Meic Stevens
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Meic Stevens
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Meic Stevens is a legend in his native Wales, even as he remains somewhat unknown outside of that country, due chiefly to his insistence on singing in his native Welsh language. The psych-folk singer and guitarist is often referred to as "the '60s Welsh psych-Dylan" and compared favorably with fellow astral-travelers like Syd Barrett. He was discovered by Jimmy Saville, a DJ who saw Stevens (from Solva, on the West Coast of Wales) performing at the Manchester University folk club in 1965. This discovery led to Meic Stevens recording his first single -- with producer John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin) -- for Decca Records that same year. Stevens continued to perform around Britain and Wales during the '60s, playing on recording sessions and even reportedly turning down a five-album, five-year record contract with Warner Bros. in 1970 -- they wanted to turn him into the "Welsh Van Morrison" -- in order to concentrate on recording in his own language. His 1970 album Outlander, which features sitar and tablas courtesy of Magic Carpet's Keshav Sathe, is today -- like most of his albums -- considered quite rare and highly collectable among psych-folk fans.Stevens continued to record for various small labels throughout the remainder of the decade and backed other Welsh musicians. In 1978, he was in the short-lived subversive folk trio Y Bara Menyn with fiddle player Siân Phillips and vocalist Heather Jones, in addition to leading his own groups with their own revolving membership. (The Shevells -- who backed Stevens when he was using the name "Mike Stevens" -- are also known as the Welsh Conquerors.) In 1992, Stevens' best-of CD, entitled Dim Ond Cysgodion, was released. It concentrates heavily on the Welsh-language material that Stevens recorded between 1971-1992. In addition to numerous EPs that have been issued during his career, Stevens' songs have occasionally appeared on various-artists compilations, including tracks that appeared on two consecutive Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers releases. Stevens was featured in Mojo magazine's "Top 100 Cult Heroes." In 2000, the Welsh pop group Super Furry Animals released their own all-Welsh-language album, Mwng, which was inspired by their hero; they have often played Stevens' "Y Brawd Houdini" (aka "Houdini's Brother"), though their own version has yet to appear on any of their own recordings, unfortunately. Stevens continues to perform in Wales, where he is treated as a national hero. 2001's Y Baledl compiled Stevens' recordings from the previous 30 years, drawing from his early classics from the '60s to the present. The Sunbeam label reissued two compilations in 2006, Rain in the Leaves: The EPs, Vol. 1 and Sackcloth & Ashes: The EPs, Vol. 2, and Stevens released a collection of all-new material, Icarws/Icarus, in 2007. ~ Bryan Thomas, Rovi
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Meic Stevens
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| Meic Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Eisteddfod Wrecsam, 2011 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Louis Michael James |
| Also known as | Michael Mortimer Stevens, Y Brawd Hwdini |
| Born | March 13, 1942 Solva, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
| Genres | Rock, folk rock, folk, blues, country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. Records, Wren, Sain, Tic Toc, Crai, Fflach, Bluetit Records, Tenth Planet, Rhino Handmade, Sunbeam Records |
| Associated acts | Bara Menyn Heather Jones Billy Thompson Alan Stivell |
| Website | [1] |
Meic Mortimer Stevens is a Welsh singer-songwriter often referred to as "the Welsh Dylan"[1] and has been compared favourably with musicians like Syd Barrett. Stevens's songs have a mystical, faintly psychedelic flavour, and are mostly sung in his native Welsh language. Still largely unknown outside Wales (where he is now a national hero), he was discovered by DJ Jimmy Savile, who saw him performing in a Manchester folk club in 1965. This led to Stevens recording his first single - with arranger John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin) - for Decca Records that same year, though it sold very badly.
In 1967 he suffered a nervous breakdown and retreated to his home village of Solva (in Pembrokeshire) to recuperate, and started to write songs in Welsh in a concerted effort to create a distinctive national pop music. From 1967-69 he recorded a series of now rare Welsh-language picture sleeve EPs (Mike Stevens, Rhif 2 (Number 2), Mwg (Smoke), Y Brawd Houdini (The Great Houdini), Meic Stevens, Diolch Yn Fawr (Many Thanks), Byw Yn Y Wlad (Living In The Country)). These were made for local labels like Sain and Wren, for whom he was one of the first artistes to record. He also performed around Britain during the '60s, playing on recording sessions (notably for his friend Gary Farr's debut album on the Marmalade label). He made a one-off English language LP, Outlander, for Warner Bros. Records in 1970, but the contract was abandoned by mutual consent. Today, like his other LPs of the period, Gwymon (Seaweed) and Gog (Cuckoo), it is very rare and highly sought-after.
Today Stevens' psych-folk influence can be heard in contemporary Welsh groups such as Super Furry Animals and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and his song "Cwm y Pren Helyg" was recently covered by Alun Tan Lan. Several CDs of his are available from the Sain label in Caernarfon, and two volumes of his classic 1960s EPs have recently appeared on Sunbeam Records.
Stevens can be found occasionally singing in certain pubs/hotels in Aberystwyth until the late hours.He can also be seen performing regularly throughout Wales and England at major festivals, eisteddfodau, pubs, theatres etc. He performs periodically in France, mainly Brittany where he is very popular.
Albums
- Outlander (1970, Warner Bros)
- Gwymon (Wren, 1972)
- Gog (1977, Sain 1065M)
- Caneuon Cynnar (1979, Tic Toc TTL001)
- Nos Du, Nos Da (1982, Sain 82)
- Gitar yn y Twll dan Star (Sain, 1983)
- Lapis Lazuli (Sain, 1985 Sain 1312M)
- Bywyd Ac Angau/Life And Death (Fflach, 1989)
- Ware’n Noeth - Bibopalwla’r Delyn Aur (1991, Sain SCD 4088)
- Er Cof Am Blant Y Cwm (1993, Crai CD036)
- Y Baledi - Dim Ond Cysgodion (1992, Sain SCD 2001)
- Voodoo Blues (1993? Bluetit Records MS1)
- Yn Fyw (1995, Sain)
- Ghost Town (1997, Tenth Planet TP028)
- Mihangel (1998, Crai CD059)
- Ysbryd Solva (2002, Sain SCD 2364)
- September 1965: The Tony Pike Session (2002, Tenth Planet TP056)
- Disgwyl Rhywbeth Gwell I Ddod (2002 Sain SCD 2345)
- Outlander (2003, Rhino Handmade RHM2 7839 re-release)
- Meic a'r Gerddorfa (2005, Sain SCD 2499)
- Rain In The Leaves: The EPs vol. 1 (2006, Sunbeam SBRCD5021)
- Sackcloth & Ashes: The EPs vol. 2 (2007, Sunbeam SBRCD5033)
- Icarws (2007, Sain 2516)
- An Evening With Meic Stevens: Recorded Live In London (2007, Sunbeam SBRCD5039)
- Gwymon (2008, Sunbeam SBRCD5046)
- Love Songs (2010)
References
- ^ Waldram, Hannah (14 April 2010). "'Welsh Dylan' rocks Cardiff". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/apr/14/meic-stevens-gwdihw-bar. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
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Mentioned in
Rain in the Leaves: The EPs, Vol. 1
(2006 Album by Meic Stevens)
Meic Stevens: An Evening with Meic Stevens
(2007 Music Film)
Under the Influence: Super Furry Animals
(2005 Album by Super Furry Animals)
Ghost Town
(1997 Album by Meic Stevens)
Outlander [Expanded]
(2003 Album by Meic Stevens)
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