May: I Come Again - A Glorious Red Noise

The other day I recieved the following comment from dear friend Richie Muster. He sez:
       "I hope I'm not too late to the revisits party, but I was wondering if you had any more Bill Nelson to share with us? Cheers, and all the best."  

At the time I just kinda blew him off. I sez:
      "I'm near done with the revisits & an working on the start of June, so Bill Nelson might have to wait until the next time I'm "Playing the Bills". Those due notes roll around often enough that I'm sure I'll be Playing them soon. I'll make sure he is on the top of the heap. Always more to share with Mr. Bill."  

I got to thinking that wasn't too kool. He's a great friend, a frequent commentor, & one of my inspirations for things to share around here. Plus, in April he had a bit of bad luck.

On April 25 Richie sez:
     "Alas...2 days ago my house got flooded out by a burst water main. 2nd time in 18 months! What're the odds on that? All is chaos, chez Muster. Anyways, thanks very much, as ever. I've got an industrial dehumidifier & 2 huge fans blowing 24hrs a day, drying the house. It sounds like a very boring Merzbow album. Carpets & rugs ruined, as were 90 albums I had lined up on the floor, which ironically would have been safely up on my shelves had the flood happened a few days later. Because it was a water utility fault, there's some compensation due (I'll get a new carpet for sure) but there's no guarantee they'll pay out for the lost vinyl. What can I say, they're a rapacious capitalist company; natch the'll want to stiff me. I'll know in a few weeks." 

 

So as a more proper response to a good mate, here are a few releases from Bill's Be Bop follow-up band Red Noise. The band was created as a "new start & new direction" for Nelson. They were only active throughout 1979, even performing a UK tour throughout March of that year, but by 1980 the band had disintegrated, marking the beginning of Bill Nelson's solo career.

Red Noise were: Bill Nelson - guitar, vocals, synthesizer; his younger brother Ian Nelson - saxophone, string machine;  Simon Clark - keyboards (ex-Be Bop Deluxe); Rick Ford - bass: &  Steve Peer - drums. 

 

Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Furniture Music 7" 45, Harvest HAR5176, 1979.
all decryption codes in comments

Side A -
Furniture Music

Side B -
Wonder Toys That Last Forever
Acquitted by Mirrors

bonus tracks -
Waiting for the Night
Possession

 

 

 

This next one was released under Bill's name as the songs "Do You Dream in Colours?" & "Atom Man Loves Radium Girl" were just Bill & Ian.  However, the other two tracks are stunning exercises in quirky, angular New Wave quite unlike anything else available in the UK in 1980.  They are 100% Red Noise...

Bill Nelson - Do You Dream in Colour? 7", Cocteau Records COQ1, 1980.

Side A -
Do You Dream In Colour?

Side B -
Ideal Homes
Instantly Yours
Atom Man Loves Radium Girl

bonus tracks - 
That Way for Years
Disposable

 

 

 

 

On the following, "Stay Young" & "Out of Touch" (tracks on b-side) were recorded live at the Leicester deMontfort Hall, March 8th, 1979.

 

 

Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Bill Nelson's Red Noise 12" 45, Cocteau Records COQT8, 1983.

Side A -
Revolt into Style
Furniture Music

Side B -
Stay Young
Out of Touch

bonus track -
Substitute Flesh

 

 

Revisiting, 

NØ

Outstanding Debts...Playing the Nelson Bill

Frenz of NSS Richie Muster recently let me know about some dead links for some Nelson Bills I had paid in the past. I tried to fix those up. That was just another reminder that I hadn't played my past due Bills in quite some time. So it's about time to play my Nelson Bill & get that out of the way. Think I'll make a double playment to avoid the extra late fees.

 

On his Dreamsville website, Bill sez:
     "Custom Deluxe is an album of guitar instrumentals issued in a one-off print run on the Universal Twang label. The album was one of three simultaneous released albums, issued at the start of the Be Bop Deluxe and Beyond tour. At the end of the tour the album was sold exclusively through S.O.S. Custom Deluxe sold out within 12 months of its release, and Nelson retired the Universal Twang label with this release." 

 

Bill Nelson - Custom Deluxe, Universal Twang Records UTCD004, 2004.
decryption codes in comments

My Electrical Empire    
Hank Marvin Goes to Mars    
Kitchenette    
The Home, the Light, & the Third    
Boyhood Rockets    
Ocean Afternoon    
All Aboard the Skylark    
Spacesuit Parade    
I Remember Circus Boy    
Synchromatic    
Country Cola    
Scenic Elevator    
Dreams Returning to the Night    
Hostess Twinkie Vapourised    
Until the Blue Whenever

 

 

This CD was given away to Nelsonica 05 ticketholders.

On his Dreamsville website, Bill sez:
     "Orpheus in Ultraland is an album of mainly vocal pieces issued exclusively for Nelsonica ‘05 on the newly created Discs of Ancient Odeon label. Due to problems with delivery of the artwork, Nelsonica 05 attendees were issued copies of the album in a plain jewel case with the artwork distributed by post on 23 November. The remaining 250 or so copies were available with complete artwork at the merchandise desk on Nelson’s 6 November UK tour. After the tour, the small number of copies that remained were sold through SOS. Within a day or so these were snapped up. On November 28 an announcement was made that the album had completely sold out." 

 

Bill Nelson - Orpheus in Ultraland, Discs of Ancient Odeon DOAOCD001, 2005.

The Man who Haunted Himself    
Duraflame    
Suburban Mermaid One Twenty Three
Dreams Run Wild on Ghost Train Tracks    
Tin Sings Bones    
Tantramatic    
Every Tiny Atom    
And Now the Rain    
Super Noodle Number One    
Moments Catch Fire on the Crests of Waves (alternative mix)    
Big Broken Buick    
The Whirlpool into Which Everything Must Whirl

 

 

Enjoy,
NØ

Been Avoiding the Bills Lately...Just Give Me a Little More Time

Before I continue on with Weird October, It's the first of the month & I've got Bills to p(l)ay. 

 

 

On one of my many Bill Nelson jags, this one March 2017 called Opus Illuminatus I shared with you all Chimes & Rings from the 4xCD Demonstrations of Affection, Cocteau Records CD JEAN89, 1989.

A few years on & a few years ago, I received the following comment from Mark1965:
     "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 am 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 may be able to help. Many thanks & have a great weekend. Best wishes M".

Well, I had sadly lost this hard-to-find treasure in one of my frustrating computer meltdowns.

I replied:
     "Ah, such a sour note. The Demonstrations of Affection lies 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."

I have been valiantly trying to get my hands on it since then but to no avail...until yesterday when I dear friend gifted me a pristine rip of the 4x DoA set.

So Mark1965, if you're still out there & still need this (& to everyone else who loves Bill Nelson), here in its entirety is CD2 (JCCD25)...Nudity.

Bill Nelson - Nudity, Cocteau Records JCCD 25, 1989.
all decryption codes in comments

Feels Like Up to Me    
Prize of Years    
Still Waiting    
Lover Boy at Heart    
The Wonder of it All    
Devil in Me    
A Little More Time    
What's it All About?    
Thunder on the Wing    
Shake it Up    
Love to Win    
Running    
If Love Were Gold    
I Want You    
Kiss it Off    
Angel like You    
Crying All Night    
Only Love Can Tell

While I'm at it...here's one from 1995. 14 guitar-based instrumentals written, recorded & mixed in 14 days. All instruments played by Bill Nelson. 

 

Bill Nelson - Practically Wired...or How I Became Guitarboy, All Saints 01704 66613-2, 1995.

Roses & Rocketships   
Spinning Planet   
Thousand Fountain Island   
Piano 45   
Pink Buddha Blues   
Kid with Cowboy Tie   
Royal Ghosts   
Her Presence in Flowers   
Big Noise in Twangtown   
Tiny Little Thing   
Wild Blue Cycle   
Every Moment Infinite   
Friends from Heaven   
Eternal for Emiko

Enjoy,
NØ

Until All Our Lights Combine

Long time since I played the Bills redux...since when aeoplanes were dragonflies.

Earlier today I posted up Channel Light Vessel's 1994 release Automatic. This is a project that included Bill Nelson along with Roger Eno, Kate St. John, Laraaji, & others. I realized I had previously posted it elsewhere on this here mess so I removed it & am going to remedy that omission right now.

 

 

I have never really posted up Be Bop Deluxe but someday plan to get around to their five disc opus Futurist Manifesto - The Harvest Years 1974-1978. For now I'm posting up a live show from Chicago in 1976 covering the Sunburst Finish era material. However, that being said...non-Sunburst "Bill's Blues" will fix whatever ails you.

Be Bop Deluxe - Live at the Riviera Theater, Chicago, 1976.
all decryption codes in comments

Fair Exchange
Stage Whisper
Life in the Air Age
Sister Seagull
Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape
Maid in Heaven
Ships in the Night
Bill's Blues
Blazing Apostles

Bill Nelson - guitar & vocals; Andy Clark - keyboards; Charlie Tumahai - bass & vocals; & Simon Fox - drums.

 

I posted Getting the Holy Ghost Across elsewhere. This is a set of remixes of  "Because of You" from that album. (I tacked on the original album track for your listening pleasure.)

Bill Nelson - Because of You remixes, Portrait RAS 2568, 1986.

Side 1 -
Because of You (Popstand remix)

Side 2 -
Because of You (Nailed to the Dub version)
Because of You (Dubbed to the Drums version)

bonus: Because of You (original album version)

 

Now here's a taste of 21st Century Bill.

2008 saw Nelson caught up in a flurry of composition. By July he had completed sixty four tracks which he split up between this release & Clocks & Dials. These are the more vocal-oriented tracks. This is some of the very finest music from one of my all time favorite guitarists/songcrafters. Believe me when I say that's quite a statement about someone with William Nelson's body of work. This is so very, purely...dare I say it..Bowiesque. I can't really say enough about this. Just give it a listen. You will not be disappointed.

Bill Nelson - Golden Memories of Tomorrow, Sonoluxe CD012, 2008.

Welcome to Electic City
Once I Had a Time Machine
Summer Hums in the Bee-Loud Glade
Frosty Lawns (Snowballs & Oranges)
God Glows Green in Small Town Park
My Empty Bowl is Full of Sky
When Aeroplanes Were Dragonflies
Night is the Engine of My Imagination
The Old Nebulosity Waltz
Help Us Magic Robot
Time’s Quick-Spun Globe
Fountains are Singing in Cities of Light
The Emperor of the Evening
I Saw Galaxies
Until All Our Lights Combine
Heaven is a Haunted Realm
Golden Melodies of Tomorrow
Golden Coda (Farewell to Electric City)

Fare thee well.

Enjoy,
NØ

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

 

Chance Encounters

Damn, I'm ecstatic to have my turntable back. All I can add to the following is, I performed a Ritual to "Evocation of a Radiant Childhood". It went swimmingly, so…hey, practioners, you might try starting there. Now I'll leave it to a real expert…the artist...Bill Nelson.

According to Sir William hisself:

"The music presented on these two albums marks the consolidation of several years of musickal & philosophical practice. Almost every piece was conceived during moments of intense stillness or 'magickal vacuity'.

For this I acknowledge the influence of the late Austin Osman Spare, whose techniques 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."

Bill Nelson – Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights 2xLP, Enigma Records D1-73337, 1988.

 Album One: The Angel at the Western Window

decryption codes in comments

Side 1 –

West Deep
The Spirit Cannot Fail (listed as The Spirit Cannot Fall on the disc)
Pilots of Kite
Seventh Circle
Phantom Gardens
The Angel of Hearth & Home
Villefranche Interior
Night Tides
First Memory
Azure Extension
Radiant Spires
The Evening Peal

Side 2 –

Threnodia
A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain
Body of Light
At the Centre
Self-Initiation
The Word that Became Flesh
The Hermetic Garden
Revolving Globes
The Four Square Citadel
Little Daughters of Light
Orient of Memphis
The Angel at the Western Window

Album Two: The Book of Inward Conversation

Side 3 –

My Dark Daemon
The Dove Consumed (The Serpent Slumbers)
Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven, Over
Path of Return
Theurgia
Staircase to No Place
Evocation of a Radiant Childhood
The Kingdom of Consequence

Side 4 -

The Divine Raptures of Sisterhood
Bright Star (Moonlight over Ocean Blue)
A Bird of the Air Shall Carry My Voice
Clothed in Light Amongst the Stars
Gnosis
Bringers of Light to the Feast
Hastening the Chariot of My Heart's Desire
Transcendant
Consolamentum

Art is Love,

NØ

Care Package from the Vinyl Bardo

Today was just one of those days.

Yesterday’s rain scrubbed the sky, today was crystal clear & Cali sunny.

I had just returned from Turntables Unlimited
 

with my turntable all tuned up (cleaned, belt adjusted to perfect rpms, new Audio Technica AT-95e Special Edition cartridge) & took advantage of the sunny weather. I sat out in the back yard & partook of some solar puffing (using only a magnifying glass & star Sol power…no flame…nature’s perfect vaporizer). Shortly after my mid-day meditation session, a package of vinyl arrives on my doorstep. Providence was being ever-so-smiling. 

Inside was:

a copy of 1985 Mute Records STUMM 24 Mark Stewart – As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade vinyl that I picked up for a friend (I am, however, going to compare the two copies I now have & keep the best…after all, he hasn’t paid me yet).

1985 Mute 12Mute037 Mark Stewart – Hypnotized 12" single pour moi.

1985 Upside Records UP60005-1 Mark Stewart & Maffia self-titled vinyl, ditto.

1990 Mute STUMM 62 Mark Stewart – Metatron vinyl, ditto.

1988 Enigma Records Bill Nelson – Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights 2xLP, you get it by now.

& almost lost amongst the 12"  monsters was this succulent little 7" (much love Abraham)…

Bill Nelson – Eros Arriving b/w Haunting in My Head 7", Mercury WILL 4, 1982.

Side A –

Eros Arriving

Bill Nelson vocals & all instruments except –

Merrick – drums.

Side B –

Haunting in My Head

Bill Nelson – vocals & all instruments except –

Bogdan Wiczling

The single version of "Eros" appears on The Two-fold Aspect of Everything, disc Eaux d'Artifice Side A track 5 (the version of "Haunting" that follows – track 6 – is a remix of this version) & also on The Love That Whirls (Diary of a Thinking Heart) disc Whirl 1 track 5.

I don’t believe the single version of "Haunted" appears anywhere else than this 7". As noted above, the TTfAoE version is a remix & I believe the version added as a bonus track to the 2005 Mercury TLTW(DoaTH) re-release CD is another version or at least the remix remastered???

More later,

NØ

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

Be Bop Redux

UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 09/07/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

A while back I posted most of the Bill Nelson musick that I have. I have since received some very encouraging comments, most from folks who like M. Nelson but no longer have the ability to enjoy his analog output in this digital age. So I completely overlooked some of his releases that I had on cds. The other day I was going through a box of old cds & came across these three, so, without further ado, here they are, in no particular order...

Bill Nelson - Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars,
Caroline Records CAROL 1878-2, 1992.
all decryption codes in comments

Tracklist -

Ancient Guitars
Girl from Another Planet
Spinnin' Around
Shaker
God Man Slain
The Dead We Wake with Upstairs Drums
New Moon Rising
The Glory Days
Wishes
Angel in My System
Wings & Everything
Boat to Forever
The Invisible Man & the Unforgettable Girl
So it Goes
Fires in the Sky
Dream Ships Set Sail

Bill Nelson - Chimera,

Mercury 983 1027,2005 (original release MER B19, 1983).

Tracklist -

The Real Adventure
Acceleration
Everyday Feels like Another Drug
Tender is the Night
Glow World
Another Day, Another Ray of Hope
Hard Facts from the Fiction Department
Acceleration (long version)
Acceleration (dub version)
Acceleration (short version)

When I first did this post, I had included Getting the Holy Ghost Across. I explained at the time some of the changes it had gone through during its lifespan (see comments for more information). Because I was not happy with the version I posted, I removed it from the post following lengthy discussion with visitors & friends of NSS. I have hopefully corrected those issues, addressed them somewhat here, & am returning the release to its original place, now that I am happier with the results. I am posting the cassette files & track order, as that is where I originally ripped the files. I have included the other listings for information purposes for purists. Hope you all enjoy.

On Getting the Holy Ghost Across, the musicians are: Bill Nelson – vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, bass, keyboards, marimba, drums, & percussion; Iain Denby – additional bass; Andy Davis – additional keyboards; Ian Nelson – saxophone; & Preston Heyman – additional percussion.

Bill Nelson – Getting the Holy Ghost Across, Portrait PRT 26602, 1986. (LP)

Side One –

Suvasini

Contemplation

Theology

Wildest Dreams (feat. Peter Greeves on violin)

Lost in Your Memory

Side Two –

Rise like a Fountain

Age of Reason (feat. Dick Morrisey on sax & William Gregory on soprano sax)

The Hidden Flames

Because of You (feat. Dick Morrisey on sax)

Pansophia (Bill Nelson on all instruments)

 Bill Nelson – Getting the Holy Ghost Across, Portrait 40-26602 1986.

Side A -

Suvasini

Contemplation

Theology

Wildest Dreams (feat. Peter Greeves on violin)

Lost in Your Memory

Rise like a Fountain

Age of Reason (feat. Dick Morrisey on sax & William Gregory on soprano sax)

Living for the Spangled Moment

Side B -

The Hidden Flames

Word for Word

Illusions of You

Heart & Soul

Finks & Stooges of the Heart

Because of You (feat. Dick Morrisey on sax)

Pansophia (Bill Nelson on all instruments)

Wildest Dream (wild mix hidden track)

On the cassette  release, tracks A8 & B2 - B5 are bonus tracks (as well as the hidden track “Wildest Dream (wild mix)”. These were later issued on vinyl with the addition of two instrumentals “Feast of Lanterns” & “Nightbirds” as the EP Living for the Spangled Moment.

The 2006 rerelease on Sonoluxe contained the above first fifteen tracks (in different oder) as well as the additional instrumental tracks: “Feast of Lanterns”; “Nightbirds”; & “The Yo-yo Dyne”. “The Yo-yo Dyne” appeared on the 1986 Portrait EP entitled Wildest Dreams along with “Wildest Dreams” & “Wildest Dreams (wild mix)” & a fourth song “Self Impersonation” which has nothing really to do with Getting the Holy Ghost Across.

Enjoy,
NØ

Bill Nelson Deluxe

UPDATE: This post was re-uploaded 08/24/2013. Enjoy, NØ.

"Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape", "Axe Victim", "No Trains to Heaven"...whether in Be Bop Deluxe, Red Noise, or solo performances, I have always considered Bill Nelson a consummate musickian, who creates aural landscapes of unbelievable beauty, undeniable life, & often unappreciated depth. Here is some of his musick for your listening pleasure:

Bill Nelson - Sounding the Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming),
Enigma Records 7 73382-4, 1989.
all decryption codes for this post are in comments

"Sounding the Ritual Echo was recorded in the privacy of my own home on broken or faulty tape machines & speakers, each track possessing its own technological deformity. For this I offer no apology as the music owes its existence to a very personal & selfish obsession. As a direct result, some pieces will require a little patience.

This album, originally released in a limited edition in 1981 as a bonus album for Quit Dreaming & Get on the Beam , was the first in a series of purely instrumental albums issued by Cocteau Records from the archives of the Echo Observatory." - Bill Nelson

Side 1 -

Annunciation
The Ritual Echo
Sleep
Near East
Emak Bakia
My Intricate Image
Endless Orchids
The Heat in the Room

Side 2 -

Another Willingly Opened Window
Vanishing Parades
Glass Fish
Cubical Domes
Ashes of Roses
The Shadow Garden
Opium

Bill Nelson - The Summer Of God's Piano,
Enigma Records 7 73376-2, 1989.

Written, composed, & played by Bill Nelson. Originally released as part of the Trial by Intimacy boxed set in 1984.

Side 1 -

Antennae Two
Transmission (N.B.C. 97293)
The Sleep of Hollywood
The Celestial Bridegroom
Under the Red Arch
Orient Pearl
Sacrament
Falling Blossoms
The Difficulty of Being
Zanoni
The Chinese Nightingale

Side 2 -

Tantra
Soon September (Another Enchantment)
Rural Shires
Perfidio Incanto
The Lost Years
The Charm of Transit
Night Thoughts (Twilight Radio)
Wysteria
Swing
Snowfall
Realm of Dusk
Over Ocean

Bill Nelson - A Catalogue of Obsessions, Enigma Records 7 73379-4, 1989.

Written, composed, & played by Bill Nelson. Originally released as part of the Trial by Intimacy boxed set in 1984.

Side 1 -

Sex Party Six
Wider Windows for the Walls of the World
Time in Tokyo
Happily Addicted to You
Snakes with Wings
The Boy Pilots of Bangkok
Erotikon
Birds in Two Hemispheres
Windmills in a World Without Wind

Side 2 -

Love's First Kiss
Initiation of the Heart's Desire
Edge of Tears
Test of Affection
Words Across Tables
A Promise of Perfume
This Dangerous Age
The Glass Breakfast
Talk Technique
The Last Summer for Dancing
View from a Balcony

Bill Nelson - Savage Gestures for Charms Sake,
Enigma Records 7 73373-4, 1989.

Produced, & all instruments by Bill Nelson except saxophone on "The Man in the Rexine Suit" by Ian Nelson.

Side 1 -

The Man in the Rexine Suit
Watching My Dream Boat Go Down in Flames
The Meat Room

Side 2 -

Narcosis
Another Happy Thought (Carved for Ever in Your Cortex)
Portrait of Jan with Moon & Stars

Bill Nelson - Map Of Dreams, Enigma Records 7 73389-4, 1989.

Composed, performed & produced by Bill Nelson. Recorded at the Echo Observatory, Yorkshire. Music from the soundtrack of the TV Series.

Side 1 -

Legions of the Endless Night
Spinning Creatures
At the Gates of the Singing Garden
Heavenly Message Number One
Heavenly Message Number Two
Heavenly Message Number Three
Fellini's Picnic
Dark Angel
Infernal Regions
Dance of the Fragrant Woman

Side 2 -

The Alchemy of Ecstacy
Aphrodite Adorned
The Wheel of Fortune & the Hand of Fate
Forked Tongues, Mixed Blessings
Another Tricky Mission for the Celestial Pilot
Water of Life (Transfiguration)

Bill Nelson - The Two-fold Aspect of Everything, Cocteau Records JC 10, 1984.

Record One subtitled "Eaux d'Artifice" is a collection of remixes, obscure B-sides & rarities never before presented in album form.

Side A -

The Best that Can't Go Wrong
White Sound
Living in My Limousine (Remix)
Flesh
Eros Arriving (Single Version)
Hope for the Heartbeat (Remix)
The Passion

Side B -

Ideal Homes
Instantly Yours
Atom Man Loves Radium Girl
Mr. Magnetism Himself
The Burning Question
Haunting in My Head
He & Sleep Were Brothers

Record Two subtitled "Confessions of a Four Track Mind" is made up of domestically recorded four-track demo tapes which due to lack of time were never developed further.

Side C -

Connie Buys a Kodak
Be My Dynamo
Touch & Glow
Love Without Fear
Dada Guitare
Turn to Fiction

Side D -

Rooms with Brittle Views
Love in the Abstract
Daily Bells
Hers is a Lush Situation
When the Birds Return
All My Wives Were Iron

Bill Nelson's Orchestra Arcana - Iconography,
Cocteau Records JC 18, 1986.

Conceived, arranged & produced by Bill Nelson. Recorded at the Echo Observatory, Yorkshire. Released under the name Bill Nelson's Orchestra Arcana because of his contract with CBS at the time.

Side A -

Christ Via Wires
Clock Conscious
I Wonder
Eastern Electric
Search & Listen
News from Nowhere
One Man's Fetish is Another Man's Faith

Side B -

Right, then Left
Iconography
The Gods Speak
Life Class
Alter Natives
Sex, Psyche, Etcetera

Bill Nelson's Orchestra Arcana - Optimism, Cocteau Records JC21, 1988.

Written, recorded, produced by Bill Nelson.
Recorded at the Echo Observatory, Yorkshire.

Side A -

Exactly the Way You Want It
Why Be Lonely
Everday is a Better Day
The Receiver & The Fountain Pen
Welcome Home, Mr. Kane
This is True
Greeting a New Day
The Breath in My Father's Saxophone

Side B -

Our Lady of Apparitions
The Whole City Between Us
Deva Dance
Always Looking Forward to Tomorrow
World thru' Fast Car Window
Profiles, Hearts, Stars
Daughter of Dream Come True
Alchemia

Enjoy,
NØ

UPDATE - Optimism is finally uplaoded, no thanks to me, but thanks to a visitor who
bothered to take the time to leave a comment...thanks djethell