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William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) May 2006 Tuesday 9th May 2006 -- 8:20 pm Two weeks and two days have passed since my brother Ian died. Although I frequently note, in these diary entries, how quickly time flies, the last two weeks have gone by at hyperspeed. Life has been a blur, a world in a spin, glimpsed through a watery lens. I'm tempted to say 'dreamlike' but it's been more like a waking nightmare. I am still struggling to grasp the reality of it, to understand just what has happened and why. The 'why' evades me. Ian's funeral was held on Tuesday the 2nd of May. Exactly one week ago today. Already. I should try to capture a little of that painful event here in my diary, both for posterity and my own failing memory's sake. The funeral service was held in a little church in the village of Walton on the edge of Wakefield, (not far from Ian's home), followed by burial at the city cemetary in Wakefield itself. Ian's wife Diane had been a little unsure about Ian's wishes in this regard, whether he would have preferred a cremation or burial. She said that she seemed to recall Ian saying that he'd never felt comfortable with the idea of cremation. I remember that Ian and I, in our distant youth, talked about the subject sometimes. We talked about it in the casual way that young men do when life seems to stretch on infinitely ahead of them and death seems nothing more than a vague, abstract concept. Nevertheless, neither of us were favorably disposed towards cremation and thought that a burial, in pleasant surroundings, would offer more comfort to loved ones and leave some form of an indication to others that we'd existed in this world. So, with all this in mind, Diane decided that Ian would have opted for a burial. My mother and myself felt that this was more appropriate too. It provided us with some small comfort that there would be a place where we could visit him from time to time, a kind of 'bridge' to his ethereal world, even though he would always be close inside our hearts. This need came as a surprise to me as, in recent years, I'd adopted the attitude that there would be no survival of spirit, soul or essence when life ends, just a slow dissolution of the elements, a scattering of atoms in the void. A poetic, zen-like emptiness. But of course, religious belief isn't for the departed but for those who are left behind to grieve. Any comfort, no matter how scant, furnishes our consolation. We grasp at any passing detrius the ocean of mortality throws at us, in the hope of staying afloat. My cousin Ian Boyle travelled all the way from Cantebury to attend the funeral. He stayed here with Emi and I from Sunday through to Wednesday. My brother Ian was actually named in honour of my cousin Ian, who is the youngest of our father's sister's two sons. (Dad and his sister passed away many years ago now.) My brother's middle name, Walter, was also chosen to honour family members. 'Walter' was both my father's name and my father's sister's eldest son's name. Sadly, cousin Walter was away in Venice so couldn't attend my brother's funeral. The passing-on of family forenames seems to extend to me too: I'm named after my father's younger brother, Bill, who was killed in a motorbike accident before I was born. The Nelson family history has many lost chapters. It is shrouded in mists and forgotten memories, as I discovered when I began work on my autobiography a few years ago. Trying to piece together a complete picture is almost impossible. My mother, though originally from the Griffith's side of the family, is the oldest living repository of our family history but, as she admits, she has limited recall of the facts. My autobiography does what it can with what little information is available but a perpetual twilight mist hovers over certain aspects. Perhaps I'll never know the full story. My two daughters, Julia and Elle, travelled up from their homes in London to attend the funeral. It was the first time that the surving members of the Nelson clan had all been together in the same place for quite a while, the last time being a Christmas gathering at my home some years ago when cousins Walter and Ian, my mother, my youngest daughter Elle, my son Elliot, brother Ian and Diane, joined Emi and I for a pleasant day of family talk and seasonal celebrations. I can remember my brother Ian's laughter on that day. As usual, his ability to make people feel at ease in his company was clearly evident. Emiko created the family's funeral flower arrangements. It was nice to have that personal touch and I think that Ian would have been pleased that Emi took care of his flowers, rather than a stranger treating it as just another job. Emi made a very large arrangement with Lillies and Roses from Diane, an arrangement spelling out the words DAD in delicate, tiny blue blooms with cream roses from Ian's children, a posy with roses and other flowers from my mum and an alto saxophone constructed from flowers from myself and Emi. I created a short verse to go with the message on the card that accompanied the floral saxophone. The verse part of the message read: "Go blow your Saxophones of Golden Eternity, wild and free in The Blue Beyond... Go blow your Saxophones Of Golden Eternity, safe and sound inside our hearts..." I felt that it had something of Kerouac and The Beats about it that Ian might have enjoyed. Jack Kerouac shared Ian's sense of the immediate moment being all that mattered. The days leading up to the funeral were filled with grief and a kind of dread. We all knew that the day of the funeral itself was going to be a grim one, an inescapable confrontation with our loss. I travelled over to Wakefield to see my mother almost every day. Although we were all devastated, we knew that my mother was suffering in a way that only a mother does when she loses her youngest son. Mum is 77 years old and fighting her own battle with illness. That she should have to face this kind of grief too is so very sad. But my mother is an amazing, beautiful person, (and yes, I'm aware that all sons think that of their mothers). She has borne the weight of so many problems throughout her life, as many mothers do. My father's long illnesses, his confinement to a wheelchair after suffering the amputation of both his legs, her own medical problems, the worrying, wayward nature of both her sons, my two failed marriages and their unpleasant side-effects, etc, etc. Through the years she has always cared more about other people's sufferings than her own. She has never complained, never been judgemental. Mum has always been steadily supportive, a perfect example of unconditional love. Her generosity, strength, dignity and compassion are self-evident qualities, recognised by all who know her. And she thinks the world of Diane and Ian's children. And I realised, this last couple of weeks, that they think the world of her too. On the morning of the funeral, Elliot and Elle and Julia travelled in Elliot's car whilst my mother, Emi, cousin Ian and I travelled in one of the two funeral cars, Diane and Ian's family led in the other, directly behind the hearse bearing Ian's casket. The emotional moment of the arrival of the hearse at Ian and Diane's house that morning, prior to setting off for the church, is beyond my ability to describe. I'll never forget it. A conformation of everything I'd tried to deny. The little church was filled to capacity with Ian's friends. As part of the family, the church's front pews were reserved for us and Ian's flower covered coffin was displayed a couple of feet away from where we sat. Here was the hard reality of it all: my brother, the one person (other than my mother and late father), who had been a stable part of my life for so long, was now about to be laid to rest forever. Sitting there, looking at that polished, crafted, dreadful symbol of finality, I remembered so many things that we'd shared, both as children and as adults. The sadness engulfed me, drowned me, crushed me. The vicar, whose first name, I believe, was Rupert, (somehow appropriate as Ian and I grew up with Rupert The Bear stories), read a few Biblical passages. I could almost hear my brother, a passionately non-religious person, groaning, " Get ON with it!" Ian would have favoured an Irish style wake or a New Orleans style musical blast off with Bachanallian revels and joyous memories. He wasn't really one for morbid melancholia. That curse, it seems, has been left to me. Then Ian's sister-in-law Angie read a tribute to him, after which, as part of the service, some recent recordings of Ian playing saxophone with his friend John were played to the congregation. The music unlocked the floodgates.The grief was unbearable. Everyone wept openly. So poignant and sad. After the church service, the funeral procession slowly wound its way out of the village and headed towards Wakefield and the cemetary. We travelled in silence and tears. I kept getting glimpses of the hearse ahead of us as it turned this way and that through the blossom filled, tree-lined lanes that had been so familiar to Ian in life. In the car in front of us, Diane, Julian, Louis and Lucy followed Ian on his last ride. I can only begin to imagine how painful it must have been for them, losing a husband and a father so suddenly, and at such a relatively young age. The morning weather had started out reasonably spring-like but, when we arrived at the graveside, the sky had turned a uniform grey and a cold wind animated the priest's vestments as he stood at the head of the grave that had been dug to receive Ian's casket. Ian's family, my mother and myself were beckoned forward to stand at the edge.The coffin was lowered down to rest at the bottom.The grave was much deeper than I'd imagined but I could clearly read Ian's name and the date of his birth and passing on the polished brass plate that was fastened to the lid of his coffin. I really can't begin to describe the emotions and thoughts that flooded me at that moment. Here was my little brother, whose coming into the world had been part of my own life and whose exit from it will haunt me forever. Ian was born at home, at my parent's ground floor flat, number 28, Conistone Crescent on Eastmoor Estate on the 23rd April 1956. When mum went into labour, the midwife had suggested that my bed would be more comfortable or suitable for Ian's birth than my parent's one, so I was moved into my parents bedroom whilst mum occupied mine at the front of the house. (The move was softened by a pile of comic books that my father had bought for me.) As a result, Ian was actually born in my bed, in my bedroom. It was in this same room that we would spend so much time playing with our toys when we were kids. I remember Ian being a big fan of Gerry Anderson's 'Supercar', as was I. My dad bought the family an early domestic tape recorder, a two-tone grey plastic Phillips model with a 'magic-eye' device that flashed whilst recording to show the level of sound. Ian and I recorded little 'plays' on that machine, often re-creating 'Supercar' or 'Stingray' stories. I can still hear his high-pitched young voice saying " Stand by for action! Anything can happen in the next half-hour!" (A phrase from the opening sequence of 'Stingray.') I wish I still had that recording. Our bedroom was filled with model cars, aeroplanes, trains, toy spaceships, books and games. We shared that room for many years, our theatre of youth, filled with the symbolic contents of our nascent imagination. And now, here I was, gazing down at all that remained of that life, those far memories, reduced to just a name and two dates etched on a brass plaque. I could feel my mother shaking as she clung to my arm next to me. I was shaking too, an icy combination of the cold wind and the deep emotions we were suffering. It seemed unreal, surreal, film-like. Ironically, Wakefield Cemetary features briefly in one of my favourite films, 'This Sporting Life' and Wakefield Trinity football ground, which plays a big part in the film, is almost next door to the cemetary. Richard Harris played the central role in the film, a hard-living, down to earth character. I'm sure Ian would have appreciated this connection and felt it appropriate. I can remember long-ago visits to Wakefield cemetary when I was very young. Walking trips on Saturday mornings with my mother to place flowers on the grave of my great grandfather, John Henry Griffiths, (who died when I was three or four, I think). My great grandmother is buried somewhere in there too and also my father's brother Bill, mentioned previously in this diary entry. I've been unable to locate their graves in recent years and my mum can't recall exactly where they were buried. I think they had extremely small, modest headstones. Maybe just initials and a date. The area where I seem to remember my great grandfather's grave being located has several such small stones, now heavily worn away by the weather. Impossible to decipher. I'll try to locate them through the cemetary archives later this year...they must have official records of the graves, maybe a plan to help me locate them. I'd like to take flowers to my ancestors. They've been neglected for so long. My brother Ian's grave is in a newer part of the cemetary, across the quiet road called 'Sugar Lane,' that runs off from the main, busy, Agbrigg Road. Sugar Lane divides the newer cemetary from the older part. The older section is mostly filled with Victorian and Edwardian graves, some of them marked by grandiose monuments, obelisks and angels. The 'newer' part, opened in 1961, is simpler, without the gothic trappings. Ian rests at the end of a tree-lined walk on the right hand side of the path. After the burial, everyone went on to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where a reception had been organised in Ian's honour by his former colleagues, including park director Peter Murray, (one of my painting tutors from Wakefield Art School days), and Ian's sister-in-law Angie who has worked there for many years. Ian's children had prepared a slide show of photographs of their dad, taken at different points in his life, which moved everyone deeply and reduced me to tears again. Ian's eldest son Julian, after giving a moving and eloquent speech which impressed everyone there, proposed a toast to his dad. Ian would have been so proud of his children. I had the opportunity to speak with many of Ian's friends including members of 'Bolt From The Blue', the band that I'd enjoyed playing a few gigs with back in the late '80's (or very early '90's). Ian had been a member of the band, as had an old art school friend of mine from the '60's, drummer Martin Foye. (Martin sadly passed away in the 90's, another one gone too young.) 'Bolt From The Blue' had been very kind to me back then. At the time of those gigs I'd been struggling to survive. My problems with business management and the music industry were at their peak and I had virtually no income at all. My life was filled with stress and fear. It was suggested that, if I performed a handful of gigs with Bolt From The Blue in local pubs, I could make a little money to help me out of some of the financial mess I was in, or at least pay an outstanding bill or two. I hadn't played live for quite a while and was understandably nervous about performing, but I ended up having fun with the band. The first performance I gave with them was in Wakefield at a pub called 'The Post Haste.' I recall playing covers of Van Morrison's 'Dweller On The Threshold' and Muddy Water's 'Got My Mojo Working.' The local Wakefield Express newspaper kindly wrote a generous review about the show. We even travelled to Manchester, if I remember rightly, to do a gig in a pub there. It was an enforced return to my roots, a reminder of what it was all about. The generosity and care that Ian and the rest of the band showed me has never been forgotten, so it was good to meet up with some of the original members again at the Sculpture Park last week, despite the terrible circumstances. Amongst many other people attending the Sculpture Park reception were musicians who had been part of my 'Lost Satellites' band: Dave Standeven, Steven Cook and my long-time friend Jon Wallinger. They all have fond memories of Ian from the 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' 30 year anniversary tour that we undertook in 2004, and from the annual Nelsonica fan conventions. As they're much valued friends of mine, it was extremely supportive for me to see them there. Two more, very dear friends were also present to honour Ian: John Spence who had worked with Ian in various musical situations over the years and Paul Gilby who had worked alongside the Lost Satellites on the 2004 tour. It was so comforting to have all these familiar faces close by at such a difficult time and everyone recalled their experiences of Ian generously. Another warm and welcome gesture was the presence of several loyal fans and regular members of the 'Dreamsville' on-line community. Everyone was extremely kind and I was touched by their considerate and compassionate concern. At the end of the afternoon, people began to drift away. In a manner that Ian would have approved of, I was feeling somewhat woozy from the wine that had been served up by the Park's staff. I was hoping it would act as a kind of anaesthetic but it simply heightened the unreality of it all. Paul and Elliot provided transport to get Mum, her husband George, Julia, Emi and I back to our cars which had been left at Ian and Diane's house that morning. We then collected my grandson Luke from his grandmother's house, (my first wife Shirley). Once Luke was on board, Julia, Luke, Elle ,Elliot, Emi, Mum, George, my cousin Ian and my friend Paul Gilby, drove out to Heath Common, another old village on the edge of Wakefield. We all went to 'The Kings Arms' pub, a place that still has gaslight and stone-flagged floors. I used to go there as an art student in my teens and have also visited it several times with my brother in the past. After the day's stresses and strains it was theraputic to sit and eat and drink together in this old haunt with its history, both local and personal. My little grandson Luke, with his positive, wide-eyed wonder, inspired a smile for us amidst the sad recollections. I too, inadvertantly provided some humour by accidentally setting my hair on fire whilst standing beneath one of the pub's wall-mounted gas mantles. The first we knew of it was when we smelled something burning. Then the top of my head felt very hot. I managed to move away from the gas light just in time. I could almost hear my brother Ian laughing at my folly. That evening I sat up with cousin Ian, talking about this and that. He's a lovely guy, good company, intelligent and knowledgable, (as is my other cousin, Walter). The next morning, cousin Ian set off on the long drive back to Canterbury. We plan to get together again before too long...a summer break. I went back to the cemetary last Friday with my mother. It was a warm, sunny, spring day...a clear blue sky overhead, the trees leading to Ian's grave heavy with pink blossom. Such a contrast to the day of the funeral and so much new-life and fecundity evident in the immediate environment. By coincidence, Diane had also chosen to re-visit the spot at exactly the same time. As mum and I arrived, Diane was just helping her mother and father from her car. Diane's mum and dad are lovely people and it's plain that they both were very fond of my brother. I was conscious that we might be intruding on their privacy but my mother said not to worry and we joined them at Ian's grave. Emi's flowers were still in place though the more delicate ones had either become wilted or blown away with the winds and occassional rain of the previous day. The floral saxophone, magically, seemed reasonably intact. I fetched water to nourish the remaining flowers in the hope of keeping them going a short while longer. After a while, when Diane and her parents had left, Mum and I walked around the older side of the cemetary, looking at the old gravestones in the hope of maybe locating John Henry Griffiths, (mentioned above), my great grandfather on my mother's side of the family. He was, in the 1920's and early '30's, a lamplighter, going around the Wakefield streets at twilight, lighting the gas lamps, then going around again at dawn, putting them out and knocking on people's windows with his lamplighter's pole to wake them up to go to work in the local textile mills. My mother tells me that she sometimes accompanied him in the evenings when she was a young child. She has told me of walking the rainy cobbled streets with him and watching the gas mantles burst into light as he switched them on, one by one. A poetic and beautiful image. However, his resting place still eludes us. After dropping mum off at her home, I bought a copy of 'The Wakefield Express' as I'd been told that there was an article in it about Ian's passing. Ironically, in another part of the newspaper, (as I was later informed), there was a photograph of myself, printed as part of an article about a local radio station that was apparently planning to broadcast my instrumental recording 'Radiant Spires.' How I wish that the only announcement in the paper could have been about Ian and myself performing somewhere together, as we'd done at the Wakefield Arts Festival at the end of the '90's, instead of the sad news that Friday's Express carried. That we won't be able to share a stage again in that way is an extra blow for me, something that will hurt every time I perform solo from now on. Since the funeral, there's been an attempt by us all at some kind of adjustment, an attempt to come to terms with things. Not at all easy. Impossible right now. I travelled to London on Saturday to attend the London Guitar Show at Wembley Exhibition Centre where I'd promised to appear on the Campbell American Guitar stand. Readers of this diary will know that Dean Campbell and his team are developing a signature model guitar for me. I picked up the prototype of the signature model and brought it back home, along with an intense blue 'Precix' model that has a vibrato arm fitted. It was actually the first time I'd met Dean 'in the flesh', (despite many emails and 'phone conversations), and I was made to feel very welcome by him. He's a warm, genuine, lovely guy and couldn't have been kinder to me. His care helped ease what was going on behind my smile and he, plus his colleague Dan, plus Music Ground's Rick Harrison, (who travelled down on the train and back with Emi and I), helped me through what might otherwise have been a difficult day. And so here I am, one week after the funeral, still in a dark cloud despite all attempts at moving on. Too soon, of course, but I have to try to pick up my workload again. The song 'Steam Radio Blues' that I was working on just over two weeks ago needs to be finished. It's just a matter of the mix really. But then I have to write and record more songs for the 'jazzy' album. I realise that it will be impossible not to write something about this recent tragedy and sadness. In fact it may be a way forward for me, an attempt to exorcise some of the pain. I also hope to make a special tribute album for Ian later in the year, something that might directly benefit Ian's family. I have some ideas regarding this that I need to work on, but will announce more about it when things begin to fall into place. Meanwhile, the sun shines outside my window, the swallows have arrived from Africa and swoop around the rooftops of the house. A cuckoo can be heard in the distant yellow meadow and fat bumble bees buzz amongst the flowers by our front door, oblivious to human suffering. Next month, Emi and I will fly to Tokyo for two weeks to visit Emi's mum and two brothers. And the work of making music will continue. Life goes on, though much more tenderly and tearfully than before. Finally, I'd like to thank all those good people, family, friends and fans, whose words and deeds have brought a measure of comfort and kindness to what has been an extremely difficult time. Everyone's life is a work of art and everyone's life is precious. Heartfelt love to all. ****** The photographs accompanying this diary entry show: 1. Emiko working on Ian's flowers. 2. The floral Saxophone. 3. Ian (in foreground), and Bill behind. Photo taken at Reighton Gap on the East Coast Of Yorkshire during a 1950's holiday. Top of page Thursday 25th May 2006 -- 8:20 pm It's now just over a month since my brother Ian passed away. I'd like to think that I've begun to accept the situation and am coping reasonably well...but the truth is a little different. There's an underlying depression at work here, dark and muted but insistent, insidious. So, how does one deal with bereavment of this kind? What's the precise formula? I presume that there isn't one. It just takes time. Maybe several years and, even then...I'm still in shock. Was else can I say? I'm doing my best? I've immersed myself in work this last week or so. Concentrating on the 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' album. The hard work doesn't remove the sadness but at least temporarily distracts me from it. It has to be said that some of the more melancholy pieces on the album, even though they were written before the events of 23rd of April, seem remarkably apt with hindsight.There are several poignant, prescient moments. This album has been an unexpected struggle...perhaps even more so than 'The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill.' Maybe it doesn't have Sailor Bill's sense of absolute completeness, or maybe I personally don't have a sense of completeness right now. The whole album seems to comprise one big fragmented statement and could be judged tenderly flawed, 'though for special reasons. It's subtle imperfections may be interpreted by some listeners as seductive come-ons. ( Well...I DO hope it slides the pants off you.) So, yes...It's another personal, unique thing, sentimental, but with a dash more irony than Sailor Bill. It has a bizarre mix of inspirations / influences, containing elements of jazz, big band swing, jive, lounge, electronica, easy listening and Vegas show music, shot through with what, I guess, an objective ear might describe as archetypal Bill Nelson ' whimsicality.' It's somewhere to the left of post-modern...not easy to describe in precise terms at all. The truth is, I don't really know what to make of it. But it's finished, as of this last, exhausting hour. I've decided upon the final song selection and running order and now have to arrange time at Fairview to master the damn thing. It's gone through several mutations. It started life as a throwaway side-project, a light-hearted six song ep or mini-album, everything recorded quickly, something that I hoped might be reasonably painless to put together. But, despite those modest intentions, over the last few months it has taken on a peculiar life of its own and I've had no choice but to follow wherever it led. The project grew from six tracks to ten.Then to 12 and now, this week, to 15. (Although I've recorded 18 songs for it in total.) Listening back to the 15 track version last night, I decided it was too long and have spent all of today re-working the running order to get it back to a more easily digested 12 track album. I think this latest 12 song version works better. The six songs left over from my final selection will be moved to the list of possibilities for this year's fothcoming Nelsonica fan convention cd. In that respect, the project has gone down almost the same path as Sailor Bill. Last year's Nelsonica cd, 'Orpheus In Ultraland', provided a home for tracks that didn't make it onto the Sailor Bill project. Ironically, people snapped that one up faster than the Sailor Bill album. Anyway... The final selection, as of this moment in time, looks like this:- BILL NELSON: 'RETURN TO JAZZ OF LIGHTS.' 1. 'Return To Jazz Of Lights.' 2. 'Fearless Beauty. (Kisses and Cream.)' 3. 'Mysterious Chemicals Of Love.' 4. 'It's A Big World And I'm In It. (The Great Rememberer.)' 5. 'October Sky.' 6. 'For You And I.' 7. 'Velocity Dansette.' 8. 'Now Is Not And Never Was.' 9. 'Windswept.' 10. 'Always You.' 11. 'Steam Radio Blues.' 12. 'All These Days Are Gone. (For Ian.) ' As I noted above, the six songs that didn't make it to the album will be held over for this year's Nelsonica limited edition album. Their titles are:- 'Premium Standard Number One.' 'Distant Towns With Different Lights.' 'Memory Skyline.' 'The Girl In The Galaxy Dress.' 'Take It Off And Thrill Me.' 'The Song My Silver Planet Sings.' There will be a few more tracks to add to the convention album, including the song that proved very popular on last year's concert tour, 'Snow Is Falling.' (But how that will fit with the above 'jazzy' stylings is another mystery.) So...for the moment, that is ALL the music I have to offer, other than the completed though not yet mastered 'Neptune's Galaxy' album. As usual, there are other concepts percolating in the coffee shop of dreams but I'm feeling genuinely tired right now and need a break. Perhaps the trip to Tokyo in June will give me a breather of some kind, 'though it won't be particularly relaxing. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to the journey at all...I don't enjoy flying, especially long haul flights to Japan that involve several hour's stop-over, awaiting connections at some Europen airport or other, (in this case, Amsterdam). But cheap tickets require one to endure such tedium. I'll take my camcorder, still camera and small sketchbook/watercolour set with me. Perhaps there may be a moment's grace during our Tokyo stay when I can capture the tranquility of a Zen temple garden amidst the city's hustle and bustle. I fear there will hardly be time to relax though, as Emi needs to hook up with long-missed family and friends. It will be a very busy schedule, once we arrive. I bought a book dealing with aspects of the history of Wakefield, yesterday. Wakefield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, is my birthplace. In the book, there is a section dealing with the history of Wakefield's 'yards.' Amazingly, there is mention of Marriot's Yard, around which Marriot's Buildings were located. (I've searched for years to find reference to this personally important location.) Marriot's Buildings was where my grandmother lived and where I was born. (Now long since demolished.) The book quotes from an ancient report written by a medical official in the 1800's. He comments on the unsanitary conditions of the housing there and briefly describes the setting. When I was born there, in 1948, Marriot's Buildings and its yard had not changed at all from those dark Victorian times. There was still no hot water, no electricity and only a communal outside privy with newspaper for toilet paper. An old tin bath for the once-a-week bathnight and a stone floor that would later, briefly, receive the 'luxury' of linoleum. Unbelievable. Nevertheless, I remember the place with clarity and great fondness. As I've often mentioned in these diary pages, my autobiography contains elaborate descriptions of that dwelling, exactly as it was when I was a very young infant, not yet able to walk but definitely able to retain strong visual impressions of my surroundings, albeit from ground level. How I wish I could trace some photographs of the building as it was around the time of my birth. Or at ANY time before its demise. My old pal John Spence called me last night. We spoke for quite a while, talking about my brother, (and life and its struggles in general). John has come to play an important part in my life over the years, not just because of his talents in the realm of studio engineering, but because of his understanding of me as a human being. I value his friendship tremendously and feel priveleged to know him. I'm still receiving kind messages of sympathy from various people. So many that it is proving difficult to answer every single one of them, although I'm still attempting to. I've certainly felt the spiritual embrace of many good hearted people these last few weeks. A lot of love has come my way and I'm very grateful. I've been reading some Buddhist texts before sleeping. In the mornings I've watched the clouds passing overhead, glimpsed through the bathroom skylight as I lay in the bath. I've also watched the recent torrential rain hitting the vast pool of water in our garden, making rippling circles of light on the driveway. Our garden and drive doesn't drain and becomes a virtual lake when the weather turns wet. One of dozens of flaws that this place has. It needs lots of money spending on it at the moment, but things are tight and it will have to wait. I live in a perpetual state of 'make-do', and that includes the recording of my music. It's a never ending compromise. But, isn't everything? I've been playing the first prototype of my Campbell American 'Transitone' signature guitar and have refined my initial ideas for the instrument's development which I'll be passing on to the campbell company soon. It is, unsurprisingly, a very unique instrument and will become even more so as its development continues. Meeting Dean Campbell himself at the London Guitar Show a week or two ago was a real pleasure. I actually saw Bert Weedon there too, 'though just from the back as he walked the show's corridors with, (I presume), his wife. He looked very frail. His 'Play In A Day' book was purchased for me by my father when I got my first guitar. I did absorb the info in the tutor book about which way up to hold the instrument and how to attach the strap but, beyond that was a mystery to me and remains so to this day. I have fond memories of Bert on 'Five-O'Clock Club' on television in the late '50's, early '60's. He used to have very thick, crinkly, shiny hair in those days. It's very white, faint and wispy now. Top of page Jan Apr Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Acquitted By Mirrors - Issue Four - Published December 1982 Back to Top

Live Archive Bill's Meet & Greet Gathering - 1983 In, the heady days of the 'Acquitted By Mirrors' fan club magazines, issue number 3 contained an interesting little note mentioning that they were intending to run a prize draw. The twelve lucky winners would get the opportunity to meet Bill, ask questions, have a chat and take photographs. The lucky winners were announced in the following edition of 'Acquitted By Mirrors' and they were contacted with the arrangements for the gathering... A few tweaks to the original 'studio' meeting plan, but the event was finally arranged for May 15th 1983. This is the account of the event by one of the lucky winners, Stephen Netherton - A big thank you to him for his recollections and these photographs... The Day Out to Meet Bill Nelson: 15 May 1983 Article and photographs courtesy of Stephen Netherton (written in April 2021) There appeared in an issue of Acquitted by Mirrors an article that invited subscribers to enter a draw to meet Bill. There had been grander plans to meet him in the studio, but they didn't transpire. The eventual meeting was to be at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London. Fine with me all I wanted to do was meet him. The nearest I had been to this was nine years earlier when I saw Be Bop Deluxe as support to Cockney Rebel at Tiffanys in Hull in 1974. I was standing with my friend Mark, (both of us not old enough to be in the nightclub), right at the front of the audience and straight in front of Rob Bryan who was only five feet away at the most. Bill was over to the right if I remember correctly. How was I going to improve my chances of being picked out to meet Bill? At work one of the ladies in the office used card of various colours to aid her filing system. I 'borrowed' a sheet of amber coloured card and cut a piece off to match a postcard. I duly entered my details on the card, posted it and waited hoping that all the other people hadn't had a similar idea and sent luminous pink cards! I hoped an amber card amongst a pile of white ones would ensure it was picked. It was. Success! I received a letter to say I was one of the lucky ones. When the day arrived, I drove to pick up my then Girlfriend, Carol (now Wife) to go to Hull Paragon Station to catch the train to London Kings Cross. My lasting memory of this part of the day was the look on her Fathers face as he stared out of the window as she got in the car. It was a look that said, "Where on earth are you taking my daughter at this time on a Sunday morning?" It was not a happy face. As teenagers do, (she was 19 at the time), she had just told him, "I'm going out." I convinced her that she should ring him and let him know where we were going and what time we would be back. In those pre-mobile phone days, she went to the public phones in the station and rang to let him know. He was happy now, Carol told me. The one think I can remember about the journey to London was that the train was diverted off the East Coast Main Line and we travelled through Ely. On arrival at Kings Cross we took the short walk to the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel via McDonalds. We arrived with lots of time to spare and were eventually directed towards a room to wait for Bill. I got the impression that the event was being organised by the guy in the grey sweatshirt with the blue print. Does anyone know who he is? I cannot remember his name. Bill arrived with Jan and after introductions a Q&A session started. I remember one of my questions; it was, ‘Are the Revox Cadets, V.U. Disney and Bill Nelson one and the same. Tony Goes to Tokyo and Rides the Bullet Train is in my top five Bill tracks ever. I knew they probably were, but you never know. Bill confirmed my belief. I did ask a couple of other questions about Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam and The Love That Whirls but I cannot remember them. It is nearly thirty-eight years ago! After the Q&A session the attendees were invited one by one to go to the head table and have a chat with Bill. I talked about first seeing Be Bop Deluxe, subsequent gigs and favourite tracks. Each person received a signed photo; I still have mine. Bill’s music was playing quietly in the background. My photos show some of the other attendees. Do any readers of this article recognise any faces? Might there be a current forum member pictured? I cannot remember any of the people; to be honest I don't think I talked to anyone apart from Bill. It wasn't like the recent meetings at The Clothworkers, there's lots of chatting at these events! I seem to think the gathering lasted for around two hours. I'm not sure, but I know Carol and I had a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing if anyone recognises the faces! If you attended the event and would like to share your memories, or have any photos, please get in touch!

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) November 2010 Jan May Jun Sep Dec Friday 12th November 2010 -- 9: 00 pm Begun 9th November 2010 Should I attempt this diary entry when I'm so desperately behind with my preparations for this year's Nelsonica? Can I manage to keep it brief and to the point? The answer, judging from past experience, is a resounding "no"...to both questions, but as usual, I'll throw caution to the wind and try to fill in the now statutory cavernous gap since the previous diary entry. So, here goes... I'll own up and confess that I've spent far too much time attempting to write and record several new backing tracks for my Nelsonica 10 solo set. This year's Nelsonica is now looming dangerously at the end of the month and I really shouldn't have been chasing the muse around her musical bedroom in search of new thrills. There are so many more down to earth tasks to deal with...but, she's been her usual seductive self and I've succumbed to her charms, as a gentleman always must. Actually, I've recorded enough new backing tracks to fill an entire album. But, having said that... how many of them have I actually chosen to use at Nelsonica? Well, humble apologies to both the muse and Nelsonica attendees, but the answer is just one. Yes, ONE. All is not lost though, apart from many days of intense work recording the damned things. The unused pieces have been set aside and will eventually receive overdubbed guitar parts and emerge next year as a studio instrumental album, or at least something along those lines. (Provided the muse doesn't unlock the bedroom door and waggle her finger at me again.) I've also created several new Orchestra Futura backing tracks, five of which WILL, hopefully, feature in the relevant section of the Nelsonica live performance. Theo and Dave and I have yet to test them out at the rehearsal sessions scheduled for the week immediately prior to Nelsonica. It may well be that some of them will not prove suitable, in a practical sense, but, who knows? Certainly not me at this stage. Anyway, we'll see how we get on with them at rehearsals. Improvisation is the basic nature of Orchestra Futura so, even though these new backing tracks have a formal structure, what Theo, Dave and myself play within that structure in a live situation is entirely subject to the moment. I've also spent considerable time transcribing lyrics for the various pieces to be attempted by the 'Gentlemen Rocketeers' band. I used to have most of these lyrics, (and the musical arrangement charts), archived on my old computer but the files wouldn't transfer across to my current iMac due to an 11 year operating system difference, (and partly because the new Macs now use Intel processors). The charts came out scrambled and wrongly formatted. So, in the end it seemed that the solution was to start again from scratch, and transcribe the songs line by line from the old recordings. Tiresome and time consuming but unavoidable under the circumstances. I suppose one problem is that I almost never listen to those old songs for personal pleasure and rarely give concert performances of them. Every time I'm in a position to perform the songs live, it's a little like approaching them as a complete stranger. People say, "oh, it must be just like riding a bike...as soon as you begin to play, it will all come back to you..." Well, truth is, it's not really like riding a bike at all. If it IS, it's a bike I seem to keep falling off. Actually, for me it's much more akin to climbing a very steep mountain, against a headwind, with my feet coated in rapidly drying cement. However incomprehensible that might seem to some, it's no surprise to me whatsoever...I've travelled so far from the music I made when I was in my twenties that songs from that era feel increasingly alien. Well, perhaps alien is not quite the right word. But, if I hadn't moved on, then what would be the point of continuing, other than to exist as a human jukebox? Creativity requires a certain degree of bridge burning. (And several boxes of matches constantly to hand.) Perhaps it's just the sheer amount of music that I've recorded since the 1970's that makes Be Bop Deluxe seem so many light years distant from whatever musical planet I currently broadcast from. Whatever the reason, it doesn't feel as natural for me to play those old songs as it did 35 years ago. Returning to them requires a considerable shift of focus, not just with regard to the practical aspects, but also because of the philosophical/aesthetic insights that maturity inevitably brings to the table. I guess I'm in a different head space, Or, to paraphrase the old saying: 'lots of water has flowed under lots of bridges,' (and the latter all burning furiously). No doubt when Nelsonica rehearsals are completed and the convention live performances are safely in the bag, (despite the nerves and crises of confidence that inevitably accompany these rare outings), I'll probably be hankering after performing live again. Perhaps I'll feel like that for a day or so too, once my guitars have been safely placed back in their cases. Then the old doubts and reservations will slowly return and I'll change my mind, retreat to my little 'garret' and get on with what I enjoy most, ie: working steadily and quietly in the studio, continuing to make the recordings that have defined my musical life these last few decades. Small marks, carved daily and diligently onto the hard-drive of dreams. That, I suppose, is my real passion. So, putting this existential stuff to one side for a moment, what else have I achieved, abandoned or fumbled since my last dusty diary entry? Well, wonderfully, I got to watch my first ever guitar hero, Duane Eddy, perform two live concerts here in the UK. The first at The Royal Festival Hall in London, the other in York at The Opera House. A year ago, I would not have thought such a thing possible. However...these two concerts were not my first experience of hearing Duane in a live situation. I'd actually seen him perform in concert once before, at 'The Savoy' supper club, in Wakefield, way back in my rose-tinted, sealed-in-amber days of youth...in the 1960's. Back then it seemed unbelievable that Duane Eddy would travel all the way from mythical, magical, movin' n' groovin' technicolour America to give a concert in, of all places, the drab, grey, northern town of my birth...let's face it, Wakefield wasn't the most sparkling location for a legendary American golden age of rock n' roll guitarist to appear. Of course, I seized the opportunity and bought tickets for the show, and with my then girlfriend Lynne Holliday in tow, went to 'The Savoy' supper club to witness Duane's performance. It was a special night out for both of us at the time, especially meaningful for me as I was a little older than Lynne and had such a strong connection with Duane's playing. Lynne and I had been part of the local mod scene before becoming early adopters of the blossoming hippie/psychedelic movement. English interpretations of American blues via John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Chicken Shack, Fleetwood Mac, etc were already well established and I had built up a collection of imported American West coast underground albums by bands such as Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, Love, The Mothers Of Invention, Jefferson Airplane, and many others. Home grown bands such as The Nice, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, etc, had already taken the American psychedelic blueprint and developed it along very English lines. It was a time of creative cross-fertilisation and cultural eclecticism. As I've often noted in these reminiscences, it seemed, back then, that there were no insurmountable boundary fences. Once distant and exotic horizons were now within reach. Lynne and I enthusiastically tuned into this idealistic 'everything is possible' ethic, ('though perhaps I fell for it the most). We were both fashion-conscious, optimistic and curious. Hip teens with a seemingly infinite future ahead of us. I recall boarding a Wakefield corporation bus to travel from my parent's house at 37, Woodhouse Road, Eastmoor Estate to Lynne's parent's house at 37, Chantry Road, Lupset Estate, (curious coincidence of house numbers,) whilst wearing full flower-child regalia, complete with beads and bells. This, as I've probably said before, required a certain amount of nerve. Looking back from this relatively remote 21st century vantage point, it seems that I must have had some sort of self-belief, or 'bottle,' though I wasn't quite aware of it in those terms at that time. It just felt right. So...were they happy days? Yes...of course. If only because I was lucky enough to not get beaten up for dressing like a freak. Imagine doing that today in the environs of a contemporary council house estate, patrolled by gangs of mono-syllabic hoodies. Looking back, Duane's rare UK performance at the Wakefield Savoy Supper Club in the 1960s was just as inspirational to me then as my very first exposure to his music when I was 10 years old. And when Lynne and I returned to her parent's house on Lupset Estate after the concert, Duane's guitar still ringing in my ears, we furtively made out on the rug in front of the open fire until her mother's footsteps were heard coming down the stairs: "What on earth are you two doing?" She said, as she opened the living room door and caught us trying to look nonchalant and unflustered on the hearth-rug... (Nervous shufflings and a secretive attempt at re-arranging teenage nether-garments.) "Oh...er...just talking about Duane Eddy and watching the embers die down," I said... Back now to 2010 and whatever coherent, current report I can muster... Well, Duane's concert at The Royal Festival Hall proved rather emotional for me. I generally tend to ignore, dismiss or pour scorn upon my own fans' demands to reproduce my older music in concert. Especially if such demands are fuelled more by a desire to recapture lost youth, rather than to pursue anything of any real musical value. But, hypocrite that I am, there I was, front and centre stalls in the Royal Festival Hall, tears joyously welling up as Duane proceeded to remind me of exactly why I was inspired to take up the guitar in the first place, 50 years ago. It was a wonderful evening and Richard Hawley's band, who backed Duane, did a marvellous, respectful job of interpreting Duane's legendary back catalogue. And, one more pleasant surprise: Duane's guitar tech turned out to be Gordon White, the ace guitar repairer/set up guy who fettles my own instruments so superbly for me. Good man! It turned out that Duane was highly impressed with Gordon's professionalism. After the show, Emiko and I went back stage. I'm not really one for hanging out with bands after their gigs. I'm always rather shy, and from my own experience, aware of the performer's situation and the need for them to have time and space to recover...but the personal invitation to attend the concert was very special and I wanted to thank Duane for his kindness. It was good to meet a couple of guys in the band as well as chat with Professor Arthur Moir who runs the Duane Eddy Circle. (Of which I'm a proud honorary member!) Duane and his wife Deed were pleased to see us and we chatted about their experiences in England so far and the warm reception they'd been given by the Festival Hall audience. Emi and I eventually walked through the rain back to our hotel on the Southbank having enjoyed a memorable evening. A couple of weeks after the Festival Hall concert, Duane performed at the Opera House in York and I was generously invited to attend this show too. The night before the York show, I received an email from Duane's manager informing me that Duane would like me to get up on stage at The Opera House and play one of his numbers with him. I was totally blown away. When I was a skinny ten year old listening to 'Because They're Young' and miming along to the record with a home-made cardboard cut-out guitar, I could hardly have imagined that such an invitation would ever be extended to me. In fact, it's pretty unbelievable even today. But, dream-fulfilling as this opportunity was, there was one serious obstacle. The date of Duane's York concert coincided with the formal dedication of a bench to the memory of my late brother Ian, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, (as mentioned in my previous diary entry). My mother, Ian's family, Emiko and myself were attending the dedication and a reception afterwards. Unfortunately, it would have been impossible for me to get from the Sculpture Park to York in time to rehearse something with Duane at the soundcheck before the concert. I had to apologise and explain my dilemma. Duane completely understood and it was suggested that we might be able to do something along similar lines next year, when Duane is hoping to return to the UK. The dedication of Ian's bench at the Sculpture Park was an emotional, melancholy but warm affair. Emi and I collected my mum from her home in Wakefield and then drove out to West Bretton, on the southern edge of the city, where the Sculpture Park is located. Ian worked there for quite a few years, starting out as an assistant in the park's shop when he was quite young, but eventually moving up the ladder to become a respected member of the administrative staff. He was due to be made one of the park's directors until he suffered a stroke in his early 40s. Unfortunately, his illness and other unforseen problems conspired against such a thing happening. I remember when the Sculpture Park first opened. As I've written in this diary before, it was the brainchild of Peter Murray, one of my fine art tutors when I was a student at Wakefield School Of Art during the mid 1960s. Peter conceived of the idea of a Yorkshire sculpture park in the late '70s and was instrumental in getting the project off the ground. I recall bumping into him in Boots The Chemist store in Leeds around that time. I hadn't seen him since leaving art school and was very pleased to meet him again. He told me of the sculpture park project and invited me to the opening. I seem to recall that I drove there in the pale metallic blue Rolls Royce Silver Shadow I owned in those days...Somewhat showy by current standards but this was what post-war working class kids such as myself grew up to regard as 'aspirational.' Not at all the sort of thing I aspire to now, of course. Anyway, Peter had read an article about my work in a Sunday Times colour supplement and seemed pleased that his former student had achieved some sort of wider recognition. And I, naturally, was pleased that he was pleased. I've always been fond of Peter and still very much value his professional input during my art school years. Those were extremely influential and inspirational times for me and I continue to benefit from the creativity and experience that my art school years blessed me with. Much of what I absorbed back then, at the now demolished School Of Arts And Crafts building in Wakefield's Bell Street, informs my approach to music to this day. My brother Ian's family, plus his close friends and colleagues, were present at the dedication of the wooden bench which bears his name. The bench is situated in an area known as, (I think), 'The Bothy Garden.' It is at the apex of a semi-circular lawn, just outside the door of what used to be the park's cafe, back in the days when Ian worked there. The location is just lovely. Anyone sitting on the bench will be rewarded with beautiful, stunning views across the rolling country landscape that comprises the Sculpture Park. It would be hard to find a more appropriate spot to locate this memorial to my dearly missed brother. Peter Murray gave a heartfelt tribute to Ian before declaring the bench 'open' and my mum became the first person to 'officially' sit on it. How fragile and alone she looked. She's suffered so much these last few years. But she was so pleased to see the bench with Ian's name carved on it. We had both talked about having something which bore testimony to Ian's musical gifts, and the bench's inscription does exactly this. I'm very grateful to Peter Murray and Ian's sister-in-law Angie for helping to facilitate such a memorial. An informal reception followed the dedication with drinks and sandwiches. Even the weather blessed the day with an absolutely breathtaking display of autumnal colour and an arch of beautiful blue, blue, sky. Ian, I know, would have been touched, pleased and proud. I hope that, somehow, the love that he generated in those who knew him caused ripples in the ether that day, and spread beyond our little gathering in the Bothy Garden to wherever his spirit resides. Ian is deeply missed. Half of me vanished with him when he left us and life will never be the same. After the reception, Emiko and I drove back to York, arriving just in time to grab a meal at a nearby Italian restaurant before Duane came on to play his set at The Opera House. He seemed relaxed, enjoying himself despite recovering from an unpleasant cold virus that had struck a week or so previously. During the show, Duane graciously dedicated 'Because They're Young' to me. This was an unexpected thrill and one I'll never forget, even though very few of the audience, (who were mainly of the '50s rock n' roll generation), seemed to have heard of me or my music. Amusing, if somewhat embarrassing, to discover that it's not always the younger generation who are out of one's loop...it's sometimes the older ones too... After the show, I was reluctant to trouble Duane as he was engaged with a very long line of fans awaiting his autograph. (Prompting thoughts of the 3 hour autograph sessions I undertake every year at Nelsonica.) I attempted to signal a farewell to his wife Deed but, she, being the thoughtful and caring person that I've recently been privileged to know, insisted that I should not feel bad about interrupting the long line of admirers to speak to Duane. She took me by the hand and tapped him on the shoulder. Seeing me, he immediately stood up and made me feel warmly welcome. A lovely man, as noted in my previous diary entry, and a hero forever. Well, what else? More worries about Django the cat who, though much better than he was a few weeks ago, has, it seems, suffered permanent damage to his eyes. Toxoplasmosis may be the cause, or possibly an injury to his head. The end result is that his eyes don't adjust to bright light in the way that they should. In fact, they don't adjust at all...he's on permanent night vision. In bright daylight he has to squint to reduce the impact of light on his retina. Poor Django...He's suffered a lot in the last 12 months, what with the severe injury to his tail and all. Such a sweet natured creature too. He doesn't deserve any of this. I guess I'm pretty soft when it comes to animals. I can't help but put myself in their place and feel their pain. And, in practical terms, put my hand in my wallet to pay the vet's bills. Ouch! The big bugaboo, for me now, of course, is Nelsonica. Rehearsals begin in just over one week...and they lead straight into the two day convention itself. This year's ambitious, extended anniversary event has brought extra demands. The three live performance sets are daunting, especially considering, (as noted previously), how rare my live concerts are these days. Learning everything, prior to rehearsals, is the big worry at this moment in time. There are 33 individual compositions spread across the three live sets...That's a LOT of music to try and remember. Working out the chords, riffs, melodies etc, will take time...more than there is available, to be honest. I'm also currently attempting to create some artwork for the annual Nelsonica auction, but have fallen way behind. Yes, there will be some items for people to bid on...but probably far less than usual. The star piece at the moment though, is a four panel, framed set of drawings titled 'Four Fantasy Guitars.' Wouldn't mind holding onto this piece myself...but into the auction it must go. Domestic issues have come into the time scale too. Lots of household tasks to deal with but Emiko has been ill, which has pre-occupied me in various ways. She picked up a nasty flu-like virus and had to stay in bed for a few days. She's not completely recovered and, in fact, seems to have suffered a relapse, (or maybe caught another bug). She isn't feeling at all well at the moment. I'm deeply concerned about trying not to catch the virus from her. If I fell ill now, it would have disastrous consequences on Nelsonica rehearsals and the convention itself. I've been taking the usual vitamins, immune system boosters and so on, in the hope of keeping illness at bay. A few other things now, and I'll try to be as brief as possible: Had a call from John Leckie this evening. He's coming up to Yorkshire to attend Nelsonica again this year and we will do another on-stage interview/Q+A session together. My old friend Nick Dew, (who will be occupying the drum chair in 'The Gentleman Rocketeers' band at Nelsonica), has also kindly agreed to submit to an interrogation about his experiences as Be Bop Deluxe's first drummer in the very earliest days of the band. My regular guitar tech, Pete Harwood, is unfortunately unavailable to take care of me at this year's Nelsonica, (He's out on tour with Marillion), so Fairview Studio's Andy Newlove has bravely stepped into the breach. Pete and Andy came to the house a couple of weekends back so that Pete could give Andy an idea of how my complex live set-up fits together. In fact, we spent an entire afternoon trying to figure it all out! It will be the first time that anyone other than Pete has taken care of this important job, at least for several years now. Andy seems confident enough but it will be a 'baptism by fire' situation for him. Unfortunately for Andy, I'm not the sort of guitarist who simply plugs an overdrive pedal into a valve amplifier and clings to a single guitar all evening. I'm more of the mad-scientist type, with an entire laboratory of flashing lights, buttons and black boxes...everything rigged up in 'glorious technicolour and stereophonic sound,' as the old movie musical song would have it. (And there will definitely be more than one or two guitars for Andy to keep tuned up!) As mentioned in my previous diary entry, I was invited to write a review of two re-issued King Crimson albums for 'Classic Rock' magazine and the piece has now been published. It was fairly daunting task as the music is complex and not easy to critique in a few words. Although my review ended up containing far more words than the magazine had requested they were generous enough to print it in its entirety. I enjoyed writing it and was proud to see it in print. I wonder if Robert, (Fripp), saw it and what he made of it? Whilst on the subject of writing: Volume one of my autobiography, 'Painted From Memory,' is finally at the printers and will definitely be available at Nelsonica. It ended up costing me rather more to manufacture than originally anticipated but, hopefully, the extra expense will be worth it as the quality of the family archive photographs the book contains has been improved. My good friend and Nelsonica staff photographer Martin Bostock has been a terrific help in interfacing with the printers and I'm extremely grateful to him for all his help in getting this project from the manuscript and into book form. Also, for this year's special 10th anniversary Nelsonica, attendees will be given a free gift from myself, a copy of a DVD titled 'Picture House.' It contains several home-produced video 'sketches,' plus an emotive 8mm cine souvenir of the period when Be Bop Deluxe recorded the 'Drastic Plastic' album in the South Of France, in the latter part of the 1970s. This was shot by myself during the band's stay in Juan Les Pins, near Antibes. There are other videos included in the package, some of which are intended to compliment the publication of volume one of my autobiography. 'North-East' and 'Memory Codex' are two that fall into this category. These pieces are preliminary sketches for something I hope to refine and define more fully in the future, but, for now, they offer the viewer a raw glimpse of work in progress. As with the autobiography, this specially produced, limited-edition item has, for various reasons, exceeded its original production/manufacturing budget. However, it will now no longer only be exclusively available to Nelsonica attendees. 'Picture House' is scheduled to be offered for sale via the Dreamsville website's regular store so that non-Nelsonica attendees may purchase it, (at least for as long as limited stocks last). The DVD features a splendid package design by Dave Graham and myself, which I'm very pleased with. This year's special Nelsonica album, 'Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus,' (whose title evokes the 1960's psychedelia mentioned earlier in this diary entry), PLUS the next 'main' album release, ('Fables And Dreamsongs'), are also ready for Nelsonica. And will be put on general release sometime during the week following the convention. So...provided I can find enough time to work on a couple more original drawings for the auction...and also get to grips with the complexities of the 33 pieces of music I hope to perform live, Nelsonica 10 should, more or less, be roughly on course. I still need to find time for a haircut though...and to choose and iron some stage outfits! And get some guitar repairs and set-ups sorted with Gordon. A quick observation whilst on the subject of guitars: In my last diary entry I mentioned that I'd borrowed a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx guitar processor from my friend Clive English. Whilst I had my reservations about the unit, I'm currently of the opinion that, although it IS exorbitantly expensive, it is much more satisfying to use than the Line 6 Pod HD500 unit I purchased a couple of weeks ago. So far, I've been somewhat underwhelmed with the latter, 'though I'm hoping that, when time allows, I might be able to program the unit to produce sounds that are closer to my own tastes. At the moment though, it seems to favour cliched rock guitar tones, and fairly brittle sounding ones at that. Of course, if I'm to be fair, the Fractal Axe-Fx, is, (compared to the HD500), substantially more expensive...(and I do mean substantially). Maybe it's that old thing of 'you get what you pay for.' But I'm still open to persuasion...after all, I've been using Line 6 products for many years and I want the brand to succeed. For the time being though, and certainly for Nelsonica's live sets, I'll be continuing to use my faithful Pod 2, Digitech Valve FX and Zoom 9050S units. Better the devil you know, etc... Ok, that's four thousand six hundred and sixty three words that I didn't originally intend to write. Enough for now, at least until after the convention is done, don't you think? ------------------------------------------------------- The images accompanying this diary entry are as follows:- 1: A mobile-phone camera snap of Ian Nelson's bench at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. 2: Bill's mum sitting on the bench dedicated to Ian. 3: Emiko and Bill sitting on Ian's memorial bench. 4: Some of the drawings by Bill that will be auctioned at Nelsonica 10. 5: Another view of the Nelsonica 10 auction drawings. 6: A closer view of the Nelsonica 10 drawings. Top of page Sunday 21st November 2010 -- 9:00 pm Just returned from the first day of rehearsals for the live concerts of this year's Nelsonica convention. Decided to write a very short diary entry to inform fans of progress. I may write one or two more throughout the coming week...a sort of rolling report on progress prior to the event itself. Today's rehearsal was dedicated entirely to my solo set, so there were no other musicans involved...a relatively solitary experience. It was, however, also a rehearsal for my 'stand-in' guitar tech, Andy Newlove. Andy has bravely volunteered to substitute for my regular tech, Pete Harwood, who is out on tour and can't make the convention this year. Andy drove over to my place from his home near Hull this morning, to pick up my equipment. I'd finally lugged everything downstairs the day before and had it all packed up, ready for collection. A lot of it too. Far too much for one solo musician. We loaded up the van in the cold morning air, light rain falling. Then Andy set off for the rehearsal studio in Leeds whilst I drove into town to purchase a new folding table, required for my rack of guitar processors to occupy on stage. (My old table has been comandeered by Emi for her printer and some other computer peripherals.) By the time I arrived at the rehearsal room in Leeds, Andy had just about everything wired up, but there were a few teething problems and a certain amount of head-scratching as some of the set-up wasn't functioning as it should. Eventually, these problems were solved and, much to Andy's relief, my guitars sang loudly from the monitor speakers, signalling that rehearsals could begin. Andy admitted that he had been feeling a little nervous about the whole thing, which I perfectly understood as there was definitely an element of being 'thrown in the deep end' about it all. Despite his trepidation, he did a splendid job under pressure and I'm sure he will be able to cope confidently with the Nelsonica performances on Friday and Saturday. Even if it will mean him tuning at least 18 guitars! I worked my way through my solo set numbers, trying out several of my guitars and trying to decide which ones to use on which numbers. Coming back to my full stage rig after a year of working in my home studio is always something of a shock...My recording set up is relatively simple but my live performance equipment is far more complex and I have to spend time re-familiarising myself with the various pedals and switches and the variety of sounds that they allow me to access. And, of course, I have to work on the music itself too. I ran through each number of my solo set once...(a couple of them twice to try alternative guitar selections), but didn't labour the process by going over and over any of the ones that I was unsure of. Perhaps I should have but I like to keep an edge on things, reserve some 'cliff-hangers' for the actual day of the live show, rather than have everything written in stone. This may involve making the occasional mistake but sometimes these mistakes can divert things in interesting ways. And there's always quite a lot of improvisation involved, even though the backing tracks are relatively rigid. Tomorrow will be the first day of rehearsals for the 'Gentlemen Rocketeers' band although we wont be up to full seven-piece strength until Tuesday when Theo Travis joins us. (Theo can't make tomorrow's rehearsal due to prior commitments.) However, we have three songs to learn that have never previously been performed live, (by this band or any other...) so I guess tomorrow's rehearsal will give us an opportunity to work on the foundation of those particular pieces. I won't reveal here the titles of those songs as I'd like them to be a surprise for our audience. Besides, there's always the possibility that we may not end up using all or any of them. They have still to be tested in terms of performance practicality and general suitability. Fingers crossed though...we may get lucky. Original Be Bop Deluxe drummer Nick Dew is pounding the skins for us tomorrow. It will be the first time that Nick has worked with Dave Sturt, (and, on Tuesday, Theo Travis). And the first time for Nick to play with the band since 2004's Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond Tour. So, plenty to get to grips with in the next few days. Ok, that's today's news. I'm about to have dinner, then will try to work on the video piece that I'm hoping to complete in time for Nelsonica. Somehow though, even if I work on it for a few hours every night after rehearsals, I don't think it will be finished in time. And tomorrow's rehearsals require that I sing...which puts an extra strain on things, (not least my voice). So I may be feeling too exhausted to deal with video editing after a long day with the band. Anyway...I can onlydo as much as I can. Which may not be enough. Nelsonica has become more and more demanding every year. There's a powerful urge to build on previous years and make each one better than the last. It's not as if I'm getting any younger either. Which is why, as I've mentioned before, Nelsonica 10 may be the final one in the series, or perhaps it will mutate, change shape and concept, becoming something less intense but, despite that, even more curious and magical. Or maybe I'll manage to lift my foot to the next rung on the Nelsonica ladder and step the game up to something even more fabulous for the future. Right now though, I've more than enough on my plate. Except for my dinner which I am now about to eat. More rehearsal news later, during the week. ***** Images are of Bill's guitars during day one of Nelsonica rehearsals and of two flyers for the convention. Top of page Monday 22nd November 2010 -- 9: 00 pm Just a quick note on today's rehearsal: The band assembled and began to work on the 'Gentelman Rocketeers' set, 'though Theo will not be with us until tomorrow. As is usually the case with these first day things, there were quite a few rough edges and lots of time was spent refreshing memories, (mine included), AND trying out different arrangement possibilities. I decided to not waste time on one particular number as it was apparent after only a few minutes that it wasn't going anywhere. As it has been deleted from our list of possible inclusions, I can reveal that it was 'Propellor Of Legend.' It's a song I really like but it just didn't seem to adapt itself to the band. With only a couple of days to learn rather a lot of numbers, there's no time to waste on tunes that don't begin to gel within the first few attempts...so into the bin it went. Other numbers sounded immediately more promising, though some clearly needed detailed examination and clarification, or the occasional rethink...Much concentration and energy was expended and, by the end of the day it had turned into an exhausting session. However, we've cracked the first layer of the ice and now must see what tomorrow brings. Everyone worked hard and gave of their best, which is all any band leader can hope for. But we've really only just scratched the surface. Today was rather cold and at one point the rehearsal room felt like a meat storage locker...then, when the heating blowers were switched on, the atmosphere gradually became warm. Then too warm. This, of course, plays havoc with guitar tuning as the wood of the instruments expands and contracts. Correct pitch is essential for inspired playing. There's nothing worse than trying to concentrate on arrangements and 'feel' whilst simultaneously listening to instruments that are gradually drifting further away from their shared tuning because of changing atmospheric conditions. My voice certainly felt the strain too. It's the first time I've sung in a band situation for two years. Singing in this sort of environment is totally different from that of the studio. (And it's several months since I've sung in my studio.) Trying to hear my voice clearly through the monitors, (which were also my only reference for hearing my guitar), was at times a struggle. It's easy to overstrain the larynx by forcing one's voice to overcome the general volume levels in the room. Anyway...my throat feels quite raw at the moment and I must try to pace myself tomorrow if I'm not to lose it for Friday's event. Working in my studio produces a much more polished sound...not just in terms of balance but also the tonal quality of the instrumentation. Rock music stage monitors are not the most refined or smooth sounding reference points. It always involves compromise and often produces a quite disheartening, depressing experience when musicians hear their subtleties reduced to a coarse-sounding grind. But this is what we must work with and work with it we will. And now I'm going to take a rest before bedtime, 'though I still have several emails to deal with. It really has felt like a non-stop obstacle course these last few months. I only hope that Nelsonica will prove enjoyable for attendees, despite my usual reservations and concerns. The photographs accompanying this diary entry were taken by Andy Newlove using my camera, but several of them ended up as damaged files and couldn't be reproduced. (I need a new camera.) The ones which HAVE been reproduced here were dramatically out of focus due to reduced light in the room but I've posted them anyway. I'll see if we can capture something better tomorrow. All for now. Top of page Tuesday 23rd November 2010 -- 9:00 pm Just a very short diary entry today: Got home from rehearsals around 7:30 after stopping off at the supermarket to buy something for my dinner and put more petrol in the car for these daily trips to Leeds and back. Emi was attending a meeting this evening and couldn't be there to cook for me so I bought a 'ready meal' that wouldn't involve me having to cook anything complicated. As I may have mentioned in the diary before, Emi does voluntary work at a centre that helps people with learning difficulties. This evening was a meeting of all the centre's voluntary workers to discuss methods and ideas and to socialise, hence her absence. Emi has just got back home and I've only now finished my meal due to constant telephone calls which have occupied me since 7:45. (It's now 9:45 as I type this sentence.) There are several things I must deal with before the end of the evening, not least this diary entry, so it appears it's going to be another late night for me. Today was another fairly intense day of rehearsals with the band, now fully manned due to the arrival of Theo Travis. Some numbers are sounding tighter than yesterday but we only have one more day for the Gentleman Rocketeers to rehearse before Orchestra Futura takes its turn. And, on the same day as Orchestra Futura begins rehearsals, (Thursday), all the equipment has to be dismantled, packed, loaded into a long-wheelbase Transit van and transported to the venue in York. Which doesn't give Dave, Theo and I much time to decide what we're going to play in the trio format. It looks as if it is going to be a 'flying by the seat of our pants' experience. Late as the hour now is, I have to come up with a final running order for the band tonight and get it printed out. This is always a tricky thing to get right. It must take into account the need to warm up my voice, number by number, until it becomes possible to sing certain songs that are now at the edge of my reach. My voice has changed over the years, darkened a little and doesn't have the higher range it once had. Not that it was anything special then. I only ever sang to express the personal nature of the songs I composed...I was never under any illusions about being some sort of proper vocalist. My fingers are sore. Haven't had to play guitar for so many consecutive hours for quite a while. Probably not since two years ago when we last put together The Gentleman Rocketeers. Throat sore too, but that's to be expected. Right...I'm not going to ramble on...too many other things to do before I can go to bed tonight. Martin Bostock, Nelsonica's official super-snapologist came to rehearsals today and grabbed some shots of the band. Here they are. Much better than previous snaps I've posted since rehearsals began...(But Martin IS a professional!) Top of page Wednesday 24th November 2010 -- 10:00 pm Ignore the automatic time stamping at the top of this page...it appears to be one hour behind British winter time. It's already 11 pm on Wednesday night and I'm still dealing with Nelsonica essentials. AND this diary...It really is non-stop. Today was the final chance for the band to work on the songs for Friday's Gentleman Rocketeers performance. 14 songs in total. We've been really pushing hard to get to grips with the music in a very short space of time. If we had another couple of days to rehearse, plus a warm-up gig or two, we might be able to blow quite a few more well known bands into a cocked hat but time is fiercely against us and we will have to trust to luck. I'm hoping that I will rememember the finer details of the arrangements and that my voice will hold up... it's feeling raw and sore this evening again. Re-shuffled the running order today to try and pace the strain on my voice a little better. I need to step up to the more demanding songs a little bit at a time. Unfortunately, there are more demanding songs than warm up pieces! (I hope the audience will be gentle with me.) The band members have worked very hard too, we've attempted different twists and turns in some songs, only to revise them on the next run through. We may get confused on Friday, (I know I will), but our audience will be guaranteed TONS of fun, no matter how rough the ride may get in places. Some old favourites in the set and a couple of surprises too! Tomorrow is set aside for the Orchestra Future rehearsal. It's a sort of 'work in progress' thing. It may contain some set pieces AND some completely off the cuff, spontaneous improvisation. We'll see what happens... Tomorrow is also when the equipment has to be packed away, put into a truck and driven over to York. So, there's rather a lot to accomplish in just one day. I have to say how marvellous the musicians in the band have been these last three days...Dave 1, Steve, Nick, Jon, Dave 2 and Theo...I can't thank them enough for their dedication and support. They're all wonderful people and I'm very lucky and genuinely feel honoured to share a stage with them. I hope they realisethis...I know I can appear somewhat distracted and worried at these times, particularly when Nelsonica involves me in several activities at once alongside the performance of the actual music. My mind is all over the place and it's sometimes hard to think about the more 'humane' aspect of playing with in a band. Anyway...it's going to be a very special two days and something for fans to enjoy and, hopefully, remember with great fondness. Here are a few more amateur snaps taken by myself. The first is of my brave stand-in guitar tech Andy Newlove, holding my Gretsch 6120. The second is a pic of Jon and Steve, intrepid keyboardists. The third pic is of Dave Standeven, packing his Duesenberg guitar into its case. Top of page Thursday 25th November 2010 -- 6:00 pm Well, the final Nelsonica rehearsal now complete. No band today...just the trio. Orchestra Futura sessions are relatively painless, just Theo, Dave and myself sitting together on stools with various loopers and effects pedals at our feet, dreaming via sound. A lovely day with no need to sing or play loud rock guitar solos...all I had to do was just gently drift on the sonic breeze. Lovely! I've abandonded some of the backing tracks I'd recorded for the Futura set...(including 'Reginald Dixon And The Tower Of Tomorrow'). But these abandoned pieces WILL appear in studio form next year, on an album or two. Instead, we're aiming for a looser set which will alternate between pre-recorded interactive backing tracks and totally improvised pieces comprised of live loops and spur-of-the-moment shifts of atmosphere. These are mainly modal pieces based on evolving drones and enigmatic/ ambiguous tonal centres. None of these improvisations have titles as they will literally be created in front of the Nelsonica audience's ears and eyes. Fresh, instamatic and chaos-magical. There's no predicting what might happen! I'm featuring my Gus G1 midi guitar prominently throughout the Orchestra Futura set, playing various ambient pads, strings, choirs and Japanese flute sounds from the guitar, as well as more orthodox guitar sounds. I'm looking forward to this element of Nelsonica very much. Didn't take any photographs during rehearsals today...totally forgot. Totally lost in sound you see. Snow hit York this morning. The lane outside our house was really slippy. Main roads were not too bad but the forcast for tonight and tomorrow is not good. Icy cold at the moment...there will be some travel problems tomorrow I guess. Hope everyone attending Nelsonica will be ok. Tonight I have to re-arrange my charts for the band set, get all the lyrics in the right order, etc. Also need to write out the general Orchestra Futura set list. Decided to drop the solo number I was going to open this set with, ('Stardust and Pearl'), and must tonight choose an alternative solo piece to break the ice. (Literally, if the weather forcast is to be believed.) I also must decide on stage clothes and iron and pack them. Actually, I had commissioned a Japanese friend of Emiko's to make a rather unique stage jacket for me using rare velvet and Japanese print fabrics with applique and bead trim. Unfortunately, it hasn't arrived from Japan so it looks like I'll have to rethink my outfits for the next two day's performances. A shame as it's turned out that the cost of making the jacket is far more than I expected. Perhaps I can put a couple of live concerts in, sometime next year, to show it off...and help pay for it! Ok, that's it. Nothing between me and Nelsonica 10 now except another sleepless night, worrying if everything will be ok after all these months of intense hard work and planning. But, before that, a few hours of final double checking, belt and braces style. I'll be seeing some of you tomorrow...please be gentle with me. Top of page

Culturemix album - 1995 Culturemix Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Collaborator and Producer Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

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

Contact Information Please use the form below to contact Dreamsville. All messages will be read, but stupid ones will be ignored!!! If you have anything you would like to send via snail-mail, please use the contact form below to request delivery address details Send Thanks! Message sent.

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

Official Bill Nelson merchandise provided by Dizzyjam Music Store Dreamsville Merchandise Official Bill Nelson merchandise provided by Direct ... Featuring album covers, Bill's original artwork and designs by Stephen Weis. Make sure you select your preferred colour before adding to the cart!!! Before purchasing clothing, please check out their sizing guide!

Tony Goes to Tokyo The Revox Cadets single - 6 November 1981 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: A) To Heaven A Jet - Airfields B) The Revox Cadets - Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train) ORIGINALLY: The b-side was a non-album track. NOTES: "Tony Goes to Tokyo" was a one-off track credited to The Revox Cadets , included as a double A side to a single entitled Airfields , issued by To Heaven a Jet on the Cocteau label. The Revox Cadets was a pseudonym used by Nelson, although he was permitted at this time to release material on Cocteau despite being under contract to Mercury. PAST RELEASES: Up until Transcorder , the track on this single had not appeared on Bill Nelson compilations. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This track is available on the retrospective compilation album Transcorder (The Acquitted By Mirrors Recordings) . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The Revox Cadets was not a real band, just me pretending to be one! The track was recorded at home on an analogue four track system. V.U. Disney was me too..." Singles Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) November 2006 Jan Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Dec Friday 10th November 2006 -- 1:00 pm After four attempts at coming up with a suitable 8 inch by 8 inch artwork for the 'STARS ON CANVAS' exhibition and charity auction, I finally settled on the very first one I'd created. Two others went into the bin and a third I decided to give to a good friend. The canvas I've donated to the auction is called 'STARBOY' and will be exhibited at the Julie-Anne Gilbert Gallery, Arches 283a, Maderia Drive, Brighton BN2 1PT, from the 18th of November. The charity auction, (which is in aid of an organisation called 'Whoops-A-Daisy' which helps children suffering from cerebral palsy), will be held on the 26th of November. Emiko took a photograph of me holding the artwork. As usual, I was horrified by my appearance which seems to get more wizened every time a shutter clicks in my direction. All is vanity...especially in this business. Time still at a premium. I seem to be struggling to keep up, but that's always the case. I'm currently working on several pieces of art which I'm framing as gifts for the loyal and dedicated Nelsonica Team who put together the fan convention every year. I'm taking them all out to dinner in just over a week's time and will give each of them an artwork. The table is booked for ten people but I still need to complete a few more drawings to frame. I find I really have to be in the mood to come up with visual art, whereas with music, I ALWAYS seem to be in the mood. In fact I've got several musical ideas that I'd like to explore at the moment but no available time to do so. Perhaps I should list my plans for the coming months here, just to outline what I'm hoping to achieve. These are in no particular order but the future, at the moment, looks like this: 1: Repair and upgrade my Mackie hard-disk HDR 24/96 multi-track recorder and make a start on mixing the Be Bop Deluxe Decca tapes. 2: Work with Paul Sutton-Reeves towards establishing a 'coda' for his 'Music In Dreamland' book, bringing it up to date. It isn't due to be published until early next year so there's now an opportunity to update the text to include more recent developments. The book was finished almost two and a half years ago but has been delayed due to the publisher's serious illness. The latest information I have is that it will see the light of day early in 2007. 3: Upgrade my computer and video editing software and attempt to make a start on my 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' film autobiography. This will be a more sophisticated version of 'Memory Codex Number One' which I screened at this year's Nelsonica convention. 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' is planned to be part of a special live event at Leeds University's School Of Music next April. 4: Transfer some of my more recent backing tracks onto my multi-track machine and overdub lead guitar parts, then mix and assemble a running order for 'The Last Of The Gentleman Rocketeers' album that will constitute volume two of the 'Painting With Guitars' series. 5: Go through several hours' worth of previously unreleased home recordings from the 1980's and assemble an album from the best tracks. An official title for this project has yet to be decided but working title possibilities are: 'The Time Traveller's Companion,' 'Electrical Goods And Knitting Yarns,' 'An Imaginary History Of Magic. (Music To Conjure The Ghosts Of The Past)' 'Songs From A Secret Museum.' 'Snowballs And Oranges.' As usual, it's quite possible that NONE of these titles could be used and something entirely different concocted, once I've selected the album's track running order. 6: Make a special compilation album using only the oddest, most 'psychedelic,' trippy or eccentric tracks from my past home recordings and solo releases. Working title for this is: 'Superheads Recommend.' I want this to concentrate mainly on vocal songs but with perhaps a few instrumentals thrown in. It should be compiled from obscure tracks that were originally hidden away in dark corners of earlier albums plus some previously unreleased oddities along similar lines. 7: Assemble Volume One of a series of compilation albums focussing exclusively on Nelsonica recordings. These would not be literal copies of the original albums but re-sequenced tracks, set in a different context and with new packaging artwork. 8: Re-release the 'Noise Candy' recordings but as individual albums. Lenin Imports have not been in touch with me for a long time about the original release and have not responded to recent requests by my management for accounting so it's time I turned these recordings to my own advantage, rather than to anyone else's. 9: Attempt to write and record some brand new songs for an acoustic based vocal album. Possible working titles for the album are: 'Songs Of The Blossom Tree Optimists.' 'Every Blessed Thing Is So Damned Fragile.' 'December Lane.' 10: Choose and assemble a compilation album focussing exclusively on past guitar instrumentals, choosing my favourite tracks from various albums. Working titles for this project are: 'Great Northern Twang Magus.' 'The Guitar Room.' 'Six Lane Skyway' 'Like Time Machines.' Again, these are just initial titles. It could end up being something completely different. 11: Create some very short instrumental pieces, between one and two minutes in length which will become the basis of equally short video pieces. These to be made available as digital downloads from the Dreamsville Essoldo Cinema. 12: Work on the second volume of 'Diary Of A Hyperdreamer', to be published by Pomona. 13: Look at the possiblility of a select series of live concerts for next year. My idea is to stage them in interesting or unorthodox venues. 14: Work on my autobiography, 'Painted From Memory,' for publication by Sound-On-Sound. It would be nice to make this a quite lavishly illustrated book, along the lines of an art book. It should also contain an accompanying DVD. It would need to sell as a limited edition expensive item to justify the time and cost involved in its production but I think something very special might come of this. 15: Create a new, commercially available DVD, following on from 'Flashlight Dreams And Fleeting Shadows.' 16: Try to organise something around the 'Orchestra Futura' project with Theo Travis and Dave Sturt. 17: Work towards expanding the Dreamsville site, opening up the 'Museum Of Memory' and 'The Guitar Arcade.' 18: Choose certain tracks from my back catalogue to be made available as internet downloads. 19: Write and record a brand new instrumental album, placing minimalist guitar in a pure digital electronica setting. 20: Work towards an audio-visual exhibition/installation which would gather together drawings, photographs, album sleeve art and video work and present them in a gallery context with an accompanying soundtrack. This would depend on the help of fans who own some of my artwork. I would ask them to loan the pieces to the exhibition. The art would be returned to them afterwards and their names and help would be acknowledged in the catalogue and in the exhibition itself. The exhibition would need to find a sponsor to help mount it. 21: Find a choreographer/dance company who might be interested in collaborating with me in the creation of a contemporary dance piece. I've wanted to try something along these lines for many years now but have never got around to finding out if it could be practically realised. I'm not getting any younger, as they say, so I really ought to put the pedal to the metal and attempt the impossible. And that, for now, is enough. Plenty of goals to score, targets to hit. Went to Whitby last Saturday, just for the day. An absolutely glorious, fiery sunset over the town as twilight flooded the opposite end of the harbour. A breath-taking, magical moment. Unfortunately, I hadn't taken my still camera with me but did have my camcorder so, thankfully, I managed to capture some of the dramatic and beautiful light. It will be used in one of the short video downloads I'm planning. Emi and I had dinner at 'The White Horse And Griffin', as is our habit when in Whitby. On the drive home over the North Yorkshire Moors, we could see firework displays ringing the horizon. Starbursts and rocket trails. I told Emiko about my boyhood experiences of bonfire night, treacle toffee and the selection boxes of fireworks manufactured by such companies as 'Standard,' 'Lion,' 'Pains' and 'Brocks' that my father used to bring home for our own backyard display. Emi likes the idea of bonfire night, even though there's no Guy Fawks equivalent in Japan. Sunday we went to Salt's Mill at Saltaire, another fairly regular haunt for us. Emi managed a little bit of Christmas shopping. I guess mine will be the usual last minute panic, particularly as Emi will be busy at the flower shop until late on Christmas Eve. It seems like only yesterday I was taking down last year's Christmas decorations and packing them away in the cupboard under the stairs. And here it comes again, hurtling towards us driven by hyper-speed reindeers. Found some old photo's of Emiko when she was a little girl, dressed in traditional Japanese costume for a school play. They are black and white photographs but I've messed around with them and got some nice colour effects happening. I may use one or two for a future instrumental album sleeve. Went out with four of our best friends for dinner last night. A belated birthday celebration for Steve and for Emi. We went to 'San Martino' in Harrogate, an excellent restaurant that was introduced to me by my friend Paul Gilby. A very civilised, convivial evening and a further respite from my work. The last two days have seen another plunge in temperature. Feels quite wintery now. Big pullover time. I think I'll go set a log fire...ready to light later this evening. Get the smell of woodsmoke in the air. Top of page Tuesday 14th November 2006 -- 10:10 pm Spent the afternoon with Paul, (Gilby,) who is helping me to update my recording system software. He's fitted a new floppy drive and upgraded the memory of my Mackie HDR 24/96 multi-track recorder. Just a few more things to do to it tomorrow and then I'll be able to mix the Be Bop Deluxe Decca sessions for future release. Once I can set some personal time aside to deal with that, of course. Went to London last Saturday, just for the day. Emi to her usual Japanese Buddhist temple meeting, me to the Tate and the usual round of bookshops. I bought several DVD's: The original BBC TV series of Dennis Potter's 'Pennies From Heaven,' also DVD copies of films I have on VHS but wanted to secure as DVDs: 'A Kind Of Loving' and 'The Magnificent Ambersons.' I also got 'Hope and Glory' and a DVD titled 'Legends Of Western Swing' which features vintage performances by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Spade Cooley and several others. Finding time to watch all these is another matter. It was the Lord Mayor's Parade and fireworks display on the Saturday too, something of which we hadn't been aware of. The city was even more busy than usual. Late afternoon, when Emi returned from her temple service, we met up with her friend Kyoko and had a drink at a Cuban bar in Wardour street, not far from where the old Marquee club once stood. As Emi and Kyoko talked about this and that, my mind drifted back to the time when Be Bop Deluxe performed at The Marquee in 1974. We were booked to support a band called 'String Driven Thing.' It was at that same Marquee Club gig that we were finally signed by EMI Records, an event which led to our first ever album, 'Axe Victim.' In one of my ancient sketchbooks, I have a very rapidly executed drawing of the Marquee's interior that I scratched out under dim lights, whilst bored and waiting for our sound check. (I think one of the figures depicted in the sketch is our then manager, Colin Mawston.) I was thrilled to be playing there, on the exact same stage that my teenage heroes, such as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and The Who, had performed on in the '60's. That creaky old platform held a special magic for me, as did the tiny, scruffy dressing room behind the stage itself. Several years later, when they demolished the club, I was saddened. It played an important part in the history of British pop culture and should really have been preserved. But so much that should be saved is lost. (And so much that is preserved isn't worth the preserving.) One of the half-wild cats that live in the environs of our house fell sick on Sunday evening. A tiny, lovely little kitten that hasn't yet been given a name by us but has become one of our favorites. There are five or six feral, or semi-feral cats sharing our garden with us. We put food out for them and provide a rudimentary shelter in the form of a plastic waste bin, turned on its side and placed under a garden bench. This particular, recently born kitten is the tiniest of the litter, but the most affectionate and characterful. She is mostly a dark, cloudy grey colour with little patches of ginger and white. A little bumble bee of a thing. I took to her from first setting eyes on her when her mother, a gentle and elegant tabby we call 'Gizmo,' carried her round to our front door, as if the kitten were an offering to us. The kitten was fine midday on Sunday, before Emi and I went into town for the afternoon. Dancing around and mischievous. When we came back home, the other four feral cats all ran out to greet us, as is their custom, but the tiny kitten wasn't to be seen. After a few moments she emerged, painfully slowly, from the aforementioned shelter. She could hardly walk. We picked her up and took her into the house. There was fluid dripping from her mouth. We wrapped her in a thick towel and placed her in a shallow carboard box and watched her anxiously. It looked as if she was dying. I decided to call an emergency vet's number and made arrangements to take the kitten to a surgery not too far away from our home. I was informed that, as it was Sunday and an out of hours call, that it would be expensive. I coudn't have forgiven myself if the kitten had died without me giving it a chance of survival, no matter how slim, so I agreed to the fee and Emi and I drove to the vetinary surgery, the kitten still wrapped in the towel in the cardboard box. The lady vet, who was very sympathetic and pleasant examined the kitten. She said that the poor little thing's temperature was very low and that she thought the kitten might not make it through the night. But she coudn't figure out what the problem was. One possibility may have been poisoning, she thought. She asked if we knew whether any neighbour might have left rat poison around or something similar. I couldn't see any reason for our neighbours to use such a thing as the cats normally take care of vermin and, as a result, we live in a rat-free environment. The vet gave the kitten an injection of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs but said we should expect the worst. It sounded hopeless. We returned home with the kitten and kept her indoors, wrapped up in a towel and laid on top of a hot water bottle to try and get her temperature back up. We had to keep checking on her heatbeat and breathing as, at times, it appeared as if she'd given up the ghost. Two anxious hours later, she moved slightly, her eyes flicked open, then closed again. Emi and I knelt beside her, fearing the worst. A little while after that, she slowly appeared to be more alert, looking up at us with such a pitiful gaze. Then suddenly she sat up and, after a moment's hesitancy, hopped out of her carboard box. Within minutes, she was playing with the fringe of a carpet, trotting around the room filled with curiosity. A miracle! We kept her inside overnight. She slept in the bathroom adjoining our bedroom, apparently content, even though she'd never spent a night inside before. Now, two days later, she seems fine. We've been anxious to keep an eye on her, dreading a relapse, but, fingers crossed, she is surviving. Last night, whilst I caught a little bit of late night tv, she slept curled up on Emi's bosom, as content as content can be. I'm in two minds as to whether we should keep her in the house as a domestic pet, or let her be part of the wild bunch who live outside in our garden. I have to think of a name for her too. It's odd but I wasn't much of a cat person as a child. My parents preferred dogs. Cats were always dismissed as being 'not very nice' by mum and dad. But now, I really love cats. William Burroughs adored them too and Jean Cocteau said that 'cats contain the soul of a house.' Well...I'm in total agreement with that. Looked through some photographs that Emi had taken of me at the Harold Budd farewell concert just over a year ago. I hate my appearance. That vanity thing again, I know but, I wish I could regain something of my younger appearance. Someone posted, on the website forum, an old picture of me when I used to sport dyed blonde hair. Wow! Couldn't believe it was really me. I should have been out chasing the girls looking like that instead of being Mr. Domestic. (Not that I've ever been particularly adept at the Mr. Domestic scenario.) I also found some photo's from way back, taken when my brother Ian got married. We were both slim young things back then. One particular photo that I like from that wedding day shows just the two of us, me in the backround and Ian in the foreground, outside the registry office in Wakefield, facing in different directions. It's only a casual snapshot but it has something that attracts me to it. Maybe it's my casual stance...I've got my hands in my pockets and one foot half off the ground. Or maybe it's my brother Ian's happy expression and the polaroid SX70 camera that he's holding, (which I think he'd borrowed from me as we had a Be Bop Deluxe SX70 club in the band in the late '70's). Anyway, Ian and I both look fit, happy and healthy. And so damned YOUNG! I had my Rolls Royce then and lived the archetypal rock-star life although I deliberately dressed as conservatively as possible 'off stage' to defuse people's expectations. I tried to avoid the rock gypsy vagabond look that was commonplace at the time and was attracted to the idea of looking as un-rock-star-like as possible whilst still being in a position to go on stage and take total command of a rock music audience. An audience which, at that time, was used to men wearing either denim, leather or glam satin. My rejection of this sort of signifying uniform was seen as a kind of inverse perversity, I guess. At least by those who measured authenticity by hair length and flared trouser width. I also recently saw some photographs of the Rolls Royce mentioned above, taken on the same day, (Ian's wedding day). It was a pale metallic-blue Silver Shadow, unbelievably, the least reliable car I've ever owned, apart from the pre-VW era Skoda that I drove for a year or so after my divorce claimed everything of value. I also have a photograph of the Rolls and my Panther Lima taken outside of Haddlesey House around the same time. There I stand, proud as punch, totally unaware of the tidal wave that was soon to sweep all that kind of thing away. I was apparently as unaware of the fact that such an ostentatious display was as much a sign of rock conformity as the tiresome heavy metal posturing I so despised at the time. But then, no one's perfect. But I digress... Wedding Days, Birthdays, Divorces, Solicitor's appointments and Funerals, the incandescent waystations of our lives. I've said this before but, when my brother Ian passed away on the morning of his 50th birthday in April of this year, an entire chapter of my life went with him. Just before he was buried, I arranged to have a little silver Buddhist medallion I owned placed in his suit pocket. It was in an envelope along with a farewell letter I'd written to him. The Buddha medallion had been a favourite of mine and, despite my current rejection of superstition, I wanted to give it to Ian to protect his soul and spirit in some way. Last Saturday, when I was in London, I managed to find an absolutely identical medallion. So, I bought it to carry with me as a physical connection between the two of us. I'd looked for one on my previous visit, a few weeks earlier, but hadn't been able to locate one that was exactly the same as the one that I buried with Ian. But, almost miraculously, an identical medallion appeared. In Watkins esoteric bookshop in Cecil Court in London. I don't know...Miraculously cured kittens and synchronistic Buddha tokens...it's enough to make me believe that there are more things between heaven and earth than I might suspect. If only in a moment of emotional need and weakness. Meeting up with my good friend John Spence on Thursday. We usually only meet under 'working' conditions at Fairview studios. It will be good to take time out from our respective career pressures to relax and chat without any other distractions. The Nelsonica Team Dinner coming up very soon, this Saturday. I've still got a drawing or two to finalise before then to give as gifts to the team members, (as I mentioned in my previous diary entry). Jon Wallinger and Paul Gilby have already claimed their 'thank you' artworks and taken them home. They are local boys so have picked up their prizes during recent visits to Nelson Acres. Reading a huge book about Edgard Varese at the moment, a massive catalogue from an exhibition held in Switzerland. Bought it second-hand locally. The pile of books by my bedside is now so high that I didn't bother to purchase a single book on my trip to London last weekend. And THAT is most unusual for me. I will now go downstairs and see if the kitten is o.k. Nestled up to Emi's breast, no doubt. Lucky creature. ***** The images accompanying this diary entry are as follows:- 1: A rough felt pen/Biro sketch made by Bill Nelson at The Marquee Club, Wardour Street, London, on the 14th of January 1974 when Be Bop Deluxe performed there. 2: A photograph of Ian Nelson, (foreground), and Bill Nelson, (background), taken outside Wakefield's Registry Office on Ian's wedding day. 3: A photograph of Bill Nelson outside Haddlesey House with his Panther Lima and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow cars. Early 1980's. Top of page Monday 20th November 2006 -- 7:00 pm Some tragic news yesterday. Chuck Bird, who fulfilled the role of webmaster at the American Bill Nelson 'Permanent Flame' website for several years, has sadly passed away, a victim of diabetes. I received an email from his brother Larry informing me that Chuck had died just one week previous. I was deeply shocked and saddened. Chuck was a genuine fan who ran the U.S. website without any thought other than to provide fans with a facility worthy of them. Chuck was forever loyal to the music and myself, never allowing temperament or personal ego to enter the equation. He always came across as a modest man and an extremely dedicated and knowledgeable fan. I'm proud to have counted him amongst my friends and I'm still trying to come to terms with this unexpected and unhappy development. I know that fans will feel the same sense of loss that I do. On those occasions when I was able to meet Chuck, he was positive, optimistic and enthusiastic, always polite, respectful and kind. And when the urgent need to provide fans with a reliable U.K. website arose, Chuck was one of several people who gave me the personal encouragement and moral support I needed to go ahead with the Dreamsville project, particularly when I felt like giving up completely as a result of lack of support elsewhere. Chuck, along with a few other generous and far-sighted people, (including Sound-On-Sound magazine, Jon Wallinger, Dave Graham, my management, my close friends and family), helped me to overcome any doubts and fears. They pursuaded me to go ahead and build a website to serve those people who cared about my work. It was thanks to their combined encouragement that the Dreamsville site has become so valued by fans. An example of Chuck's generosity: Without any prompting from anyone, Chuck suggested that I might like to take on the bill nelson.com address that the 'Permanent Flame' site had used since its inception. He offered to transfer the ownership of the internet address over to me for use by the Dreamsville site. He also passed on all the archived files that 'Permanent Flame' had amassed since it was originally created by Mark Rushton, back in 1995. Mark also approved of Chuck's altruistic act and I am indebted to them both for their help and co-operation, along with Paul and Ian Gilby, Sound-On-Sound magazine and the Dreamsville/Nelsonica team, who all have had a hand in setting up and running the current official website. As a tribute to both Mark and Chuck, the original site that Mark initiated and that Chuck came to maintain has been archived as a fixed item in 'The Permanent Flame Museum,' on the Dreamsville site. It will remain as a historical testimony to their initiative and enterprise. Once again though, for the second time this year, mortality has raised its spectre. Increasingly, I find myself experiencing personal bereavements. I accept that this is what must happen when one's friends and family enter a certain stage of life. But the knowledge that these things are inevitable does nothing to soften the blows when they come. When all tears are shed though, it's life we're left to deal with, and our own lives and personal ability (or inability) to face the future with equilibrium and hope. It's easy to lose sight of what matters, to become wrapped up in issues of no positive advantage to us. Maybe I'm allowing pessimism too strong a hand here, but the society we inhabit seems to have become an increasingly cynical and sick place. It's impossible to ignore the malaise that seeps into so many aspects of our daily life. I personally find myself struggling to deal with the general unfairness and moral ambiguousness of 'things', even though I'm sometimes unwillingly sucked into their twisted orbit. But it still comes as a shock to me that some people seem incapable of grasping the bigger picture, the preciousness and fragility of life, whether it be theirs or anyone else's. It's as if some souls are born genetically immune to anything other than the most petty concerns and obsessions. Why is it that gentleness and sensitivity are in short supply whilst cynical spite and small-mindedness flourishes? It seems that it takes hardly anything these days to build an ugly monster from the most insignificant of human emotions. Perhaps we have only two choices, either to resist the route of spiritless ignorance, or to turn our hand to the wheel, (the wheel of Dharma?) and steer away from the cheap and easy option, the tabloid mentality, the lazy temptation that leads to a profound loss of everything that might redeem us. But somehow, it becomes tougher than ever to resist the prevailing darkness and to shine our warm lamps into the cold, mean shadows. I've been personally struggling with various, similar issues of late. I feel as if matters should be directly addressed, that certain injustices need adjustment, that things that have been portrayed in a particular light should be revealed for what they really are. Then again, when I stand back and look at these things in context, they are so pathetic and trivial as to be not worth even the slightest effort on my part. Maybe I should simply let the rotten go to rot. Nature will take its course without any need of intervention by me or by others. No cause for concern. I must simply remember to get on with what experience has taught me to regard as true and real, no matter how meagre these experiences may appear in the overall scheme of things. But it's the only positive alternative and the only one I'm equipped to offer. The empty darkness is for those who have already shown themselves to be without a lamp to illuminate the way. Somemight advise me that life is dark enough without straying into the shadows of others. But....It's not in my nature to be blind to those shadows or indifferent to those who are lost in them. As selfish and pre-occupied with my music as I often am, I find it difficult to stand back and let the suffering suffer, whether that be the runt of a cat's litter or an adult human being. It seems cruel to turn away from these issues. But I am, more often than not, ill equipped to do much about it. Whatever I do will be flawed and stricken by my own inadeqacy. I'm not up to the task, nor do I pretend to be. But I do try. Does that excuse me? Or simply place me among the ranks of those whom I despair of the most? Perhaps only the music I create stands a chance of offering something approaching the value of healing. Some people seem to assure me that it has that quality, or at least a potential to attain that quality. And that's why I am, and will remain, an artist first and foremost. Best to leave the argument and debate about such things to those with little else to do and even less to offer.An old cliche but a true one: A Daffodil doesn't have to agonise about being bright yellow. Nor should an artist worry about what he naturally is. The kitten I referred to in my last diary has survived and seems fit and well, although she has continued to live the outdoor life with the other four cats that we feed. I was heartened by the response on the Dreamsville site to my telling of the tale in my previous diary entry. It says something positive about those people who appreciate my music that they are compassionate towards animals. There was such a warm response from cat-lovers on the site, many of them relating their own similar experiences and even posting photographs of their cats on the Dreamsville Forum. It was something I didn't expect but it was a pleasant surprise to get such warm support for such a simple act of kindness. As someone once said:" Never trust a person who has no empathy with cats." Last Saturday's Nelsonica Team official dinner was a happy occasion. Ten of us around the table, (Jon, Dave Graham, Ian Haydock, Ged, Eddie, Paul Gilby, Duncan, Martin Bostock, Emiko and myself,) even though one person, (Ian C,) couldn't attend as he was away on holiday. We all had a good time although I drank rather too much wine and felt a little worse for wear the next day. At the restaurant, I presented the team with framed artwork that I'd made for each of them. I'd been panicking, worried that I wouldn't get all the drawings finished and framed in time, so it was a great relief to finally give everyone their gift with no one left out. There will be two new members joining the offcial Nelsonica team this coming year too. They have enthusiastically accepted the invitation that Jon Wallinger and the rest of us extended to them,amidst jokes about the strange initiation rites that they would have to undergo. Maybe I really SHOULD devise something along those lines, turn it into a quasi-masonic, mock-esoteric secret society, just for laughs! On a practical note, the new team members will prove extremely helpful as the last couple of years has seen the annual convention becoming more complex and better attended than ever. The original team has expanded to deal with the increased content and organisational skills involved and they make a great job of it, which I know the convention attendees appreciate. This last week, my studio equipment software was updated to deal with the proposed mixing of the ancient Be Bop Deluxe Decca sessions. Paul came over to install new software and replace an ailing floppy drive. It took a couple of days but eventually everything was re-assembled, wired up and put back in place. I'm currently going through various old plug-in hard drives to convert and store specific multi-track masters that were recorded on the old operating system. They have to be put through a special conversion process, one by one, before I can use or store them on the new O.S. There are several pieces that I definitely don't want to erase, particularly the multi-tracks for the Sailor Bill album. That project took up so much time and energy and is so complex that it would feel like sacrilege to not archive the master tracks. I might even want to remix the album, (maybe as purely instrumental pieces,) at some point in the future. Who knows? Better not to lose them, I think. I had a brief listen to the multi-track Be Bop Decca sessions too and was taken aback by how flat and dead the recordings sound, even though they were recorded in what was the classic Decca Studios. When I put up a recently recorded piece alongside them, it suddenly became apparent how far recording technology has come since the early 'seventies. My humble little home studio system sounds expensive, rich and three-dimensional compared to the Decca recordings, which sound like they were made in a fake-fur lined box. I'm increasingly less sure of the 'vintage is best' argument, 'though to be honest, I've always been an early adopter of musical technology. In an ideal world, it's not about either/ or situations. It's fun to combine the vintage approach with the modern and that's generally the way I work with my own recordings. The cold weather back again today. Christmas stuff in town, everywhere you look. I ought to try and get an earlier start on the seasonal shopping this year. But it will probably be last minute, as always. ***** The photographs accompanying this diary entry show:- 1: The rehearsal room used for the Nelsonica 06 concert preparations. 2: Bill's mixing desk in his home studio. 3: A view of Bill's home studio room. Top of page

By The Dawn's Early Light album - 1991 Harold Budd Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Electric and Acoustic Guitars. Co-Writer on one track, "The Place of Dead Roads". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

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

The Last Lamplighter Bill Nelson album - 24 August 2019 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) The Lamplighter's Lament 02) Tick Tock Ticking 03) Wide Awake In The Heart Of You 04) The Winter Mermaid 05) Strictly For The Birds 06) Plastic Mac 07) House Of Mystery 08) Ghosts Of Utopian Cities 09) The Woman Of Tomorrow 10) Vulcan Street 11) Serene In Silver 12) What's A Boy Supposed To Do? 13) My Life In Neon, My Life In Sound 14) Lost Light 15) The Last Lamplighter (For John Henry Griffiths) ALBUM NOTES: The Last Lamplighter is an album of songs and instrumentals issued as a download only via Nelson's Bandcamp page issued on 24th August 2019. Originally titled The Last Lamplighter (Return to Vulcan Street), the subtitle was dropped at the artwork stage. The album was recorded between January and May 2019 and was largely compiled from material that had been omitted from the Stand By: Light Coming... album issued simultaneously. The recordings making up this album are likely to be amongst the last completed on Nelson's trusted recording and mixing set up that has served him so well since 2002. This operational change stemmed from Nelson's Mackie D8B mixing console having become unreliable and expensive to repair. It will be interesting to see how Nelson makes the transition to his new computer-based system that he acquired in March 2019 and which will receive its inaugural use in time for his next recording project. Amongst the guitars used on these recordings were two new acquisitions – a Backlund Super 100 MDX purchased by Nelson's fan base in honour of his 70th birthday the previous December and a Musicvox Space Cadet that Nelson acquired from the funds left over from the donations received for the birthday gift. The album took shape immediately after Nelson had selected material for Stand By: Light Coming... on 18 April 2019. The starting point for this was to select the best material from the 11 surplus recordings from the January to April recording sessions. As this material was insufficient to make up a full album, Nelson recorded additional tracks in late April and early May 2019. He then added in two tracks, 'Serene in Silver' and 'The Woman of Tomorrow' recorded for, but not used on, Auditoria and Drive This Comet Across the Sky. The Last Lamplighter was mastered at Fairview by John Spence on 10 May 2019. With the album successfully mastered, Nelson turned his attention to the album artwork. Assembly of the sleeve design fell to Martin Bostock working with images that Nelson had selected as the recording sessions that resulted in this album neared completion. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: 'The Last Lamplighter' :- "Is a brand new album and is intended as a companion piece to 'Stand By: Light Coming...' Many of its tracks were originally intended for the latter album but running times dictated otherwise. I decided to combine them with tracks I'd laid aside for an album titled 'Vulcan Street', an album and title I'd abandoned. A few more tracks were also recorded to make up the track count and the 'The Last Lamplighter' was the end result. 'The Last Lamplighter,' at first, had a subtitle: ('Return To Vulcan Street,') but this was dropped from the final artwork. "The album contains 15 tracks of mostly vocal-based songs but with a couple of instrumental interludes. It has an eclectic mix of styles. "The title track is dedicated to my Great Grandfather on my Mother's side of the family, (John Henry Griffiths,) who actually worked as a lamplighter in the city of Wakefield in the 1930s and '40s. He passed away in the early 1950s when I was very young but I can remember visiting him in his bedroom at Marriot's Buildings where I was born. He spent his last couple of years in bed and seemed to be a gentle old man although my Mother tells me that he was sometimes difficult and often drunk when she was a child. She acknowledges that he mellowed in his old age and that he liked and looked forward to seeing me. My Mother also recalls, as a young girl, sometimes accompanying him on his rounds as a lamplighter on the then cobbled streets of Wakefield. A romantic image that inspired the album's title track. "What was to be the central track of 'Vulcan Street' is also included on the album. 'Vulcan Street' conjures images of terrace houses, infernal factories and sparks and fire in my mind, the industrialised grey and foggy North of the 1940s and '50s. Had there been a Vulcan Street in Wakefield back then, I'm sure it would have had its lamps lit by my Great Grandfather. "This new album is a download only release and is exclusively available from my Bandcamp page or via the link this website. It comes complete with downloadable artwork which you can print out to use when burning the album to a CDR. I hope you will enjoy it!" _____ "Have been more or less constantly working on the 'overflow' album, titled 'The Last Lamplighter,' which will contain tracks that did not find a place on the 'Stand By: Light Coming...' album. Some tracks were left off that album because there wasn't room for them, others were left off because they didn't really feel right to me, (although several fans have expressed an interest in hearing them.) So, I've been experimenting with different track lists for 'The Last Lamplighter' in an attempt to make an interesting album from the left over material. "After some soul searching, I think I've come up with a good solution. A few of the left over tracks have now definitely been consigned to the waste bin. These are not songs that I consider worth hearing and I certainly won't miss them. Others, however, sound ok and I have included them in the album. "But to make sense of it all, I've had to record some new tracks to not only bring the track count up to scratch, but to add mood and variety. I now feel the album has a real purpose, both as a companion piece to 'Stand By: Light Coming...' and as an album in its own right." _____ " And what about 'The Last Lamplighter (Return To Vulcan Street.)' ? This is an album made up of tracks left over from the sessions that produced 'Stand By: Light Coming...' so, inevitably, a certain amount of the thematic structure is carried over from one album to the other. There are a couple of references to 'clocks ticking' and the passage of time in these songs too, but there are a few diversions, particularly in the five instrumental tracks that are included to break up the vocal ones. "As for the sonic qualities of these albums, I'd say that they were textured and richly rendered, noisy at times, spontaneously put together, never perfectly executed, sometimes abrasive, quirky, even scary, sometimes tender and naive. Hopelessly flawed, but perhaps forgivably and poetically so. At the end of the day, it's just stuff that emerges from Being." FAN THOUGHTS: Tourist: "Well, I'm on my own, it's late and everyone else here is peacefully resting...I've just, literally, just finished my first full listen through of this new album of Bill's and I really don't know what to say...don't know where to start...I certainly won't try some kind of mini-review or walkthrough, I think all I'm going to say is that it's just knocked my socks off!...It really is absolutely wonderful and the whole one hour? (I think) running time seemed like it was over in a flash. I honestly think Bill is currently writing and composing some of the best music of his life, it really is quite superb and I think The Last Lamplighter is right up there...I believe Bill just gets better and better as the years go on, and you can't say that, with hand on heart, about too many musicians. I wouldn't do the album justice with any form of track reviews, I won't highlight any specific songs, but I will say it's a 'killer' album, every track is a gem. I think it's been put together fantastically well, the running order sounds great, the interspersion of instrumental tracks perfectly placed and if there are any people out there who aren't sure whether to buy this download, I would urge you to go ahead, as I'm pretty sure you will love it!...If you don't, I'll regret it for you! And, I just noticed it says on iTunes, 'Bill Nelson The Last Lamplighter Unknown Genre'...finally they begin to understand. Great album Bill!!….seriously folks, don't miss this one." "The more I listen to this wonderful album, the more I fall in love with it...It's actually competing with Sailor Bill ...sometimes I think it might be my favourite Bill Nelson album. ...And!...any Be Bop fans that haven't jumped into Bill's solo recordings, well, that's fine too, but if you're looking for mind-blowingly fabulous guitar work, please try this album...Fantastically haunting, always touching the melancholy, reaching back to something we once knew, but definitely a firm message for the here and now!...gloriousness...it's superb!!" lee_elliot59: "Another stunner...and very much a compliment to 'Standby '. Worth any price of admission for just 'Strictly For The Birds' which towers amongst Bill's finest. "With these most recent releases it's easy to hear Bill reaching for new expressions which straddle various aspects of his technique." Alec: "Along with everything else that's great about this recording is it's a great rock 'n roll record as well, full of great rock grooves." mo497: "Like fine, vintage wine, Bill Nelson's guitar virtuosity continues to improve with age. Case in point, this wonderful new release. Not to be missed! Thank you, Bill!" Albums Menu Future Past

Original Album Series box set - 2 June 2014 Be-Bop Deluxe Collections Menu Future Past NOTES: A 5CD box set issued at a budget price that comprises all 5 studio albums issued by Be Bop Deluxe in its lifetime. Each album is presented in a mini version of the original vinyl sleeves but with no lyric sheets or booklet to inform the uninitiated. Compared to Futurist Manifesto (which offers all five albums plus bonus tracks and previously unreleased material), this release is clearly the less desirable to most fans. However for anyone discovering the band at this late stage who wants to delve a little deeper than the few tracks they might hear on radio these days, but doesn't want all the bells and whistles, it's a decent enough place to start. PAST RELEASES: All the material presented in this box set can be found in the Futurist Manifesto box set, and each of the five albums was previously available on CD separately in jewel cases with lyric books and sleeve notes (initially issued in 1990). Prior to their appearance on CD each album appeared on vinyl and cassette between 1974 and 1978. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: The box set is now out of print. Collections Menu Future Past

Frost-O-Matic Free Christmas download single Special FREE Christmas download single - Released Dec 2010. FROST-O-MATIC Currently unavailable on any album Written, performed, recorded and produced by Bill Nelson. All rights Bill Nelson 2010.

Atom Shop Bill Nelson album - 12 September 1998 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Wild And Dizzy 02) Dreamsville 03) Magic Radio 04) Pointing At The Moon 05) Train With Fins 06) Popsicle Head-Trip 07) Propellor Of Legend 08) Viva Le Voom-Voom 09) Billy Infinity 10) She Gave Me Memory 11) My World Spins 12) Rocketship 13) Girlfriend With Miracles 14) Spinning Dizzy On The Dial 15) Atom Shop (Is Closing) ALBUM NOTES: Atom Shop is another album of demo material recorded in 1996-97, that Nelson had planned on re-recording with outside musicians, but financial constraints led to this more modest approach. The album was licensed to Robert Fripp's label DGM, and initially was available as a mail order item via the DGM website before gaining a more general release a couple of weeks later. Nelson purchased the remaining stock from DGM to sell through Sound On Sound, the album sold out in February 2018. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The album was recorded at home on my old analogue 16 track system and the songs were originally intended as demos as I had hoped to re-record them with Mitchell Froom producing, (another tremendous world-class record producer). Mitchell told me that I'd be wasting my money employing a producer for those recordings as I'd got the songs to work in exactly the way they needed to. "In terms of the actual recordings, though, that 'demo' thing can be psychologically misleading, (as I've come to realise over the years). It's both a relative and a subjective term. What I personally think of as 'demos', others might think of as finished pieces and vice-versa. It's sometimes entirely dependent upon just how I describe them in my sleeve notes or in interviews. Minds are soft and vulnerable and, as William Burroughs once said, 'words are a virus.' Perhaps I've sometimes been too dismissive of some of my work, maybe I should have dressed it up in glad rags more... "Did the demo tag indicate an unfinished work there or not? With hindsight, that particular album sounds like a complete, finished statement to me now, 'though I referred to it as a collection of demos and sketches back when it was released." _____ "Atom Shop , like many of my albums, was considered a little bit odd by some fans at the time of its release. These days though, most listeners will realise that many of my recordings exist in a kind of suspended gravity...ie: It sometimes takes a while for the penny to drop!" FAN THOUGHTS: Johnny Jazz: " Atom Shop is bloody wonderful...A most wonderous and charming collection. A perfect blend of bluesy poppy jazz in our Bill's own inimitable style." Twilightcapers: "Thought I would just say how great Atom Shop is. Love those Jazzy Drum 'n' Bass tunes. If you like After the Satellite Sings you'll love this." Ishikawa: "On Atom Shop , Bill seemed to be exploring a whole new approach to structure, and the use of powerful, resonant sounds. I was about to list a few songs of note, but it ended up being about 90% of the whole thing. "Train with Fins"... boy, does that one moooove. Suffice to say, it's a cracker..." Parsongs: "If you're a jazz fan, be sure to track down a copy of Atom Shop by Bill Nelson. By far the coooolest contemporary jazz this side of fliptown." "I often think Atom Shop was overlooked by the music press. It's the most alternative of the alternative rock records..." donger: " ATOM SHOP is the coolest Bill Nelson release and "Dreamsville" is his hippest song." alec: "And how cool is the track "Dreamsville" from Atom Shop ? I always think of that track when I'm here at this cool place. Dreamsville, drivin' thru Dreamsville. Love everything about the track not LEAST of which is the AWESOME wah-wah guitar and disjointed be-bop trumpet." james warner: "I have always had a particular soft spot for "Propeller of Legend". Apart from the gloriously wigged-out guitar, the marimba riff has me thinking of baby elephants as it reminds me of the kind of theme used in those sixties safari movies." BobK: "One morning about 7 years ago me and Mrs K were awoken, by the sound of "Popsicle" blaring out on the CD player. Very strange we thought, particularly as BN sounded a bit out of tune and in an uncomfortably high register. Strolled downstairs to find our 4 year old had put it on, pulled out the lyric sheet and was happily singing along!" TheGlassGuitar: "It grew on me slowly and incessantly, to the point where it's now one of my favourites ." Telecat: " Atom Shop is one of my favourite albums which brought to a close one of Bill's best periods. Along with The Hyperdreamer set and the superb After the Satellite Sings they represent a period when the albums were rarely off my system." wonder toy: "Go listen to Atom Shop again and report back. That guy IS cool." Albums Menu Future Past

The Years Bill Nelson album - 22 June 2015 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Capricious Skies 02) The Bel-Air Rocketman 03) Atlantika 04) Southport 05) In The Realm Of The Super-Cute 06) The Invisible City Of Christian Rosenkruetz 07) A Charming Trick 08) Method Acting 09) A Garden That Sings To The Sky 10) Odeon 11) The Years 12) The Last Romantic ALBUM NOTES: The Years is an instrumental album issued in a one-off print run of 500 copies on the Sonoluxe label. Nelson revealed little in the way of detail about the development of this particular album, but it's likely that it progressed over a period of some time, and only really took shape once he had assembled sufficient material to make an album from his symphonic-based instrumentals. A posting on the Dreamsville forum from February 2014 refers to him nearly having completed "an epic neo-classical, pastoral, symphonic piece" during the writing sessions for the Velorama film soundtrack which may well have ended up on The Years album. The title The Years was first announced on the Dreamsville forum in late January 2015 when Nelson revealed it as an album he was then working on, and for which the final track running order was confirmed just a few weeks later. The album was originally to be issued after Loom , but once Nelson heard the mastered version he decided to bring its release date forward. It was also intended to be the third in the 'Super Listener Series' but in the end Nelson deemed The Years to be insufficiently challenging to be awarded that status, and it was given a normal Sonoluxe catalogue number. The album went on sale on 22 June 2015, and was in stock for a month before finally selling out on 1 August. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The Years could mean the many years of making music, or the 66 years of being on this planet, or the 'wear and tear' of the years, or a looking back at them...I wanted it to be enigmatic, and slightly melancholy and nostalgic. "However, the music on the album, in the main, is kind of kitsch and easy-listening, quite jolly in parts but with deeper reflective moments. As always, it's not turned out quite the way I expected. It's not as pure or perfect as I'd hoped, but it's been made very spontaneously with a feeling of urgency. It's not an album that I've pondered too deeply or furrowed my brow about. It's emerged almost of its own accord. No doubt it will find its place, in time. "It's all instrumental, uses orchestral sounds with some guitar parts. Neo-classical/light music forms. The nearest thing to it would be parts of Picture Post , Pedalscope and the instrumental tracks from The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill. It's a strange thing in some ways, seems quite straight and easy on the surface but has a complexity in structure that undermines that. It's not quite what it appears to be!" _____ "Neo-classical composition isn't really about playing technique...it's more of a compositional approach. It takes classical music and re-frames it in a kind of 'post-modernist' atmosphere, referencing much older musical forms but with a twist. On this album, I pick up on the kind of music you might hear in those old black and white, between the wars and WW2 documentary films, (you know, those GPO film unit productions like 'Listen to Britain' by Humphrey Jennings, etc.) I'm particularly fond of that era and musical style but bring a more contemporary feel to bear on this album. It appears deliberately kitsch in places, superficially verging on easy listening but revealing more complexities and conundrums on deeper listening. It's meant to offer a somewhat enigmatic listening experience which never completely resolves itself." _____ "Not a 'down' album at all, despite my health issues and general darkness. It's an album of hope, of positivity, of beauty triumphing over drabness, a transcendent album, with a tinge of nostalgia and gentle melancholy at the heart of it." FAN THOUGHTS: felixt1: "I tell you what - it's a bloody great album! It actually took me a few days to really understand what's going on. It's kind of like what happens if a UFO lands in Model Village . The cinematic quality of the music cannot be exaggerated and there are some truly great moments from start to finish. The Years , is for me yet another special release. It hit me today, like a sledgehammer - really stopped me in my tracks. Gobsmacked" andygeorge: " The Years is a delightful collection of music and, as some have said, sits well with Model Village. But, as I sit here on a sunny Sunday morning in my study, with a cup of tea, catching up on paper work and other bits and pieces with The Years playing I can straight away hear that it is a rather more complex composition than Model Village punctuated with wonderful, sweet guitar sounds that only Bill can pull off..."Capricious Skies", "Southport", "Method Acting", "The Years'...all truly stunning!" Tourist in Wonderland: 'This new release really demands your attention...lots going on (in a good way)...many questions, much to discover, much wow-factor-ness. Initially blown away by "The Invisible City of Christian Rosenkruetz", "A Charming Trick", "Odeon", "The Years", "The Last Romantic". Can't stand chatting all day...got some seriously jaw-dropping music to listen to." Palladium: "The guitar (as you won't be surprised to hear) is blissful, and combines wonderfully with the ' orchestral ' sound/arrangements. A complex album, I think, which will take more than a few listens to get a proper sense of it." mark smith: "Once again the more you play it the more it makes sense, in my opinion. Another Bill Nelson masterpiece. It seems to sound even better listened to very late at night. Thank you again Mr Nelson." December Man: "After I'd finished listening to it on day two, I absent-mindedly pushed the FM button on my stereo, which was on the classical music station, and went outside for a bit, and when I returned I became aware of this beautiful sound coming out of my speakers and assumed it was still The Years that was playing! This went on for a good while before I realized what had happened! (Sometimes aging brings with it these little miracles of absent-minded fun.) But that kinda sums up this album in a strange way. It is 'deceptive' as Bill has stated. Each day that I've listened, it feels like I'm playing a whole new album! This is not unique in itself as many of Bill's albums do this, but The Years seems to make me more aware that this is happening somehow. This album also has a Bill Frisell kinda vibe to it (in its subtlety and strange beauty). Definitely one of Bill's best ever recordings." Albums Menu Future Past

Buy Bill Nelson's music directly from the artist. The Dreamsville Store Support the artist...please buy from these outlets! Official Bill Nelson Merchandise Store - Click Here! Orchestra Futura - Live At Nelsonica & Clothworkers Hall Release due 13th February 2026 For album info and audio clips - Click here Pre-order options £15 + P&P My Private Cosmos (Disc Five ) Digital release January 2026 (Original release December 2021) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT My Private Cosmos (Disc Four ) Digital release December 2025 (Original release December 2021) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT My Private Cosmos (Disc Three ) Digital release November 2025 (Original release December 2021) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT My Private Cosmos (Disc Two ) Digital release October 2025 (Original release December 2021) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT My Private Cosmos (Disc One ) Digital release September 2025 (Original release December 2021) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT Caliban And The Chrome Harmonium (Extended Version) Digital release August 2025 (Original release August 2001) For album info and audio clips - 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How I Got My Secret Powers Released January 2014 For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT Neptune's Galaxy Digital release January 2014 (Original release July 2006) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill Digital release January 2014 (Original release November 2005) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT Blip! 2 - The Tremulous Doo-Wah Diddy Released June 2013 For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT The Last Of The Neon Cynics Digital release March 2013 (Original release May 2012) For album info and audio clips - Click here Purchase download £10 + VAT Blip! 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What Now, What Next? retrospective 2CD collection - 12 September 1998 Bill Nelson Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: CD1 01) The Strangest Things, The Strangest Times ( Giants Of The Perpetual Wurlitzer ep, 1984) 02) Do You Dream In Colour? ( Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album in 1981) 03) Radiant Spires (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights album, 1987) 04) Lady, You're A Strange Girl (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 05) Exactly The Way You Want It (Optimism album, 1988) 06) Playing Jesus To Her Judas (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 07) Over Ocean (The Summer Of God’s Piano album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 08) Devil In Me (Nudity album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 09) Several Famous Orchestras (Sex-Psyche-Etc ep, 1985) 10) Working Man (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 11) First Boy On The Moon (previously unreleased; later included on Sunflower Dairy Product, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 12) Let It All Pass You By (Details album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 13) The Profaned Sanctuary Of The Human Heart (Simplex, 1990) 14) Sell My Soul (Chimes And Rings album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 15) The Garden (La Belle et La Bete album, 1982) 16) Edge Of The World (previously unreleased and unique to this compilation) CD2 01) Heartbreak Thru' The Telephone (Heartbreakland album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 02) Fellini's Picnic (Map Of Dreams album, 1987) 03) The World Wakes Up (previously unreleased; later included on Sunflower Dairy Product, part of the Noise Candy set, 2002) 04) Skies Are Not Cloudy (previously unreleased and unique to this compilation) 05) Love's Immortal Shining Angel (Heartbreakland album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 06) A Promise Of Perfume (A Catalogue Of Obsessions album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 07) Bronze (Simplex, 1990) 08) Bride Of The Atom (previously unreleased and unique to this compilation) 09) News From Nowhere (Iconography album, 1986) 10) Les Amoureux ( Pavillions Of The Heart And Soul album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 11) Kiss It Off (Nudity album, part of the Demonstrations Of Affection set, 1989) 12) Opium (Sounding The Ritual Echo album, 1981) 13) Astroluxe (previously unreleased and unique to this compilation) 14) Windmills In A World Without Wind (A Catalogue Of Obsessions album, part of the Trial By Intimacy set, 1985) 15) Um, Ah, Good Evening (extra song on the UK CD version of the Optimism album, 1988) NOTES: This compilation taken from the Cocteau back catalogue was another product of the licensing deal with DGM, and was issued simultaneously with Atom Shop . While lacking the more commercial successful material to be found on Duplex , What Now, What Next? stands up well alongside its more prominent predecessor, and at least had the dignity of being available for a lot longer. Six of the songs were labelled as being from unreleased albums, named Noise Candy , Console , and Bungalow Funland . Noise Candy was eventually released almost four years later, and included a CD entitled Console . The album title Bungalow Funland was never used (see Bill's quote below), and in the end, four songs remained unique to this compilation (A16, B4, B8 and B13). PAST RELEASES: Several songs on this collection have been previously released on compilations like: The Strangest Things , Duplex , and The Practice of Everyday Life box set (all three out of print). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This compilation is out of print, but may be made available through Bandcamp at some point. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "For anyone who has missed much of my '80's work, the double album What Now, What Next? provides a reasonable cross section of what I was up to back then. Most of the tracks were recorded on analogue equipment and use what I affectionately think of as 'steam driven' keyboards, (ie. mini-moog, vintage string machines, simple drum boxes, etc). The production values are very much of the time too, (particularly if you recall that the credits on my albums sometimes said 'recorded in a room above my kitchen'). "The set contains both instrumental and vocal tracks, some of them in the 'quirky' category and provides a listening experience that is, paradoxically, both consistent and full of variety." _____ "Bungalow Funland was an idea that never materialised. Or at least never materialised under that name. The tracks were absorbed into the Noise Candy box set. The tracks were not inspired by an American trip but by more English capers." Collections Menu Future Past

Tourist Information Centre Who is Bill Nelson? Dreamsville Staff Contact Information Bill's Recommended Websites Privacy Policy Search

Nelsonian Navigator Nelsonian Navigator was a twice-yearly magazine, first published in 1995 it ran for six issues before sadly coming to an end. Issue 1 - Published July 1995 Issue 2 - Published December 1995 Issue 3 - Published June 1996 Issue 4 - Published September 1996 Issue 5 - Published March 1997 Issue 6 - Published September 1997 Please reload

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

Discography Menu Singles Clicking on a cover below will take you to a full page devoted to that single. All Dressed Up In Your Art School Clothes 2023 Saras Dream Foundation charity download single Brave Flag 2022 charity download single The Lockdown Song 2020 download single The Rumbler 2017 download single Starland 2013 Sara's Hope download track Think And You'll Miss It 2012 download single Holey Moley, It's A Parallel World 2010 Sara's Hope download track Soluna Oriana 2010 Mick Karn Appeal download track Rocket To The Moon 2009 Sara's Hope download track I Hear Electricity 2008 download single A Million Whistling Milkmen 2008 Sara's Hope download track Dreamsville Poetry Experiment 2007 download track Contemplation 2007 2007 download track Six Strings For Sara 2007 Sara's Hope download track The Dead We Wake With Upstairs Drums 1992 single Life In Your Hands 1989 single Secret Ceremony 1987 single Cote D'Azur 1986 fan club ep Wildest Dreams 1986 single Sex-Psyche-Etc 1985 ep Giants Of The Perpetual Wurlitzer 1984 fan club ep Acceleration 1984 single Hard Facts From The Fiction Department 1984 fan club ep The World And His Wife 1983 fan club ep Touch And Glow 1983 single Dancing On A Knife's Edge 1983 fan club ep King Of The Cowboys 1982 fan club ep Flaming Desire 1982 single Eros Arriving 1982 single Sleepcycle 1982 fan club ep Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train) 1981 single (b-side) Living In My Limousine 1981 single Youth Of Nation On Fire 1981 single Banal 1981 single Rooms With Brittle Views 1981 single Do You Dream In Colour? 1980 single Revolt Into Style 1979 single Furniture Music 1979 single Electrical Language 1978 single Panic In The World 1978 single Japan 1977 single Hot Valves 1976 compilation ep Kiss Of Light 1976 single Ships In The Night 1976 single Maid In Heaven 1975 single Between The Worlds 1975 single (withdrawn) Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus 1974 single Teenage Archangel 1973 single Discography Menu

Warriors album - 1983 Gary Numan Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer, Guitar and Keyboard. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) July 2007 Jan Feb Apr May Sep Oct Nov Dec Wednesday 11th July 2007 -- 8:20 pm It's been an intense few weeks. All of June spent working on music for an American documentary film about the visual design history of U.S. postal stamps. Ongoing too...until the end of July. The subject of stamps is far more interesting than one might initially presume. The film, produced by a company called 'twenty2 product' in San Francisco (and funded by the American PBS TV network and the US Postal Service), is beautifully photographed and edited and features several interviews with the highly talented visual artists and designers who have been involved with postage stamp design over the years. A wide range of subjects, including music, literature, science and art are covered by these stamps and each interview has required me to create an appropriate musical setting. 18 scenes or 'segments' in total but I've so far made approaching fifty tracks for the filmakers to select from. These are not fifty different tunes though but variations and mixes of perhaps 30 individual compositions. Still, it's been constant and intense work...12 hours per day on average and 7 days per week. I'm feeling burned out at this point in time but I think I'm not too far from a conclusion of sorts. I've booked Fairview Studios on the 28th and 29th of July to master the final choice of music cues, once the film makers have made their selection. Everything has to be decided, completed and prepared by then. The most challenging part of the work has been the attempt to create music that stays out of the way of the dialogue without becoming dull and ordinairy. Not easy as there is constant 'talking-heads' style narrative throughout the film. Some musical cues are very brief too, which means it's tricky to build musical dynamic tension over such a short period of time. I'm currently working on two promotional-advertising clips for the project, trailers basically. One is 20 seconds long, the other 30 seconds. Not a lot of music in terms of time but just as much work as the longer pieces within the film, if not more so. I also need to revisit some of the cues for which I've already created music, to see if I can bring even more alternatives to the table. All this highly focussed and time-consuming work has confined me to my little studio room since the start of June. My social life has gone out the window. Emiko has seen much less of me too, as have the rest of my long-suffering family. It's taken a toll on my health and nerves, as is to be expected. Sitting hunched over keyboards and mixing desk for 12 hours a day isn't the healthiest of pusuits for a man approaching 60. My waistline has expanded again and stress levels have reflected the obsessive nature of the work. Can't be helped, I suppose. Part of the job and part of the challenge. But that old cliche, 'not as young as you used to be' applies perfectly. I wonder if it will all be worth it in the end? Not in financial terms, (this isn't a Hollywood blockbuster, after all), but in terms of what the music adds to my 'canon.' I think there's an album to be got out of this, 'though it may be an unusual one. If I can gather the more interesting tracks together, there may be yet another aspect of my musical activity worth presenting to the public, beyond that of the music's function within the film. I've already come up with an album title for this: 'PICTURE POST.' ('Picture Post' was the title of an old 1950's photo-journalistic magazine, here in the U.K.) Despite my confinement to recording studio barracks, I did manage to attend my nephew Julian's wedding, a few weeks back. Julian is my late brother Ian's eldest son. He married a lovely girl, called Lindsay. They make a charming couple and it was good to see them surrounded by their friends who all wished them well. The marriage ceremony and reception was held at Walton Hall near Wakefield. I'd not visited to Walton Hall before, despite growing up in the city. It's a remarkable old house, built on an island in a lake and surrounded by a beautiful tree-blessed landscape. Quite magical. One of the pleasant side-effects of Julian's mariage was the fact that it gathered together what remains of the Nelson clan. Not a lot of us left, sadly. My eldest daughter, Julia, travelled up from London with my bright-star grandson Luke, (o.k, I'm biased), and my mother and my youngest daughter Elle and my son Elliot were there too. Also my sister-in-law Diane and my niece Lucy and nephew Louis and my Mum's husband George. I only wish Ian could have been there to see his son tie the knot. It was a bitter-sweet occassion in that respect. Ian was aware of the date of Julian and Lindsay's wedding before he passed away. I know he was looking forward to it with his usual sense of warm bemusement. There were some poignant moments for us all when we missed Ian's prescence. It doesn't really get any easier, despite it being around 17 months since I last saw Ian. I don't imagine time will ever make much of a difference to the emptiness that has been left in the lives of his loved ones. And, yes, I will say it again, I miss him tremendously. The world continues to roll by my window, indifferent to whatever plans or idealistic imaginings I might harbour. Summer, for what it's worth, seems to have been a season of floods so far. Terrible suffering for hundreds of families in Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield. Freak conditions for this time of year? Global warming the cause? Whatever the conclusion, it's a major topic in the media and already a subject for 'live aid' style pop concerts. But there's something hollow, something not quite right in our response to the problem. Hard to put into words but it's as if it's a kind of game, a fashionable badge to wear instead of a life and death issue. We're not doing anything near enough to redress the balance. Future generations will reap the terrible harvest of our casual attitudes, I'm afraid. Sometimes I feel as if the human race is a lost cause...Life fading fast on this bright blue pebble amongst the stars. Another great British cultural icon has passed away. The vibrant, colourful, joyous bundle of atoms that was George Melly has finally 'gone fission.' I never met him, (though my brother Ian did), but I liked him tremendously. George's great passions were jazz, surrealism, fishing, booze and sex. I'm somewhat fond of that sort of stuff too...but without the fishing. He was a bright, witty, intelligent and enthusiastic man who knew what wonders were hidden beneath the world's voluminous skirts. And he wasn't afraid to lift those skirts and have a good old lusty fondle. A bit mad and scary for some folks, our George. But for those of us who shared his wide-eyed hunger, he was definitely on the side of the angels. His autobiographical trilogy, 'Owning Up' should be compulsory reading for all those who think life begins and ends with reality tv and pop music. A force for the good and the world poorer without him. You'd think I'd have more to write about, considering how long it's been since the previous diary entry, but I haven't really got much else to say or the time to say it. Over the weeks I've made a mental list of topics to bring to these pages, but they've either faded from my memory or suddenly seemed inconsequential. It's all inconsequential really though, isn't it? Just babble... A brief note though: The ongoing demise of record stores. The rather wonderful Track Records in York is sadly shutting up shop. A result of the downloading malaise that is slowly eroding the way we access music, I suspect. Even our local Borders store is selling off cd stock at silly prices and has cut back on its album racking space Seriously junked its stock of jazz and other non-pop/rock records too. Some say it's the future. But it's greed really, cheapness and laziness triumphing over magic. And another step towards conformity of taste. It will strip the truly creative leaves from the trees, leaving only a sterile and barren thicket of fruitlessness. Thank goodness I'm not alone in thinking this. More and more critics and intellectuals seem to be coming 'round to the same conclusion. A recently published book presents the same argument: Basically it says that the internet is killing our culture and impoverishing truly creative musicians. There's too much plain old commodity and not enough treasure. Soon, no one will want to choose music as a 'career,' unless they're very young and desperate for attention. There will simply be not enough in it, either financially or aesthetically. No one will care in the way that my generation cared. We're the last of the line. Music, as a career or lifestyle choice will devolve to the lowest common denominator. The moronic will hold sway. What a marvellous prospect! Little enclaves of genuine music lovers meeting in secret, like Catholics at the gates of the reformation. The cathederals of record retailing in ruins, music as an illuminating force finally snuffed out in favour of free downloads, mediocre retreads and lousy sound quality...The enthusiast as the new outcast, an antiquated, nearly extinct species. Science-fiction's worst nightmares come home to roost and crouching at the foot of your bed, screaming. I once wrote to the NME, back in the '70's, pre-punk, with a manifesto for a renewal of 'real' music, music that needed commitment, energy and intelligence. Music that you'd be prepared to risk your life for. I wrote this under the humerous guise of 'The New Music Liberation Front' and signed it 'Christian Spink.' I didn't really think the NME would publish it, but they did, in heavy type, surrounded by a black border to make it highly visible on their letter's page. I had my tongue planted partly in my cheek but also, so I hoped, on the erectile tissue of the spirit of rebellion. There's nothing revolutionary about the current music industry, despite the dull, interminable trumpeting about so called 'new technologies.' It's just the same old tired, manipulative, nonsense, despite the gadgetry. Just another angle on the 'let's charm the pocket money out of kids sweaty hands' trick. Or, If we can't sell cds, lets flog 'em MP3 players, software, website subscriptions. Money for (very old) rope. People demanding music without any cost and an industry seeking profit without any risk. It will, I predict, all end in tears. No diary photo's this time. Too busy. When I get the film music completed, I'll hopefully find more time and energy for such things. Top of page

Don't Argue single - 1987 Cabaret Voltaire Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

So...who is Bill Nelson? Founder of Be-Bop Deluxe in 1973, guitarist Bill Nelson, with the exception of one track, wrote all of the bands material. Signed to EMI, the band released five studio albums and scored a top ten UK hit with the single "Ships In The Night." In 1979 Bill disbanded Be-Bop Deluxe and launched Red Noise whose 'Sound-On-Sound' album is often cited as an inspiration by many younger bands. Bill then formed his own independent record label, Cocteau Records, and throughout the 80's and 90's he released many solo albums as well as collaborating with other musicians such as Yellow Magic Orchestra, David Sylvian, Harold Budd, The Associates, Cabaret Voltaire, Sandy And The Sunsets and Channel Light Vessel. As a producer he has worked on albums for Roger Eno, The Skids, Gary Numan, The Units, The Rhythm Sisters, Nash The Slash and many others. Bill has composed and recorded music for film, television and theatrical productions. Since 2000 he has released many solo albums on his own label. Explore this website to discover the astounding amount of work that Bill has created throughout his career!

Disguise in Love album - 1978 John Cooper Clarke Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on three songs, "I Don't Want To Be Nice", "Readers Wives" and "Health Fanatic". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

The Dreamshire Chronicles Bill Nelson double album - 27 November 2012 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download DISC ONE TRACKS: 01) Prelude: The Night Is Lit By Diamonds 02) Welcome To Dreamshire (Monitor Mix) 03) The Pleasure Boaters 04) This Everyday World (Vocal Version) 05) Rainboy And Whistledog 06) Young Marvelman 07) Garden Railway 08) The Shimmering Threshold (On Your Bike Emperor Ming) 09) Evening Star Electric Park 10) Sailing To The Moon 11) The Milky Way (Burning Bright) 12) The Sparkling Idea 13) Ghosts Wind The Parlour Clock 14) Spooky Little Thing 15) Now I Come To Think Of It 16) Spinning Pentagrams 17) The Ruins Of Youth, The Twang Of Tomorrow DISC TWO TRACKS: 01) The Reality Of Imagination 02) Smoke Drifts Silent In Autumn Air 03) Bubbledreamer 04) My Little Book Of Secret Knowledge 05) Robots On Parade 06) Dark And Complicated 07) Blue Beams 08) More Than Glory, More Than Gold 09) The Lost Planet Of Sunday Afternoon 10) Mass Equals Energy 11) The Light Gathering Garden Of Omar Kadiz 12) Windsong Of The Flying Boy 13) Henrietta Through The Looking Glass 14) Luna On The Beach 15) Neither Puck Nor Pan 16) Welcome To Dreamshire (Luxe Mix) 17) This Everyday World (Instrumental Version) ALBUM NOTES: The Dreamshire Chronicles is a double album mixing vocal and instrumental pieces, issued in a single print run of 1000 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album was first announced on the Dreamsville forum in February 2012, and though it was completed inside two months, a busy schedule throughout the year meant that its release was held back in deference to other albums. The Dreamshire Chronicles sold out in July 2021. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It contains a wide variety of styles, all of which have proved popular with many fans these last ten or fifteen years...and every track sounds, I'd say, just like 'me'. "As for 'rock' music, there are a couple of tracks on the 2 discs that are direct outakes from the Joy Through Amplification sessions, ("Luna on the Beach" being the most obvious of these). But there are also tracks that would have fitted perfectly on albums such as Clocks and Dials , Non-Stop Mystery Action , Fables and Dreamsongs , Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus , Fancy Planets and Fantasmatron , amongst others...The only way to describe it is for you to hear it. It's a cornucopia type of album, mixing styles and genres as if they were ingredients in a sonic cocktail. A track may start out in one mood but mutate through several others to end in a completely different place. It's music to listen to and follow as if you were reading an adventure story." _____ "Dreamshire is richly blessed with golden and beautifully artificial orchestras. The whole kit n' imaginary caboodle! It also has warped blues guitars, sublime jazz guitars, ambient keyboards, broken beats, ethereal loops, haunted lyrics and oblique arrangements. It's not in the least 'experimental', as I know exactly what I'm doing with it...but it will challenge anyone who thinks a few synth bleeps equals adventure. This is adult music and not a throwback to '80s big-shoulder, analogue fashion, or '70s rock guitar macho chest-beating histrionics. It will confuse the bejesus out of anyone expecting the obvious pop 'avant-garde' signifiers. (At least, that's what I'm hoping for...) "Speed of light, speed of sound, stand back, mind the blast! This will be a sublime listening experience for those whose lightbulb is switched on! It's neither experimental nor rock, it's kind of beyond those categories." _____ "It's like a bunch of different coloured fireworks going off at once and I just enjoy the individual bangs and whooshes, then try to decipher patterns from it all later, when the smoke clears." _____ "Dreamshire isn't meant to be an exterior location...it's an inner landscape, located in some mysterious backwater of the mind, surreal and illogical." _____ "A thought struck me as I was listening through this album to prepare the listening notes: If there was to be such a thing as a Bill Nelson 'steampunk' album, The Dreamshire Chronicles might well qualify. There's something antiquated, rustic yet futuristic about this one, a kind of neo-Victorian rock n' roll, steam-powered guitar amps and Tesla-coil keyboards coupled with a symphony orchestra staffed by women in long leather dresses and tall hats. Patinated copper pipe flutes and oboes, drums fashioned from old stoves and railway engine boilers, guitars that resemble a cross between crystal sets and concert harps. Everything lit by candlelight." _____ Bill's Listening Notes for the album: 'Dreamshire Chronicles' Listening Notes FAN THOUGHTS: BenTucker: "May I recommend Bill's latest, The Dreamshire Chronicles , for your listening pleasure (assuming you don't already have it). If you could imagine what Be Bop Deluxe would sound like in the second decade of the 21st century, then this is it. Intoxicating melodies, amazing guitar...the works! And it's a double album. Basically unmissable!" "Much that's instantly addictive, with rich melodic hooks & glorious guitar in abundance. All the songs seems like stand-outs to me." "Spinning Pentagrams"...an incredible song - from a quite amazing 2 CDs of material...It's one of those albums that leaves you speechless. A very heady, potent and mysterious brew. References? For me, Fables and Dreamsongs type no-holds-barred psychedelic romantic adventurousness with alternate-universe dark Victorian JTA atmospheres... Star rating? Completely off the scale, obviously. You really have to buy this one." Prey: "Dreamshire arrived today, and I'm pissed! How can one man be so talented?! I'm beginning to think I got short changed in life... Amazing work Mr Nelson, I was left speechless." Stumpybunker: "This is such a superb work, one that is growing on me daily with each listen. It is amazing that Bill can excel himself with each release so repeatedly (not that I am surprised, or complaining!), to provide us all with such masterpieces. Long may this state of affairs continue! Many thanks Bill." felixt1: "You're getting there Bill, with a bit of practise...who knows? Very much enjoying "Evening Star Electric Park". I love the piano on this also. Seriously, some absolutely awesome guitar playing on this album." "The Dreamshire Chronicles is one of those albums, like Fantasmatron before it - that gets better and better with each listen. Definitely an essential release. Whilst there is always great new music to look forward to from Bill, I must admit I look forward to albums of this type (multi-layered, lush strings, mixture of vocal and instrumental, utilising an uninhibited sonic canvas) perhaps most of all..." aquiresville: "Smoke Drifts Silent in Autumn Air": "Be Bop Deluxe LIVES, Baby! Bill, I absolutely love the singing style that you re-visit for this track, as well as the musical cues (the electric piano track-out notes, at the end of the song, perfect!) A lovely, lovingly sly-aside, wink-and-a-nod slice of music! Wonderful, Bill!" BobK: "Dreamshire Chronicles really is brilliant isn't it?... For an album that is so stylistically diverse it really hangs together well. Just love the way the vocal tracks blend and compliment the instrumentals and vice versa. By the end of each CD it is almost like you have been through a rather wonderful journey. So many highlights it feels a bit unfair to single out individual tracks, (could probably pick almost ANY of them and rave), but one track no-one has mentioned is "Henrietta Through the Looking Glass". Wow. It is damn catchy and melodic throughout with plenty of twists and turns and quirky strangeness throughout. For me this is up there with my all time fave BN albums. A list that does seem to be getting longer each year!" swampboy: "Bubbledreamer": "This is one of my favorite cuts from The Dreamshire Chronicles . As a matter of fact, you could make a stunning mini-album out of just the instrumentals from this set. The whole album sounds like it was recorded in The Palace of Strange Voltages ." Holer: "It is jaw-droppingly good. The songs are just outstanding and it definitely plays like a soundtrack of sorts, conjuring and evoking." Asinbasil: "There is something very deep and profound about this album...Personally, I don't think this is Bill's most immediate album, but it is a highly intriguing and desirable one that will demand many listens from you. I also think that in the not too distant future, some of us will look upon this work as amongst Bill's very finest, maybe even his magnum opus? I love "Spooky Little Thing", but the song "More Than Glory, More Than Gold" is a song right up there with the finest love songs ever written. Thank you for this album Bill, it truly is a thing of beauty and one you should be justifiably proud of." Albums Menu Future Past