After the band folded, Nelson continued making music, and etching out a prolific solo career, one that has seen him amass a staggering 150 solo albums and EPs to his name.
Though his name might not be the most well known to the masses, especially in Australia, his work is worth discovering and listening to.
Nelson has often been described as “one of the most underrated guitarists of the ’70s art-rock movement”.
“I really don’t think about music in terms of ratings or popularity,” Nelson said.
“I don’t consider myself as an entertainer, I approach my work with the mindset of an artist.
“If it happens to entertain someone, that’s fine, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.
“Those who enjoy my music know its worth, and thankfully support what I do and enable me to continue doing it, and I’m grateful for that.”
Nelson’s adherence to the DIY ethic has proven pivotal in the way he makes music and the creative freedom it entails.
“I always had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the music industry,” he said.
“I found the formulaic set of protocols frustrating.
“As a younger man, it had its rewards, but also its downsides.
“It was regimented, restricting to a degree.
“Now I don’t have to think in terms of fixed schedules or corporate expectations.
“I’m free to make the music I need to make, and to release it as often as possible.”
Nelson’s latest work is a live album titled Bill Nelson’s Orchestra Futura — Live at Nelsonica and Clothworkers Hall. It sees Nelson along with saxophonist Theo Travis and bassist Dave Sturt performing live improvisations within the framework of a trio.
“The music was totally improvised at each performance, so every performance was different,” he said.
“It was a ‘flying by the seat of your pants’ experience, where everything was happening in the moment.
“The performances were recorded live though, initially, there were no plans to release them.
“However, Dave and Theo felt that they were too good to let go of, and so I agreed to release a few of the live recordings, hence the album.
“It’s an interesting combination of sounds made by an interesting group of musicians.”
With AI slowly infiltrating the music industry and becoming a tool for music creatives, does Nelson have any desire to utilise AI technology in the creation of his music?
“I personally have no desire to listen to music created totally by AI,” he says.
“It’s too easy, for one thing.
“There are AI recording tools that can help real musicians to record their music, rather than ‘create’ it, but AI-created music is of little interest to those who really love music and understand what artists go through to achieve it.
“But there will be some people dancing around their handbags to AI-created hits, I’m sure.
“It’s not going to devalue true creativity or musicianship.”
For more on Bill Nelson and his music, check out: billnelson.com
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According to the group’s drummer, Don Henley, it may well be.
In a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Henley said, “I think this year will probably be it. And I’ve said things like that before, but I feel like we’re getting toward the end, and that will be fine too.”
Scheduled for released on Record Store Day 2026 is a newly unearthed album by Weezer titled 1192 that collects early demos and rarities.
The title refers to the band’s early sessions in November 1992 after the group had formed earlier that year.
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Behind the album: Business As Usual – Men At Work
Released in 1981, the album became an international sensation, spending an unprecedented 15 weeks at No.1 on the US chart, five weeks at No.1 in the UK and topping the Australian charts for nine weeks.
Men At Work also holds the distinction of being the first Australian act to have simultaneously a No.1 album and No.1 single on the US chart.
“The songs were all written before going into the studio,” Colin Hay told me in 2005, when asked about how the album came to be.
“Some of the songs were written on acoustic because Ron Strykert and myself had been working as an acoustic duo about year before the actual band formed.
“We were already playing Down Under and a few others before we all came together as a unit.”
When Hay wrote Who Can It Be Now?, he was out in the bush in southern NSW, just sitting around playing guitar when the tune suddenly came to him.
Before the group went into the studio, they spent a couple of weeks doing extensive pre-production with producer Peter McIan where they went through the songs.
By the time they got into the studio to begin recording, they were able to relax and just focus on getting a good take of the song they were working on.
“Because the album had a small budget of around $30,000, we had to do things pretty quick,” Hay said.
“We didn’t have any luxury of taking our time to think about how to do certain things, so the album was done in 10 days, with the rhythm tracks done in five days, and then all the overdubs in another five. Then it took another 10 days to mix the album.”
This week’s global music charts
Australia: No.1: Man I Need – Olivia Dean
UK: No.1: Raindance – Dave/Tems
US: No.1: Aperture – Harry Styles
Fun fact
The theme from A Summer Place by Percy Faith and his Orchestra from the 1959 film A Summer Place is the first instrumental to not only spend nine weeks at No.1 on the US chart in 1960, but also the first instrumental to win a Grammy for Record of the Year.
It also remains the longest-running No.1 instrumental in the history of the US Billboard Hot 100.
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