This compilation of Nelson's work over a ten-year span follows an earlier Cocteau set, The Two-fold Aspect of Everything, which compiled single releases and oddities. Nelson is amazingly prolific, with many albums to his credit, and a growing list of box sets in various forms…
'The Dreamshire Chronicles' is a double album, written and recorded in a sort of waking trance. I wasn't quite sure, when I began work on the project, what the concept of 'Dreamshire' might mean. Now, with hindsight, it seems to be about a haunted realm filled with beautiful ghosts. It's a place built on memory and fantasy, sometimes brightly lit, sometimes pale and flickering, shadowy. The two discs feature solid arrangements, but with nebulous overtones, big walls of sound that are also fragile and delicately transparent. 'Dreamshire' exists in a time and space somewhere between twilight and dawn.
Lavish eight CD box set from the acclaimed guitarist, producer, singer and songwriter, released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the beginning of Nelson's recording career. This is the most extensive and detailed anthology of Bill's astoundingly creative career to date. Over the past four decades Bill has consistently proved himself to be one of Britain's most original and creative musicians, exploring an astonishing diversity of musical styles, consistently pushing musical boundaries and earning the admiration of legions of fans throughout the world and enlightened critics alike. As a guitarist, Bill ranks as a great and uniquely gifted figure, but this eclectic selection of tracks also highlights his work as a singer/songwriter and instrumental composer. The set begins with his earliest recordings and includes previously unreleased material by Be Bop Deluxe, along with examples from Bill's extensive solo catalogue, exploring a wide range of styles. Esoteric.
The Last Of The Neon Cynics is a collaborative project by Bill Nelson and comic book artist Matt Howarth. The download includes a 110 page high-rez full colour PDF graphic novel and all the original CD artwork. All music composed, played and recorded by Bill Nelson. Comic book graphic novel story and artwork by Matt Howarth.
‘The Awakening Of Dr Dream’ is an album of instrumentals, mainly guitar oriented. The style ranges through ambient, rock, melodic and even a little jazz, making for a richly varied listening experience. The album is not available as a physical CD, but is an exclusive digital download only via this Bandcamp page. It comes complete with full downloadable artwork at no extra cost. I hope you will enjoy it!
’The Unrealist’ is an instrumental album featuring 15 prominent electric guitar, keyboard and percussion tracks in a mainly rock setting but with some gentler, more reflective pieces plus a couple of abrasive avant-garde moments, (and, of course, the occasional jazzy mood.) It will hopefully appeal to those fans who enjoy my extended guitar improvisations. This is only available as a digital download. No CD version has been released. The download includes all print quality artwork in pdf format.
‘Kid Flip And The Golden Spacemen’ is an album that will appeal to fans of my more rock/pop/vocal work. The title is in the grand tradition of imaginary bands such as ‘Ziggy Stardust And The Spider’s From Mars,’ ‘Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus,’ ‘Willy And The Poor Boys,’ ‘The Blue Men’ etc. The album will appeal to fans of my earlier Be Bop Deluxe era whilst bringing a more contemporary twist to the songs. It’s a light-hearted, positive, good vibes album. I hope you will enjoy it.
My Secret Studio really isn't a secret, and never has been, unless you count the period of time when problems of life and surroundings seemed to make it impossible for Bill Nelson to actually get anything musical out into the open. His larger commercial connections had evaporated, his own label had been wracked by unethical behavior by his manager, and his life as a whole seemed to be one gigantically complex knot. Rather than letting these problems crushing the inspiration out of him, Nelson was energized by them. He might not have been able to release much of a anything for a while, but this didn't stop him from recording hundreds of new songs and instrumental pieces.
The enigmatic Bill Nelson was born December 18, 1948. Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the launch of a new imprint, Cocteau Discs, the home of Bill Nelson’s catalogue between 1971 and 2001. The series of ongoing releases begins with the re-release of Bill’s classic album Northern Dream, recorded on rudimentary equipment at Holyground studios in Wakefield in 1971. One of the first truly independently produced albums to be released in Britain, the album featured wonderful compositions such as Everyone’s Hero, End of the Seasons, Love’s a Way and Smiles . Championed by John Peel, the album paved the way for Bill’s future career with his bands Be Bop Deluxe and Red Noise and for his highly regarded solo career.
At the end of March 2011, Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers, along with one hundred plus guests, populated Studio A at Metropolis, West London, for a dynamite concert reminiscent of the Marquee club in its heyday. A blistering fourteen song set from the band, which covers much of Bill’s career to date, was the result. We’re delighted to present that set here on both CD and DVD, together with an interview with Bill and a sublime four track solo set as DVD extras.