Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson (born William Nelson on December 18, 1948) is a prolific guitarist, … Read Full Bio ↴Bill Nelson (born William Nelson on December 18, 1948) is a prolific guitarist, songwriter, painter and experimental musician from Wakefield, Yorkshire, England.
Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. At this time he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon Duane Eddy as a primary guitar influence. His first recording was a brief contribution on an album entitled "A-Austr" with Chris Coombs, Brian Calvert and Mike Levon . Mike recorded and produced the album "A-Austr: Musics from the Holyground" which appeard on Holyground Records in 1970. After that Bill appeared in a much more substantial role on three Chris Coombs tracks on the Holyground album Astral Navigation released in 1971. One track from this also gave Bill his first airplay by John Peel: "Yesterday" by Chris Coombs, where Bill's lead guitars were recorded by Mike Levon in an acid-rock style, supporting Chris's Stylophone riff. After this, Bill's solo album was recorded and co-produced by Mike at Holyground, also in 1971. Bill's solo album titled Northern Dream drew more attention from famed British DJ John Peel, and this eventually led to Nelson's new band, Be Bop Deluxe, signing to EMI. The band's first recordings were also made at Holyground. All the Bill Nelson recordings made there were released in February 2001 by Holyground in an CD called "Electrotype". Shortly after this they 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 Deluxe, Nelson attempted another band project called Red Noise (aka Bill Nelson's Red Noise), but eventually settled into a career as a solo musician, recording iconoclastic albums in the early electropop 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 ambient instrumentals, and this was a genre of music Nelson would embrace more fully in the future.
Nelson had bad luck with major labels in the 1980s. A deal with CBS Records went sour, leaving one admired album, Getting the Holy Ghost Across (US title: On a Blue Wing) in limbo with no CD release until 2006. 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 a year. Among the more ambitious Cocteau releases were the four-record boxed set of experimental electronic music, Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendors), and the later ambient collection, Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights, which contained music informed by Nelson's Gnostic beliefs. In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to the US label Enigma Records, and though they re-released his entire Cocteau catalog and seemed to be giving him a big push, the label soon went out of business.
As the 1980s ended, Nelson suffered a tremendous series of personal setbacks, including a divorce, tax problems, and an acrimonious falling-out with his manager over his back catalog rights. In the case of one album, the unreleased Simplex, his manager had been selling copies via mail order without Nelson's authorization; Nelson claims he never received any royalties from these sales.
Nelson channeled 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 catalog. A fully authorized version of the Simplex album was released in 2001.
In the late 1990s, Nelson had a label, Populuxe Records, with a distribution arrangement with Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile, 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. Some of Nelson's early albums have recently been re-released in this manner, including Quit Dreaming And Get On the Beam and Chimera.
Though not a very public figure today, Nelson has a devoted core audience who admire his perseverance, his integrity to his art in the face of commercial rejection, and his versatile musicianship. In recent years Nelson has begun to perform live again.
Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. At this time he was also developing as a musician, drawing upon Duane Eddy as a primary guitar influence. His first recording was a brief contribution on an album entitled "A-Austr" with Chris Coombs, Brian Calvert and Mike Levon . Mike recorded and produced the album "A-Austr: Musics from the Holyground" which appeard on Holyground Records in 1970. After that Bill appeared in a much more substantial role on three Chris Coombs tracks on the Holyground album Astral Navigation released in 1971. One track from this also gave Bill his first airplay by John Peel: "Yesterday" by Chris Coombs, where Bill's lead guitars were recorded by Mike Levon in an acid-rock style, supporting Chris's Stylophone riff. After this, Bill's solo album was recorded and co-produced by Mike at Holyground, also in 1971. Bill's solo album titled Northern Dream drew more attention from famed British DJ John Peel, and this eventually led to Nelson's new band, Be Bop Deluxe, signing to EMI. The band's first recordings were also made at Holyground. All the Bill Nelson recordings made there were released in February 2001 by Holyground in an CD called "Electrotype". Shortly after this they 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 Deluxe, Nelson attempted another band project called Red Noise (aka Bill Nelson's Red Noise), but eventually settled into a career as a solo musician, recording iconoclastic albums in the early electropop 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 ambient instrumentals, and this was a genre of music Nelson would embrace more fully in the future.
Nelson had bad luck with major labels in the 1980s. A deal with CBS Records went sour, leaving one admired album, Getting the Holy Ghost Across (US title: On a Blue Wing) in limbo with no CD release until 2006. 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 a year. Among the more ambitious Cocteau releases were the four-record boxed set of experimental electronic music, Trial by Intimacy (The Book of Splendors), and the later ambient collection, Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights, which contained music informed by Nelson's Gnostic beliefs. In the late 1980s, Nelson signed to the US label Enigma Records, and though they re-released his entire Cocteau catalog and seemed to be giving him a big push, the label soon went out of business.
As the 1980s ended, Nelson suffered a tremendous series of personal setbacks, including a divorce, tax problems, and an acrimonious falling-out with his manager over his back catalog rights. In the case of one album, the unreleased Simplex, his manager had been selling copies via mail order without Nelson's authorization; Nelson claims he never received any royalties from these sales.
Nelson channeled 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 catalog. A fully authorized version of the Simplex album was released in 2001.
In the late 1990s, Nelson had a label, Populuxe Records, with a distribution arrangement with Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile, 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. Some of Nelson's early albums have recently been re-released in this manner, including Quit Dreaming And Get On the Beam and Chimera.
Though not a very public figure today, Nelson has a devoted core audience who admire his perseverance, his integrity to his art in the face of commercial rejection, and his versatile musicianship. In recent years Nelson has begun to perform live again.
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Bill Nelson Lyrics
A Hat Like This I saw an angel on a bicycle, speeding through the…
A Kind Of Loving Lights turn on and off In the back of mind They make…
A Private View I've been walking in the rain, I've been swimming through th…
A Simple Thought Flashes Through My Mind If I seem amazed, if I seem amused If I'm distracted,…
Acceleration Burn my boats, burn my money, Time to make some…
Acceleration (remix) Beatles, The The Beatles [White Album] The continuing story …
Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape Bridges and rivers And buildings pulled down Time spent in…
All My Wives Were Iron All my wives were Iron All my fears were steel Though I…
All This and a Girl Like You Blue genes and chromosones, hanging loose on life's dry bone…
Aloha Niagra Woke up dreaming, checked the weather, said a prayer for…
Always Summer When daylight fades away and twilight falls When deep Decem…
Angels in Arcadia Counting bluebirds in the sunrise Watching clouds float in …
Art For Art's Sake I like my pleasures, I'm a man of extremes I've got…
Atom Blasted Cadillac Hank and Jack down at the bar, the afternoon zipper…
Autumn Stars Between atoms and the stars In the space between uncertaint…
Axe Victim You came to watch the band To see us play our…
Bakelite December 18th 1948, it's Saturday, it's 4am Welcome to the …
Bamboozled Another day, welcome to the world This is no rehearsal, I…
Banal Every sound I hear Seems to sound the same, Every face I…
Be Here Now Wide world is waiting, there for the taking No hesitating, …
Be My Dynamo Sending signals I wonder what they say.... too much power…
Before We Fall Switch off the lights, say a prayer Turn Jesus to the…
Behold Dumb Wonders I don't need to know, I don't really care It's all…
Being and Nothingness Land Everyday gets washed away like footprints in the sand Gone …
Big Empty Sky No flames, no fire, no voices down the wire No stars,…
Big Yellow Moon Over yonder, above the river Big yellow moon, big yellow mo…
Billy Infinity Billy Infanta, Billy Infinity Tramcar Billy, Billy in the b…
Blink of an Eye I saw the lights of heaven Shining behind your eyes I hear…
Bloo Blooz When I hear my guitar singing She sounds just like a…
Blowin' the Dust Off the Book of the Future I'm driving away at remarkable speed From the past and the…
Bright 'n' Breezy I've got my finger on the button, it's all systems…
Buddha Head The king sat in Dunfermline town Drinking of the blood red…
Buddha Smoked My Cigarettes Buddha smoked my cigarettes and jesus drank my beer It goes…
Buddha's Eyes Are Everywhere Fascinating rhythm, I fear it's gone too far These thoought…
Candyland Some of us are Angels And some of us infernos Some of…
Cool Blue Heaven It's slipping away, it's fading away It's changing track, I…
Crystal Gazing The man who owned the heartache That lived on the…
Decline And Fall Time is measured by our heartbeat, Never trust a heart of…
Disposable Welcome to the residence Of alien intelligence, Step insid…
Dizzy in the head When the sun is low and silver gold…
Do You Dream In Colour Music in the ice-box, Laughter in the dark, Echoes in the …
Don It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
Don't Be A Stranger Welcome to my private world, where time goes round in…
Down Comes the Rain Many here are sleeping, dreaming empty dreams But I'm keepin…
Dreamboat Situation A head full of noise, hard-wired to the stars Privileged…
Dreamgirl She danced like willow to my personal tornado She turned…
Dreaming Of A Girl Walking in the pouring rain In a landscape hung with stars V…
Dreamland Avenue Cool kid future blows the blues, pays his dues bamboozled…
Dreamsville Standard station with ten cents western And a fascination f…
Dumb-World I built an empire and watched it crumble I spoke in…
Edge of Recall Focussing my telescope, searching for a satellite Surfing o…
Elevated Railway Dreamland to starboard, this fits my fantasy, this suits my…
Empire of the Senses Fools desire the things forbidden us… of this rule we are…
Endless Autumn Some days feel like a thousand years Some days are dark…
Enigmatron Fins for fish, wings for birds Food for thought, a way…
Eros Arriving Curtains are closing Over my windows, Waiting for someone W…
Everyday Feels Like Another New Drug Hand on hip, the way we live, The give and…
Existentialism It seems I don't exist and so therefore I aren't…
False Alarms You're always giving false alarms, Making your living, Twi…
Far Too Flip Right now, I want to hear Some suitable music Hillbilly be…
First Boy on the Moon Don't worry, don't hurry, slow down, take time to breathe T…
Flaming Desire Flaming desire, flaming desire, open your heart to my flamin…
Flesh Parked on the edge of another cool moment listening to the…
Flipside It's message time It's message time…
Fortune Favours The Fall Guy Time flows like a river My boat to forever is Gone like…
Futura Here it comes. here it is Another century, another pop and…
Girlfriend With Miracles Trippy kitten with the fabulous legs Elevate to icon... Al…
Glittering Star She was out there, looking like a lighthouse Lit up like…
Glow World Her jewels are the stars tonight, I watch as her thieves…
God Man Slain I've been listening to shining serpents I've been dazzled by…
God's Own Neighbourhood Everything sings, everything shines Everything rings and e…
Golden Satellites I light another cigarette I drink another beer I guess tha…
Haunting In My Head I was watching someone from a window you were still…
He And Sleep Were Brothers He and sleep were brothers in a tomb of my…
Heaven's Happy Hemisphere Half asleep in snow bound city, It's Sunday halfway round t…
Heavenly Homes The stars are burning And the moon is shining bright, The …
Here Comes The Sea Put on my sailing suit Put on my captains hat Shine up…
High and Mighty California sunset Under prairie skies Ride my painted pony…
Hope For A Heartbeat Kisses on wings or the lure of destiny, Love over…
Hope for the Heartbeat Kisses on wings or the lure of destiny, Love over…
Hot-Rod Racer My baby travels at the speed of light Down love's lost…
i Looked at the Sea I look at the sea And the sea looked back at…
Islands in the Sky Floating in a sky of ice-cream clouds In my cotton-candy mi…
Jet Town Transparent planetarium, with a thousand lightbulb stars Tr…
Kiss Me Goodnight That's my favorite part, to rewind my life on. When my…
Ladders Leading Nowhere Hey babe, where are you going? With that look in your…
Lay-Zee Boy Receiver It's timeless here in Pleasantville No time to greet the da…
Let Flow the Wine Take the gloves off Gild the lily Run that gauntlet one mo…
Life Is Like This Watching sailboats on the river Drifting as the day goes do…
Life Runs Out Like Sand In this ever changing world, In these times, These days of…
lights of kingdom come I saw steam trains, I saw sail planes I saw tomorrow's…
Living In My Limousine Frozen by the forward speed, I'm running from the outside w…
Looking for a Lantern Well I'm feeling, about the same, about the same Still…
Love I remember everything; This dream I can recall. Certain se…
Love In The Abstract Tossin and turning Over and over Burning the yearning Lov…
Love's a Way Have you seen the way we wandered For years Always searchi…
Lucky Sometimes Sometimes my tongue is tied, and I don't know what…
Magic Hill We're the couple up on magic hill Building castles in the…
Magnetism Made Me Do It Brand new devil, scratching at my windowpane Hear that horn…
Maid In Heaven She's a maid in heaven He's a knight on the tiles A…
Memo Recorder Dream Narrative No. 1 Last night I had a dream, about a girl, she…
Monorail Sunshine in the garden, bluebirds in the clouds Disney girl…
Monster Over the Fence Holy smoke, what's the story Where's the fire, the clouds o…
More Rain Some days I'm climbing, some days I'm crawling Some days it…
Mr. Magnetism Himself Who's the man with I.C. eyes.? Mr. Magnetism himself Never…
My Elevated Sweetheart My elevated sweetheart Running up the hill Sugar frosted f…
My Luminous Planet This thing conceals and then reveals every thought I think…
My Paranoia Which side of my face are you laughing on? Which side…
My World Spins Everybody's got their information But none of it matches mi…
Nevertheless These days it's hard to keep myself to myself Nevertheless, …
Night Creatures Johnny was an actor, oh you must have known, He wore…
No Meaning Looks Like you're ready for your Zen moment, and maybe…
Nostalgia (For the Future) Suatu saat kuMencoba berjalan sendiri dijalan yg sunyi Mengh…
Nowhere Fast There's a bright red train, in a big green landscape Under…
Ocean Full of Wishes So hold me in your arms Embrace me tenderly This world with…
October Man I am the October man I dream of many things This is…
Painted Boats on Still Waters Painted boats on still waters Painted boats on still waters …
Peppermint Forever I'm playing dumb, I'm in a sentimental mood Cool apple green…
Planet of Guitars Your helicopter passes my window Trailing ribbons and Chris…
Pointing at the Moon This is a finger, pointing at the moon This is a…
Quarter Moons and Stars Evening paints the heavens With quarter moon and stars With …
Quiet Planet Wide awake and breathing deep The whole damn world is fast…
Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam People who do things Are people who get things done…
Real Gone Well some of us are born with the look of…
Real Thing This Time I'm sentimental, I'm a melancholy guy You can lift my spiri…
Reality Check It's time to get a grip on that hippy dippy…
River of Love I remember everything; This dream I can recall. Certain serp…
Rockarolla Formless and timeless, slipping through the cracks Falling …
Rocket Ship She's been on his mind For years and years Like a jewel…
Sailor Blue Over the hill and far away Over the shining stream Follow …
Senor Mysterioso He's well connected, with cabbages and kings His calling ca…
She Gave Me Memory Intelligence is the sexiest thing on the planet And she was…
Ships in the Night Like a square peg in a round hole Like a harp…
Sister Seagull Sister seagull, oh you're flying me to high Feels so dizzy…
Sleep That Burns A brass band is playing Rehearsing its thrills All half-mo…
Slumberlite I watch the sky When evening shadows fall And there go I …
So Far Well how am I doing so far? Have I found my…
Soakin' in the Bathtub Putting on my coat, putting on my hat Walk around…
Spinning Dizzy on the Dial Well, Jesus ain't no astronaut And Buddha, he's no fool Ca…
Star Sugar Sky Floating over rooftops, floating over hills Peter Pan and …
Stars Will Shine I am legend, I am rumour I am memory lost by…
Sunny Bungalows Something cool coming down the wire tonight Something stran…
Swan Song With our bodies on fire and our heads in a…
Sweet Little Dreamer I've got the devil in my rear-view mirror I've got a…
Swept Away Sometimes I feel the weight of the world But sometimes I'm…
Swing Song Imagine this is timeless, it's easy when you know how Could…
Switch off that Desert Sunset My friend said "you've got to move the molecules around" I…
Symphony In Golden Stereo Symphony In Golden Stereo Show me a lighthouse, and I’ll s…
Tender Is The Night Running, Hiding, Seeking, Finding out about you, Dancing, Ji…
That Was Then She's standing in the crowd, in a cloud of sweet…
The Angel Of Hearth And Home Finjo ser invisível Pra não ter que te encarar Afogo na pisc…
The Astral Tramways Of England Illuminated signs wink and blink, from the astral tramways o…
The Boy Who Learned Everything Somebody stole my dreams away Somebody turned my blue to gr…
The Ceremonial Arrival Of The Great Golden Cloud Father loved the sea Summertime, wintertime, anytime Fathe…
The Cowboy Club I built a clockwork railroadd, train tracks around the world…
The Crystal Escalator in the Palace of God Department Store We were riding the escalator in a dream department store, …
The Flower Thief Every ghost needs a body, and somewhere to be seen A…
The Fundamental Blues The king is in the counting house, counting out his…
The Girl Who Disappeared into a Cloud This is the way that the sunlight shone On the morning…
The Hipster Gimmick Lights wink out as the morning wakes the world She's…
The Invisible Venus of New York City It's scandalous, to speak of this It's dangerous, never the…
The Lonesome Cowboy Radio Show Well yippee-eye-ay, and yippee-eye-oh We're all hooked up t…
the now that never was So I'm okay yes, coming home today yes Down that lost…
The October Man I am the October man I dream of many things This is…
The Real Adventure A rebel thought in my state of mind, My hungry…
The Violins of Autumn When golden leaves are falling When all the world's aglow...…
The World Wakes Up Billy drives his bubble car, bluer than the moon Listening …
Time Today Don't ask me about the real world, I already lost…
Tomorrow's World One fleeting moment, one secret smile One scene in a last…
Train With Fins Sitting by the window Watching the world go by Thinking ab…
Turn to Fiction We must spend some time away from the house today…
U.H.F. Looking through the laughing glass And driving burning cars…
Vertical Games I love to make love When the music goes strange She is…
Vista-dome-railcar Waiting for December, one more golden year rolls round Spin…
Weird Critters Rhinestone Cowboys And jewel-inlaid spacemen Airstream, as…
What We Wish For Fog is drifting under neon light Ghosts and tramcars passin…
Whatever I Do I'm picking up the buzz and the ever-present hum Of the…
When Accident Became My Bride She wants my cake and eat it, she wants my…
When We Were Young Everybody loves the things you do From the way you talk…
When Your Dream of Perfect Beauty Comes True instrumental…
Whimsy The boy switches on the TV Or maybe it's the radio In…
Wild Lilac Life swims past my window Too fast too understand The only…
Wildest Dreams This could be something who can tell A week of wonders…
Will Placed a kiss upon her lips As ships sailed past in…
World of Dreams One step forward, one step back One more miracle mile, down…
World Still Turns It's okay, don't worry about a thing The world still turns…
Youth Of Nation On Fire News comes in Lights go out It's for real There's no doub…