05 March 2017

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 30th 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,
 

10 comments:

  1. Good to see you emerging from your funk, like a fly stretching its wings after molting in a steaming pile of poop. Metaphorically speaking.

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  2. Greetings from Vermont USA - Long live Mr. Bill Nelson! Thank you...

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  3. Belated thanks for the Bill Nelson posts. While Bebop Deluxe was not on my radar back in the day, Nelson's post-Bebop stuff I find a treat and there's stuff you've posted I hadn't known about. Hearty thanks.

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  4. Hi there, such a fantastic blog. thanks for the great posts. I'm hoping you may be able to help with a Bill Nelson recording that i a, trying to locate, Nudity originally released as part of the Demonstrations of Affection 4 CD. Would you have it at all? The collection as all but disappeared. hoping that you maybe able to help. Many thanks & have a great weekend. Best wishes M

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    Replies
    1. Ah, such a sour note. The Demonstrations of Affection lie unlistened to & as yet unlistenable on a external hard-drive that crashed on me about a year ago. More than 4T in music residing in limbo until I win the lottery or some other improbability. I will add this to the growing list of requests that I will gladly accommodate as I can. For now, let me know if you find Nudity or the rest.

      Thanks.

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  5. Swell! You are helping me fill in some gaps to my posts big time with the shimmpy shimmy coco pop! and the BN eno stuffin' Got's to say glad you stopped by my blog so I could discover yours! Now if I could just find a 7Zip freeware to open all these goodies! Used to have one but lost it in my great DVD-ROM CD rot avoidance by moving to External Harddrives into my fireproof/waterproof safe and back up's to my young nieces in separate states hard drives. Any suggestions?

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    Replies
    1. Glad to be helpful. That what this sharing thing is all about. Been a follower of Downunderground since long before you took over. Shied away for a few years because of differences of opinion as to Nationalistic ideologies but have been a constant lurker since you took over.

      For 7zip, try:
      https://www.7-zip.org/download.html
      It's always free.

      Thanks for the kind words & great shares.

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  6. One of the 3.5 (don't ask!) times that I saw Bill play was at the Notre Dame de France gig just off Leicester Square. Magical.

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  7. Belated Thank Yous for your clear hard work over time, clear good and varied taste and for so much great stuff - much impossible to find.

    If it ever becomes possible (it seems all the B.Nelson links on this page are gone), please do re-up these rarities.

    Much appreciation!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment & for letting me know these links were dead. I have re-uploaded everything including the Gentlemen Rocketeers live CDs that I mentioned. Enjoy.

      Chimes & Rings
      uBrou4yCNvEovkNi0FQKVI0Id1UCGW_XfJQsfaJBQzw
      Altar Pieces
      w6G3wDfh-H1eofM4r6yYmckCTNpB_8Rc-2mWXXoGAhs
      Automatic
      0LpKjRNHWFrY3vhQgUjaanZSPdxivgWjsWFlxVx6MH4
      Bill Nelson & the Gentlemen Rocketeers - Live CD1
      https://mega.nz/file/a4NHXZbQ#pjBWXe1tumP0Btets7R75o9hSOaUGwF57FG7nfMYhvQ
      Bill Nelson & the Gentlemen Rocketeers - Live CD2
      https://mega.nz/file/b493FQyQ#ie7Gc0N-lHZMYcUmEZMceW3Cy_BFKbc07dotYKEEvSc

      Delete