heyday of the blood?

[joanniejones]

I've just read a book called Heyday of the Blood (library of Wales), looked it up on Amazon and the first link was to a Manics track with the same title. I've never heard of it. What's that then and is it any good?

[riot_star]

It's a B-Side from the Send Away the Tigers era.

[centralscrutiniser]

It's great - one of the B Sides from Indian Summmer in 2007

[joanniejones]

Thanks clever people, I'll track it down. The book is great too - as I was reading it I was thinking that I bet James will have read this.

[Bathtub]

I've never read it, but have to get round to it.

The Library of Wales series are excellent. Lot's of great under appreciated authors like Gwym Thomas and Dorothy Edwards with great cover art on the books

[joanniejones]

praise be to libraries, for ever how much longer they will survive.

[wireobsessed]

Originally Posted by joanniejones

praise be to libraries, for ever how much longer they will survive.

Totally and utterly agree. I'd love to read it, it sounds really interesting.

[centralscrutiniser]

Originally Posted by joanniejones

praise be to libraries, for ever how much longer they will survive.

They gave us power

[joanniejones]

Pah, the old ones are the best. Seriously though, I presume the song was inspired by the book.

[CardiffAfterlife]

Originally Posted by Corpse In The Bathtub

I've never read it, but have to get round to it.

The Library of Wales series are excellent. Lot's of great under appreciated authors like Gwym Thomas and Dorothy Edwards with great cover art on the books

The Arthur Machen novels in the series are great as well. Getting back on topic, its a great b-side (one of my favourite from the Send Away the Tigers period.) On a slightly related note, I was reading Gwyn William's 'When Was Wales?' recently and the opening chapter is entitled 'A Prologue to A History'. More of Nicky Wire's literary borrowing perhaps?

[riot_star]

Originally Posted by CardiffAfterlife

The Arthur Machen novels in the series are great as well. Getting back on topic, its a great b-side (one of my favourite from the Send Away the Tigers period.) On a slightly related note, I was reading Gwyn William's 'When Was Wales?' recently and the opening chapter is entitled 'A Prologue to A History'. More of Nicky Wire's literary borrowing perhaps?

Prologue to History was a poem written by Patrick Jones....I don't know whether it was named something else and Nicky renamed it to PTH though.

[CardiffAfterlife]

Originally Posted by riot_star

Prologue to History was a poem written by Patrick Jones....I don't know whether it was named something else and Nicky renamed it to PTH though.

Ah I didn't know that. I guess Patrick Jones may have borrowed the phrase from Gwyn Williams seeing as his book was published before most of Patrick's work (and Gwyn Williams' book was pretty influential in Welsh historiography) but it seems a lot more likely Nicky got the title from Patrick.

[James1985]

nice little b-side.. it sound like it should have been wriiten for a James bond film

[Tetsuo]

What's the book about?

Nicky noted the music sounded "Who/Quadraphenia-like" and hinted this might be a future route to take. Of course Richey came back on the scene and they went back to choirs and strings rather than Townshend windmiles and synth

[joanniejones]

'The old way of things was ending; she had come at the end of one age and the beginning of another. Wales would be the last to go but it was going...'
its about a rural community on Welsh borders and conflict between Welsh rural life and lure of contemporary urban living, class and education. It's got some great set comic pieces as well as poetic writing but its not an easy read because of its age.