Opus Illuminatus

Re-uploaded by request 4/3/2023

I promised I'd post up some Bill (Nelson or Laswell or Burroughs) once I could break outta my funk (& I'm not talking about the 'adelic' kind). Well, I was listening to some Bill Nelson & the Gentlemen Rocketeers recorded in concert at Metropolis Studios, London in 2011 (included in the comments). Bill & Co. covered some of my favorite Be-bop Deluxe tunes previously heard live on 1977s Live in the Air Age (as well as ''Lady You’re a Strange Girl'' from Chimes & Rings below). You could tell the audience was thrilled to hear these great songs played once again live. I was equally thrilled & it gave me the impetus to round up this post. The first & third items are requests from fellow Nelsonophiles who visit here. They have been overlooked for far too long.

Cocteau Records has re-issued a great deal of Bill Nelson's back catalogue. If you're looking for something in particular, that would be a good place to start.

Here's a nugget that has not been rereleased yet. Originally released as part of the Demonstrations of Affection 4CD or 4CAS box sets. Written, performed, & recorded by Bill Nelson at The Echo Observatory & Studio Rose-Croix, Yorkshire 1988-89.

Bill Nelson ‎– Chimes & Rings, Cocteau Records JCCD24, 1989.
all decryption codes in comments

Lady You’re a Strange Girl

Kiss Goodbye

Call of the Wild

Lost to Me

Dangerous Lady

Working Man

Giving it All Away

Ice & Fire

Wonder Where We Go

Dreams of Yesterday

Sell My Soul

Back to Dream

I Wait for You

Walking Away from Paradise

Playing Jesus to her Judas

Something’s Going On

The Miracle Belongs to You

 

The following year Bill released a limited edition cassette commemorating the 30^th anniversary of The Fresco by Jean Cocteau performed by Bill & his brother Ian. Cocteau's The Fresco was painted at Notre Dame de France, a French Catholic Church on Leicester Place, just off Leicester Square.

The 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' & featured live improvisations on guitar (by Bill) & saxophone (by his younger brother Ian) played over interactive backing tracks (what appears on the cassette minus the improvisations). It was finally re-released April 2014 as a digital download by Sonoluxe (CD032).

Bill & Ian Nelson – Altar Pieces cassette, Orpheus Organisation, 1990

Side A –

A1 - Prima Materia (First Matter)

A2 - Arbor Philosophica (Tree of Philosophy)

A3 - Opus Hermeticum (The Work of Hermes)

A4 - Signum Natura (Symbolic Nature)

 

Side B -

B1 - Mysterium Magnum (The Great Secret)

B2 - Clavis Angelicae (Key of Angels)

B3 - Sanctus Illuminatus (The Sacred Illuminated) 

B4 - Accessio Lucis (The Coming Light)

& while I've got you all here, this is another project involving M. Nelson…Channel Light Vessel.

They are: Bill Nelson - acoustic & electric guitars, bass guitar, percussion, e-bow, soft piano, keyboards, & vocals; Roger Eno - piano, keyboards, horn, accordion, banjo, & trundle guitar; Kate St. John - vocals, saxophone, cor anglais, & oboe; Laraaji - zithers, bells, kalimba, chimes, & alien whispers; & Mayumi Tachibana - cello & ghost girl voice.

CLV is sort of an ambient super-group democratically creating this largely improvised dreamscape with former Dream Academy member Kate St. John providing the saxophone & oboe lines, while Bill draws his exquisite atmospheric guitar doodles. Roger Eno's keyboards intertwine with Mayumi Tachibana's wispy cello & Laraaji's usual collection of random haunting rhythmic devices. There are vocals thrown in the mix, usually by Nelson or a multi-tracked St John.

Channel Light Vessel – Automatic, All Saints Records ASCD19, 1994.

Testify

Train Travelling North

Dog Day Afternoon

Ballyboots

A Place We Pray For

Bubbling Blue

Duende

Flaming Creatures

Bill's Last Waltz

Thunderous Accordions

Fish Owl Moon

Little Luminaries

Enjoy,

NØ