International Velvet - How Wales Conquered the 90s Charts — How Wales Conquered the 90S Charts

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Cyfrol sy'n cynnwys dadansoddiad a chyfweliadau newydd ynghylch y degawd pan oedd 'Cool Cymru' yn ennill cefnogaeth cynulleidfa eang a sut yr ysbrydolodd hyn y sîn gerddoriaeth Gymreig i mewn i'r unfed ganrif ar hugain a thu hwnt.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

Featuring fresh analysis and new interviews, International Velvet charts the UK in a decade in which 'Cool Cymru' won over the masses and shows how it inspired the still-vibrant Welsh music scene into the 21st century and beyond.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Neil Collins is a writer born and bred in Cardiff. A former journalist for WalesOnline, he has also been featured in newspapers in Bristol, Newcastle and Liverpool as well as websites including Louder Than War, Nation Cymru, This is Anfield, The Liverpool Way, Buzz, Wales Arts Review, Alternative Wales, Chortle and the British Comedy Guide. As a lifelong Liverpool fan, Neil released two LFC books in 2014 and 2015 titled Make Us Dream and Red Mist. Also a music obsessive, his latest book International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the 90s Charts is out on Calon in June 2024.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

‘Cool Cymru’ – now there’s a phrase that splits opinion. However, mention it to anyone connected to Wales in any way during the 1990s and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. Whichever side of the fence you sit on regarding the popular media name for the movement, there’s no denying that those last few years leading to the new Millennium was a golden age for Welsh culture and put the country on the map in many ways. Front and centre of it all was the music scene, and having been seen as nation of male-voice choirs and folk-singing prior to this, bands like Manic Street Preachers and Catatonia established themselves as a major international force in the rock and pop world. In my late teens at the time and really into music, it’s a period I remember well – there was so much going on and the impact was huge. Much has been written in articles and even some books about the individual bands, but Neil Collins’ effort is the first attempt at a definitive summary and analysis of the time. Collins is obviously a Welsh music obsessive and he’s been very thorough in his work. Whilst researching his subject, he has interviewed many people who were right in the thick of the buzz and draws evidence throughout from the many articles and interviews from the time and since. Though it’s impossible to speak to everyone, or summarise everything in 250 pages, this is a solid and well-written history book which tells the story in an engaging way. The first chapter is dedicated to giving a context for the rest of the book – a short sharp history of Welsh music before the 1990s. There’s much more to tell, of course, but it sets the scene and of how Welsh music was viewed by the outside world. The story of the 90s and the development of ‘Cool Cymru’ is then told chronologically, whilst the author also weaves in various key themes which help explain the wider relevance and impact on the nation. Language, politics, industry, sport and other culture are all given their due place in the story. Another impossible task would be to tell the tale of every Welsh band and artist that had an impact in the 90s, though Collins does make a good fist of namechecking as many as possible. As you would expect though, the main characters in the story are, to name a few, the Manics, Catatonia, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals and 60ft Dolls, but it’s also great to see notable mentions to some less obvious acts as well like The Darling Buds, Melys, Tigertailz, Tystion and Rheinallt H. Rowlands. This isn’t a judgement in any way, but the author was, to the trained eye, obviously not as familiar with the Welsh-language scene at the time. However, he has also obviously immersed himself in this more recently, and to his credit has given far more prominence to Welsh-medium music than others who have written about the period. This is to be commended, as should his clever regular use of Welsh within the English text to reflect the increasingly confident bilingual nature of the scene. I consider myself to be very well-versed in the subject matter of this book; I suppose the biggest compliment I can give the author is that I’ve learnt a heck of a lot more whilst reading his work.