Holy Grail

It’s been quite a while that I’ve gone without anything from musical genius Bill Nelson. The posts for his music are the most visited & most enjoyed of all my posts.

For a long time, Northern Dream was the Holy Grail I was questing for from Señor Nelson. Released the year before he helmed the mighty Be Bop Deluxe, ND is quintessential Bill Nelson. 1971…this is still rock, you understand, but I’m in no way apologizing for its excellent quality. This ranks with Syd Barrett & Marc Bolan. In 2012 Cocteau Discs reissued this treasure on 180 gram vinyl. I was lucky enough to get one of the 250 limited edition records with a repro/original Smile Records cover, a 12" booklet, lyric sheet, & signed postcard. If you want this, you can find it.

The other day I was wasting some ill-gotten gain feeding my vinyl addiction & came across a copy of the Butt UK 1980 release in near-mint for less than an arm & a leg. I am going to feature one track from that mono-only release, "House of Sand" as a taste/teaser.

Fast forward ten years. Bebop had been replaced by Red noise & now red Noise was silent. Bill was on his own again. Here is another of his earliest solo ventures that I have let slip but will quickly rectify.  Quit Dreaming & Get on the Beam was released in 1981. This one is not so easy to come by here in the States. It was re-issued in Europe & the U.K. on Mercury in 2005 with seven additional bonus tracks, so if you want more than the original, search it out.

Bill Nelson – Quit Dreaming & Get on the Beam, Mercury 6359 055, 1981.
decryption codes in comments

Side 1 –

Banal

Living in My Limousine

Vertical Games

Disposable

False Alarms

Decline & Fall

Side 2 –

Life Runs Out like Sand

A Kind of Loving

Do You Dream in Colour

U.H.F.

Youth of Nation on Fire

Quit Dreaming & Get on the Beam

bonus track –

White Sounds (from the Living in My Limousine (remix) / White Sounds 12” EP – included as a bonus track on the 1986 Cocteau Records CD re-issue (as “White Sound”).

But the earliest Bill Nelson I have is on 1970s A►Austr – Musics from Holy Ground. Try that out, completists.

The photograph shows Cass Yard & the archway leading out to the main street, Kirkgate. It was taken by Mike's brother, Kevin, one Saturday in 1970. The final cover of Musics used a black screen print on a bronze card, only showing the four women in the photo above: Yvonne Carrodus, her sister Gail, Gail's friend Denise, & Shirley Levon, Mike's partner. The picture also featured Mike (on the left) & Chris Coombs (right). Bill Nelson turned up on spec. He can be seen at the rear brandishing his Gibson guitar.

 Bill playing with a couple A►Austr dudes.

A►Austr – Musics from Holy Ground, Acme 010101LP re-issue, 1995.

Side 1 –

Bird

Judy

Mini

Prelude to Change for Arthur

Thumbquake & Earthscrew

Change for Arthur

Between the Road

Hawaiian War Chant

It’s Alright

Side 2 –

Continuum

Essex Queen

D Minor Minuet

A Curse on You

What Did You Go?

Grail Search

Aw, the Grail search. Circles within circles. On the wall through the archway behind Bill entering Cass Yard is a mysteriously appearing Grail image. You decide…

Yield to the Full Nelson,

NØ