Customer Reviews

Atom Shop

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Bill Nelson says in the liner notes that this is the final of a trilogy of albums (including 1995's instrumental "Practically Wired" and 1996's "After the Satellite Sings") concerning 1950's beatnik Americana played out in a modern, futuristic, and dexedrine-paced rhythm bed of guitars, keyboards, and sampled horns.

This album was meant to be fleshed out in a professional studio, but lack of funding and a change in record company (to Robert Fripp's Discipline label) only allowed the release of the home-studio produced results. Mastered by David Singleton, Nelson's home-brew sounds better than most artists' $50,000-budget disasters.

While not as diverse as After The Satellite Sings, "Atom Shop" is a fun and pleasant album of similar themes - mostly based on the writings of beat authors William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsburg. Nelson has been mining the beat field for a few years. While it's interesting to a certain extent, some may think that the interest has gone on a bit too long and it's time to get back to proper songs in a proper studio and a few guitar solos.

Despite what seems to be a bit of a negative, "Atom Shop" is a clever and, in places, a cute record. Horns dominate (my guess is they're synths or processed guitar, although they sound pretty real), as do speedy rhythms, but Bill avoids the jungle offered on several tracks on the earlier trilogy albums.

No especially memorable guitar solos - mostly just picking to enhance the mood or fill in the colors. A bit of bottleneck is heard throughout, as does some blues flavor.

"Atom Shop" may not be the CD that Be Bop Deluxe fans will flock to, but it is an interesting pop confection to keep fans satisifed.

Bill Nelson has always been a chameleon in Rock, at once accesible and mysterious. His personal music, especially those albums released in the early nineties, have contained perhaps his most successful merging of mysticsm with melodies. That is until Atom Shop. Said to be the third in a triology of albums dedicated to the influences of the Beat generation, this latest effort drifts even deeper into dense music structures, and a muddled lyricism that confuses rather than engages the listener. As an artist, Nelson has the right to grow and explore new ideas, but nothing on this record comes close to the best music of his past. This is a work of total rythmn and no melody, where songs seem to jerk along without any purpose or goal. And when the songs DO tend to find a groove, (Propeller of Legend, Popsickle Head Trip,) they are ultimatly undermined by half baked lyrical ideas. Bill Nelson is the great unheralded artist of our time. This is the first time since Futurama, that I have actually been dissapointed with one of his albums. This record must have been very personal to him, and it is his right to be very proud of it. It is of course my right to enjoy his great records of the past, Sound on Sound, Blue Moons, Buddhahead, or even the terrific Streamliner, from his last album. Sometimes being true to your influences isn't always a good thing.

Well, here it is folks, the newest release from guitar-boy himself, Bill Nelson. This release being the last in a trilogy of albums which began with "Practically Wired", & is preceeded by "After the Satellite Sings". Bill states in the album's linear notes that these songs are actually "demos", & were intentionally kept as raw & unpolished as his conscience could allow, his ultimate plan being to hire musicians & studio resources to re-work the original tracks. What of course is so amazing, is that one could not imagine a more cleanly & smoothly produced album than Atom Shop. The songs themselves are an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, break-beats, & Bill's own unique blend of guitar, & electronic programming, being heavily laiden with his trademark style of unique samples, which always manage to delight the intellect & bring a smile to the lips. The album's themes manage to swirl around ideas based in the writings of the Beat generation, & Bill's infactuation with the glittering pop-culture of America during the 50's & 60's. At first listen, it is all somewhat difficult to fully digest, but as time passes, the album really takes hold & one might find themselves not having to remove this CD from their player for days! As nearly all of Bill's recent work, the album's mood is pleasant & up-beat. Take my advice, if you're a Nelson fan, or just in search of fresh new sounds, treat yourself to Atom Shop...

Quite simply, one of the best CDs I've heard in years! A logical follow-up to "After The Satellite Sings", yet even more cohesive and inventive, "Atom Shop" is Bill Nelson's exploration of American Culture's influence on him as a young boy growing up in Britain. Richly textured, with Nelson's signature guitar weaving the entire CD into a seamless listening experience. If you remember the '50s or the '60s, the retro-futuristic artwork and lyrical references will strike a familiar chord. But whether you do or not, "Atom Shop" will find it's way into your CD player over and over again.

Bill, takes some small steps after the satellite sings, to take us more into his childhood, and his fantasy world.

Bill, takes some small steps after the satellite sings, to take us more into his childhood, and his fantasy world.

I bought Atom Shop a few years ago, so have had plenty of time to sit back and absorb it. It's a fine album from Bill - I'd recommend it.

...

This is Bill's celestial yet mundane depiction of pragmatism. The note structures cling only to residual "wool" or influx. Scott Sullivan would become deeply addicted to this one. However, I contemplate Bill's concept of ordinary language which is structured to follow the logical development of one idea.

If you get sick of hearing "modern"music that sounds like it's feet are still dragging through the worst excess and dead ends of the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's, buy this cd and settle in for some real listening enjoyment...