Great site. Thanks for helping to bring Bill Nelson to the world.

Just classify me as yet another 20-year Bill Nelson fan from Austin, Texas. Toast: To electrical language: non-vegetarian frequently meat. Endless tape-loop life, mine. To syncopated superman, passive voyeur absorb osmosis-like on my languid mattress. Steal guitar. Bang the drum slowly, ever so slowly...

Hey you guys...

As a Bill N. fan and a multi instrumentalist who also remembers the days of mono tape to mono tape ping ponging, I really appreciate astral navigations which I just picked up on the Background CD. I love it! Are you aware of an album called "Blows Against the Empire" which has members of Jefferson Airplane, CSN and the Greatful Dead? the two albums make a great back to back cassette for car use. Anyway, Glad to see you're still at it and hoping that the early BN/BBD comp sees the light of day.

take care and good luck

Ive been net searching for Holyground info for the past few years with little success, then all of sudden this! I was amazed. I shall revisit frequently to see updates.when is one of you going to write the book about Holyground? Love the music love the site. You must have problems with your net links though because the site is still hard to find.

Hi folks. Keep trackin' !

an early Nelson conscript (via the Record Bar!) but also a Holyground fan. Excellent site - all we need to know. Where are the next reissues!!Keep on truckin' guys - any live gigs planned?I'll be back

Steve has just left me to leave a few words here. We both work at North Lincs College, https://www.nlincs-coll.ac.uk.
Its good to see one of the original independants still operating. How about putting a few sound clips on the site.

Hello from another dedicated fan of Bill. I'm pleased to see that at last publicity is widening for him and you no longer have to search the archives of tiny record stores even for his latest releases.

Hi Folks,
How is it going?

I am an old BE BOP DELUXE fan who surfed in from Bill Nelson's web site.

Hi Mike - It's your niece checking out your homepage - glad to see it! I'll share it with some friends! Kathryn

hello dear boy....as you see I have a NEW E MAIL ADDRESS...just to confuse you. I really really have the stuff about america in an envelope just waitng to go...including a couple of tapes. Enough of this...bye for now...regards to all.....CHICK SHANNON

How do I get hold of A to Austr?

Greetings across Space and Time! What an amazing history ...Primordial Bill Nelson! This material MUST be released!!! Truely, a most remarkable place.

Will check for som GYGAFO info

DEAR PEOPLE AT HOLYGROUND, AFTER ALL SORRY FOR MY POOR ENGLISH, I'M FROM VENEZUELA AND I'M A BIG FAN OF THE PSYCHEDELIC STUFF, I WOULD LIKE TO THANKS FOR ALL THESE MAGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY MUSICAL STUFF THAT YOU BRING TO THE PLANET, I REALLY ENJOYED ALL OF YOUR RE-ISSUES (SPECIALLY ASTRAL NAVIGATIONS AND BACKGROUND'S RECORDS AGUATURBIA REISSUE). MAYBE IT'S SOUNDS A LITTLE PECULIAR THAT IN THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD WERE PEOPLE THAT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOUR MUSIC HAVE NO FRONTIERS, WELL I THINK THATS ALL

SINCERELLY YOURS CHARLES SOUS.

New server is loads quicker, almost instant. The 'some songs' icon isn't working as a roll over.

Cheers

Rob

Ok OK

it was 16 bars . . . .

Len.

Please reserve a copy of the new & Strangeness etc. CD.
Many thanks.
Paul Clarke on behalf of June Asquith

PS your mailto link from the news page is not working!!

you might not remember me. But back in the year of 1974 there was not a bigger Be Bop fan on planet earth. your wife shirley worked at Outwood primary school with a certain Mrs. Gillespie. It was through my friendship with her daughter that I spent a quite magical evening at your house "Cahouts" listening to alot of early Bill...many thanks for some lingering memories Mike.

junction 32 on holyground how much?

we have a lot of rare vintage albums for sale. some imports, one of a kind, jimi hendrix, bebop deluxe, van morrison...etc
one rareity: rhino records picture disk, meatball foulton interveiw with jimi hendrix. mint condition.
only serious inquirries plz:)
if you are collecting and want the real thing at a real price contact us

I sit next to and work with Alan Robinson the old bugger!

I sit next to and work with Alan Robinson the de-bearded old bugger! He told me about the site...brilliant, real nostalgia. I remember watching him in Spiral Highway at Wakefield Tech in the year of our Lord 1863 or was it the early 1970's?
I also used to listen to Bill Nelson and Global Village rehearsing in the old church Hall opposite the band stand in Thornes Park, where they also played, as depicted in his Northern Dream album. Still got my copy with its original typed out lyric sheet). Ah.... those were the days.

Well done Mike on getting this web page together. Nostalgic, eh? I can still remember recording the Tears on the Console album like it was yesterday (and the Biffo the Storm stuff which is probably the only copy in the world of this material!). Just to let you know that this 'oldie' is still playing guitar (having moved from Leeds in 1986 to Leamington Spa). Current band is called 'Oldscool', which seems appropriate given the age of the musicians. And I still see the other 'oldie' (Alan Robinson)from time to time. Great times!

Hello, Mike!Just dropped by when I got boredStill have the (rusty!) drumkit in the garden shedI'm now a boring old fart - company director/management consultant and of course I drive a Volvo!All the best - Global Bryan

Hello, Mike. It's more than thirty years since we recorded 'Jumble Lane', but it seems like we did it tomorrow!!! Whatever happened to Steve Channing(slide guitar), Liam Arthers(bass& vocals), Rob Clarke(bass), Martin Snell (piano & keyboards), Rich Keys(harmonica), Ric Jerome(vocals & guitar), Marcia ?(beautiful vocal & guitar) to name but a few? Remember the Jug Band? (Ian Ball, Pete Tidball, Graham Hainey & lots of others) O happy days!
After Bretton Hall, I formed Be bop Deluxe (so nearly called Flagship!!) with Bill, Rob Bryan, Ian Parkin & Richard Brown (who departed, sadly, before we turned pro).
After Be Bop, I returned to teaching & joined 'Biffo', with Alan Robinson, Dave Wilson & Mick Spurr. I met Dave at Alan's 50th party & we vowed to stay in touch!(the ramblings of old men!!) I'm still drumming, on & off, having been with the 'East River Blues Band' since '93 & helping former colleagues with school productions. Yes folks, I used to be a teacher, but I'm much better now, thankyou! Mike, great that you've developed this site. NOSTALGIA RULES!

i found you via the bill nelson web site.iown northern dream
and teenage arch angel & would be glad to purchase electra-
type if bill could be persuaded to agree to release it.

looks like a good site, the front page is a little hard to look at(the background)... always interested in new music tho... will look into your page more....

Dear Holyground, just a small message while I m here regarding the beauty of what little Holyground music I have heard. As a strict vinyl collector, it is difficult to find all that I would like from your canon, but the two I have, A-Austr and Astral Navigations, are deeply evocative and enchanting albums which really touch me.

thanks,

Nick Green

Nice ..!

R-DU!

Just checking out your pages Mike. For starters (with regards to Gygafo), I'll give you a link to mt Gygfafafafafa page if you want. Haven't scanned any pics in yet though - but keep reminding me.

The passing of eternity and a lifetime of memories,
some sooner forgotten and others simply not retained.
Isn't that the way it always is?

First foray on the Web, and I visited you! aaaaah!

Mike et al,

Greetings from BBASI. I have already linked the new release and John Peel and BBD fans all over the world are looking forward to it and hope that you and Bill finally make some money!

Regards,

Martin Wuest
BBASI Coordinator

Hiya Mike! Three years since I last looked at the site - shameful! It's good to see the reviews of S & Ch. - by golly it WAS worth all the re-recording, late nights, long days, hair-pulling (not in C's case of course) and tantrums after all!!! and a little update from your travels to Chilac! There's no stopping these little Coombsies once you start them off is there? (but you're no better!)
You'll be pleased to hear that I've now got you flagged up on my 'favourites' list...so for God's sake, get that songs list updated!
Lots of love and hope to see you soon.
Haidee xx

I had a tape of gygafo playing live at thornes park, played it to death and then lost it...all I can remember is a reference to going down to newport pagnal?? are there any gygafo cd's about???

Hello.Could you please let me know what type of payment you will accept for the Electrotype CD? Would an international money order in Pounds Sterling be OK? What would the total amount be with standard shipping? Thanks, Tom Parsons

Thanks v.much for the last few days of recording.....you make the songs sound so much better than they are!!!! Here's to the rest of the album....Love to all
Steve Channing/Chick Shannon

Looking through the web page brought back great memories. Wish I was back in the vast expanses of the studio. Brian Calvert's stuff on A-Austr was years before its time. If you need a Hawaiian backing track, just ask Mike to get his old wash tub out ! Keep up the great work. Hope you get the recognition you richly deserve!

Electrotype - worth the price for better-than-album-versions of 'Jet Silver' and 'Night Creatures'!!!

any idea when the a to austr album will be released on cd? thanks.

Fell into this site by accident..ouch! LTOMM - Deja-vu or what! Where are all the rest of the 'Motley Crew" these days? No doubt midle aged and respectable and with their grown-up kids all laughing hysterically like mine at the thought of their seriously uncool mother on a CD...I've ordered a copy naturally! Mike..you must have undergone a name change..I recognise the face but seem to remember you as seriously Irish sounding..ah me, its a long time from Bretton..stroll on. I'm not sure I've got the credit thing sorted, if not I'll send a cheque, I'm working from France for a couple of weeks, but you have my e-mail. Keep up the good work, I'll have to see if I can exhume that ancient vinyl now .

please visit www.courtband.cjb.net and download our MP3

I am looking to buy a copy of "Legend of the Kingfisher" - any idea of approximately when the Cd reissue may come out. Best wishes
Alan

Would Mike Levon have been known as "Mike J. 'King of the Bog Land' O'Connor" during his days at Bretton?
I never did manage to purchase one of those records, usually too broke, but I sure remember them. Those were wonderful days in some ways.
Mike, if you remember me, e-mail me. I'm in Canada now.

Hi Mike, your web page is fantastic. So this is what you have been doing since retiring.

WISHING ALL A BLESSED, HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR AND MAY PEACE & LOVE REIGN IN OUR HEARTS..........

u really need some audio samples on your site.

Wow. The last 2 weeks have been amazin!Finding everyone again and this site, and Mike , Chris. thanks guys for keeping the faith. This is the closest thing to "coming home"

Nice new look. I was trying to contact Pete Taylor who I saw in the "old" guestbook. Do you have an e-mail address for Pete?

Aah!! I see. Fiendishly clever! only when you sign the book do you get to see the rest.

Hi Mike,
Just thought I'd let your readers surf to my GYGAFO / Charlie Speed pages - that is until you link it.
CYA

Great Site guys... Le's keep promotng creative music... Cheers Lee

cool site

Hi friend, your site is very very good!!!
Please listen our new release:
https://www.dance-industries.com/track.asp?track_id=3476

A few names recognised from way past...Bretton...nice to see people are still around and independent!! All this time and I never went back to the area...shame.

very good website, i was very pleased what i read nice one,

Hi Cousin Mike,

I love what you've done with the site, I pop in now and again and look around. I think I'm gonna have to get myself one of your recordings. lol

Best Wishes... Shelly

Fantastic Web site. I'm a long time Be Bop Deluxe fan, and have having read about Holyground years ago, it's great to see the images and information that you have made available here. This is the stuff of legends. Good luck to you all.

Nice site, thank you!

Well you wily old fox, Levon ! I still have the LP for 'Quite so' and 'No 9 Bread Street', and the names Bob Hart - No lions no trumpets - Chris Coombs and Jane Westlake - I still miss someone - resonate down the years. Also Clive Collings magnificent piano performances.

I would never have thought of putting my name into a search engine but there ya go ! 'Retired' from my latest band last year but still playing the old Strat 12 string and the voice is returning after the usual old-age and alcohol/tobacco abuse ! See my email to you.
Bob Simmonds

Great to be re-united (through Holyground) with me old mate Chango...thanks Mike. Glad to see you are still running the gaff. Reading through past recordings evokes so many thoughts from especially the heady days of the seventies! Keep it up fella.
Best wishes, Jon-Jon

Great to be re-united (through Holyground) with me old mate Chango...thanks Mike. Glad to see you are still running the gaff. Reading through past recordings evokes so many thoughts from especially the heady days of the seventies! Keep it up fella.
Best wishes, Jon-Jon

Great to see the update - a new release for Chrimbo - WOW!

Very good site, and very the interesting, is a lot of helpful information for me. With best wishes, Max

Great to see all those faces from irresponsible days and to hear that you are still in business. I can't find my copy of Bread Street - it might be with that lottery ticket I lost.
I'm still playing badly, Mike but now I get paid for it.

BROUGHT BACK SOME GREAT MEMORIES ..SHAME MY RECORDING OF "THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE "DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE DISC..HAVEN'T EVEN GOT MY OWN COPY TO CHECK OUT MY X FACTOR SOUND THEN!!!

BROUGHT BACK SOME GREAT MEMORIES ..SHAME MY RECORDING OF "THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE "DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE DISC..HAVEN'T EVEN GOT MY OWN COPY TO CHECK OUT MY X FACTOR SOUND THEN!!!

WOW! What a day (May 5th) Faces were older but the voices as young and inspiring as before. Watching Chris and Jan and John made me realise how I have come to be a professional musician. I inhaled their talent in the time I lived with them!
I'll never be that good but I'm not greedy. Thanks for all your work, Mike and best wishes for the future.

Great Site! Great Music!!!
Thank you, Mike!

I love the Holyground Lps, i am familiar with several of your issues, my favorites being, Astral Navigations, Gygafo,and A to Austr, first heard about 20 years ago on LP releases, its great that you have gone to such great effort with your web site to include info and lyrics for most of your releases,that is what is missing with most classic LPs from the 60's and 70's is the lyrics. Really intresting to know a bit about the musicians who made the music on these records.
Thank you

Long time no see - glad you still seem to be busy with the site etc!

Well done on 'The Last Goodbye'
A fitting end to an era and welcome to old-age!

Oops! Senior moment with the URL in my last message.
Probably a Homer Simpson moment giving it to you in the first place!

Just a short note. I heard today from Dave Nuttall that you are none too good, Mike. I hope you get yourself sorted ASAP. Best wishes to the family
Geoff

Just this weekend got news that music and recording has lost an icon. I feel very fortunate that I had this connection early. Time to let others know how important and meaningful they are.

God bless you Mike.
Wishes to Shirley and the family.

I'm so sorry to hear of Mike's passing, but I feel so fortunate to have known the Holyground sounds and spirit. Sincere condolences and deepest wishes and peace and love to Mike, his family, friends, and brothers and sisters in sound.

I listened to Shirley's request to nominate Mike for the Wakefield Stars campaign.
This wonderful idea supported by Wakefield council will see the names of famous Wakefield folk implanted 'Hollywood' style in the paved area of the town. I have seen the other names and feel that Mike has done more to promote Wakefield than many others.
Please look at the site and make your comments about Mike known by supporting his nomination. I have included the URL for you here and in The 'HomepageURL' section of this entry.
Thank you Mike.
https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/Stars/nominate.htm

Just to say how sad I was to hear that Mike had passed away, Cannot believe that it was in 1968 that Cathy and I first met Mike and Shirley and everyone at Cass Yard, what great memories I have of the lovely times spent there, Mike and Shirley always making everyone who turned up welcome and part of their family. His memory and his music will live on.

Thinking of you and your family at this time.

Linda Greensmith Nee-Wood X

Sorry to hear. Listening to Northern Dream - such nostalgia,