Retro Saturday: Wales Special!

In the words of one of the 1980s most hideous hits by Charlene, "I've never been to me". Now what does that have to do with this week's Retro Saturday, I hear you ask. Well it's just a silly link to introduce this week's trip back through musical history. For I have never been to...Wales, (although if a certain person reading this has their way, that won't be the case for too much longer!!!) anyway this week's Retro Saturday is inspired by that conversation last week about Welsh music and how many bands/singers could you name, which immediately jogged my memory...

Of course no Welsh retrospective is complete without Tom Jones, who had his own musical revival at the end of the '90s with the "Reload" album which gave us "Burning Down The House" with the fab Cardigans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuFIrSLD84 and who could forget his duet with Mousse T - Sex Bomb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkV65jUWYXk

Then there is the legend that is Green Gartside, the main man behind Scritti Politti, = the most beautiful man of the 1980s and underrated musical genius -
"Perfect Way" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs7Jy2y-33A
"Absolute" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teHqHmnXnhE&feature=related
"Boom There She Was" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7qCaCcfjXg
(from the brilliant "Provision" album, which, along with the Pet Shop Boys, kept me sane through the college years :)))

Young Marble Giants
No video, but just wallow in the minimalistic....minimalism of it all, and the understated brilliance of Alison Statton.
"Wurlitzer Jukebox" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xob9tLR18s&feature=related
"Include Me Out" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvNhjWZTi_E&feature=related

The Manic Street Preachers are IMHO the best band ever to come out of Wales, and their long career will soon be commemorated with the release of an extensive best-of compilation.
"La Tristesse Durera" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJzwIFyZfck
"Revol" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf91dTrLkgA&ob=av2n
"A Design For Life" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfEoVxy7VDQ&ob=av2e

During that late 80s/early 90s period of classic dance music, one Welsh act made their name - K-Klass rose to fame with hits like "Rhythm is a Mystery" -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzU7_Iavk4

Welsh acts reached their peak during the Britpop era, a period of music which will always have fond memories for me. Catatonia had their finest hour with "Mulder and Scully" cashing in on X Files mania.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdPSzVYt_o and then Cerys Matthews teamed up with the (non-Welsh) Space (another fab underrated combo from that time) to pay tribute to the one and only Tom Jones! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9zL9wlMvZE&ob=av2e

Super Furry Animals also enjoyed their finest moments during the glory days of Britpop, my favourites being "Play It Cool" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27jB6MvX4mQ and "Demons" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkosCOhDCYs

Goldie Lookin' Chain provided much hilarity with "Guns Don't Kill People Rappers Do" and went on to carve out a career as list-show talking heads and Celeb BB contestants - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ83KXUloP8&feature=fvsr "I seen it on a documentary on BBC2" lol :)))

Finally, one of the obvious answers to "name some Welsh singers" - Charlotte Church, who initially achieved fame as an opera star and then became more famous
She did however make a couple of decent tracks during her short-lived pop career - "Crazy Chick" -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csL5mu05Xy0 and my favourite, the underrated "Moodswings (To Come At Me Like That)" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPnmlfB6jqM