The Beavers notched things up to another level on the Beaver richter scale with their next long player. Lauded as their finest work to date on it’s release, and acclaimed as a highlight of the Beavers vast back catalogue. Beaver Valley took its title from the secluded spot and small township of the same name in Oregon, USA, where Japhy’s forebears originated from. Those furry dam building mammal loving ancestors gave the humble Beaver refuge from the persecution of the fur trappers and gold rush diggers, and offered them sanctuary from the hunting and hunters of their prized pelts. They strived to live hand in hand with the natural world, and sought to make Beaver Valley a place where man and his largest rodent friend could live in peace and harmony.

Taking inspiration from the tales of Beaver Valley, the lads retreated to their own safe haven out in the wilds of the Shropshire hills and set about making an album that captured the benevolent Beaver friendly spirit of the Oregon pioneers, and sought to harness the essence of a hidden secret valley enclave in music. From their rural outpost the group fashioned rough hewn blocks of verse and tune into golden Beaver nuggets. Such gems could be found within as ‘Rosie Lee’ and ‘The Windbrush’ with their breezy classic pop melodies, the fantastical funk inflected fans favourite ‘ Theme From Muffin’, ‘Get A Head’ with it’s sanguine slacker hip-hop stylings, and forays into deep groove exploration with ‘J29’ and ‘Trans-Am’. The LP was rounded off with the ruminations on life and mortality of fireside ballad ‘Fly On’, the first and only joint songwriting collaboration from Messrs Kirkpatrick and Wilson. Indeed The Beavers really took flight with the tales of Beaver Valley and soared to new heights to take their tunesmanship to another level and make ‘Beaver Valley’ their most concise, cohesive work.

Thanks to Alan Sweetman for the loan of the drum kit.

Special thanks to Ed Jonze for the safe custodianship of the Jobie's Beaver Valley tape (with the Queen of studio 54 cover) for all those years and whose eventual return provided the catalyst to undertake this reissue series.
Check out his excellent madcap videos here: www.youtube.com/@GreenLeafEcoFilms
and stunning artwork here: www.facebook.com/EDJONZE