Bill Nelson Album Reviews
Click the below for reviews on this site:
Atom Shop | What Now, What Next? | Excellent Spirits | After
The Satellite Sings | My Secret Studio I | Automatic | Blue Moons And
Laughing Guitars | Luminous | Map of
Dreams | Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam | Sound On Sound | Best Of & The Rest
Of Be Bop Deluxe | Drastic Plastic | Modern Music | Northern Dream
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Misfit City Web Site - Col Ainsley's review
Alternative Press - June, 1999 (Issue #131)
Atom Shop- Rating: Aces
What Now, What Next? - Rating: Enthusistically endorsed
by Mark Burbey
Every new Bill Nelson album, be it a single disc or 4-CD set, gives his fans reason to
rejoice, and these concurrent releases are no exception. Atom Shop is the third in a
trilogy of all-new material exploring the Americana and Beat culture of his
youth. Rockets, cowboys, comic books, girls, William Burroughs and dreams of a
beautiful tomorrow bubbled to the surface of Nelson’s hook-laden canvas.
Nelson inexplicably persists in doubting the quality of his so-called “demo
tapes,” but the engineering couldn’t be better and one solid track after
another make this Nelson’s best album since 1982’s The Love That Whirls.
This eclectic mix of radiant instrumentals, autobiographical pop dramas, space age blues
and kick-ass rock
is as sincere and as punchy as it gets.
Highlighting material released on his own Cocteau label throughout the ‘80s, the double-CD What Now, What Next? features 31 tracks selected by Nelson, creating a collection of tracks rivaling any Nelsonian’s compilation tape of favorites. Tracks like “Playing Jesus to Her Judas” and “Devil in Me” remain powerful rock gems with some of the best guitar riffs committed to record. “Let It All Pass You By” is a 2-minute epic of romantic passion and pathos, and “Do You Dream In Colour” is one of Nelson’s best post-Be Bop Deluxe rockers. Tantalizing, too, are tracks from the unreleased Bungalow Funland and Noise Candy, and two tracks from the long-awaited Simplex.
Nelson was exploring the waters of drum-&-bass rhythms and ambient tone poems long before it was chic to do so, and when people talk about the great guitarists, they somehow fail to consider him. Yet he continues to create, unburdened by demands of commercialism, and he remains, at 50, an artist at the peak of his form.
Mojo magazine (UK music magazine) By David Sheppard
Atom Shop partly returns Nelson to the angular, surrealistic pop of his early '80s
incarnation while reprising the junglist-with-a-PhD soundcrafting of 1996's After The
Satellite Sings. Matching wonderfully executed guitar stylings with lyrics set in a
fantastic '50s sci-fi timewarp(Rocket Ship, Train With Fins, etc.), this is a curiously
seamless blend of sibliant drum 'n' bass (Pointing At The Moon) and twisted powerpop
(Popsicle Head Trip). A welcome return.
Q Magazine, January 1999, by Steve Malins (2 stars out of 5, average)
'Over the past three decades Wakefield's science-fiction influenced guitarist has recorded
more albums than his 50 years. Atom Shop is not only his latest attempt to capture musical
moments in quick takes and demo's, but, exhaustingly, it's part of a trilogy. Bill
Nelson's obsession with the beamed-in '50s Americana of his youth litters this album with
images of chrome, comic books, cowboys, Beat poets and 'custom-car culture'. He had
originally intended to flesh out the songs with musicians but realised he didn't have
sufficent funds, and so Atom Shop remains in it's demo form. Despite the rich lyrical
ideas, the songs float in a thinly recorded, insubstantial state.
Guitar Player, February 1999, by Jesse Gress
The latest from art-rock maverick Bill Nelson is a compelling mix of prog rock, retro mood
music, and contemporary cut-and-paste assemblage. Written, performed and recorded entirely
by the composer/guitarist, Atom Shop is an homage to the mythic Americana that fed
Nelson's imagination as a child in '50s Britain. But while the lyrics and music teem with
U.S. pop-culture references, Nelson's nostalgia is never literal. Blues licks and loungy
jazz gestures whiz past, but they're like faded road signs glimpsed through the rearview
mirror of a fast new car. Nelson's guitar work is equally ambivalent about the past.
He relies on vintage cheapos such as the Supro Belmont and a Hondo Danelectro copy, but
tends to laden them with heavy digital effects. The parts congeal in dense, polyrhythmic
layers that recall Robert Fripp's '70s work with David Bowie-not to mention the ambitious
sounds Nelson was pursuing at the same time with Be Bop Deluxe.
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Mojo magazine (UK music magazine) By David Sheppard
A veritable glut of Nelsonia released to coincide with the cerebral Yorkshireman's live
re-emergence at London's Southbank Centre. After his success with Be-Bop Deluxe and
Red Noise, Nelson's profile dipped in the '80s to the extent that six albums' worth of
subsequent solo material went unreleased. This 31 track double CD retrospective of his own
Cocteau label material proves that his gifts for skewed melodic rock and burbling cut 'n '
paste arrangements weren't dimmed by anonymity. From the T. Rex-in-space hit Do You Dream
In Colour? to the delicate ambience of Opium, everything here is executed with purposeful
precision. Of the "lost" albums, Bungalow Funland and Noise Candy are the most
represented - both full of typically Nelsonian guile and eclecticism.
Q Magazine, December 1998, By Dave Henderson - 3 stars out of 5
2CD retrospective covering the Yorkshireman's prolific '80s output on his own Cocteau
label. Perhaps saddened by Be Bop Deluxe's lack of crossover success at the turn of punk,
Bill Nelson opted out of late-'70s rock notoriety and set up his own independent label,
Cocteau. There he was free to develop his guitar virtuosity, dabble in early sampling, toy
with primal electronica and service his status as renaissance man with a suitably eclectic
soundtrack to his paintings, collages and writing. Nelson's output grew through a flood of
limited edition albums, his cult status assured and commission work (he even did the music
for Channel 4's Right To Reply) kept his diary crammed. He did foist A Flock Of Seagulls
on the world (he discovered them and produced their early stuff) but his back pages, as
ruffled here on this extensive collection culled from over 20 albums, pre-empted trip hop,
hard-nosed electronics and much of the moodier muzak we hear today. What Now, What Next?
is consistently entertaining but, in retrospect, the technology he used was in its infancy
and some of the songs here suffer for that.
Guitar Player, February 1999 by Jesse Gress
Nelson has never balked at embracing whatever appeals to him about current music-or
clinging to a '70s art-rock mentality no matter how unfashionable it becomes. What Now,
What Next, a two disc collection of the guitarist's 1980s solo work, provides ample
testimony to Nelson's complex impulses. One moment the reissued tracks seem like quaintly
jerky new-wave robot-pop, the next they sound like bold anticipations of '90s ambient
electronica. Whether you find his music powerful or pretentious, there's no denying that
Nelson remains one of the electric guitar's most independent thinkers.
Sunday
Times (London). January 10, 1999 by Mark Edwards
In the 1970's, fronting Be Bop Deluxe, Bill Nelson was a post modern rock star before
anyone else knew what the word meant. In the 1980's, however, he quickly became
post-fashionable - hismusic reaching only a dedicated cult following via his own Cocteau
label. This was largely the fault of his own prolific output. He once described his
writing process as: "Blank tape, blank mind .... hit 'record' .... go .... dream ....
press 'stop'. " The result was 18 albums in 10 years. If he'd taken the advice
of his own album title - Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam - and applied a bit more focus,
he might have reached a wider audience. But that's not in his nature, so while Nelson
continues catering for the faithful (he's currently planning a 4CD boxed set of outtakes
from his last album , Atom Shop) the best option for non addicts is a compliation such as
What Now, What Next? It sums up his 18 Cocteau albums in 31 tracks, ranging from the
machine pop to cool ambience, and reveals that, while he may lack restraint, he never
lacked talent.
Channel Light Vessel - Excellent Spirits
(1996)
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Q Magazine by Johnny Black, 4 stars out of 5
At last, a reason for Bill Nelson. In the context of this eclectic gathering of musical
adventurers, the all-too-prolific one is held nicely in check, so that the sporadic
outbursts of his unmistakeable howling guitar enhance the songs rather than swamping them.
The other Channel Light Vessel on this, their second sailing, are the multi-talented horn
player/singer/composer Kate St. John of Dream Academy renown; composer, singer and
celebrity sibling Roger Eno; plus ambient zitherist extraordinaire Laraaji. The happy
blend of this odd quartet fairly scintillates, especially when Kate St. John and Roger
Eno provide the musical impetus, with the others embellishing and embroidering the
musical spaces around them. Quite, quite lovely.
After the Satellite Sings (1996)
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Wire, July 1996 issue, written by Mike Barnes
The first track on Bill Nelson's latest communique from the Yorkshire badlands is the
breakbeat-driven 'Deeply Dazzled'. Once past the inital reaction of open-mouthed
disbelief, what hits you is that drum 'n' bass is well and truly up for grabs now - even
by maverick Prog rock survivors. The ruffness quotient here is about as low as it gets,
but on its own terms, a track such as 'Flipside' sounds as 'authentic' as Alex Reece's
vapid 'Feel The Sunshine' single. Nelson uses these rhythms as a backbone to an
idiosyncratic everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production. Take 'Rocket To Damascus' as a
for instance: searing lead guitar, tuned percussion patterns and sampled voices chatter
away as a backdrop, while Nelson croons on about William Blake in stanzas that sound like
a pastiche of Songs Of Innocence And Experience. He should be congratulated for his sheer
gall, as well as for pulling it off. Elsewhere, the synthetic beats are muted and
funky, as on 'Beautiful Nudes' or 'Old Goat', where overlaid marimba patterns give the
track a Steve Reich-plays-HipHop vibe. Lyrically, the latter is where Nelson explores his
age and marginality in a surreal, capricious way before another blast of guitar and some
exotic synth fanfares. 'Squirm' is another bizarre excursion, sort of avant ' glam-rock
(Be Bop Deluxe creeping back into the equabon), with Nelson hamming it up like Bowie circa
Scary Monsters, before the song accelerates into the chorus with breakbeats, piano
flourishes and Metal guitar chords. After the Satellite sings sounds fresh enough to be
the product of some exploratory young hipster - rather than an 'Old Goat pushing 50.
Nelson's obvious enthusiasm as he mixes all this eccentric stuff together is compulsive.
Flakk, 1996 issue, written by Fleck
More automatic creations from Bill's four week recording venture this past winter have
resulted in After the Satellite Sings. Wholly composed and perfomed by himself,
this time out featues tightly-wound rhythms and determined forward motion along with his
distinctive vocals. An alluring urban-speak style bends the ear on "Deeply
Dazzled" and "Zoom Sequence." Genre jumping by the decades in
flash-time proves Bill has got a better time machine. Swingy-be bop, '50's and '60's
rock, funk, the new wave, the new age and all take a bow before being crook-caned off the
aural stage by bluesy trumpet and sax licks or the landing and departures of futuristic
vehicles on tracks like "Flipside" and "Streamliner." Nelson's
guitarwork keep up with the technology, blasting back nimble Be-Bop Deluxe retro solos,
multi-ethnic buzzes or bluesy English twang. "Beautiful Nudes" and
"V-Ghost" hover in the cosmic realm above the ordered chaos of the rest of the
album. After the Satellite Sings would make an appropriate soundtrack alternative
for Francis Ford Coppola's Koyaanisqatsi, keeping up the grantic pace with some of
Bill's opinions. Life may be out of balance, but this album is not. Zen observations at
high speed, sparkling keyboards and piano sounds, heavy guitar chords and samples male and
female voices bearing warnings, enlightenment and instructions stud "Skull Baby
Cluster." Almost every song rides on a propulsive thrust that is
unstoppable. If logic hasn't led you to the music of Bill Nelson you would be wise
to take heed to his plea on the techno-arabic "Rocket to Damascus" and
"...wake up or leave this planet."
Q magazine, August 1996 issue, by Paul Davies (Three stars out of five, GOOD)
Ever the sonic beachcomber, hermetic Wakefield guitar wizard Nelson, once of Be Bop Deluxe
and Red Noise, has appropriated the urgent urban rhythms of drums'n'bass from
sweat-splashed metropolitan clubbers to invest his spaced-out sci-fi guitar noodlings with
a twitching nervous energy. The cucumber-cool slabs of wraparound ambient wallpaper are
still in evidence, but outnumbered by actual songs and tilts at a spinning dancefloor.
Given that the album is dedicated to the restless dexedrine-fuelled prose of Beat guru
Jack Kerouac, the album's spiralling energy levels carry added impact as they accelerate
towards a symmetrical conclusion.
Ikon Magazine (UK), December 1995 issue by Mark Prendergast:
Bebop Deluxe were one of the great flash rock bands of the 1970s. And it was Bill Nelson
who gave them their sheen with his famous liquid guitar solos, Ziggy-era glam obsessions
and fondness for Jean Cocteau, Metropolis and Futurism. Titles like 'Jet Silver &
The Dolls Of Venus', 'Life in the Air Age' and 'Honeymoon on Mars' said
it all. Stone Roses producer John Leckie made them famous with his production touch on
'Sunburst Finish', the '76 album which put Bill on TOTP. Post Bebop, Bill didn't wilt in
the country mansion. His new stripped-down electro sound was adopted by Visage, Tubeway
Army and most notably Japan, who had formed after seeing Bebop live in concert. Album
after album came out of his Yorkshire studios and soon he was working with the likes of
David Sylvian, Harold Budd, Roger Eno and Kate St. John (he appeared on the reunion Japan
disc Rain Tree Crow in 1991). In his latterday guise as seeker of esoteric knowledge and
lover of the East he released one of the greatest instrumental albums of the Eighties in
Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights. After circa 40 albums, My Secret
Studio arrives as Nelson's third four-disc boxed set. The first of two vocal sets
documenting Nelson's crisis years from '88 to '92. Each track was recorded in a few hours,
the 65 tracks put down to a backdrop of management shenanigans and incipient divorce. No
doleful set of self-pitying songs these, but a diversely rich collection of sonic jewels.
Herein you'll find waves of sound, compact ballad, rippling guitars - it's strange and
wonderful. With only guitar, keyboard, drum machine and voice, Nelson proves that he's a
master of economy. With its Japanese tinges, My Secret Studio sounds for all the world
like pop done haiku. Stylish.
Q Magazine, by Tom Doyle (2 stars out of 5, average)
My Secret Studio is a box set of unreleased material recorded spontaneously to tape
between 1988 and 1992 in Bill Nelson's home studio, a matter which makes its luscious,
reverb-heavy production all the more impressive. Of the four albums, Buddha Head (1900)
and Deep Dream Decoder (1900) contain the best material, with layers of guitar and synth
providing the backdrop for the singer's heavily mannered and electronically treated vocal.
By Electricity Made Us Angels and Juke Box For Jet Boy, the arrangements become scrappier,
the songs less purposeful. In all its unedited glory, it might prove too much even for the
staunchest of admirers
Channel Light Vessel - Automatic (1994)
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Q Magazine, by Johnny Black (4 stars out of 5)
If the idea of an ambient supergroup wasn't so paradoxical, it would fit this lot like the
proverbial glove. It's hard to tell who does what with which in this largely improvised
dreamscape, but it's likely that former Dream Academy member Kate St. John, lately out on
the road with Van Morrison, is providing the sax and oboe lines, while Be-Bop Deluxe's
Bill Nelson's guitar doodles atmospherically. Roger Eno's keyboards gyre and gimbal with
the toves provided by Mayumi Tachibana's wispy cello and Laraaji's haunting rhythmic
devices. There is singing, usually by Bill Nelson or a multi-tracked St John, and the
whole is lusciously soothing.
Blue Moons And Laughing Guitars (1992)
Epinions.com review by Mark Rushton
Q Magazine, by John Aizlewood (2 stars out of 5, average)
Bill Nelson almost hit the big time twice after he split Be Bop Deluxe: Red Noise's crisp
1979 album, Sound On Sound, influenced the likes of Magazine and, a couple of years later,
the solo Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam married New Age and new pop long before it
became half-fashionable. Two lesser solo efforts later, Nelson was out on his ear. He
retreated to Wakefield, founded his own label and knocked out instrumental albums of
difficult tape loops. Luminous marks a return to proper songs of sorts, but unfortunately
the sleevenotes' promise of spontaneous improvised songwriting holds all too true. It was
recorded in Nelson's home studio and sounds like it-his detached Ferry/Sylvian-style
vocals sit uncomfortably atop the thin, low-budget and hook-free style of the recent past
as he drifts off at will, pausing only for some nifty guitar action on Burning Down and
the delightfully relaxed She's Got Me Floating. The basic structures are still there-Her
True And Perfect Statement or Bright Sparks could have been contenders-but, like the rest
of Luminous, remain clogged by an unimaginative self-production. Not a glittering
comeback.
Q Magazine by Anthony Quinn (2 stars out of 5, average)
Despite an arsenal of hi-tech hardware at his disposal, Bill Nelson not for the first time
seems chronically short of rather more important ingredients like inspiration and
vitality. Sound-track to the Channel 4 series, Map Of Dreams is yet another drab exercise
in moody New Age atmospherics, its constituents sounding to these ears like synth washes,
tumble driers and kitchen sinks. Impeccably modern, but precious little imagination has
been expended here: indeed, the only glimmer of invention would seem to be the irritating
crossword song titles, Fellini's Picnic, Forked Tongues, Mixed Blessings, Another Tricky
Mission For The Celestial Pilot. All fairly meaningless, but then there's not an awful lot
of meaning in between the grooves either. This record fills a space, and that's all.
Living For The Spangled Moment EP (1987)
Q Magazine, by Adam Sweeting (2 stars out of 5, average)
They tell me the picture of Raging Bill Nelson on the sleeve of this mini-LP is based on a
portrait of artist Egon Schiele, the Viennese consumptive. Egon Ronay would have been a
better bet, a notion at least holding out the prospect of indigestion in contrast to the
odourless, weightless inconsequence of these tracks. Bill Nelson has used half a
dozen musicians and no less than five studios in the preparation of these pieces. With so
many pains having been taken, you'd expect more than facsimiles of China Crisis (Living
For The Spangled Moment) and morsels of Japan (Finks And Stooges Of The Spirit), porridgy
wastes of instrumental stodge (Word For Word) or flyweight exercises in muted
atmospherics. Pressed for a diagnosis, I'd urge Bill Nelson to get out of the studio
occasionally for a bit of fresh air, and I'm with Egon Ronay all the way when he suggests
a few square meals. All this brooding over life, Art and technology is turning Bill Nelson
into the first microchip vegetable.
Quit Dreaming, Love That Whirls, Chimera, Savage Gestures
Guitar Player magazine (April,
2001 - 80's edition issue)
When Be-Bop Deluxe folded after 1978's new wave-influenced Drastic Plastic, fans anticipated a brilliant next move from guitarist Bill Nelson. After all, throughout Be-Bop
he had managed to fuse soaring guitars, literate songs, and prog-rock sensibilities with the immediacy and melodic seductiveness of great pop. But Nelson quietly slipped
off the guitar-hero mantle, produced a sonically abrasive album (Red Noise) that scared the living hell out of Be-Bop lovers, and promptly disappeared from the U.S. scene.
The Love That Whirls appeared in 1982, when much of Nelson's rock-star audience had forgotten him -- which is probably the way he wanted it. But the record is a
beautiful collection of brilliant songs, stunning audio production, and textural guitar work. Cinematic single-note melodies and EBow drones bring Nelson's stories to life,
and "October Man" proved he could still crank it up and kick ass. Two years later, "Acceleration" (from Vistamix) presaged the beat box-driven music of Europe's dance
clubs, but The Love That Whirls remains a testament to what an artistic intellect can do with a guitar, an amp, a few toys, and a home studio. Capitol. -- MM
Q Magazine, by Paul Davies (2 stars out of 5, average)
Bill Nelson's lingering hopes of success with futureshock glam rockers Be Bop Deluxe were
finally washed away by punk way back when. Wakefield's most affable multi-instrumentalist
went on to achieve his greatest success with the first album on this 3CD (comprising four
albums) box set, recorded in 1979 and released two years later. Quit Dreaming dropped
Nelson unexpectedly into both the singles and LP charts and is by some distance the most
enjoyable here. Charged with a modicum of post-punk energy, the songs bubble and burn with
a rampant immediacy. The sleek synthesized electro pop of Banal, Living In My Limousine,
Do You Dream In Colour? and Youth Of Nation On Fire transcend their cumbersome titles. The
song titles later become ever more unwieldy in their drive towards a place in Pseuds
Corner, and the music gravitates towards the torpor of undemanding ambient music-stodgy
tunes and stop start rhythms giving way to doodling instrumental passages of marginal
interest. A brief respite is provided by Eros Arriving and Flaming Desire (The Love That
Whirls) and the echoing pop of Acceleration and Another Day, Another Ray Of Hope
(Chimera). The rest is for Nelson devotees and insomniacs only.
Q Magazine - November 1999 by John Aizlewood
Time was running out for the suit wearing, fairly long haired Be Bop Deluxe in 1976. An
album with guitar solos and endless whinging about touring America wasn't the answer,
although Gold At The End Of My Rainbow does closely resemble I Can't Let Maggie Go. Three
years on and with Harvest losing interest (they still don't care: this shoddy reissue
doesn't bother with extra tracks, sleeve notes or even the original inner sleeve's credits
and lyrics), Nelson unveiled Mao-suit-wearing, short-haired Red Noise, or Red Nose as the
contemporary wags had it. He would never better Sound-on-Sound, musically or lyrically.
Tight songs, sharp lyrics and, in Furniture Music and Revolt Into Style, two
should-have-been hit singles which reached numbers 59 and 69 in the UK charts
respectively. The follow up never happened. What a mess.
Be Bop Deluxe - The Best Of and the Rest Of
Billboard Magazine, February 3, 1979
The now defunct British band's seventh American release is divided equally between
greatest hits and previously unreleased material. Record one of this two-record set
contains the best known works by this melodic hard rock act. Record two consists of
material originally meant to be released on the Bowie-influenced, electronic "Drastic
Plastic" last year. All are well-done featuring Bill Nelson's seering guitar work.
Best cuts: "Sleep That Burns," "Ships In The Night," "Kiss
Of Light," "Panic In The World."
Be Bop Deluxe - Drastic Plastic
Billboard Magazine, February 25, 1978
A standout mix of rock, flavored by science fiction and surrealistic themes, is presented
here by this British foursome. Lead singer Bill Nelson's speculative lyrics are
again gripping and provocative in counterpoint to the distinctive, almost mesmerizing
rhythms. Plenty of synthesizer contributes to the eternal sound and bright texture of the
music. While exploring new rock vistas, the band appears to be pioneering in the same
ballpark as Alan Parsons and Queen. Best cuts: "Electrical Language,"
"Surreal Estate," "Dangerous Stranger," "Superenigmatix."
Dealers: The band gets bigger each time out.
Billboard Magazine, October 30, 1976
One of the better science fiction influenced literate rock groups that seemingly throng
Great Britain, Be Bop's newest is a wide-screen fantasia of leader Bill Nelson's ambitious
songs. Nelson's works and production are not unworthy of comparison on the level of Queen,
Procol Harum or even 10cc at its more serious side. Best cuts: "Modern Music,"
"Honeymoon On Mars," "Lost In The Neon World."
Q Magazine - November 1999 by John Aizlewood
Time was running out for the suit wearing, fairly long haired Be Bop Deluxe in 1976. An
album with guitar solos and endless whinging about touring America wasn't the answer,
although Gold At The End Of My Rainbow does closely resemble I Can't Let Maggie Go. Three
years on and with Harvest losing interest (they still don't care: this shoddy reissue
doesn't bother with extra tracks, sleeve notes or even the original inner sleeve's credits
and lyrics), Nelson unveiled Mao-suit-wearing, short-haired Red Noise, or Red Nose as the
contemporary wags had it. He would never better Sound-on-Sound, musically or lyrically.
Tight songs, sharp lyrics and, in Furniture Music and Revolt Into Style, two
should-have-been hit singles which reached numbers 59 and 69 in the UK charts
respectively. The follow up never happened. What a mess.
Bill Nelson - Northern Dream (re-release)
Q Magazine, by Tom Doyle (2 stars, average)
1971's Northern Dream finds the Wakefield songwriter, pre-Be Bop Deluxe, offering a
folk-flavoured rock with essence of progessive, which, save for a nascent talent for
unusual production techniques and some wonderful touches of flute, consists of material
largely lacking focus or originality.
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