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

Nelsonica 07 Live Archive For the Nelsonica 07 convention, held on the 27th October 2007, a new venue was required. The Park Inn , in the centre of York provided much better seating arrangement, as well as a break-away bar and plenty of rooms for attendees to stay over, should they wish! The theme and title of this year's convention was 'Secret Club For Members Only'. Attendees would receive a 'Top Secret' envelope containing their convention CD along with other goodies. Bill performed a solo set, split into two sections to allow for a break. Here's the set list for the show... Set One: 1: Gloria Mundae. 2: I Always Knew You Would Find Me. 3: The Raindrop Collector. 4: Golden Dream Of Circus Horses. 5: Night Song Of The Last Tram. 6: Beatniks From Outer Space. 7: Imperial Parade. 8: Somewhere In Far Tomorrow. 9: A Dream For Ian. 10: Contemplation. (Vocal.) 11: Ghost Show. (Vocal.) Set Two: 1: Mars Welcomes Careful Drivers. 2: Beyond These Clouds. 3: Artifex. 4: Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams. 5: Secret Club For Members Only. 6: Sleepwalk. 7: Hey, Bill Diddley!' (Part vocal.) 8: Neon Lights And Japanese Lanterns. 9: The Girl On The Fairground Waltzer. 10: Quinta Essentia. Here's a few pictures...if you have any you would like to add, please get in touch!

Duplex Bill Nelson retrospective 2CD collection - September 1989 Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: Vocal Album 01) Flaming Desire (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 02) Do You Dream In Colour? (single in 1980, then Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam album, 1981) 03) Acceleration (Remix) (single in 1984, after original on Chimera album, 1983) 04) Living In My Limousine (remix) (single in 1981, after original on Quit Dreaming album, 1981) 05) Hope For The Heartbeat (Remix ) (US promo single in 1982, after original on The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 06) October Man (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 07) Here And Now (previously unreleased outtake from the Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 08) Private View (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 09) Life In Your Hands (non-album single, 1989) 10) Contemplation (Getting The Holy Ghost Across album, 1986) 11) Glow World (Chimera album, 1983) 12) Another Day, Another Ray Of Hope (Chimera album, 1983) TRACKS: Instrumental Album 01) The Blazing Memory Of Innuendo (Chamber Of Dreams album, part of the Trial By Intimacy album set, 1985) 02) Another Tricky Mission For The Celestial Pilot (Map Of Dreams , 1987) 03) The Angel At The Western Window (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights set, 1987) 04) Portrait Of Jan With Flowers (The Love That Whirls album, 1982) 05) The Man In The Rexine Suit (Savage Gestures For Charms Sake mini-album, 1983) 06) Wiping A Tear From The All Seeing Eye (Scala - Secret Ceremony single, 1987) 07) Right, Then Left (Iconography, 1986) 08) Secret Ceremony (Theme From Brond) (Scala - Secret Ceremony single, 1987) 09) Half Asleep In A Hall Of Mirrors (previously unreleased, theme from the movie Dream Demon, 1988) 10) Broadcast News (previously unreleased, theme from the Channel 4 programme Right To Reply, 1988) 11) Opening (previously unreleased, from the TV production: Henry Moore And Landscape, 1988) 12) Loosening Up With Lady Luck (previously unreleased, from the BBC movie Lucky Sunil, 1988) 13) Metaphysical Jerks (Yukihiro Takahashi - Stranger Things Have Happened single, 1985) 14) The Garden (La Belle Et La Bete album, 1982) 15) Loving Tongues (Pavillions Of The Heart And Soul album, part of the Trial By Intimacy album set, 1985) 16) Burning The Grove Of Satyrs (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights , 1987) 17) Radiant Spires (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights , 1987) 18) Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart (Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights , 1987) Vinyl and cassette omitted: Disc 1, track 07), "Here And Now" An extra track "Transition No.3" from La Belle et La Bette, 1982 appeared on the vinyl version. NOTES: Duplex is a double compilation album that was issued on vinyl, cassette and CD by Cocteau Records. At the time of its release, Duplex was the perfect introduction to Bill Nelson's solo work. The material was very neatly separated into a vocal album and an instrumental album. The CD edition included a bonus track in the form of the previously unreleased song, "Here And Now" (track 7 on Disc 1). Tracks 09 - 12 on the Instrumental album were appearing for the first (and only) time. Track 13 had originally appeared on a Yukihiro Takahashi 12" single, "Stranger Things Have Happened", and was an outtake from the Chimera sessions. Note: some confusion was caused due to an erroneous track listing on the Instrumental album: tracks 15 - 18 (D7 - D10 on LP and cassette). The track listing above reflects reality rather than duplicating the error. Duplex was deleted far too soon with the dissolution of the Cocteau Records label in 1990, and copies became virtually impossible to find once existing stocks ran out. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Currently out of print, there appears to be no plans to reissue this set. BILL'S THOUGHTS: Dream Demon : "My first film score and a horror film at that, plus, after the film was completed and I was in the middle of another project, the company decided to completely re-write and re-film Dream Demon' s ending to make the story's conclusion a little more upbeat and clear. Consequently, I had to compose new music for the new ending, which really put the pressure on. I remember working on one project, (the Henry Moore documentary film), throughout the day and then on the new Dream Demon music into the early hours, getting to bed around four or five am. This was necessary to get the task completed in time for the film's release." Collections Menu Future Past

Permanent Flame Bill Nelson retrospective box set - November 1982 Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: Do You Dream In Colour? A) Do You Dream In Colour? B1) Ideal Homes B2) Instantly Yours B3) Atom Man Loves Radium Girl Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe A) Panic In The World B1) Maid In Heaven B2) Electrical Language Bill Nelson's Red Noise A) Revolt Into Style B1) Stay Young B2) Furniture Music Touch And Glow A) Touch And Glow B1) Dancing In The Wind B2) Love Without Fear Rooms With Brittle Views A) Rooms With Brittle Views B) Dada Guitare NOTES: Permanent Flame is that rather unusual beast, a box set of 7" singles, which was compiled to provide fans with a novel compilation covering the period 1975 to 1982. It therefore contained Be Bop Deluxe, Red Noise and Bill Nelson material and contained a useful discography sheet and badge. Two of the Bill Nelson singles were presented in the same form as they had appeared when originally issued, whereas the Be Bop and Red Noise discs were essentially EP compilations that were newly compiled in exclusive picture sleeves. The fourth disc was the previously unreleased Touch and Glow single which provided the long term fan with 3 new tracks. PAST RELEASES: The box set is long out of print. Collections Menu Future Past

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

The Love That Whirls Bill Nelson album - 25 June 1982 Albums Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Empire Of The Senses 02) Hope For The Heartbeat 03) Waiting For Voices 04) A Private View 05) Eros Arriving 06) The Bride Of Christ In Autumn 07) When Your Dream Of Perfect Beauty Comes True 08) Flaming Desire 09) Portrait Of Jan With Flowers 10) The Crystal Escalator In The Palace Of God Department Store 11) Echo In Her Eyes (The Lamps Of Oblivion) 12) The October Man ALBUM NOTES: The Love That Whirls is album that mixes vocal and instrumental pieces issued on the Mercury label. It was recorded between April and November 1981 at Ric Rac Studios, Leeds, England and Rockfield Studios Monmouth, Wales. The album was Nelson's first full length album of songs since Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam , most of which was recorded in 1979. The album reached No. 28 in the UK charts and was promoted by the singles Eros Arriving and Flaming Desire , both of which briefly spent time in the UK Top 100 singles chart. The Love That Whirls represented a change in sound for Nelson's solo work when compared to his most recent previous output, as it featured a brightly polished production and a state of the art drum sound. All instruments were played by Nelson apart from "vibraslaps" on "Empire of the Senses" (played by Jan Nelson) and drums on "The October Man" (played by Bogdan Wiczling). When originally released on vinyl and cassette, the first 10,000 copies of The Love That Whirls came packaged with a limited edition free album, La Belle et la Bête , Nelson's second soundtrack work for the Yorkshire Actors Company. PAST RELEASES: The Love That Whirls was initially issued on CD on Cocteau (1986), and featured a remix of "Hope for the Heartbeat" in place of the vinyl version. For the Mercury reissue (2005), both mixes were included, with the remix as a bonus track. When issued on CD in the U.S. in 1989, fans were presented with an altered version of the album. Both the fan favorite "Empire of the Senses" and the single "Flaming Desire" were deleted from the original running order, while four songs from period singles were added. This was done in an effort to make sure the track listing on the independent (Enigma) CD reissue did not overlap with the CD of the major label (CBS) U.S. compilation album, Vistamix . 1989 U.S. CD of The Love That Whirls : 01 ) When The Birds Return (From the Sleepcycle club EP) 02) Hope For The Heartbeat (Remix from the U.S. promo single) 03) Waiting For Voices 04) A Private View 05) Eros Arriving 06) The Bride Of Christ In Autumn 07) Flesh (From the Eros Arriving double single) 08) He And Sleep Were Brothers (From the Eros Arriving double single) 09) When Your Dream Of Perfect Beauty Comes True 10) Dancing On A Knife's Edge (From a club EP of the same name) 11) Portrait Of Jan With Flowers 12) The Crystal Escalator In The Palace Of God Department Store 13) Echo In Her Eyes 14) The October Man CURRENT AVAILABILITY: In 2005 Mercury reissued The Love That Whirls as a remastered CD, producing the definitive edition of the album, which is still available. The package was well presented with sleeve notes and photographs, and contains the original version of the album as released in 1982, together with five bonus tracks taken from singles issued contemporaneously with the album. Note that all of the bonus tracks on the Mercury had previously appeared on the Cocteau compilation The Two Fold Aspect of Everything (a collection that sorely deserves a reissue). Extra songs on the 2005 CD: 07) Flesh (Eros Arriving b-side) 08) He And Sleep Were Brothers (Eros Arriving b-side) 15) Haunting In My Head (Eros Arriving b-side) 16) Hope For The Heartbeat (remix) (promotional single) 17) The Passion (Flaming Desire b-side) BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Let me explain the title. It's actually based on a fact, rather than a poetic fantasy. It has two direct connections...the first is to the 'whirling dervishes.' These are Sufi dancers who use the whirling dance as a form of prayer and worship. They are taught to love everything and their whirling dance is an expression of that love and a means of attaining divine ecstasy. Hence 'The Love That Whirls.' "The other connection is to avant-garde film maker and occultist Kenneth Anger who, in 1949, made a film titled 'The Love That Whirls.' The film was destroyed by the film processing laboratory who took it upon themselves to judge the film 'obscene.' "So, you see, these things are not just random words...they are connected to certain things that interest me and inform the mood of the album." _____ "Ironically, "October Man" is one of the tracks from that album which has, for me, stood the test of time. (In that I can still play it live today without feeling as disconnected from it as much as some of the Be Bop stuff makes me feel). It somehow escapes that '80s stylistic thing. "Crystal Escalator", whilst quite different from "October Man" and difficult to perform live, retains, for me, a space-age, dub vibe which I still can listen to without embarrassment. It conjures up a certain art-deco department store in Leeds that I was familiar with in the 1950s, and the escalators that seemed so magical to me as a child." FAN THOUGHTS : Radium Girl: "I'm a bit lost for words actually, when I think about describing my feelings for The Love That Whirls . I find it very strange that it's so hard to express...being that it is one of my favorite albums ever recorded. Maybe that's it - it's so personal and the entire album, beginning to end is embued the most gorgeous sonically induced imagery...it feels like a very special gift that I was given from Bill. I haven't stopped listening to it since. An essential record for me." novemberman: "Yeah this is the album that made me change from having a passing interest in Bill Nelson to a fan. I still have my original vinyl copy complete with Belle et Bete , guess what I'll be playing tonight. 30 years old & a classic of its time!!" play my theremin: "I'm an admirer of Bill's songs, lyrics, and vocals ahead of his playing, exceptional though it is. I don't enjoy the Be Bop Deluxe stuff much perhaps for this reason. It seemed something happened around the time of The Love That Whirls that, for me, took him away from the band-member dynamic and let him flourish and mature as a singer/songwriter/producer, and he's gone from strength to strength in that...in my opinion, and there are too many favourite vocals to list." Parsongs: "Wow!! The drum machine was percolating and the e-bow was soaring. There was a lot of processing on these tracks, all done with a lot of taste. The marimba was a very unique touch as well. I had never heard the e-bow used so much or played so well. Bill is a natural with this device which is not easy to master - I can tell you from my own experience!!" paul.smith: "Empire of the Senses": "always grabbed me when I first bought the album - that vocal passage of 'sound' rather than words that goes up and down in a sort of falsetto style...very evocative and haunting." Andre: "Empire of the Senses": "has the wildest marimba solo you will ever hear." peterc62: "Empire of the Senses": "is a great song - I love the Marimba and Vibroslap sounds. This was the first BN album my wife admitted to liking which allowed me to bombard her with loads of other stuff." Iron Man No. 28: "Japanese director Nagisa Oshima had recently made the films In The Realm of the Senses (1976) and Empire of Passion (1978); Bill's title "Empire of the Senses" conflates the two." ChristianX: "This album has stayed with me and is part of who I am today. PS - Does anyone else cry when the guitar solo from "The October Man" kicks in at the end of The Love That Whirls or am I the only one? Gets me every time..." chromiumlad: "Sometime in 1985, I was 14 at the time, my uncle made me a tape of The Love That Whirls with the instructions "Play This Loud". I did many many many times. I still have that tape. Then the same uncle introduced me to Sylvian's 'Gone to Earth.' And a few years later when I got my first CD player I immediately (well as soon as I found them) bought The Love That Whirls , Sound on Sound , and Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam . I have been enthralled with Bill's work ever since." Chimera Man: "The Love That Whirls led to a fascination and loyalty that has lasted 33 years." Jet Silver: "This is the first (of quite a few) Bill Nelson album I ever purchased. On the strength of hearing one song on the radio and the intriguing cover image, imagine my surprise upon getting it home to discover a second album of instrumental music as well as a sheet of 'Cocteau Records' related merchandise to procure, (if only I had...). The music inside the cover of course was worth thrice the price of admission and was a touchstone to a musical world that has become far more richer and wonderful than I could have ever imagined 30 years ago." Albums Menu Future Past

Mazda Kaleidoscope Bill Nelson album - 7 September 2008 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) All The World Flies Kites Tonight 02) Blue Skies Listen, The Unstruck Bell 03) The Nebulous Adventures Of Newton Kyme 04) Lamps Are Lit In The Land Of Tomorrow 05) Yes And Always And Forever 06) Evening Illuminator 07) Mazda Kaleidoscope 08) The Trace We Left When All Was Gone ALBUM NOTES: Mazda Kaleidoscope is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album was recorded as the third and final part of a trilogy of complementary releases, the associated albums being Silvertone Fountains and Illuminated at Dusk . Although its roots can be traced back to October 2007 in the form of an earlier unrealized project with both audio and visual content called The Evening Illuminator , Mazda Kaleidoscope began to take shape in February 2008 just as Nelson had completed work on the associated albums. At this stage the album was called Starlight Cascade and was tentatively planned as a DVD album, with the emphasis on minimalist, abstract pieces, rather than the guitar based instrumentals that dominates both Silvertone Fountains and Illuminated at Dusk . One track slated for inclusion was the long form video piece, "The Enlightenment Engine" (initially intended for inclusion on The Evening Illuminator album) but this would ultimately fall by the wayside and turn up eventually on the Picture House DVD. By March 2008 Nelson had abandoned the idea of Starlight Cascade being a DVD and had renamed the album Mazda Kaleidoscope featuring 8 tracks, including an instrumental version of the The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment called "Blue Skies Listen, the Unstruck Bell" which Nelson had slightly reworked with added keyboards and guitar work. The completed album was released in September 2008, a week later than planned due to a back log occurring at the pressing plant. Mazda Kaleidoscope sold out in August 2019. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It's definitely one for those of you who like to drift and dream. The album is meant to create a kind of tonal colour-field, a forever morphing atmosphere that envelops the listener and changes the surrounding environment." _____ "Mazda enters a deeper, darker space and features MUCH longer tracks. It utilises a more abstract, painterly approach, concerning itself with texture and colour as much as thematic or melodic development. It's the least 'rock' flavoured album of the trilogy albums [Silvertone Fountains , Illuminated at Dusk , and Mazda Kaleidoscope ], certainly the least 'gung-ho' of the three. It's all atmosphere and mystery, a fog filled with gleaming stars. Which is why I'm so fond of it! The trilogy is meant to be heard as a whole, in sequence...each album is just one third of the total idea. Until you've heard all three in the correct sequence, you'll only get part of the epic picture it paints. However, this is only the way I intended it. YOU don't HAVE to hear it as I've suggested above at all. Nevertheless, I thought it might be of interest for you to have this insight into the way I hoped the music might work across the three albums. For me, it's one epic movie in sound." _____ "The album is a strange fusion of styles, not just from track to track in linear fashion, but within each individual piece. The music is constantly shifting focus, one minute here, another there, overlapping textures, multi-dimensional, nebulous, quite formless at times, strongly architectural at others. Enigmas in sound to some extent...a haunted house of an album? "This music is perhaps suited to listeners who enjoy connecting the dots, uncovering metaphors, links and ironies. It's most peculiar stuff, but still very attractive to the ear, I hope!" _____ "Yes, Ahura Mazda was indeed the inspiration for the title, but also the Mazda lightbulb company, (which took its name from the Zoroastrian deity). "The concept of light, both literal and spiritual, external and internal, runs like an incandescent thread throughout a great deal of my work. "As I'm sure many of you already know, 'Illumination', actual and symbolic, from the string of lights on a Christmas tree, the lamps and lanterns of a seaside pier, a coastal lighthouse, the Golden Mile of Illuminations on Blackpool's promenade, through to the social and cultural Enlightenment of European history, the spiritual/occult enlightenment of Rosicrucianism and other obscure esoteric schools, the hidden, quasi-masonic musings of the Illuminati, etc, etc, have all been reflected, at one time or another, in my music. (And sometimes in my private activities.)" FAN THOUGHTS: jetboy: "What an album of surprises! "All The World Flies Kites Tonight" is the opening track which starts from where Illuminated finished off...beautiful melodic guitars set in golden ambience...then it's all change from there on. There's loads of piano flourishes that drift in and out of the mix, whooshes, whizzes and warbles that start, stop then catherine wheel away into the void...There's spectral Orchestras playing on a twilit coastal hill, then they are transported to some old flickering cathode museum. There's phantom steam trains taking you through some midnight moonlit town, there's disintegrating particles quickly reassembling and dancing on some old time piano keys, there's sonic ghosts looking for a home to haunt, there's static cascading, there's e-bow making the sound of Haloes, there's lamplit jazz fluctuating and weaving back and forth...so on and so on. A word of warning: Don't play this album too much. You may not want to return from this aural bliss. 10/10." Holer: " Mazda Kaleidoscope sounds like...Like I'm tuning in an alien radio station from outerspace and having it set my brain on fire (in a GOOD way!). This is way more than the next guitar album I was expecting. This is downright EPIC! You just keep on surprising and delighting, Bill!" "It's hard to describe, but I would almost say this is a kind of deconstruction of Bill's sound. I don't know if that's the right word but the way all the sounds and instrumentation work, it's both familiar and wholly new sounding at the same time. I really think this is the next 'big push into new frontiers' album after Sailor Bill in the ever evolving sonic adventure of Mr. Nelson." Robbot: "So I'm sitting in this 50's retro-futuristic train, or in the passenger seat of a transparent aeroplane (not unlike Wonder Woman's). At one point early on, flying close enough to the grounds of some palatial pond/garden to see metallic swans (Birds of Tin?) luxuriating. Misty fog, glints of setting sun...pleasing static, whirrs, clicks. Could be a mad scientist working on the terrace of his stately manse. Catch a performance of the excellent on-board jazz combo...drift off into semi-dream state. Land at some exotic tropical island...dinner jacket, martini please. Everything is in slow motion...the sky looks rendered in pastels. "These are my initial impressions...and I'm only 2/3s thru. Great! Exciting...cinematic." soteloscope: " Mazda Kaleidoscope gives me weird feelings. The weirdness is excellent in my opinion! In addition, it's a beautiful, contemplative album that covers the whole spectrum of emotion for me." mitchellmichael: "This is great stuff! It just transports you away from it all and holds you in a "Dreamstate" of mind. A very calming affect with so much going on. It seems like Bill has it down to a science now...but with each release he is still pushing the limits. Each release is a further extension of the next, with glimpses of past music inter-twined along the way. I'm 3 songs in and somehow it hits the spot instantaneously, for me anyways. The instrumental trilogy of '08 is now complete, and a huge success, IMHO." Peter: "Calming, a deep pool of cool water, reflecting stars and passing silver clouds. Compositions (not songs) of subtlety and nuance, tender guitar and soothing melodies. Another good one, Bill. Thank you." ladesco: "I thoroughly enjoy becoming enveloped by these lyrical guitar blankets to sojourn the night...gentle and breezy, and so mindfully easy... Thank you Mr. Nelson!" Seany: "I have lived with this album now for a good few days and have played it on my home stereo, in the car, outside in the garden, at night when i was going to sleep, for friends and family and I have to say that every time I play it that it never fails to envelope me in a wonderful world of dream-like mystery...For me the dreamiest of dreams from Dreamsville this year. "Look - I'm not Rolling Stone Magazine, but if I were, I'd give it five big gold stars. As they say in the classics, 'Highly Recommended'. "But enough of my somnambulistic meanderings, it's dream time..." james warner: "Just finished playing the album for the first time. Stand outs for me at this early stage are "Lamps Are Lit in the World of Tomorrow"...and "Evening Illuminator", which sounds like it was made for a night cruise through the lights of the big city." BenTucker: "I love it. "The Nebulous Adventures of Newton Kyme" stood out for me on first listening - a beautiful track. I think the album's going to be one of my favourites, like Neptune’s Galaxy ." VGhost: "All the World Flies Kites Tonight": "is a great opener - the introduction is a wash of keyboards, reversed guitar and hauntingly beautiful melodic guitar lines, which gives way to an upbeat section as the sequenced drums come in before it ends as it begins. For some reason it reminded me of my childhood trips to London on a steam train in the late 1950's - the intro waiting on the platform and the expectation of the journey beginning whilst the section with the drums has a distinct train style rhythm to my cloth ears at least. "Other standout tracks include the ambient jazz of "Evening Illuminator", and the title track with its sampled vinyl record pops. This album requires you to make time to sit down and listen to it, not use it as a backdrop to your daily commute to work or workout at the gym. I'm really enjoying it." Paul Andrews: "This is, in my opinion, a superb composition right the way through. Although an unreconstructed Be Bop Deluxe fan, I find myself drawn inexorably towards Bill's more adventurous and esoteric recordings. I really like the instrumental albums and this one could well be the soundtrack to a movie never filmed. I'd love to try and synch it up to one of those old 50's films which tried to predict the future, jet cars, domestic robots etc... ...whatever, it's certainly bloody good!" Albums Menu Future Past

Vistamix Bill Nelson retrospective collection - October 1984 Collections Menu Future Past TRACKS: A1) The Real Adventure (from Chimera) A2) Flaming Desire (from The Love That Whirls) A3) Acceleration (from Chimera) A4) Empire Of The Senses (from The Love That Whirls) A5) Everyday Feels Like Another New Drug (from Chimera) B1) Do You Dream In Colour? (from Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam) B2) A Kind Of Loving (from Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam ) B3) Tender Is The Night (from Chimera) B4) Glow World (from Chimera) B5) Another Day, Another Ray Of Hope (from Chimera) NOTES: Vistamix is an expanded edition of the Chimera mini-album, issued in the US on Portrait Records. The six tracks from Chimera were accompanied by 2 songs each from the previous two albums (Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam and The Love That Whirls ). This would cause later US reissues of both albums to have their track listing amended to avoid having the same material on more than one release. See separate entries for details. PAST RELEASES: Vistamix was later released on CD twice in the US (1989 and 91). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Out of print in this form, all the material was included on the 2005 Mercury remasters (some of which are also out of print in physical form). Digital downloads are available through major online retailers. Collections Menu Future Past

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) January 2007 Feb Apr May Jul Sep Oct Nov Dec Thursday 11th January 2007 -- 9:00 pm First diary entry of 2007 and I'm feeling somewhat sluggish. Haven't been in the mood for the various musical tasks awaiting me. Just can't seem to drum up enough enthusiasm. Perhaps it's because these immediate projects involve, in the main, old material, the Be Bop Deluxe Decca audition sessions, the last two or three years worth of solo guitar concert backing tracks and so on. I would really prefer to sit down and get on with something completely new, but...until I've spent a few weeks dealing with past music, there's no chance of that. Then again, it's just as much a result of my physical lethargy as anything else. I've overdone the festive food and drink, as I always do at this time of year. I'm ashamed to admit that I've let go of everything and indulged myself to a decadent degree. It's a sort of 'to hell with it all' attitude. Not neccesarily a good one either. I'll get back in the saddle though, bit by bit. Took my mother to see the 'Glenn Miller Orchestra' last week. They were performing a concert in Harrogate. Not the original Glenn Miller Orchestra, but a kind of tribute band. I'm no fan of tribute bands but, as it's 60 years or so since Glenn Miller vanished from the face of the earth, perhaps they can be forgiven. There's certainly no danger of a tribute band treading on Glenn's toes. Actually, the band is made up of what was once the 'Ray McVay Showband.' They have a history going back to the 50's, '60's and '70's. Ray McVay was apparently a big Glenn Miller fan and at a certain point in his career decided to change his band into a Miller revival/tribute outfit. It seems that there are Glenn Miller franchises up for grabs: Ray McVay negotiated a deal with the person who owns the rights to the Glenn Miller name and music. (This person is the son of Glenn Miller's lawyer. I'm generally a little suspicious when ownership of such a prestigious and important music as this comes into a lawyer's personal possession, but that's the way of the world.) The outcome of the deal is that Ray McVay's band were granted the right to perform under the name of 'The Glenn Miller Orchestra' and were given legal access to Miller's original arrangements. I have to admit that there were moments when I thought it worked beautifully, particularly on the slower or mid-tempo ballads although the more up-tempo numbers didn't really swing hard enough for me. (But being both a musician and a lover of swing music, I'm possibly being unduly picky.) There were two genuine high spots during the concert...one of which was a smooth reading of 'Moonlight Serenade.' It sounded authentic and warm and its easy tempo allowed soul and expression to be breathed into the piece. A classic composition by Miller himself and wonderfully arranged. The other high spot was a romantic ballad whose title I can't recall. I don't think it was a Miller number, 'though it sounded as if it came from the same era. It featured the band's star player, Peter Hughes on soprano saxophone throughout. He's a veteran player, having worked with Benny Goodman, Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini, amongst others. This distinguished pedigree certainly showed as his playing on the piece in question, (how I wish I could recall its title,) was pure class. I was spellbound. By its conclusion, my eyes were filled with tears, not because it was a particularly sad or melancholy piece, but simply because Peter Hughes' playing was so achingly, devastatingly beautiful. It was a reminder of how deeply music is able to penetrate the soul when placed in the hands of a master. It was worth the admission price and more, just to hear this one piece played with such tenderness and understanding. Absolutely inspirational for me. I was so pleased when it received a tremendous and well deserved response from the audience. The show also featured a vocal group who did a good job of harmonising on the more familiar Miller hits. ('Though the Rat Pack medleys that were thrown in at a couple of junctures were inapropriate to the era and rather hammy.) There was also a four-piece jump-jive dance group who added a strong kinetic and visual counterpoint to some of the pieces. Although at the start of the concert I was in a skeptical mood, by the end, I was won over. My mother loved it, of course as it brought back memories of my late father who had led his own dance bands in the 'forties and early 'fifties. She mentioned how my dad had worn a white tuxedo, as leader of the band, when she'd first met him, and how dashing he looked. Like my brother Ian, Dad had played alto sax and clarinet, 'though as a very young man he'd begun his musical career playing banjo and, I believe, a little bit of guitar. I have only one memory of seeing him play in public...I was a very small boy at the time. It was when his band played for the silver wedding celebrations of a couple who were very good friends of my mother and father. The couple were called Herman and Ada Ackroyd, (Herman was a pianist who was involved in some of my father's musical projects), and their celebratory ball was held at the 'Minor Hall' which was part of the 'Unity Hall' above the old Co-operative Society, located on Westgate in Wakefield. (Known as 'Unity House' these days.) I was taken along to the event by my mother and, for one brief number, was lifted onto the edge of the stage, dressed, (I'm told), in a little red blazer with white shorts, white socks and shoes, to stand in front of my dad. In my infant hands I held a little toy saxophone made of tin with a kazoo-like mouthpiece. I pretended to play along with my father, much to the delight of the assembled guests. If only someone had taken a camera along. What I'd give to have a photograph of that moment... The Glenn Miller Orchestra concert provided a brief respite for my mother who has been understandably melancholy over Christmas. As noted in previous diary entries, the loss of my brother still hangs heavy on her heart. I too, am regularly waking up in the middle of the night, turning over various memories and thoughts about Ian. Somedays I think I'm dealing with it o.k. At other times, it's painful. I know that this is natural and will go on for a long time. I look at the photograph of him I've framed and placed on a side-table in the dining room...I look at it every night as I turn the lights out before going to bed. I can still conjure up his voice in my imagination, his mannerisms, his laugh. I keep finding articles of clothes that I would have passed on to him if he were still here. I often did this in the past with things that I'd hardly worn. Ian graciously accepted them, whether or not he intended to wear them. But it was one of those 'brotherly' things that we had between us. I miss that. Had a surprise 'phone call from my old friend John Leckie. He called to say that he was going to be in the area and would like to spend a couple of days with me, chatting about old times. He was due to arrive this week but has since called to say that it will now be next week. I'm looking forward to seeing him. The last time we physically met up was at the Bloomsbury Theatre during my 2004 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' celebratory tour. Emi and I have cleared out the guest room for John. It was piled high with various things that we had nowhere else to store. They are now piled high in our still non-functioning en-suite bathroom. (See the MFI saga in a much earlier diary entry!) When John has concluded his visit, we'll no doubt dump all this stuff back in the guest room. Also last week, Emi and I had a day trip to London so that Emi could attend a service at her Buddhist Temple in Surrey. As usual, I wandered here, there and everywhere, bookshops and galleries, a solitary lunch at Tate Modern, until Emi returned from her meeting, late in the afternoon. We then decided to have dinner at Trader Vic's in Park Lane, a wonderfully '70's kitsch polynesian restaurant and bar situated beneath the Hilton Hotel. We sat in the bar area, beneath fishing nets and various castaway desert island flummery, induging ourselves with Trader Vic's Tidbits, Crab Rangoon and Singapore Noodles. I first visited a Trader vics in the '70's whilst on tour with Be Bop Deluxe in Canada. The restaurant's visual style, (and menu), has hardly changed in all those intervening years. I still order a Tikki-Pukka-Pukka cocktail and oggle the waitresses in their long, split-sided exotic dresses. Have been reading a book of reminicences by the wonderful Humphrey Littleton, jazz man, radio presenter, caroonist, after-dinner speaker and all round thoroughly decent chap. One thought of Humph's that made me laugh out loud was this: "Progress is nature's way of reconciling the elderly to the prospect of death." For those readers of my diary who might be looking a little puzzled right now, I'll just point out that the key word is 'reconciling' The book, (titled ' It Just Occurred To Me...') is a warmly written collection of stories and anecdotes from Humph's long career. There are some highly amusing moments concerning the colourful characters the author met on the British Jazz scene in the 'fifties. It's proving to be a most enjoyable bedtime read. The final version of my Nelsonic Transitone guitar is apparently winging its way to me as I type these words. Dean Campbell emailed me to say it had been dispatched. I'm eager to see the 'proper' version, complete with the cosmetic details that were not incorporated on the prototypes. Should be with me in a few days, all being well. Weather has been wild these last few days and still is. Very high winds with a lot of rain. The river in town was dangerously high when I walked alongside it this afternoon. The far banks have burst and water extends into Museum Gardens. It's moving along very fast too, driven by more rain further north I suspect. I stood and watched it rattle along for a while. There's something hypnotic about it. Fitting new effects cards to my mixing desk tomorrow. Perhaps these will inspire me to start work on the mixing of the Be Bop Decca tapes. I've kept putting the job off but it has to be done. Maybe it won't be as dull a task as I'm anticipating. Such a long time ago though that I don't feel connected to it at all. A challenge then. Top of page

Luxury Lodge Bill Nelson album - 14 August 2003 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Flux Of Desire 02) Golden Balloon 03) Relaxin' With Bill At Luxury Lodge 04) I Swear That The Girl In The Painting Moved 05) The Birds In The Sky Say Hi! 06) Smoke And Vine 07) Pretty Little Bubble Of Dreams 08) Hank And Duane In Reverbland 09) Wonder Of The Moment 10) Moon Rocket Highway ALBUM NOTES: Luxury Lodge is an album issued exclusively for Nelsonica '03 , in the then customary limited pressing of 500 copies on the Almost Opaque label. As with The Romance of Sustain , it had appeared as a pre-release item at the Gateshead showing of Flashlight Dreams and Fleeting Shadows ahead of its official launch at Nelsonica '03 . Copies were also sold at Nelsonica , allowing attendees the opportunity to purchase a second copy and forward to fans unable to attend the event in person. Although this was repeated for the Nelsonica '04 release (Wah Wah Galaxy ), this practice would cease for Nelsonica '05 (Orpheus in Ultraland ), in order to give overseas fans a fairer chance of getting hold of the unsold stock. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Wonder of the Moment": "As far as I remember, (and I think John Spence can back me up on this), I created the song in a moment of inspiration whilst working on a recording session at Fairview Studios, (it may have been the Practically Wired sessions). Emiko was away in Japan and I was missing her terribly and that feeling became the emotional foundation for the song. I recorded it fairly spontaneously at Fairview with John engineering and later released it on a Nelsonica album...I later expanded the lyric to make the song suitable for a live performance." _____ "The album contains some favourite tracks of mine from that period, including "Flux of Desire" and "Golden Balloon". Also, one of the instrumentals from the 1990s live shows, "Moon Rocket Highway" features, along with the vocal "Wonder of the Moment" which later made an appearance in the 2004 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour. This is a rare and richly varied album which will appeal to all fans of my work." FAN THOUGHTS: Parsongs: "It's great to see folks discovering this album! It combines some of the old songwriting styles with a new vision and energy somehow. It surprised me a bit when it came out, the ease Bill has of crafting a perfect pop song. "I've come back to this album a lot when I want to play a Bill CD, but can't decide which one. "This disc has some hidden gems and a connection to Atom Shop that I can't explain - something about the rhythms and the upbeat nature of the songs." Lonnie: "Never thought I'd ever hear this album, having not been able to attend the Nelsonica . Thank you soooooo much Bill, from one of your biggest fans. "The songs are great. A perfect representation of your sound at the time. A Guitar lover's feast." Chimera Man: "A cracking album. "Wonder of the Moment" is one of the most beautiful songs Bill has released - one of his best vocals too." Merv Mash: "Am presently away form my wife and family in China...The opening lines of "The Wonder of the Moment" are so right just now: When you're sleeping Can you hear me, far away now, over oceans, When the wonder of the moment strikes you down. In the silence Can you hear me, in the darkness, in the distance When the wonder of the moment turns you round. Thanks Bill." Johnny Jazz: "Wonder of the Moment": "Hauntingly beautiful." aquiresville: "Golden Balloon": "What a perfect golden nugget of Pop-Rock loftiness (mixing metaphors here). I love this track!" paul.smith: "The Wonder of the Moment": "is just sublime..."Relaxin' with Bill" - superb...and the closing "Moon Rocket Highway" has some of the best guitar running all the way through...what a great album - rich pickings throughout..." "Pretty Little Bubble of Dreams": "Can't stop putting it on repeat - fantastic pop song - just right for this warm weather..." MG: "Pretty Little Bubble of Dreams": "Some vibes from pop heaven..." wompy2 : "All I can say is how can you listen to "Moon Rocket Highway" and not smile?" Pathdude: "Flux of Desire": "is one of my most favorite tracks ever. Worth the price of admission alone." Albums Menu Future Past

Banal Bill Nelson single - 20 March 1981 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 7" Single: A) Banal B) Mr. Magnetism Himself 12" Single: A) Banal (Extended) B1) Turn To Fiction B2) Hers Is A Lush Situation B3) Mr. Magnetism Himself ORIGINALLY: The 7" A side is identical to the album version on Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam . The 12" A side is an extended version (4' 08"). The B-sides are all non-album tracks. NOTES: Banal was issued as the second single in the lead up to the release of Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam . The single came in 7" and 12" editions, and was Nelson's first release under the deal with Mercury. The 12" showed Nelson making good use of multiple formats, with not only an extended A-side, but also 3 exclusive b-sides, continuing the trend that was started with the Red Noise singles. It was already quite obvious to any Nelson fan that collecting his singles would be every bit as essential as getting the albums. On the original 7" and 12" single labels, "Banal" is printed as 3'30", but this is doubly misleading. The 7" runs for 3'54" (same as the album version in fact), whereas the 12" has an additional "I Know You/You Know Me" refrain around the 3'00" mark, making it unique. PAST RELEASES: All 3 b-sides were included on The Two Fold Aspect of Everything compilation (out of print). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: "Banal" and "Mr. Magnetism Himself" are included on the remastered 2005 CD reissue of Quit Dreaming , as well as The Practice of Everyday Life box set (2011). BILL'S THOUGHTS: "I can't deny that "Banal" was loaded with irony! Yes, it was a response to the need for a catchy single but, at the same time, also satisfy my need to make some sort of statement about the industry requirement for such a thing. Reasonably well-crafted though, despite tongue being firmly stuck in cheek!" Singles Menu Future Past

Rain single - 1991 The Rain Poets Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer and Guitar. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

The Palace Of Strange Voltages Bill Nelson album - 29 September 2012 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Push Button Bang 02) Fluffy Bunny Business 03) The Fantastic Futurama Ride 04) The Mysterious Echo Chamber Of Priapus Stratocaster 05) Stargazing Whilst Smoking An Imaginary Pipe (Pipedreams) 06) In The Palace Of Strange Voltages 07) Superscope ALBUM NOTES: The Palace Of Strange Voltages is an instrumental album issued in a single print run of 1000 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album was first announced on the Dreamsville forum in April 2012, with a firmly established track listing. One notable inclusion was "The Mysterious Echo Chamber of Priapus Stratocaster" that had been the title of an album project announced the previous June (a project that mutated into a number of separate albums issued across 2011 and 2012). The Palace Of strange Voltages sold out in January 2021. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Luxury Wonder Moments , Non-Stop Mystery Action , Mazda Kaleidoscope , Illuminated at Dusk , Stereo Star Maps , Albion Dream Vortex , Signals From Realms of Light , Fables and Dreamsongs , Loom , Astroloops , Quiet Bells BILL'S THOUGHTS: "It contains long-form instrumentals, mostly improvised compositions centered around keyboards, treated guitars and electronica. Hard to describe but somewhere between the Non-Stop Mystery Action album and some of the live improvs I performed at last year's Leeds College of Music concert." "A satisfying listen for those who enjoyed Signals , Mazda , Non-Stop Mystery Action and Illuminated at Dusk ." FAN THOUGHTS: andygeorge: "HANG ON TO YOUR HATS!!...It's gonna blow you away! Bloody marvellous collection of music that only Bill knows how to 'cook' and serve..." "I've been to unbelievable places, in outa space...had an experience that I'll never forget...I've been taken into the future and I felt like I was there!...all thanks to "The Fantastic Futurama Ride!"... Bill, I've been listening to this brilliant track from the fantastic Palace of Strange Voltages almost daily on repeat...' tis indeed a work of great tapestry that just flows from one exquisite piece of music to another, to create 14:56 minutes of pure listening pleasure...Love it!!! ...then it goes into "The Mysterious Echo Chamber of Priapus Stratocastor"...Here we go again!!! "What I'm tying to say is the The Palace of Strange Voltages is, in my humble opinion, your best work so far this year and boy have we had some good releases in the last 12 months... ...as I type, The Dreamshire Chronicles have just been delivered by Postie!...Oh my, here we go again!!!" Merikan1: "I am seriously loving this one. I thought nothing could pry Joy Through Amplification out of my player, but I was wrong. Palace of Strange Voltages is simply awesome. I just listened to "Priapus" 3 times in a row. The whole album is fantastic." felixt1: "There is much on here to satisfy those who enjoy Bill's guitar instrumental music. It has elements of both Signals From Realms of Light and also Mazda Kaleidoscope . Whilst being quite different from both those albums, if you do enjoy them - this will go down a treat." "The Palace of Strange Voltages is indeed bloody marvellous - possibly even better than Signals from Realms of Light ..." Peter Cook: "What an exquisite piece of work. Just relaxing into this beautiful music." "Another album "close to the edge" of the 74 minute limit - jam packed with orgasmic soundscapes." Douglas Barry: "The Fantastic Futurama Ride": The blues/jazz hook that starts at around 7:20 is so hypnotic I'm just transported to a wonderful place where I don't want it to end. This is definitely one of those tracks you play loud in a dimly lit room. And a lovely whimsical finish with another great guitar lick. Just love it. It's an experience you'll never forget!" Holer: "Push Button Bang": "is almost pure sound - there is no 'melody' in any conventional sense and it really sounds unlike anything Bill has done before. I am always excited whenever Bill gets his weird on." GettingOnTheBeam: "The best time to be a Bill Nelson fan? The present - because you just don't know what's next." steve lyles: "I received the new CDs a couple of days ago and I just had to say how blown away I am with the Palace of Strange Voltages ....Wow. What a musical journey this is...it goes off in all sorts of directions that leave me bedazzled and smiling...it is magnificent Bill...the interplay between keyboards and guitar is mesmerizing...I don't possess enough superlatives in my vocabulary to shower on this music...more please." Albums Menu Future Past

Forum Members To see this working, head to your live site. Categories All Posts My Posts Login / Sign up The Dreamsville Forum Create New Post William's World A forum for discussing the work of Bill Nelson! subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 1.2K Follow World Outside The Window A forum for the discussion of more general topics. subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 1K Follow The World And His Wife A forum for fans to discuss their own music, artwork, poetry...or whatever talent they may wish to share! subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 131 Follow New Posts Radium Girl Oct 12, 2025 Lot 135 John Peel collection William's World Hi all just a heads up about a fantastic Bill Nelson lot from the John Peel collection part two from Omega auctions. The first auction had some great stuff and doesn’t disappoint this time, if nothing else to see the pic of Johns 4 star rating for Kind Of Loving. https://bid.omegaauctions.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-135---bill-nelson---lp-collection-including-test-pressings-and-a-four-star-rating-from-john-peel/?lot=81240&so=0&st=Bill%20nelson&sto=0&au=214&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=0&pp=48&pn=1&g=1 Like 4 2 Worra Oct 15, 2025 Worra and Peter Brookes The World And His Wife Hello world! Long time! I have this little project called "Weather Vane", where I pretty much play whatever comes into my mind. Now there's a new release coming out on the digital platform you prefer! It's a collaboration between myself and Peter Brookes, and also people from Sweden, Finland and Japan! So, here's a little teaser of the song written by me and beautifully sang by Peter! Hope you like it and check the full release October 15! Weather Vane - SD 480p.mov Like 2 1 jostmo Oct 08, 2025 The modern world William's World Like 2 1 Forum - Frameless

Altar Pieces Bill Nelson album - 20 July 1990 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 1) Prima Materia (First Matter) 2) Arbor Philosophica (Tree Of Philosophy) 3) Opus Hermeticum (The Work Of Hermes) 4) Signum Natura (Symbolic Nature) 5) Mysterium Magnum (The Great Secret) 6) Clavis Angelicae (Key Of Angels) 7) Sanctus Illuminatus (The Sacred Illuminated) 8) Accessio Lucis (The Coming Light) ALBUM NOTES: A limited edition cassette issued as the first post-Cocteau Records release, and available at gigs and mail order. The Altar Pieces cassette artwork design was decidedly DIY. These eight tracks were originally created for a live performance in Wakefield Cathedral as part of the city's 1990 Arts Festival. The performance was titled Opus Illuminatus and featured live improvisations on guitar, (by Bill), and saxophone, (by his younger brother Ian), played over interactive 'backing tracks'. These tracks, (without the live overdubbed guitar and saxophone), were released as an extremely limited 500 edition cassette-only item in 1990. PAST RELEASES: The cassette was reissued in 1991 in another numbered edition of 500 copies. However, unnumbered copies also exist, suggesting that more than 1000 copies were manufactured. In the mid '90s, when Nelson's career was being supported by the publication of a new occasional fan-club magazine called The Nelsonian Navigator , the final few numbered copies of Altar Pieces were sold off to members of the new club. These copies are autographed by the artist, and dated Nov '94. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Having stated a number of times that an official CD reissue was under consideration, Nelson, clearly annoyed by the appearance of a bootleg edition on eBay, immediately took steps to reissue the album as a remastered digital download via Bandcamp with revised artwork. This edition is available for purchase as a digital download in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Altar Pieces was part of a unique two-part performance given as part of the Wakefield Arts Festival in 1990. Wakefield is the town of my birth, and where I grew up and was educated (as many of you will know). Part one of the performance, (which was given the title: 'Goofing Off in God's Garden') was presented on the open air bandstand of Wakefield's Clarence Park. (Also the site of a free concert I staged way back in the 1960's with my then band 'Global Village'.) The Altar Pieces music had absolutely nothing to do with the 'Goofing Off in God's Garden' performance in the open air. G.O.I.G.G. was an entirely different set of instrumentals altogether. "The Altar Pieces music was used for a SECOND performance on a different day. This second performance was titled 'Opus Illuminatus' and was held in Wakefield's gothic cathedral. The Altar Pieces tracks, (on the cassette mentioned above), were actually the foundation or 'backing tracks' for live improvisations that I performed on guitar that day, live in the cathedral. My brother Ian joined me on sax for several numbers, both in Clarence Park AND in the cathedral. The cassette contains only the 'backing tracks' though, which actually work fine without the improvised overdubs. However, some of those tracks have survived to this day as live performance pieces. "Artifex" being the main one. Another is "Gloria Mundae". These can be heard with overdubbed guitar parts on the Romance of Sustain album. "The Altar Pieces music, for those of you curious about it, was devised around alchemical and hermetic philosophies, the western mystery tradition. The irony was playing this music in orthodox Christian churches such as Wakefield Cathederal and the French Church in London. The philosophies that provided the music with its foundation were, (and still are), considered heretical by religious orthodoxy. Thankfully, they don't burn heretics at the stake anymore." _____ "For those of you who enjoy the more ambient and esoteric side of my work, this album is not only rare but essential. For those of you fortunate enough to own the original cassette release, this new remastered, re-designed version brings Altar Pieces to you with a sonic clarity denied to the original." _____ "Oh, my God..the HAIR! The RADIANCE!! The Goat-Headed cane!!!" FAN THOUGHTS: TheMikeN: "A set of eight deep, mysterious, but quite minimalist instrumental pieces that sound like they should be performed in a very dark and threatening cathedral. The titles are all Latin and explore magical, esoteric religious territory associated with Bill's involvement in study (and practice?) of Gnosticism. Nothing unpleasantly pagan about it, as far as I can tell, but this is a concept album to end all concept albums!" Chris N: "Fabulous! This is my favourite Bill album - played endlessly on a loop when when I was studying a management course a few years ago. I found it helped me to think and define my ideas. This [digital] release sounds stunning" Andre: "Altar Pieces is very special because the music is so mysterious and otherworldly to me." Kalamazoo Kid: "Not identical, but certainly aesthetic kin to Chance Encounters and Simplex." Mozo: "I'm just totally awed by its complexities. I especially love listening to it late at night when it's raining cats and dogs, complete with thunder and lightning." james warner: "I transferred my original copy to CD, but couldn't do much about the tape hiss. Now the atmospheric nature of this music can be fully appreciated." Albums Menu Future Past

Getting The Holy Ghost Across album - 25 April 1986 Bill Nelson Albums Menu Future Past Currently unavailable TRACKS: 01) Suvasini 02) Contemplation 03) Theology 04) Wildest Dreams 05) Lost In Your Mystery 06) Rise Like A Fountain 07) Age Of Reason 08) The Hidden Flame 09) Because Of You 10) Pansophia 2013 VERSION DISC 2: 01) Wildest Dreams (Wild Mix) from the Wildest Dreams 12" single 02) Heart And Soul 03) Living For The Spangled Moment 04) Feast Of Lanterns 05) Illusions Of You 06) Word For Word 07) Finks And Stooges Of The Spirit 08) Nightbirds from the Living for the Spangled Moment EP 09) Self Impersonisation (7" and 12" b-side) 10) Wildest Dreams (7" a-side) 11) The Yo-Yo Dyne (12" b-side) from the Wildest Dreams singles ALBUM NOTES: Getting the Holy Ghost Across is a vocal album issued by Portrait Records, a CBS subsidiary. It would turn out to be Nelson's final album for a major label for over 6 years. In the UK the album was issued on LP and cassette, with the latter containing five extra tracks and an exclusive extended version of "Because of You". These five bonus tracks would form the bulk of the Living For the Spangled Moment mini-album issued later that year (see separate entry). Allegedly the album was due to be issued on CD, but CBS cancelled the release before copies hit the shops, and it would take 20 years before it officially appeared in that format. Getting the Holy Ghost Across was the subject of some controversy in the US, mainly due to Nelson's use of The Annunciation with St. Emidius (1486, by Carlo Crivelli) alongside occult script and symbolism on the album artwork. Therefore, for the North American release it was released with an alternative title (On a Blue Wing ) in re-designed artwork. If that wasn't confusing enough, the US album featured an alternative track listing, losing songs A3 and B2, but gaining 2 of the bonus tracks added to the UK tape ("Heart and Soul" and "Living for the Spangled Moment"). PAST RELEASES: Such was the interest in a reissue of Getting the Holy Ghost Across that Nelson licensed the master tapes from Sony (who bought CBS in the 1990s) for a limited edition release on his own Sonoluxe imprint (2006). For this release Nelson added all seven tracks from the Living for the Spangled Moment mini-album, and "Yo-Yo Dyne" from the Wildest Dreams 12" single. Although not part of the 22 album reissue programme licensed to Cherry Red in 2011, it was a pleasant surprise when Cherry Red announced the release of a 2CD edition of Getting the Holy Ghost Across in 2013. The remastered set improved on the Sonoluxe edition by restoring the original UK artwork, and included all 11 tracks issued across the Wildest Dreams 12" single and the Living for the Spangled Moment mini-album. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: This CD is currently unavailable with no know plans for a re-release. BILL'S THOUGHTS: The album's title Getting The Holy Ghost Across and its occult/esoteric symbolism caused a problem with regard to getting the album stocked by a certain chain of record stores across the States. This chain was owned by a fundamentalist Christian family whose beliefs forbade them from stocking any album that might promote occult or esoteric philosophies. The usual, ill-informed paranoia of the born-agains, I suppose. Anyway, because this particular chain of record stores represented an important source of sales it was decided to change the album title to On A Blue Wing and to redesign the cover art, removing any trace of magical, alchemical or occult symbolism. This was just for the American market of course, in the UK the album retained its original title and packaging." _____ "I haven't actually played the album for ages...but I do recall that much of the album was about my first falling in love with Emiko whilst I was still married to someone else." _____ From Acquitted by Mirrors 13: "The script on the right is called Malachim. It is a coded alphabet that was used in Grimoires and it goes back to the Middle Ages. On the left is Enochian, also a magical language. This one was developed by a Dr John Dee who was the Court Astrologer to Queen Elizabeth the First. He was one of the most learned men in Europe at that time and had his own huge private library down in Mortlake out to the west side of London. The house is sadly long since knocked down but the site is still there. Dee worked with a man called Edward Kelly who was a kind of medium; it is said the two of them were given this alphabet through the means of a crystal ball. It is an entire language - very complex - in fact it has been checked out by modern-day language experts and it has all the attributes, it has grammar, syntax and so on. It is used again in a kind of angelic magic; but on the sleeve what they both say is 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across'. "The script on the back is Hebrew and that of course says the same thing. The reason I used these is because they are all part of the things I have been studying. The Enochian system is used by a magical order that in fact still exists today under the surface. It is called 'The Order of the Golden Dawn' to which the infamous Aleister Crowley once belonged. Well a big chunk of their teachings are hinged around the Enochian Theory, so it is obviously something I am quite aware of." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review on Goldmine Magazine FAN THOUGHTS: Jon Wallinger: "Getting the Holy Ghost Across is probably the album that means the most to me in terms of my Bill Nelson "timeline". I had always been aware of Bill Nelson/Be Bop Deluxe from being a wee nipper and watching the rehearsals in the local village hall, but I never got into the music until the mid 80's and this album was the first that I had to wait for the release, I'd read some tantalising snippets of lyrics and info from the fan club magazines, the buzz of anticipation was unforgettable, bought the LP and Cassette version upon release and have loved it ever since." Parsongs: "Getting the Holy Ghost Across is one of my favorites from Bill Nelson. An album that can be spiritual or iconoclastic depending on the perspective of the listener. "To me it is a collection of songs about a man questioning everything: his world, his religion, his relationships. It has a certain intensity to it (in words & music) that I just love." james warner: "The themes of spirituality and religion dominate, however, it is not a sermon, but a celebration. An uplifting experience even for non-believers such as myself. This being an 80s release, there is a strong keyboard content in the music, but the guitar has all the more impact when it is used, particularly in 'The Hidden Flame' and 'Because of You'." Phil: "Contemplation": "is probably my all time favourite Bill Nelson track, and that includes all the BBD stuff. I just love the prelude that "Suvasini" provides for the track and adore all the swirling eastern influences that pervade the song. Couple these with the funky, bass driven emphasis (not unusual in the mid 80's) and the legacy of lyricism and tuneship that we had from the BBD and QD days, then you have the perfect track." Mr. Mercury: "The GTHGA version [of "Contemplation"] remains one of the most gorgeous songs written in the latter part of the 20th Century, and my favourite version..." Peter: "The album came out during a particularly rough romantic period in my life, and a couple of the songs really spoke to me. When I heard 'Because of You', for example, for the first time, I teared up...it just reached in and found an emotional chord in me and strummed it! The guitar in that song has such feeling..." aquiresville: "Absolutely played the Heck out of this vinyl, when it was originally released (along with the Living For The Spangled Moment EP). 'Wildest Dreams' was an incredible slice of heaven." MondoJohnny: "Some half mad whino shoved a copy of Getting the Holy Ghost Across into my hands and told me my life would never be the same. He was right! "I've never heard anything like it before or since. "One of my favorite albums of all time I think." alec: "I remember my parents assuming that Getting the Holy Ghost Across was a Classical LP. "Regarding the Hebrew: In the late '80s, a girl I used to know who is from Israel I remember kept looking at that record cover and so I finally handed it to her. She explained to me that the Hebrew on the cover is actually "Getting The Holy Ghost Across" in English, written phonetically (in Hebrew characters). She spoke it as she read it and I remember her giggling as she read the word "across" as something like "eh-kro-ez," or similar. "That's very clever!" she laughed." BlissIsFree: "It's the 2013 edition of Getting the Holy Ghost Across I just got my hands on. I must say, I have waited decades for this! Listening to it, especially the remastering is like reacquainting with a dear old friend. Not only is this one of my favourite albums of Bill's but favourite period. "I want to thank Bill for seeing fit to have this version released, because of the track programming, liner notes, and Bill's notes and reflections on this album. I am so grateful to have this. Definitely an aural treat." MG: "In the context of back in the day I always liked the material. With the expanded release and liner notes I would recommend this to anyone wanting to take a step back in time with regard to BN's body of work. Call me nostalgic...the liner notes alone are worth the price of admission." Quinault: "Best album of the era. Hands down! Even more tracks than Bill's Sonoluxe release. Buy it now." Albums Menu Future Past

Could This Be Heaven? single - 1979 Original Mirrors Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

Albums Discography Menu Clicking on a cover below will take you to a full page devoted to that album. Orchestra Futura - Live At Nelsonica & Clothworkers Hall 2025 album Studio Cadet 2024 album Powertron 2024 album Starlight Stories 2023 album All The Fun Of The Fair 2023 album Stupid/Serious 2023 album Marvellous Realms 2023 album Electra (In Search Of The Golden Sound) 2022 album My Private Cosmos 2021 6-CD box set album Mixed Up Kid 2021 album Dazzlebox 2021 double album New Vibrato Wonderland 2020 album The Jewel 2020 album Old Haunts 2019 album The Last Lamplighter 2019 album Stand By: Light Coming... 2019 album Auditoria 2018 3-CD album Dynamos And Tremolos 2018 album Drive This Comet Across The Sky 2018 album The Unrealist 2018 album That Old Mysterioso 2018 album Songs For Ghosts 2017 double album Tripping The Light Fantastic 2017 live album Luxury Wonder Moments 2017 album Kid Flip And The Golden Spacemen 2017 album The Awakening Of Dr Dream 2017 album Six String Super Apparatus Painting With Guitars Volume Three 2016 album New Northern Dream 2016 album All That I Remember 2016 album Special Metal 2016 album Perfect Monsters 2016 album Loom 2015 album Electric Atlas 2015 album Plectrajet Painting With Guitars Volume Two 2015 album The Years 2015 album Swoons And Levitations 2015 album Quiet Bells 2015 album Astroloops 2015 album Shining Reflector 2014 album Stereo Star Maps 2014 album Fantastic Guitars 2014 album Pedalscope 2014 album The Sparkle Machine Several Sustained Moments 2013 album Albion Dream Vortex 2013 album The Tremulous Doo-Wah Diddy - Blip! 2 2013 album Blip! 2013 album The Dreamshire Chronicles 2012 double album The Palace Of Strange Voltages 2012 album Return To Tomorrow These Tapes Rewind: Volume One 2012 album Joy Through Amplification The Ultra-Fuzzy World Of Priapus Stratocaster 2012 album Recorded Live At Metropolis Studios 2012 album The Last Of The Neon Cynics 2012 album Songs Of The Blossom Tree Optimists 2012 album Model Village 2011 album Signals From Realms Of Light 2011 album Hip Pocket Jukebox 2011 mini-album Fantasmatron 2011 album Fables And Dreamsongs A Golden Book Of Experimental Ballads 2010 album Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus 2010 album Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms 2010 album Picture Post 2010 album Non-Stop Mystery Action 2009 album Theatre Of Falling Leaves 2009 album Dream Transmission Pavilion 2009 album Fancy Planets 2009 album Here Comes Mr Mercury 2009 album Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow 2008 album Clocks And Dials 2008 double album Mazda Kaleidoscope 2008 album Illuminated At Dusk 2008 album Silvertone Fountains 2008 album And We Fell Into A Dream 2007 album Secret Club For Members Only 2007 album Gleaming Without Lights 2007 album Arcadian Salon 2006 album Return To Jazz Of Lights 2006 album Neptune's Galaxy 2006 album The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill 2005 album Orpheus In Ultraland 2005 album Rosewood - Volume 2 2005 album Rosewood - Volume 1 2005 album Wah-Wah Galaxy 2004 album Dreamland To Starboard 2004 album Satellite Songs 2004 album Custom Deluxe 2004 album Plaything 2004 album The Romance Of Sustain Painting With Guitars Volume One 2003 album Luxury Lodge 2003 album Whimsy 2003 double album Astral Motel 2002 album Noise Candy 2002 6-CD box set album Caliban And The Chrome Harmonium 2001 album Whistling While The World Turns 2000 album Atom Shop 1998 album Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer 1997 album Excellent Spirits 1996 album After The Satellite Sings 1996 album My Secret Studio Music From The Great Magnetic Back Of Beyond 1995 album Practically Wired 1995 album Crimsworth 1995 album Automatic 1994 album Blue Moons And Laughing Guitars 1992 album Luminous 1991 album Simplex 1990 album Altar Pieces 1990 album Demonstrations Of Affection 1989 4CD box set album Optimism 1988 album Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights 1987 double album Map Of Dreams 1987 album Iconography 1986 album Chameleon 1986 album Living For The Spangled Moment 1986 mini-album Getting The Holy Ghost Across 1986 album Trial By Intimacy The Book Of Splendours 1985 album box set Savage Gestures For Charms Sake 1983 mini- album Chimera 1983 mini- album The Love That Whirls Diary Of A Thinking Heart 1982 album La Belle Et La Bête 1982 album Das Kabinett 1981 album Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam 1981 album Sounding The Ritual Echo 1981 album Sound On Sound 1979 album Drastic Plastic 1978 album Live! In The Air Age 1977 album Modern Music 1976 album Sunburst Finish 1976 album Futurama 1975 album Axe Victim 1974 album Northern Dream 1971 album Discography Menu

Here Comes Mr Mercury Bill Nelson album - 20 July 2009 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Never A Dull Day (For Les Paul) 02) Coop's Place 03) Six String Skyway 04) The Standard Fireworks Stomp 05) Teatime In The Republic Of Dreams 06) Soda Fountain Swing 07) Attempt To Re-Assemble My Fragmented Self 08) Autumn Noodle No. 1 09) A Dream For Ian 10) Mars Welcomes Careful Drivers 11) Here Comes Mr Mercury 12) Dance Of The Pagan Energy Ghosts 13) Tomorrow Today 14) Red Planet Blues (The Ritual Transfiguration Of Spaceman Albert Fitzwilliam Digby) ALBUM NOTES: Here Comes Mr Mercury is an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label in a single print run of 1000 copies. The album was - alongside Fancy Planets - the first Bill Nelson CD to feature 'CD text' allowing you to see the title of each track as it played on certain in car and hi-fi systems. The album sold out in February 2019. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "What I've been moving towards, in an organic and natural way, over many years, is a genre of my own where all the different aspects of my work, the various combinations of instruments, the various approaches to composition, (ambient, rock, electronic, jazz, pop, avant, roots, twang, modern classical etc), simply become fused together to create something that is uniquely mine. "There's no singular jazz approach, or rock approach, or whatever, in the music...ALL these tints and shades are actively combined in my imagination, ALL the time. My music simply reflects everything I've ever absorbed in 61 years of listening, from infant nursery rhymes through my father's 1940's big band swing, rock n' roll, easy listening, psychedelia, folk, country, jazz, classical, experiments with pure sound and so on...everything that has ever touched me. It's a vast panorama of sound. "So...I personally don't lock my music in sealed stylistic boxes anymore, (although I'm sometimes asked to describe it in orthodox terms for the purpose of this website). In my head, (especially when I'm actually creating), I'm not thinking of my music as rock, pop, jazz, blues, ambient and so on, it's just MUSIC and sound, one seamless, natural flow of expression." _____ "Those of you with an interest in mythology AND science fiction, will spot the album title's underlying theme of 'Hermes/ Mercury'. "It also connects with a childhood comic book hero of mine, 'Jack Flash, The Flying Boy From Mercury' who featured in 1950's 'Beano' comics. Drawn originally by the legendary Dudley D. Watkins, Jack had tiny ankle wings that enabled him to fly like a bird. "When I was a very young boy, I'd cut out pairs of wings from cartridge paper, attach them to my shoes and race around the house pretending to be Jack Flash. Never got more than a few inches off the ground though!" _____ "Coop's Place" - "The title refers to a real place, a lovely little bar-cantina in New Orleans where Harold Budd and I used to spend our evenings, drinking Corona beer together, after working through the day on his album 'By the Dawn's Early Light'. I enjoyed the 'mud bugs', (crayfish), they boiled up and served in bowls...and the 'po-boy' sandwiches. I think Coop's Place vanished in the floods of a few year's back. But what a wonderful time I had there in New Orleans at Daniel Lanois' fabulous studio, with Harold, B. J. Cole and the rest of the gang." FAN THOUGHTS: Holer: "Bill, I don't know how you do it. With as many instrumental albums as you've dropped in recent years, you still keep coming up with creations that build upon past entries but stand on their own as unique musical experiences. Mr Mercury just grabs the ears and does not let go. Each song seems to shift effortlessly into the next and yet every one is so unique that they really stand out as their own little miniature sonic world. Standout tracks? "Teatime", "Fragmented Self", "Dream for Ian", "Careful Drivers"...on and on. If I had to pick one, I'd say "Pagan Energy Ghosts", but I can tell it's going to change and evolve as I continue to listen." "You never cease to suprise and amaze, Bill..." December Man: "A cracking good guitar in 5th gear album." Merikan1: "Bill, you rock dude. You may see yourself as sliding into old gitdom, but that lusty, degenerate rocker is still lurking about in there. Listening to "Coop's Place". "It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang!" Good ole boy music. I kept hearing Satchmo. Thanks again, Bill. Is Wunnerful." istvan: "I just can't stop listening to this groovy record...Mercury shines all around, very tasty, at times thick layered, than light and fleeting, I hear cowboys and geishas, above the clouds and below with Cerberus, melodic and dancable, it lightens my spirit. Thanks Bill, amigo de musica." Peter: "Here Comes Mr Mercury is sublime...it is yet another absolutely gorgeous sonic tour de force. Some of it just made me melt..." "Deeply dazzled by both "Autumn Noodle No.1" and "A Dream for Ian". I mean, the whole album is wonderful, but these two are SO good...my god, Bill, but you have the gift. It is interesting that I believe the songs you have done in tribute to Ian are all stunningly beautiful. Clearly, the emotion that inspired them takes the music to another level. Such powerful and moving beauty at your fingertips...thank you for sharing." Alan: "While some of this album is in the jazz vein, most of it doesn't fall in that category, in my opinion. Personally, I think this album is a must for any Nelsonian. And no, I don't work for Sound On Sound, or Bill. But, this album does have some great guitar throughout." Angie: "It really is a gem of an album. For me, the overall feel of it is extremely uplifting, and what a variety of musical styles there is! An absolute treat of an album." andygeorge: "Here Comes Mr Mercury is Bill at his beautiful best, a classic collection of just lovely, lovely music that just oozes class...and all this on the first few plays! Cheers Bill, you never fail to please..." alec: "Coops Place": "The guitar sounds like many different instruments, including a trumpet solo, in this little number, seamlessly gliding through many related genres of instrumental music. I like that unbridled laughter at the track's end. Much praise to this CD's cover art. Each panel its own world." felixt1: "Here Comes Mr Mercury is one of Bill's absolute best guitar instrumental albums - so many great compositions, not least "Never A Dull Day (For Les Paul)", "Six String Skyway" and "A Dream For Ian". Some of Bill's best guitar playing on this one - a must have." Albums Menu Future Past

The Romance Of Sustain Bill Nelson album - 14 August 2003 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) This Very Moment (Version 1) 02) Artifex 03) Appolinaire 04) It Just Doesn't Rain Like It Used To 05) Rocket Rabbit's Secret Dream (Osram Energy Device No. 1) 06) Transoceanic 07) For Stuart (Triumph And Lament) 08) Gloria Mundae 09) Steamboat In The Clouds 10) Real Men With Ray Guns 11) Locarno 12) Wondermonster 13) Full Sail 14) Black Fish/Silver Pond ALBUM NOTES: The Romance of Sustain (Painting with Guitars Volume One) album was the first to appear on the Universal Twang label, another short lived 'private' label created exclusively for Nelson's prolific output. Issued in a single pressing of 1000 copies, the album first went on sale as a pre-release on August 14 at A Private View event, staged to premiere the DVD Flashlight Dreams and Fleeting Shadows , held in Gateshead. The CD was then available at merchandise tables at gigs and Nelsonica '03 and Nelsonica '04 , and the Rooms With Brittle Views website. The album comprised guitar-based instrumental music which would go some way to define the artist's work for the 21st Century. The Romance of Sustain album includes Nelson's tribute piece to former Skids and Big Country guitarist Stuart Adamson, "For Stuart", written for a special benefit gig staged in Adamson's memory. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Plectrajet , Six String Super Apparatus , Tripping The Light Fantastic , Fantastic Guitars , The Awakening of Dr Dream , Practically Wired , Plaything , Custom Deluxe , Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms , Wah-Wah Galaxy BILL'S THOUGHTS: " Romance of Sustain (Painting with Guitars Volume One), was primarily a collection of instrumentals that I'd intended for use in live performance." "It doesn't exclusively contain material I've featured in my live performances. It does have a few solo performance tracks, ("For Stuart" being a major one), but it also contains things which have never featured in my concerts." _____ "I wonder how many people 'got' the title of The Romance of Sustain ? Just thinking now that, for many fans, it may seem a rather peculiar title...but it has a definite meaning. If you are a guitarist, you will probably understand that one of the 'Holy Grails' of guitar playing is tone and sustain. By that I mean the way that a guitar string resonates and transmits the tonality of the instrument to the ear, over time. Guitarists are forever in search of that perfect sound, the note that continues to hang in the air after a string has been struck by the plectrum. It sustains and creates a lyrical, legato effect, almost vocal, or viola-like. The search for sustain and tonality has become legendary and different guitars, amps and effects have taken on an almost magical quality if they have proved successful in the guitarists' search for individual note sustain. In that sense, there's a 'romance' or fantasy attached to the sound of the guitar...this evasive, elusive, perfected dream of a vibrating string. Hence my choice of The Romance of Sustain for an album dedicated to the sound of the electric guitar." _____ "The piece "For Stuart' was made as a tribute to the late Stuart Adamson and deliberately contained several phrases from Stuart's favourite Be Bop Deluxe songs, because Stuart was such a huge fan. Stuart also traced and bought the original Hoyer guitar I'd posed with on the 'Axe Victim' album cover. The Skids also asked me to produce some recordings for them, including their 'Days In Europa' album. I remember Stuart asking me to show him how to play certain Be Bop Deluxe licks whilst we were in Rockfield recording that album. However, I always encouraged him to develop a sound and style of his own, which he did and perfected so well with his work with Big Country." FAN THOUGHTS: Parsongs: "A Classic. Period." Panoramicon: "I almost feel envious of those who are just discovering the works (more like the universe) of Bill. Wherever you roam therein will reveal wonders; some magnificent, some sublime, but always unique. It's one Muthalode of a life's work, but rich and satisfying in its extent. I'm listening to the track "Artifex" off of The Romance of Sustain , and as usual I sit with a bemused MonaLisa smile on my boat-race. Yeah, warmth, beauty and wonder." Iron Man No. 28: "One of the great things about the way you record music, Bill, is the layers and the detail. Painting With Guitars (and other elements), if you will. Suddenly the listener can hear something new and unexpected on a familiar album or even a familiar track." peterc62: "For me the best bridge between 20th and 21st Century Bill Nelson music is The Romance of Sustain ." Sue: "I think every track on Romance of Sustain is as good as it gets. It's an inspired album of unadulterated brilliance." Westdeep: "Whenever I hear the opening notes of "For Stuart" I still get goose bumps - sublime." "In my opinion this is Bill at the top of his game. An absolute essential for any collection of his work. Get it now!" machman767: "For Stuart nearly had me in tears." John Izzard: "Forgive me if you've already heard it, but I'd recommend you buy Romance of Sustain , if only for one track! This, of course, being "For Stuart (Triumph and Lament)". It's no surprise that this track gets frequent mentions in both Bill Nelson and Big Country circles - the track being both written for, and dedicated to, the late and great Stuart Adamson. The track is crammed full of Be-Bop references, which any fan of Bill's earlier works would find irresistible. Someone else said that it brought tears to their eyes...Well, mine too and no doubt countless others. It's that good. I'd suggest this is one of those tracks that justifies the cost of an entire album in itself! Don't get me wrong, Romance of Sustain is one of my preferred albums of Bill's more recent offerings (and I like 'em all), but I'd still buy RoS if it only included "For Stuart" and 14 other tracks of morse code!" slipperyseal: "The 'Modern Music' guitar in "For Stuart" is probably my favourite Bill Nelson moment ever. Goosebumps every time I listen." steve lyles: "I put on Bill Nelson's "For Stuart" track and was struck by how it really sums up Stuart Adamson's musical vision with Big Country...and really captures the "essence" of what Stuart and his music was all about." Lonnie: "Full Sail": "About 2:38 into the song he rips a cadenza that shouts JOY TO THE WORLD!! (at least that's what I always hear)." glint: "The period that gave us Romance of Sustain , all the way up to the Rosewoods , represent the some of THE greatest stuff I've had the pleasure of overdosing on. If Bill had streched out the recording process over a few years, instead of months (or weeks?), would these albums still retain that magic and flow? It seems that he is very in touch with the muse, and how she likes to work him. We, as fans get to benefit by being able to hear such a large, glittery catalogue." paul.smith: "This is one of the top albums in my collection - my journey to acquire this album makes Jason's journey to aquire the Golden Fleece look like a trip to the shops." juninho: "Bill's best release this century...so far." Albums Menu Future Past

Clocks & Dials Bill Nelson double album - 1 November 2008 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download DISC ONE TRACKS: 01) Thunder Heralds The Fairylight Parade 02) Mystery Vortex (Oberon Touchstone) 03) Test Card 04) Clear Skies A' Coming 05) Rain Made Us Shine 06) Music For A Victorian Steam Cottage 07) A Town Called Blue Tomorrow 08) Searching For An Island Off The Coast Of Dreams 09) Signals From Earth 10) Frankie Surfs The Milky Way 11) I Travel At Night 12) Just A Kid And All That Sky 13) Rain Falls Fast On Faded Ruin 14) Artismo Loco 15) Dynatron Blues 16) No Time Says The Clock (Version 1) 17) How Many Miles To Babylon 18) The Rainiest Day In The World 19) Twang Rings True DISC TWO TRACKS: 01) The Phonograph Bird 02) The Experimental Time Traveller 03) Dig The Sparkles 04) The Golden Roundabout Rides Again 05) Mellophonia 06) Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air 07) Yonder Gleams Your Star 08) Cinnamon And Mint 09) The Marvellous Model Kit 10) Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass 11) Rocket Billy Blues 12) Distant Years From Now 13) A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind 14) Oh Moon In The Night I Have Seen Thee Sailing 15) Clocks Wind Slow 16) Strange And Wonderful (That's My Life) 17) A Million Moonlight Miles 18) The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes 19) No Time Says The Clock (Version 2) DISC TWO TRACKS: 01) The Phonograph Bird 02) The Experimental Time Traveller 03) Dig The Sparkles 04) The Golden Roundabout Rides Again 05) Mellophonia 06) Electric Trains, Clean Oceans, Clear Skies, Pure Air 07) Yonder Gleams Your Star 08) Cinnamon And Mint 09) The Marvellous Model Kit 10) Curate's Egg In Cup Of Grass 11) Rocket Billy Blues 12) Distant Years From Now 13) A Certain Thought Passed Through My Mind 14) Oh Moon In The Night I Have Seen Thee Sailing 15) Clocks Wind Slow 16) Strange And Wonderful (That's My Life) 17) A Million Moonlight Miles 18) The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes 19) No Time Says The Clock (Version 2) ALBUM NOTES: Clocks and Dials is a vocal album issued exclusively for Nelsonica '08 on the Discs of Ancient Odeon label. As with the previous year's convention exclusive, Clocks and Dials was pressed in a print run of 1000 copies to avoid the clamour for copies after Nelsonica , and the price of second hand copies escalating on eBay. Clocks and Dials stands alone within the body of Nelsonica releases as the only 2CD set among them, and was presented in a special fold out digipack sleeve. The album was recorded concurrently with Golden Melodies of Tomorrow and had a number of working titles (In The Realm of the Unreal; The Experimental Time Traveller ; Signals From Earth ; and Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms ) before Nelson settled on Clocks and Dials . As soon as Nelsonica was over, the remaining copies of Clocks and Dials were sold through S.O.S, and on January 3rd, 2013, an announcement was made on the Dreamsville Forum that the album had completely sold out. A small number of purchasers reported playback issues, which were attributed to the inability of older CD players to cope with the lengthy playing time, rather than there being any fault with the discs. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Several of the Clocks and Dials tracks were originally destined for Golden Melodies ...However, the fact that those particular tracks were left off Golden Melodies had nothing to do with incompatibility, technical quality or conceptual suitability. They were shunted to 'C+D' simply because there wasn't enough space to include them. Nevertheless, these related Clocks and Dials tracks come from the same time and place, they spring from the Golden Melodies sessions and sensibilities, from the same concept." _____ "There's certainly a psychedelic pop flavour to many of the tracks. It's quite a technicolour dream in some ways." FAN THOUGHTS: tommaso: "Have just listened to Clocks & Dials ...There's so much inspiration and invention here that most other artists would be happy to create such an album as a 'regular' release [rather than a free CD to Nelsonica attendees]. Favourites after first listening: the somewhat dark and melancholy "Rain Falls Fast on Faded Ruin", the utterly beautiful "Cinnamon and Mint", and one of the most immediately catchy songs Bill ever wrote, "No Time Says the Clock" (both versions). Ah, great stuff! Perhaps the best Nelsonica album ever. I guess when the muse kisses Bill, she does it wholeheartedly." Paul Andrews: "This really is a stonking album. When I play CD2 I keep getting stuck on "The Experimental Time Traveller" - it's so good I can't get past it! Knowing that "Curate's Egg in Cup of Grass" is just down the musical road does help though. Clocks and Dials is an enormous piece of work. I need to spend more time with it to get everything that lies within it to the fore. Can you slow down a bit Bill? I'm trying to catch up you know!" Mick Winsford: "Having listened again to this album this evening I simply want to say that this is definitely my favourite Bill Nelson album since Orpheus , and one of the best of his career. It's just full of all of the things that have kept me tuned into Bill's music since January 1976. I refuse to swear in case it offends anyone but it's a %*&£$#^ great album!" sauropod: "I love all three discs [the 2CD C&D + Golden Melodies ]. A very fine effort. I'm afraid of wearing them out, playing them so much!" Peter: "I'm halfway through my second listen (I was in the living room at 5 this morning, headphones on, cat asleep on my chest), and am enjoying these very much. Too much goodness, too many great songs, to name...just more wonders from the amazing Mr. N!" Gompers: "Bravo Bill. For my personal taste, it's the best in a while. Very versatile sounds throughout. I even detected a bit of a 'Be-Bop Deluxe' style in a few of the tracks. Outstanding offering." BryanH: "Wow...absolutely brilliant. My favourite BN release for some time." Tony M: "There is so much music here that I had previously listened to one CD at a time, with too long a break in between listenings. As with all of Bill's recordings, something new with each listen. Nothing better than a cruise down the highway with the volume up near 10! So many good songs and many new favorites. One that sticks with me is "Artismo Loco". The guitar playing is fantastic. This song could go on forever, way too short. Many other gems on this one. Looking forward to my next long drive." ladesco: "Fundertuneful bundliscious warm and fuzzy specialty assorted ice creamy dreams of sailships and boats with steams that are quite content with wallace and grommeting their way thru skyscape city tides, waving the pearlescent sandy beaches treasured with half-buried bottles containing watery journeys yet to be unraveled and traveled from whence they came...the other side of the world, or universe? A time travelers dream!!!! Wow, Mr. nelson...WOW. There are so many of yours that are crowding my top 10 list by now, I just as soon float gently on a breeze, and love them all with gracious equalities." steve lyles: "I listened to Clocks and Dials a couple of weeks back and didn't move a muscle through the whole of cd 1...better than any drug or drink I've ever had..." Alan Cawthorne: "I find this album a very confident release. Mr Bill seems full of good tunes, screaming guitars and frantic beats (Always welcome), and dare I say it full of sex the way he sings certain songs...Talk about an album crammed with tunes...!! A thoroughly nice and warm listen. And not a filler in sight!" alec: "The happiness approaches urgency at times on Clocks and Dials . Some great lyrics, singing and melodies, too. Frantic details swimming around every track." "No Time Says the Clock [Version 1]": "is a Psychedelic Pop Classic. A hit." Pathdude: "Every single song is tremendously enjoyable. The trilogy of "Blue Tomorrow", "Island Off the Coast of Dreams", and "Signals from Earth" are some of the most beautiful signals I've ever received. I think that "Signals from Earth" was written especially for me as it's now my favorite BN song. And I can't say directly why. It's just the feeling I get within when listening to it." Chimera Man: "Highlight in particular for me is "Frankie Surfs the Milky Way" - what an absolute gem of a song. Lovely guitar sound, fab "pop" song really, and it bounces along with an uplifting sense that can only put a smile on your face. I kind of have an image of Bill in a big cowboy hat, sat in a rocking chair out on the veranda of some isolated farmhouse in the American midwest with a broad grin on his face playing this, just as dusk is settling...whoever Frankie is passes by overhead, catches the sound, stops, winks at him and moves on swiftly as Emi emerges with a mug of some warm beverage for her beloved !!" Gavin Baker: "Playing it last night for the first time I had 2 favorites materialise immediately. "Clear Skies a Coming" & "The Silver Darkness Whispers Yes". Loads of stuff on here & a grand mixture to boot! After one hearing I would recommend this to any of you that haven't got it. THANK YOU BILL FOR PROVIDING THE SOUNDTRACK IN MY LIFE." GettingOnTheBeam: "Ah, but the best track is "Mystery Vortex". What a masterpiece. One of Bill's best ever in my opinion." play my theremin: "This is a terrific album, one of my favourites by any artist...Its absence would leave a large gap in any BN fan's collection as far as I'm concerned." major snagg: "Bill is an ARTIST who's main medium is sound." Albums Menu Future Past

Airfields single - 1981 To Heaven A Jet Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Producer and Bass on the A-side. NOTES: The B-side was created by Bill under the fictitious name Revox Cadets. Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) April 2006 Monday 10th April 2006 -- 10:10 am Once again, an extremely long gap between diary entries. Perhaps they will appear more frequently in future however, as new software has been installed on the Dreamsville site that will allow me to upload my diary direct to the server, rather than having to ask tech-support people to do it for me, as has been the case until now. I've felt quite guilty of troubling others to post my diaries, 'though that hasn't been the only reason for their infrequency. Distracted by music making the main cause, as usual. So, what has been happening here in the weeks since I last wrote? More of what usually happens, I suppose. Intense work in my modest studio, as always, along with various mild domestic dramas. I'll record the musical progress first. My proposed production job for Slava's new band 'Jupiter,' (formerly 'Nautilus Pompilius'), has, unfortunately, been cancelled. Or at least postponed for the indefinite future. Disappointing, for both them and me. The band couldn't raise sufficient funding from their record company to travel to Britain from Russia for the recordings but are hoping to seek additional funding from other sources. They hope to come here later in the year to record the entire album with me. Having experienced the music business first hand for over thirty years, I'm not holding my breath. If it happens, I'll be very pleased, but that 'if ' is a big one. I've finally completed 'Neptune's Galaxy,' the instrumental album that I've created as a companion to my 'Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill' album of last year. It contains just five tracks but they are long ones and the album clocks in at a total of just over 75 minutes worth of music. Some might describe the album as 'ambient' 'though the music commands more attention than that categorisation would normally suggest. Three of the five tracks feature electric guitar and beats, one is an electric piano improvisation and the other features electronic keyboards and some subtle orchestra textures.The nautical themes are carried over from the Sailor Bill project but, of course, without lyrics. The track listing is as follows:- 1. 'My Ship Reclines On Clouds Of Sail.' 2. 'She Signals From Across The Bay.' 3. 'All Alone In A Boat Of His Own.' 4. 'Coastal Starlight.' 5. 'Ship In A Bottle Blues, (The Modern Mariner.)' The entire album is very relaxing, gentle and meditative, occupying a sonic landscape, (or should that be seascape?) somewhere between 'Dreamland To Starboard', 'Crimsworth' and my Harold Budd collaborations. Listening to the Sailor Bill album and then immediately afterwards to 'Neptune's Galaxy' is a satisfying experience, the final track of Sailor Bill providing a perfect bridge to the first track of 'Neptune's Galaxy.' Although David Graham and myself are currently creating packaging artwork for the album, I've yet to master the tracks in preparation for manufacturing, so a release date has yet to be fixed. I'm hoping to make this album available as soon as possible though. I've also attempted to make a start on the mixing of the Be Bop Deluxe Decca audition tapes. I've had these transferred to a Mackie external hard-drive so that I can work on the four songs here in my home studio. Unfortunately, technical problems have thwarted this for the time being. My HDR 24/96 hard disc recorder is an early model and the transfers were made using a newer version of the software. Basically, my machine can't read the files. My friend Paul Gilby has been helping me to get to the bottom of the problem which we eventually discovered hinges on the conflict of operating systems. Updating the OS has nor been as straightforward as hoped though. The HDR 24/96's floppy drive appears not to be working. (Required to load the latest operating system.) I also need a new e-prom fitting to cope with the larger external drive on which the Be Bop audition tapes have been transferred, so the saga is ongoing. It's been a frustrating and time-consuming piece of detective work. Hopefully, I should be able to access the files in a week or two when time will allow me to have the machine out of commission for a couple of days whilst the technical repairs are done. Meanwhile, I've been recording more new material, six songs for what started life as a limited edition 'mini'-album. It may yet turn out to be a full-length album.The direction is jazz inspired. I've often featured jazz stylings on some of my albums but, as Paul pointed out to me, I've never actually made an album given over to that particular style.This set me thinking. Anyway, I've now completed six songs for the project and there is still enough inspiration left over to write more. At one point, I wasn't sure how long I could sustain that particular mood but, at the moment, the ideas continue to flow. The six songs completed so far provide just over thirty minutes worth of music. If I can come up with another four songs I'll have a complete album. The songs are: 'Windswept;' 'Take It Off And Thrill Me;' 'October Sky;' 'The Girl In The Galaxy Dress;' 'Always You;' and 'The Song My Silver Planet Sings.' All six titles are vocal based compositions and I'm particularly fond of 'Windswept' which has a jazz blues mood somewhere between the worlds of Billie Holiday and Chet Baker. (But still 'me' somehow. How could it be anyone else?) 'Always You' has a touch of Bobby Darin on Mars about it. Or a Vegas showtune from a parralel universe. Could this be the closest thing I've done to an easy-listening lounge album? Well...not quite, but close. The overall performance of these tracks is a little looser than the performances on 'Sailor Bill' but that is appropriate to the style. These are 'feel' pieces with improvised solos. They are not strictly jazz, of course, but just 'jazzy' or 'jazz inspired.' (Emiko described them as 'techno-jazz' but I'm not sure about that either!) As usual, I'm too close to the music to know what the hell it is. It's probably a curious side-project rather than a major statement. Other's may feel differently when they hear it. I will confess that there's some slick guitar playing on it though, if you like that kind of thing. Working title for the mini-album is 'Return To Jazz Of Lights.' It may be a keeper. I'm working through some visual concepts for the packaging at the moment, before sending images to David Graham for him to lay out and add typography. The path I'm pursuing is based around some old 1960's snapshots of Emiko. I've been going through her family album. She was a stunningly beautiful teenager and I couldn't have imagined myself landing a catch like her back then if we'd ever had the good fortune to meet. (Which would have been impossible anyway, bearing in mind the distance between Tokyo and Wakefield and my reliance on the bus at that time in my life!) One photograph I've selected for use is very odd. It could almost be a still frame from a dramatic moment in a movie. The young Emi is standing centre frame, gazing off to the the right and slightly up into the sky. She is surrounded by people, nearly all of whom have their back to the camera, looking over the edge of a railing, beyond which a white statue stands, its back also to the camera. Emi is dressed in a fashion that wouldn't look out of place on a young teenage girl of 2006, low slung skinny jeans, a tight fitting Japanese boy-scout shirt with embroidered badges, a large white bag. She looks, to use the well worn vernacular, 'cool.' The photograph's colours have faded over the years since it was taken, so I've scanned it and subjected it to a long sequence of colour, contrast and filter manipulation, giving it a vintage cinematic quality. It's an enigmatic picture, achieved without artifice. Whoever took the photo did it quickly and unthinkingly...the camera angle isn't straight but this adds to the tension. Only one person in the crowd is looking at the camera, a plumpish Japanese lady sat at a table in the middleground. She has an inane grin on her face. Its an intriguing photograph. Using it, (and the other's I've picked), is not an obvious choice for the style of music on the album, but then again, it twists the album concept in a slightly surreal, ironic way. As the songs are all love songs, using Emi as an iconic image is perfectly apt anyway. Guitars have loomed large in recent months. I may have mentioned on the Dreamsville site a while ago that Campbell American Guitars have been working towards a signature guitar for me. Dean Campbell has sent various drawings and ideas over for me to add my own input. I've sent drawings and suggestions back to Dean and a limited edition Bill Nelson signature model is not only on the drawing board but currently being developed in prototype form. It's all under wraps for now but all will be revealed when ready. Like all Campbell American guitars, it will be a hand made in the U.S.A. instrument. Meanwhile, I've been playing my green Precix model, (see photo above in this diary entry), and will soon be getting delivery of a blue vibrato-arm equipped Precix. These instruments play beautifully and respond senistively to the touch of the player. I'll also be appearing on the Campbell American stand at the London Guitar Show held at the Wembley Exhibition Centre on the 6th of May. Not to perform but just to 'meet and greet' fans and fellow guitarists. A very early version of my signature guitar may be ready to display, although we're aiming for a more developed version by June. Naturally, I'm extremely excited about having a signature model after all these years of playing. If all goes to plan, it should be something really special. But the guitar magic hasn't stopped there. I've long been a fan of unusual 1950's and '60's guitars. When I first became besotted by the instrument, at the end of the '50's it was almost impossible to see, in my local music shops, any of the expensive Gibsons and Fenders that our early guitar heroes played. Import restrictions on American goods meant that they were rare and definitely out of reach of the average player's pocket. In my home town of Wakefield, the local music shop, 'Webster's,' (later to become 'The Wakefield Music Centre'), only stocked British and European guitars. These were inexpensive instruments, often with unusual design ethics, lots of chrome and push buttons, bright colours, accordion factory plastic, retro-sci-fi creations that really looked 'electric.' Burns and Fenton Weill guitars were amongst the main British makes but there were also a variety of quirky models from continental makers such as Hagstrom, Hopf, Gallanti and Wandre. Japan was also starting to licence designs to, or build for, some of the European manufacturers and some Japanese instruments were often 're-badged' for the western marketplace. Of course, these weird and wonderful guitars didn't have the finesse of the more expensive American instruments but they did have a flashy visual appeal. These originally inexpensive guitars have now become collector's items and exchange hands for high prices, particularly the Wandre models which are rare and sought after. Generally though, these budget instruments didn't play too well and their appeal was mainly in the visual department. And even then, perhaps, only if you had a taste for the kitsch. I still harbour a fond enthusiasm for them, despite being able to play much more upmarket brands these days. But I do prefer to play my guitars, rather than just look at them. Enter Mike Robinson, a musician and collector of oddball vintage guitars who came up with the idea of manufacturing reproductions of some of the most sought after instruments. His plan was to make them look exactly like the original '50's and '60's rarities, but have them play and sound better. With this in mind, he started Eastwood Guitars, (based in Canada), and set up a manufacturing operation to re-issue some vintage 'thrift-store' brands using modern manufacturing techniques. The results are guaranteed to attract players such as myself who grew up with those kind of guitars during our teens. (And some younger players who have taken notice of the 'Airline' models favoured by The White Stripes and Calexico.) But, whilst nostalgia is one part of the Eastwood appeal, the sound and playability of the re-issues is something else. They are much more solidly made and player friendly than their original inspirations. I recently got myself an Eastwood reproduction of a Hopf 'Saturn 63' in black and chrome.The original late '60's/early '70's European instrument was quirky, a semi-hollow body with two cat's eye style sound-holes, both mounted, unusually, on the bass side of the body. Chrome metal strips were used to 'pipe' the guitar's edges and sound-holes and the resultant effect was retro sci-fi in keeping with the model's 'Saturn' name. The modern Eastwood reproduction re-creates the vibe wonderfully and the guitar has a very unique sonic character as well as being an unusual looker. So, my guitar dreams continue to inspire my imagination ...Fans who have attended my live concerts in recent years will have noticed that all the guitars I favour are somewhat out of the ordinairy, not a Les Paul model amongst them, (as much as I adore Les' playing). Maybe it's my art school background but a guitar's appearance is as important to me as its playability and an instrument's visual style will always be a major consideration in my choices. Nearly all the guitars I play reflect some special design ethic, whether modern or retro. My Gretsch guitars also sit in perfectly with that sensibility, as does my Gus 'Orphee' which pushes that approach into a 21st Century, midi-equipped, industrial design arena. What's truly wonderful for me though is that, after all these years of playing the instrument, I still get a thrill out of looking at my guitars and using them to make my music. I'm as in love with the instrument as I was when I got my first guitar at the age of 11 or 12. And I still can't read a note of music or espouse any musical theory. Despite all the recordings I've made, I've yet to understand how the music gets from 'in here' to 'out there'... I'm just thankful that it does. I've spent some time with my friend Jon Wallinger recently, tracking down a new venue for this year's Nelsonica fan convention. After exploring various alternatives, we've settled on the York Hilton Hotel. I think this will prove to be an excellent location for the event, certainly for those fans who travel from abroad to attend. York is a beautiful, historic city with lots to offer its visitors. Hopefully, some fans will bring their families and make a weekend of it. There's even a York version of the London Eye big wheel being constructed. Should be open soon, certainly in time for Nelsonica 06. Along with the historic Viking and Roman sites, York has the National Railway Museum, the Yorkshire Air Museum, two more general museums, river trips, the gothic Minster, a good art gallery, plenty of interesting shops, old pubs, modern cafe-bars and restaurants, almost all within an area that can easily be accessed on foot. Convention attendees can stay in the venue itself at preferred rates which we will negotiate with The Hilton Hotel so the whole package is much more attractive than ever. And easier to get to than North Ferriby. The next step is to create the content for the convention. There are some new ideas that I'd like to introduce, including a presentation aimed at the guitarists amongst the fans. I think that, if all goes to plan, this year's Nelsonica will be even more special than previous ones. Jon and the team are really professional in their attitude to organising the convention and put a lot of thought and effort into making it a special day. It's impossible not to respond positively to such dedication and enthusiasm. Another project that I'm about to immerse myself in is the mixing of some old live Be Bop Deluxe tracks to be included in a box set that EMI Records are planning to issue later this year. The box will collect together everything the band recorded, every official album and some out-takes and alternative mixes, plus a few unreleased live tracks. I will be going into Fairview studios soon to take care of the mixing of the latter. On the domestic front, the usual stresses and strains. Far too many bills piling up on the kitchen table and repairs needed for the house. Cars have been up to their tricks too, both Emiko's and mine requiring new exhausts and tyres. Mine is rapidly going rusty, but a re-spray would probably cost more than the car is worth. Perhaps the weather will improve soon and I can get the pushbike out of the shed. My son Elliot has joined the car set, having passed his driving test recently. He's got himself an old VW Golf and came to pick me up to take me into town the other week. It seems like only yesterday I was helping him to learn how to ride a little two wheel bike. I can remember the day that I took his stabilisers off and ran behind him, holding on to his saddle. I let go and off he went, perfectly balanced. When he turned around and realised that I wasn't holding him upright, the look on his face was priceless. He was just a little kid then...That thing of time evaporating so quickly. Life is so short. Well...having said that, I'll get back to the music making. Top of page Wednesday 26th April 2006 -- 9:30 am Perhaps I shouldn't be writing a diary entry right now. I certainly don't feel in the proper state of mind to do so but I desperately feel the need to write something down, if only to help me to work through some of my grief. I couldn't imagine, last week, that today I would be in such a state and for such an unforseen and unwelcome reason. On Sunday, 23rd of April, I was taking my usual morning bath when I heard the 'phone ring. I hadn't brought the cordless 'phone into the bathroom with me as Emi was at home. I thought it might be one of her Japanese friends calling, as often happens at weekends. But then I heard her rushing up the stairs and her footsteps coming along the corridor towards the bathroom. I realised that the call must be for me. She came into the bathroom with the cordless 'phone in her hand, holding it out to me. She was in tears and could hardly speak. With difficulty, through the tears, she said "It's your mum on the 'phone...it's bad news...Ian's died..." I felt as if the whole world had ground to a sudden, violent halt and then I began to shake and weep uncontrollably. I felt as if my guts were being wrenched from me. My mother was crying on the 'phone as she told me what had happened only a short time earlier that morning. She had telephoned my brother Ian sometime around 11 am to wish him a happy birthday. (Sunday the 23rd was his 50th.) Ian's wife Diane had answered and told my mother that Ian was still in bed, having a lie-in, but that he really ought to be getting up as they were going out soon. She asked my mother to hold the line whilst she called up the stairs to Ian to tell him that his mother was on the 'phone. There was no answer and when Diane went upstairs to wake him she found that Ian had passed away in his sleep. The shock has been terrible. Feelings of disbelief, denial, sudden realisation, sickness and bottomless black pits of emotional despair. A violent assault on the depths of our hearts and souls. And it keeps on hitting and hurting. I'm battered and exhausted by its brutality. I feel as if a precious and essential part of my life has been suddenly ripped out of me. And, of course, it has. Ian was my 'little' brother. I'd known him all his life and, despite those silly sibling rivalries that all brothers experience from time to time, loved him deeply and respected him far more than he probably ever realised. Far, far more than he realised...Oh, Ian, if only I could tell you. Even though Ian had survived a stroke, nine years ago when he was 41, I always expected him to outlive me, to always be there with his warm smile and dry sense of humour. Ian had become a physically big man, partly as a result of the diabetes he suffered from in recent years, but this largeness suggested solidity, a rock that would stand strong, despite the surrounding waves. He seemed indestructible. Perhaps he felt that he was too. I saw him last a few weeks ago on Mother's Day, in March. Emiko and I had driven over to my mother's house in Wakefield with a gift and some flowers for her. Not long after we'd arrived, Ian arrived too, to give mum his gifts. I think it was actually the first time I'd seen him since the start of the year. I'm always so intensely, stupidly busy with one project after the other that family relationships and friendships regularly suffer as a result. Ian too had been busy with his freelance career as a funding consultant for arts projects. Both of us had been feeling a lot of stress, under pressure, the usual outcome of trying to keep things together on an unpredictable financial income. But Ian seemed cheerful, he'd recently got himself a new car and proudly led me outside to show it to me where it was parked in the drive of my mother's house. We chatted and joked freely for a while, just the two of us. I asked him if he fancied coming along to this year's Nelsonica convention in October, to play his saxophone with me as part of my solo performance there. I also asked him if he would like to perform with me at a special concert being planned for next year as part of a contemporary music festival at Leeds University's school of music. He was happily enthusiastic and positive about being involved in both projects so I promised I'd keep him up to date with progress for each event. (I've always enjoyed the instrumental duo's we've had in the past, feeling much more comfortable in those situations with Ian alongside me than being up there on my own.) Eventually, Ian had to leave for a prior appointment and we waved him off from my mother's doorstep. I had no idea then that that would be the last time I'd ever see him. Remembering that day now, Emi has pointed out to me that Ian had seemed really pleased to see me, his face being lit up with one of his warm smiles when he saw that I was there. I'm so pleased to have that pointed out to me because I needed his love more than he realised. More than I realised. Last week, Emi was sorting out some clothes of mine and came across some that were like new but that I hadn't worn. She'd put them to one side to see if Ian might want them. When she told me this I thought that I should give him a call and see how he was. As so often happens, I became so wrapped up in trying to finish some recording work in time for a mastering session next week that this intention slipped from my consciousness. (And now, I've cancelled that same session. I have no appetite for music. Its joy has left me.) Time always warps when my mind is concentrated on work, as my family and friends and regular readers of this diary know. I look down towards the faders of the mixing desk and it's winter. When I look up, it's Spring. Or so it seems. Months pass like minutes. Life evaporates. How I wish I'd made that call last week. I can't begin to express the anguish I feel at not being able to call Ian now, at this very moment. I can hear the sound of his voice clearly in my head, the way he sounded on the telephone. My mother called a few minutes ago to tell me the results of the coroner's report: Ian died because of heart disease. A blood clot touched his heart and he was gone. Apparently, there would have been nothing anyone could have done to save him. It was inevitable. Had he been awake when it happened, it would have felled him in an instant. That it happened whilst he was sleeping is a comfort of sorts. What if he had been driving his car with his family on board...? A mercy that he wasn't. The last two days have brought us a kind of hell. Ian's wife Diane and Ian's three children must have been truly in the depths of it. My mother, who is not in the best of health herself, is suffering terribly from the loss. We all are. We want him back. The next few weeks will be hard too, particularly the funeral which is to be held on the 2nd of May. I have no immunity or resistance to grief. It comes in sudden waves and drowns me every time. All composure gone. I want to say something about him at the service but know that I wouldn't have the strength, that tears and sobs would be all that would escape me, words buried beneath fathomless anguish. But we will have to get through these next days as best we can, together. I'm sure that Ian would have poured scorn on any solemnity. He wasn't a particularly religious man, in fact, almost the opposite. He often took a cynical stance regarding my own 'spiritual' foraging over the years. I remember, one late lost summer back in the early '80's, when I lived in West Haddlesey, the two of us sitting atop a haystack in a field outside the village, discussing various philosophies as the warm harvest sun sank towards the horizon. I was heavily involved in Rosicrucianism and esoteric occultism at that time and had been enthusiastically propounding its theories and principles in the hope of firing up Ian's imagination. I could, as they say, 'talk the hind leg off a donkey' in those days, such was my passion for the subject. But Ian remained scornful and humourously cynical about the whole thing, as he was about ever other 'ism' I experimented with. He couldn't see the point of all that and was far more down to earth and pragmatic than I ever was. It may be that, in this respect, as in so many other things, he had a better grasp of reality than myself. He might have been my 'little' brother in years but he was strong and stubborn and independent too. And sharp and bright and witty. There was so much in him that I admired. I was, and always will be, proud of him. He was his own man and lived his life the way he wanted to live it, and damn the torpedoes. I have so many fond memories of Ian. I couldn't possibly recount them all now but here are a couple: Back in the late 'seventies or early 'eighties, I was visiting my mother in Wakefield when she was still living on Eastmoor Estate, where I grew up. Ian, I think, was living there too at this point in time but had gone into town. Suddenly the 'phone rang and my mother answered it. It was a local corner-shopkeeper who knew my mother. He was telephoning to say that Ian was in his shop, injured. I jumped into my car and drove the half mile to the shop and found Ian in a bad way. He had been on his way home to my mother's house and had walked through a subway en route. In the subway, a gang of youths were trying to mug an elderly lady and were shoving her around. Ian had stepped into the situation and tried to stop these thugs from continuing their actions, trying to reason with them, asking them to leave the lady alone. The gang violently turned on Ian and beat him up before running away, leaving him to stagger to the nearby shop where the lady explained to the shopkeeper what had happened. He recognised Ian and rang my mother. I rushed Ian off to the hospital to have his wounds attended. I then set off in my car to search for the bastards that had done this to him. I drove up and down every street on Ian's route but couldn't find them, which is probably just as well as they would have more than likely done damage to me too, had I challenged them. But I was so angry that they'd done this to my little brother, I just wanted to beat the shit out of them. But this incident was a measure of Ian's public spiritedness and bravery. Many people would have left the old lady to her fate and kept out of danger but Ian's compassion wouldn't allow him to walk on by. He had to try to stop what was happening. He had principles and the guts to do something about it. I have memories of Ian and I first recording music together, in the mid 'seventies with Be Bop Deluxe on the song 'Ships In The Night'. It was the first public recording of mine that he was involved with and it was at Abbey Road studios in London. He was really young and must have been intimidated and overwhelmed by the experience. He'd only just begun playing saxophone at that time, 'though he'd played clarinet for a while previously. I knew he was talented and capable and pushed him hard, as big brother's do. I was often too demanding of him, all throughout his musical life, knowing just how good he could be, given that push. I wanted him to excel, to be great, to be the best he could possibly be. My only consolation now is, if I was too hard on him, too exacting, I at least treat myself equally as hard, was just as critical of my own attempts. I thought that, together, we could change the world with our music. But I was stupid and naive too. I demanded too much from both of us. Ian was a great player without need of any pressure from me. Later on, he became a member of Red Noise, playing Sax, Clarinet and second keyboards in the band. Red Noise was also his introduction to life on the road and to television and radio appearances. In the 'eighties he contributed his gifted playing to several of my solo albums and songs. One of the most memorable was 'Do You Dream In Colour?' which featured Ian's incredibly catchy harmony saxophone hook, an important, essential component for the song's commercial appeal. It was one of the most perfectly appropriate parts he ever came up with, an absolutely classic line that everyone who ever heard the song remembers. It was a great pleasure, on the 2004 'Be Bop And Beyond,' 30 year celebration tour, for me to be able to perform that song live and have Ian in the band to reproduce the saxophone part perfectly. The song would be incomplete without it. How can I ever perform that song again without Ian standing next to me? Ian later became part of Fiat Lux, a band that I initially had produced and released on my own independent 'Cocteau Records' label. The band showed great commercial potential and the single that Cocteau Records released earned them media attention and landed the band a deal with a major label, only for them to later fall foul of incompetent and corrupt management. An old, far too familiar story. Poor Ian suffered from the financial fallout of that situation for several years afterwards. I was going through similar tribulations myself so we both experienced the corruption and callousness of the industry at first hand. Ian's experience soured his hopes of being a full-time musician and he decided to reserve his music for situations that were less likely to produce further unhappiness. He began playing with friends in local bands and occasionally taught music, teaching both privately and in college situations. Of the two of us, Ian was the one who had a formal, academic musical education. He began playing clarinet under the tuition of our late father, Walter Nelson and then had more formal lessons that resulted in him passing various examinations and gaining certificates of accomplishment. He eventually earned himself a place at Huddersfield College Of Music where he studied the subject academically. Ian was the real deal...not a dumb 'busker' like me who, to this day, still can't read a note of music. My father was so proud of the fact that Ian had done it the proper way. The ironic thing was that, whilst my formal education was in fine art and Ian's was in music, Ian eventually worked in the field of art, and I found myself with a career in music. Not what either of us had originally intended. Years ago, Ian took a temporary job at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. He worked in the on-site shop, selling Sculpture Park merchandise. The park's director was, and still is, Peter Murray, who had been my painting tutor at Wakefield School Of Art when I was a student there in the 1960's. Ian was eventually employed at the Sculpture Park full time and worked his way up to become part of the park's management team. It was a job he enjoyed tremendously and I was impressed by the way he handled it whenever I visited him at the park's office. I was so proud of his achievement with this. It was a job that I would have had neither the intelligence nor the social skills to do well. He was appparently in line for a directorship until his stroke put him out of commission, nine years ago. Eventually, he recovered from the stroke, only to discover that he had to deal with diabetes as well. Of course, all of those who loved him got sanctimonius about it and we gave him our glib advice, admonishing him if we felt that he wasn't strictly adhering to whatever health regime was appropriate to his condition. Ian, characteristically, didn't respond well to being prodded about these things. His life was his life and back seat drivers were not easily tolerated. To use a nautical metaphor, he was the captain of his own ship and he intended to sail it wherever HE wanted. Both of us were born stubborn so-and-so's but perhaps Ian had the upper hand on me in this department too. So...stubborn, yes, but he was never unforgivable. One of the things that people seemed to remember most about Ian was his warmth and the way he had of putting people at ease. There was something relaxed, open and easy going about him that made this possible. Again, I lack that quality, being too self-absorbed, nervous or intense, (or something), and was often surprised and amazed by the positive response he elicited from total strangers. He could make people feel they'd known him for years. And he did it without any artifice. It was 100% genuine empathy. One thing we had in common was a first marriage that didn't work out. I also had a second one that didn't but when Ian met Diane it felt as if he'd found his soul mate. I remember Ian and Diane's wedding day and the good vibes they gave off. And when Emiko and I had our wedding day, Ian and Diane were our witnesses. Diane has stuck with Ian through good times and difficult ones and she has a deep understanding of Ian's character and life. What she has endured these last two days is powerfully moving and impossible to fathom but she has shown kindness and bravery to all those in her circle and I know that Ian would be proud of her, and of his three children. Ian's eldest son, Julian, (from his first marriage), has been a pillar of strength to Diane, to my mother and to his step-brother Louis and step-sister Lucy. I've been so impressed by Julian's thoughtfulness, saneness and compassion. Ian's younger son Louis and daughter Lucy, (both from Ian's marriage to Diane), have shown tremendous dignity and self control too.They are a tribute to Ian and Diane's parenting skills. I'm proud to be an uncle to all three children 'though I ought to have been a much more present and regular one. I hope they realise just how much their father meant to me. During these last two days, I've been overwhelmed. I've been overwhelmed not only by what has actually happened, what also by the changes it has thrust upon so many people, overwhelmed by emotions that were far deeper and far stronger than I'd ever expected. At night, a little cinema of memory has opened up in my mind. I close my eyes and, there on the flickering screen are images of Ian and I as young children, anticipating Christmas...Me reading to Ian the story of 'Peter And Pam's Christmas' from a now long lost childhood book, huddled under an eiderdown together on a snowy Christmas Eve at our home at number 28 Conistone Crescent, Eastmoor Estate on the edge of Wakefield. We were electrified with excitement and anticipation, unable to sleep, eager for the morning and our presents from Santa. A dissolve...School holidays now. I've built plastic model aeroplanes from Airfix kits and hung them from the bedroom ceiling. Ian takes pot shots at them with his pop gun and decimates half a squadron. We run around the back garden in super-hero capes, Batman and Robin, Superman and Superboy, Dan Dare and Digby. Other kids, more inclined to army games, think that we are weird. We don't care what they think. The scene shifts and Ian and I are at the coast, or outside a caravan, or on the beach with a toy boat named St. Christopher, or on a clifftop flying a home-made kite together. There are images of us standing by our father's car... me with my arm around Ian, protecting him, my little brother. (He had curly blonde hair when he was small, cute as a button.) These images keep coming, flickering, changing, on through the years, our innocence gradually being left behind and with it the wonder and simplicity of childhood. Exhanged for something wilder and more dangerous: real life itself. And real life has taken Ian from us, as real life does. It takes us all eventually. What can we do? What's the point? Well...to live until we can live no more. But above all, to love and be loved in return. And I love my brother so much. I'll miss him terribly. Ian carried with him a part of my life, a shared childhood, memories of distant times. I think it's not overdramatic to say that a part of me has died with him. But, conversely, a part of him lives on with me. I want to recall more of our times together, to share them with readers of this diary, to let them know what a lovely person he was, to help them understand just why I'm so sad and heartbroken about losing him. For today though, perhaps this is enough, a beginning. So many warm tributes have appeared on the Dreamsville website forum for him. He would have been amazed by how much love he'd generated, how respected he was. You left too soon, Ian, too soon. ****** The photographs accompanying this diary entry show Ian alone on Lantern Hill in Ilfracoombe in Devon, myself and Ian on Ilfracoombe harbourside and Ian and I outside our parent's caravan at Skipsea, (with Dad's Austin Cambridge car). The photographs were taken around 1959/'60, I think. Top of page Jan May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013

Stereo Star Maps Bill Nelson album - 10 November 2014 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) The Golden Age Again 02) Luminatron 03) Light In The Head 04) Drift Fictions 05) The Sleeping Body Sings 06) Stereo Star Map Number One 07) These Minutes Are Ours 08) Wondertown 09) Tangle Of Wires 10) Atoms, Neutrons, Strangeness And Charm 11) The Art Of Thinking 12) Tingalary Man And The Scarlet Fever Kid 13) Chiming Church With Rusty Bell 14) Another Planet 15) Stereo Star Map Number Two 16) The World Is Lost To Us All In The End ALBUM NOTES: Stereo Star Maps is an album mixing vocal and instrumental pieces, issued in a one-off print run of 500 copies on the Sonoluxe label. The album began life with the working title of Drifters and Steamers , with news of it first appearing on the Dreamsville forum in March 2014. By the following month it had been renamed Stereo Star Maps , although both titles remained possibilities through to May. At this stage in development the album was being planned as a double album, although Nelson kept his options open, admitting that it could turn out to be 2 separate single albums. With 21 tracks completed, 14 of which were instrumentals, Nelson began to assign particular tracks to other album projects, including Swoons and Levitations and Shining Reflector , which between them swallowed up all but 4 of the completed tracks. The remaining Stereo Star Maps material was produced during the second half of May through June, with a draft running order announced on 4 July 2014. This was ultimately finalised with some very minor adjustments to the order at the tail end of the album. Shortly after finishing the music for Stereo Star Maps Nelson was diagnosed with conductive hearing loss in his left ear, which effectively forced him to give up live performances, and sadly brought an end to events such as Nelsonica . However these restrictions in turn led to an increase in his already prolific recorded output, as it gave him more time to devote to making music. Stereo Star Maps went on sale on 10 November, and was removed from sale a week later due to an overwhelming number of orders being received at S.O.S. Unfortunately, it appeared to some that it had sold out, and at least one copy was sold on eBay for an extortionate amount before S.O.S could put the last few copies on sale again. It finally sold out of its print run on 1 December 2014. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Shining Reflector , Swoons and Levitations , Fables and Dreamsongs , Dreamshire Chronicles , Loom , Fantasmatron , Blip! , The Awakening of Dr Dream , Signals From Realms of Light , Quiet Bells BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Some of you may be aware that I'm working on a possible DOUBLE album for early autumn release. The album's title is Stereo Star Maps . Quite a lot of material recorded so far, but I really want to keep going with this one and build up a large number of tracks worthy of inclusion. When it comes to the cut-off date for assembling the final running order I will decide whether to make it a double album or two individually-titled single ones. A recent acquisition of a Fractal Audio Axe FX unit has inspired a couple of ambient guitar improvisations which sound wonderfully ethereal. They definitely fit the title Stereo Star Maps . "Of course, a variety of styles have been embraced by the tracks I've already recorded for this project, but a certain, nebulous direction is beginning to emerge, based on the two tracks hinted at above. (Well, for one of the discs at least.) As always, these things are in a state of flux until the Muse says that it's done, but, right now, she's rocking me in her arms and has stars in her eyes! Hopefully, another treat in store when the leaves begin to turn gold." _____ "The title I initially came up with for this project was Drifters And Steamers , which was inspired by a Felix Kelly painting. Also, because the first gathering together of possible tracks for inclusion was fairly eclectic in style, I thought of some of them as being 'drifters', (ie: fairly gentle, contemplative pieces in no hurry to get anywhere), and others as 'steamers', (rather more 'driven' or in a hurry)." _____ "The guitar atmospheres on many of these tracks have been created via my recently acquired Fractal Audio Systems 'Axe-FX 2-XL' digital processor. The approach I've taken has been to attempt to slightly blur the structures of these pieces, to locate them in ambiguous, spectral spaces, to scramble the arrangements and sounds in such a way that the songs seem to emerge from a benevolent digital fog, yet still embrace meaning and melody, albeit in nebulous form. You'll have to hear it to understand what I'm driving at. As always, I'm still struggling with my music, still trying to locate my deeper self within it, and, hopefully, guiding it towards your deeper self too...xxx" _____ "Tingalary Man and The Scarlet Fever Kid": "This is a weird one: I didn't write any lyrics down before singing it, just opened up the mic and sung whatever entered my head. No going back over it either, just one single, spontaneous first take. Stream of consciousness stuff, straight from some deep well within. When it was done, the song turned out to be about a long ago childhood experience when I was four or five years old and caught Scarlet Fever, a dangerous illness which has now been eradicated from the world but, back in the early 1950s was very serious. I was hospitalised and not just sick with the disease but deeply traumatised by the experience of being taken from my parents. After a week or so, my father, against the hospital's advice, insisted on taking me home where I slowly recuperated in my own bedroom, the walls of which were hung with sheets soaked in some sort of disinfectant solution. One morning, during this recuperation period, I awoke to see a snowman materialise alongside my bed, walk down to the foot of the bed, cross over to the other side of it and walk back towards my head and vanish through the wall. A hallucination from the fever, perhaps, or a ghostly figure from the beyond which my infant self interpreted as a snowman? Anyway, that strange incident came back in the free association of the song's lyric. "And the 'Tingalary Man?' Apparently, when I was a very young child, I had a tin toy which was a kind of a circular music box which had a handle on the side. When you turned the handle a short musical phrase emerged, with a sound similar to an African 'thumb piano'. This device was referred to, by my dad, as a 'Tingalary'. Somewhere in the back of my mind it echoes still. So, this is basically what the song is about, a sick child, a snowman/ghost and a man turning the handle of a tin music box...all set to a kind of abstract, ambient, semi-atonal guitar loop. It's a very strange thing." FAN THOUGHTS: jetboy: "From the opening guitar effects on "The Golden Age Again" to the closing bars of "The World is Lost to Us in the End" this album opens yet another door to the seasoned listener and welcomes all to yet more musical discoveries from the creative mind of Bill Nelson - a world Bill is constantly exploring, and, thankfully for other fans and visitors to this site, releasing in limited edition albums. Stereo Star Maps is release number 35 under the Sonoluxe imprint and yet again, for this listener it breaks new ground. This album has a sense of playfulness and lightness, is dreamy, haunting and at times relaxed and contemplative." Tourist In Wonderland: "Isn't it just a fabulous album and listening experience?! "Bill pushing forward, moving into unchartered waters, mapping a new course of wonderful musical possibilities for us to discover and share, if we dare take the plunge...Well I'm in!...100% and all the way, following the guiding, twinkling star on the horizon and what a wondrous journey lies ahead... Stereo Star Maps is really having a very deep and profound affect on me, something I've not experienced quite so intensely in a record for some time, (although I do think the last six or seven years has seen Bill Nelson release consistently progressive and fabulous albums, some of the best of his career so far IMHO) and for that, I am truly grateful, nobody does it quite like Bill..." "I have found some of my best experiences when listening to this particular album are when I'm a little frazzled, a bit stressed mentally, a little 'world weary'...it always seems to get me back on track. Sometimes I feel like an old negative roll of film, neglected and left on a shelf, but gradually being reanimated by an infusion of mesmeric Bill Nelson aural chemicals and alchemy...shaped, bent, stretched...pulled back into focus...becoming a proper picture once more...the healing powers of 'proper' music... Stereo Star Maps is a wonderful experience...I love Bill Nelson music..." Holer: "Ahhhhhh Bill...I do love it when you are in Interstellar Space Transmission mode. I've been listening to your new album all week as I drive to work in the dark, rain and fog and am finding it to be the perfect contemplative accoutrements to my travels. About the only critique I would level is that this record should come with a warning label that listening can transport you to other realms. I've had hallucinating snowmen dancing through my head all week." tm14: "I can't pick out individual pieces as special because the whole album has that touch of magic about it. I was only going to play a couple of tracks a second time but ended up listening to the complete disc a second time. I think I have a new favourite. Don't miss this one." Palladium: "Drift Fictions":- "one of those seemingly effortless organic pieces that makes me think Bill has a device from the future which enables him to record direct from his unconscious to disc." "There's so much I love about this album. By the end of track six, you've already got "your money's worth", but the album's only just begun! Current favourite track: "Stereo Star Map Number One" - one of those atmospheric instrumental pieces that puts you straight into another world." December Man: "The Sleeping Body Sings":- "Takes you by the hand and walks you into one of those strange fictional worlds hinted at previously, where 'church bells chime their rusty bells' and 'ghosts' and 'demons' inhabit the darkest hours of night...the past not only haunts the 'now' but also seems to give it a strange kind of meaning by breathing new life into it and feeding the imagination which is the 'life blood' that keeps the artist creating his/her art... "Tingalary Man and The Scarlet Fever Kid" feels like a folk song from out of a contradictory wrinkle in the space-time continuum where Mr. Nelson seems to enter and exit at will...a kind of future-past dimension where dreams become part of the waking world and the waking world enters the realm of dreams...it's a place Mr. Nelson inhabits effortlessly like a musical shaman in order to return and report what’s been revealed to him... In "Stereo Star Maps Number Two" Bill sings for guidance to be brought back 'home' to his own ' centre ' or true self. He repeats the refrain like you would a prayer or incantation as a way of focusing all efforts and energies into traveling back toward that (musical) place that can only be found by following the direction of your own instinctual 'stereo' map of the heart... "The World is Lost to Us All in the End" completes the SSM journey on a poignantly sad note...an honest summation of the realities facing all of humanity...all the beauty as well as the sadness of life that even the artist is at a loss to explain and can only offer us his own sense of helplessness in our struggle to find hope and meaning when we reach that final hour...(and the rusty church bell begins to ring...) Thanks Bill...really enjoying this one!" Albums Menu Future Past

Fantastic Guitars Reeves Gabrels - Bill Nelson album - 7 July 2014 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) And The Train Left The Station Trailing Sparks And Stars 02) Infernal Apparatus 03) Revenge Of The Coda Kings 04) A Brilliant Night For Rain 05) Ghosts Behind Glass 06) Ambiguity 07) Honeybee In Autumn 08) Orange Turning Blue 09) Santos 10) Radio Andalusia 11) Fantastic Guitars ALBUM NOTES: Fantastic Guitars is a collaboration with fellow guitarist Reeves Gabrels (Tin Machine, David Bowie, The Cure), an instrumental album issued on the Sonoluxe label. The project appears to have been suggested by Gabrels in or around 2003, and was first added to Nelson's schedule of projects shortly after Nelsonica 10 but would take a further two years to take off, with the first tentative recording sessions occurring over a couple of days in January 2013. Those initial sessions produced 2 finished tracks, and in the run up to the recording Nelson seemed content to assume it would simply result in "an interesting EP." The pair reconvened the following month, and by June, the project had most certainly developed into a full blown album, with 5 tracks completed by then and a view to doing a further 5 to complete their work. Gabrels and Nelson then added to their work in progress that September with a further 3 tracks, before finally completing the project the following month. The album title took some time to stabilise, and at one point was referred to as Plectrajet before settling on Fantastic Guitars , which was confirmed to the Dreamsville community in April 2014. As with Joy Through Amplification and Blip! before it, Fantastic Guitars was unveiled with a launch party, held in London on 7 July, at which pre-release copies of the album were available to purchase. In order to provide enough copies for fans of both musicians, 1500 copies of Fantastic Guitars were pressed, instead of the now traditional run of 500 copies. The album went on general sale on 18 July 2014 and sold out in November 2018. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The mighty Reeves Gabrels and myself, (Sonic Masons By Appointment to the Emperor Ming), have spent the last two days sitting next to each other in my little home studio, guitars slung around our shoulders, grinning like Alice's Wonderland Cheshire Cat as we laid down tracks for our collaborative recording project... All I can say is that you are going to get a genuine kick out of this, just as I have done from enjoying such a relaxed and positive relationship with Reeves these last two days. Unfortunately, I did have to use duck tape to strap two of the fingers on his left hand down, (in an attempt to even up the odds), but he still managed to make the jump to hyper-speed and left me spinning my rocket motors in a cloud of stardust!" _____ "What's been interesting about the project for me, is just how compatible our playing is on the recordings...we probably have as much in common in our approaches as we have differences. The blend is such that the listener may well be wrong-footed over who is playing what...it sounds organic and integrated. It's not at all like those old-school guitar battles that can feel artificial and forced...Instead it flows naturally and you can hear our friendship and mutual respect in the music we make together." _____ "Both Reeves and I are musicians with broad and eclectic tastes...rock, jazz, blues, classical, country, pop, avant-garde and more, which inform our musical sensibilities and you'll find evidence of all that in 'Fantastic Guitars' but in what I consider to be a uniquely mutated form. There's spontaneity and thoughtfulness, little 'in-jokes' and oblique musical references. Lots of fun and games, intelligence and passion in the album...and certainly no lack of melody. It's two guitarists celebrating their favoured instruments in a spirit of shared joyfulness." _____ "The album contains lots of detail...some of it on the surface, some almost hidden but revealing itself the more you listen. It all fits together like a colourful psychedelic jig-saw puzzle. There are some deliberately confrontational, avant-garde moments too, mainly in "Ghosts Behind Glass" and "Orange Turning Blue", but I think perhaps the album's underlying idea was to create a 'mash-up' of guitar sounds and styles, something that constantly mutates in generic terms throughout each piece, rather than 'here's a rock track, and this one's a jazz track, and the next one's a funk track' or whatever. Each track is in a constant state of flux, shape-shifting and twisting and morphing. It's an adventure, guided by two like-minded explorers." _____ "What we've come up with so far can only be described as non-blues, non-pentatonic, neo-modernist, expressionistic, electro-jazzmatazz, rock n' roll surrealism. Or something like that. Or even not..." _____ "You want fast, searing solo lines? Tick! You want sustained legato passages? Tick! You want jazzy phrases? Tick! How about harmonic complexity, multiple layers, quirky textures, experimental noises, non-linear arrangements? Yep, you can tick all those too! Not so much a duo, more of a seething guitar orchestra." _____ "This album is not for the faint-hearted, nor for those with short attention spans or conservative tastes. It's a full-on assault for real men with rayguns and those who yearn for hyper-active, super-cosmic guitars! Not so much afternoon tea in the high street, more like an intellectual bar-room brawl on Mars. Tequila, Vino and Vibrance!" _____ "It's a multi-layered thing, kind of sonic architecture, or a six-string action painting. Just take your time with it, be patient, and eventually the window will open wide a present panoramic realms of guitar risk-taking. Trust me, I'm an artist!" ALBUM REVIEW: Review by David Quantick for Classic Rock Magazine FAN THOUGHTS: Martin Bostock: "I called in on Bill & Emi yesterday, and Bill was kind enough to play me some of the new material he has been working on, including the pieces with Reeves. I do have to say this collaboration is something very special. Reeves and Bill both complement and contrast each other perfectly, and the material they have so far recorded is nothing short of awesome. I wholeheartedly recommend you snap this up quickly when it sees its release, else you will be kicking yourself for a long, long time!" loversaremortal: "My head is spinning from some of the amazing guitar licks...how many fingers do you two fellows have?!! Brilliant...Yes highly recommended...I wish there were more musicians out there like Bill and Reeves...the envelope has moved again...thank you very much." tom fritz: "I think it's really beyond "Fantastic!" Especially the out of control feedback/trem/improv passages. You can tell the boys had fun with their toys. Cheers!" Holer: "I like how Reeves brings out Bill's spikier edge on some of these songs. It's fun to hear Bill do some hard rockin' too." seakret: "Fun stuff. An all out attack of effects guitars with the typical trademark "Billisms" (found voices, some keyboard whooshes, and stereo effects). Good times." Tesh: "I made the mistake of popping it in to my car stereo while going to see a friend. I arrived at my friend's house simultaneously drooling and giggling...which was rather embarrassing considering I was standing in his living room at the time...I'm still at the "shock and awe" stage of listening, as some of the guitar tones are just other worldly...maybe that's what caused the drooling. A summertime sonic sorbet that reveals new flavors with every listen. Delicious AND fat-free!" December Man: "I had a similar experience. I had to go across town yesterday so I burned a copy of FGs for the "trip" and headed on down the road...unsure of what I was about to hear. L.A. 101 freeway traffic, graffiti lathered walls, looming skyscrapers, gritty streets just west of downtown, hustle and bustle of city life, the chaos of people moving in all directions, etc... and it was all just fine with me! Drove around with a big fat grin on my face while listening to Fantastic Guitars ! This one is not just right up my alley, it's also down my street, over my overpass, through my tunnel, and flows down my freeway!" Twilightcapers: "Well, I absolutely love this album. A Guitar work without tired blues licks, with some spine tingling moments and a bit of hooliganism thrown in. It's been a while my friends since I've felt compelled to play air guitar, but "Coda Kings" took me away. "A Brilliant Night For Rain", and a brilliant night for buddies to jam too by the sound of it, Jeff Beck-ish in places! Non cheesy, non metal rock guitar. And "Ghosts Behind Glass" had me smiling from ear to ear, one of the highlights I think. It's one of those rare CDs that seems to be over too soon. Can't wait for the follow up! I can't stop playing it, only my other recent purchase, the marvellous Signals From Realms of Light is competing with it. With every release Bill's playing seems more confident and extrovert, always evolving..." MondoJohnny: "I find that I cannot take this off my player. What can I say? I love it! I find myself humming the tunes to myself absent-mindedly lately!" "There are some tracks on this that just blow my mind...and I'm not even a "guitar guy" really." Mozo: "In my opinion, this CD is exactly what its title states... Fantastic Guitars . It is a CD of fantastic guitar performance and sounds. In fact, I jotted down my initial remarks after listening firsthand which were as follows..."A myriad of guitar mastery and technique exploding into a vortex of constant yet an ever changing, cascading, waterfall of sounds." A true treasure of a CD that will undoubtedly take the listener to new worlds with every continual listen. Considering the amount of time that Bill and Reeves actually spent together on this project, and the music that they have created in that short working time in itself...is absolutely astounding! Great songwriting is something that doesn't usually just happen... "Thank-you most graciously Reeves and Bill for your Fantastic Guitars !!! Hopefully, this will not be your last works together as I'm sure you both realize the possibilities of your artistic merits together are endless." Albums Menu Future Past

Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights Bill Nelson 2-CD album set - November 1987 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download DISC ONE: The Angel At The Western Window 01) West Deep 02) The Spirit Cannot Fail 03) Pilots Of Kite 04) Seventh Circle 05) Phantom Gardens 06) The Angel Of Hearth And Home 07) Villefranche Interior 08) Night Tides 09) First Memory 10) Azure Extension 11) Radiant Spires 12) The Evening Peal 13) Threnodia 14) A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain 15) Body Of Light 16) At The Center 17) Self-Initiation 18) The Word That Became Flesh 19) The Hermetic Garden 20) Revolving Globes 21) The Four Square Citadel 22) Little Daughters Of Light 23) Orient Of Memphis 24) The Angel At The Western Window CD only songs added to Disc One: 25) The Piano Room 26) Rain Dance 27) Aching Heart 28) Arising 29) Welcome To Realm Seven 30) Without A Blue Horizon 31) Female Nebula 32) Demon Raising 33) Burning The Grove Of Satyrs 34) The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of 35) Realm Of Archons 36) The Rossetti Effect 37) Infinite Station 38) Piano Angelica DISC TWO: The Book Of Inward Conversation 01) My Dark Daemon 02) The Dove Consumed (The Serpent Slumbers) 03) Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven, Over 04) Path Of Return 05) Theurgia 06) Staircase To No Place 07) Evocation Of A Radiant Childhood 08) The Kingdom Of Consequence 09) The Divine Raptures Of Sisterhood 10) Bright Star (Moonlight Over Ocean Blue) 11) A Bird Of The Air Shall Carry Thy Voice 12) Clothed In Light Amongst The Stars 13) Gnosis 14) Bringers Of Lights To The Feast 15) Hastening The Chariot Of My Heart's Desire 16) Transcendant 17) Consolamentum Ecclesia Gnostica (Music for the Interior Church) ep 18) Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart 19) Mysterium 20) Katharos 21) Day Of Eternity 22) Evening Adoration 23) Ecclesia Gnostica 24) Young Angels By An Ancient River 25) Finis Gloria Mundi ALBUM NOTES: Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights is a double instrumental album issued by Cocteau Records. It was Nelson's third consecutive non-vocal album released in less than 12 months. The album was issued on vinyl and cassette, the first vinyl edition coming with a 7" ep entitled Ecclesia Gnostica . As with Map of Dreams , it took a few months after the release of the album before a CD version appeared, which added the 7" ep to disc 2 and 14 exclusive tracks to disc 1. This was still early days for the CD format though, and the 2CD set retailed at approximately three times the cost of the double vinyl. The Ecclesia Gnostica ep was never officially available separately, but second hand copies that have been liberated from the double LP can occasionally be found on the collectors market. PAST RELEASES: In 1989, Chance Encounters appeared in the US on Enigma in 3 formats: 2LP, 2CD and cassette. In July 2017, Esoteric/Cherry Red Records reissued a remastered version of the double CD edition of Chance Encounters . The set is presented in a foldout double digipack, with a full reproduction of all the original album artwork. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: From the liner notes: "The music presented on these 2 albums marks the consolidation of several years of musical & philosophical practice. Almost every piece was conceived during moments of intense stillness or 'magical vacuity'. For this I acknowledge the influence of the late Austin Osman Spare, whose technique for creating 'automatic drawing' has found a sympathetic resonance in my own work. Of all the music I have made, this is, perhaps, the most personal & yet the least demonstrative. Attempting nothing & existing purely for itself, it is, nevertheless, a practical music, ideally suited to the occultist in search of ritual atmosphere or serene meditation. With such a purpose in mind I offer this work to my fellow initiates as a testament to the Gnosis & a confirmation of The World Within." FAN THOUGHTS: A Kinder Light: "I simply always wondered...how can someone even go about creating music like this? I was so blown away by this album when I first heard it that I thought that Bill might have been a messenger from another dimension. This might seem even stranger...but I use to hear snippets of music like this in dreams when I was younger, which made it even more intriguing." JMH: "From the first track, "West Deep", I am captured...I must admit, Chance Encounters CD is one of my nightly meditations. It is hard to describe the frame of mind one enters, at the second track, on hearing the refrain: "The Spirit Cannot Fail You". Another of the artist's perfect works...to me this CD is Timeless." wadcorp: "I defy anyone to listen to Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights and not experience a calming effect. I put it on in my studio when I'm getting too tense for my own good…" Holer: "I' m heavily into Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights album at the moment. It feels like a continuation of the Trial By Intimacy albums but even spookier and more evocative...Great stuff!" Phil: "Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights remains my favourite BN album, much as I like the newer albums and the BBD stuff, it's this one that I play the most. It also contains what I consider to be Bill's most hypnotic and beautiful track, namely "The Angel at the Western Window"." alec: "I like the Surrealism of "Evocation of a Radiant Childhood", from Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights . Its ending is very unexpected drive through the clouds-all-blue..." Panoramicon: "For myself, I chose disc 2 from Chance Encounters , The Book of Inward Conversation, to help me connect (in many ways) with the loss of my dad. The ten final tracks simultaneously lift me and break my heart, esp. "Consolamentum"." Parsongs: "The Trial By Intimacy box set really sealed the deal, with Chance Encounters being a zenith; an ambient collection I always refer to as an influence. I loved the charming simplicity of the Cocteau years, the way Bill would start with a blank slate and build up songs one sound and idea at a time." stormboy: "I think Bill came into his own when creating synth pieces from Sounding the Ritual Echo onwards through to Optimism , say. I particularly enjoy the beautiful construction of the pieces, which were expertly interwoven mainly monosynth lines. His sense of stereo production on these albums is fantastic, especially given (or perhaps because of) the technical limitations of his studio at the time... Although I still think Bill is a brilliant synth-er to this day, I DO miss the analogue manipulations that he so expertly displayed in the Cocteau years! I envy his mighty Triton, but some of the soundscapes he created with his analogue set-up are amazing." Johnny Jazz: "Bill's output is so varied, there's usually a piece of music that you can put on to compliment any mood, a sort of life soundtrack. Personally, Bill has a knack of recording stuff that evokes all manner of emotional responses in this listener. Chance Encounters , The Love That Whirls are prime examples of the many that hit the spot. I'm really hard pressed to think of any other musicians/composers who can do this in quite the same way as Bill. It's a VERY rare talent." "I'd hope that Bill reissues, if he can, the double cd version of Chance Encounters . Fortunately, I have a copy, and to my mind it's possibly the best collection of Bill's ambient music I've heard." John Fisher: "Wow! I just received my copy of the reissue here stateside, and I am impressed. Great digipack layout using all the original artwork, and nice attention to detail. Overall it has better presentation than the original. Well done Esoteric/Cherry Red!" Albums Menu Future Past

Living in My Limousine Bill Nelson single - 20 August 1981 Singles Menu Future Past TRACKS: 7" Single: A) Living In My Limousine (Remix Edit) B1) Birds Of Tin B2) Love In The Abstract 12" Single: A1) Living In My Limousine (Remix) A2) White Sound B1) Birds Of Tin B2) Love In The Abstract ORIGINALLY: The lead track was remixed for both 7" (edited to 3' 40") and 12" (extended to 4' 20"). A2, B1 & B2) were non-album tracks. NOTES: Living in my Limousine was the fourth and final single released from Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam . The single made good use of multiple formats, with an exclusive edit on the 7" and another 3 bonus cuts gathered together on the 12". The artwork is a stylistic indicator of many future Nelson releases – vintage imagery housing futuristic music (even if most of it was now over 2 years old!). Note that "White Sound" is printed as "White Sounds" on the record sleeves and labels, and that the song was listed as "White Sound" on its later appearances (see below). Interesting note: consider the possibility that Bill recorded this song a few months before Gary Numan premiered his hit, "Cars" in a June 1979 Peel session. PAST RELEASES: A1) the remix of "Living in My Limousine" appeared on The Two Fold Aspect of Everything (Cocteau, 1985 & 89). It replaced the album mix on the CD version of Quit Dreaming (Cocteau, 1986), and was included on the Duplex compilation (Cocteau, 1989). A2) was included on the 1986 and 1989 CD issues of Quit Dreaming , as well as The Two Fold Aspect of Everything (UK vinyl and US CD editions). B2) was included on The Two Fold Aspect of Everything comp (unfortunately out of print). CURRENT AVAILABILITY: All these tracks except for the edited 7" mix were added to the remastered 2005 CD reissue of Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "When I made the Red Noise album, it proved unappealing to many Be Bop fans who found it too aggressive or edgy. When I made the Quit Dreaming and Love That Whirls albums, some Red Noise fans found them too 'synthetic' and cold. But oddly, nowadays I often meet people who tell me how important and seminal those albums were for them. The albums seem to have found more fans now than they ever did back then. Strange." Singles Menu Future Past

Sunday 2nd July 2006 -- 11:00 am THE TOKYO CAPER: PART THREE. As previously mentioned, our trip to Japan was dominated by an intense schedule of meetings, mostly connected with Emi's family obligations and with her friends. Her diary was crammed with appointments throughout each day and we hardly had a moment to ourselves. These meetings were sometimes difficult for me as, due to my small grasp of Japanese, I couldn't really join in the various conversations and so had to politely sit there smiling, offering an occasional "Domo Arigato" when someone would re-fill my beer glass. I did, however, appreciate that this was a rare and important opportunity for Emi to meet up with her old friends and I felt content to just sit on the side-lines and allow her as much time and space as she needed to talk with them. She bought a mobile 'phone as soon as we got to Tokyo, (at under 20 pounds it was actually cheaper than renting one,) and within a few hours had set up a network of connections. We were deluged with invitations, so much so that we couldn't fit them all in to our 12 day schedule so some meetings had to be politely declined. Of course, one of the most important reasons for our trip was for Emi to see her mother and two brothers. She hadn't seen them for three years, the last time being when her father died. Emi's mother is in her eighties now and looks frail although her health is reasonable at the moment. She was, naturally, extremely pleased to see Emi. Emi's family have always been very good to me and they all made me feel very welcome. Food and eating plays a central role in Japanese family and social life so there was lots of sitting around tables sampling various delicacies and much uttering of the word 'Oishi', which means 'delicious.' I do enjoy a lot of Japanese food but there are a few things that don't particularly appeal to me. These tend to be things of the glutinous variety, certain sweet things and, whilst I'm a firm lover of seafood, I'm not a fan of the eel-like fish that are sometimes served up and which Emi adores. Not because of their flavour, but because of the tiny bones one must encounter whilst eating them. Good wine tends to be very expensive in Japan and cheap wine is, to western tastes at least, almost unpalatable so I contented myself with Japanese beer which was very clean and refreshing, particularly with all the heat and humidity that we encountered. Every day required us to do a fair amount of walking and also to take train rides on the busy Tokyo local railways and subway systems. At rush hour, these trains are crammed full of commuters. It's amazing how many people are compacted into each carriage, squashed up together like sardines in a tin. It can be a little disturbing to the unwary 'gaijin' such as myself. I'm sure that, in this country, such intense overcrowding would break all safety regulations but no-one seems to think anything of it over there. There's even uniformed, white gloved platform staff who help push people through the doors, squeezing as many of them into the trains as possible. This makes for some rather intimate physical encounters between the passengers. For a still red-blooded male like myself, it can provide one with a pleasant few minutes of travel if one is lucky enough to be crushed up against an attractive Japanese lady or two. (And yes, I really should feel guilty about admitting that!) Less so if it happens to be a halitosis stricken Japanese businessman bearing down upon you. But my, oh, my...aren't the girls out there skinny? It's kind of worrying. Many give the appearance of being virtually anorexic. There seems to be a widespread obsession with being super-thin. I get the impression that this is connected more to fashion's dictates than anything else. One of the first things I noticed upon returning to the U.K. was that women here have dangerous curves and full breasts. Of course, these variations and sexual preferences are cultural inheritances as much as anything else, 'though it seems that many Japanese men hanker after a more 'meaty' physicality and fantasise about western women quite a lot. But then, we English men often find the Japanese female face and form beguiling, so maybe it's our perception of 'difference as exotic' that makes the grass appear greener on the other side of the fence. Oh dear, I fear I'm beginning to sound like a stereotypical, old-school, un-reconstructed, politically incorrect male here, (or one of those cartoon randy old-goats of the Leslie Phillips variety...) Perhaps I should change the subject! Not all of our time in Tokyo was given over to Emi's busy schedule. I was allowed a couple of indulgences of my own. One of these was to accept an invitation to visit the Terada guitar factory in Nagoya, which is a two hour train ride from Tokyo on the super-fast Shinkansen train. We were met at Nagoya station by one of the factory's executive staff, Mr. 'Chet' Nakagawa who turned out to be a lovely guy. Chet treat us to lunch at a small restaurant that served one of Emi's favourite Japanese dishes, 'Unagi', (The eel-like fish I mentioned earlier.) She was very pleased to have an opportunity to eat this. I ate some very good Sahshimi, (raw fish), washed down with Japanese beer. Chet then drove us to the guitar factory. The Terada factory makes guitars for Gretsch, (which is how I came by my invitation), but they also build guitars for D'Angelico, D'Aquisto and several other companies. They seem to specialise in building archtop style guitars. It began as a family business in 1915 when the company made violins and it is still a family run business today. The tour of the factory that we were given was fascinating. I'd expected something very high-tech and modern but was surprised to find a series of quite modest, semi-dilapidated buildings that looked as if they were at least 50 years old. Each building dealt with different stages of a guitar's construction, from stacked piles of raw wood to beautifully finished, shiny instruments. The craftsmen building them are mostly young guys, all with university degrees in guitar-making. Everyone who works there is a guitar player too and they take a tremendous pride in the high quality instruments that they create. I was impressed by the obsessive attention to detail and obvious care that went into each guitar. I also was introduced to Mr.Terada who runs the factory. Terada-San was very gracious and told me a little of the company's history. He also let me in on some new work the factory is planning to undertake but that's to be kept under my hat. Unfortunately, I didn't take any still photo's of the work being done there but I did manage to shoot some camcorder footage which I hope to incorporate into a little documentary video about my Japanese trip which, all being well, I'll screen at this year's Nelsonica Convention. After the factory visit, Mr. Chet Nakagawa became our tour guide and generously took us to see the impressive Nagoya Castle which looked like something from the animated film, 'Spirited Away.' He kindly took a photo of Emi and I standing in front of the castle, (which I've attached to this diary entry). Afterwards, he drove us back to Nagoya station for our two hour trip back to Tokyo on the bullet train. We invited him to look us up if he should visit England in the future. We'd be very happy to put him up and show him the beauty of Yorkshire's moors and coastline. A very nice, warm man. Another guitar related event on our busy schedule was my interview and photo session for 'Player Magazine.' As mentioned in an earlier diary entry, I wasn't expecting anything more than a brief interview and therefore hadn't prepared clothes for a photo' session but, as the magazine said they wanted to create a six-page feature about me and my guitar collection, it seemed churlish to complain. The photo session and interview was held in a professional photographic studio in Tokyo. No-one complained when I kept my dark glasses on, so I was reasonably happy. Actually, from what I've seen of the polaroid roughs, taken as the shoot was being set up, the end results shouldn't be too bad at all. But I genuinely do dislike being photographed these days. I much prefer being behind the camera, rather than in front of it. Another enjoyable part of our trip was the evening when we had dinner with my good friend Nick James and his wife Yoko. Nick has, astonishingly, been living in Tokyo for 17 years now. He originally hails from Selby in Yorkshire, which is where we first met. He was a young guy trying to get into the music industry at that time, his main interest being in studio engineering. But Nick is also a fine musician who plays keyboards and, in recent years, some guitar too. He owns a beautiful Martin acoustic which I envy. Nick and I have worked together in the past, most notably on my old Cocteau Records single 'Life In Your Hands'. Nick engineered that and played piano on it too.These days he's in demand in Tokyo as a producer and composer as well as an engineer and has created musical scores for films and tv there. His wife Yoko is a talented singer and they have a very comprehensive home studio set-up that makes my own equipment seem quite minimal and humble. When Nick and Yoko were married, back in the early 1990's, I was proud to be asked to act as Nick's best man. They married in England at Brayton Church on the edge of Selby. My after dinner speech was pathetic, I developed food poisoning at the after-reception party and ended up in a bit of a state, but it was still a memorable day and the only time I've ever worn the traditional full tie and tails regalia. I seem to recall that I looked rather smart, quite the gentleman toff in fact. Anyway, on this latest visit to Japan, Nick and Yoko took us to a little Italian restaurant where it was good to enjoy a meal without requiring the public display of my rudimentary chopstick technique. (Actually, Japanese people always seem to compliment me on my use of chopsticks so maybe I'm not quite as clumsy as I think I am. Either that or they're just being typically polite.) Of course, I once lived in Tokyo for almost 12 months so it was a matter of 'chopsticks or starve.' Well...I soon got the hang of it. Another evening was taken up by a re-union party of Emi's old workmates. When I first went to live with Emi in Tokyo, she was in charge of Kenneth Turner's flower shop. Kenneth Turner is a renowned English Floral Designer who is highly respected in Japan. The flower company that Emi used to work for, (Floral Vision), was chosen by Kenneth Turner to manage the Japanese branch of his business and Emi was chosen to run his shop for him. I was always impressed by Emi's efficiency and professionalism when I dropped into the Kenneth Turner shop, close to Tokyo Tower. Her staff showed an obvious respect to her and Kenneth himself thought highly of her. Her floral designs were regularly featured in interior design magazines in Japan and I'm pleased that she's kept a number of these magazines for her archives. But it's been several years since the company staff have been together in one place, many of them moving off to start their own flower businesses or going into teaching. On this latest trip though, a special party was arranged to honour Emi's visit to Tokyo and I found myself the only westerner amongst eleven Japanese girls and two Japanese males. There was much warm humour and, (unsurprisingly), lots of good food and drink. Once again, I found myself disadvantaged by my lack of conversational Japanese but everyone was extremely good to me and it proved to be less of an ordeal than I'd expected. What I love about these situations is that Emi is able to converse naturally in her native tongue. She seems quite different from her U.K. persona, when she has to carefully consider how to translate her thoughts into English. Even though she's made great progress since coming here to live with me as my wife, she still feels that she lacks confidence in speaking English and is often hesitant or uneasy about the matter. We understand each other in ways that only two people who love each other can so the technical side of any language problem is not such a big deal for us. But in Japan, Emi's steady, considered speech changes to rapid fire, energetic conversation, filled with laughter and sparks. I get a real pleasure from seeing her freed from the constraints of the English language. On another occasion, we had lunch with a different set of Emi's friends, one of whom, Gan-chan, turned out to be a collector of vintage Japanese toys. When I spoke to him about my fascination with an early 1950's Japanese cartoon character called 'Atom' (or, as he is sometimes known, 'Astroboy') he immediately left the table, hopped on his pushbike and cycled off in the direction of his home. Ten minutes later, he returned with two gifts for me from his private collection. One was a vintage plastic figure of the Astroboy/Atom character, the other was a now ten-year-old reproduction of an almost two-foot high statuette of the same character. I couldn't believe he was giving me these things as they're quite rare and therefore, I presume, quite valuable. I'm very pleased to have them on display here in my home. I'll try to take a photograph of the big one for the diary pages soon. There's still more to tell but it will have to wait until the next diary entry. Once again, exhaustion is taking its toll and I'm losing concentration. The heat here today hasn't helped much either, nor the running around getting Emi's car repaired, serviced and M.O.T.'d. My car's turn tomorrow. So...later. ***** The Photographs attached to this diary entry are:- 1. Buddha Head at a Kamakura Temple. 2. Bill and Emi at Nagoya Castle. 3. A Kamakura Temple Carp. Top of page Friday 7th July 2006 -- 7:00 pm THE TOKYO CAPER: PART FOUR. One of the duties/perils inherent in any trip to Japan is the buying of gifts to bring back for family and friends. This time, because of the crowded nature of our schedule, there was only a little time available for shopping, 'though I managed to grab some extra time whilst Emi dealt with other matters. I put in a lot of walking...hard work, due to the humidity. Nevertheless I managed to grab quite a few things to take home as gifts. The problem with Tokyo is that the city is virtually one giant department store and there's so much on offer. Seeking out things that are suitable for a wide range of friends, not 'over the top' expensive things but sensible ones, practical for packing into suitcases is not an easy task. It's all about context. The shops in Tokyo are so beautifully designed, carefully lit and laid out that even the most mundane goods take on the glamour of jewels.Things that, in the U.K, you would normally pass by thinking them frivolous or slight, become super-stylish objects of desire. The background music in these shops is equally evocative and sleek. No Brit-pop lads with lagers, monkey legs and '70's guitar re-treads here, just spare, minimal, ambient backdrops. Clear notes hanging in the air like chimes from heaven, subtle beat manipulations, all discreet, knowing, swish, elegant, elite. The carefully sculpted sounds add to the sense of exquisiteness in the stores. In some ways, it's style taken to extremes, artificial, phoney, far too obviously studied and mannered. But it does the trick. Some of the things we bought, when we got them home, looked far less impressive in the cynical light of a Yorkshire living room. Of course, there are less sophisticated shopping areas. There are back streets around Harajuku that cater to a very young generation of Tokyo shoppers. Here the music is a Japanese interpretation of rap or reggae. Sometimes hilarious in its misappropriation of those particular genres. The street fashion is often a meaningless mix of styles, no coherence, no awareness of the negative effect that certain combinations of clothes have on the wearer's body. There's one very odd, (though tackily interesting), trend that I noticed. I saw several girls dressed in what I can only describe as 'Kate Greenaway' chic... ('though it's far from 'chic' in reality). These girls look like something from a vintage English nursery rhyme, 'Little Bo Peep' perhaps, all layered lace, bibs and pinafores and mop hats tied under the chin with pink ribbons. When encountering them in the street, it is as if the cast of an English pantomime has left the theatre in full costume. In some ways, it's quite perverse. There's a knowing hint of fetishism in the eyes of the wearers. It's like an inverse 'Goth' look. For all its super-tweeness, there's something dark and sinister about it. But 10 out of 10 for bravery. Japan is full of these surprises and contradictions. For someone such as myself, a person with an interest in trash culture, fine art and the blurred boundary in between, walking down the street for an hour or two can cause one to re-think the world. Whilst we were in Japan, I deliberately severed all connection with the western hemisphere. (Apart from a couple of 'phone calls to my mother.) At the same time, I was wondering what would await me on my return. I knew that there was a long list of projects requiring my attention. These days, being a cottage industry type of chap, music is only one of my pre-occupations. As regular readers of this diary know, my work doesn't stop there. I personally oversee every aspect of what I create. It's very hard work and often deeply frustrating, but its the path I've chosen so I shouldn't complain too loudly. Not so much a control freak but more of a 'vision freak.' I suppose, ultimately, I'm the only person who knows what my work is about. I spend a lot of time trying to explain it to others in the hope of some fortunate connection or other. I DID try not to worry about the project list in the U.K. But my thoughts strayed across the oceans to England and the next few months busy schedule. (And beyond.) I've commented on it before, but it is often quite a struggle. Earning a living from my music, and earning the right to make more albums, is a precarious thing. My age, my personal musical preferences, my refusal to deal with the industry on its own terms, all these things, well...they often work against me. Still, I continue to try it on. To bang my head against that old brick wall. Maybe it's a habit. Eventually, we had to pack and prepare to leave Japan. It was hard, particularly for Emi, to say goodbye to her mother and brothers, but, if truth were told, we were not sorry to leave Tokyo itself. Yorkshire and it's beautiful moors and coastline beckoned us and promised us a spiritual sense of space denied to us in our temporary hole in Shibuya. Quality of life, I guess. At least Emi and I are able to recognise the difference and appreciate our luck at being able to access those places and spaces within our Yorkshire habitat. Beyond price, really. The journey back was longer than the outward one. I drowned myself in alcohol again. After a seemingly endless flight we arrived in Holland. The hours that we then spent at Amsterdam's Schipol airport were hyper-boring. We holed up in a cafe called 'Sandwich Island.' It was dreadful. The staff were hopeless, got conversion rates wrong, short changed us, served up poor food. Then, as we sat at a table finishing our meal, two rats ran across the cafe's floor and between our legs. And all this in a shiny, chrome, steel and glass airport that prides itself on its modernity. We were not impressed. Eventually, Emi and I boarded our transfer flight to England and soon found ourselves flying over the coastline of Yorkshire, just above Spurn Point on the Humber estuary. Spurn Point is one of those special places for me. A place I've visited since childhood. It's magical and romantic, sand dunes, sea grass, shells, wild birds and an old lighthouse. It reminds me of my father and three or four romantic relationships from my haphazard past. To see it from the air, particularly after two weeks in Tokyo, was a wonderful 'welcome home' treat. I watched the Humber estuary twist and flow into the river proper, saw the city of Hull and the elegant Humber bridge pass by below me, and then, in what seemed like a few scant minutes, the pilot announced our descent into Leeds-Bradford airport. There is only one place in the world I'm reluctant to leave when I fly abroad, and that is the South Coast of France. Villefranche-Sur-Mer and it's environs is the only place where I would be happy to stay, to settle, if, by some miracle, I could afford a home there. Anywhere else on this planet, no matter how interesting or entertaining, I can generally leave behind without a single tear. But, the Cote D' Azur aside, Yorkshire claims something of my soul and I have no qualms in surrendering to its charms. Our neighbour Steve was waiting for us at the airport. A good and true friend. We were both pleased to see him. I was by now, of course, inebriated in a haphazardly loquacious fashion. Part articulate, part incoherent. Babbling like an idiot but pleased to be home. Steve put up with this obviously over-tired tirade and drove us quickly and safely home. A stack of bills awaited us and a house that smelled damp and un-lived in. Our neighbours, Jim and Claire, had kindly watered the plants for us and kept their eye on things. Suitcases were opened, clothes assigned to the washing machine and gifts checked for breakages. In a very short space of time, it felt as if we'd only been away for a day or two. then the jet-lag. Several nights of sudden awakening, bedside lamps being switched on and reading glasses donned. Now it feels as if all this happened months ago. A vague memory, a dream. But, that's life. Now... the usual stresses have returned. I'm inundated with emails. There's a 'to do' list that freaks me out every time I think about it. I've been to visit my brother's grave in Wakefield cemetery, laid fresh flowers. Oh, dear...how I miss him, want to see him, hug him. I dreamt about him again. (Last night was the third or fourth time since he passed away.) I visited my mother last weekend but not yet found time to see Elliot, ('though we met in the street just over a week ago). Elle is due to visit from London soon so maybe then. I have gifts from Japan for them both. I managed to get both Emi's car and mine through the M.O.T., (though not without expense). I've photographed almost my entire guitar collection for Player magazine, (with the generous help of Jon Wallinger and Paul Gilby). A three day job in total. Had dinner out at a brand new restaurant in town, (with Paul), 'though it was a restaurant that was suffering from teething problems. (Wrong food arrived, etc, etc.) Spoke with Dean Campbell about the next stage of my signature guitar and am looking forward to seeing what may turn out to be the final design soon. Dean called me 'Gretsch boy.' (He'd read my diary.) Well, maybe I'm just a guitar-whore and he's jealous...;-) All I can say is that it's a good job it's guitars and not women, otherwise I'd really be in trouble! Today I posted a CDR of photos of my guitar collection and home studio to Player magazine in Tokyo, arranged emails of a couple of extra photos for their forthcoming feature on my work, (including a Martin Bostock portrait). I also spoke to Opium Arts about the go-ahead on my deal to licence my 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' album for re-issue later in the year. (First official release of the album on CD.) Various details discussed regarding distribution, review copies, release dates, etc. I now need to speak with my graphic art buddy Dave Graham about various things, including a new design for the 'Holy Ghost' album's re-packaging. Spoke with my good friend John Spence about mixing the Be Bop live tracks for the EMI RECORDS box set...studio time pencilled in for next week. Will I remember what I wanted to do with this material? It seems unlikely...I listened to it months ago and made mental notes. All lost in fog now. (I also need to talk to John about booking some time at Fairview to remaster 'Holy Ghost,' and SOON too as I need finished copies of the album to put to the media for review by the start of September.) Today I took delivery of a lovely little Greco L-10P archtop jazz guitar that I bought in Tokyo. (Can't wait to use this on something. In fact, more than anything right now, I'd like to start work on a new album but...there's no time available. And I have such a lovely list of titles to inspire me at the moment.) I also need to do more preparatory work for this year's Nelsonica convention, make a start on the 'Ghosts Etched On Glass' film, attempt the 'Romance Of Sustain volume 2' album, work on the 'Arcadian Salon' convention album, create some drawings for the convention, and several more things that I either can't recall or am recklessly trying to avoid. 'Neptune's Galaxy' is due for official release soon too...maybe next week although no-one should attempt to order it until the official announcement is posted on the site. The Dreamsville/Sound-On-Sound store can't deal with pre-orders due to the nature of the computer system used but, once the album is in stock, there will be no problems and people can order at will. It's a superbly apt album for this time of year and will compliment a relaxing day in the garden or by the sea. It also has the power to transform a cold autumn-winter night into something more balmy and paradisiacal. Despite the work pressures, I've managed to write a few diary entries, answer several emails, (but still more to deal with), looked through some household bills, (but not paid any yet), made another couple of trips to the supermarket for domestic supplies and am duty bound to help Emiko with a freelance flower job tomorrow. There is, as diary readers may have noticed, nothing 'nine-to-five' about my life. Only one week returned from Japan and I'm even more exhausted than before I went there. It's a kind of endurance test. Why do I do it? Because I have no choice. The luxury of leisurely contemplation is denied me. It's simply all action, compulsion. Nervous energy, empty mind. Orgasmic Zen. Now I will open the case of my little Greco guitar and play some blues in the heat of my tiny recording room. Summer hums in the dark outside my window. ***** The photographs attached to this diary entry are:- 1. Tokyo train. 2. Shibuya Scene. 3. Bill Nelson Signature Model Campbell Transitone guitar prototype. Top of page Tuesday 11th July 2006 -- 9:00 pm Tokyo has now faded into the mist of memory and I've picked up my workload with a vengeance. It's been almost non-stop since returning home. It seems as if something new appears on the horizon every day. The latest development concerns a deal with Sony Records to license my 1980's 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' album from them. The terms of the deal, which will allow me to re-issue the album on my own Sonoluxe label, have finally been agreed. When the album surfaces it will be the very first time that it will have been officially available on cd. I'm looking at late October as a possible release date. Of course, I have to pay Sony a cash advance and a percentage of the album's sales as part of the deal, (ironic, as it's my own damn music and it's normally the artist who gets an advance), but those are the terms Sony have laid out. I must comply if I'm to be allowed to re-issue it. (And even then, it's for a limited time only.) Sony do not seem to have any interest in releasing it themselves though. I also have to pay the costs of transferring the original tapes to the digital domain from the analogue masters.Then I will re-master the tracks at Fairview and create, (with the assistance of my pal David Graham), a brand new visual package for the album. I also need to write some new sleeve notes, setting the album in its historical context. Then, once all that is done, the album and its artwork can be manufactured. Putting all this together isn't cheap, in fact the whole process is much more expensive than usual. If I rely on website sales alone, I may well lose money on it. The amount of albums I sell via the site is so small that, if my usual album sales figures were applied to 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across', it simply wouldn't be worth doing. The production/licensing costs add too much to the equation. However, if I can sell some copies of the album, through a distributer, to record shops, I may be in with a chance. (Or at least, hopefully, break even.) The album really needs to come to the attention of those people who are unaware of my Dreamsville site or who may be newcomers to my music. So...the distribution route is being looked into at the moment, as is the possibility of getting review copies to various magazines. It's all a bit of a financial gamble. Let's hope that the regular fan requests for this album to be re-issued are followed up by firm orders. One of the problems of being an independent artist is that it is impossible not to have to deal with these things. Music is the starting point but the process doesn't stop there. There are so many other things to consider and to work on. It's extremely time consuming and often frustrating. But perhaps that's the price of artistic freedom. I've also been debating the title of the re-issue. It's original title in the U.K. was 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' but this was changed for the U.S.A. release. The package design was changed too. CBS Records, (since bought out by Sony), who originally released the album, were concerned that several right-wing Christian fundamentalist-owned record stores in the U.S. wouldn't stock the album due to it's 'controversial' title and mystical-alchemic-occult art work. It seemed that there was a paranoia about anything that might smack of 'magick'. So, in America, the album was re-titled: 'On A Blue Wing' and an entirely different package was designed, one that could not possibly cause any offence to anyone. (Except the artist, of course. I was not particularly pleased about it at the time.) But with the re-issue, I really want to re-think the packaging, bring it up to date. I intend to reproduce both the U.K. and U.S. front cover art on the inside of the jewel box insert, just for the sake of the album's history, but I do want to try and create something to set the re-issue apart from the original. The 'Holy Ghost' title is quite restricting in some ways... 'On A Blue Wing' is much more flexible in terms of visual interpretation. On the other hand, the 'Holy Ghost' title was my original title for the project, back in the '80's. However, I am no longer involved with the various occult orders that I belonged to back then and, whilst my personal experiences within them were appropriate for my development at the time, that particular path has, in recent years, become overgrown with weeds and I feel less comfortable signposting it for others. But one can't re-write one's own history. (Unless one happens to be a mega pop star with an appetite for fame and fortune outweighing one's integrity. And there are plenty of those around without me adding to the myths.) But it's up in the air at the moment. My starting point is the original title and I'll only revert to the secondary title if the first one doesn't inspire a suitable visual style. I've already searched through my old alchemical books for something that might work, but in a 'lower key' than the original art. I want it to be somewhat more subdued and enigmatic. It's needed quickly though, if the deadline for press/media copies is to be met. The songs on the album are less 'occult' than they might seem, once the listener has the key to their true inspiration. They are, in the main, about my first romantic encounter with Emiko, long before I was in a position to marry her. We had an intense but brief relationship the year before I started work on the album. Because the situation wasn't yet right for us to stay together, there was a lot of tears and heartache. The music reflects that, particularly the song, 'Because Of You.' In many ways, it's a typical '80's album in style, all post-modernist funk, some tracks veering towards a hard, jazzy blues. The late Dick Morrisey plays sax on the album, as does my much missed brother Ian. Some great bass playing from Ian Denby too. But it is, for me, perhaps the one album of mine that declares the era of its creation. It is unmistakably a product of those Linn Drum driven '80's. Studio time at Fairview has, (yesterday), been confirmed for next week, but in connection with an entirely different re-issue project. This is to mix the unreleased live concert Be Bop Deluxe tracks for the forthcoming EMI Records Be Bop Deluxe complete recordings box set. I start work on this project on Monday. I can't say it's something I'm particularly excited about, (regular diary readers will know how, er, 'amoral' I am about dealing with old material beyond a certain point,) but...better that I personally mix it, rather than a complete stranger to the band's history. Nevertheless, I'm very much looking forward to spending a few days with my friend John Spence who will be working with me on the mixes. John transforms even the dullest task into a pleasure. His engineering skills are second to none so I'm certain that the tracks will sound fabulous when the two of us are done with them. Enough of all this 're-issue' stuff...it makes me feel so pathetically old. But...There's NEW music afoot! Much more satisfying... I heard, an hour or so ago, that stocks of 'Neptune's Galaxy' have finally arrived at the Dreamsville Department Store and are available for ordering with immediate dispatch. I've limited this one to 500 copies. If the demand is there, I may press up more, but 'Sailor Bill' has still not yet sold out so I'm being cautious. I'm glad that 'Neptune's Galaxy' has become available before the summer expires though...it's a perfect complement to an afternoon on the beach, or a picnic on the clifftops. Or even a barbecue by the garden pond. In winter, a bath with aromatherapy oils whilst listening will provide the listener with an equally blissful experience. Is this a soft hard-sell? Maybe I should've been a salesman...(But maybe not.) As I've mentioned before, the album is a companion piece to 'The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill' but it sails on a purely instrumental, drifting, ambient tide. It's a mellow, relaxed seascape of an album and sits comfortably alongside my 'Dreamland To Starboard' and 'Crimsworth' projects with a hint of 'Rosewood' thrown in. Another recently completed album, 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' is waiting in the wings for it's own debut...but NOT until autumn. This is a vocal-based album and quite different to 'Neptune's Galaxy'...Its release is definitely being held back for a few months, 'though it's champing at the bit. I now really feel the urge to start something new, as noted in a previous diary entry, but there are several other projects clamouring for my attention. I have no idea why there is so much music in the air and why my internal antennae seems so eager to beam it down. I seem to exist in a permanent monsoon of sound. It's always stormy weather, but of the most beautiful, ravishing kind. The view from my window is of lightning dancing over hills and valleys, illuminating tiny details normally invisible to the naked eye. Lovely. I received confirmation today, via email, that the CDR containing photographs of my musical instrument collection and my studio arrived safely at the headquarters of 'Player Magazine' in Tokyo. The magazine also confirmed that my photo's were of good enough quality to be used in the article they are planning for an autumn issue. The magazine's visual standards are high so it's a relief to know that everything has worked out o.k. I couldn't have faced another attempt at photographing everything again, it took me so long to do it the first time. It hasn't all been work though. On Sunday, Emi and I drove out to Nunnington Hall, a National Trust property with 15th century rooms. It isn't too far from Helmsley, north of York. The weather was good too. Our visit wasn't purely to see the lovely old house but to also take in the exhibition of photographs of Bob Dylan that were on display in the house's upper rooms. It was a very good exhibition. I would have dearly loved to purchase a print for myself but they were too expensive for me, averaging about 900 pounds but the more expensive ones nearer three thousand pounds. I still adore Bob Dylan. First found his music when I was at art school in the '60's. He's a hero of mine. I did spend a small amount of money though, (seven pounds), on a book in the shop in Nunnington Hall. It was a book about Christies' pop memorabilia auctions with photos of various items that have passed through the Christies' auction rooms over the years. The real reason I bought it was that it contained a picture of the first guitar I ever played, (not the ACTUAL guitar but an identical one). This was a plastic, toy instrument, made by a company called 'Selco' and had an Elvis Presley theme. It was originally bought, in the late '50's as a Christmas present for my brother Ian but he was a bit too young for it at the time and, fatefully, it ended up in my hands. It was made from brown and cream plastic and had a picture of Elvis Presley on the headstock. I figured out how to play the 'Third Man' theme on this guitar, then my dad taught me three or four banjo chords on it. And that was how I began a life-long love affair with the guitar. I would dearly love to get my hands on one of those old Selco Elvis Presley toy guitars again. One really should be in my collection. It's where it all started for me and even seeing the photograph of it in the Christies' book flooded me with a deeply emotional nostalgia. Perhaps I should ask the Dreamsville site's citizens to keep an eye out for an example. There may be one out there somewhere, just waiting for me to claim it. Driving back from Nunnington Hall, Emi and I stopped off at a hotel in Hovingham for a drink before heading home. All in all, it was another of those really nice days that we try to spend together at weekends. Emi is not just my wife, but my best friend and I treasure the times we share travelling around our beloved North Yorkshire. She's the perfect companion for me. Last night provided us with another social occasion. Jane, a good friend of ours, celebrated her 50th birthday. She, her husband Mark, Emi and I, were all invited to the home of our mutual friends, Steve and Julia. Julia had prepared a really excellent dinner for us all. As usual, I ended up merrily mellow. A 'phone call this evening to Dave regarding artwork. Some emails sent to various people, (including Dean Campbell regarding the actual written signature to go onto my signature guitar), but more still to write...and more work to deal with tomorrow. Tired now though...maybe enough for today? ***** The images attached to this diary entry are:- 1: A 'Neptune's Galaxy' advert. 2: A 1950's Selco Elvis Presley toy guitar, exactly the same as Bill's first ever guitar. 3: Bill's studio in an untidy, busy moment. Top of page Friday 14th July 2006 -- 7:00 pm Tomorrow is the 15th of July. Approximately 33 years ago, events transpired that gave birth to the song '15th Of July, (Invisibles)'. This song was part of Be Bop Deluxe's live performances at the time, but the song was not included in the recording sessions that produced the band's first album 'Axe Victim.' The only evidence that the song ever actually existed, (apart from fading memory), is provided by Be Bop Deluxe's very first BBC radio one session on the late and much missed John Peel show. I don't think the band had even consolidated its deal with EMI Records at that time. Thankfully, the BBC kept a recording of the show in its archives and the track was eventually immortalised on cd when it appeared, a few years ago now, on an album called 'Tramcar To Tomorrow', which focused on those long ago John Peel sessions. Some fans may already know about that particular song's origins, how it sprang from a relationship that I had with a certain girl, a girl who inspired the song 'Teenage Archangel,' (Be Bop Deluxe's first, independently made single,) and who also inspired 'Love Is Swift Arrows,' amongst several other, later titles. Be Bop Deluxe had a regular monthly gig at 'The Duke Of Cumberland' pub in North Ferriby, near Hull in the early 1970's. The band were young and naive and we met girls, as young bands do. I was married to my first wife, (Shirley), at the time and shouldn't really have been looking for romance... but I was. It hadn't turned out to be the ideal marriage, either for me or for Shirley. Not Shirley's fault at all really, just me and my usual saying 'yes' when I really meant 'no.' I'd plunged into it far too young and hardly knew what I was doing, 'though as a result, I have a wonderful, intelligent daughter that I couldn't live without. (Julia Tuesday Nelson.) It was, as the old cliche has it, 'just one of those things.' Nevertheless it has become a vital part of my history and an important, formative, invaluable experience. In those days, I had a day job working for the West Riding County Council's 'Supplies Department,' a miserable enough job that offered no real future, other than a daily shuffling of papers from one desk tray to another until old age and retirement when I could look forward to a mantlepiece clock and a briefcase full of good wishes. I tolerated it as cheerfully as I could, along with the well meaning but relatively unambitious people I worked with. No, let me be honest here, I hated the damn job, grateful as I was to have enough income to maintain my two-up, two-down, industrial-age terrace house, nestled just outside Wakefield's high security prison in an area known as Plumpton. (In fact, just across the road from the one-time site of Mariott's Buildings, my grandmother's house, where I was born.) I felt like a man from Mars in that rank and file environment...and people treated me as if I WAS someone from another world. I was greeted with a mixture of suspicion, derision and thinly disguised prejudice. My liberal, non-conformist attitudes were seen as threatening by some of my fellow workers. I was an enigma or a curiosity to them. My enthusiasm for art and music was simply their confirmation that I was weird, oddball, maybe even slightly crazy. I did my best to live with it, believing, somewhere inside, that my instincts were right and that it was they who were odd, mutant, deviant almost, and that I had a much more healthy, broad and open attitude towards life. My life and its daily grind were in some ways responsible for my dreams of an idealistic, romantic, creative lifestyle. Anything to escape. Under all the paper-filing, telephone-answering mundanity lurked the ecstatic, melancholy, heart of a poet. Let's not be coy here, that is what I was and what I still am. (And always have been since the day I was born, despite my occassional protests and faux-modest denials.) I still believe that everyone is a poet, given the right situation, environment, opportunity to express themselves, or whatever. (And poetry, as I've said so often before, is not a 'form' but a quality.) But...blah, blah, blah...easy to say or think this back then in my youth, with no evidence of very much at all. No visible track record, very few marks in the sand. Not like now. Song after song after song, still yearning, searching, harvesting every last straw for the thatched roof of my own private cottage museum. The proof, for what it's worth, is there. 33 years worth of proof or more if needed. 58 this coming December actually, all taken into account. Undeniable then...A life devoted to it, whatever IT is. But...yes, I was right, THAT is what I am, for better or for worse. Poet, artist, imagineer...How wonderful, how privileged, how highly UNLIKELY! Regardless of good, bad or indifferent. I can't judge what it's worth and ultimately don't care. (Or do I?) But there's something there...an integrity of sorts. Maybe nothing more. Around 33 years ago, on the 15th of July, Be Bop Deluxe's gig at 'The Duke Of Cumberland' was cancelled due to summer thunderstorms that caused an electricity cut in the North Ferriby area. The band had made friends with various locals since first playing there. Instead of jumping in our van and heading back to Wakefield, we were persuaded to spend the rest of the day with various locals. We were adored by our regular audience at the Duke and there was no shortage of offers to go and relax with them. I'd fallen head over heels in love with a beautiful, intelligent, dark haired, half-jewish girl called Lisa. We'd met at one of the earliest of 'Duke' gigs. She was stunning and I was smitten. It was as if I'd been granted a miracle. I couldn't believe my luck. Why was she interested in me? An unhappy, married man from a working class background with nothing but a pocketful of dreams. Her family was wealthy, sophisticated, everything that I wasn't. On that 15th of July, Lisa invited me to go with her in her car to her parent's house in Kirkella, an upper class village not far from North Ferriby. I worried about the fact that they did not know that I was married, 'though Lisa was aware of this from the start of our relationship and accepted it. She said not to worry and off we went to her home. The house was called 'West Acre' and was, by my standards at the time, almost a palace. Her parents were gracious and her home was large and luxurious. I recall it vividly, it made such an impression on me. Lisa cooked me lunch, Steak and chips, if I remember correctly. Her father proudly showed me his hi-fi system, built into an expensive antique cabinet and Lisa showed me her bedroom. She kept a photo of me pinned to a set of drawers next to her bed. The house was filled with expensive furniture and objects d'arte. Maybe I wouldn't be so impressed now, but then...I was stunned. It was raining, though warm. Some of Lisa's friends called around to see her and we all sat in a lounge in the front of the house. I could see the lane, outside the front garden's perimeter, with its line of green trees and an old fashioned lampost a few yards or so away. It reminded me of an illustration in an old children's book from my childhood, sort of '30's or '40's upper class, 'proper' English society. I'd grown up on a council house estate and this was magic to me. I felt out of place, 'though I was desperately glad to be sitting next to Lisa, who I adored. One of Lisa's friends commented on how bad the weather was, with the rain and everything. Lisa just smiled, squeezed my hand and said, "It couldn't be better..." And that was the exact moment that the song, '15th Of July, (Invisibles)' sprang into being. Perhaps it was the painfullness of our situation that was 'invisible.' Only she and I knew that I was married, her friends and parents being unaware of it at the time. The song's lyrics start like this: 'It rained all day across the world, and turned the dark trees deeper green...' It goes on to portray the house, Lisa's friends and quotes her comment...and plainly states my yearning for her. For all its innocence and naivety, it's one of the purest, most heartfelt love songs I've ever written. And it's 33 years old tomorrow. I received CDR masters of the 'Holy Ghost' and 'Spangled Moment' recordings from Sony today. When I played them back, I was shocked. I haven't listened to these recordings for many years, (apart from the song 'Contemplation' which I had to reference for the band tour of 2004). My first impression was that I'd dearly love to get my hands on the original 24 track tapes and completely remix them, get rid of that terribly dated 1980's crashing reverb snare drum sound. Too much reverb overall in fact...and not enough bass. It all sounds very brittle and insubstantial. William's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer) July 2006 Jan Apr May Jun Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 Ironic that the majority of it was recorded on what was then considered to be state-of-the-art early digital equipment. My current home studio mixes are infinitely superior. But it would be too expensive and time consuming to remix the album, so I will have to content myself with simply re-mastering it. Try to add some weight to the overall sound. Good songs, on the whole though. Better than I'd remembered. If only I could remix them to bring out the vocals more.The vocals are really quite good, 'though at the time I tended towards the opposite opinion, making them subsidiary to the instrumental mix. More fool me. If I could do it all again, (mix the tracks that is), I'd make the entire thing much dryer, more focussed, more vocal centred...and feature the bass guitar of Ian Denby more, AND my late brother's saxophone and clarinet too. One thing I CAN do, and WILL do, is re-think the track listing, especially as I am now able to integrate the 8 song, 'Living For The Spangled Moment' mini-album into the project. The running order would definitely benefit from the years of experience granted to me since the original album's release. I need to bring the entire project into the 21st Century, at least in its presentation. Next week I'm in Fairview, mixing the EMI Be Bop Box Set live tapes, so I'll have to put Holy Ghost on ice for a short while. But it needs to be worked on very soon if I'm to keep things on schedule. So busy. Work on my Campbell signature model guitar goes on apace. I got photo's of the naked, carved mahogany body last night. I also emailed Dean Campbell regarding some cosmetic details and gave him a title for the red paint colour that will be used. I've called it 'Rocketship Red.' There will be 'atom' style fret position markers at the 12th fret too. The model will be known as a 'Nelsonic Transitone.' Looking forward to seeing the final version. I need to approve it before production starts. 'Neptune's Galaxy' finally going out the door of the Dreamsville Department Store. People already posting their response to the album on the website forum. I think that the music is low-key but beautiful. Gentle tides and drifting clouds. Perfect for a summer afternoon. Perfect for dreaming. Now it's the weekend. But no rest...I need to think about the revised 'Holy Ghost' running order. AND new artwork. The weather is so nice outside my window. ***** The images accompanying this diary entry are:- 1. An early photo' of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe taken around the same time that they first played at 'The Duke Of Cumberland' pub. 2. Bill Nelson in the '80's around the time of the 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' album. 3. Dutch and Justin, luthiers at Campbell American Guitars with the mahogany body of Bill Nelson's 'Nelsonic Transitone' guitar. A work in progress. Top of page Monday 17th July 2006 -- 10:00 pm Today was the first day of work at Fairview Studios, mixing the previously unreleased Be Bop Deluxe live recordings. John Spence and I managed to get one track completed and in the can. ('Swansong,' originally a track from the 'Futurama' album but, for the first time ever, now presented in its live performance state.) It feels a little strange, working on these 1970's live recordings after such a long time. The mixing process dictates that the individual components of the recording are listened to in great detail, each instrument or voice isolated from the others whilst sound is adjusted and a proper relationship between the parts established. Listening to Simon Fox's drums without the rest of the instruments took me back to those days in Abbey Road Studios, or to Villa St. George in Juan Les Pins, near Antibes, in the South Of France, when John Leckie and myself would spend hours trying to get the drum sound together, microphones moved from one position to another on each drum, equalisation tweaked until a 'good' drum sound was arrived at. Thud, whack, bang! Listening to the drum parts on 'Swansong' today reminded me how complex some of our arrangements were. The songs were much more puzzle-like than I would accept today. My current songwriting is leaner, more focussed, less inclined to show-off. But I was young back then and had the hapless energy and naivety that youth inevitably entails. I'm not favouring one approach over another here, just noting that sensibilities shift with age and experience, for everyone. We have little choice in the matter, (unless we are complete fakes). There was a problem with the recording of the first opening verse of 'Swansong.' Microphone / monitor feedback ruined almost every line of that particular verse...it screeched, squealed and howled in a very unpleasant way, right through it, burying the vocals, and there was nothing that John nor I could do to get rid of it. The more we listened to it, the more unpleasant and ugly it became. In the end, we decided to copy the final verse of the song and paste it in place of the first one. This may be seen as technical trickery by some purists, but it is infinitely preferable to listening to several bars of high pitched microphonic feedback at a level that would induce migraine in most listeners. Maybe on the first two plays, it might be accepted as part of the scenario...but it would soon have everyone's teeth on edge and their hand reaching for the skip button on their CD player. So...with a little digital sleight-of-hand, the offensive verse has been banished and a more palatable one substituted. A particular treat for me was being able to listen to Charlie Tumahai's voice in isolation. He was a very good vocalist and had been the lead singer in bands previous to Be Bop Deluxe, (and in bands afterwards, I think). Charlie sadly passed away several years ago which is why there will never be a re-formed Be Bop Deluxe. Even if Simon, Andy and myself unexpectedly felt the urge to get together again, it simply wouldn't be the same without the happy fountain that was Mr.Tumahai. And that 'if' is a fairly big one, for I can't imagine that Andy would be in the least interested in such a thing. As for me, well...I was fortunate enough to get my retro-band fix in 2004 with the Be Bop and Beyond tour. I'd love to assemble a band again but it would have to be one that could play a lot of new material created specifically for it. Even if it did dip into my song-writing treasure chest for some 'vintage' material here and there. But, as my friends all know, despite my somewhat, sometimes, nostalgic tendencies, when it comes to music, I just love the smell of fresh paint. Anyway...back to Fairview tomorrow to continue working on the live track mixes. 'Forbidden Lovers' and 'Terminal Street' up next. Not the best time of year to be stuck in a windowless studio all day though. It's been blisteringly hot out in the sunshine today. More heatwave to come too, apparently. Yesterday, (Sunday), I decided to make the most of the weather before confining myself to the studio control room for the rest of the week. I bundled Emi into the car and we set off for the East Coast of Yorkshire, driving to Bridlington and then up the coast to Sewerby, then to Flamborough Head, then Filey, Scarborough, then past Robin Hood's Bay and on to Whitby where we had dinner at our usual favourite seaside restaurant, 'The White Horse And Griffin.' Unfortunately, the food wasn't quite up to the restaurant's usual standard, nor the service, I thought. Maybe this was because of the summer seasonal rush, or new staff? I really have no real idea. Still, it wasn't terrible either, so I'll give them another chance, next time we visit. I DID have a positive moment though, when I found a copy of the third part of John Betjeman's biography, written by Bevis Hillier. I'm a fan of the late Sir John B. and of Bevis Hillier's writing too. In fact, my son Elliot's full name is Elliot Walter Bevis Nelson. Walter after my father, Bevis after Bevis Hillier. Visiting Flamborough Head was a treat. Incredibly, I haven't been there since the mid 1960's. I fondly remember reclining on the cliff's edge with my then girlfriend, Lynne Holiday, listening to my little red and white plastic transistor radio...It was playing the latest songs of the day, "When you go to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..." ('San Francisco' by Scott McKenzie.) There was also a Frank Sinatra hit...either 'Send In The Clowns' or 'Strangers In The Night.' Plus some other half-straight, half-psychedelic pop from various artists trying to catch the wave that was beginning to break on these shores...the kind of music that turns up on those 'remember the 'sixties' compilation CDs these days. (Every supermarket has them.) It seems that my generation has, in recent years, become a prime target for that style of marketing. But what excuse do I have? Damn it...I'm mixing material more than twenty-five years old! Give me strength! But on that warm summer day back in...1966 was it? (Yes, give or take a year.) Well, all seemed wonderful with the world. We youngsters had found our voice, our cause, our raison d'etre. An all-inclusive, arms-held-wide, big welcoming peaceful hug for everyone, regardless of age or background. We'd swallowed that SanFrancisco, West-Coast, peace and love ideology lock stock, barrel and flowers. We looked the part, we walked the part and talked it, ten to the dozen. And the amazing thing is, we actually felt it. We thought we could bring it about, turn the world around, ring the changes. And in a positive, non-violent fashion, everyone included. So, where did all that hope and love vanish to? Look at the world outside our window now..see the horrific hatreds that poison our planet. Even on a basic, local level, its hard not to be aware of several generations of cynical, negative, heartless chancers, grasping, filching, fiddling while Rome burns. What have we lost? What have they missed? Still, despite all that: Yesterday afternoon, a clear blue, BLUE sky stretching down to a blue, BLUE sea. A pure white lighthouse gleaming against all heaven. A skylark singing fit to bust somewhere so high in the blue beyond that I couldn't even see it, but, oh! How I could hear it! White-capped waves lapping far below the yellow-white chalk cliffs, coarse grasses swaying in the sea breeze...Man, it just doesn't get much better or more blissful. I was gone, sent, away with the birds. I WAS that skylark, that little winged insect with bright red wings flitting from wild flower to wild flower. I was every one of those cricket-like bugs rubbing their legs together in some summer-fuelled mating song. I was so HERE and THERE and EVERYWHERE, so deeply in tune with it all you wouldn't believe. I had a ball simply looking and feeling. Wow! And I remembered Lynne and our youth and those times and that music and I was grateful to be alive and to have lived through those times. And AMEN to that then and AMEN to this now. Despite the terrors we endure, despite all that. Ain't life grand when you're in the mood for it to be so? ***** The images attached to this diary are:- 1. Bill Nelson at Flamborough Head, July 16, 2006. 2. Flamborough Head Lighthouse, July 16, 2006. 3. Flamborough Cliffs. July 16, 2006. Top of page Saturday 29th July 2006 -- 8:20 pm The heat goes on, externally, internally and weather-wise. Just returned home from an evening out with Emiko. A meal at Ceasar's restaurant, the best value for money Italian in town. Nothing too fussy, just down to earth cooking and warm, friendly staff who always recognise us and treat us well. I generally try to put a little time aside for Emi at the weekends. She patiently puts up with me working long hours in my studio during the week, so, as much as possible, I give my my weekends over to her. I think I'll drive her out to Castle Howard tomorrow afternoon. It's not far from here and a late lunch at the Castle Howard cafe, followed by a gentle stroll around those magnificently landscaped grounds will be a nice treat for both of us. Especially under these big blue summer skies we're being blessed with right now. But, my, oh my, it has been so HOT! The summer has baked our day to day lives without mercy these last few weeks...a heatwave that now seems to have stretched on forever. Nights have been sticky and interrupted by bouts of insomnia and perversely lusty dreams. Apparently these are a result of the sun shining on the pineal gland on the top of one's head. It's maybe why mediterranean men and women are so erotically charged. Well...I don't know about that but something's up in the land of nod. My studio room has felt like a sauna lately. Or an oven set to 'roast.' Impossible to work during the day, at least from 12 noon until early evening. The sun beams down through my skylight window and fries everything to a crisp, me, the guitars, the mixing desk, my imagination and anything else that I need to make music. I can't open any windows for fear of annoying the neighbours. Haven't got air-conditioning so I either have to work stark naked or abandon recording completely until things cool down a little during the evening. The latter, these middle-aged days, is generally preferable I'm sorry to say! I HAVE managed to finish mixing the Be Bop Deluxe live tracks for the forthcoming EMI RECORDS box set. These mixes were made at Fairview Studios, not far from the river Humber, rather than at the Abbey Road studios of the band's heyday, but the results are equal to anything from the past, if not better. My good friend and long-time recording engineer John Spence has helped me to bring about what I think will be universally accepted as an absolutely classic set of Be Bop performances, none of which have been previously available to the public. There's no doubt that fans of the band will be extremely excited when they hear these live recordings. The memories that came flooding back to me were poignant. Despite my reservations about this old material, there's nothing for me to be ashamed of. And what a band..! Listening to the individual parts in isolation brought home just how distinctive and sympathetic my three fellow musician's were. 'Swansong,' Forbidden Lovers', 'Terminal Street' and 'The Modern Music Suite' have all been mixed to bring out their naked beauty. They sound wonderful, even though the technical aspects of the performances are raw and bleeding. But I'm so glad that they've been preserved for posterity. It's been incredibly moving for me to work on these rare recordings after all these years. Part of me was smiling, part of me was lamenting, but all of me was proud. It was also lovely to hear John Spence say that he was thrilled to become part of Be Bop Deluxe's legacy too. Our collaboration, (and John's experience and technical expertise,) has served the band's history well. Since completing the Be Bop live mixes, John and I have been working on the remastering of the 'Getting The Holy Ghost Across' album, also at Fairview. I've added the 'Living For The Spangled Moment' mini-album to the disc too, (AND an obscure track called 'The Yo-Yo-Dyne'). Dave Graham and myself are still working on the repackaging of this album and have now found a suitable starting point to build the design around. Dave's close understanding of my visual style will, once again, contribute towards a highly appropriate layout. It will look quite beautiful when it is completed. I decided to stick to original track-listings and running orders, partly because my currently hyper-busy schedule hasn't allowed me time to experiment with the hoped-for re-shuffle, but partly because a large number of fans have expressed their preference for the songs to be kept in their original sequence. So...new cover art, new improved mastering, extra tracks, but same running order. In between bouts of heat exhaustion and indoor nudity, I've managed to make a start on the tracks which are to be included on this year's limited edition Nelsonica convention album, 'Arcadian Salon.' It now seems likely that there will be 10 or 11 pieces on the album, if I can stay on top of things during the next few heatwave-cursed days. There will be a couple of brand new numbers, all being well, plus some pieces that didn't make it to 'Return To Jazz Of Lights' because of time limitations. And two or three instrumentals, including 'Sound-On-Sound,' (the instrumental that I composed and recorded to celebrate Sound-On-Sound magazine's anniversary last year). It's shaping up to be an eclectic mix of music, as is usual with the convention recordings...another collector's piece and all the more controversial because of it. I've been having a very nice, surprising guitar week (or two) lately. I won't go into details for fear of embarrassing a couple of 'super-fans' who have been incredibly helpful in helping me to acquire a new instrument or two but...well...A childhood dream of a flamingo pink Fender Stratocaster, (via a Rickenbacker 12-string), has come true, as has a 'full-circle' situation regarding a toy Elvis Presley guitar that once, long, long ago, was responsible for capturing my pre-teen imagination and putting my feet on the path to a lifelong career in music. I don't think I'm permitted to name names here but the people involved will know that it is they of whom I speak. All I can say is that I'm blown away, deeply grateful, totally amazed and sincerely moved by their generosity. I'm blessed with some tremendously loyal and kind fans.They sometimes take on the role of theatrical 'angels' or art patrons. Their involvement often goes beyond basic 'fandom' and enters the realms (and ideals), of a long-ago Golden Age when aesthetically refined connoisseurs once helped artists to bring their work before a wider world. Or is that just me being romantic again? Nevertheless, these instances prove that that spirit of patronage and support is not dead, and that it IS possible to produce a music that does not need to bow down to the rigid limitations of the mainstream music industry. I'm eternally grateful that there are several special people, (some are fans, some are friends, some are business people), who help to create an atmosphere of freedom and creativity around me within which I'm able to achieve my life's work. Without their support and generosity, I'm lost. Different subject:- I noticed, in the latest issue of Mojo Magazine, reference to two new albums (by other artists), themed around sea-going concepts. One is called 'Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys' (odd spelling of the latter word?) This album is apparently co-produced by Johnny Depp, the well known Keith Richards impressionist. The album actually features my Channel Light Vessel dreamboat Kate St. John, as well as the somewhat less erotically charged Bryan Ferry. It also features Sting, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Rufus Wainwright and various other pop-tastic media stars, the most interesting and worthy of which are David Thomas of Pere Ubu, Van Dyke Parks and Mary Margaret O'Hara. The Mojo reviewer says that the album will "shiver your timbers in the most rewarding of ways..." The other album is: 'Ocean: Songs For The Night Sea Journey' by Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Orchestra. The review says it employs synths and samples alongside accordions, pipes and strings. Well, well...looks like I've been rolling along on the crest of a wave but, of course, my 'Lighthouse Signal Mechanism Orchestra' came into that particular harbour almost a year ago now. Perhaps my ship is equipped with a more finely attuned compass. Oh, well... But what a pity that 'The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill' didn't receive the media attention that the above two albums seem to be currently enjoying. I may be ahead of the wave but I'm under the radar, or so it seems. Went to see my friend John Foxx last week...he was playing at 'Fibbers' in York. Haven't had chance to meet with him since we both took part in Harold Budd's 'farewell' concert at the Brighton Dome last year, 'though we've exchanged several emails since. John braved the heat of summer (and of Fibbers), to give a vibrant, almost 'electro-punk' show which delighted his audience. He got a great reception, not least from my neighbour and good friend Steve who has been a big fan of John's since the early Ultravox days. And I gained brownie points from introducing Steve to John after the show... It was really good to see John enjoying himself and celebrating an energetic, 'roots' approach to performance. He and I still plan to get together, both with Harold and with each other.The only thing slowing us down is lack of time. One of these days though... This coming week, I must seriously try to overcome the heat (and my exhaustion), and finish recording the 'Arcadian Salon' album.Then I must decide upon a track running order and master the album as soon as possible as there is no time available for me in Fairview Studio from the middle of August on. This thing HAS to be ready for the convention in early October. It's rushing up like a runaway express train, as usual. More than ever, I'm way behind schedule. Haven't begun to make any inroads at all into the autobiographical film 'Ghosts Etched On Glass,' (an excerpt from which I'm supposed to present at Nelsonica 06 as a 'work in progress'). In fact, the list of jobs I have to tackle for the convention is becoming an increasingly scary and, maybe even impossible, task. How on earth can I get all this stuff together in the scant time remaining to me before the convention date? Yes, o.k...I ALWAYS panic but, it seems that each year I take on more and more work, projects that, despite all good intentions, are increasingly difficult to complete without tremendous effort and sacrifice. I guess the recent tasks I've had to undertake regarding re-issues and associated items have thrown the proverbial spanner into the works. I have to admit that my trip to Japan robbed me of two weeks working time also. But there's nothing left for me but to plough on, to do the best I can under the circumstances. No point in working myself up into a paranoid, desperate panic about it all. After all, I love it don't I? And it usually works out o.k...Doesn't it? Well...too hot right now, even though it's late evening. Can't sit here typing. I'll continue this in a day or two when I'm less exhausted and there's more progress to report. And less sweat dripping onto my computer keyboard. POST SCRIPT: SUNDAY 30th JULY 2006 -- 9 PM. Went to Castle Howard with Emi as planned. Lunch was good, sitting in the grounds of the house, watching white fluffy clouds drift by in a high blue heaven. Apparently, Jools Holland and his pals played at Castle Howard on Friday, (I think), a big outdoor bash or something grand. Emi and I are thinking of attending the annual classical 'Proms' concert at Castle Howard, in August. It's a picnic hamper / champers type of affair. Maybe even grander than Jools' big do. We could dress up in our summer finery, get completely, joyously blathered, then slip away into the woods to frighten the peacocks. Pan chasing his favourite nymph through a sylvan glade, and that sort of thing. Libido a-go-go. Let's hope the weather holds up. Last ever 'Top Of The Pops' on tv tonight. Caught the back end of the final show, (when I switched on the television during dinner). Tonight's special, farewell programme seemed to have been full of clips from across the ages. Don't know whether they showed anything from the time when pop music actually resembled pop ART, when it genuinely had something to say for itself. (Jimi Hendrix, Syd-era Floyd, etc, etc.) Whatever, the last five minutes of the programme illustrated perfectly why it has finally been axed by the BBC. Pop music has become irrelevant, hollow and dull and is, to all intents and purposes, dead. I met Jimmy Saville once. (Be Bop Deluxe were on Top Of The Pops at the time, drooling over Pan's People backstage.) I also saw Jimmy standing at a bus stop across the road from the Music Ground guitar shop in Leeds, maybe only a year ago at most. Perhaps I was the only person in the street who noticed. He was nice enough to us when we were on Top Of The Pops. He may even have played our records on his radio shows. Sooner or later though, we all come to resemble decrepit old age pensioners. No pop star remains unscathed. And thank goodness for that. Insufferable narcissists, the lot of 'em. ***** The images attached to this diary entry are:- 1. The fields near the Humber Bridge, Swanland Hill view, July 2006. 2. North Ferriby Foreshore, July 2006 3. An ad for 'Neptune's Galaxy.' Top of page

Luminous Bill Nelson album - 15 April 1991 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download Tracks: 01) A Luminous Kind Of Guy 02) Tiny Aeroplanes 03) Bright Sparks 04) Is This Alchemy? 05) Language Of The Birds 06) All I Am Is You 07) Life In Reverse 08) Telepathic Cats 09) Two Hearts Beating 10) Blood Off The Wall 11) She's Got Me Floating 12) It's Ok 13) Burning Down 14) Her True And Perfect Serpent 15) Wait For Tomorrow Digital download version bonus tracks: 16) A Luminous Kind Of Guy (Acoustic Version) 17) Her True And Perfect Serpent (Acoustic Version) ALBUM NOTES: Luminous is a vocal album issued on vinyl, cassette and CD, in what turned out to be a one – off album deal with Imaginary Records, a UK independent company. It would also be Nelson's final album to appear on vinyl or cassette, CD having become the dominant format by the time he was ready to release the follow up in 1992. The songs included on Luminous partly came from an aborted attempt to form a new version of Be Bop Deluxe, but the project stalled with the musicians having undertaken a week long rehearsal in 1990. When the demos for that project had no natural home, Nelson used them to fill approximately half of the Luminous album. The material on Luminous was recorded at the newly christened Studio Rose-Croix, Nelson's home studio set-up that had supplanted the Echo Observatory. Imaginary Records eventually lived up to its name and ceased to exist from 1994, and Nelson has stated he received little if any payment for his work. The album was deleted and remained out of print for 18 years. A remastered version of Luminous, was reissued in 2012 under the Esoteric/Cherry Red record label. In April 2025, the digital download version of Luminous was released which included two bonus tracks: A Luminous Kind Of Guy (Acoustic Version) and Her True And Perfect Serpent (Acoustic Version), which were recorded during the same sessions that produced the original album and were exclusive to the digital download at the time of release. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "Some of the demo tapes I made for Be Bop Mk 2 found their way, eventually, onto the Luminous album, and a couple more of these may also have surfaced even later, on Blue Moons . But they were not recorded for that purpose originally. They were simply home-made demos, (for the band to learn the songs from), with me playing all the instruments, rather than finished, polished recordings. Then again, almost everything I released during the mid 80's through the 90's I regarded as demos or rough sketches. I was hoping for a chance to re-record some of the songs with a proper band in a proper studio but, as this never materialised, I ended up releasing the rough tracks as albums." _____ "Whilst I often referred, in my sleeve notes, to that period of my music as being of 'demo' quality, I think it's fair to say that such descriptions were down to my own subjective hyper-self-critical sensibilities, more than to any reasonable objective assessment. Time has placed these recordings less in the demo category and more into the 'cool lo-fi' bag. I don't think there's anything for a listener to be cautious about or for me to apologise for. Considering the primitive technical resources that were available to be at the time, they're little miracles of sound and song." FAN THOUGHTS: mr manchester: "This is an album I know well (one of my favorites) and I was pleasantly surprised at the remastering, the sound is certainly different than the original, a warmer sound with a less harsh top end. Whatever it is, I find it hard to describe...but it's great. To mind, it's not Lo-Fi...(that always brings to mind overly distorted, badly played guitar, plodding fuzz bass and navel-gazing muttered vocals)...it does have a simplicity and economy of instrumentation that works well for the songs, they have space to breathe." "One of my faves is "Two Hearts Beating"...I love the opening line of the song, "It's raining all over the world". The album contains some of the most beautiful, yearning lyrics and heartfelt melodies ever committed to tape. It's hard to believe these songs were created so rapidly. "Improvised, spontaneous songwriting" indeed! It's a while since I listened to an album in such depth and I really enjoyed listening properly." felixt1: "I am a great believer in 'first takes'...let the soul command the body, use the force, etc." WalterDigsTunes: "That little gem of a disc was responsible for really kickstarting my addiction to Bill's music." Fraser: "I've always had a soft spot for Luminous Bill, I think it's a cracking little album." Returningman: "Not one to be forgotten that's for sure. Jam-packed with luscious melodies and strangeness." Quinault: "Stronger than Blue Moons." alec: "Luminous is fantastic, through and through, and listening again, it's another masterpiece." "Love the vox riffing on "The Language of the Birds", and the overall sense of doubt and simultaneous spiritual high therein." Holer: "The standout tracks are "Burning Down", a funky, guitar driven throw-down of a number with Bill singing some wonderfully abandoned falsetto, and the incredibly weird "Language of the Birds", which features Bill chanting his lyrics over a semi-industrial soundscape before breaking into another crazy falsetto workout. This last tune is reminiscent of the more experimental sound Bill seemed to be moving toward around the time of Love that Whirls and really stands out as a strange and unique track." soteloscope: "Luminous has been a mainstay on the car radio during our family drives these past months. My 4 year old son requests "Tiny Aeroplanes" over and over." Alan Cawthorne: "The songs on the albums are demos with Bill wishing to capture the idea - the birth of a song in its barest state. Listeners have to appreciate the idea when listening." Opium: "Not many musicians are artists. Nor can you often delve so easily through notes and tremolo as you can through the strokes of a brush. I'm sitting listening to Luminous , both guilty and illuminated. The lyrics proposition. The hearts beat a bass line, the climax a searing guitar solo. I would guess it requires a contempt for the past in order to achieve self portrait after self portrait. Taking further manifestations for granted so that our truest loves are never a part of the past." tommaso: "All in all, it's really one of those albums of Bill's that I cherish most." Albums Menu Future Past

Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars Bill Nelson album - August 1992 Albums Menu Future Past TRACKS: 01) Ancient Guitars 02) Girl From Another Planet 03) Spinnin' Around 04) Shaker 05) God Man Slain 06) The Dead We Wake With Upstairs Drums 07) New Moon Rising 08) The Glory Days 09) Wishes 10) Angel In My System 11) Wings And Everything 12) Boat To Forever 13) The Invisible Man And The Unforgettable Girl 14) So It Goes 15) Fires In The Sky 16) Dream Ships Set Sail ALBUM NOTES: Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars saw Nelson return to a major label for the first time since 1986 – and maybe had the album taken off, bigger and brighter things may have followed. This is a further example of Nelson having completed a set of demo tracks, which he intended to revisit and flesh out with a full band, only for those plans to be changed, and the demos to be issued rather than see them gather dust. Originally the album was issued in CD and cassette, and for the first time in 10 years Nelson would achieve a simultaneous US release of a new album (with the added bonus of not having to amend the track listing or artwork to suit record company moguls or the moral right wing elements of society). It was rarely this simple for the collector of Nelson's work! CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Though now deleted in a physical format in 2008, the album was reissued as a digital download through major online retailers. BILL'S THOUGHTS: "The album is one of those collections of recordings that I regarded as demos or 'sketches' at the time. I'd originally intended to re-record these songs in a proper studio, possibly with a band, though this never proved viable. Virgin were interested enough to release the demos as they were. "It's interesting to see that some people are fond of the album now as it wasn't so well received at the time...at least in terms of sales. It didn't take long for it to become a 'lost' or overlooked work. Perhaps, like many of my albums, several years need to pass before the music starts to feel like it might belong to the mainstream, and therefore become acceptable." FAN THOUGHTS: bradford mick: "My fave being Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars , it's so full of colour, mystery, symbols and intrigue." alec: "I can remember crying after listening to "So It Goes" from Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars . Trying to find that exquisite emotional connection again was elusive but did happen a few times, after that, with that song." Dar: The most powerful album cover: "maybe Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars . Lots of powerful medicine there." "Had no idea what any of the symbolism on the cover was about at the time, thinking "this is an interesting person"." Paul Andrews: "Earlier on this evening I was playing Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars and thinking "this is bloody wonderful!"." Grey Lensman: "Some great musical moments throughout the album. Textured, woven and crafted with that outstanding ear for detail and harmony that Bill has." Anorak: "I'm not one for listing things in order, but if I did then surely this album would be in my top five of Bill's work at the moment, although I still have many more future albums of Bill's to listen too." tommaso: "I bought Blue Moons way back in the early 90s, and having become a Bill fan via his 80s electronic work, I was almost shocked to hear so many guitars on the album (especially because I couldn't stand 'rock' music at the time). But guitars or not, it immediately became one of my favourites among all of Bill's albums and has remained so ever since. "New Moon Rising", "Angel in My System" and especially the utterly beautiful final song, "Dream Ships Set Sail" are my favourites, and I agree that there isn't a single weak moment on the whole of the album." mthom: "Don't forget "The Invisible Man and The Unforgettable Girl", quite possibly MY desert island classic...A shining example of Bill's irony, word-play and heart on its sleeve. And not to mention the blazing guitar work and thundering drums. Oh my." G. Vazquez: "A favorite of mine as well...If I need to choose just one among all Bill's albums to keep, it would be that. Years ago, in times of (emotional) trouble, this record helped me a lot." Mr. Mercury: "Blimey Charlie, I tell you, from "God Man Slain" on, this is a fantastic record! It sounds great in 'demo/sketch' form, but if this album had been given the full studio treatment/label support it deserved, I truly believe it could have been a MASSIVE record!...can you imagine it?!!...(sigh) "I think this album is easily your most immediate, accessible and 'mainstream'. Not as complex as Golden Melodies or your other recent material, but a collective of simple, perfect pop songs." wadcorp: "Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars is still one of my all-time faves. Gee, the denizens of Dreamsville tend to say that quite a bit." Albums Menu Future Past