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Valenta Scream

from Things Unseen by I Am The Manic Whale

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about

Trains trains trains trains trains trains trains
I like trains

This song is about the HST, formerly known as the Intercity 125.
Introduced in 1976 as a stop gap whilst they finished off the APT, these workhorses ran for over 40 years. They were the absolute backbone of British rail services for a long time. Super reliable. Comfortable. Powerful. Fast. One holds the speed record for diesel traction. I wrote this song in 2019 as they were starting to move into retirement.

Fun fact: the audio recording of the train at the end of this song is the last one ever to pass through Reading station. I took the family to see it especially and recorded the sound. Sir Kenneth Grange (the designer of the colour scheme and shape of the front end) was in the cab and it is he abusing the horn!

lyrics

A young boy standing on Pound Lane bridge,
October 1976
overlooking Sonning Cutting
(gazing eastwards)
He hears the clank of the signal cables,
sees the movement of the point rodding
As he stares towards London expectantly (mainline running)
The signal drops just as a gentle hum
A distant drone fades into his perception, oh...
High speed, Valenta scream
A powerhouse of fathomless strength
High speed, Valenta scream
A passing streak of grey, blue and yellow
In a roaring ash it has been and gone,
its westward journey powering on
Paddington to Bristol in ninety minutes (racing westwards)
Making it look so very easy,
eating up the distance like a cheese sandwich
One hundred and twenty- ve miles an hour (diesel traction)
Old Oak Common’s nest on parade (this is the age)
Representing Britain in the age of the train (Intercity)
(Roll up, we’ll take you for a ride as fast as we are able
We’re slicing through the countryside on Brunel’s billiard table)
The changing face of England, a landmark of design
Outpacing all before
Screaming into the future, for forty years
It’s all we could dream, believe

credits

from Things Unseen, released April 24, 2020
Written by Michael Whiteman

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I Am The Manic Whale Reading, UK

We are a progressive rock band from Reading & London, UK. 3rd album out now.

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