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William Nelson (born 18 December 1948) is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter, video artist, writer and
experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
ian. He rose to prominence as the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the rock group
Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. History Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe was founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitaris ...
, which he formed in 1972. Nelson has been described as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
movement". In 2015, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards.


Early life and personal life

Nelson was born in
Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
in the
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
, to Jean and Walter Nelson. Walter Nelson was an
alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
player who led his own dance band, and Jean a member of a dance troupe when younger. Bill Nelson attended local schools in the Wakefield area and in the 1960s went to Wakefield College of Art. Nelson's younger brother,
Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
(1956–2006), collaborated on the
Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. History Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe was founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitaris ...
song "Ships in the Night" and formed the band
Fiat Lux Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
; he also played on the 1979
Red Noise ] In science, Brownian noise, also known as Brown noise or red noise, is the type of signal noise produced by Brownian motion, hence its alternative name of random walk noise. The term "Brown noise" does not come from brown, the color, but af ...
album ''
Sound-on-Sound ''Sound-on-Sound'' is the sole album by English new wave band Bill Nelson's Red Noise, released in February 1979 by record label Harvest. Band leader Bill Nelson formed the group after the disbandment of Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978. The record was re ...
'' and with the 2004 touring band Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites. Nelson has three children, Julia (born 1970 with Bill’s first wife, Shirley) and Elle (born 1978) and Elliot (born 1981), both born with Bill’s second wife, Jan. Elle and Elliot played in their own band, Honeytone Cody, between the late 1990s and 2014. Some time around April 1995 Nelson married Emiko, who was previously married to
Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...
drummer
Yukihiro Takahashi Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋 幸宏 ''Takahashi Yukihiro'', born June 6, 1952) is a Japanese musician, singer, record producer and actor, who is best known internationally as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and as the fo ...
.


Career


1970s

Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet and filmmaker
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...
. At this time he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon
Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel- ...
as a primary guitar influence. His first record was a brief contribution on the album ''A-Austr: Musics from Holyground'', with Brian Calvert, Chris Coombs, Ted Hepworth, Mike Levon and Brian Wilson. Levon recorded and produced the album which appeared on Levon's own Holyground Records label in 1970. After that, Nelson appeared in a much more substantial role with Lightyears Away on ''Astral Navigations'' released in 1971. On one track, "Yesterday", written by Coombs, Levon recorded Nelson's lead guitars in an
acid rock Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, di ...
style, supporting Coombs' stylophone riff. This track also gave Nelson his first
airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
on his national
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
programme in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Nelson's Holyground recordings were released in February 2001 as ''Electrotype''. In 1973, Nelson's debut
solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
''Northern Dream'', released on his own independent Smile label, drew further attention from Peel which eventually led to Nelson's band
Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe were an English rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. History Be-Bop Deluxe Be-Bop Deluxe was founded in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, by singer, guitaris ...
signing to
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
's
Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...
subsidiary and releasing ''
Axe Victim ''Axe Victim'' is the debut album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in June 1974. Musical style The music of ''Axe Victim'' incorporated elements of progressive rock, blues and folk rock. Overall, the album's sound has been classi ...
'' in 1974. Nelson replaced the original band members for ''Futurama'' in 1975. The lineup of Bill Nelson (guitar), Andrew Clark (keyboards),
Charlie Tumahai Charles Turu Tumahai (14 January 1949 – 21 December 1995) was a New Zealand singer, bass player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. He is best known internationally as the bass ...
(bass) and Simon Fox (drums) recorded '' Sunburst Finish'' and ''Modern Music'' in 1976, the live album ''Live! In The Air Age'' in 1977 and their final studio album ''
Drastic Plastic ''Drastic Plastic'' is the fifth and final album by English rock band released in February 1978. Recording and content ''Drastic Plastic'' was recorded in in the south of France in the summer of 1977. Nelson recorded the album in because ...
'' in 1978. Nelson found the structure of a permanent band constricting. An
instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
on ''Drastic Plastic'' performed by Nelson (acoustic guitar) and Clark (keyboards) anticipated Nelson's later solo ambient work. Other tracks on that album required Fox record drum parts for use as repeating loop backing tracks in the studio. (Performing these songs live on the subsequent tour, Fox would physically play these repeating patterns on drums). This sowed the seeds for later experimentation by Nelson. 1983's ''Invisibility Exhibition'' tour would see Bill Nelson (guitar) and Ian Nelson (sax) improvise to the former's self-produced backing audio (and video) tracks (later released as the ''Chamber of Dreams'' album), an approach Nelson would repeat for many solo live performances throughout his career. Playing the guitar over pre-recorded backing tracks would bear further fruit in later studio recordings, notably the ''Painting With Guitars'' series (2003, 2015) and ''And We Fell into A Dream'' (2007). In autumn 1978, Nelson halted the Be-Bop Deluxe project, removed Tumahai and Fox from his immediate working band and replaced the name with the moniker
Red Noise ] In science, Brownian noise, also known as Brown noise or red noise, is the type of signal noise produced by Brownian motion, hence its alternative name of random walk noise. The term "Brown noise" does not come from brown, the color, but af ...
(releasing the ''
Sound-on-Sound ''Sound-on-Sound'' is the sole album by English new wave band Bill Nelson's Red Noise, released in February 1979 by record label Harvest. Band leader Bill Nelson formed the group after the disbandment of Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978. The record was re ...
'' album in February 1979). Harvest, who had insisted on naming it "Bill Nelson's Red Noise", refused to release the second Red Noise album ''Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam'' which was largely recorded by Nelson with contributions on sax from his brother Ian rather than the more-obviously marketable five-piece band Harvest's execs had understandably expected. The record remained unreleased in record company limbo. Meanwhile, with his producer from Harvest
John Leckie John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978), XTC's ''White Music'' (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear's ''25 O'Clock'' (1985), t ...
, Nelson did some production (and, in Nelson's case, sessions keyboards) work for the band Skids, whose guitarist
Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...
was an admirer of Nelson's musicianship.Nelson, Bill ''diary of a hyperdreamer'' (2004) p. 563 Bill Nelson's collected diaries from between 1999 and 2003, previously published on his official website Pomona Fruitful friendships followed. Vocalist Richard Jobson would appear as a support act reading poetry on the ''Invisibility Exhibition'' tour. After Adamson's death in 2001, Nelson composed a piece in memory of his departed friend, called simply "For Stuart", which appeared on 2003's ''The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars'' and (in a live version) on 2011's ''live at Metropolis Studios'' DVD.


1980s

Nelson's manager Mark Rye negotiated with Harvest to buy back some of the unreleased songs for Nelson to release under his own name on his own label, Cocteau Records, which Nelson and Rye had set up. Consequently, in July 1980, Nelson was able to release the single "Do You Dream in Colour?", which after airplay on BBC Radio 1 reached No. 52 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. This debut release on the label persuaded
Phonogram Phonogram may refer to: * A sound recording – see Geneva Phonograms Convention * ''Phonogram'' (comics), a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie * Phonogram (linguistics), a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phone ...
to acquire the remaining tracks for Cocteau in order to release ''Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam'' as a Bill Nelson album on their subsidiary label
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
in 1981. The release contained bonus disc ''Sounding The Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming)'' featuring experimental, ambient instrumentals which Nelson had recorded privately at his home. Subsequent Mercury releases included ''The Love That Whirls'', which included a bonus disc of Nelson's soundtrack for The Yorkshire Actors' stage production of
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...
's 1946 film ''La Belle et la Bête''/ ''Beauty and the Beast''. Nelson had already contributed music (and released it under the title ''Das Kabinet'' on Cocteau) to the same company's similar adaptation of
Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...
's 1920 silent film classic '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''. Freed from the demands of a mainstream, commercial record company, Nelson released considerable quantities of singles and LPs on Cocteau throughout the decade, much of it by himself but also a number of singles by other artists, notably Last Man in Europe,
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...
, The Revox Cadets, Richard Jobson, Q (16),
Fiat Lux Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
, Man Jumping and
Yukihiro Takahashi Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋 幸宏 ''Takahashi Yukihiro'', born June 6, 1952) is a Japanese musician, singer, record producer and actor, who is best known internationally as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and as the fo ...
. The more ambitious Cocteau releases by Nelson himself included the four-LP
box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...
of experimental electronic music ''Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours)'' and the later ambient two-LP collection ''Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights'', which contained music informed by Nelson's
Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
beliefs. In 1989, he released the 4-CD
box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...
''Demonstrations of Affection''. He was hired by English new wave artist
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
to produce his 1983 album ''
Warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...
'', with Numan saying that Bill Nelson was his "favourite guitar player, bar none." However, the two musicians failed to maintain a working relationship, and ultimately Nelson chose not to be credited for his production role on the album. Nelson also contributed towards several tracks on
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...
's '' Gone to Earth'' (1986). Nelson was commissioned by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
to write music for the 1987 television drama series '' Brond''. In the 1980s a deal with CBS Records'
Portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
imprint failed, leaving the one album ''Getting the Holy Ghost Across'' (US title: ''On a Blue Wing'') with further tracks from that album's sessions issued on the UK mini-LP ''Living for the Spangled Moment''. In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to
Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...
, which went out of business shortly after re-releasing his entire Cocteau catalogue. As the decade 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'', Nelson discovered his manager had been selling copies via
mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...
without Nelson's authorisation or knowledge; Nelson claimed he never received any
royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...
from these sales.


1990s

In 1992, Nelson released ''Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars'' on
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
which consisted of demos for a proposed band including four guitarists and two drummers which never materialised. "This is what I do behind locked doors," he wrote on the sleeve, prefiguring much of his later, home recorded work including ''My Secret Studio'' (4-CD + 2-CD) and ''Noise Candy'' (6-CD). In the same year, Nelson worked with
Roger Eno Roger Eugene Eno (born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge, England, in 1959) is an English ambient music composer. He is the brother of Brian Eno. Early life and education Roger Eno began euphonium lessons when he was 12 years old, and entered C ...
and
Kate St John Kate St John (born October 2, 1957) is an English composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Classically trained on oboe, she gained a music degree at City University London. Her first band was The Ravishing Beauties with Virginia A ...
as producer (with Roger Eno) on the duo's album ''The Familiar'', on which Nelson also played guitar and other instruments. This experience fortuitously not only sowed the seeds of Eno's, Nelson's and St.John's participation in the 'ambient supergroup'
Channel Light Vessel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
, which also featured
Laraaji Laraaji (born Edward Larry Gordon, 3 May 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist specializing in piano, zither and mbira. His albums include the 1980 release '' Ambient 3: Day of Radiance'', produced by Brian Eno as part of his ''Ambient'' ...
and Mayumi Tachibana, but also introduced Nelson to
Voiceprint Records Voiceprint Records was a British independent record label based in England, founded in November 1990 by Rob Ayling. They specialised in re-releasing old material, especially progressive rock, but also had new releases, under the Resurgence and B ...
, whose subsidiary labels included All Saints and Resurgence, both of which would release a number of CLV and Nelson recordings over the next few years. In 1995, Nelson released two very different albums. ''Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames)'' was an ambient piece which had provided the soundscape to an art installation. ''Practically Wired, or How I Became... Guitarboy!'' was a return to guitar-based instrumental music, something Nelson had barely touched for the previous decade and a half. In 1996, Nelson augmented his sound with drum and bass for ''After The Satellite Sings'', credited as a major influence on
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's '' Earthling'' album by Bowie's then guitarist
Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...
. By 1996, Nelson's troubles with his former manager were resolved in a lawsuit which enabled Nelson to recover much of his back catalogue. The fully authorised ''Simplex'' was subsequently released in 2001 by Lenin Imports and reissued in 2012 by Esoteric. In the late 1990s, Nelson created the Populuxe label, with a distribution arrangement via
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
's
Discipline Global Mobile Discipline Global Mobile (DGM, or Discipline GM) is an independent record label founded in 1992 by Robert Fripp (best known as guitarist and main composer for the band King Crimson) and producer/online content developer David Singleton. D ...
, but his relationship with them stagnated and Nelson's last release on that label was ''Atom Shop'' in 1998. Subsequent releases have been on other imprints such as Toneswoon as well as direct mail order (and later internet order) releases.


2000s

2002 saw the release of EP ''Three White Roses & A Budd'' (with
Fila Brazillia Fila Brazillia is an English electronica duo from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, formed in 1990 by Steve Cobby and David McSherry. History Their early albums were released on Pork Recordings, also based in Hull: '' Old Codes New Chao ...
and
Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimalist and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the ...
) on Twentythree Records,. In 2001, Nelson attended a first Nelsonica convention, set up in West Yorkshire by fans in his honour, taking with him drawings to sell to any interested parties. It proved such a good experience that he resolved to contribute live music performances, dedicated CDs of new material, and anything else that seemed appropriate, to any such future events. Nelsonica became an annual fixture in his calendar for the next decade or so. Attendees at 2002's Nelsonica 02 received a copy of ''Astral Motel'', the first convention CD release. Honeytone Cody played one set, Nelson and his brother Ian played a second, while Nelson's newly assembled seven piece band The Lost Satellites, which also included Ian, played a third. It was a resounding success and an annual institution was born. Three further albums followed in 2003: ''The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars'', ''Plaything'', and a second Nelsonica CD ''Luxury Lodge'',. Since then, Nelson has released an average of four albums a year, often in small runs which soon go out of print. He has accomplished this using his own series of branded record labels: Almost Opaque then Discs of Ancient Odeon for the Nelsonica releases; Universal Twang then Sonoluxe for the others. (Nelson's Sonic Masonic imprint lasted for only one release, 2004's ''Satellite Songs'') Nelson's in-house releasing was made possible by the financial backing of ''
Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, a ...
'' magazine, whose website hosts his online shop and is named after Red Noise's ''Sound-on-Sound'' album. In 2004, the magazine also put up the money for Nelson to take his band Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites on tour around the UK as The Be-Bop Deluxe And Beyond Tour. Nelson pursued different artistic directions. Two ''Rosewood'' releases contained acoustic guitar pieces "submitted to electronic and digital processing." The highly personal ''The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill,'' was a concept album about the English coastline, ships and the sea, while its more ambient, instrumental companion piece ''Neptune's Galaxy'' comprised five long form instrumental compositions exploring the same subject. Of the former, Nelson wrote, "this set of songs comes (closer) to being personally fulfilling as almost any other album of mine." Most of the decade's remaining albums were lead electric guitar-oriented and non-vocal. Improvisation against pre-recorded backing tracks played a major role in ''And We Fell into A Dream'' while the very different ''Theatre of Falling Leaves'' eschewed lead guitar in favour of keyboards. The decade closed with more voice-based material as Nelson crooned through ''Golden Melodies of Tomorrow'', delivered more familiar rock and ballad vocals on ''Fancy Planets'' and delved into romantic songwriting in ''The Dream Transmission Pavilion''. In the first half of the decade, Nelson published his collected online diaries from 1999–2003 under the moniker ''diary of a hyperdreamer''. A second volume covering entries from 2005–2006 would appear in 2015. The last ten years of this diary remain on his official website to this day. He also gave extensive interviews to biographer Paul Sutton Reeves for a book, the publication of which was put on hold for around two years when publisher Sean Body died. ''Music in Dreamland Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe,'' finally materialised in 2008. In the second half of the decade, Nelson's live performances (mostly at the Nelsonica events) broadened out from solo work to encompass two other bands. One was the improvisational, three-piece Orchestra Futura consisting of Nelson,
Dave Sturt Dave Sturt (born 1960, Middlesbrough, England) is an English bassist and record producer. Musical career Sturt began playing bass guitar and recording at the age of 17. In 1982 he moved to London and soon broke into the session scene working a ...
(bass) and
Theo Travis Theo Travis (born 7 July 1964 in Birmingham, England) is a British saxophonist, flautist and composer. He is best known for being a member of Soft Machine which he joined in 2006 while the group was still using the "Legacy" suffix and for being ...
(assorted woodwind, brass). (The duo of Sturt and Travis already played together as Cipher.) The other was the more conventional rock oriented, seven-piece Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers (again including Sturt and Travis) which played songs with vocals from the extensive Nelson/Be-Bop Deluxe back catalogue. By 2006, Universal Music (UK) had re-issued three
Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...
albums: ''Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam'', ''The Love that Whirls'' and ''Chimera'' had all been remastered and released with bonus tracks. Sonoluxe had reissued the CBS album ''Getting the Holy Ghost Across / On a Blue Wing'' with all the original tracks including those from ''Living for the Spangled Moment''.


2010s

In 2010, Nelson published the first part of an autobiography. In March 2011, motivated by a desire to capture the flavour of recent gigs on film for posterity via DVD release, Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers played a concert of songs spanning Nelson's career before a live audience in front of in-house cameras at Metropolis Studios, London. Dissatisfied with the resultant sound mix, Nelson remixed it himself at his own expense. Using Nelson's remix, ITV Studios Home Entertainment released a DVD of the event. This initial release quickly sold out. A promised television broadcast of the recording only materialised in a few selected territories, excluding the UK. The video and audio recording has subsequently been reissued on other formats including CD and LP. However, having signed away his rights to these recordings, Nelson has made no money on these releases. In 2011,
Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...
' subsidiary
Esoteric Recordings Esoteric Recordings is a UK independent record label specialising in 1970s progressive rock, folk, psychedelic, and jazz-rock reissues as part of Cherry Red Records. Its releases include both catalogue reissues and new works from artists who s ...
commenced a roll-out re-release of Nelson's back catalogue for many of his releases between 1981 and 2002 with the 8-CD compilation ''The Practice of Everyday Life'' which covered 40 years of recordings. Other notable reissues have included the 4-CD ''The Book of Splendours'' and the 6-CD ''Noise Candy'',. The Esoteric deal did not involve a rights buyout, so Nelson is properly compensated for these reissues. In 2013, Nelson finally began releasing his out of print CD back catalogue from 2002 onwards as digital downloads via
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
. On this platform he subsequently released the three volume compilation ''The Dreamer's Companion'' in 2014 and brand new albums commencing with ''Special Metal'' from 2016 onwards. In addition to his numerous solo releases of recent years, Nelson has also made both film soundtracks and a number of collaborative recordings with other artists. In 2010, he released the soundtrack to the US TV documentary ''American Stamps'' as ''Picture Post'' while in 2014, he released the soundtrack to UK director Daisy Asquith's paean to cycling '' Velorama'' (a tie in with the 2014 Tour de France cycle race which went through Yorkshire) as ''Pedalscope''. In 2012, Nelson finally completed ''The Last of the Neon Cynics'', a long standing project with comic artist Matt Howarth: the latter supplied a comic (a PDF file) while the former provided a soundtrack to it. In 2014, he collaborated with fellow guitarist
Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...
(who has also worked with
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
) on ''Fantastic Guitars''. In 2014, Nelson suffered a complete hearing loss in his right ear. This put a stop to any plans for playing live (and by extension Nelsonica events built around live performance) for the foreseeable future. Yet he continued to record and release music despite this disability. The first album to be affected was ''Quiet Bells''. According to Nelson's sleeve notes, "to slowly adjust to this problem, I decided to make an album that features mainly guitar, a gentle collection of instrumentals in a neo-minimalist, ambient style." In 2014, Nelson was honoured by Wakefield Council with a Hollywood-style star on the city’s walk of fame. He also designed an extremely limited edition 'Astroluxe Custom Ltd' guitar for the
Eastwood Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station **Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the Ph ...
company. In 2016, 46 years after recording his debut album, Nelson released a sequel entitled ''New Northern Dream''.


Discography


Albums


solo before Be-Bop Deluxe

* ''Northern Dream'' (1971) Smile * ''Electrotype – The Holyground Recordings 1968–1972'' (2001) Holyground (includes pre-Harvest Be-Bop Deluxe recordings)


with Be-Bop Deluxe

* ''
Axe Victim ''Axe Victim'' is the debut album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in June 1974. Musical style The music of ''Axe Victim'' incorporated elements of progressive rock, blues and folk rock. Overall, the album's sound has been classi ...
'' (1974)
Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
* ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' (1975) Harvest * '' Sunburst Finish'' (1976) Harvest * '' Modern Music'' (1976) Harvest * ''Live! In The Air Age'' (1977) Harvest * ''
Drastic Plastic ''Drastic Plastic'' is the fifth and final album by English rock band released in February 1978. Recording and content ''Drastic Plastic'' was recorded in in the south of France in the summer of 1977. Nelson recorded the album in because ...
'' (1978) Harvest * ''The Best of and the Rest of Be-Bop Deluxe'' (1978) Harvest * ''Radioland'' (1994)
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
live in concert 1976 Windsong * ''Tramcar To Tomorrow'' (1998)
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
BBC Radio 1 Sessions 1974-8 Hux * ''Tremulous Antenna'' (2002) ''Radioland'' remastered Hux


with Bill Nelson's Red Noise

* Furniture Music (1977) * ''
Sound-on-Sound ''Sound-on-Sound'' is the sole album by English new wave band Bill Nelson's Red Noise, released in February 1979 by record label Harvest. Band leader Bill Nelson formed the group after the disbandment of Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978. The record was re ...
'' (1979)
Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...


with Orchestra Arcana

* ''Iconography'' (1986) Cocteau * ''Optimism'' (1988) Cocteau


with Channel Light Vessel

* ''Automatic'' (1994)
Channel Light Vessel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
All Saints * ''Excellent Spirits'' (1996)
Channel Light Vessel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
All Saints


solo after Be-Bop Deluxe/Bill Nelson's Red Noise

* ''Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam'' (1981)
Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...
* ''Sounding the Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming)'' (1981) Mercury * ''Das Kabinet'' (1981) Cocteau * ''The Love That Whirls (Diary of a Thinking Heart)'' (1982) Mercury * ''La Belle et la Bête'' (1982) Mercury * ''Chimera'' mini-LP (1983) Mercury * ''Savage Gestures for Charm's Sake'' (1983) Cocteau * ''The Two-Fold Aspect of Everything'' (1984) Cocteau * ''Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours) – The Summer of God's Piano'' (1985) Cocteau * ''Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours) – Chamber of Dreams (Music from the Invisibility Exhibition)'' (1985) Cocteau * ''Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours) – Pavilions of the Heart And Soul'' (1985) Cocteau * ''Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendours) – A Catalogue of Obsessions'' (1985) Cocteau * ''Chameleon (The Music of Bill Nelson)'' (1985) Themes International Music * ''Getting the Holy Ghost Across'' (1986)
Portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
* ''Living for the Spangled Moment'' mini-LP (1986) Portrait * ''On a Blue Wing'' (1986) US version of ''Getting the Holy Ghost Across'' – different cover, slightly different track listing Portrait * ''Map of Dreams'' (1987) Cocteau * ''Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights – The Angel at the Western Window'' (1987) Cocteau * ''Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights – The Book of Inward Conversation'' (1987) Cocteau * ''Demonstrations of Affection – Chimes And Rings'' (1989) Cocteau * ''Demonstrations of Affection – Nudity'' (1989) Cocteau * ''Demonstrations of Affection – Heartbreakland'' (1989) Cocteau * ''Demonstrations of Affection – Details'' (1989) Cocteau * ''Simplex'' (1990) Cocteau * ''Duplex'' (1990) double CD compilation Cocteau * ''Altar Pieces'' (1990) limited edition audio cassette The Orpheus Organisation * ''Luminous'' (1991) Imaginary * ''Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars'' (1992)
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
* ''Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames)'' (1995) Resurgence * ''Practically Wired or how I became…Guitarboy!'' (1995) All Saints * ''My Secret Studio Volume I – Buddha Head'' (1995) Resurgence * ''My Secret Studio Volume I – Electricity Made Us Angels'' (1995) Resurgence * ''My Secret Studio Volume I – Deep Dream Decoder'' (1995) Resurgence * ''My Secret Studio Volume I – Juke Box for Jet Boy'' (1995) Resurgence * ''After The Satellite Sings'' (1996) Resurgence * ''Confessions of a Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II – Weird Critters'' (1997) Populuxe * ''Confessions of a Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II – Magnificent Dream People'' (1997) Populuxe * ''Atom Shop'' (1998)
Discipline Global Mobile Discipline Global Mobile (DGM, or Discipline GM) is an independent record label founded in 1992 by Robert Fripp (best known as guitarist and main composer for the band King Crimson) and producer/online content developer David Singleton. D ...
* ''Whistling While The World Turns'' (2000) Lenin Imports * ''Noise Candy – Old Man Future Blows The Blues'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Noise Candy – Stargazing With Ranger Bill'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Noise Candy – Sunflower Dairy Product'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Noise Candy – King Frankenstein'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Noise Candy – Console'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Noise Candy – Playtime'' (2002) Toneswoon * ''Caliban and the Chrome Harmonium'' (2002) Almost Opaque * ''Astral Motel'' (2002) Nelsonica convention CD Almost Opaque * ''Whimsy'' (2003) Fabled Quixote * ''Whimsy Two (A Garage Full of Clouds)'' (2003) Fabled Quixote * ''The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars'' (2003) Universal Twang * ''Luxury Lodge'' (2003) Nelsonica convention CD Almost Opaque * ''Plaything'' (2003) Universal Twang * ''Dreamland To Starboard'' (2004) Universal Twang * ''Custom Deluxe'' (2004) Universal Twang * ''Satellite Songs'' (2004) Sonic Masonic * ''Wah-Wah Galaxy'' (2004) Nelsonica convention CD Almost Opaque * ''Rosewood: Ornaments and Graces for Acoustic Guitar Volume One'' (2005) Sonoluxe * ''Rosewood: Ornaments and Graces for Acoustic Guitar Volume Two'' (2005) Sonoluxe * ''Orpheus in Ultraland'' (2005) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill'' (2005) a coastal song suite by ill Nelson and his Lighthouse Signal Mechanism OrchestraSonoluxe * ''Neptune's Galaxy'' (2006) Sonoluxe * ''Return to Jazz of Lights'' (2006) Sonoluxe * ''Arcadian Salon'' (2006) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''Gleaming Without Lights'' (2006) Sonoluxe * ''Secret Club For Members Only'' (2007) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''And We Fell into a Dream'' (2007) Sonoluxe * ''Silvertone Fountains'' (2008) Sonoluxe * ''Illuminated at Dusk'' (2008) Sonoluxe * ''Mazda Kaleidoscope'' (2008) Sonoluxe * ''Clocks & Dials'' (2008) Nelsonica convention double CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''Golden Melodies of Tomorrow'' (2008) Sonoluxe * ''Fancy Planets'' (2009) Sonoluxe * ''Here Comes Mr Mercury'' (2009) Sonoluxe * ''The Dream Transmission Pavilion'' (2009) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''Theatre of Falling Leaves'' (2009) Sonoluxe * ''Non-Stop Mystery Action'' (2009) Sonoluxe * ''Picture Post'' (2010) Sonoluxe * ''Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms'' (2010) Blue Shining Fountain Records * ''Captain Future's Psychotronic Circus'' (2010) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''Fables And Dreamsongs'' (2010) Sonoluxe * ''Fantasmatron'' (2011) Sonoluxe * ''Hip Pocket JukeBox'' (2011) ''The Art School Ascended on Vapours of Roses'' art exhibition/concert CD * ''Signals from Realms of Light'' (2011) Sonoluxe * ''Model Village'' (2011) Sonoluxe Super Listener Series * ''Songs of the Blossom Tree Optimists'' (2012) Sonoluxe Super Listener Series * ''The Last of the Neon Cynics'' (2012) Enhanced CD includes PDF file of graphic novel by Matt Howarth Sonoluxe * ''Joy Through Amplification'' (2012) Sonoluxe * ''Return To Tomorrow'' (2012) Nelsonica convention CD Discs of Ancient Odeon * ''The Palace of Strange Voltages'' (2012) Sonoluxe * ''The Dreamshire Chronicles'' (2012) Sonoluxe * ''Blip!'' (2013) Sonoluxe * ''Blip!2 – The Tremulous Doo-Wah-Diddy'' (2013) Blip! Launch Party CD Sonoluxe * ''Albion Dream Vortex'' (2013) Sonoluxe * ''The Sparkle Machine'' (2013) Sonoluxe * ''Pedalscope'' (2014) Sonoluxe * ''Fantastic Guitars'' (2014) with
Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...
Sonoluxe * ''Astroloops'' (2014) given away with extremely limited edition
Eastwood Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station **Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the Ph ...
'Astroluxe Custom Ltd' guitar designed by Bill Nelson Astrotone * ''Stereo Star Maps'' (2014) Sonoluxe * ''Shining Reflector'' (2014) Sonoluxe * ''Quiet Bells'' (2015) Sonoluxe * ''Swoons And Levitations'' (2015) Sonoluxe * ''The Years'' (2015) Sonoluxe * ''Plectrajet: Painting With Guitars Volume Two'' (2015) Sonoluxe * ''Electric Atlas'' (2015) Sonoluxe * ''Loom (Astroloops Volume Two)'' (2015) Astrotone * ''Perfect Monsters'' (2016) Sonoluxe * ''Special Metal'' (2016) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''All That I Remember'' (2016) Sonoluxe Super Listener Series * ''New Northern Dream'' (2016) Sonoluxe Super Listener Series * ''Six String Super Apparatus: Painting With Guitars Volume Three'' (2016) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''The Awakening of Dr.Dream'' (2017) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''Kid Flip and the Golden Spacemen'' (2017) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''Luxury Wonder Moments'' (2017) Sonoluxe * ''Tripping the Light Fantastic'' (2017) Sonoluxe * ''Songs For Ghosts'' (2017) Sonoluxe * ''That Old Mysterioso'' (2018) Sonoluxe * ''The Unrealist'' (2018) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''Drive This Comet Across The Sky'' (2018) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''Dynamos and Tremolos'' (2018) Sonoluxe * ''Auditoria'' (2018) Sonoluxe (triple CD to celebrate Bill Nelson's 70th birthday) * ''Stand By: Light Coming'' (2019) Sonoluxe * ''The Last Lamplighter'' (2019) Tremolo Boy Records (digital download only) * ''Old Haunts'' (2019) Sonoluxe * ''The Jewel'' (2020) Sonoluxe * ''Transcorder the Acquitted By Mirrors recordings'' (2020) Sonoluxe * ''New Vibrato Wonderland'' (2020) Sonoluxe * ''Dazzlebox'' (2021) Sonoluxe * ''Mixed Up Kid'' (2021) Sonoluxe * ''My Private Cosmos'' (2021) 6-CD set, Sonoluxe * ''Electra (In Search Of The Golden Sound)'' (2022) Sonoluxe


Singles

* "Teenage Archangel" / "Jets at Dawn" (1973) e-Bop DeluxeSmile * "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus" / "Third Floor Heaven" (1974) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Between the Worlds" / "Lights" (1975) recalled after only one day of sale e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Maid in Heaven" / "Lights" (1975) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Ships in the Night" / "Crying to the Sky" (1976) – UK No. 23 e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Kiss of Light" / "Shine" (1976) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Japan" / "Futurist Manifesto" (1977) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Panic in the World" / "Blue as a Jewel" (1978) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Electrical Language" / "Surreal Estate" (1978) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * "Furniture Music" / "Wonder Toys That Last For Ever", "Acquitted By Mirrors" (February 1979) ill Nelson's Red NoiseHarvest * "Revolt into Style" / "Out of Touch" recorded live at Leicester De Montfort Hall 8 March 1979 (April 1979) ill Nelson's Red NoiseHarvest * "Revolt into Style" / "Stay Young", "Out of Touch" both recorded live at Leicester De Montfort Hall 8 March 1979 12" (April 1979) ill Nelson's Red NoiseHarvest * "Rooms With Brittle Views" / "Dada Guitare" (1980)
Les Disques du Crépuscule Les Disques du Crépuscule is an independent record label founded in Belgium. The label was founded in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré. It also had a prominent associated sublabel, Factory Benelux. Both are now run by former employee Ja ...
* "Do You Dream in Colour" / "Ideal Homes", "Instantly Yours", "Atom Man Loves Radium Girl" (1980) Cocteau * ''To Heaven A Jet'': "Airfields" / "Tony Goes To Tokyo (And Rides The Bullet Train)" (1981) he Revox CadetsCocteau * "Youth of Nation on Fire" / "Be My Dynamo" (1981) Mercury * "Youth of Nation on Fire" / "Be My Dynamo" / "Rooms With Brittle Views" / "All My Wives Were Iron" (1981) Mercury * "Living in My Limousine" / "Birds of Tin", "Love in the Abstract" (1981) Mercury * "Living in My Limousine (Remix)", "White Sounds" / "Birds of Tin", "Love in the Abstract" 12" (1981) Mercury * "Banal" / "Mr. Magnetism Himself" (1981) Mercury * "Banal" / "Turn To Fiction" / "Hers Is A Lush Situation" / "Mr. Magnetism Himself" 12" (1981) Mercury * "Eros Arriving" / "Haunting in My Head" (1982) Mercury * "Eros Arriving" / "Haunting in My Head" / "He And Sleep Were Brothers" / "Flesh" (1982) Mercury * "Flaming Desire" / "The Passion" (1982) Mercury * "Flaming Desire" (Long Version) / "The Passion", "The Burning Question" 12" (1982) Mercury * ''Flaming Desire And Other Passions'': "Flaming Desire" (Long Version), "Flesh" / "The Passion", "The Burning Question", "He And Sleep Were Brothers", "Haunting in My Head" 12" (1982) PVC * "Sleepcycle", "Konny Buys A Kodak" / "When The Birds Return", "The Beat That Can't Go Wrong Today" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1982) Acquitted By Mirrors (ABM) fan club release Cocteau * "King of the Cowboys", "Shadowland" / "Carnival", "Spring" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1982) ABM release Cocteau * "Touch And Glow" / "Dancing in the Wind", "Love Without Fear" (1982) Cocteau * "The World And His Wife" / "Dream Car Romantics (In Death's Garage Antics)", "Dancing Music" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1982) ABM release Cocteau * "Dancing on a Knife's Edge" / "Indiscretion", "Contemplation" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1983) ABM release Cocteau * "Acceleration" Remixed by John Luongo / "Hard Facts From The Fiction Department" (1984) Cocteau * "Hard Facts From The Fiction Department", "Acceleration Dub" Remixed by John Luongo / "Acceleration Long Version" Remixed by John Luongo, "Acceleration Short Version" Remixed by John Luongo 12" (1984) Cocteau *Giants of the Perpetual Wurlitzer'': "The Strangest Things, The Strangest Times", "Phantom Gardens", "French Promenades" / "Golden Mile", "West-Deep", "Threnolia" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1984) ABM release Cocteau * "Hard Facts From The Fiction Department", "Daily Bells" / "Rhythm Unit", "Junc-Sculpture" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1984) ABM release Cocteau * ''The Cote D'Azur EP'': "A Dream Fulfilled", "Familiar Spirit" / "Palais Des Marine", "Letter To Jacques Maritan", "Villefranche Interior" EP 33 1/3 RPM (1984) ABM release Cocteau * ''Sex-Psyche-Etc'': "Sex, Psyche Etcetera" / "Several Famous Orchestras", "Who He Is" 12" (1985) rchestra ArcanaCocteau * "Wildest Dreams" / "Self Impersonisation" (1986) Portrait * "Wildest Dreams (Wild Mix)", "Self Impersonisation" / "Wildest Dreams (Single Version)", "The Yo-Yo Dyne" 12" (1986) Portrait * "Secret Ceremony (Theme From '' Brond'')" / "Wiping A Tear From The All Seeing Eye" 7" and 12" versions (1987) cala_Featuring_Bill_Nelson_&_ cala_Featuring_Bill_Nelson_&_Daryl_Runswick">Daryl_Runswick.html"_;"title="cala_Featuring_Bill_Nelson_&_Daryl_Runswick">cala_Featuring_Bill_Nelson_&_Daryl_RunswickCocteau *_''Ecclesia_Gnostica_(Music_for_the_Interior_Church)'':_"Set_Me_As_A_Seal_Upon_Thine_Heart",_"Mysterium",_"Katharos",_"Day_of_Eternity",_"Evening_Adoration"_/_"Ecclesia_Gnostica",_"Young_Angels_by_an_Ancient_River",_"Finis_Gloria_Mundi"_(1987)_bonus_release_with_''Chance_Encounters_in_the_Garden_of_Lights''_first_edition_Cocteau *_"Do_You_Dream_in_Colour"_/_"Life_in_Your_Hands"_(1989)_Cocteau *_"Life_in_Your_Hands",_"Do_You_Dream_in_Colour"_/_"Get_Out_of_That_Hole",_"My_Dream_Demon"_12"_(1989)_Cocteau *_"The_Dead_We_Wake_With_Upstairs_Drums",_"Boat_To_Forever",_"So_It_Goes"_CD_(1992)_Venture *_"Contemplation_2007"_/_"The_Dreamsville_Poetry_Experiment"_(2007)_no_label_(digital_download_only) *_"I_Hear_Electricity"_/_"Kiss_You_Slowly"_(2008)_Sonoluxe_(digital_download_only) *_"The_Jingler"_(2009)_Christmas_single_no_label_(digital_download_only) *_"Frost-O-Matic"_.wav_(2010)_Christmas_single_Sonoluxe_(digital_download_only) *_"Think_And_You’ll_Miss_It"_/_"Beat_Street"_(2012)_Christmas_single_no_label_(digital_download_only) *_"Snow_Is_Falling"_(2014)_Christmas_single_no_label_(digital_download_only)


_DVDs

*''flashlight_dreams..._and_fleeting_shadows_an_audio-optical_diary_by_Bill_Nelson''_(2003)_Voiceprint_Records.html" ;"title="Daryl_Runswick.html" ;"title="Daryl_Runswick.html" ;"title="cala Featuring Bill Nelson & Daryl Runswick">cala Featuring Bill Nelson & Daryl Runswick">Daryl_Runswick.html" ;"title="cala Featuring Bill Nelson & Daryl Runswick">cala Featuring Bill Nelson & Daryl RunswickCocteau * ''Ecclesia Gnostica (Music for the Interior Church)'': "Set Me As A Seal Upon Thine Heart", "Mysterium", "Katharos", "Day of Eternity", "Evening Adoration" / "Ecclesia Gnostica", "Young Angels by an Ancient River", "Finis Gloria Mundi" (1987) bonus release with ''Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights'' first edition Cocteau * "Do You Dream in Colour" / "Life in Your Hands" (1989) Cocteau * "Life in Your Hands", "Do You Dream in Colour" / "Get Out of That Hole", "My Dream Demon" 12" (1989) Cocteau * "The Dead We Wake With Upstairs Drums", "Boat To Forever", "So It Goes" CD (1992) Venture * "Contemplation 2007" / "The Dreamsville Poetry Experiment" (2007) no label (digital download only) * "I Hear Electricity" / "Kiss You Slowly" (2008) Sonoluxe (digital download only) * "The Jingler" (2009) Christmas single no label (digital download only) * "Frost-O-Matic" .wav (2010) Christmas single Sonoluxe (digital download only) * "Think And You’ll Miss It" / "Beat Street" (2012) Christmas single no label (digital download only) * "Snow Is Falling" (2014) Christmas single no label (digital download only)


DVDs

*''flashlight dreams... and fleeting shadows an audio-optical diary by Bill Nelson'' (2003) Voiceprint Records">Voiceprint *''Picture House'' (2010) Nelsonica convention DVD Visuluxe *''Classic Rock Magazine Legends Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers filmed live at Metropolis Studios'' (2011) [Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers] ITV Studios Home Entertainment *''Be-Bop Deluxe at the BBC 1974–78'' (2013) e-Bop Deluxe3-CD + DVD box set of previously unreleased material + material from ''Tramcar To Tomorrow'' (most tracks) and ''Tremulous Antenna'' (all tracks) + televised performances EMI


Compilation albums

* ''The Best of and the Rest of Be-Bop Deluxe'' (1978) e-Bop Deluxe2-LP set; second disc material previously unreleased on LP – ''Drastic Plastic'' outtakes plus single A- and B-sides Harvest * ''Singles A's & B's'' (1981) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest Heritage * ''Vistamix'' (1984) Portrait (10 tracks – Chimera mini LP, two tracks from The Love That Whirls, one from Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam, and one single) * ''The Two-Fold Aspect of Everything'' (1984) 2-LP set of A- and B-sides previously unavailable on LP Cocteau * ''Bop to the Red Noise'' (1986) e-Bop Deluxemixture of BBD and RN material Dojo * ''The Strangest Things A Collection of Recordings 1979–1989'' (1989) Enigma * ''The Best of Be-Bop Deluxe: Raiding The Divine Archive'' (1990) e-Bop DeluxeHarvest * ''Air Age Anthology: The Very Best of Be-Bop Deluxe'' (1997) e-Bop Deluxe2-CD set EMI * ''The Very Best of Be-Bop Deluxe'' (1998) e-Bop DeluxeEMI-Capitol Special Markets * ''What Now, What Next? The Cocteau Years Compendium'' (1998) Discipline Global Mobile * ''Electrotype – The Holyground Recordings 1968–1972'' (2001) previously unreleased pre-''Northern Dream'' BN and pre-''Axe Victim'' BBD recordings Holyground * ''Postcards From the Future... Introducing Be-Bop Deluxe'' (2004) e-Bop DeluxeEMI * ''Futurist Manifesto'' (2011) e-Bop Deluxe5-CD set, 1st four discs are the five BBD studio albums plus the singles; fifth disc is previously unreleased material from demos and ''Live! In The Air Age'' recordings Harvest * ''The Practice of Everyday Life'' (2011) 8-CD set, 40-year career retrospective mixture of BBD, RN and BN solo material
Esoteric Recordings Esoteric Recordings is a UK independent record label specialising in 1970s progressive rock, folk, psychedelic, and jazz-rock reissues as part of Cherry Red Records. Its releases include both catalogue reissues and new works from artists who s ...
* ''Original Albums Series'' (2014) e-Bop Deluxe5-CD set, five discs are the five BBD studio albums, tracks as originally released on LP Warner/Parlophone * ''The Dreamer's Companion Vol 1 (How I Got My Secret Powers)'' (2015) Sonoluxe (digital download only) * ''The Dreamer's Companion Vol 2 (In This I Reveal My Secret Identity)'' (2015) Sonoluxe (digital download only) * ''The Dreamer's Companion Vol 3 (Songs of the Bel-Air Rocketman)'' (2015) introductory compilation of 14 tracks per each of 3 volumes taken from rare and limited edition CD pressings, personally chosen by Bill Nelson himself Sonoluxe (digital download only)


Compilation albums with other artists

* ''Future Perfect'' includes tracks from ''Practically Wired or how I became…Guitarboy!'' and ''Automatic'' hannel Light Vessel(1995) arious ArtistsAll Saints


Compilation singles

* ''Hot Valves:'' "Maid in Heaven", "Bring Back The Spark" / "Blazing Apostles", "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus" EP (1976) UK No. 36 Harvest * ''Permanent Flame (The Beginners Guide To Bill Nelson)'' (1983) 5-disc set of previously released BBD, RN and BN solo material Cocteau


Albums as producer

* '' Days in Europa'' (1st release version) — producer and keyboards (1979) Skids Virgin * ''
Warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...
'' — Nelson removed his producer credit following creative differences with Numan; "guitar and keyboards" credit remains (1983)
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DI ...
* * ''New Way To Move'' — producer, guitar, synthesizer (1983)
The Units Units were an American synthpunk band that was founded in San Francisco in 1978. It was active until 1984. They were one of America's earliest electronic New wave music, new wave bands, and have been cited (along with The Screamers and Suicide ...
6-track mini-LP Epic * ''Heaven & Hell Volume 2'' (a
Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabri ...
tribute album) — production and keyboard solo on "Pale Blue Eyes"
The Mock Turtles The Mock Turtles are an English indie rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 1985, who enjoyed some success in the early 1990s. Their most famous song " Can You Dig It?", which was released in the UK in 1991, charted at numb ...
, also "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" Bill Nelson & The Roy Rogers Rocketeers (1990) Imaginary * ''Lovesnake'' — producer (1991) Jean Park Epic * ''Willerby'' — production, guitars, sitar, keyboards, also features Ian Nelson on saxes and clarinet (1991) The Rhythm Sisters Imaginary * ''The Familiar'' (1992)
Roger Eno Roger Eugene Eno (born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge, England, in 1959) is an English ambient music composer. He is the brother of Brian Eno. Early life and education Roger Eno began euphonium lessons when he was 12 years old, and entered C ...
with
Kate St John Kate St John (born October 2, 1957) is an English composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Classically trained on oboe, she gained a music degree at City University London. Her first band was The Ravishing Beauties with Virginia A ...
All Saints * ''Geography'' — produced by Culturemix, Nelson also plays guitar, all compositions Yumiko Norika (1993) Culturemix Japanese release Voice Records * ''
Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Auditory system#Central auditory system, Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a Transm ...
'' — producer (1993)
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...
Jive * ''Culturemix with Bill Nelson'' — produced with Yumiko Norika, Nelson also plays guitar, keyboards, occasional piano, occasional vocals, all compositions Yumiko Norika except "Four Postcards Home" by Bill Nelson and Yumiko Norika (1995) Culturemix Resurgence * ''Lines of Desire'' — 10 tracks in total: played on three of which he produced two (1995) Su Lyn Bruce's Fingers * ''360 Degrees'' — produced with Gillcover and the Monkey (1996) illcover and the MonkeyJapanese release Stillwaters / Sony Music Japan * ''Яблокитай'' / ''Yablokitay'' — Nelson also plays guitar (1997) Наутилус Помпилиус /
Nautilus Pompilius The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
Russian release Dana Music * ''Leaving the Electric Circus'' — Nelson also plays guitar on and helped write "The Sunglass" (2002) Sea of Wires Sea of Wires self-releasedNelson, Bill ''diary of a hyperdreamer'' (2004) p. 58 Bill Nelson's collected diaries from between 1999 and 2003, previously published on his official website Pomona * ''Animals They Dream About'' — (2016, recorded 1982)
The Units Units were an American synthpunk band that was founded in San Francisco in 1978. It was active until 1984. They were one of America's earliest electronic New wave music, new wave bands, and have been cited (along with The Screamers and Suicide ...
Futurismo


Singles as producer

* "Working for the Yankee Dollar" / "Vanguards Crusade" — (1979)
kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...
Virgin * "Charade" / "Grey Parade" — producer, keyboards and co-authorship with
Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...
/ Richard Jobson (1979)
kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...
Virgin * "Animation" / "Pros & Cons" — (1980)
kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...
Virgin * "Losing You" / "You Don't Turn Me on Anymore" — (1981) tranger Than FictionAmbergris Records * "Novel Romance" / "In A Glass Eye" — produced A-side only (1981)
Nash the Slash James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman (March 26, 1948 – May 10, 2014), better known by his stage name Nash the Slash, was a Canadian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the h ...
Dindisc * "
Telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
" / "Intro" — produced A-side only (1981)
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...
Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
* " (It's Not Me) Talking" / "Tanglimara" — produced A-side only (1983) Flock of SeagullsJive Records * "Sister Surprise" / "Poetry And Power" — also guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1983)
ary Numan ARY may stand for: * Abdul Razzak Yaqoob, a Pakistani expatriate businessman * Andre Romelle Young, real name of Dr. Dre * Ary and the Secret of Seasons, an action adventure video game * ARY Digital, a Pakistani television network * ARY Digital N ...
Beggars Banquet * "Warriors" / "My Car Slides" — also guitars, keyboards (1983)
ary Numan ARY may stand for: * Abdul Razzak Yaqoob, a Pakistani expatriate businessman * Andre Romelle Young, real name of Dr. Dre * Ary and the Secret of Seasons, an action adventure video game * ARY Digital, a Pakistani television network * ARY Digital N ...
Beggars Banquet * "Infotainment" / "Please Mr Postman" — production, guitar, keyboards (1990) he Rhythm SistersImaginary * "Rain" production, guitar / "She Rides" — sitar (1990) he Rain PoetsScorp Records * "Magic Boomerang" / "Take Your Time" — (1990) he Mock TurtlesImaginary * ''Pink & Clean'' "Cheap Thrill Star", "Pink & Clean", "Girlie", "A Monster of Me" EP — (1998) oneytone CodyElle & Elliot Nelson * ''Believe in the Promise of Tomorrow'' — contributed secret track which consisted of music he wrote that the band played before their gigs EP (2000) oneytone Cody


Compilation albums as producer

* ''Sweet Suburbia'' — worked on featured tracks, a Best of compilation (1995)
kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...
Virgin


Albums as collaborator

* ''Disguise in Love'' guitar on 3 tracks "(I don't want to) Be Nice", "Readers Wives", "Health Fanatic" (1978)
John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with sev ...
CBS * ''Days in Europa'' (2nd release version) keyboards by Bill Nelson, additional production, remix by Bruce Fairbairn (1980) Skids Virgin * ''La Rocca!'' synthesizer (1981) nipsEMI, UK * ''
Third Eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In ...
'' E-bow guitars, electric guitar (1982)
Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
Phonogram * ''Rice Music'' "flying e-bow" guitar (1982)
Masami Tsuchiya is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician, coming to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the group Ippu-Do. His subsequent output includes solo work and collaborations. Tsuchiya's career in music started with ...
Epic * ''What Me Worry?'' guitars, vocals (1982)
Yukihiro Takahashi Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋 幸宏 ''Takahashi Yukihiro'', born June 6, 1952) is a Japanese musician, singer, record producer and actor, who is best known internationally as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and as the fo ...
Japanese release Yen / Alfa, UK release Alfa * ''Tomorrow's Just Another Day'' guitar on "This Island Earth", guitar and backing vocals on "Are You Receiving Me" (remix) (1983) ukihiro TakahashiJapanese release Yen / Alfa * ''Naughty Boys'' guitar (1983)
Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is conside ...
Alfa * ''Naughty Boys Instrumental'' guitar (1984) ellow Magic OrchestraAlfa * ''Time and Place'' guitars, vocals, live (1984) ukihiro TakahashiJapanese release Yen / Alfa * ''Wild and Moody'' guitar, vocal on "Helpless" (
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
) and "Bounds of Reason, Bonds of Love" (lyrics: Nelson; music: Nelson, Takahashi) mini-LP (1984) ukihiro TakahashiJapanese release Yen / Alfa, UK release Cocteau * ''Viva Lava Liva'' lyrics on "Walk Away" (1984)
Sandii & the Sunsetz Sandii & the Sunsetz were a Japanese synthpop band that collaborated from 1979 until the #1990s. The Sunsetz, led by Makoto Kubota, and Sandii started as separate artists, and each have a separate discography. However, their collaboration provid ...
Japanese release Yen / Alfa * ''Gone To Earth'' solo electric / acoustic guitars on "Before The Bullfight", guitar on "Wave", "Silver Moon", "The Healing Place", acoustic guitar on "Answered Prayers" (1986)
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...
Virgin * ''Code'' guitar on "Don't Argue", "Here To Go", "Trouble (Won't Stop)", "White Car", "No One Here", "Here to Go (Little Dub)" (1987) Cabaret Voltaire Parlophone UK * ''Still Looking For Heaven on Earth'' guitar on: "Burning Rain", "This Means Everything To Me", "Feel The Fire", "Heaven Said My Name", "Shake (Sell Your Soul)" (1988) razy HouseChrysalis Records US * ''Ego'' lyrics on "Only the Heart Has Heard" (1988) ukihiro TakahashiJapanese release Eastworld * ''Gagalactyca'' guitar on "Cold Tired & Hungry" hris Coombs & Lightyears Away/Thundermother(1990) Holyground * '' By the Dawn's Early Light'' guitar on tracks 1–14, composed track 13 "The Place of Dead Roads" (1991)
Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimalist and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the ...
Opal Records * ''Rain Tree Crow'' guitar on 3 tracks "Big Wheels in Shanty Town", "Blackwater", "Blackcrow Hits Shoe Shine City" (1991)
Rain Tree Crow ''Rain Tree Crow'' is the sole album released by English band Rain Tree Crow, a reunion project by the members of the new wave band Japan. Recorded in 1989 and 1990 and released in April 1991, it was the first time that members David Sylvian, ...
Virgin * ''Chill and Kiss'' guitar on "Love So Terse", "Get It On", "This Song in You", "Get Stoned", Ian Nelson sax on "Togetherness Blues", Ian Leese (''After The Satellite Sings'', ''Excellent Spirits''
Channel Light Vessel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
)] bass (1992)
Ramon Tikaram Ramon Tikaram is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Southeast Asian descent. He is known for playing such roles as Ferdy in the BBC television series '' This Life'' and Qadim Shah in the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders''. Ea ...
German release DSB (Deutsche Schallplatten GmbH Berlin) * ''地上の楽園'' / ''Chizyou No Rakuen'' / ''Paradise on Earth'' guitar, lyrics on "Hope" (1994) 石譲_/_ 石譲_/_Joe_Hisaishi">Joe_Hisaishi.html"_;"title="石譲_/_Joe_Hisaishi">石譲_/_Joe_HisaishiJapanese_release_Pioneer_ *_''The_Way_Out_Is_The_Way_In''_guitar_on_"Music_&_Cosmic_(Feel_Yourself)"_(sampled_from_Channel_Light_Vessel.html" ;"title="Joe_Hisaishi.html" ;"title="Joe_Hisaishi.html" ;"title="石譲 / Joe Hisaishi">石譲 / Joe Hisaishi">Joe_Hisaishi.html" ;"title="石譲 / Joe Hisaishi">石譲 / Joe HisaishiJapanese release Pioneer * ''The Way Out Is The Way In'' guitar on "Music & Cosmic (Feel Yourself)" (sampled from Channel Light Vessel">Channel Light Vessel's ''Automatic'') (1995) [Audio Active & Laraaji] All Saints * ''Alienshamanism'' guitar solo on "Alienshamanism – Prologue", flamenco guitar solo on "Flamenco Luminoso", guitars and ebo (sic) guitars on "Desire Machine" (2000) Jan Linton, Dr.Jan (guru) Nap * ''Selected Esoterica'' (2003) r.Jan (guru)Kaerucafe * ''Communion'' (2003)
Jan Linton Jan Linton is a British singer, musician and producer from Warrington who helped internationalise the music scene in Tokyo, Japan. Biography Jan Linton studied violin from the age of four, moving briefly onto piano, before discovering pop ...
/Dr.Jan (guru)] Explosion * '' Third Eye (Monsoon album), Monsoon Featuring Sheila Chandra'' E-bow guitars, electric guitar, re-release of ''Third Eye'' includes several previously unreleased tracks (1995) onsoonMercury Records * ''Dreams And Absurdities'' (2015)
Dave Sturt Dave Sturt (born 1960, Middlesbrough, England) is an English bassist and record producer. Musical career Sturt began playing bass guitar and recording at the age of 17. In 1982 he moved to London and soon broke into the session scene working a ...
Esoteric/Antenna


Singles as collaborator

* "Are You Receiving Me" / "And I Believe in You" guitar, backing vocals (1982) ukihiro TakahashiJapanese release Yen / Alfa * "Wings of the Dawn" / "
Ever So Lonely "Ever So Lonely" is a song written by Steve Coe and originally recorded by Monsoon with Sheila Chandra on vocals. The single became a 12 hit in the United Kingdom following a re-release in March 1982, staying on the UK Singles Chart for nine we ...
", "And I You" e-bow guitar 7", 12" (1982) onsoonPhonogram * "Tomorrow Never Knows" / "Indian Princess" guitar and "base" (sic) 7", 12" (1982) onsoonPhonogram * "Stranger Things Have Happened" / "Bounds of Reason, Bonds of Love" vocals, guitar, keyboards "Metaphysical Jerks" guitar, keyboards, writer 12" (1985) ukihiro TakahashiCocteau * "Castles in Spain" / "A Gathering", "Ring Those Bells" co-writer with The Armoury Show on "Ring Those Bells" only 12" (1985)
The Armoury Show The Armoury Show were a British New wave music, new wave band, formed in 1983 and consisting of Richard Jobson (television presenter), Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb (musician), Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and Jo ...
Parlophone * ''The Eternal Desire Machines of Dr Jan'' guitars and ebo (sic) guitars on "Desire Machine (dance meditation)" EP (1999) r.Jan (guru)Global Vision Music * ''Three White Roses & A Budd'': "No Shade, No Shadow", "Adrift Amidst Les Odalisques", "The Airless Time", "Blue Locus" EP (2002)
Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimalist and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the ...
, Bill Nelson &
Fila Brazillia Fila Brazillia is an English electronica duo from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, formed in 1990 by Steve Cobby and David McSherry. History Their early albums were released on Pork Recordings, also based in Hull: '' Old Codes New Chao ...
Twentythree Records


Compilation albums as collaborator

* ''A to Austr (Musics From Holy Ground)'' (1970) arious ArtistsHolyground * ''Astral Navigations'' guitar on 3 tracks by Light Years Away "Yesterday", "Today (North Country Cinderella)", "Tomorrow (Buffalo)" (1971) A-side: ight Years Away B-side: hundermotherHolyground * ''87–90'' includes "Magic Boomerang", "Take Your Time" he Mock Turtlesalso released as single (1990) arious ArtistsImaginary * ''Gagalactyca'' guitar, recorded from Holyground sessions 1968–1970 (1990) arious ArtistsHolyground * ''Loose Routes'' guitar, recorded from Holyground sessions, includes Global Village's "Global Fantasy" (a re-working of
Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...
's "Dear Mr. Fantasy") and other tracks 1968–1970 (1990) arious Artists2-LP Holyground * ''Drop 5 (The Liquid Side of Dance)'' guitar (possibly just a guitar sample) also features
David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...
, Richard Barbieri,
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
,
Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...
, Steve Jansen,
Hector Zazou Hector Zazou (11 July 1948 – 8 September 2008) was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He worked on his own and other artists' albums, inclu ...
, possibly David Sylvian (1998) arious ArtistsItalian release Materiali Sonori * ''communion ii'' download compilation (2015?) an LintonBurning Shed


Bibliography

*Nelson, Bill ''diary of a hyperdreamer'' (2004) Bill Nelson's collected diaries from between 1999 and 2003, previously published on his official website Pomona *Nelson, Bill ''Painted From Memory (Sketches for an Autobiography) Volume One: Evocation of a Radiant Childhood'' (2010) Autumn Ink Incorporated self-published *Nelson, Bill ''diary of a hyperdreamer vol.2'' (2015) Bill Nelson's collected diaries from between 2005 and 2006, previously published on his official website Pomona *Reeves, Paul Sutton ''Music in Dreamland Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe'' (2008) Helter Skelter publishing


References


External links


Official websiteWilliam's Study (Diary Of A Hyperdreamer): Nelson's online diary 2015-2005
* ttp://www.holyground.co.uk/electrotype/ Holyground Records website – details of Nelson's early workbr>Gilby, Ian 1984/1985 interview in Home Studio Recording magazine detailing Nelson's then leading edge of multi-track home recording technologySound on Sound website – search results for Bill Nelson (news items, articles)
* * * – first shown at the launch party for ''New Northern Dream'' album, a series of photographs of Nelson throughout the years, together with a selection of his music from the 21st century {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Bill 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters 1948 births Art rock musicians Be-Bop Deluxe members Bill Nelson's Red Noise members Caroline Records artists Discipline Global Mobile artists English electronic musicians English experimental musicians English rock guitarists English male guitarists English songwriters English record producers English new wave musicians Enigma Records artists Glam rock musicians Harvest Records artists Imaginary Records artists Living people Musicians from Wakefield Virgin Records artists British male songwriters 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists