 Album Preface by Roy Noble OBE"Serotonin" is the molecule of happiness I'm told. It's a wonder drug within us that delivers a ' feel good factor ' to all the important commonwealth regions of the body beautiful,especially HQ, the brain. In this modern world,we could all do with a booster dose of Serotonin now and again.Well, I'm the bearer of good news.The prescription is right here.
If this medicinal compound, ' The Valley Boys of Wales', doesn't immediately give you an uplifting sensation of good will, good humour and good cheer, then I would see about it if I were you. What a lovely potion has been mixed by Owen Money and Lloyd Davies.It has been a long time coming, but Wales is definitely ready for such a cocktail of emotions.Of course, if Wales is their practice,the surgery and laboratory are deeply Valleys enshrined.
There is so much of Wales as we know it,and have known it, here. I'm a Valleys boy,so I'm biased, but I loved the vivid memories in the songs. So many of us can readily recognise and empathise with the musical journeys.I clackety clacked along with' The Porthcawl Train' ,10 foot wide and longer than the Wall of China.I could even hear my mother saying...' You get lost again and I'll take you home'.
I saw again 'The Mumbles Pier' with Port Talbot across the Bay, cloudy by day,but at night.....New York confronted us. I can visualise too events similar to The Rhondda Valley Garden,where serenity and decorum gradually gave way to drink, discord and flying pasties in the fray.
Oh ,what a deep Sociological piece of research is the marvellous musical essay 'The English and The Welsh'. It is so funny....and so true.A step further is The Six Nations. We feel and enjoy our differences,one step at a time,taking each nation in turn...there were telling lines like...'they can put their chariots where the sun doesn't shine ( have a guess which nation)..and Edinburgh was great because we could usually beat the Scots even when we were crap.Such poetic scan moves a man to tears.
Now for the surprise.You expect humour and a belly laugh from Owen and Lloyd, but on this CD there are other emotions waiting to trap you. ' King of Wales' is a lovely,poignant piece taking in the life of our ' no-good boy), Dylan Thomas. The evocative Dylan scenes and characters are all here. 'When we walked to Merthyr Tydfil' , the Idris Davies poem , has a lovely lilting treatment .I can see the track ...beneath the snow covered hills ' in the moonlight long ago '.
Of course, how can you ride the nostalgic Valleys bus without having the miners on board.They have their tickets and the offerings here sweep from the vibrant and cleverly written ' Ghost miners in the Sky' to the title track...'.Valley Boys of Wales.' It centres on the 1984 Miners' Strike. The raw passion. hardship.conflict and pride is a plaque to resilience. 2009 is the 25th Anniversary of that abomination..this song has a stamp on it which should be a sub-title...'Lest we forget'
Owen and Lloyd are to be congratulated. This is their "essence of Wales" so take a dose of this essence regularly and your feel good serotonin will really be flowing.This CD will be played in all corners,clubs and caverns and the songs will be sung endlessly and enthusiastically....with 'hwyl and hiraeth', in joy and in poignant contemplation.Songs to make you laugh and ones to make you cry... truly Celtic by design and Welsh by devilment.
So, to the Boycian Ballads, the ' Delilah ' choruses and the hymnal gatherings, a new song book is here. It was a long time coming...but it's here now. Before long, we'll all know the words. The 'Valley boys of Wales' are back.
...... Roy Noble OBE
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