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Stray Dogs Stray Dogs – Richard Parfitt
Stray Dogs is a sort of coming of age story set in 1979 Toronto in which some messed up, drop out teens form some powerful if unlikely friendships, and manage to fight back against gang-land power. An engrossing story-line told through blunt and powerful imagery, the relationships between the young protagonists ‘on the edge of seventeen’ freeze and thaw like ice on a Canadian lake, reminding me sharply of the young people I work with; the final line “No teacher knew our name” inspiring me to try still harder in the approaching term. A beautifully told, carefully researched and totally sympathetic story about growing up, and so much more. Highly recommended. -- International Velvet - Neil Collins I didn’t feel like that for long.
This book us a magnificent achievement. Not only does it trace the fates of Wales' premier league players from the 90s – Manics, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals and (sshh) Stereophonics, 60 Ft Dolls, Dub War, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Helen Love, Feeder and many more, but it also imaginatively and painstakingly delves into the roots of their success. Particularly impressive is the way Collins manages to fuse the influence of both English and Welsh speaking artists; you come away understanding the importance of Datbylgu, Anhrefn and Llwybr Llaethog along with the likes of Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. Importantly, he also explains the political backdrop and its dialectical impact on the cultural seizures he describes. Anyone wanting to know more about this vital and inspirational decade, the ecstatic sticky Newport scene, the driven Cymraeg indie labels, the Welsh language tank rumbling into the charts, the innovative Welsh rap and hip-hop scene or the Manics from Motown Junk to the Manic Millennium would be well advised to enjoy this meticulously researched, excitingly written book. --
Who knew that the first Welsh record was released in 1915? Or that Phil Tanner recorded songs in a Gower dialect which were released as The Gower Nightingale? Or that in the early 1970s, inspired by ‘Dial a Poem’, Wren Records released 7” eps of poets reading their work in both English and Welsh?
All this and more is revealed in this eclectic collection which is perfect for browsing. Once you’ve devoured the entries for your favourite artists (Helen Love, Manics, 60 Ft Dolls, Dub War, The Pooh Sticks and more all have entries here) you will enjoy flicking through and making new discoveries. The apparently haphazard way the entries are arranged makes this extra likely; for instance 60 Ft Dolls are next to Bonnie Tyler and Helen Love side by side with The Gower Nightingale. The strength of the choices are their diversity – notable and obscure, pop to punk, techno to traditional, rap to rock, Welsh and English language, indie and major label, all are covered. And all are illustrated not just with images but also with little known anecdotes, asides and information about each release, urging the reader to take a listen to something new. Which, after all, is what it’s all about. -- Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas -The Two Dylans - K G Miles and Jeff Towns Who would have thought that the two Dylan had so much in common? Apart from every body!Since first stumbling upon the jingle jangle lyricism of both artists in my early teens, the similarity of their muse seemed obvious. But here is a work able to explain, justify and prove the connections. Not just in Bob’s choice of name, his reading material and his frames of reference, but in the structure, ambition and desire of his words and the arc of his ambitions. Duel experts in both Dylans take it in turns to draw parallels and make links, with Jeff Towns (Dylan T) and KG Miles (Bobby D) sharing their expertise with readable, accessible but well informed enthusiasm.
Swansea’s very own Dylan has remained an inspiration for me for life; I lost interest in Bob with all his late 70s messy meanderings. Hopefully this enjoyable, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and original book will gain new readers and listeners for both these ultimate rock’n’roll poets. Rosey R*E*P*E*A*T
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