Bill Nelson is both an enigma and a highly public person whose motivations sometimes seem shrouded in complex mysteries, yet whose sometimes prodigious output amounts to public development of song ideas and musical experiments. He has been both a guitar hero and the background figure in any number of art installations, exhibitions and theatrical presentations. Nelson has nonetheless built up a strong and loyal fan base around the world.

Nelson's career began in earnest with the recording and release of a solo album, Northern Dream, which was financed by the owner of the Record Bar, a local Wakefield record store. The initial pressing was limited to 250 copies one of which found its way to BBC disc jockey John Peel. This resulted in the executives from EMI's Harvest label contacted Nelson with the intention of having him record for the label.

Nelson formed Be Bop Deluxe, which remained together until the recording of Drastic Plastic in 1978, by which time the mantle of guitar hero was beginning to weight heavy on Nelson, who was intent on expanding his horizons. The band had quickly developed a reputation for quirky songs and musical pyrotechnics, facets demonstrated both in the studio and in a live context -- Live! In the Air Age remains a brilliant document of a greatlive band.

Red Noise was the next phase of Nelson's plan for life, originally intended to begin with Drastic Plastic -- never the same thing twice, in either musicians or styles. Sound on Sound was a fluid, expert document that demonstrated Nelson's ability to experiment.

Abandoning the Red Noise experiment, Nelson reworked the album and released Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam via Mercury Records. This period proved to be the commercial peak of Nelson's career. For Nelson, the main advantage of this was that he was able to completely rebuild his home studio, providing him with the facility to experiment more and more, resulting in the release of the first Orchestra Arcana album, which combined synthesized soundscapes with sound bites and tape loops. Nelson also worked with many others, including Gary Numan, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Harold Budd.

While the various wrangles somewhat derailed Nelson personally, nothing seemed to slow him down when it came to productivity; in fact, it appears that stress improves his output.

Working as hard as ever into the 1990s, Nelson continued to produce and collaborate with other artists, facilitated by new management. His solo output became somewhat sporadic, with Luminous appearing in 1991 and several other albums, each on different labels, appearing in the years afterwards, though he has recently returned to normal with the limited-edition releases of My Secret Studio and Confessions of a Hyperdreamer, totaling six full CDs of songs, instrumentals and sonic experiments. Practically Wired...Or How I Became Guitarboy is a first guitar instrumental album, while After the Satellite Sings both experiments with the new territory of drum 'n bass while reflecting the kind of styles Nelson had eschewed as being too evocative of Be Bop Deluxe and his guitar-hero days.

He has worked on film, television and video scores, directed a variety of videos, toured as part of Heroes De Lumiere with his brother Ian, worked with Roger Eno, Laraaji and Kate St. John under the Channel Light Vessel name. Flashlight Dreams and Fleeting Shadows is the next chapter in Bill Nelson story, His first DVD offering, mixing a old and new pieces to his visuals produced in that typical 'Nelsonian' way.

An essential DVD for both Nelson aficionados and lovers of well crafted music alike.