Bill Nelson (musician)

2.1. Childhood and education

Born to Jean, a dancer, and Walter Nelson, an alto saxophone player, Bill Nelson was immersed in a creative environment from a young age. He received his education at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed a significant interest in the works of the acclaimed poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. During this formative period, Nelson also began cultivating his musical talents, with Duane Eddy serving as a primary influence on his burgeoning guitar style.

2.2. Family and relationships

Nelson is the father of three children: Julia, born in 1970 with his first wife, Shirley; and Elle (born 1978) and Elliot (born 1981), both with his second wife, Jan. Elle and Elliot later formed their own band, Honeytone Cody, active from the late 1990s until 2014. Bill Nelson's younger brother, Ian (1956-2006), was also a musician, contributing to the Be-Bop Deluxe song "Ships in the Night" and forming the band Fiat Lux. Ian also played on the 1979 Red Noise album Sound-on-Sound and toured with Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites in 2004. Around April 1995, Bill Nelson married Emiko, who had previously been married to Yellow Magic Orchestra drummer Yukihiro Takahashi.

3.1. Early musical endeavors

Nelson's earliest recordings include a brief contribution to the 1970 album A-Austr: Musics from Holyground, a collaborative project featuring artists like Brian Calvert and Mike Levon, released on Levon's Holyground Records label. He took on a more substantial role with the band Lightyears Away on their 1971 album Astral Navigations. On the track "Yesterday," Nelson's acid rock lead guitar supported Chris Coombs' stylophone riff, earning him his first airplay by John Peel on BBC Radio 1. These early Holyground recordings were later compiled and released as Electrotype in February 2001.

In 1973, Nelson independently released his debut solo album, Northern Dream, on his Smile label. This album garnered further attention from John Peel, which ultimately led to a recording contract for Nelson's band, Be-Bop Deluxe, with EMI's Harvest Records subsidiary.

3.2. Be-Bop Deluxe

Be-Bop Deluxe, initially formed by Bill Nelson, signed with EMI's Harvest Records and released their debut album, Axe Victim, in 1974. Nelson, a pivotal figure in the band, was responsible for songwriting, lead vocals, and guitar. EMI had initially sought a solo contract with Nelson, but he opted for a band format.

Following Axe Victim, Nelson replaced the original band members for the 1975 album Futurama. The solidified lineup of Bill Nelson (guitar), Andrew Clark (keyboards), Charlie Tumahai (bass), and Simon Fox (drums) went on to record several significant albums: Sunburst Finish and Modern Music in 1976, the live album Live! In The Air Age in 1977, and their final studio album, Drastic Plastic, in 1978.

Nelson's musical style with Be-Bop Deluxe evolved from early influences, including Jimi Hendrix and glam rock, towards more conceptual album structures and an increasing use of synthesizers, hinting at a synth-pop direction. While operating under a band structure, Be-Bop Deluxe largely functioned as a vehicle for Nelson's diverse musical concepts, making it essentially a one-man group. An instrumental track on Drastic Plastic, featuring Nelson's acoustic guitar and Clark's keyboards, foreshadowed Nelson's later ambient music explorations. The album also incorporated early experimental techniques, such as drum parts recorded for looping backing tracks in the studio, laying the groundwork for Nelson's future improvisational performances with self-produced audio and video tracks, as seen in his 1983 Invisibility Exhibition tour (later released as the Chamber of Dreams album). His approach of playing guitar over pre-recorded tracks would also influence later studio works like the Painting With Guitars series (2003, 2015) and And We Fell into A Dream (2007).

Feeling constrained by the traditional band structure, Nelson decided to dissolve Be-Bop Deluxe in autumn 1978.

3.3. Red Noise

After the disbandment of Be-Bop Deluxe in late 1978, Bill Nelson transitioned his immediate working band into a new project called Red Noise, removing Tumahai and Fox from the lineup. The band, which included Nelson's brother Ian on saxophone, released their debut album, Sound-on-Sound, in February 1979. This album was notable for its techno-pop influences, which were considered ahead of their time, and was produced by John Leckie, who would later achieve success with bands like XTC.

Harvest Records, however, insisted on crediting the album as "Bill Nelson's Red Noise." The label's difficulties escalated when they refused to release Red Noise's second album, Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam, despite much of it being recorded by Nelson himself with contributions from Ian Nelson, rather than the more marketable five-piece band Harvest executives had anticipated. This led to the album remaining unreleased in a state of record company limbo for a period.

During this time, Nelson, alongside John Leckie, also undertook production and session keyboard work for the band Skids. Skids guitarist Stuart Adamson was a known admirer of Nelson's musicianship, fostering a fruitful friendship between the artists. Vocalist Richard Jobson later appeared as a support act on Nelson's Invisibility Exhibition tour, reading poetry. Following Adamson's death in 2001, Nelson composed "For Stuart" in his memory, which appeared on 2003's The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars and a live version on the 2011 live at Metropolis Studios DVD.

3.4. Solo career and Cocteau Records era (1980s)

The 1980s marked a prolific period for Bill Nelson's solo career, driven by the establishment of his independent label, Cocteau Records. This label was set up by Nelson and his manager Mark Rye after negotiating with Harvest to reclaim ownership of his unreleased material.

In July 1980, Cocteau Records successfully released the single "Do You Dream in Colour?", which garnered airplay on BBC Radio 1 and reached No. 52 on the UK Singles Chart. This initial success led Phonogram to license the remaining tracks for Cocteau, enabling the release of Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam as a Bill Nelson album on their Mercury Records subsidiary in 1981. This release was notably accompanied by a bonus disc titled Sounding The Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming), featuring experimental, ambient instrumentals Nelson had recorded privately at his home.

Subsequent Mercury releases included The Love That Whirls, which also came with a bonus disc of Nelson's soundtrack for The Yorkshire Actors' stage production of Jean Cocteau's 1946 film La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast). Nelson had previously contributed music to the same company's adaptation of Robert Wiene's 1920 silent film classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, released under the title Das Kabinet on Cocteau. In 1983, the six-track mini-album Chimera was released, featuring collaborations with Yellow Magic Orchestra's Yukihiro Takahashi and Mick Karn, and characterized by prominent use of synthesizers, sequencers, and E-bow guitar. The single "Acceleration" from Chimera reached No. 78 on the UK Singles Chart, charting for three weeks.

Throughout the decade, Nelson released a substantial quantity of singles and LPs on Cocteau, both his own work and singles by other artists such as Last Man in Europe, A Flock of Seagulls, The Revox Cadets, Richard Jobson, Q (16), Fiat Lux, Man Jumping, and Yukihiro Takahashi. Ambitious Cocteau releases by Nelson himself included the four-LP box set 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 was influenced by Nelson's Gnostic beliefs. In 1989, he released the four-CD box set Demonstrations of Affection.

Nelson's talent as a producer was also sought after; he was hired by new wave artist Gary Numan to produce his 1983 album Warriors. Numan, who cited Nelson as his "favourite guitar player, bar none," eventually had creative differences with Nelson, leading Nelson to forgo a producer credit on the album, though he retained a credit for guitar and keyboards. Nelson also contributed to several tracks on David Sylvian's 1986 album Gone to Earth. In 1987, Channel 4 commissioned Nelson to compose music for the television drama series Brond.

Despite his prolific output, the 1980s also brought financial and legal challenges. A deal with CBS Records' Portrait imprint resulted in only one album, Getting the Holy Ghost Across (released in the US as On a Blue Wing), with additional tracks from the sessions appearing on the UK mini-LP Living for the Spangled Moment. Later in the decade, Nelson signed with Enigma Records, which ceased operations shortly after re-releasing his entire Cocteau catalogue. He also experienced personal setbacks, including a divorce and tax issues, culminating in an acrimonious dispute with his manager over his back catalogue rights. In one instance, Nelson discovered his manager had been selling unauthorized copies of the unreleased album Simplex via mail order without his knowledge or consent, and Nelson claimed he received no royalties from these sales.

3.5. Career in the 1990s

The 1990s saw Bill Nelson navigating new independent pathways and resolving past legal disputes, while continuing his experimental output. In 1992, he released Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars on Virgin, a collection of demos for a proposed band that never materialized. Nelson described it as "This is what I do behind locked doors," foreshadowing his later extensive home recording (`宅録<sub>Takuroku (Home Recording)</sub><sup>Japanese</sup>`) projects such as My Secret Studio (a 4-CD and 2-CD set) and Noise Candy (a 6-CD set).

The same year, Nelson collaborated with Roger Eno and Kate St John, co-producing their album The Familiar, on which he also played guitar and other instruments. This collaboration proved significant, not only leading to their participation with Laraaji and Mayumi Tachibana in the 'ambient supergroup' Channel Light Vessel but also introducing Nelson to Voiceprint Records. Voiceprint's subsidiary labels, including All Saints and Resurgence, would go on to release several Channel Light Vessel and Nelson recordings in the ensuing years.

In 1995, Nelson released two distinct albums: Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames), an ambient soundscape created for an art installation, and Practically Wired, or How I Became... Guitarboy!, which marked a return to his guitar-based instrumental music after a decade and a half. In 1996, Nelson incorporated drum and bass elements into After The Satellite Sings, an album credited by David Bowie's then-guitarist Reeves Gabrels as a major influence on Bowie's Earthling album.

By 1996, Nelson's prolonged legal dispute with his former manager was resolved through a lawsuit, enabling him to regain control of much of his back catalogue. As a result, the fully authorized version of Simplex was finally released in 2001 by Lenin Imports and reissued in 2012 by Esoteric. In the late 1990s, Nelson established the Populuxe label, with a distribution agreement through Robert Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile. However, this relationship eventually stagnated, and Atom Shop in 1998 was his final release on that label. Subsequent releases have appeared on other imprints like Toneswoon, as well as directly through mail order and later internet sales.

3.6. Career in the 2000s

The 2000s saw Bill Nelson continue his prolific output, further embracing independent distribution and fostering a direct connection with his fanbase through the Nelsonica convention. In 2002, he released the EP Three White Roses & A Budd in collaboration with Fila Brazillia and Harold Budd on Twentythree Records.

The first Nelsonica convention, initiated by fans in West Yorkshire in Nelson's honor, took place in 2001. Nelson attended, bringing drawings to sell, and found the experience so positive that he resolved to contribute live music performances, dedicated CDs of new material, and other appropriate content to future events. Nelsonica became an annual fixture for over a decade. Attendees of Nelsonica 02 in 2002 received Astral Motel, the inaugural convention CD. The event featured a set by Honeytone Cody, a performance by Bill and his brother Ian, and a third set by Nelson's newly formed seven-piece band, The Lost Satellites, which also included Ian. The event was a resounding success, establishing an annual institution.

Three more albums followed in 2003: The Romance of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars, Plaything, and the second Nelsonica CD, Luxury Lodge. From then on, Nelson maintained an average release rate of four albums per year, often in small runs that quickly went out of print. He achieved this through his own series of branded record labels: Almost Opaque and later Discs of Ancient Odeon for Nelsonica releases, and Universal Twang followed by Sonoluxe for his other works. His Sonic Masonic imprint had only one release, 2004's Satellite Songs. Nelson's ability to release music in-house was facilitated by the financial backing of Sound on Sound magazine, which hosts his online shop and is named after the Red Noise album Sound-on-Sound. In 2004, the magazine also funded The Be-Bop Deluxe And Beyond Tour, which saw Nelson tour the UK with his band, Bill Nelson and the Lost Satellites.

Nelson explored various artistic directions during this decade. The two Rosewood releases featured acoustic guitar pieces subjected to "electronic and digital processing." The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill was a deeply personal concept album exploring the English coastline, ships, and the sea, while its ambient, instrumental companion piece, Neptune's Galaxy, comprised five long-form instrumental compositions on similar themes. Nelson regarded The Alchemical Adventures of Sailor Bill as one of his most personally fulfilling albums. Most of his other albums during this decade were electric guitar-oriented and instrumental. And We Fell into A Dream heavily utilized improvisation against pre-recorded backing tracks, while the contrasting Theatre of Falling Leaves prioritized keyboards over lead guitar. The decade concluded with a return to more voice-based material, with Nelson crooning on Golden Melodies of Tomorrow, delivering rock and ballad vocals on Fancy Planets, and exploring romantic songwriting in The Dream Transmission Pavilion.

In the first half of the decade, Nelson published his collected online diaries from 1999-2003 as diary of a hyperdreamer, with a second volume covering 2005-2006 appearing in 2015. His diaries from the last ten years remain accessible on his official website. He also gave extensive interviews to biographer Paul Sutton Reeves for the book Music in Dreamland Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe, which was eventually published in 2008 after a two-year delay following the publisher Sean Body's death. In the latter half of the decade, Nelson's live performances, primarily at Nelsonica events, expanded beyond solo work to include two additional bands: the improvisational trio Orchestra Futura (Nelson, Dave Sturt on bass, and Theo Travis on woodwind and brass) and the more conventional rock-oriented seven-piece Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers (also featuring Sturt and Travis), which performed vocal songs from Nelson's extensive catalogue, including Be-Bop Deluxe material. By 2006, Universal Music (UK) had reissued three Mercury albums-Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam, The Love that Whirls, and Chimera-all remastered with bonus tracks. Sonoluxe had also reissued the CBS album Getting the Holy Ghost Across / On a Blue Wing with all its original tracks, including those from Living for the Spangled Moment.

3.7. Career in the 2010s and beyond

The 2010s and beyond saw Bill Nelson continue to innovate and adapt, embracing digital distribution and facing personal health challenges. In 2010, Nelson published the first part of his autobiography, Painted From Memory (Sketches for an Autobiography) Volume One: Evocation of a Radiant Childhood.

In March 2011, driven by a desire to film his recent live performances for DVD release, Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers played a concert spanning Nelson's career before a live audience at Metropolis Studios in London. Dissatisfied with the initial sound mix, Nelson remixed it at his own expense. ITV Studios Home Entertainment subsequently released a DVD of the event using Nelson's remix, which quickly sold out. A promised television broadcast of the recording materialized only in select territories, excluding the UK. The recording has since been reissued on various formats, including CD and LP; however, having signed away his rights to these recordings, Nelson has received no financial compensation from these reissues.

In 2011, Cherry Red Records' subsidiary Esoteric Recordings began a comprehensive re-release program for Nelson's back catalogue from 1981 to 2002, starting with the 8-CD compilation The Practice of Everyday Life, which covered 40 years of recordings. Other notable reissues included the 4-CD The Book of Splendours and the 6-CD Noise Candy. Unlike previous agreements, the Esoteric deal did not involve a rights buyout, ensuring Nelson was properly compensated for these reissues. In 2013, Nelson began digitally releasing his out-of-print CD back catalogue from 2002 onwards via Bandcamp. On this platform, he subsequently released the three-volume compilation The Dreamer's Companion in 2014 and new albums starting with Special Metal in 2016.

In addition to his numerous solo releases, Nelson also contributed to film soundtracks and collaborated with other artists. In 2010, he released Picture Post as the soundtrack to the US TV documentary American Stamps. In 2014, he composed Pedalscope for UK director Daisy Asquith's film Velorama, a tribute to cycling tied to the 2014 Tour de France which passed through Yorkshire. In 2012, Nelson completed The Last of the Neon Cynics, a long-standing project with comic artist Matt Howarth, where Howarth supplied a PDF comic and Nelson provided a soundtrack. In 2014, he collaborated with fellow guitarist Reeves Gabrels (known for his work with David Bowie and The Cure) on Fantastic Guitars.

In 2014, Nelson suffered a complete hearing loss in his right ear. This significantly impacted his ability to perform live, putting a halt to any immediate plans for concerts, including Nelsonica events that revolved around live performances. Despite this disability, he continued to record and release music. Quiet Bells was the first album influenced by this change; Nelson noted in the sleeve that to adapt, he created a gentle collection of neo-minimalist, ambient instrumentals primarily featuring guitar.

In 2014, Nelson was honored 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 company, which included his Astroloops album. In 2016, 46 years after his debut, Nelson released a sequel titled New Northern Dream.

6.1. Positive reception

Nelson has been widely praised, particularly for his guitar playing, with critics describing him as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies art rock movement." His diverse contributions to music, spanning songwriting, vocals, production, and instrumental performance, have established him as a distinctive voice in the rock and experimental music scenes. His unique approach to composition and recording, particularly his prolific home recording (`宅録<sub>Takuroku (Home Recording)</sub><sup>Japanese</sup>`) methods, has been lauded for fostering an environment of continuous creativity and artistic independence. In 2015, his enduring impact and innovative spirit were formally acknowledged when he received the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards. Furthermore, in 2014, he was honored by Wakefield Council with a Hollywood-style star on the city's walk of fame, recognizing his significant contributions from his hometown.

6.2. Criticism and controversies

Despite his artistic acclaim, Nelson has faced several critical and controversial periods in his career, often stemming from conflicts with record labels and management over artistic control and financial matters. His struggles began early, with Harvest Records insisting on branding his new project as "Bill Nelson's Red Noise" rather than simply "Red Noise" and then refusing to release the second Red Noise album, Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam, because it did not conform to their expectations for a commercially viable band. This decision left the album in "record company limbo" for a period.

Later, a deal with CBS Records' Portrait imprint in the 1980s also failed to yield sustained success. A more contentious dispute arose in the late 1980s with his former manager, particularly regarding his back catalogue rights and unpaid royalties. Nelson explicitly claimed that his manager had been selling unauthorized copies of his unreleased album Simplex via mail order without his knowledge or authorization, and he received no royalties from these sales. This dispute eventually led to a lawsuit, which, by 1996, allowed Nelson to recover much of his back catalogue.

Even in later years, issues with contractual agreements persisted. After filming a concert with Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers at Metropolis Studios in 2011, Nelson was dissatisfied with the sound mix and remixed it himself at his own expense. However, having signed away his rights to these recordings, he received no money from subsequent reissues of the DVD and audio, despite the initial release quickly selling out. These instances highlight a recurring theme in Nelson's career: his efforts to maintain artistic integrity and financial control in the face of sometimes challenging industry dynamics.

6.3. Influence on other artists

Bill Nelson's distinctive guitar playing and innovative musical approach have exerted an influence on various contemporary and subsequent musicians. Notably, Stuart Adamson, guitarist for Skids, was an admirer of Nelson's musicianship, leading to collaborations where Nelson produced tracks for Skids. His impact extended to other prominent figures in rock, with Reeves Gabrels, then-guitarist for David Bowie, crediting Nelson's 1996 album After The Satellite Sings as a major influence on Bowie's 1997 album Earthling. Nelson's pioneering use of synthesizers, ambient textures, and experimental recording techniques, particularly his prolific home studio work, have resonated with artists seeking to push creative boundaries beyond conventional rock formats. His independent spirit and dedication to artistic exploration have served as an inspiration for musicians navigating the complexities of the music industry while striving for creative autonomy.

7.1. Discography

7.2. 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