ALBUM NOTES:
 

Stand By: Light Coming... is an album of songs issued on the Sonoluxe label in a limited edition of 1000 copies.

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The Stand By: Light Coming... album was recorded between January and April 2019, in parallel with a separate project, currently unreleased, called Cathode Paintbox. It was the first new Bill Nelson CD to be sold through Burning Shed, who took over from Sound on Sound as the official on-line outlet for Bill Nelson's music following an announcement to this effect on 1 February 2019. This new arrangement allows Bill Nelson fans to pre-order his new music in advance of its official release date, an arrangement that Sound on Sound hadn't been able to offer.

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The recordings making up this album are likely to be amongst the last completed on Nelson's trusted recording and mixing set up that have served him so well since 2002. This operational change stemmed from Nelson's Mackie D8B mixing console having become unreliable and expensive to repair. Consequently this necessitated a major shift to a computer-based system, requiring Nelson to invest considerable time in becoming familiar with his new equipment.

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Amongst the guitars used on these recordings were two new acquisitions – a Backlund Super 100 MDX purchased by Nelson's fan base in honour of his 70th birthday the previous December and a Musicvox Space Cadet that Nelson acquired from the funds left over from the donations received for the birthday gift.  

     

The album began life with the working title of Vulcan Street but by Mid-February Nelson was having second thoughts about this title (and eventually its original title track). Having wrestled with this issue for 2 months Nelson finally abandoned the original album title on 16 April 2019 and from the 25 pieces composed since January 2019 assembled a 15 track album with the title Stand By: Light Coming... One of the tracks included on this album, 'My Shadow Cast By Midnight Moon', is an outtake from Auditoria recorded in 2018. The surplus material from the January to May 2019 sessions were then either used for The Last Lamplighter companion release or rejected altogether.

 

Stand By: Light Coming... was mastered at Fairview by John Spence on 11 May 2019 with a pre-order announcement by Burning Shed on 27 June 2019.

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With the album successfully mastered, Nelson turned his attention to the album artwork. Assembly of the sleeve design fell to Martin Bostock working with images that Nelson had selected as the album neared completion. 

 

Stand By: Light Coming... sold out in March 2021.

CURRENT AVAILABILITY:

Available for purchase as a digital download here in the Dreamsville Store.

 

IF YOU LIKED THIS ALBUM, YOU'LL PROBABLY ENJOY:

Auditoria, Joy Through Amplification, Fancy Planets, That Old Mysterioso, Orpheus In Ultraland,

The Last Lamplighter
     

BILL'S THOUGHTS:

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"Stand By: Light Coming… is a 15 track, vocal-based album recorded in my home studio earlier this year. If there is a point of unity to the album's diverse sounds, it could be said that it generally uses the enigmatic nature of 'time' as its theme. Images of watches and clocks abound in the lyrics which deal with the increasing rush of time and the rapid retreat of the past into nostalgia. Vocal and electric guitar-driven, it plots a path of aggressive melancholia and offers a meditation on impermanence."

 

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"Finally knocked the new album into shape. Have arrived at a running order and chosen which tracks should be used and which left off.  So, 'STAND BY: LIGHT COMING…' is now ready to go to Fairview studios for John Spence to master prior to manufacture. I'll need to fix up a date for the mastering as I think John is pretty busy at the moment.

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"There will be 15 tracks on the album in total but, even so, there are still 10 tracks left over, either as 'rejects' or simply because there wasn't enough room for them."

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"Some changes to the content of the album...I discovered a few songs left over from the 'Auditoria' sessions that I'd forgotten about and will try to incorporate a couple of them into this latest album. One of these is the song 'The Woman Of Tomorrow' which I've revisited and remixed. I guess things aren't finished until they're finished..."

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"Stand By: Light Coming... surprised me by the way it revealed its inner meaning. Hearing the songs in their correct order at Fairview showed that the songwriting 'theme' as such is all about Time. Time passing, our perceptions of time, the need to make the most of the time we have left to us, and the way that time and memory are inextricably intertwined. Images of clocks ticking through the night abound in these songs.

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"The other thing that emerged from listening to the album is the deep sense of melancholy in many of the songs, and the frustration and anger that life 'runs out like sand', (to quote a lyric from my 'Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam' album from the early 1980s.)

Maybe I've had an awareness of the brevity of life from a young age. I can remember thinking about this kind of thing when I was still a very young child...

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"So, 'Stand By: Light Coming...' can perhaps be described as 'music for aging melancholiacs.' It has a lot of sadness, but a sadness tinged with joy...like dark clouds surrounded by golden rays. It should ring rusty bells for people of a 'certain age' but may also bring younger listeners to a more acute awareness of how precious every moment of life is. A cliché, I know, but life is all too brief, even if we're lucky enough to live long enough to make a real mark on it..."

 

FAN THOUGHTS:

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Bill Connor-Clark:

"This is possibly the best CD Bill has produced for years, the fantastic opening track is a gateway to a CD that is all killer and no filler."
 

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Alan:

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"I just listened for the first time, and what a powerful album this is. A great first release for the year!

Our Bill does Bill Nelson better than anyone.

I'm looking forward to the album further revealing itself over time."

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Michael:

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"Have had two listens and first impressions are that, wow, this is really chock-full and Bill seems to be pulling out all the stops. I'm hearing similarities to Satellite Songs and gasp...Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars.

I don't know if the Brits have this expression, and maybe it's me being an American southerner, but this is a 'humdinger'!"

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lee_elliot59:

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"My copy arrived last Saturday and it's been my work commute companion all week.

Gotta say, this one knocked me over immediately and is up there will my favorite Bill albums.

Ironically, I can't get 'No Room In My Head' out of my head. What a deliciously funky track."

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Neill Burgess:

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"Loving the new album, Bill! Lots of really great tracks (especially enjoying the opener).

I know we all keep saying it, but how on earth do you maintain this level of creativity?"

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