I read through the revived "Practical Dreamers" tour (1981) thread with great interest.
I'm not up to date on the circulating, unofficial, live Bill Nelson tapes (bootlegs), but my old holdings contain quite a few early ones that are great or at least fascinating/pleasing.
Numerous artists have pursued monetizing unofficial recordings. Zappa did it decades ago ("beat the boots"), Joy Division has released quite a few audience recordings, Gang of Four cleared the decks a couple of years ago (on Spotify at least), and I've bought a few Pere Ubu bootlegs directly from Pere Ubu (via Bandcamp).
Of the early solo Nelson material, I would call out the Leicester show from the Invisibility Exhibition (2/26/83). The sonics of the recording are great, and it is a magnificent demonstration of Bill, Ian, and tapes.
I've been a super-fan of "Trial by Intimacy" since it was released, and I'd say that "Chamber of Dreams" is the least interesting of the four albums in it, because it is backing tracks without the intended live guitar and sax parts added. Everything else in the box is a finished home recording.
The Leicester "Invisibility Exhibition" tape is a revelation in this context.
Of all the BN live bootlegs I have, it's the tape I'd say should absolutely be made available to all Nelson fans. The later London tape, and possibly tapes I've never heard, can provide additional tracks. I wonder if Bill has tapes of every performance and if there could be a definitive/complete "bootleg series" release of The Invisibility Exhibition.
Thanks Kid - never heard that before. ("I got a gal in Kalamazoo zoo zoo")
Here's a track from the Leicester "Invisibility Exhibition" tape (2/26/83) that isn't represented on any album. Informally known as "Amateur Astronomer."