Flame box set, 1982) C4) Love Without Fear (Touch And Glow single from the Permanent Flame box set, 1982) C5) Dada Guitare (Rooms With Brittle Views single, 1981) C6) Turn To Fiction (Banal 12" single, 1981) D1) Rooms With Brittle Views (non-album single, 1981) D2) Love In The Abstract (Living In My Limousine single, 1981) D3) Hard Facts From The Fiction Department (title track from a non-album club ep, 1984) D4) Hers Is A Lush Situation (Banal 12" single, 1981) D5) When The Birds Return (Sleepcycle club ep, 1982) D6) All My Wives Were Iron (Youth Of Nation On Fire 12" single, 1981) 1989 UK single CD: Same running order as above, but deleted the following: A1, A2, A3, A6. 1989 US 2CD set: Same track listing as the original vinyl release, except: A1 was replaced with "The Beat That Can't Go Wrong Today" (Sleepcycle club ep, 1982) , and D3 was replaced with "Daily Bells" ( Hard Facts From The Fiction Department club ep, 1984) NOTES: The Two-Fold Aspect of Everything was initially issued as a double album on vinyl on Cocteau Records (the first of just two releases in the Cocteau Collectors series). The double vinyl was condensed into a single CD for UK release, removing tracks that had been issued as bonus cuts on the CD versions of Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam and The Love That Whirls (both 1986) and/or included on Duplex (1989) All editions of this compilation are out of print, but half of the original double album is available on the following reissues: Quit Dreaming (Mercury, 2005): contains A2, A3, B4, C2, D1, D2 and D6. The Love That Whirls (Mercury, 2005): contains A4, A6, A7, B6 and B7. Chimera (Mercury, 2005): contains D3. The Practice of Everyday Life (Esoteric, 2011): contains A7 and B4. Transcorder (Sonoluxe CD052): contains C1 and D3, CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The UK single CD version is available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . Collections Menu Future Past

The Practice of Everyday Life box set - 7 December 2011 Bill Nelson Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: CD1 01) Photograph (A Beginning) (Northern Dream album, 1971) 02) Northern Dreamer (Northern Dream album, 1971) 03) See It Through (Northern Dream album, 1971) 04) Love's A Way (Northern Dream album, 1971) 05) Be Bop Deluxe - Teenage Archangel (non-album single, 1973) 06) Be Bop Deluxe - Jets At Dawn (Teenage Archangel single b-side, later re-recorded for Axe Victim album, 1974) 07) Be Bop Deluxe - Axe Victim (Decca audition version - Previously Unreleased, 1973) 08) Be Bop Deluxe - Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape (Axe Victim album, 1974) 09) Be Bop Deluxe - Darkness L'Immoraliste (Axe Victim album, 1974) 10) Be Bop Deluxe - Night Creatures (Axe Victim album, 1974) 11) Be Bop Deluxe - Music In Dreamland (Futurama album, 1975) 12) Be Bop Deluxe - Maid In Heaven (Futurama album, 1975) 13) Be Bop Deluxe - Jean Cocteau (Futurama album, 1975) 14) Be Bop Deluxe - Sister Seagull (Futurama album, 1975) 15) Be Bop Deluxe - Between The Worlds (Futurama album, 1975) 16) Be Bop Deluxe - Swan Song (Futurama album, 1975) 17) Be Bop Deluxe - Crystal Gazing (Sunburst Finish album, 1976) 18) Be Bop Deluxe - Heavenly Homes (Sunburst Finish album, 1976) 19) Be Bop Deluxe - Ships In The Night (Sunburst Finish album, 1976) 20) Be Bop Deluxe - Crying To The Sky (Alternate Guitar Solo - Previously Unreleased) 21) Be Bop Deluxe - Sleep That Burns (Sunburst Finish album, 1976) CD2 01) Be Bop Deluxe - Modern Music (Modern Music album, 1976) 02) Be Bop Deluxe - Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone) (Modern Music album, 1976) 03) Be Bop Deluxe - Honeymoon On Mars (Modern Music album, 1976) 04) Be Bop Deluxe - Lost In The Neon World (Modern Music album, 1976) 05) Be Bop Deluxe - Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids (Modern Music album, 1976) 06) Be Bop Deluxe - Modern Music (Reprise) (Modern Music album, 1976) 07) Be Bop Deluxe - Kiss Of Light (Modern Music album, 1976) 08) Be Bop Deluxe - Forbidden Lovers (Modern Music album, 1976) 09) Be Bop Deluxe - Down On Terminal Street (Modern Music album, 1976) 10) Be Bop Deluxe - Life In The Air Age (Live! In The Air Age album, 1977) 11) Be Bop Deluxe - Piece of Mine (Live! In The Air Age album, 1977) 12) Be Bop Deluxe - Blimps ( The Best Of And The Rest Of compilation album, 1978) 13) Be Bop Deluxe - Futurist Manifesto ("Japan" single b-side in 1977) 14) Be Bop Deluxe - Lovers Are Mortal (The Best Of And The Rest Of Compilation album, 1978) 15) Be Bop Deluxe - Surreal Estate (Drastic Plastic album, 1978) 16) Be Bop Deluxe - Visions Of Endless Hope (Drastic Plastic album, 1978) 17) Be Bop Deluxe - Panic In The World (Juan Les Pins Mix/Remix) 18) Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric) (Sound-On-Sound album,1979) 19) Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Revolt Into Style (Sound-On-Sound album in 1979) 20) Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Furniture Music (Sound-On-Sound album in 1979) 21) Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Stay Young (Live) (Revolt Into Style 12" single) 22) Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Out Of Touch (Live) (Revolt Into Style 7 & 12" singles) 23) Do You Dream In Colour? ( Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album in 1981) CD3 01 ) Banal ( Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album in 1981) 02) Life Runs Out Like Sand (Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam Album in 1981) 03) Living In My Limousine (Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album in 1981) 04) Mr. Magnetism Himself (Banal 7 & 12" singles) 05) Sleep (Sounding The Ritual Echo album, 1981) 06) Opium (Sounding The Ritual Echo album, 1981) 07) Near East (Sounding The Ritual Echo album, 1981) 08) The Funeral (Das Kabinett album, 1981) 09) The Sonambulist And The Children (Das Kabinett album, 1981) 10) The Dream Dance Of Jane And The Sonambulist (Das Kabinett album, 1981) 11) Beauty And The Beast (La Belle Et La Bete album, 1982) 12) The Enchanted Glove (La Belle Et La Bete album, 1982) 13) Eros Arriving (The Love That Whirls album in 1982) 14) Hope For The Heartbeat (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 15) A Private View (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 16) The October Man (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 17) The Passion (Flaming Desire 7 & 12" singles) 18) Echo in Her Eyes (The Lamps of Oblivion) (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 19) Glow World (Chimera mini-album, 1983) 20) The Real Adventure (Chimera mini-album, 1983) 21) Acceleration (Short Version) (Acceleration 12" single, 1984) 22) Happily Addicted To You (A Catalogue Of Obsessions album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 23) The Last Summer For Dancing (A Catalogue Of Obsessions album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 24) Les Amoureux ( Pavillions Of The Heart And Soul album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 25) Another Kiss For Your Slender Neck ( Pavillions Of The Heart And Soul album, Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) CD4 01) The Eternal Female ( Pavillions Of The Heart And Soul album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 02) Sleeplessness (Chamber Of Dreams album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 03) The Golden Bough (Chamber Of Dreams album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 04) Tomorrowland (The Threshold Of 1947) (Chamber Of Dreams album, Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 05) Sacrament (The Summer Of God's Piano album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 06) Over Ocean (The Summer Of God's Piano album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 07) Perfido Incanto (The Summer Of God's Piano album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 08) City One (Chameleon album, 1986) 09) Blue Sky (Chameleon album, 1986) 10) To The Sea In Ships (Chameleon album, 1986) 11) Suvasini (Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 12) Contemplation (Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 13) Wildest Dreams (Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 14) The Hidden Flame (Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 15) Illusions Of You (Living For The Spangled Moment mini-album, 1986) 16) Orchestra Arcana - Search And Listen (Iconography album, 1986) 17) Orchestra Arcana - Right, Then Left (Iconography album, 1986) 18) Orchestra Arcana - Iconography (Iconography album, 1986) 19) Orchestra Arcana - Clock Conscious (Iconography album, 1986) 20) At The Gates Of The Singing Garden (Map Of Dreams album, 1987) 21) Water Of Life (Transfiguration) (Map Of Dreams album, 1987) 22) Spinning Creatures (Map Of Dreams album, 1987) 23) The Angel At The Western Window (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album, 1987) 24) Day Of Eternity (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album , 1987) 25) Night Tides (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album, 1987) 26) Finis Gloria Mundi (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album, 1987) CD5 01) Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album , 1987) 02) Orchestra Arcana - Deva Dance (Optimism album, 1988) 03) Orchestra Arcana - Um, Ah Good Evening (UK CD of Optimism album, 1988) 04) Orchestra Arcana - Short Wave (UK CD of Optimism album, 1988) 05) Aqua Magica (Simplex album, 1990) 06) Heros De Lumiere (Simplex album, 1990) 07) Kiss Goodbye (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 08) Dreams Of Yesterday (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 09) Playing Jesus To Her Judas (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 10) Still Waiting (Nudity album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 11) Feels Like Up To Me (Nudity album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 12) Only Love Can Tell (Nudity album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 13) Broken (Heartbreakland album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 14) Heartbreak Thru The Telephone (Heartbreakland album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 15) Love's Immortal Shining Angel (Heartbreakland album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 16) Man On Fire (Details album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 17) Aeroplane Wings (Details album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 18) Stay With Me (Details album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 19) A Luminous Kind Of Guy (Luminous album, 1991) 20) Is This Alchemy (Luminous album, 1991) 21) Wait For Tomorrow (Luminous album, 1991) 22) God Man Slain (Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars album, 1992) 23) Boat To Forever (Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars album, 1992) 24) The Invisible Man And The Unforgettable Girl (Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars album, 1992) 25) Dream Ships Set Sail (Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars album, 1992) 26) Crimsworth Part One (Excerpt) (Crimsworth album, 1995) CD6 01) Big Noise In Twang Town (Practically Wired album, 1995) 02) Pink Buddah Blues (Practically Wired album, 1995) 03) Her Presence In Flowers (Practically Wired album, 1995) 04) Big River (Buddha Head album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 05) The Big Illumination (Buddha Head album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 06) Buddah Head (Buddha Head album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 07) Begin To Burn (Electricity Made Us Angels album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 08) Heaven's Happy Hemisphere (Electricity Made Us Angels album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 09) It's All True (Deep Dream Decoder album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 10) Year 44 (The Birthday Song) (Deep Dream Decoder album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 11) Dreamnoise And Angel (Deep Dream Decoder album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 12) No Fool For You (Juke Box For Jet Boy album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 13) On A Train I Never Boarded (Juke Box For Jet Boy album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 14) Hold On To Your Heart (Juke Box For Jet Boy album, part of the My Secret Studio set, 1995) 15) Deeply Dazzled (After The Satellite Sings album, 1996) 16) Memory Babe (After The Satellite Sings album, 1996) 17) Zoom Sequence (After The Satellite Sings album, 1996) 18) Quarter Moons And Stars (Weird Critters album, part of the Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer set, 1997) 19) Candyland (Weird Critters album, part of the Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer set, 1997) 20) Sun At Six Windows (Magnificent Dream People album, part of the Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer set, 1997) 21) Queer Weather (Magnificent Dream People album, part of the Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer set, 1997) 22) The Girl I Never Forgot (Magnificent Dream People album, Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer set, 1997) CD7 01) Pointing at the Moon (Atom Shop album, 1998) 02) Dreamland Avenue (Whistling While the World Turns album, 2000) 03) Humming In The Void/Girl With The Thousand Watt Smile (Old Man Future Blows The Blues album, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 04) Big Yellow Moon (Stargazing With Ranger Bill album, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 05) Planet of Guitars (King Frankenstein album, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 06) Wonderful Weather In Woodgates Lane (Console album, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 07) The Ceremonial Arrival Of The Great Golden Cloud (The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill album, 2005) 08) Moments Catch Fire On The Crests Of Waves (The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill album, 2005) 09) Cascade (Improvisation For Three Harp Guitars) (Rosewood Volume One album, 2005) 10) Superserene (Theatre Of Falling Leaves album, 2009) 11) Young Dreams Whirled Away (Silvertone Fountains album, 2008) 12) Fearless Beauty ( Kisses And Cream) (Return To Jazz Of Lights album, 2006) 13) The Golden Days Of Radio (Compact Mix) (Fancy Planets album, 2009) 14) The Trace We Left When All Was Gone (Mazda Kaleidoscope album, 2008) 15) Once I Had A Time Machine (Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow album, 2008) 16) Music Spins My Globe (Picture Post album, 2010) 17) Moon Gold Palladium (Fables And Dreamsongs album, 2010) CD8 John Peel Session, 2nd June 1981 01) Rooms With Brittle Views 02) Stay Young 03) Sleep Cycle 04) Jazz David "Kid" Jenson Session, 13th Jan 1983 05) Dancing On A Knife's Edge 06) Time Tracking 07) Contemplation 08) Indiscretion NOTES: The Practice of Everyday Life is an 8-CD boxed set issued by Esoteric/Cherry Red through their specially created Cocteau Discs imprint. From Smile Records to Sonoluxe, this box set samples 45 different albums from Nelson's impressively vast and varied back catalogue. For the serious collectors among Nelson's fan base, there are a total of 8 previously unreleased tracks and 3 others that are appearing on CD for the first time. The Practice of Everyday Life was the first release on Cocteau Discs that prefaced a 22 album licensing deal which successfully managed to bring much of Nelson's back catalogue back in print. The 22 albums were intended for reissue over a seven year period, and at the time of writing (March 2016) 11 Nelson albums have been reissued including Getting the Holy Ghost Across , which was licensed under a separate deal with Sony. Therefore, a further 12 Nelson related titles can be expected over the next three years, with the prospect of Esoteric striking further deals with Universal for reissues of Red Noise and Be Bop Deluxe material. It has to be said that Esoteric have done a remarkable job with the reissue campaign, and no Bill Nelson fan, new or old, should be without a copy of The Practice of Everyday Life . CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This boxed set is currently out of print, although still available as a download from major online retailers. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "For as long as I can remember, music has played a central part in my life. My father was a semi-professional saxophonist who was actually performing with his band the night I was born in December 1948. His musical tastes, mainly big band swing and jazz, provided the soundtrack to my infancy and childhood years, but, like so many of my generation, rock n' roll came along with it the romance of electric guitars and the magic multi-track recording. Music, tape machines and guitars opened the door to a wide-screen world, a world which I continue to explore to this day. My first album, Northern Dream , was released in 1971, (though recorded in 1970.) Now, exactly 40 years after the release of Northern Dream , comes this chronologically ordered, career-spanning compilation, The Practice Of Everyday Life . For me, those 40 years have flown by, every day propelled by the power of music. The tracks presented across the 8 discs of this compilation, whilst not presenting the entire picture, nevertheless provide the widest view of my recorded work ever released in one package. I'm grateful to Mark Powell of Esoteric Recordings, (who initiated the idea of this compilation), for his enthusiasm and dedication to the project. I hope that listeners will enjoy the colourful journey that The Practice Of Everyday Life documents." _____ "It's a Zen Buddhist phrase which implies that enlightenment can be found in everyday, ordinary activities, rather than in some exotic, mysterious discipline or other. But it is appropriate to the celebration of 40 years of my recording career on more than one level. First of all, my everyday life is filled with the act of creating music in one form or another. As you know, I've always treat this as a natural activity, it's simply what I do and what I am. The creative act itself is meditational and educational...Music is the mirror I hold up to myself to see what is reflected there. But there's also an ironic element: What feels to me like a normal, everyday activity could, to someone not engaged in such an occupation, seem quite unusual or exotic. In fact, not 'everyday' at all. This duality and irony is reflected in the box set's cover image. When you finally get to see it, you'll understand what I'm getting at. The set's title and the cover image are amusingly, (and surreally), at odds. It implies that 'everyday life', for me, is a very strange and dreamlike thing indeed! But the word 'practice' is meaningful too...I'm still practicing, or learning, both as a human being and as an artist. I haven't begun to close the gap between myself and 'the goal'. It's this sense of being a perpetual novice that drives me forward. It's why I'll always look to the next album for the answer to my personal questions...and why I'll never be in a position to say that the work is done." _____ "The package design is not a 'Real Men with Rayguns' project, but is by Esoteric/Cherry Red designer Phil Smee. However, two of the key images, (the front cover and the cover of the booklet contained within the package), use themed, theatrical, surreal photographs taken by ace lensman Martin Bostock based on a specially devised concept created and art-directed by myself." _____ "The cover photo for The Practice Of Everyday Life wasn't actually taken at a live performance in Leeds, but it was taken at the Leeds University Clothworkers Hall, where I have performed in the past. (It's part of the University's Faculty of Music.) The photo' session was arranged independently of any live performance. I wanted to contrast the album's title theme, (of 'everyday' life), with something as far from everyday as possible. I've used that rabbit head mask in my video work for a few years now and thought that it might make a surreal image for TPOEL's cover shot, especially when combined with the weird guitar I'm holding, (which is actually an old fairground ride prop that I bought at an antique fair). I also wanted to include a selection of my guitars in the shot, plus a piano as keyboards often feature in my music too. My 'everyday life' is filled with music making and the concept of the rabbit and the guitars was to suggest a constantly creative, virile, productive energy." FAN THOUGHTS: tunancheese: "It is this compilation that has expanded my horizons. My Lord, Pink Floyd has nothing on Mr. Nelson when it comes to reaching out to the heavens (real or imagined). I'm on my fifth go around with this set and light years behind what you on this website have already experienced. I found Sound On Sound & have already purchased The Joy of Amplification and ordered the vinyl version of Northern Dreams . I know I'm swimming in waters way over my head - but, I'm digging the hell out of it!! Thank you, Mr. Nelson. Wonderful stuff." Collections Menu Future Past

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 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.

Theatre of Falling Leaves Bill Nelson album - 19 September 2009 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Thoughts Travel (For Miles) 02) You Here Now In William's World 03) The Darcey Bussell Rubberwear Fantasia 04) Tiny Mice Are Dancing In The Cottage Of Her Dreams 05) Planet Of Sleeping Buddhas 06) Pagoda Dreamhouse 07) Tumbletown 08) Dance, Mighty Robot, Dance! 09) Superserene 10) Theatre Of Falling Leaves 11) Sparkle And Spin 12) Space Ace Gets His Girl 13) Django Dreams Of Twinkleland 14) From Here To Far Orion ALBUM NOTES: Theatre of Falling Leaves is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. Recording of the album commenced in January 2009, and was assembled alongside material that would form two other contrasting albums, Fancy Planets and Here Comes Mr Mercury . Initially the project was given the working title of Haiku Sound Box , and was conceived as a minimalist, ambient keyboard-based album, while the projects competing alongside it for material were contrastingly stylised . However, the direction the keyboard based material took resulted in the Haiku Sound Box title being set aside for another potential future work. Nelson re-thought his plans for the keyboard-based material, initially re-naming it Sparkle and Spin in the process. A couple of months into the project Nelson very nearly changed his mind and considered mixing the Sparkle and Spin material with other material then allocated to an album with working title Sway and Swoon (eventually released as Fancy Planets ). Ultimately though, he reverted back to his original intentions, naming the album of keyboard-based material Theatre of Falling Leaves . The album title and track listing were confirmed on 15 May 2009, and the album was made available to purchase on pre-release at Nelsonica '09 before going on general sale through SOS three days later. Theatre Of Falling Leaves sold out in July 2020. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Mazda Kaleidoscope , Non-Stop Mystery Action , Signals From Realms of Light , And We Fell Into A Dream , Gleaming Without Lights , Dream Transmission Pavilion , Illuminated at Dusk , Albion Dream Vortex BILL'S THOUGHTS: "A keyboard-based instrumental album with just a hint of lap-steel guitar on a couple of tracks. The predominant tonality centres on synths and treated piano. The pieces recorded so far shift through various changes within their individual length but there's plenty of melodic content and beats that drift in and out of the frame. There's even a cute and ironic disco track with a retro feel to it." _____ "Style/sound-wise, it's in a similar ball-park to the recent guitar or vocal albums but without the vocals or guitar (although there is a little ambient lap-steel guitar on some pieces). I have used some of the Motif's retro-sounding mono-synth patches though. Not used these much on previous recordings as they sound so 80's and sometimes cheesy, but I thought the more lush, rich textures of this album might stand a touch of Cheddar here and there to add a little nostalgic contrast. "This isn't meant to be a 'radical departure' album or even my next 'major' statement, it's simply a pleasant diversion designed as an easy listening collection of keyboard instrumentals. A nice 'utility' album to enjoy with tea and biscuits." _____ " Autumn, and its falling leaves, have long been a symbol of the impermanence of life for me. But also, paradoxically, a symbol of the possibility of renewal and regeneration, the cycle of life that eventually comes around in Spring. Autumn holds a poetic resonance for me, its colours, golden and brown, echo in some ways rust and the beautiful patina that comes with age and wisdom." _____ Thoughts Travel (for Miles): "It's a deliberate double meaning: Thoughts travel for miles, in the literal sense, and Thoughts Travel (For Miles), ie: dedicated to Miles Davis. After I'd recorded the track, I realised there was a touch of 'Bitches Brew' influence in the piece, particularly with regard to the electric piano parts." FAN THOUGHTS: mark smith: "I love this album! I play it all the time, on country drives late at night in my car...in fact, I had to remove it because I was not wanting to come home late at night till I heard it from start to finish. It's getting out of hand for sure...I play it at all hours now, often just entranced by those beautiful melodies and the feel of the whole concept that Bill has so successfully achieved. I even left a boring BBQ to get back to it the other day...geez it's gotta be love! Many times I just grin to myself and am dazzled by Mr Nelson's playful soundscapes that always seem to continually morph back and forth. I use this disk as an example to remind jaded friends that this is what made music such a vital form in our lives. Please Bill, if you do read this, please take us on another walk in autumn with you again. It really does take you to a time and a place - and how many CDs can do that these days? Thank you very much for this work of art Mr Nelson." Peter: "I have always appreciated Bill's abilities and sensibilities when it comes to instrumentation other than the guitar. This is one reason that I have really enjoyed Theatre of Falling Leaves , as it is not so dependent on the guitar, and features sophisticated, interesting and beautiful compositions, and Bill's skill at arranging music. Stunning, though not surprising -- hell, Bill manages to add whirls and buzzes and chimes (yes, chimes!) in such a way that you just think "Ah, that is exactly the right little nuance at that moment"...well, the guy can just make music! Such a wonderful ability to create rich textures and melodies that evolve and surprise...I love this album. As Bill continues to grow as a musician and songwriter, each stage gets more interesting and satisfying." tomasso: "Let me add to the praise for Theatre. I like the way in which Bill experiments with more recent electronica sounds and rhythms, but still manages to make the result sound distinctly his own." steve lyles: "I find Theatre of Falling Leaves quite brilliant...a different tangent...at times quite Aphex Twin meets Kraftwerk-ish with those Jazzy Oriental overtones interspersed that are bloody lovely. More please..." Grey Lensman: "Much as I enjoy Bill's versatile guitar work, it's his ability to generate well-thought out and intelligent soundscapes that puts him out there in a class of his own. And this CD really does confirm that. Full of really interesting sound textures and patterns of sound that weave subtle melodies together in a most delightful way. I love the mood and overall ambience of this long-player. A nice contrast to The Dream Transmission Pavilion . Bill once again demonstrates his "Leonardo Da Vinci" abilities - a true musical Renaissance man!" james warner: "For some, Bill Nelson's guitar playing is everything, but this album proves there is so much more to his talents. A collection of keyboard instrumentals which ranges from classical piano to dance electronica and many delightfully quirky places in between." Serge Ruel: "It's Magnifique! It is utterly unified and intertwined. The integrating of the piano and its associated/generated sounds and vice versa is AGAIN Magnifique. Bill, really, keep on keeping on!!!" Returningman: "It is a very refreshing vibrant album full of gentle and clever touches that really hit the spot. Any track that includes Miles as a reference point always gets my attention and "Thoughts Travel (For Miles)" delivers. Love the bass groove on this. The whole album is a delight and touches many areas and styles that I have not (as yet) associated with Bill. This one has moved straight into my Top Ten Nelsonic album charts with a rocket. A mini masterpiece." thunk: "From Here to Far Orion": "is a beautiful ending to a really magical album, chock full with tunes & textures, twists & turns..." Analog: "All I can say is that this is a must have. One of Mr. Nelson's absolute best... Very satisfying and also very cohesive and picturesque in the mental landscape it conjures up." BobK: "It is quite brilliant and I am, frankly, knocked out by it. As for style, it is a keyboard based, though the percussion tracks and 'sounds' are equally important to the feel and structure. The tracks are fascinating throughout with many twists and turns with changes, sometimes subtle, sometimes radical throughout the track. The album sounds very new, very fresh, very different with many new electric sounds throughout, and a few (knowing?) nods to the past. I can hear keyboard sounds that hark back to Intimacy and Chance Encounters and some nice marimba that harks back to Love That Whirls . I really can't do justice in a few words, but there are so many gorgeous melodies and interesting things going on throughout, it is one helluva listening experience. (So listen on headphones!!). Not sure about buying this? (you fool!), then listen to the samples. They give a hint of how good this is." Albums Menu Future Past

Discography Menu Retrospective Collections Clicking on a cover below will take you to a full page devoted to that album. Bill Nelson - Transcorder The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings 2020 album Bill Nelson - Dreamy Screens Soundtracks From The Echo Observatory 2017 box set Be Bop Deluxe - Original Album Series 2014 box set Bill Nelson - The Dreamer's Companion Volume Two Songs Of The Bel-Air Rocketmen 2014 download album Bill Nelson - The Dreamer's Companion Volume Two In This I Reveal My Secret Identity 2014 download album Bill Nelson - The Dreamer's Companion Volume One How I Got My Secret Powers 2014 download album Be Bop Deluxe - At The BBC 1974-1978 2013 box set Be Bop Deluxe - Futurist Manifesto The Harvest Years 1974-1978 2012 box set Bill Nelson - The Practice Of Everyday Life 2011 box set Be Bop Deluxe - Postcards From The Future 2004 album Orchestra Arcana - The Hermetic Jukebox 2003 album Be Bop Deluxe - Tremulous Antenna 2002 album Bill Nelson - Electrotype The Holyground Recordings 1968-1972 2001 album Bill Nelson - What Now, What Next? The Cocteau Compendium 1980-1990 1998 album Be Bop Deluxe - Tramcar To Tomorrow 1998 album Be Bop Deluxe - Air Age Anthology 1997 album Be Bop Deluxe - Radioland BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert 1994 album Bill Nelson - The Strangest Things A Collection Of Recordings 1979-1989 1989 album Bill Nelson - Duplex The Best Of Bill Nelson 1989 album Be Bop Deluxe - Raiding The Divine Archive The Best Of Be Bop Deluxe 1987 album Be Bop Deluxe - Bop To The Red Noise 1986 album Bill Nelson - The Two-Fold Aspect Of Everything Demo tapes, minor arcana and artificial pop from the archives of Bill Nelson 1985 album Bill Nelson - Vistamax 19845 album Bill Nelson - Permanent Flame The Beginner's Guide To Bill Nelson 1982 singles box set Be Bop Deluxe - Singles As & Bs 1981 album Be Bop Deluxe - Best Of And The Rest Of Be Bop Deluxe 1978 album Discography Menu

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

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

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

Brave Flag Ukrainian download single Click image for cover Artwork Download single in support of the Ukrainian humanitarian charities appeal - Released October 2017. A-Side: BRAVE FLAG Currently unavailable on any album B-Side: MONDO BRAVADO Currently unavailable on any album "I'm sure you will all be aware of the illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces under the direction of Vladimir Putin. I've watched the situation unfold from its beginning with increasing horror. The Ukrainian people are suffering loss of life and homes due to the cruel onslaught of Russian missiles, shelling and bombing. There have also been gross atrocities and war crimes committed by Russian troops that will shock and disgust anyone with an ounce of decency. "I wanted to help, even if only in a small way, so have created a special single, the 'A Side' of which is titled 'Brave Flag'. The 'B Side' is titled 'Mondo Bravado'. Both tracks are instrumentals in the rock genre and feature epic guitars. The tracks come straight from my home studio and are in unmastered form. "I'm making the single available to fans for FREE as a digital download. All I ask in return is that everyone who downloads the free single should please donate a minimum of £5 to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukrainian humanitarian charities appeal. Every donation, no matter how small, will help to provide vital humanitarian relief for those in need in Ukraine. "Thank you for your generosity and compassion. Enjoy the single!" Performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2022. Donate here

Nelsonian Navigator - Issue Five - Published March 1997 Back to Top