A reflection on 100 records, providing a taste of some of the eclectic sounds that have come out of Wales.
Think Wales is about male voice choirs, indie bands with Welsh flags on their amps and quirky psychedelic bands that have too many Ls in their llyrichs? You’re wrong. And this book will prove it.
This is a reflection on the wonderfully varied sounds that come out of Wales, including punk, techno, hip hop, reggae and – yes, all of the aforementioned. All lovingly compiled by one of Wales’ best known music obsessives. And we have more than our own fair share of those!
Despite many attempts, such as the ‘Cool Cymru’ tag, there’s no such thing as ‘Welsh Music’. The music that comes out of ‘the land of song’ is as varied as the music that comes out out of any vibrant, modern, culturally-rich nation.
Huw Stephens, DJ and broadcaster across numerous BBC Radio stations, both national and regional, is perfectly placed to select an appropriate collection.
It is inevitable that the first thing you do when you pick it up is see if your favorite albums are in there. Then you huff in frustration at the albums missing. Then you think things like, ‘Well, that’s not the best Manic Street Preachers’ album’.
Then you think, ‘Ooh, I’ve not heard of that, this is interesting’.
That’s pretty much the point, I think. It’s not ‘Now That’s What I Call Welsh Music’. What’s the point of a book with your favorite albums in? You won’t learn anything from that.
There’s the obvious: Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics and Tom Jones. There’s the Welsh language crew: Anhrefen, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Llwber Llaethog. There’s the lesser known indie bands: Pooh Sticks, Young Marble Giants and Murray the Hump.
Then there’s artists that are well known, but you wouldn’t expect in a ‘cool’ book: Max Boyce, Bonnie Tyler and Shaking Stephens.
There are records by artists that left Wales to find fame and fortune, like Scriti Politti and John Cale, and records by bands that are not Welsh, but have a Welsh theme, such as Every Valley by Public Service Broadcasting and The Bells of Rhymney by The Byrds.
There’s Dial a Poem, a collection of poems left on an Arts Council answer machine in 1970 and a recording of Paul Robeson singing to the 1957 Miner’s Eisteddfod in Porthcawl, down the phone from America because he couldn’t get a visa
The book proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Wales has a rich cultural seam running deeper and wider than the coal beneath our feet. Each of the records are products of the environments that shaped the artists. With mountains and beaches, cities and open fields, the contradictions of being an independent nation tied to a bigger neighbour and several languages to draw upon, there’s always something to inspire quirky and unique new sounds.
I hate the term, but this is wandering into the territory of a classic ‘coffee table’ book, one you can pick up, read about a record, and put down again. And pick up again. You will want to pick it up again because it is full of interesting curios. I dare you to spend half an hour with this book in your hand without streaming or even buying something you have stumbled upon.
There are several various artists collections, such as Dial M for Merthyr, Welsh Rare Beats and Cam O’ Tywyllwch, which are a great ways to enter sonic rabbit holes.
Now, hold my pint, I need to check out Rounda Records.