There is Bill Nelson as the creative flow in Be Bop Deluxe, and then there is Bill Nelson as the prolific music director of his own solo works that includes Red Noise. Over the years, Esoteric Recordings have taken an extreme interest in not only the Be Bop Deluxe catalog but also the external works after that band in remasters and expansion sets. This helps to give the fan a new definitive collection to enjoy. The opportunities of getting sets like these are feeble at best after these extraordinary packages. For solo work, Bill Nelson was creatively tireless with well over 100 title issues. And yet he is still completely active even at 73 when many artists have slowed down to a crawl or exited entirely.
On January 13, Bill Nelson will release two new titles that have recently been mastered, and have been in the work stage for over a year. Those two albums will be: Stupid/Serious, which will contain 17 new tracks, and Marvellous Realms, containing 16 tracks and a bonus mix of one of the tracks (for 17). Both albums will offer full songs with vocals, and instrumentals.
If you have yet to experience Bill Nelson, now is a good time. While it is recommended to begin with Be Bop Deluxe, and then migrate outward, even these are great places to start. The sample tracks heard at the pre-order links tell us that Bill Nelson has ably kept up with his musical vision throughout. Don’t miss his aura! Bill Nelson is as good now as he has always been.
Both albums will be issued on CD, DD, and will also be released as a double package containing both albums. All albums are limited to 1000 copies and will be issued via his own Sonoluxe label. You can order (and hear samples from) Marvellous Realms (here), and Stupid/Serious (here). They can also be ordered at Burning Shed.
Stupid/Serious – Bill Nelson
01 Polishing The Chromes
02 Time Is A Mechanism
03 Silver Rain (Marooned In A Fairytale)
04 Paging Mr. God
05 Lo And Behold
06 I Drift Away Amongst The Stars
07 Domain Of Echo
08 A Trembling In The Air
09 Stupid-Stupid (Deep And Serious)
10 Meek And Wild (The Ghost In Joe’s Studio)
11 We Were Young
12 It’s A Simple Life
13 Tongues Of Fire (Resist)
14 Nevermore
15 A Face In The Mirror
16 Dreams Turn To Dust
17 Twilight Planetarium
Marvellous Realms – Bill Nelson
01 Nevernoon
02 Marvellous Realms
03 The Way Of The World
04 The Gold Beyond The Blue
05 The Weather Song
06 Signalling As We Go
07 Some Jiggery Pokery
08 Here On Earth
09 Whoops! I’m Going Back In Time
10 It’s A Long Time Between Dreams
11 The Mystic
12 Imaginary Music
13 The Illuminator
14 Heaven Is A State Of Mind
15 A Thought In Passing
16 Your Magic Man In The Sky
Bonus Track
17 The Weather Song (Monitor Mix)