Rhaglen 8 Darn Bach o Hanes

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-My quest to discover Welsh links...

-..in the field of recorded music

-has brought me to London.

-There's a major Welsh connection...

-..to one of the world's

-earliest record labels...

-..established here

-in the late 19th century.

-In 1897, William Barry Owen

-arrived in the city.

-The American of Welsh descent

-was Emile Berliner's representative.

-Berliner made his fortune in the US

-marketing a new and exciting device.

-The gramophone.

-Berliner gave William Owen a brief.

-He had to find an investor

-to buy the European franchise.

-To impress potential investors...

-..Owen based himself here

-on The Strand...

-..where London's

-grandest hotels were situated.

-He chose the newly-opened

-Cecil Hotel.

-Trevor Lloyd Williams came

-to The Cecil to negotiate business.

-The successful City solicitor

-was originally from Merionethshire.

-Trevor Lloyd Williams

-was a rich man with rich friends.

-When he came to The Cecil,

-he had already formed a syndicate...

-..to invest 5,000 dollars

-in the venture.

-That was a great deal of money

-in those days.

-A contract was drawn up...

-..permitting the syndicate

-to produce Berliner gramophones.

-They could use the pioneering

-technology to produce records.

-Today, 31 Maiden Lane

-is a pizzeria.

-In 1899, it was The Gramophone

-Company's first headquarters.

-Britain's first recording studio

-was established in the cellar.

-The studio and equipment were basic.

-To prevent the huge horn

-from recording any vibrations...

-..the piano was placed on stilts.

-That's the recording studio.

-The unofficial green room

-was two doors down.

-Rules Restaurant

-is London's oldest restaurant.

-It was more of a pub back then.

-In 1899, it's likely

-a Welsh singer enjoyed its ambiance.

-Her name was Madge Breese.

-She was invited here by her cousin,

-Trevor Lloyd Williams.

-The family link

-between Trevor and Madge...

-..has never been established,

-until now.

-There were no known pictures

-of her either - until now.

-And this is Madge Breese.

-We found one of her descendants

-living in Morfa Bychan.

-So what did she accomplish?

-Well, Madge is an important figure

-in Welsh history...

-..because she was the first person

-to be recorded in Welsh.

-These recordings have survived,

-and I am about to get to hear them.

-The location of the archive

-is so secret...

-..I can't tell you where it is!

-In 1908, the archive

-was a record producing factory.

-It was established by Trevor Lloyd

-Williams's successful company.

-Before that, prints

-of the Maiden Lane recordings...

-..were sent to German factories

-to be mass-produced.

-From now on,

-records could be made in Britain.

-Today, The Gramophone Company...

-..is a leading record publisher...

-..EMI.

-The EMI archive houses thousands

-of rare documents and records.

-I've come to see three records...

-..released after Madge Breese's

-Maiden Lane recording session.

-She recorded Ar Hyd Y Nos, Clychau

-Aberdyfi and Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

-These are

-the earliest Welsh language records.

-We've had special permission

-from EMI to play them.

-I'd better be careful.

-There aren't many left in the world

-and I don't want to pay for them!

-# Mae hen wlad fy nhadau

-yn annwyl i mi

-# Gwlad beirdd a chantorion

-# Enwogion o fri

-# Ei gwrol ryfelwyr

-# Gwladgarwyr tra mad #

-I should be standing up for this.

-# Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed #

-My quest began in London...

-..but the trail

-leads me back to Wales.

-Craig y Nos is the impressive

-castle near Swansea...

-..bought by the world-famous

-singer Adelina Patti in 1878.

-Patti made a lot of additions,

-including a theatre.

-It's one of Britain's most

-important historic private theatres.

-Patti entertained dignitaries here.

-Much of her life

-is well documented...

-..but I'm after

-a little known story...

-..of the earliest recording made

-on Welsh soil, in December 1905.

-Patti had retired

-from public performances.

-Now in her sixties...

-..she still had the voice

-that had made her an opera star.

-To ensure that her voice

-would never be forgotten...

-..Gramophone Company engineers...

-..came here

-with their recording equipment.

-I'm here to listen to one of those

-recordings with Hywel Wigley.

-He's an engineer and owner

-of Acapela Recording Studio.

-# Voi che sapete

-# Che cosa e amor

-# Donne, vedete

-# S'io l'ho nel cor

-# Donne, vedete

-# S'io l'ho nel cor #

-The old records have a unique sound.

-Singers tended to distrust

-new technology.

-She didn't want to go to London

-to record her voice.

-She kept the sound technicians drunk

-for the week it took to record her!

-Once she recorded it...

-..she announced to the world...

-..that she knew why

-she was such a big star.

-It was a turning point

-for the industry.

-The needle was almost

-like da Vinci's finger...

-..bringing science and art together.

-Furthermore...

-..it served as a boost

-for these major singers' egos.

-How far advanced

-was recording technology?

-Edison had invented

-the phonograph cylinder.

-The cylinder

-could record and reproduce sounds.

-Adelina Patti recorded on something

-like this, but on a larger scale.

-This is the studio!

-You'd be disappointed if you came

-to my studio and saw this!

-It looks like magic to me!

-The voice

-would cause this to vibrate.

-The vibrations came down the needle

-and left a groove.

-The information is in the groove.

-You mentioned original recordings.

-This was the early form

-of storing data...

-..and it doesn't lie!

-Nowadays, it's possible

-to make anyone sing in tune.

-We'll see now!

-Ready?

-I'll recite a poem.

-# When is your birthday

-# Endless acres of marshland?

-# You, with the rain

-# And sun in your arms?

-# When the wind swept over

-# Arianrhod's cheeks

-# That's when I was born

-# From the storm

-into the brave acres #

-That's recorded now.

-Can you see the grooves?

-Let's see if it worked.

-# When is your birthday

-# Endless acres of marshland?

-# You, with the rain

-and sun in your arms? #

-The recording technology works.

-I sounded like a hilltop farmer.

-You could fool Americans with that.

-Coming up, a famous Monmouthshire

-studio celebrates its 50th birthday.

-And I interview an icon

-of the Welsh rock scene.

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-I'm retracing

-the history of recorded music.

-I've found a strong Welsh link

-in the industry's early days.

-Classical music

-has dominated the story so far.

-I think it's time for a key change.

-# Whole Lotta Love #

-Led Zeppelin

-# You need coolin',

-baby, I'm not foolin' #

-Yes, rock music

-made Rockfield world-famous.

-There are many stories

-about this place.

-But are they true,

-or a part of Rockfield folklore?

-Here are some of the best.

-This is where Liam Gallagher

-threw a rubbish bin...

-..at his brother Noel's car

-after a ballistic fall out.

-F***k off Noel, you c***!

-The Coach House is where The Stone

-Roses recorded the classic...

-..I Am The Resurrection

-from their first album.

-Freddie Mercury composed

-the anthemic Bohemian Rhapsody here.

-That weathervane...

-..with the horse on it inspired

-"anywhere the wind blows."

-This dining room

-has seen a few food fights.

-The most famous involved

-Simple Minds, and a trifle.

-Needless to say, most of the trifle

-ended up on the walls and the band.

-# Way down inside #

-Long before The Stone Roses, Oasis

-and Catatonia came to Rockfield...

-..the singer Heather Jones

-recorded here.

-# Hey, hey, hey, hey,

-where is the sun?

-# Where is the sun? #

-She came here in 1971 to record

-Ble'r Aeth Yr Haul with Huw Jones...

-..the iconic Colli Iaith...

-..and, in 1973, her first album.

-She hasn't been back to Rockfield

-until today.

-Where have you been for 40 years,

-you bugger?!

-You haven't aged at all!

-After reminiscing

-with the owner Kingsley Ward...

-..I asked her about those times.

-What was it like here in 1973?

-It hasn't changed that much.

-I remember this place.

-Mind you, it's a long time ago!

-I remember being cold -

-and it's still cold!

-It was an amazing experience.

-We worked hard.

-We mixed and listened

-to the songs...

-..with Kingsley Ward,

-who's still here.

-It was lovely.

-I was a young girl in a man's world.

-I was shy and afraid to say

-if I didn't like something.

-I didn't like to ask to do it again.

-I was very young, remember!

-You were here

-in the formative years.

-Not many big bands had been here.

-I know!

-I know!

-

-You were one of the first.

-It's amazing to think that Queen

-recorded Bohemian Rhapsody here.

-How long did it take

-to record an album?

-An LP took a long time.

-We took three weeks

-to record Mae'r Olwyn Yn Troi.

-There are 20 songs altogether.

-I remember musicians

-actually playing instruments...

-..and the arrangements.

-Do you remember any new innovations?

-I remember the echo,

-which I thought was fantastic.

-My high voice suited the echo.

-Are you going back

-into the studio?

-I'm always thinking

-of doing something.

-I'm still writing songs.

-There's one CD left in me!

-# The blood of the warriors

-# That stained the ground

-# Was washed away by the rain

-a long time ago #

-Sain's earliest material was

-recorded in Rockfield and London.

-In 1975, the company opened

-its first studio near Caernarfon.

-Dafydd Iwan, one of the founders,

-tells us the story.

-Dewi Prysor. Welcome!

-Let's go to Studio 2.

-Forming Sain was a pioneering move.

-I suppose so, looking back.

-At the time...

-..I wasn't aware we were

-ground-breaking or pioneering.

-I did what I felt was needed.

-In Wales, we used to gather around

-a table, singing into one mic.

-Huw and I suggested to our label,

-Welsh Teldisc...

-..that it was time

-to enter the multi-track world.

-They weren't interested,

-but told us to carry on.

-We rented a studio in London,

-to record Dwr...

-..with the help of Meic Stevens.

-The record sales

-paid for Myn Duw, Mi A Wn Y Daw!

-Huw wrote Paid Digalonni

-when I was in prison.

-Sain and the early records...

-..stem from the activities

-of the Welsh Language Society...

-..and the language campaigns.

-It was a political company,

-and it was seen that way.

-But we were also a Welsh company.

-Why did you move the company here?

-As a Welsh company...

-..we felt we needed

-to be closer to our audience.

-Rockfield proved to us that a barn

-could become a modern studio.

-We followed their example.

-We turned the Gwernafalau stables

-into an 8-track studio.

-We spent weeks

-soundproofing the stables.

-We put tons of sand in the ceiling

-to absorb the sound.

-When the drums were loud...

-..grains of sand

-fell down from the roof!

-We settled in the old RAF station

-in Llandwrog...

-..in 1980.

-Does the growth

-of independent labels...

-..reflect the strength

-of the Welsh scene?

-In a way,

-it's a strength and a weakness.

-It's great that modern technology...

-..is in the hands

-of the musicians and the bands.

-They can record at home.

-Many feel they don't have

-to come through Sain.

-We have to find a way...

-..of working together

-for the future.

-The digital revolution

-has transformed the musical world.

-It's up there in the cloud.

-It can be accessed

-without any payment being made.

-We need to find a way

-of controlling that.

-The digital revolution

-has moved the goalposts.

-Is that a threat to Sain?

-It's no secret

-that the company is for sale.

-Sain isn't for sale because of the

-digital threat and those changes.

-The directors

-have reached a certain age!

-We want to hand over the company

-to new shareholders.

-That's one factor.

-The music industry

-is under threat from all directions.

-The big shops have closed,

-the big companies are disappearing.

-It's a time to think...

-..to see how to adapt

-and look ahead to the future.

-It is a threat,

-but it's also an opportunity.

-The Internet is worldwide.

-Welsh music can reach

-all four corners of the world.

-Work has to be done...

-..to promote the digital output.

-More musicians

-are recording their own stuff.

-However, this isn't the route

-Yr Ods have taken.

-When I visited Sain in April, they

-were recording their second album.

-I asked Griff Lynch

-and Osian Howells...

-..how the studio experience

-enhances the creative process.

-Recording

-is a collaborative process.

-Coming to a studio

-enables everyone to have their say.

-It suits our style of music.

-We can get the sound right

-in a studio.

-Something more electronic

-can be done at home.

-Sain is brilliant. They've invested

-in the studio over the years.

-The full-time engineers

-do this every day.

-They'll get better results.

-They nail it straight away.

-What about the future, Griff?

-People are making music

-on laptops in their bedrooms.

-If someone's prepared

-to pay a band to go to a studio...

-..or you have the funds,

-it's worth it.

-It's more of an experience...

-..than wearing headphones

-and doing it yourself.

-It's more fun too.

-In the same way

-that Trevor Lloyd Williams...

-..and his Gramophone Company

-pioneered in 1897...

-..the digital revolution has

-transformed recording techniques.

-It can be seen as a threat to

-the industry and commercial music.

-On the other hand,

-anyone who has the right software...

-..a laptop or mobile phone

-can make their own music.

-As a result, the music business

-has become less elitist.

-Radical changes are taking place.

-Despite the increase

-in DIY studios...

-..there will always be a demand...

-..for the facilities and expertise

-a studio can offer.

-As this pioneering company...

-..hands over

-to the younger generation...

-..we shouldn't see the glass

-as half empty.

-We need to embrace the changes

-and move with the times.

-It's vital, not only

-for the Welsh recording industry...

-..but to the future of the language.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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