Bill Nelson (born William Nelson, 18 December 1948) is a prolific
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
,
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
,
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
and
experimentalExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-twentieth century, particularly in North America, and whose most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
from
WakefieldWakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
,
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He currently lives in
SelbySelby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district....
.
Born to Walter, a musician, he also had a brother who was dedicated to music:
IanIan Walter Nelson was an English New Wave musician, younger and only brother of Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson, whom he accompanied in different musical projects.-Biography:...
(1956-2006), and who collaborated on the
Be Bop DeluxeBe Bop Deluxe were an English progressive rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s.- History :...
song "Ships In The Night" and formed the band
Fiat LuxFiat Lux was an english synthpop band formed in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, in 1982, by Steve Wright and Dave Crickmore...
.
Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and filmmaker,
Jean CocteauJean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright, artist and filmmaker...
.
Bill Nelson (born William Nelson, 18 December 1948) is a prolific
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
,
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
,
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
and
experimentalExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-twentieth century, particularly in North America, and whose most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
from
WakefieldWakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
,
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He currently lives in
SelbySelby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district....
.
Career
Born to Walter, a musician, he also had a brother who was dedicated to music:
IanIan Walter Nelson was an English New Wave musician, younger and only brother of Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson, whom he accompanied in different musical projects.-Biography:...
(1956-2006), and who collaborated on the
Be Bop DeluxeBe Bop Deluxe were an English progressive rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s.- History :...
song "Ships In The Night" and formed the band
Fiat LuxFiat Lux was an english synthpop band formed in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, in 1982, by Steve Wright and Dave Crickmore...
.
1970s
Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and filmmaker,
Jean CocteauJean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright, artist and filmmaker...
. At this time he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon
Duane EddyDuane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Rock and Roll's all-time, #1 instrumentalist.- Biography :...
as a primary
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
influence.
His first
recordingSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
was a brief contribution on an
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
entitled
A-AustrA-Austr were an experimental music project formed by Mike Levon, Brian Calvert, Chris Coombs, Brian Wilson and Ted Hepworth in 1970. Their album is the first recording Bill Nelson has contributed to.-External links:* * *...
with Chris Coombs, Brian Calvert and Mike Levon. Levon recorded and produced the album
A-Austr: Musics from Holyground which appeared on
HolygroundHolyground is an independent record label established in 1966 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England.-External links:* *...
in 1970. After that Nelson appeared in a much more substantial role with
Lightyears Away on the Holyground album
Astral Navigations released in 1971. One track from this also gave Nelson his first airplay by
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and...
: "Yesterday" by Lightyears Away, written by Coombs, where Nelson's lead guitars were recorded by Levon in an
acid rockAcid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream, Jefferson Airplane,...
style, supporting Coombs' stylophone riff. After this, Nelson's solo album was recorded and co-produced by Levon at Holyground, also in 1971.
Nelson's debut
solo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
was named
Northern Dream and drew more attention from
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and...
on his national
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
programme in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, and this eventually led to Nelson's band
Be Bop DeluxeBe Bop Deluxe were an English progressive rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s.- History :...
signing to
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
. The band's first recordings were made at Holyground. (All of the Nelson recordings made there were released in February 2001 by Holyground on a
CDA Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store sound recordings exclusively, but later it also allowed the preservation of other types of data. Audio CDs have been commercially available since October 1982...
called
Electrotype.) Shortly after this Be Bop Deluxe were signed to EMI, releasing "Axe Victim". On stage, the band developed a reputation built upon Nelson's electric guitar stylings, which have been described as "pyrotechnic".
After the breakup of
Be Bop DeluxeBe Bop Deluxe were an English progressive rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s.- History :...
, Nelson attempted another band project called
Red NoiseBill Nelson's Red Noise, or called simply Red Noise, was a "synthpop/new-wave" band, formed by Bill Nelson , his brother Ian , Andy Clark , Rick Ford and Steve Peer , around 1978....
(releasing the seminal
Sound on Sound album), but eventually settled into a career as a solo musician, recording albums in the early
electropopElectropop is a form of electronic music that is made with synthesizers, and which first flourished from 1978 to 1983. Electropop laid the groundwork for a mass market in chart-oriented pop and dance music...
vein such as
The Love That Whirls and
Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam. Many of these albums also shipped with bonus records featuring experimental
ambientAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
instrumentalRock Instrumentals have a separate page.An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. This term is used when referring to popular music rather than to other musical genres such as European...
s, and this was a genre of music Nelson would embrace more fully in the future. For a period between the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nelson self-produced on his Cocteau label a bewildering plethora of releases, mostly cassettes and vinyl, consisting of solo synthesizer and keyboard instrumental pieces. Later released on the short-lived
EnigmaEnigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, from which it split off in 1985 to become its own company....
label, the complete range of material was inconsistent (some tracks sounding like little more than just the barest bones of a melodic sketch or repeating tonal figure). Perhaps the finest expression of this period of Nelson's music can be found on the
double albumA double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold . A double album is typically, though not always, released because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium...
release,
Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights (see below), an evocative and mysterious collection of solo synthesizer and keyboard works, packaged with album graphics of an occult nature.
1980s
In mid 1980 Nelson released "Do You Dream In Colour?", and after airplay on BBC Radio 1, especially by John Peel, the
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
climbed to a modest number 52 in the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
.
A notable contribution to the work of another electronically oriented artist,
Gary NumanGary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of commercial electronic music and has been described as the "King of synthpop." Numan is widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars"...
, occurred in 1983 when Numan, an admirer of Be Bop Deluxe, began to co-produce his
Warriors album with the veteran artist. In spite of a difference of opinions and a general falling out (which led Numan to remix the co-produced version of the album — hence the lack of a production credit), Nelson's dream-like guitar work adds to the album's ambiguous, warm and distinctly jazzy feel.
He also contributed towards several tracks on David Sylvian's- 'Gone to Earth'(1986)
Nelson had bad luck with major
labelsIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the 1980s. A deal with
CBS RecordsCBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
went sour, leaving one album,
Getting the Holy Ghost Across (U.S. title:
On a Blue Wing). Nelson and his manager Mark Rye had formed the Cocteau Records label in 1981, and for many years this label handled the majority of Nelson's output, which often included multiple albums per year. Among the more ambitious Cocteau releases were the four-record boxed set of experimental electronic music,
Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours), and the later ambient collection,
Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights, which contained music informed by Nelson's
GnosticGnosticism refers to diverse, syncretistic religious movements in antiquity consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge; this being is frequently identified with the...
beliefs. In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
label
Enigma RecordsEnigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, from which it split off in 1985 to become its own company....
, and though they re-released his entire Cocteau catalogue, the label soon went out of business.
As the 1980s ended, Nelson suffered a series of personal setbacks, including a divorce, tax problems, and an acrimonious dispute with his manager over his back catalogue rights. In the case of one album, the unreleased
Simplex, his manager had been selling copies via mail order without Nelson's authorisation; Nelson claims he never received any royalties from these sales.
link Nelson vs. Rye
1990s
Nelson channelled his troubles into his music, with the result that the 1990s proved an even more prolific period for him. His divorce inspired a 4-CD boxed set,
Demonstrations of Affection, and he worked on some guitar-based instrumental projects such as the albums
Crimsworth and
Practically Wired, or How I Became Guitar Boy. With
Demonstrations, Nelson perfected a songwriting ethic based on the immediacy of creative inspiration; each song was recorded almost as soon as it was written, taking only an average of two hours to complete. This technique enabled Nelson to produce a staggering amount of new music into the new century, which resulted in such large-scale releases as the 4-CD set
My Secret Studio and the 6-CD set
Noise Candy.
In 1996, Nelson's troubles with his former manager were resolved in a lawsuit which enabled Nelson to recover much of his back catalogue. A fully authorized version of the
Simplex album was released in 2001.
In the late 1990s, Nelson created the Populuxe Records label, with a distribution arrangement with
Robert FrippRobert Fripp is a guitarist, composer and a record producer best known for being the guitarist for, and only constant member of, the progressive rock band King Crimson. His work, spanning five decades, encompasses a variety of musical styles...
's
Discipline Global MobileIf you were looking for the Italian Prog-Power Metal band, see DGM .Discipline Global Mobile, alias DGM, is a small independent record label company started in 1992 by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. In addition to running a mail-order music shop, it has offered Crimson/Fripp and related live...
, but the relationship with DGM has stagnated and Nelson's last DGM release was
Atom Shop in 1998. Subsequent releases have been on other imprints such as Toneswoon and Voiceprint as well as direct mail-order releases.
2000s
2002 saw the release of
Three White Roses and a Budd (CD Single, with
Fila BrazilliaFila Brazillia is an electronica collaboration from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in 1990 by Steve Cobby and David McSherry...
and
Harold BuddHarold Budd is an American ambient/avant-garde composer. Born in Los Angeles, California, he was raised in the Mojave Desert, and was inspired at an early age by the humming tone caused by wind blown across telephone wires....
) on
Twentythree RecordsTwentythree Records is a record label based in Yorkshire, England. The label was founded by Steve Cobby, David McSherry, and Sim Lister—who are regarded as significant names in the development of the electronica genre in the United Kingdom....
.
By 2006, Universal Music (UK) re-issued three Mercury albums on CD -
Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam,
The Love that Whirls, and
Chimera all have been remastered, and released with bonus tracks. The lone CBS album,
Getting the Holy Ghost Across/On a Blue Wing, has also been issued on CD, with all the original tracks and extras on Nelson's Sonoluxe imprint.
An annual event known as
Nelsonica is held every year in Yorkshire, England, at which Nelson makes a rare public performance. Nelsonica is attended by admirers of Nelson's work from all over the world, and he records a special limited edition CD for each event. Some of these recordings from earlier years of Nelsonica are highly collectable.
Albums
- Northern Dream (1971)
- Axe Victim (1974) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Futurama (1975) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Sunburst Finish (1976) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Modern Music (1976) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Live! In The Air Age (1977) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Drastic Plastic
Drastic Plastic is the last album of Art rock band Be Bop Deluxe, released in February 1978. It was recorded in Chateau Saint Georges, Juan-les-Pins, in the south of France in the summer of 1977....
(1978) [Be Bop Deluxe]
- Sound - On - Sound (1979) [Bill Nelson's Red Noise]
- Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (1981) Mercury
- Sounding The Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming) (1981)
- Das Kabinet (The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari) (1981)
- The Love That Whirls (Diary Of A Thinking Heart) (1982)
- La Belle Et La Bete (1982)
- Chimera (1983)
- Savage Gestures For Charm's Sake (1983)
- Trial By Intimacy - The Summer Of God's Piano (1985)
- Trial By Intimacy - Chamber Of Dreams (Music from the Invisibility Exhibition) (1985)
- Trial By Intimacy - Pavilions Of The Heart And Soul (1985)
- Trial By Intimacy - A Catalogue Of Obsessions (1985)
- Chameleon (The Music Of Bill Nelson) (1985)
- Getting The Holy Ghost Across (1986)
- Iconography (1986) [Orchestra Arcana]
- Map Of Dreams (1987)
- Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights - The Angel At The Western Window (1987)
- Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights - The Book Of Inward Conversation (1987)
- Optimism (1988) [Orchestra Arcana]
- Demonstrations Of Affection - Chimes And Rings (1989)
- Demonstrations Of Affection - Nudity (1989)
- Demonstrations Of Affection - Heartbreakland (1989)
- Demonstrations Of Affection - Details (1989)
- Simplex (1990)
- Altar Pieces (1990)
- Luminous (1991)
- Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars (1992)
- Automatic (1994) [Channel Light Vessel]
- Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames) (1995)
- Practically Wired or how I became…Guitarboy! (1995)
- My Secret Studio Volume I - Buddha Head (1995)
- My Secret Studio Volume I - Electricity Made Us Angels (1995)
- My Secret Studio Volume I - Deep Dream Decoder (1995)
- My Secret Studio Volume I - Juke Box For Jet Boy (1995)
- After The Satellite Sings (1996)
- Excellent Spirits (1996) [Channel Light Vessel]
- Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II - Weird Critters (1997)
- Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II - Magnificent Dream People (1997)
- Atom Shop (1998)
- Whistling While The World Turns (2000)
- Noise Candy - Old Man Future Blows The Blues (2002)
- Noise Candy - Stargazing With Ranger Bill (2002)
- Noise Candy - Sunflower Dairy Product (2002)
- Noise Candy - King Frankenstein (2002)
- Noise Candy - Console (2002)
- Noise Candy - Playtime (2002)
- Caliban And Chrome Harmonium (2002)
- Astral Motel (2002)
- Whimsy (2003)
- Whimsy Two (A Garage Full Of Clouds) (2003)
- The Romance Of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars (2003)
- Luxury Lodge (2003)
- Plaything (2003)
- Dreamland To Starboard (2004)
- Custom Deluxe (2004)
- Satellite Songs (2004)
- Wah-Wah Galaxy (2004)
- Rosewood: Ornaments And Graces For Acoustic Guitar Volume One (2005)
- Rosewood: Ornaments And Graces For Acoustic Guitar Volume Two (2005)
- Orpheus In Ultraland (2005)
- The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill (2005)
- Neptune's Galaxy (2006)
- Return To The Jazz Of Lights (2006)
- Arcadian Salon (2006)
- Gleaming Without Lights (2006)
- Secret Club For Members Only (2007)
- And We Fell Into A Dream (2007)
- Silvertone Fountains (2008)
- Illuminated At Dusk (2008)
- Mazda Kaleidoscope (2008)
- Clocks & Dials (2008)
- Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow (2008)
- Fancy Planets (2009)
- Here Comes Mr Mercury (2009)
- Theatre Of Falling Leaves (2009)
- The Dream Transmission Pavilion (2009)
External links