First off, don't bother looking up " tatay" in any of your 416 Welsh dictionaries because it ain't there ... it's a make of guitar.
Here's one good reason why it's essential ... just look at all those Welsh songs. Coo !
- "Thema o Cartref"
- "Beth Sy'n Digwydd i'r Fuwch"
- "Tatay"
- "Y Ffordd Oren"
- "Gwres Prynhawn"
- "Amsermaemaiyndod/cinema"
- "O, Caroline"
- "Naw. E. Pimp"
- "Kevin Ayers"
- "When You Hear the Captain Sing"
- "O, Caroline"
- "Tatay (Moog Mix)"
- "Anna Apera"
- "Gegin Nos"
- "Silff Ffenest"
- "Backward Dog
One of the lovely things about it is that it's so obvious that they are enjoying it all immensely ..the music just pours out of them .... in fact most of their stuff is like that. it's very refreshing in this over-commercial-ised music world, to hear brilliant musicians playing what they like and enjoy. It's heady stuff.
But ..what about a few details. Well here's a review from "Adrian's Album Reviews" site ... the last few sentences are bang on ...
Thema O Cartref / Beth Syn Digwydd I'r Fuwch / Tatay / Y Fford Oren / Gwres Prynhawn / Amsermaemaiyndd/Cinema / O, Caroline / Naw E Pimp / Kevin Ayres / When You Hear The Captain / O Caroline / Tatay / Anna Apera / Gegin Nos / Silff Ffenest / Backward Dog
Prog rock, medieval guitar, psychedialia and pop music. From Wales. With much of their early material sung in Welsh at a time when John Peel was the only DJ outside of Wales itself playing such music. Gorky's formed in the mid-eighties, releasing a 10" mini-lp called 'Patio' in the early nineties, with Euros Childs and Lawrence forming the heart of the group. They'd get better, yet even with such knowledge of events future to the indie-release of 'Tatay', we have some lovely moments here. Let's take a track such as 'Gwres Prynhawn'. It features some Psychedelic messing around, some lovely delicate guitars and vocals. Not speaking Welsh, as most people in the world naturally don't - I have no idea what the song is about. I've long had a preference for music over dissecting the meaning of lyrics, anyway. Does anybody REALLY listen to Dylan just for the lyrics? Dylan himself would say such a thing is nonsense, that he was writing nonsense, and point you to the musical value his compositions have. Zappa was very popular in countries that don't have English as their first language, another misunderstood composer. 'Naw E Pimp' goes from misunderstood un-commercial music to a lovely vocal chorus that's extremely catchy. 'When You Hear The Captain Sing' is the sound of cheap synths and somebody shouting. By most people's values, it is extremely unmusical, yet I adore the part it plays within this album release. During an age where every band you hear sound the same, it's no surprise that the king of finding the obscure or different, Mr John Peel, really liked Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.
Tatay ( Moog Mix ) - track 12 - is so lovely. It sounds like Joe Meek spending a holiday in a Welsh seaside resort 200 years in the future. The self explanatory 'Kevin Ayres' has some daft vocal moments, a loose musical feel and the track makes me wonder that perhaps, just perhaps, somebody in Gorky's is a really big fan of The Beach Boys 'Party' album. That's cool. I'm struggling to actually describe this album. It's rather messy, entirely unfocused, just the sound of a band doing what they do without even the remotest thought that what they are doing fits in with anybody involved with radio, at all.
But now ... let's listen to some bits of it ! Pam lai ? Ffordd Oren is a favourite for lots of people, partly because it's so catchy ...
The debut MC Mabon album Mr Blaidd was hailed as one of the most important Welsh musical works in years, upon its release in 2000.
With 15 highly varied songs, and featuring collaborations with such luminaries as Rocketgoldstar and Lil Miz, Mr Blaidd took in such subjects as the frustration of public transport (Aros Am Bysus A Trenau), the pains of toothache while looking for a dentist (Helynt Y Dannodd Annodd), and ranting at a small-town mindset (XR3i). It's an exceptional album which resulted in Mabon recording his first session for John Peel.
In December 2000, Mabon released a single on Cardiff's Boobytrap label, Go Iawn Wir Hir/Western Avenue, which served as a neat taster for his second Ankst album, The Hunt For Meaning. Trailed by the People Are So Stupid single in June 2001, the album was again an exercise in eclectica.
Mixing downbeat melodies with American rock in just one song (The Ballad Of MC Barley Crusher) gives a pretty good idea of The Hunt For Meaning's scale of ambition. It's a concept album, following the trials and tribulations of Iago Prydderch as he strives to find out the answer to the meaning of existence and other easy ponderables.
Soon after The Hunt For Meaning, Meredith had his first book published, Dyddiadur Alci Hypocondriac. It came with a free CD - Albwm Dictaffon - a collection of dictaphone recordings made between 1985 and 2001.
Ever prolific, he returned in October 2002 with the Ankstmusik album Nia Non. It came with the instruction, "Recorded for 24 pence, it is absolutely marvellous and should be avoided at all costs. Try to go out with the sole intention of getting a copy, then get digressed and go to Boots and buy some sustained release vitamin C and optimistic suntan lotion instead".
Unsurprisingly, most ignored the man, and the follow-up - 2003's excellent Pryna Hwn Rwan Cyn I'r Bio Sgrynshio Clustie Ddod Rownd - was released by Boobytrap. It was predictably excellent, and choice cuts included I Can't Believe How Stupid London Media Whores Are, and Hotels And B+B's R Shit Cos Yuv Gotta Pay 4 2 Nites If U Wanna Lie In.
After that came Cleishie (Rasp, 2003), and Kerdd Dant (Slacyr, 2004). Then in April 2006 Ankstmusik collated 25 songs recorded for radio sessions between 2000 and 2003, releasing them as the Seshiwns Radio collection.
Having whetted your appetite, here's the link, I hope, to my wonderful article about it along time go ...
great-welsh-albums-1-m-c-mabon-mr-blaidd.html
Aha ! I've just realised I really should have put "Kevin Ayers" on here too...its a standout track ( as they say) on Tatay and it's one of the finest Welsh songs ever ... and a tribute to Kevin Ayers as well.... no longer with us ...