I was rather disappointed to find that the vast majority of them were actually songs which just happened to have been written in English by Welsh people.. so I'm going to miss them out and we'll see what's left !
From number one hit singles to rare B-sides and little heard curios, we’ve dug through the vinyl vaults to sound out what we think are the top tracks of all time by Welsh artists. Right then, headphones at the ready as it’s time to turn up the volume and enjoy the ultimate mix tape ... here's the tattered remnants of that 50-strong list ...
Hergest – Dewch i'r Llysoedd
Ever wonder what The Lovin’ Spoonful or Buffalo Springfield would have sounded like had they come from Aberystwyth instead of sunnier Californian climes? Well, ponder no longer as such a meeting of the American West Coast and the Mid Wales shore occurred in the music of Hergest, a long-haired Yankophile four-piece from the ’70s who specialised in plaintive, minor chord wonders such as this one, entitled Come To The Courts. We’ve got it on the album Welsh Rare Beat 2.
Y Tebot Piws – Mae Rhywyn Wedi Dwyn Fy Nhrwyn
The Purple Teapot (for those of you who don’t siarad Cymraeg) were the ’70s folk pop outfit fronted by Dewi ‘Pws’ Morris. This 1971 track had an almost glam rock-like stomp and smattering of Bonzo Dog-type silliness in the vocal – then again, given the song title means Someone’s Stolen My Nose we doubt anyone was expecting any Bob Dylan-style philosophising. Available on the original Welsh Rare Beat from Sain.
Y Niwl – Undegpedwar (well, the title's in Welsh anyway)
Surf rock from halfway up a mountain in North Wales – surely there’s been some mistake? Not so, as this Snowdonian four-piece’s 2010 debut album Y Niwl, delivered a selection of psychedelic ’60s twang that not only paid homage to likes of Dick Dale, Link Wray and The Ventures but added a something unique of its own too.( Their "songs" are, as far as I know, all wordless! At least the title is in Welsh)
Catatonia – International Velvet
If a song ever encapsulated a movement it was this track that defined Cool Cymru. Opening with an oddly offbeat cod-reggae swing, the song from the album of the same name swaggers around its Welsh lyrics before bursting into life with the chorus refrain of, “Everyday when I wake up I thank the Lord I’m Welsh”.
The Alarm – A New South Wales
When Mike Peters undertook a journey of discovery around Wales it was a pilgrimage that had a profound effect on him and his music. It resulted in his band The Alarm simultaneously releasing an album in English and Welsh – entitled Change/Newid. This thunderous homage to the people of the Valleys featuring the spine-tingling accompaniment of the massed voices of the The Morriston Orpheus Choir was its jewel in the crown. A rousing, passionate, political ode to Wales.( Well, I suppose we can count this as a Welsh song because there is a Welsh version)
Yr Anhrefn – Cornel
Beloved of John Peel these Bangor rabble-rousers featured fired up iconoclast Rhys Mywn – a one man punk propaganda machine who advanced the cause of the late ’80s Welsh language scene by decamping to the doorstep of Radio 1 to hand Peel a tape of his band’s fiery political polemic. That was enough for the legendary DJ to declare himself smitten, and this furious barrage of melody and noise sums them up perfectly.
Meic Stevens – Y Brawd Houdini
Iconic folk hero often referred to as ‘the Welsh Dylan’, Stevens’ songs have a mystical flavour, and are mostly sung in his native tongue. This bright and breezy 1968 ramshackle pop classic remains the troubadour’s defining moment.
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci – Patio Song
Off-kilter, weird and downright Welsh, this 1996 single is a testament to the untapped genius of the Carmarthenshire group. Featured on the Barafundle album, its changing tempo – and language – makes it all the more otherworldly, with Euros Childs’ intonation all indie geekery wrapped up in a sweet melody. Redolent of a unique and enticing Wales, it still causes swooning when unleashed by indie DJs across the country.
That leaves us, from a starting list of 50, with about 4-and-a-few-odds-and-ends actual Welsh songs. Not good !
Well, here's the first one on the "list" ... Hergest's song " Dewch i'r Llysoedd" ...