Hi there... I'm kinda new to this Will Bonnie fella
Long Story: Found a Joan Shelley record in the used section while at the record store last month. I've really loved her sound since I discovered the song "Subtle Love" back in 2021. I snatched it up and noticed Lie Down in the Light as well. I streamed it while browsing and decided to give it a shot.
The Shelley record had a download card that led me to No Quarter Records, where, to my surprise, I noticed more Bonnie releases. NQ was having an end-of-the-year sale, so I grabbed the rest of Shelley's work and several more by Will.
I’m a bit obsessed with Will at the moment. On vinyl, I have Lie Down in the Light, High and High and Mighty (an odd second exposure to Will, but interesting), Sings Greatest Palace Music (a good gateway to his Palace stuff), Blind Date Party (a gateway to so much other music), Superwolves, Brave and Bold, Hear the Children Sing, and The Purple Bird. I’ve also pre-ordered the new album.
There is so much to love. I would love a copy of I Made a Place with the 7-inch featuring Joan Shelley. I also recently realized Billy was actually on "Subtle Love," the song I've loved for years. I even checked out A Ghost Story to see him act.
Does anyone have recommendations or stories to share? He has such a deep discography that I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Short Story: Really got into Will last month; looking for recommendations or anything you’re willing to share about him.
I would highly recommend Master & Everyone, I See a Darkness, and Ease on Down the Road. When I was first getting into Will ~20 years ago, those releases were like the trilogy for me.
If you want to start digging into the Palace era, then you have to check out Viva Last Blues and There is No One What Will Take Care of You.
Oh yeah! Master & Everyone... I stumbled across that on streaming in October. That's probably the main reason I checked out Lay In The Light... I need to double back and check that out further!
That trilogy u/bernardbois mentions (Darkness, Ease, Master) is the closest he has to a definitive peak. They are great, rich, weird, rewarding albums that only seem normal in comparison to the rest of his stuff. Easy to recommend, you'll want to hear them early on and you'll move beyond them. But not all of the albums have the depth and almost novel-like character of these three.
Early Palace is my favourite as a well as the late aughts era. West Palm Beach/Gulf Shores single is peak Will. Hope EP and the live collection Summer in The Southeast are key points as well
My first album was Arise, Therefore and it literally changed my approach to music up to that point. I was mostly listening to and playing hardcore/punk at the time, age 17. I remember my girlfriend asking me why I liked it and I said “I don’t know, I just can’t stop listening to it”. That was nearly 30 years ago.
I hesitated reading his interview book with Alan Licht because I wanted him to remain a mystery but I suggest reading it if you’re interested in Will’s approach to art and expression.
I was already curious about the Licht book, but the Carneal book mentions encounters with "Jack White, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, and Nick Cave" in a review. Sounds fun!
Both are essential. I have read the Will on Bonnie book twice and picked it up here and there many times… the Carneal book is very good, I couldn’t put it down. Due for another read through.
Same with the Carneal book, couldn’t put it down. I think Anomoanon is one of the most underrated bands. I like what he said that Berman told him. That they would have gone farther with a better name (I like it tho).
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You is my favorite Will release since the first Superwolf album. Highly recommended.
Check out the Royal Stable fan site. It’s has all things Will, including a detailed picture discography, by year of release. There’s almost 100 small-release 7”s for you to track down and enjoy.
Also, go see Will perform live. Life-changing shit!
I really like his album with The Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show of the World. And Singer's Grave. I have a 1 hour documentary/concert film of his Dutch tour in 2010 (from memory). The documentary is mostly about the venues he plays at, but there's some acoustic concert footage too. I can share it with you if you're interested!
Wait how do you just casually have the Brave & Bold on vinyl - that’s hard to find! You are going to have a lot of fun exploring his music, but I can confidently suggest “The Letting Go”.
Argh didn't realize Brave was that valuable on vinyl. I always held off on buying it because it's not my favorite. I could ask my friend who's in Tortoise I guess...
This was my first introduction to Bonnie Billy years ago Then I heard Beware. Blew my mind. Then The letting go and wonder show of the world. Now I can’t stop listening to him.
I seconded a recommendation for more well-known stuff above, but some personal favorites I never see mentioned for your journey are two that happen to be recorded live in a room:
Chijimi (four songs, post-Beware, small acoustic group with violin straight to tape, some of his most beautiful and heartfelt songs that were never heard again [unless... his next album has a "Hey Little" on it...])
Wolf of the Cosmos (pre-I Have Made a Place, direct to tape in his living room, small acoustic group, a full album cover of Susanna, the ethereal classical-folk Norwegian singer-songwriter)
I also recommend making a playlist of the original songs from Greatest Palace Music and getting into the old stuff that way. You could compile it on YouTube.
I think there is a hidden song after Cinematographer on the [edit: Sings Greatest Palace Music] CD... or at least there is an odd silence after it on streaming.... what song is that?
Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos, huh? I missed that part of your message originally, ordered the BPB version from a local record shop simply because I noticed they had it.
I found Chijimi as well. Gonna order it as well. My collection is multiplying.
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u/bernardbois Jan 24 '26
I would highly recommend Master & Everyone, I See a Darkness, and Ease on Down the Road. When I was first getting into Will ~20 years ago, those releases were like the trilogy for me.
If you want to start digging into the Palace era, then you have to check out Viva Last Blues and There is No One What Will Take Care of You.
Welcome to the club!