Reviewing Alistair Griffin’s new single Always No. 1 whilst a load of woolly jumpers is drying

9 October 2012 by heardaghost 6 Comments

Today sees the release of Always No. 1, the third single from Alistair Griffin’s Albion Sky album. But don’t doze off album owners because it’s a new mix of the song you’ll want to hear. Although it’s been available to buy for a month now in a sssshh it’s released but not released sort of way, today is THE day when the press release says it’s out*, so people can talk about it if they get over their laryngitis in time.

It’s raining, but I have a roof and it’s working. Same as every morning for a while now I’m amazed to see there’s still a helter skelter in the garden but when I go out to have a go I can never find it. And someone has nicked my doormat.

The sheep don’t have credit cards unfortunately
(Image courtesy of Simon Howden/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

I haven’t invited friends over to listen like I did for the album because 26 sheep have gate crashed the living room as they can’t all squeeze into the garden due to the helter skelter being there. This is annoying. They’ve left little wet footprints in the hall because of the doormat issue and they are sat here looking sheepish instead of getting on with the ironing.

“Chop chop,” I tell them encouragingly.

They look terrified but don’t budge from the sofa.

This is a bit of a surprising song to release as a single. The album version has a similar feel to previous single Just Drive, so I guess it’s a safe option, but I’m not expecting to hear it on the radio much unfortunately. Although I have the album, I head to Amazon to download the song to listen to the new special single mix.

I turn up the volume a bit as the sheep are baa-ing along under their breaths which is frankly a bit rude when I’m trying to listen to the Griffin. Will I like it? Will the sheep like it? Will the ironing ever get done?

The mixer tonic

Not something to liven up a Gordon’s, but a Producer/mix-engineer in the guise of Ash Howes who has re-jigged this new version. I think ‘re-jigged’ is the correct technical term. In music PR-speak Mr Howes has mixed hundreds of hit songs for big artists and is notable for being a ‘hit-maker’ by waving his star-topped magic wand at a mix. Although he possibly doesn’t use an actual real-life wand. Some of his biggest successes are the multi-million selling 90’s Texas album White On Blonde and singles including Dido’s Here With Me and Matt Cardle’s When We Collide. More recently, he’s worked on songs for The Saturdays, Narina Pallot and *whispers* One Direction.

The track

Alistair Griffin’s new sheep is Always No. 1. Warning: This is not a sheep

The track does have a different feel and you don’t really get a full appreciation of it from the preview, so do buy it. Before listening, I presumed the re-mix was to appeal to radio, but I’m now thinking it could have been for other reasons.

I’m not really qualified to describe its merits and my superman cloak is still at the drycleaners as they’re having a bit of trouble with an odd stain it got at The Willow when I needed its descriptive powers for the Albion Sky review but here goes…

It’s got a livelier and more poppy sound to it than the album version with added bip-boppiness (another technical term) and an echo. There’s a greater use of effects on it and you’ll notice the drums, but all the guitars and strings from the original version are still there and the good thing is it grows, so keep listening.

The lyric

The song starts off with a farewell before moving on to a retrospective look at a successful and memorable time. The lyric talks of an inability to give up on a passion, a risky but irrepressible need to return to a previously successful place and the need to strive anew to attempt to regain that pinnacle. If this resurrection is too late to reach will it overshadow past achievements?

“I’ve seen in your eyes the spark that lights the dreams of rocket men
And you were always number one…

They say it’s too late to write your name in lights across the sky
That you’ve had your time but you’d risk it all for one last chance to fly.
You still chase that light that takes you to a place you’ll always know
Takes you home…”

Number one rocket man? Sadly, it’s not in fact about Star Trek’s Riker, as according to Alistair on Twitter it was written to pitch for a BBC Formula One montage video last year, although it wasn’t used. To me, the lyric indicates a reliance on the second coming of driver Michael Schumacher either winning or retiring again, neither of which he obliged with. Instead, Wimbledon stuck it somewhat inappropriately on an Andy Murray tennis montage before he went on to lose again.

The lyric seems to have parallels to Griffin’s own career too, perhaps showing the vulnerabilities of an artist who has had some success, and wants and needs more. Whether intentional or not though, who can say?

The other sides

The ‘B’ side is an instrumental version. It’s the same Ash Howes mixed track without the vocal, so presumably an Asda Smartprice sandwich filler or a special for karaoke-ers. There’s no other point to it without Mr Griffin’s lovely vocals as it doesn’t stay on melody much. Drummers will love it though.

You can also get a ‘C’ side which is the same as on the album. This is my favourite version. The track is less poppy and has a pleasant, easy-going but thankfully slightly rocky string-led track with a similar sound to Just Drive. Get this one if you want to hear Alistair’s terrific voice without it being over powered by other goings on.

Absolutely always number one

At Hard Rock Calling in London this year, Alistair played a live session for Absolute Radio during which he sang a terrific semi-acoustic version of Always No. 1. It has a super vocal, the band is great on it and the sound people haven’t buried Alistair’s wonderful tone-ful voice into the depths of the track somewhere. What do you think? Sounds great doesn’t it!

Audio Only: Alistair Griffin – semi-acoustic version of Always No. 1

25/11/12 EDITED TO ADD:
Always No. 1 was used by the BBC on its Formula One end of season closing-credits video montage today (25 Nov 2012). Although the single mix of the song has been removed from iTunes and Amazon, the album version from the BBC F1 montage is still available. You can download Always No. 1 from Amazon and iTunes and other interwebby places, or it’s on the album Albion Sky on CD from Amazon and actual real-live shops.

A new video was filmed for Always No. 1 last week in anticipation of its special F1 outing!

Another picture of Always No. 1 in case you thought it was a sheep. It’s not

Please share my blog and leave me a comment about it or the song!

Always No. 1 is out now, download from Amazon, iTunes and other online places. (Single version no longer available, please use links for album version of Always No. 1 above)

*Always No. 1 by Alistair Griffin was officially released on 8 October 2012, (available to buy and announced by record label Dramatico on their website as released on 10 September 2012).

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