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Plaything Bill Nelson album - 25 January 2004 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) The Revenge Of The Man In The Burning Ice-Cream Van 02) A Prayer To Sleep With Mercurial Women 03) Come To Me In My Dreams 04) Beauty In A Sparkly Bra 05) Nipples Of Venus 06) The Embarkation Song Of The Last Fast Airship 07) Luana 08) Spanish Galleons Cruise The Sunrise 09) Lagoon 10) Lost Planet Sunset 11) Six Legged Critter Singing In The Trees 12) Rainclouds Over Paris Of My Dreams ALBUM NOTES: Plaything is an album of guitar instrumentals issued in a one off pressing of 500 copies on the Universal Twang label. Much of the material on this album stemmed from the same sessions that had produced The Romance of Sustain . Plaything was first made available on the evening Nelson performed a solo set at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford. As with Nelsonica '03 , attendees could purchase a second copy to forward to fans who couldn't attend the show. The few remaining copies were then made available for sale at the Rooms With Brittle Views website. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY: Romance of Sustain , Plectrajet , Dreamland to Starboard , Custom Deluxe , Wah-Wah Galaxy , Sparkle Machine , Gleaming Without Lights , Loom , Astroloops , And We Fell Into A Dream , Quiet Bells , Awakening of Dr Dream BILL'S THOUGHTS: " Plaything is a unique album in some ways, (and not least because it has absolutely wonderful cover art by my friend Frank Olinsky). "There are some unusual tracks on the album, covering a lot of guitar oriented, musical-instrumental territory ie: twisted, wah-wah, avant noise guitar and free-jazz piano on the track "The Revenge of the Man in the Burning Ice-Cream Van". Romantic, nostalgic sonic cinema in "The Embarkation Song of The Last Fast Airship". And psycho-erotic music in "A Prayer to Sleep with Mercurial Women" as well as poetic, yearning, melancholic dreaminess in "Raincloud Over Paris of My Dreams". "It's perhaps a slightly overlooked album of mine...but nonetheless a deeply satisfying one, at least in my opinion." _____ "The Embarkation Song of The Last Fast Airship": "an 'operatic' guitar instrumental, (if you can imagine such a thing). Flying from a flowery meadow across a crystal cityscape whose architecture looks like a combination of a 'Little Nemo' dreamtown and the 1920's towers of 'Metropolis'. The airship floats away to the coast, carrying its gorgeously attired passengers into an art-deco sunset." _____ "A darkly erotic listening suggestion..."A Prayer to Sleep with Mercurial Women" from the Plaything album. This track uses various noisy by-products of amplification and the muted crackle of acoustic ambience as a backdrop for a piece that sounds, to my ears at least, like a half-demented, perverse Flamenco player, struggling with a steel stringed acoustic guitar whilst simultaneously trying to resist being sexually entertained by a crazy, full-bosomed, high-heeled bordello madam wielding a vintage 1950's tremolo unit. Our poor guitar player, after experiencing a little more mercurial shenanigans than he'd initially bargained for, finally exits on a rattling tram, vowing to be more careful about what he prays for in future." FAN THOUGHTS: Westdeep: "Plaything is an essential purchase. For me it is one of a golden trio from that period along with The Romance of Sustain and Dreamland to Starboard . They are all subtly different but all wonderful instrumental albums...Wonderful stuff." Douglas Barry: "The album was inspired after Bill received a gift, and listening to it again I wondered if this might have been an early seedling that eventually blossomed into Signals From Realms of Light . Either way, for me, both albums demonstrate Bill's unique talent and consummate inventiveness with sound beyond the guitar that remains undiminished from one year to the next. And long may his muse cajole him!" Peter: "This is a really fun album. Just have to say that the song titles on this one brought a smile to my face. The music had me grinning more than a few times also, with joy. A couple tracks feature acoustic guitar, which is nice to hear, as Bill can really play. "Lagoon" stands up for me with anything Bill has done recently and "Rainclouds Over Paris of My Dreams" is an ethereal wonderland. One can sense that Bill really enjoyed making this one. And, not to be overlooked, the cover design is fantastic!" fricker: "Well, just sitting in the garden wondering which album to play and plucked Plaything out. What a choice! Forgot how good it is. Anyway, was drifting when "Lagoon" came on. What an atmospheric track that is. I could have been on a dessert island! And before anyone says it - No I haven't had a drink or anything else. Fantastic Bill. You put me in the Caribbean for the price of a CD." wadcorp: "Absolutely love Bill's work with samples. "Come to Me in My Dreams" is one of my top fave Bill tracks. The voices capture my imagination in that one." Sue: "Come to Me in My Dreams": "I remember the house where I was born" fits so beautifully into the music on that track, I love it. And I also love "Come to Me in My Dreams" so much that I had it tattooed onto my wrist. In fact, I love Plaything , it's a fabulous CD." Pathdude: "Lost Planet Sunset": "is one of my all time faves. Definitely the highlight of the album for me." james warner: "A strong, but judicious use of guitar effects creates a series of beautiful instrumental soundscapes. Music to float away on!" Dar: "Just have to say that this is now on my Top Five List of Bill's releases. Headphone heaven, baby. Hypnotic dreamsville of guitars and noises from an electrified wonderland. Impossible to even choose only 5, yet this one is filled with so much that is quintessential Bill that it's an easy pick." "Six-Legged Critter Singing in the Trees": "This track is my favorite example of an evolving, loop-constructed piece that just keeps on morphing subtly from one minute to the next. It stays in the same general area and becomes more detailed and embellished...6-legged changes it's skins but not its bones, and became an instant classic as soon as I heard it; utterly engaging and hypnotic. It's more about playing various parts over the basic loop rhythm and chord progression; whatever, the effect is amazing and I always wished more were like this." Albums Menu Future Past

Loose Routes: One album - 1991 various artists Production/Contribution Menu Future Past BILL: Guitar on three tracks:- "A Little Bit Of Nelsonia", "Outro To The Friend" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy". Production/Contribution Menu Future Past

After The Satellite Sings Bill Nelson album - 30 April 1996 Albums Menu Future Past Purchase this download TRACKS: 01) Deeply Dazzled 02) Dreamster 2.L.R. 03) Flipside 04) Streamliner 05) Memory Babe 06) Skull Baby Cluster 07) Zoom Sequence 08) Rocket To Damascus 09) Beautiful Nudes 10) Old Goat 11) Squirm 12) Wow! It's Scootercar Sexkitten! 13) Phantom Sedan (Theme From Tail-Fin City) 14) Ordinary Idiots 15) V-Ghost (For Harold And Ellen) 16) Blink-Agog Digital download version bonus tracks: 17) Ordinary Idiots (Original Demo) 18) Ordinary Idiots (Live At Nelsonica 03 ) ALBUM NOTES: After the Satellite Sings is the third album recorded for Resurgence, and saw Nelson return to Fairview Studios over the Winter of 1995 to produce what would be his final album recorded in a commercial studio. After this, all of his solo output would come from his domestic recording set-up. The album is predominantly a vocal album that crosses several styles, including the then emerging drum 'n' bass genre that was a dominant part of the dance music scene in the '90s. Although promo material suggests the US release of After the Satellite Sings (on Gyroscope) was issued two weeks ahead of the UK version, their release dates appear to be effectively the same (US releases were typically issued on Tuesdays, UK on Mondays). The album was promoted with a 3 track 12" white label single (Nelson's final vinyl release for 16 years), which was issued free to subscribers of the Nelsonian Navigator . In the US, a 4 track CD promo entitled Four Songs From After the Satellite Sings was issued to promote the album, on which the track 'Dreamster 2.L.R' was called 'Tomorrow Yesterday'. A remastered version of After The Satellite Sings , was reissued in 2014 under the Esoteric/Cherry Red record label. In May 2025, the digital download version of After The Satellite Sings was released which included two bonus tracks: Ordinary Idiots (Original Demo) which was recorded at Bill's home studio prior to recording the main album, and Ordinary Idiots (Live At Nelsonica 03) recorded at 'The Duke Of Cumberland' in North Ferriby, with Bill's band at the time - 'The Lost satellites'. CURRENT AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store . BILL'S THOUGHTS: "After the Satellite Sings is one of my favourite albums. In fact it functions as a key element amongst my recorded work and is an album that has apparently inspired other artists....Which is nice! "I had a great time making this album and it features some new departures for me. The whole project was written, performed, recorded and mixed in an intense 28 day session at Fairview studios, and despite the short amount of time available in the studio, I'm very pleased with the outcome." _____ "The album was an attempt to fuse rock and pop songwriting with the then cutting-edge rhythms of 'drum n' bass'. The album apparently inspired and influenced David Bowie's later 'Earthling' album, (according to then Bowie collaborator and guitarist Reeves Gabrels). It's an album I'm personally very fond of as, aside from the cool grooves it contains, it features some poetic lyrics and highly electrical guitar playing." _____ "At the start of the project, I went into the studio with no songs written or demo'd, just a rough idea of the overall concept and how I wanted the album to feel. I wrote the music as I recorded it, basically putting ideas to tape as soon as they came to me. It was a rush of inspiration, structures captured quickly whilst still materialising. "I would then take a cassette of a monitor mix, of whatever track I'd recorded that day, back to the hotel and, using a little ghetto blaster to hear it, sit on the edge of my hotel bed and dream up lyrics to suit the song. Next morning, I'd record a vocal using the previous night's lyrics, working out the melody lines as we ran through the piece. And so on, day by day until the album was completed and ready to mix. A continuous process from day one, (with absolutely zero preparation and no pre-composed music), to finished, mixed album. Some bands would still have been trying to get a drum sound together." _____ "I recall driving from Albuquerque to Phoenix, back in the 1970's. What a romantic, fabulous trip that was. Listen to those beat generation influenced tracks that are hidden away on After The Satellite Sings and you'll pick up on my U.S. romantic fantasies..." ALBUM REVIEWS: Review by Dmitry M. Epstein FAN THOUGHTS: Puzzleoyster: "The essential, and still essential, groundbreaking, After the Satellite Sings . That album broke my nuts for sure - you got an hour of pure." Bloonoise: "You's can name all the classic albums you like but if I ever got marooned on some desert island this is the album I'd pick to go with me above all others and I'd probably never want to leave either!!! Yeah that's the stuff for me-ee." Tony Raven: "I had one to simply recommend, it'd be After the Satellite Sings , an excellent range of depth & complexity, yet (in my opinion) the one that'd most readily gain widest airplay, as the nuances don't overshadow the "pop sensibilities"." Peter: "A big favorite of mine...I remember listening to this album for the first time upon its release and thinking that it possessed a sense of optimism and raw energy that I loved." "The whole thing just DOES IT from beginning to end. As with all Bill's work, it can be described as INSPIRED." Johnny Jazz: "One of my favourite albums, it's got a few wonderful 'Grooves' and 'Chops' this one." Da kril: "The sonic masterpiece that is After the Satellite Sings - each track more bona fide than the last, all fairly crackling with energy and invention." alec: "Wow! It's Scootercar Sexkitten": "is an irresistible number that is just the right length (leaves listener wanting more). I liked "Squirm" right away, too, for many reasons and one of those reasons was that it made me laugh. There's just so much going on in the track and I always appreciate when Bill throws in a strange-sounding voice. Eventually got addicted to all the tracks." paul.smith: "Deeply Dazzled": "is a superb track - the whole album took me by surprise in the mid 90's - it took a bit of time to settle in to it all those years ago but...16 years later...no ipod shuffle for that album - suffice to say...lower the lights, light the lamps and keep all channels clear, say a few mantras, turn off the mobile and listen to the whole thing in its entirety - a seminal album of the 90s." Dar: "That scratchy, staccato lead sound, at the same time the notes flow freely and fluently...I mean, who does that?!. Our Man Flint, that's who. "Old Goat" is still my top pick; always was and always will be. I'll never get over the perfect solos on that; it just has a sublime, mystical quality to it, while driving all the way in an epic groove." "The story in that song was like nothing I'd ever heard in a song at that time, woven in such colorfully descriptive ways. A great tapestry of images; a contrasting and complimentary mix of airy, esoteric musings, serious mystical evolutions, and playful, visceral goat-dancing. I was already hooked, but that was a song for my soul; I thought "here's a man of vision, and I like what he sees"." A Lad Inane: "Rocket to Damascus": "is one of those songs that I always put on repeat. It's catchy, energetic, well produced, multi-layered, and downright fun." soteloscope: "Zoom Sequence": "Groovalicious bassline in the middle and at the ending. Total disco dancing warfare going on." Merikan1: "When you get around to it, crank up "Ordinary Idiot". Holy sh*t Batman!" Jon Wallinger: "This album is one that is very close to my heart. Bill borrowed my keyboard for the recording sessions at Fairview Studios and it still brings a smile to my face hearing some of the distinctive sounds used." December Man: "Oh, what joy awaited me when I walked into a small 'used' record store to find a NEW BILL NELSON CD there for sale! And you could 'sample' it ahead of time! Ear phones soon leaped onto my head, and though the drumming felt completely alien for a BN record, the lyrics, the guitars, the vocals were just so familiar and such a welcoming noise for sore ears, I began to blissfully writhe right there in the aisle! ATSS made me fall in love with that BN sound all over again, but in a new way and with the internet now available, I soon bought my first computer and, of course, magically, joyfully, gratefully found that Bill had never really gone away, and that there was a 'community' of Nelsonians out there (the old website) and now here we are!" JovialBob: "I was also knocked over when I got After the Satellite Sings and couldn't stop playing it with a huge grin on my face." "I have to say that for pure musical energy and excitement it has to be After the Satellite Sings cos this is the album I come back to over and over. For me it is just such a complete record. Almost every track is a winner and when I attempt to wake people up to the genius of Mr N, this is the most grooooovy and exciting album to entice them with...Don't wait - Get ATSS !" Albums Menu Future Past

Readers of this journal may be wondering why I haven’t posted an entry for quite some time. The last time I wrote was in June 2022 which, even for me, is a heck of a long time ago. The reason for the journal’s absence is rather complicated to explain. Obviously, much has happened that would now take several pages to recount, if I could even remember it all. But let me attempt to at least dance around my existentialist handbag, whilst avoiding emptying its messy contents all over the ballroom floor. To be honest, I think I’ve been feeling rather low for some time. Depressed? Well, maybe, though I’ve always fought against that possibility. But several things have pushed me in that direction of late. I caught some sort of prolonged cold/flu virus a few weeks ago which left me feeling weak. Still not fully recovered. Thought it might have been Covid at first but a test proved negative, so some other bug perhaps. Another thing that I’ve found hard to deal with is the news of so many musician’s deaths these last few months: Jeff Beck, David Crosby, Terry Hall, Jet Black of The Stranglers, Angelo Badalamenti, Alan Rankine, Charlie Gracie, Yukihero Takahashi, and today the sad news of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passing. The last two names have a personal poignancy for me as I worked with both Yuki and Ryuichi in Yellow Magic Orchestra in the ‘80s and also with Yuki on his, (and my,) solo projects back then. Yuki was also my wife Emiko’s ex-husband. Both Yuki and Ryuichi had valiantly battled with cancer for some time but, in the end, defeating it was no longer possible. We had been in touch with Ryuichi via email on occasion during his last few years so knew that things were deteriorating to some degree, but this morning’s sad news came as a real blow. Emiko had known Yuki and Ryuichi since they were students at University in Tokyo in the 1960s and she was witness to the formation of YMO after Yuki’s time as drummer for The Sadistic Mika Band in the ‘70s. It’s fair to say that YMO were the biggest band in Japan back then, a remarkable three-piece who took the Kraftwerk template to another level entirely. Working with them was a wonderful experience for me, as was later touring Japan in Yuki’s band and having him play on my ‘Chimera’ album. The joint rhythm section of Yuki on drums and the late Mick Karn on Bass gave that album so much punch. Sad too, the sudden passing of Jeff Beck. I attended his concert in York last summer as a VIP guest, (thanks to a generous gift of tickets from the Nelsonica Team.) Jeff was on good form and very loud. He played a great version of Link Wray’s ‘Rumble’ which took me back to my teenage years of listening to American guitar instrumental music. Jeff, like me, had a fondness for that stuff. Coming away from that concert, I had no idea that in less than a year, Jeff would be gone. I first heard him in the ‘60s, when he was with The Yardbirds and first saw him with that group on the ’60s TV show ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ playing the song ‘Shapes Of Things.’ His Indian influenced solo on that performance made a great impression on me, akin to later seeing Jimi Hendrix’s first TV appearance, (also on ‘Ready, Steady, Go.’ ) Jeff always had his own unique tone and touch, especially with his sensitive use of the guitar’s vibrato arm. I’ve noted elsewhere in my journal entries how I met him briefly at a Classic Rock Magazine’s Awards Ceremony. It was good to shake his hand and thank him for his inspiration. Another thing adding to my low mood of late has been the further deterioration of my eye sight. On top of my Diabetes related and age related macular degeneration, I now have been diagnosed with Glaucoma. My driving licence came up for renewal and I had to take a DVLA sight test to get the licence renewed. Unfortunately, my eyesight was not up to scratch so I can no longer legally drive. I’ve been driving since I was old enough, way back in the ’60s so the loss of my licence has dealt me a really low blow. I’ve always enjoyed driving but have now lost the freedom and independence that owning a car allows. Now I have to rely on Emiko to take me anywhere, though I have to accept that sometimes she may not always be available to do so. Emi hates driving anyway, whilst I loved it. One of life’s ironies, I guess. To try and keep my mind off darker thoughts, I continue to pursue my endless recording session. The list of completed tracks now far exceeds the list I posted in last year’s journal entry. I’ve been on a roll, recording both vocal and instrumental tracks. A huge amount of work done and I need to start selecting and assembling tracks into some sort of coherent album form. The newest album I’m working on will be titled ‘Guitars Of Tomorrow.’ The title speaks for itself. But I also have tracks set aside for an album called ‘Starlight Stories’ and one titled ‘Fables Of The Future.’ However, the next release this year will be ‘All The Fun Of The Fair’ which I completed towards the end of last year. It awaits packaging artwork which I have been somewhat lax in preparing but plan to make a start on this very soon. But there are still a handful of albums from the last five or so years which have yet to see the light of day. Again, artwork has to be prepared for these before they can be scheduled for release. Lots to do. Bought a new microphone a couple of months ago. It’s called ‘The Amethyst’ and is made by the JZ microphone company. It’s got a lovely warm vintage sound and I’m very impressed by it. Have been reading, (with great difficulty due to my impaired eyesight, ) Bill Frisell’s biography ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ which I’ve enjoyed and found it resonating with my own life. I’ve also recently bought a biography of Merle Travis which I will attempt to read soon. Now I must end here as typing is increasingly difficult, even using an enlarged font size. But, as always as the evening begins, I will be switching on my studio and engaging with my music. A life saver in many ways. Tonight I’m mixing a new track titled ‘Mr Wizard Takes A Trip.’ This one will be allocated to the ‘Guitars Of Tomorrow’ album. All for now. I’ll try not to leave it so long ’till next time.

Three days ago, (Sunday 3rd July,) I spent just over seven hours in the accident and emergency department of our local hospital after suffering a very nasty fall. It was just before 1 am on Sunday morning when Emiko brought my attention to a large moth which had settled on one of her flower arrangements in our dining room. Not wanting to harm it I carefully caught it and ran to the front door to release it outside. In my haste and in the dark, I tripped over the door step and found myself hurtling to the ground where I hit my head violently on the stone flags outside the door. I felt my head crack and immediately blood gushed from the top of my head like a fountain, cascading over my face. The blood flow was profuse and frightening. Emiko rushed to my aide helping me to get up off the ground and brought kitchen towels to apply to the wound but the blood kept flowing, soaking towel after towel and refused to stop. A 999 call was made to summon an ambulance and I was told to apply a wet towel to the wound and to press down hard on it until the ambulance could get to me. A 40 minute wait was what we were told to expect but the ambulance turned up after 30 minutes. The crew checked my blood pressure and heart rate with a portable monitor. The right side of my upper lip had swollen up and my teeth at that side hurt as a result of bruising to my gums. I had badly grazed my right forearm and elbow and sprained my right wrist. The little finger on my right hand also hurt and I had grazes to my right thigh and knee. The ambulance crew said that I needed to go to the hospital’s A+E department but that I should be prepared for a wait of several hours. Emiko asked if she could come with me but they said no, so I walked shakily to the ambulance, still clutching a wet towel to my head. As the ambulance drove to the hospital, various details were logged onto the computer by one of the crew. Soon, the ambulance arrived at the hospital and I was taken into the reception of the A+E department and told to sit with other patients awaiting treatment. After a couple of hours I decided to ask at the reception desk how much longer I would have to wait to see a doctor. They told me that it probably would be another six hours. I said that my wound was still bleeding so they called a nurse who taped a gauze pad to the top of my head. Time dragged on. More casualties of different kinds arrived and sat in the waiting area, mostly young people who looked the worse for wear after a Saturday night of substance abuse or fighting. Eventually, some hours later, a doctor called my name and I followed him to his consultation room. He was a very pleasant, youngish guy who carefully inspected my wounds and put me through various tests to assess any brain injuries. He then told me that he would try to pull the head wound together with a special ‘glue’ but needed a second opinion. He left the room and returned with a lady who examined my head wound and said that there was not enough loose skin to pull the sides of the wound together but suggested trying to seal it with ‘steri-strips.’ The doctor then went to get these strips, cut them to size and carefully stuck them to the top of my head, apologising for the pain I experienced while he did so. A gauze pad was then taped on top of this before he said that I was free to go. I ’phoned Emiko who drove to the hospital to pick me up and take me home. It was around 20 past 8 am when I walked through the door where I had fallen just before 1 am. There was dried blood on the stone paving slab, on the carpet in the hall and on the dining room and kitchen floor. I was tired and suffering from the after shock of the whole thing. Next day, Emi changed the gauze pad on the top of my head for a clean one. There was still some bleeding going on but nowhere as much as when it first happened. The pad has been changed every day. I now have a GP appointment on Friday for the wound to be checked. My lip is still a little swollen and eating is somewhat painful because of the soreness in my teeth but I’ve been told that this will subside in time. I’ve had some mild headaches and bursts of pain from the would but have taken Paracetamol as instructed by the doctor. My wrist has almost recovered. I’m not allowed to wash my hair though so it is still matted with dried blood. The experience was a shock to me and thinking of it now brings a shiver, but I suppose it could have been worse. It certainly came at a bad time as I was supposed to be doing an interview with Mojo magazine tomorrow but it will have to be postponed until my GP checks the healing process and gives me the all clear. I haven’t been able to work in my studio since the accident, having been told to rest and avoid stress. Four days without touching a guitar is not like me at all. But I have a great deal of material ‘in the can’, even more than that noted in my previous journal entry, so it’s not like I need to record at the moment. There's much more I’d like to comment on, particularly the debacle surrounding Boris ‘Greasy Pig’ Johnson who is such a pathetic cretin, but all that will have to wait until next time. I’m going back to the sofa to watch tv and take more Paracetamol.

A fair, (or unfair,) amount of time has passed since my previous journal entry back in January. So much has happened since then, not least the devastating war in Ukraine due to the illegal invasion by Russia. The barbaric atrocities of the Russian army trample on all notions of honour or humanity. It’s heartbreaking to witness the suffering of the Ukrainian people on television news channels night after night. Russia’s Putin is a man without a soul, feeding outrageous lies to his people, an insidious, sly monster for our times. Where this will all end is impossible to predict, but I pray it ends with Ukraine being able to retain its independence and sovereignty. We can only hope. Went to Wakefield cemetery to lay flowers on my Mum’s mini-grave on the second anniversary of her passing in April. It’s now two years since she left us. And still she features in my dreams almost every night. My brother too passed away in April, in 2006. Their loss, along with the loss of all my early family, haunts me constantly. I still find it hard to come to terms with. The eye surgery I mentioned in my previous journal entry has been completed. My left eye was operated on in January and my right eye also underwent surgery in late February. The operations were surreal affairs, with local anaesthetic so I was aware of the whole process being performed. It wasn’t particularly painful, but certainly uncomfortable and very stressful. Any improvement to my vision is only slight but may become a little better when I’m allowed to get new prescription glasses. Have to wait for the go-ahead for that from the eye clinic. I’ve had three eye injection sessions since the operation, the first of which was incredibly painful. Horrific in fact. They’ve been very careful to administer extra aesthetic drops ever since. Emiko and I have, unfortunately, contracted Covid recently, though we are now, finally, testing negative. I caught it first, and Emiko caught it from me three days later. Where I picked it up from I have absolutely no idea. We’ve both been incredibly careful to avoid it and have steered clear of catching it through the entire first two years of the pandemic, always wearing our face masks, always using hand sanitiser and trying to keep our distance from people. But the Government has, (prematurely in my opinion,) relaxed the restrictions and people now seem to be not taking proper care anymore, foolishly acting as if it’s all over, which it clearly isn’t. At the supermarket we are among only a handful of people still wearing our masks, the majority are simply acting as if the virus is non existent. Perhaps that’s where I picked it up? Anyway, we had a very rough few days suffering with it, despite being fully vaccinated, and it took us a couple of weeks before we shook it off and eventually tested negative. We still have some lingering effects from it though, particularly fatigue. I’m hoping this isn’t ‘long Covid.’ But it’s not like me to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon, but that’s what has been happening. My energy seems very low for part of the day, though I’m managing to continue working in my studio at night when I feel up to it. And on that level there has been a lot of productivity with 53 new tracks completed so far. Some of these have been set aside for two new albums: ‘Marvellous Realms’ and ‘All The Fun Of The Fair.’ But the running orders are still undergoing changes and will probably remain in flux right up until the last moment. At some point in the near future I will have to decide how to deal with the remaining tracks from these sessions. There are definitely enough tracks left over for at least another couple of albums. I still, of course, have several unreleased albums sitting in my archives from the last five or six years. ‘Electra’ will be the first of these to see the light of day. It was meant to be released last month but my Covid infection delayed me being able to take the tracks over to John Spence at Fairview studio for mastering. (John also had a Covid infection a little earlier than myself.) However, I have now tomorrow afternoon booked with John at the studio and, once the album tracks are transferred to Fairview’s computer, they can be mastered and hopefully delivered to the factory for manufacture in the coming week or so, (once this extended Jubilee bank holiday is over.) Had a brief listen to a couple of the other of my archived albums today, ‘Phantom Fuzzbox’ and ‘Stupid-Serious.’ I was surprised by how good they sound. I haven’t heard them for a few years so it was like coming to them with the ears of a stranger. I think ‘Stupid Serious’ might be the next archive release, after the release of the newer ‘Marvellous Realms’ album . It’s fair to say that I really could sit back and not record anything more for quite a while as there is so much material awaiting release...but that would be frustrating and no fun for me at all. I simply love and embrace the recording process, and the unbounded creative dreaming that goes with it. Every day, my guitars seem to call out to me, the studio does too. I can’t imagine a day going by when I wouldn’t want to ‘make a mark’ on the virtual recording tape. It’s a joyous thing, though somewhat demanding of time and thought. But, if it’s sometimes difficult, it’s always deeply rewarding and fulfilling. It’s what I live to do. Lots of domestic duties constantly bringing this creativity down to Earth though. Django needing a vet’s very expensive attentions, car troubles, exterior house painting requiring setting up, increasing cost of living issues, guitar repairs in need of doing, etc, etc. Maintaining the creative lifestyle of a musician is not always plain sailing, though I’ve been lucky enough, (so far) in my career. And that despite some distressing and difficult moments over the years. But I’m blessed to have been able to follow my dreams for so long and to, hopefully, have those dreams continue and resonate with others. Music is a wonderful, magic thing... I could write more, particularly about this country’s lame duck/greased pig prime minister who seems to follow the old Trump style of governing this nation, albeit with added bluster, buffoonery and witlessness. But I’ll end here as I have more work to accomplish in areas that might hopefully be more kind and beneficial. So here is a list of the 53 tracks I’ve recorded in recent months and which will eventually reach the ears of those who care to hear: 1: ‘BEAMS OF LIGHT.’ 2: ‘SOME JIGGERY POKERY.’ 3: ‘A COMPASS IN MY MIND.’ 4: ‘IN THE BRIGHT TWILIGHT SKY.’ 5: ‘ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR.’ 6: ‘A MAGIC FRAME OF MIND.’ 7: ‘FAST FORWARD, SLO-MO.’ 8: ‘RUNNING FROM MY OWN SHADOW.’ 9: ‘MAN OF DREAMS.’ 10: ‘SHAPE SHIFTER.’ 11: ‘SIGNALLING AS WE GO.’ 12: ‘THE WEATHER SONG.’ 13: ‘STARS AND HALOES.’ 14: ‘BEEP BEEP BEEP.’ 15: ‘THE CLOUD ENGINEER.’ 16: ‘A DISTANT MEMORY.’ 17: ‘THIS MAY SOUND STRANGE.’ 18: ‘A LITTLE WOOZY.’ 19: ‘THE WAY OF THE WORLD.’ 20: ‘ATOMIC CORAL.’ 21: ‘MEMORIES AND RECOLLECTIONS.’ 22: ‘PUSH THE BUTTON, SPIN THE DIAL.’ 23: ‘ELEVATOR TRANSCENDANT.’ 24: ‘CHELSEA FLASH.’ 25: ‘IT’S A LONG TIME BETWEEN DREAMS.’ 26: ‘MADAME MIDNIGHT.’ 27: ‘THEME FROM AN ENGLISH ECHO CHAMBER.’ 28: ‘HERE ON EARTH.’ 29: ‘THE SILENT HOUR.’ 30: ‘WIND IT UP AND WATCH IT GO.’ 31: ‘AZTEC HELICOPTER.’ 32: ‘KEEP YOUR TELESCOPE FOCUSSED ON THE STARS.’ 33: ‘MARVELLOUS REALMS.’ 34: ‘ONE A.M.’ 35: ‘DRAGONFLY WINGS OVER STILL DARK WATERS.’ 36: ‘ECHO MIRROR ONE.’ 37: ‘DRIVING A BLUE CAR TO THE STARS.’ 38: ‘WHOOPS! I’M GOING BACK IN TIME.’ 39: ‘GLORIOUS MARCH TO THE GATE OF SPRING.’ 40: ‘AFTER THOUGHT.’ 41: ‘ONCE I DREW PICTURES WITH LAKELAND PENCILS.’ 42: ‘IMAGINARY MUSIC.’ 43: ‘NEVERNOON.’ 44: ‘THE GOLD BEYOND THE BLUE.’ 45: ’THE ILLUMINATOR.’ 46: ‘MONDO BRAVADO.’ 45: ‘THE INVISIBLE KID IN THE CORNER.’ 46: ‘SPOOKY DOINGS.’ 47: ‘THE HOUSE OF MORPHEUS.’ 48: ‘DANCE OF THE SONIC CULTURE GODS.’ 49: ‘THIS RIVER.’ 50: ‘THE MYSTIC.’ 51: ‘ALLOW ME TO INSIST.’ 52: ‘DOCTOR SONAR’S WAITING ROOM.’ 53: ‘IN MY IMAGINATION.’