Casgliad o ganeuon cafodd eu ysgrifennu rhwng 2018 a 2023 yn Gent, Brwsel, Llundain, Machynlleth a Gaeredin, heblaw am "Waltz with me Darling" (2014, Betws-y-coed) a "Streaker" (2007, Betws-y-coed) // A collection of songs written between 2018 and 2023 in Ghent, Brussels, London, Machynlleth and Cardiff, with the exception of "Waltz..." (2014, Betws-y-coed) and "Streaker" (2007, Betws-y-coed)

1. Red Transit Van (with Lo-fi Jones)
2. See You After Quarantine (feat. Hannelore Karmel) 
3. Goldfish (feat. Jilly Lukkesen) 
4. Special Cream
5. Retrofit
6. Ble Mae Fy Nghalon i? (gyda Ffion Aynsley)
7. I'm in space
8. Waltz With Me Darling (feat. Ailsa Mair)
9. Lockdown Birthday 
10. Don't Tell Your Boyfriend
11. Streaker

BONUS TRACKS:
Oes Gafr Eto (gyda Ailsa Mair)
Tori Jaaun re Jaaun re (feat. Aakriti Bhatt & Maneesh Rawat)

Geiriau a cerddoriaeth gan Liam S Rickard, gyda // lyrics and music by Liam S Rickard, with:

Siôn Rickard (traciau 1 a 10)
Hannelore Karmel (trac 2)
Jilly Lukkesen (trac 3)
Ffion Aynlsey (trac 6)

Ailsa Mair, trad. (casgliad Dafydd Ddu Eryri) (trac 12)
Dilli Gharana, Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty, Aakriti Bhatt, Maneesh Rawat (trac 13)

Cerddorion/ musicians:

Liam S Rickard – vocals (tracks 1-12), classical guitar (1, 2, 4-13), e-guitar (3), piano (5, 10), synths (13)
Ffion Aynsley – vocals (4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10), piano (4, 7), percussion (5, 6, 10), flute (6)
Michael Ekeghasi – backing vocals, bognos, percussion (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Nicolas Davalan – e-bass (4, 5, 6, 7, 9), double bass (8, 10, 12)
Rolando Bertrand Ruiz – drums, percussion (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9)
Ben MacCoed – trumpet (4, 5, 9, 10)
David Spivack – saxophone (4, 5, 9, 10)
Siôn Rickard – vocals (1), harmonica (1, 3), gang vocals (3)
Badger Brown – violin, bass (1)
Hannah Boer – backing vocals (1, 3)
Hannelore Karmel Juurikas – vocals (2)
Lotte Remmen - violin, backing vocals (2)
Alex Dardenne – bass (2)
Antoon Kindekens – drums (2, 3)
Jonas Malfliet – piano (2)
Joachim Thys – saxophone (2), gang vocals (3)
Jilly Lukkesen – vocals (3)
Tegid Roberts – guitar (3)
Tom Parkinson – double bass (3)
Ana Ramirez Bautista – clarinet (3)
Tina Allegeart – trumpet, gang vocals (3)
Ray Rivieros – trumpet (3)
Bernhard Vanecek – trombone (3)
Ailsa Mair – vocals, cello (8, 12)
Aakriti Bhatt – vocal (13)
Maneesh Rawat – tabla (13)

Track 1 and tracks 4-12 were recorded & produced Mike West in Our Lady Studio, Borth. 

Track 2 was recorded in Robinialand, Gent, by Jonas Malfliet, and prodcued by Alex Dardenne. 

Track 3 was recorded in Cardiff, Gent, London and Mannheim, and produced by Max Christensen. 

Track 13 was recorded in New Delhi, Betws-y-coed, and London, and produced by Liam S Rickard

Stuck in Belgium (extended version)

An international collaboration between Indian Classical musicians, Aakriti Bhatt (vocals) and Maneesh Rawat (tabla), and Welsh pan-global-alt-pop-artist, Worldwide Welshman (guitar, synths, production) "इंडो - West – सहयोगी (Indo-West Collaboratives)" present their own arrangement of two compositions in Raag Yaman.

The first bandish (compostion), "Tori Jaaun re Jaaun re", from the Dilli Gharana tradition (of the Delhi region), is a song of love and gratitude for one's mentor, romantic partner, good friend, or family member. This is followed by a Tarana composed by Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty. A tarana is a type of vocal composition in Hindustani classical music that uses nonsense syllables which are most likely derived from Persian and Arabic.

Bhatt and Rawat recorded the vocals, tabla, tampura and swarmandal in Harmony Studio, New Delhi, and Rickard recorded the guitars & synths in Temporal Comet Studios, East London.

Lyrics & interpretation:

Tori jaun re jaun re balihari...
Tori Pyari si suratpe balma re 
jaun re jaun re balihari...

"oh my dear, you are my affectionate, your face is so beautiful and I feel so much positivity after seeing you that I just want to see you all the time. Your presence makes the ambience very nice, I feel so good when you are present in front of me"

Kush Rang ke mai bal bal jaun...
Charan me sheesh Jhukaun

"my dear mentor, I cannot explain how special you are to me. I just put my head on your feet"

Tana dir tanaum tana dir na...
Tana dir tanaum tana dim tana dir na...
Tana dim tana dere na
Na dir tada ni tadir tadani tadir tana na 
Tana dir tanaum tana dim tana dir na......

***

Diolch yn fawr iawn i Subodh Pandey, our manager, who invited us to be part of this international collaboration and brought us together over video link in spring 2021.

Many thanks also to our sponsors, Asia-Europe Foundation, for their support via the Mobility First! grant: https://mobilityfirst.asef.org

Credits

Bandish (Composition) - Tori Jaaun re Jaaun re
Originally written and composed by Dilli Gharana

Tarana
Composed by Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty

Performed & arranged by:-

Liam Rickard (Wales)
Aakriti Bhatt (India)
Maneesh Rawat (India)

Produced by Liam Rickard

Recorded in Harmony Studio, New Delhi, & Temporal Comet Studio, London

Tori Jaaun re Jaaun re

Tori Jaaun re Jaaun re (feat. Aakriti Bhatt & Maneesh Rawat)

Annwyl gyfeillion,

Here's a song I wrote after a conversation I had in the pub with a coursemate about the seemingly never-ending retrofit project that she and her husband were undertaking to improve the energy efficiency of their flat.

It was first performed at the Centre for Alternative Technology in May 2023.
I dedicate this song to all the green builders out there!

Lyrics:
Retrofit, retrofit
We’ve gotta retrofit for the planet
We’re gonna retrofit our leaky house
So we gutted it and we had to move out

But it costs so much and it takes so long
And goes on and on and its still not done
Now it’s all gone wrong and we’re still living with your parents

All our friends, are flying away on holiday
I want to go to Japan
But I don’t think that’s right in the current context
All our friends are flying away to Africa
I want to go with them
But I don’t think I can given the situation


Retrofit, retrofit
We’ve gotta do our bit for the planet
But its all gone wrong its all covered in mould
and it takes so long and we’re getting old

We used hemp-lime here and some perlite there,
We mixed straw and clay with fine horse hair
We had to lose space on the inside or extend the eaves,
When will it be done so I can go home please 

All our friends, are flying away on holiday
I want to go to Taiwan
But I don’t think I ought to in the current context
All our friends are flying away to America
I want to go with them
But I don’t think I can given the situation

I just just want to lounge ‘round in my lounge again,
Watching documentaries
And thinking about our next holiday to Barmouth
All my friends are flying away to India
I want to go to Goa!
But I don’t think that would be appropriate right now

Retrofit, retrofit, Retrofit, retrofit,
Retrofit, retrofit, Retrofit, retrofit

We’ve gotta Retrofit the neighbourhood
With cultivation spaces for home-grown food
Retrofit the energy system
With closed-loop geothermal district heating

Retrofit the cars and trains
Make garden features from old aeroplanes
Retrofit the container ships
And proper recycling for microchips

We used straw-clay render and sheep’s wool batts
But it got too damp and the moths ate that
We wanted wood-fibre but the builders said
They didn’t know what that was, so they used plastic instead

All our friends, are flying away on holiday
I’d love to go to Thailand
But I don’t think I should in the current climate
All our friends are flying away to Singapor
I want to go with them
But I don’t think I can given the current crisis
I can go wherever I want so easily
But some people like me,
Are adrift on the sea in a crowded dingy

Retrofit, retrofit,
Retrofit, retrofit
Retrofit, retrofit,
Retrofit

Credits:
Liam S Rickard - Composition, lyrics, vocals, guitar, piano
Ffion Aynsley - backing vocals, percussion
Michael Ekeghasi - backing vocals, percussion
Archibald Schwartz Marmaduke - bass
Rolando Bertrand Ruiz - drums
Ben MacCoed - trumpet
David Spivack - saxophone

Recorded, mixed & mastered in Our Lady Studio, Borth, by Mike West

Blog post about the song: https://worldwidewelshman.weebly.com/blog
Further information: https://worldwidewelshman.weebly.com/retrofit-2023.html
Smartlink: https://ffm.to/retrofit

Retrofit

Dyma drac heulog oddi wrth fy albwm stiwdio newydd sydd ar y gweill, "Stuck in Belgium". Bydd yr albwm cyfan allan ar y 1af o Fai.

Here's a sunny track from my forthcoming studio album, "Stuck in Belgium". I'll be my first full studio album. Coming out on the 1st of May.

Geiriau/lyrics:

I’ve got this very special cream, I put it on  myself,    
makes me feel six-teen I won’t be left upon the shelf I wish that I could be an elf,
never ageing
mae gen i very special cream, dwi’n rhoi o ar fy hun,
neud fi deimlo’n ddel gyda fy hufen spesial iawn mae fy mywyd i’n gyflawn,  
byth yn heneiddio

Yes I bought it from a hippy in a cave in Portugal, she told me it was made out of herbs and magical crystals,
ethical organic and healthy in every way and if you rub it on your skin all your problems will go away,
I didn’t believe her but I tried it anyway and I rubbed it all over my face yesterday, 
and I climbed up into a tree and looked out at the moon and took a photo of myself! 

I’ve got this very special cream I put it on  myself, makes me feel  six-teen I won’t be left upon the shelf I wish that I could be an elf, never ageing

yes I bought it from a hippy in a party in Goa he told me it was made out of hemp seeds, and positive energy,
it will make you happy, it will make you free,  it’ll make you everything you’ve ever wanted to be
and when you’re floating in your prosperity, drinking organic cocktails on the beach
pretending you’re the paparazzi, and taking photos of yourself!  

I’ve got this very special cream, young cream, I put it on myself,
makes me feel  sixteen, six-teen, never ageing
mae gen i very special cream, dwi’n rhoi o ar fy hun,
neud fi deimlo’n ddel gyda fy hufen spesial iawn mae fy mywyd i’n gyflawn, 
byth yn heneiddio

Do, do, do, do-do-do-do-do…..……
and when I look into the mirror, the mirror, the mirror, oh what do I  see, could that somebody really be me? x2

I take it back to the shop x4
it makes my skin start to rot
I take it back to the shop x3
I think the cream has gone off
I take it back to the shop x3
now I'm all covered in spots
I take it back to the shop x3

I’ve got this very special cream, I put it on  myself,    
makes me feel six-teen I won’t be left upon the shelf I wish that I could be an elf,
never ageing

Do, do, do, do-do-do-do-do…..……

Did you know that some of your beauty products have small plastic beads in them, 
that get into the water system
and poison the fish?
Did you know that some of your hygene products have small plastic beads in them,
that go down the hole in your shower
and into the ecosystem

Special Cream

Cychwynodd y cân hon fel improvisation y cafodd ei greu mewn fan transit coch ar i motorway yn Ffrainc yn 2018, ar roadtrip rhwng Gent a Porto.

This song started as an improvisation which we made up in the back of a red transit van on the motorway in France in 2018, on a roadtrip between Ghent and Porto.

Geiriau/ lyrics

I heard from my friends that you had a few spaces.
chucked some stuff in a case,
I got the feeling for some kind of adventure, oh-oh
red transit van where are you now?

Red Transit Van on the motorway in France
Van du transit rouge sur l’autoroute
Red transit van and I don’t know where I am
sur l’autoroute avec mes amis,
Je me demande, où est mon ex-amour?

Stuck here in the distant future, looking at the past
I feel like a different creature, clinging to the mast
drifting somewhere in the cosmos like icy fragments,
will we ever find the way?

Red Transit Van on the motorway in France
Van du transit rouge sur l’autoroute
Red transit van and I don’t know where I am
dans la belle campagne avec mes amis,
J'essaie d'oublier mon ex-amour

red transit van, ble’r wyt ti’n myned?
Be ‘di’r holl gerddoriaeth ?
mae’n swnllyd ond dwi’n meddwl dwi’n licio, o o
Fan Transit coch ble’r wyt ti nawr ?

Red Transit Van on the motorway in France
Van du transit rouge auf der Autobahn
Van du transit rouge et nous sommes très perdus
sur la planète Terre avec mes amis, Je ne peux pas oublier mon ex-amour
sur la planète Terre avec mes amis, Je ne peux pas oublier mon ex-amour

mon ex-amour

roulons à travers, la planète Terre d’gajant d’la fumees dan l’atmosphere
sa roul ma poule, avec mes amis, J'essaie d'oublier mon ex-amour

Liam Rickard - llais a gitar/ voice & guitar
Siôn Rickard - llais a harmonica / voice and harmonica
Badger Brown - bas a ffidil / bass & fiddle
Rolando Bertrand Ruiz - drymiau/drums
Hannah Boer - llais cefn / backing vocals
Mike West - cynhyrchu / production

Wedi'i recordio yn / recorded in Our Lady Studio, Borth 

Red Transit Van (with Lo-fi Jones)

I wish I was a goldfish so I could forget yesterday
I wish I was a goldfish so I could swim my troubles away
How I wish I was a flower, so you could look at me for hours, and maybe put me in your hair
How I wish I was a shower, baby, so I could wash away your sorrows and your cares
I wish I was a goldfish so I could forget yesterday
How I wish I was the rain so I could dance upon your skin
How I wish I was a masterpiece that coes from deep within
how I wish I was a table but not at your family dinner 
'cause people shouting and throwing soup at each other is not my idea of fun

Credits: 
Composed in Gent by Liam Stuart Rickard and Jilly Lukkesen ©L.S.Rickard & J.Lukkesen, 2019

Recorded in Cardiff, Gent, London & Mannheim

Mixed and mastered in Mannheim by Max Christensen

Liam Stuart Rickard - electric guitar, co-lead vocals
Jilly Lukkesen - lead vocals
Tegid Roberts - gypsy-jazz guitar
Tom Parkinson - double bass
Antoon Kindekens - drum kit
Siôn Rickard - harmonica, choir
Berhard Vanecek - trombone
Ana Maria Ramírez Bautista - clarient, choir
Ray Rivieros - trumpet
Tine Allegeart - trumpet, choir

Choir - Blanche Marguerite, Cedric Avelon, Gabriël Harmsen, Hannah Boer, Joachim Thys, Lahyona Ajuin, Linde Janssens, Marek Matas, Michael Ekeghasi, Mira Heller (ZaHiRa), Yolanda Bautista Daza (Yoli)

Choir & horn section recorded by Joachim Gys in Gys & Allegeart's house, Gent.
Guitars, bass & Liam's vocal recorded by LSR in the Rickard's (former) unit at The Bridge Studios, Cardiff.
Clarinet solo recorded by LSR in Ana's room, London.
Trombone recorded by Max Christensen in his home studio in Mannheim.
Harmonica recorded by Siôn in his room in Cardiff.

Goldfish (feat. Jilly Lukkesen)

This song was written in Brussels 15th March 2020. Belgium had just gone into lockdown; my bus to back to London was booked for that evening and Lore would fly back to Estonia the following morning.

I returned to Belgium in September to play a concert, and spent a month living in Ghent. The band and I recorded this song on the 23rd of October, with a second lockdown looming, and just two days before my train back to the UK. Hannelore recorded her part in Estonia and sent it to us over WIFI and fibreoptic cables.

Lyrics:

Empty bars and empty cafes
Cinemas without a soul
Schools are closed, kids are delighted
I guess it's time to go back home

So see you after quarantine
I'll be back I promise
assuming that I don't die
see you after quarantine
when the world goes back to normal once again

Chinese restaurants are closing
I guess it's worse than I first thought
Climate change was bad enough
now a pandemic steals our jobs!

So see you after quarantine
I'll be back I promise, assuming that I don't die
So see you after quarantine
unless my bus is cancelled, and I get stuck in Belgium!

Stuck in Belgium, stuck in Belgium, that's where I wanna be
Stuck in Belgium, stuck in Belgium living at my friend's place, for free
Stuck in Belgium, stuck in Belgium, that's where I wanna be
Stuck in Belgium, stuck in Belgium, wouldn't be so bad, for me

See you after quarantine
I'll be back I promise, assuming that I don't die
see you after quarantine
when the world goes back to normal...

Stuck in Belgium, stuck in Belgium!

Written by Liam S Rickard (vocal & guitar) & Hannelore Karmel (vocal), arranged by the band:
Alex Dardenne - bass, backing vocal
Antoon Kindekens - drums, gang vocal
Jonas Malfliet - piano, gang vocal
Lotte Remmen - violin, backing vocal
Joachim Thys - sax, backing vocal

Engineered by Jonas Malfliet
Mixed by Alex Dardenne (additional vocal mixing in verse 2 by Sion Rickard)
Mastered by Pieter De Wagter (EQuuS)

See You After Quarantine

See You After Quarantine (feat. Hannelore Karmel)

Cerddor, cyfansoddwr, arlunydd, a digrifwr (ar adegau) o Fetws-y-coed, sydd bellach yn byw ym Machynlleth yw Liam Rickard a.k.a. Worldwide Welshman.
Mae'r WWW yn perfformio gyda band dychmygol neu gyda band go iawn. Gyda'i chymysgedd amlieithog o tragi-comic parti-bangars ac eiliadau o melancoli, mae WWW a'i griw (o dan nifer i enwau gwahanol) wedi bod yn difyrru gynulleidfaoedd ar draws Ewrop a thu hwnt ers tua 2007

*****
Liam Rickard (Worldwide Welshman) is a singer-songwriter, folk-singer, artist and occasional comedian from Betws-y-Coed, now based in Machynlleth. WWW often performs with a band. When they're not available, he performs with an imaginary band. WWW and his friends (under various guises) have been performing their multi-lingual mix of tragic-comic party anthems and folk-pop ballads across Europe and beyond since about 2007.