Practice Of Everyday Life:Celebrating 40 Years Of [CD] [Import]
~ Bill Nelson

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Product Reviews

How does one annotate a four-decade-plus career as prolific -- and sometimes as obscure -- as guitarist, songwriter, composer, and pop conceptualist Bill Nelson's? With an enormous box set, of course. The founder of Be Bop Deluxe has released 51 solo albums under different monikers. His entire career to date has been documented by Cherry Red's Esoteric Records via Nelson's own label Cocteau, in a lavishly designed, eight-CD box set, curated by Nelson and Esoteric label boss Mark Powell. It also includes an exhaustively annotated booklet filled not only with a liner essay, but loads of rare photos and reflections from Nelson. The first two discs in the set document selections from his very first album, Northern Dream, with Nelson as a singer/songwriter. It was recorded in 1970 and released in 1971. It's followed with tracks from every Be Bop Deluxe recording, and contains rare B-sides and extraneous material. Disc two ends with his first recordings after the breakup of Be Bop in 1978, when he emerged as Bill Nelson's Red Noise in 1979; the latter's only recordings were the album Sound on Sound and the EP Revolt Into Style. The final track on disc two is the A-side single, "Do You Dream I Colour," under Nelson's own name in 1980. Then begins a wondrously illuminating, four-disc trawl through Nelson's labyrinthine solo career. These discs are made up equally of '80s home studio tapes of his commissions for theater and cinema, ambient works and songs, and his more formally produced recordings, such as his two albums as Orchestra Arcana. They move into the '90s with his formal return to songwriting and recording with an ambition and execution that puts David Bowie to shame. There are cuts from the stellar Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars, Jukebox for Jet Boy, Practically Wired...Or How I Became Guitar Boy, After the Satellite Sings, and Atom Shop, to mention a few. There are numerous sides from 12" EPs and 7" singles provided as well. Disc seven is devoted to Nelson's material from the first decade of the new century, of which there were 15 albums! This disc offers tracks that display Nelson's requisite sense of humor (three album titles: Stargazing with Ranger Bill, Alchemical Adventures with Sailor Bill, Golden Memories of Tomorrow), as well as his vast experimentation with a wide array of styles, from shimmering acoustic guitar workouts to electro-jazz constructs to majestic ambient works to intimate classical tone poems, all infused with 21st century futurism. The final disc in the package compiles tracks from John Peel's and David "Kid" Jensen's shows at the BBC's Radio One in the '80s. In sum, while it's an intimidating amount of material, it is more than worth going through. Despite Nelson's relative obscurity in North America, he is followed and celebrated across the rest of the globe. Aside from his well-deserved reputation as a gifted guitarist, Nelson is one of Britain's most original and creative artists. His astonishing diversity and mastery of so many musical styles is singular in contemporary music. ~Thom Jurek, Rovi

Product Notes

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.

Track Listing

		Track #		Title
1.		1		Photograph (A Beginning)
1.		2		Northern Dreamer
1.		3		See It Through
1.		4		Love's A Way
1.		5		Be Bop Deluxe - Teenage Archangel
1.		6		Be Bop Deluxe - Jets At Dawn (Smile Single Version)
1.		7		Be Bop Deluxe - Axe Victim (Previously Unreleased)
1.		8		Be Bop Deluxe - Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape
1.		9		Be Bop Deluxe - Darkness L'Immoraliste
1.		10		Be Bop Deluxe - Night Creatures
1.		11		Be Bop Deluxe - Music In Dreamland
1.		12		Be Bop Deluxe - Maid In Heaven
1.		13		Be Bop Deluxe - Jean Cocteau
1.		14		Be Bop Deluxe - Sister Seagull
1.		15		Be Bop Deluxe - Between The Worlds
1.		16		Be Bop Deluxe - Swan Song
1.		17		Be Bop Deluxe - Crystal Gazing
1.		18		Be Bop Deluxe - Heavenly Homes
1.		19		Be Bop Deluxe - Ships In The Night
1.		20		Be Bop Deluxe - Crying To The Sky (Alternate Guitar Solo- Previously Unreleased)
1.		21		Be Bop Deluxe - Sleep That Burns
1.		22		Modern Music
1.		23		Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)
1.		24		Honeymoon On Mars
1.		25		Lost In The Neon World
1.		26		Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids
1.		27		Modern Music (Reprise)
1.		28		Be Bop Deluxe - Kiss Of Light
1.		29		Be Bop Deluxe - Forbidden Lovers
1.		30		Be Bop Deluxe - Down On Terminal Street
1.		31		Be Bop Deluxe - Life In The Air Age (Live)
1.		32		Be Bop Deluxe - Piece Of Mine (Live)
1.		33		Be Bop Deluxe - Blimps
1.		34		Be Bop Deluxe - Futurist Manifesto
1.		35		Be Bop Deluxe - Lovers Are Mortal
1.		36		Be Bop Deluxe - Surreal Estate
1.		37		Be Bop Deluxe - Visions Of Endless Hope
1.		38		Be Bop Deluxe - Panic In The World (Juan Les Pins Mix)
1.		39		Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric)
1.		40		Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Revolt Into Style
1.		41		Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Furniture Music
1.		42		Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Stay Young (Live)
1.		43		Bill Nelson's Red Noise - Out Of Touch (Live)
1.		44		Do You Dream In Colour?
3.		1		Banal
1.		46		Banal
1.		47		Life Runs Out Like Sand
1.		48		Living In My Limousine
1.		49		Mr. Magnetism Himself
1.		50		Sleep
1.		51		Opium
1.		52		Near East
1.		53		The Funeral
1.		54		The Sonambulist And The Children
1.		55		The Dream Dance Of Jane And The Sonambulist
1.		56		Beauty And The Beast
1.		57		The Enchanted Glove
1.		58		Eros Arriving
1.		59		Hope For The Heartbeat
1.		60		A Private View
1.		61		The October Man
1.		62		The Passion
1.		63		Echo In Her Eyes (The Lamps Of Oblivion)
1.		64		Glow World
1.		65		The Real Adventure
1.		66		Acceleration (Short Version)
1.		67		Happily Addicted To You
1.		68		The Last Summer For Dancing
1.		69		Les Amoureux
1.		70		Another Kiss For Your Slender Neck
1.		71		The Eternal Female
1.		72		Sleeplessness
1.		73		The Golden Bough
1.		74		Tomorrowland (The Threshold Of 1947)
1.		75		Sacrament
1.		76		Over Ocean
1.		77		Perfido Incanto
1.		78		City One
1.		79		Blue Sky
1.		80		To The Sea In Ships
1.		81		Suvasini
1.		82		Contemplation
1.		83		Wildest Dreams
1.		84		The Hidden Flame
1.		85		Illusions Of You
1.		86		Search And Listen
1.		87		Right Then Left
1.		88		Iconography
1.		89		Clock Conscious
1.		90		At The Gates Of The Singing Garden
1.		91		Water Of Life (Transfiguration)
1.		92		Spinning Creatures
1.		93		The Angel At The Western Window
1.		94		Day Of Eternity
1.		95		Night Tides
1.		96		Finis Gloria Mundi
1.		97		Calling Heaven, Calling Heaven
1.		98		Deva Dance
1.		99		Um, Ah Good Evening
1.		100		Short Wave
1.		101		Aqua Magica
1.		102		Heros De Lumiere
1.		103		Kiss Goodbye
1.		104		Dreams Of Yesterday
1.		105		Playing Jesus To Her Judas
1.		106		Still Waiting
1.		107		Feels Like Up To Me
1.		108		Only Love Can Tell
1.		109		Broken
1.		110		Heartbreak Thru The Telephone
1.		111		Love's Immortal Shining Angel
1.		112		Man On Fire
1.		113		Aeroplane Wings
1.		114		Stay With Me
1.		115		A Luminous Kind Of Guy
1.		116		Is This Alchemy
1.		117		Wait For Tomorrow
1.		118		God Man Slain
1.		119		Boat To Forever
1.		120		The Invisible Man And The Unforgettable Girl
1.		121		Dream Ships Set Sail
1.		122		Crimsworth Part One (Excerpt)
1.		123		Big Noise In Twang Town
1.		124		Pink Buddah Blues
1.		125		Her Presence In Flowers
1.		126		Big River
1.		127		The Big Illumination
1.		128		Buddah Head
1.		129		Begin To Burn
1.		130		Heaven's Happy Hemisphere
1.		131		It's All True
1.		132		Year 44 (The Birthday Song)
1.		133		Dreamnoise And Angel
1.		134		No Fool For You
1.		135		On A Train I Never Boarded
1.		136		Hold On To Your Heart
1.		137		Deeply Dazzled
1.		138		Memory Babe
1.		139		Zoom Sequence
1.		140		Quarter Moons And Stars
1.		141		Candyland
1.		142		Sun At Six Windows
1.		143		Queer Weather
1.		144		The Girl I Never Forgot
1.		145		Pointing At The Moon
1.		146		Dreamland Avenue
1.		147		Humming In The Void / Girl With The Thousand Watt Smile
1.		148		Big Yellow Moon
1.		149		Planet Of Guitars
1.		150		Wonderful Weather In Woodgates Lane
1.		151		The Ceremonial Arrival Of The Great Golden Cloud
1.		152		Moments Catch Fire On The Crests Of Waves
7.		10		Superserene
7.		11		Young Dreams Whirled Away
1.		155		Cascade (Improvisation For Three Harp Guitars)
1.		156		Superserene
1.		157		Young Dreams Whirled Away
1.		158		Fearless Beauty (Kisses And Cream)
1.		159		The Golden Days Of Radio (Compact Mix)
1.		160		The Trace We Left When All Was Gone
1.		161		Once I Had A Time Machine
1.		162		Music Spins My Globe
1.		163		Moon Gold Palladium
1.		164		Rooms With Brittle Views
1.		165		Stay Young
1.		166		Sleep Cycle
1.		167		Jazz
1.		168		Dancing On A Knife's Edge
1.		169		Time Tracking
1.		170		Contemplation
1.		171		Indiscretion
		#		Title
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