Customer Reviews

Whimsy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Whimsy finds the master moving away, somewhat, from his Atom Shop pop art sounds and back to a more melodic and expansive sound. There is a lot of music to digest here, and coming on the heels of Noise Candy, his six CD box set of all new material, you almost feel that you can listen to these records all week, and never hear the same song twice. Nelson is at peak form here, moving from witty jazz inflected numbers to melodies awash in E-bow guitars and slow staedy beats that recall such gems as Enlightenment and Dream Ships set sail. Whimsy (disc 1) contains the best material, Swept Away and Islands in the Sky being highlights. Whimsy two isn't much worse, though it does contain more than a few references to Nelson's new favorite movie....the Wizard of Oz. Note: the two CDs are actually, at least at first pressing, reversed so that the songs on disc one actually appear on Whimsy two...unless they have corrected the oversight. Nevertheless, these two CDs will not dampen any fans enthusiasm for having enev more Nelson music to enjoy.

I've listened to a lot of Bill Nelson and this seems by far the happiest sounding release of his career. Typical 50's sci fi meets western cowboy meets Americana artwork. Same lilting sounds, dense (but artful) instrumentation and wonderful soundbytes abound.
Why 4 stars? As has been the case with recent Bill Nelson releases he creates great soundscapes wonderful, sucking you into his fantasy world...
...then muddles up with layered, quiet, almost whispering, lifless vocals. It almost sounds like he's scared to sing out, or is unable to. The vocals cause constant confusion in the listening experience. Instead of complimenting the song or adding to it, they tend to destroy any momentum the song has built up in it's intro.
I've heard Bill Nelson sing. I know he can do it. Heck he was lead singer for a popular rock outfit for a few years. Perhaps it's a taste thing, and if you read some his diary entries that's his reasoning. I got the 6 CD Noise Candy, and his Astral Hotel last year and found the same thing, great playing, inventive songs. Great ambiance especially in the instrumentals. Sometimes the soft singing style even compliements the song and does add to it. When that happens it is almost perfect.
Generally, I can't get enough of the music. I just wish he would sing, get someone to sing, or just shut up and play.
I hate to harp on my own problems with this artist. Aside from my complaint, on the strength of great melodies and music, I would recommend this CD. It is very refreshing.

Bill Nelson's prolific musical output has not waned in the least, yet access to his current material has become increasingly difficult. Blame the record companies; blame the dodgy managers and distributors. Fact is, Bill has been taking it to the streets and doing it his damn self. This is nice in theory but hard on the fans' pocket books (particularly in the US). Enter "Whimsy", a fully affordable, entertaining, engaging, somewhat challenging, clever, inspiring, all over the map, chock full two CD affair of almost recent Bill Nelson music (2000) which, in full glorious Nelson-techno-color, manages to bring the faithful back in to the fold.
"Whimsy" is an apt title, to say the least. Bill has created an almost indefinable pastiche of vocals, movie dialog, orchestra samples, guitar, synthesizers, percussion and noises; the theory seeming to be that more is more. But, remarkably, the music stands the strain with those Bill Nelson melodies and chord changes we all know and love. He appears to be saying "let the younger musicians cloak themselves with smoke and mirrors, but I am forever the troubadour with guitar in hand". Pretty cool. And he is still quite the poet. His romantic imagery manages to surprise, evoking leaves trembling on trees, church bells in the night, sails in the sunset and nostalgia incurring daydreams and remembrances. It is the stuff of dreams and, with Bill's sinuous and tasteful guitar - as effective as ever- something to behold.

for several months now its been my first choice on the ipod. 40 songs here, about half of them are addictive, but there's a lot of weaker stuff that has to be skipped over. i think its one of nelson's best albums, which is saying a lot. (for calibration: After the Satellite Sings is Nelson's best album, Electrical Language his best song).

The ever-prolific Mr Nelson's latest album is a magical selection of songs. Following on from the vast 6 CD Noise Candy release comes Whimsy. Recorded in Bill's digitally upgraded home studio it is a bright and breezy 2CD collection of 40 tracks. There's so much going on in each track that, at first, it's a little hard to take it all in. Multiple Keyboards and Guitars fly around Bill's vocals and samples and initially it can make your head spin. On subsequent listens however it all sinks in. From the beauty of songs like 'Slumberlite' and 'Here We Go', through the fun of 'Magnetism Made Me Do It' and 'The Fundamental Blues', all the way to the epic 'Over the Moon' and final cool instrumental 'Close Your Eyes'. This is a great collection of whimsical summery sounds. Nothing too serious here and that's fine by me.

For the first few plays I tended to agree with the more negative of this CD's reviews, but I decided to give it a chance and now I can't stop playing it. There are so many layers and textures to these songs that it almost seems like I discover something new on every play. There are 40 songs on this double CD and so of course there are a couple that don't shine as brightly as the rest, consequently I would have awarded 4 1/2 stars if possible. As it is, this is the best CD I have heard in a long time: poetic and intelligent lyrics, understated and subtle guitar (with occasional bursts of axe victim pyrotechnics), interesting arrangements (both conventional and unconventional) and strong melodies peppered throughout. Maybe not quite up there with 'After the Satellite sings' but not very far behind. Somewhat quirky but also sublime.

Was nice to see Mr. Nelson's product back in the racks of the local record store. I picked up this double CD and wondered if I would find the usual musical noodlings or something more essential. Alas, it's a collection of the former rather than the latter. No real surprises here. Pretty sounds but nothing that really grabs you.

I wish Bill would piece back together his 'Red Noise' incarnation, hit the road and then record a follow up to 'Sound on Sound' which for me remains his defining edgy masterpiece.

In this case the picture on the cover is not worthy of the content. Pegasus would generally mean a flight of fancy, of high artistic imagination set against the pale skyline of banal consumer shlock... But there is no treasure here nor under the technicolour overcoat of Long John Silver or Bill Nelson. Perhaps Pegasus is really parrot Polly that repeats ad nauseum the same old musical formulas to the devote. If anybody digs through the 2 CD set expecting to find the new bold approach, they may as well keep digging to China -- at least they may find some new music there. The point is old Long John is leaning too heavily on his musical crutch and Polly doesn't have the wings to fly beyond what had been done long before.