Bill Nelson. Was/is anyone else into him?

[The Cat's Mother]

Remember Bill? He was the make-up-caked vocalist and axe-man of glam outfit Be Bop Deluxe. Remember 'Axe Victim' and all that? (Okay, you young 'uns, go Google....) After BBD split, Bill remerged in '79, his late BBD-period Orwellian paranoia now married to a Cocteau fixation. He and his BBD keyboardist proceeded to get experimental as synth-outfit 'Bill Nelson's Red Noise'. After releasing the 'Sound on Sound' CD, Red Noise got dumped by EMI because they weren't commercial enough, but Bill just built his studio, formed Cocteau Records and kept on going. Because they're gritty, are people from Wakefield. Anyway, he finally got 'Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam' (re-issued 2005 with bonus tracks) released. That was a bit weird, but lovely in parts. After that, he started to disappear up his own bum a bit, and at some point I stopped buying. I hear he's recently re-discovered his guitar-muse, and I'm sniffing around to see what I can get hold of.


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N20YCXQT


First two tracks are from Be Bop Deluxe's 'Modern Music' album - I reckon that if you add these to their 'Air Age Anthology' double CD (which my sister will some day remember to return to me, I'm sure ), you'll have a genuine 'best of'.

1. Orphans of Babylon
2. Forbidden Lovers

3 and 4 are Red Noise tracks.

3. For Young Moderns
4. Revolt into Style

5 and 6 are from 'Quit Dreaming.....' I recall from the 'Name That Tune' thread, that someone has since covered 'Life Runs Out Like Sand', so here's the original to compare.

5. Decline and Fall
6. Life Runs Out Like Sand

There you go, then.

 

[Busy Clippers]

oooh, I really liked "Love That Whirls," but then I had a dreadful Chris Hughes fixation. Haven't listened to it in ages!!! Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to snatch the download.

 

[The Cat's Mother]

I had the huge cardboard shop-promo of the 'Love That Whirls' golden deity on my bedroom wall! It was a bastard to get it home on the bus! I'm trying to remember if I still have the vinyl of LTW - I had a fair amount of exclusive fan club ( yes, I was in a proper fan club 'cos I was a big geek) vinyl which may still be mouldering in the loft. Or it might ended up at the charity shop with some other records I lent my sister some decades back. (*howls*)

 

[The Cat's Mother]

Wow! I've just looked up 'Sounding the Ritual Echo' on Amazon. It's worth a bob or two. I may have to go and face the terrors of the loft, fingers firmly crossed.

 

[Busy Clippers]

I have my vinyl still, even the Eros Arriving single. Somewhere. And no way to rip it. Yet. But when I do, prepare!

 

[The Cat's Mother]

I'm just remembering the fan-mag poster for 'Eros Arriving'. My mum didn't approve. Are you dead old like me then, BC?

Heck, Bill Nelson must be 64! Wonder if he still looks sinister....

 

[Busy Clippers]

I'm probably older than most people here, but I was a Prodigy Of Musical Consumption from a very early age (first concert age 10). Bill Nelson actually came from my friend, whose older brother The Paratrooper took it upon himself to make sure we didn't listen to Bad Music, thus embarassing him in front of his lofty friends. That, and the Adam and the Ants connection. I went for them big. The two drummers and the makeup...

 

[The Cat's Mother]

I inherited Bill (in his BBD incarnation) from my older sister and her friends and followed him from there. I've just been googling for images of him and found that Bill Nelson is also an astronaut/politician and a man who can take you out and show you how to shoot elk! And we just thought he was beavering away in his studio. Wonder if he flew into space in a 'Rocket Cathedral' ( Damn! I'm going to be humming that all afternoon, now.)

One can never have too many drummers.... oh, hang on, I forgot Showaddywaddy.....