From Nowhere is Alistair Griffin’s third album with an interesting little twist. Announced by Griffin as the sporting anthems compilation, it’s an album’s worth of songs he’s written or pitched for sport soundtracks, and they’re not even all on it!
With tongue super-glued in cheek, I suggested in my review of his previous album that sports-mad Griffin should put all his sporting-montage songs on an EP and call it Maniacal Montage Mayhem, never thinking that he’d actually do it! But here it is!
I think my title was a stunner, but Alistair Griffin From Nowhere is pretty good too! It could mean a few things and is mysterious enough to be memorable. It also has a sporting connection as it’s inspired by the incredulous commentator at a charity football match when Griffin scored the winning goal for Middlesbrough in the final moments, with practically his only kick!
The album was released on an Alistair Griffin own-label via a PledgeMusic.com crowd-funding campaign, where you buy the album before it’s finished in return for ‘updates’ on its progress. Having some familiarity of things-Griffin, my expectations of the pledging experience were low, and hurrah, my expectations were met.
Tip: Don’t ask Alistair if the Nowhere in the album title is Yorkshire
I bought the CD which included a free digital download “exclusively ahead of anyone else anywhere in the whole wide world” which translated from the Griffinish means at exactly the same time as the commercial release!
But just as well for that download, as my CD is coming by third class pigeon from Yorkshire. I expect he’s got blisters from the pedals on his bike, and he’s limping. A limping pigeon is not a fast pigeon. That’s the only explanation that makes sense. London’s a long way.
The power of the passion for sport
Before I get to the fun bit – the songs, I’ll touch briefly on Griffin’s little niche market – the sports broadcaster. Sport and music are both very powerful entities, as they hit your emotions hard. Put the right two together, at the right moment and you can get a strong emotional connection.
For that to happen it has to be a song that people can identify with and an event they have passionately invested in. So it works well for a song about driving at the end of a highly charged, exciting Formula One season, but not so well if a song with no lyrical connection to the sport or event is used after a golf championship has ended disappointingly.
But if the emotional connection doesn’t quite come off, there’s still licensing fees and royalties to be earned to buy essentials like tea and Tangfastics.
Which is just as well, because people who fall in love with a song because it’s associated with their sporting high aren’t guaranteed to be interested in the artist’s other music! I’d bet very few F1 fans who rave about The Chain have anything else from Fleetwood Mac in their music collection. And conversely, songs written to be montage-friendly may not appeal to an artist’s natural audience.
The One
On to the songs. When I left you last, my 26 sleep-helper sheep were on strike. Fed up of waving their little placards, they re-appeared one night looking sheepish, but they’re still refusing to do the ironing, which isn’t on frankly.
After hearing Alistair bang on about big up Yorkshire so much before the start of a little bike race called the Tour de France, they hot-hoofed it up there to Scargill Reservoir to try to get a bit-part in his video for single The Road.
Helpful sheep The One stayed behind, maybe because he’d insisted on heating my hair straighteners up so much that he’d got himself stuck to them and he couldn’t get the plug out.
I sit down on the sofa, squeezing in at the very end as there’s a grumpy sheep on it already. I crank up the music player and The One perks up because the very first track is HIS song, the one called The One after him – The One helpful sheep!
It’s an upbeat, cheery smiler of a song with a catchy tune and a folky-pop sound, and singer Leddra Chapman duets on it.
I wrote about the single when it was released, so you can read more about The One and the striking sleep aids there.
The One is bouncing on the sofa excitedly, so in an effort to distract him I tell him the BBC used this song about him on the golf, and he’s suitably impressed.
Sport: Golf
Programme: BBC’s closing montage for The Open golf championship 21 July 2013
Blown Away
I love the original rocked-up version of this on an old EP; you can almost head bang to it.
Sport: Football (Premier League)
Programme: BBC Match of the Day used an instrumental version during the 2011/12 season on their ‘coming up’ section, but I never heard it. It must have been wearing a superhero disguise. Or it was this version.
The Road
I receive an over-excited text from the sheep in Yorkshire. “Did you see us in Alistair’s video? Did you, did you see us?! P.S. Kimberley was lovely.”
The actual North York Moors’ sheep are still boycotting Alistair’s videos in support of The One being written out of the song, so I expect Alistair was pretty relieved to see them.
I text back to be careful crossing the road and not to copy the crazy locals.
This is a song about tarmac
The Road was commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire as the official song of Yorkshire’s Grand Départ of the Tour de France. It’s more about the joys of Yorkshire than the joys of cycling, although it does have a road in it, obviously. An all Yorkshire collaboration, it features Kimberley Walsh ex Girls Aloud.
It’s got a very country-folk sound to it, and if you’re not into that like me, you might prefer the radio edit version on the single, which is more energetic. There’s also a ‘Yorkshire’ version on there that is just Alistair, (and The Grimethorpe Colliery brass band!).
The single was on the BBC Radio 2 B-list for 4 weeks, and has had a fair bit of airplay and promotion which is great, but alas it didn’t chart top 100.
Sport: Cycling (road), Tour de France
Programme: Local TV news programmes in Yorkshire, on Yorkshire tourist board TV advert, live performance at TDF Team Presentation on ITV4 and Eurosport
Just Drive
Yep, you’re not hallucinating, this was on the last album. It’s a beautiful, downbeat version of a song-from-four-years-ago, with a very mellow piano and string-based track. It’s the same as the GT Mix from 2012, with a better vocal and more professional sounding production.
But good grief Griffin! How many releases of this song do we need! With this one, I have 7 versions now, not including the two Sky F1 themes and I don’t even like it much!!
Sport: Formula One
Programme: I’ve yet to spot this 2014 version or the GT Mix. Originally written for the BBC’s Formula One end of season montage for Abu Dhabi GP 14 November 2010. Adapted for Sky Sports F1 theme tune in 2013 and re-adapted in 2014
Greatest
A brand new song! As it oh-oh-oh-ohs a tad uncomfortably into the opening verse, I know I’m going to like it! Switch up the volume LOUD because when it gets to the chorus it’s a real sing-along cracker which diffuses energy for the days you just NEED that. It’s also about as close as it gets to a meatier sound on the album.
Is this Griffin’s Vettel-themed F1 song that he talked about writing, perhaps pitched to the BBC for when Vettel won the Drivers’ Championship at the Indian Grand Prix towards the end of the 2013 season? It wasn’t used then, but expect it to turn up somewhere soon.
Just before the race that day, Alistair sent this:
…they’ll chase you and they’ll hate you and they’ll try to break your heart…but you can’t help, no you can’t help who you are…
— Alistair Griffin (@AlistairGriffin) October 27, 2013
There’s been a lyric change since then though, maybe because out of its racing context, it could sound decidedly stalkerish!
“On the road, I was told
Give it up, but keep hold
Never change, what is there in your soul‘Cause when you shine, like a star
You can’t hide, who you are
‘Cause they’ll love you and they’ll hate you
And they’ll try to break your heart
But you can’t help, no you can’t help who you are
You’re the greatest”
The One is leaping about on the back of the sofa whooping, so – good news! – it gets the sheep of approval. I jump up to press the repeat button and bop along for a bit.
Sport: Written for Formula One
Programme: Not used as far as I know. I’ll update if it turns up
Freefall
The next song zooshes into a dance track for beginners, like an immense intergalactic disco whooshing around in a centrifuge. And it’s bright in there, very bright. Then just as it’s about to dump you out at the end, a little bit of guitar catches you on a tiny floaty cushion. It’s definitely the most upbeat song on the album so far, and I can’t help liking it a lot.
It’s clearly a super-fantastic galactic lyric but I’m not exactly sure what Alistair’s actually singing! I’ve had a punt at it.
“I never thought the lightning bolt would strike
I never saw two shooting stars collide
And nobody to catch us when we fall down
Gravity’s the only thing to hold…Every breath you take could be the last
Staring at the edge you’re all I have…”
And there’s a whole lot of demands to ‘Hold on hold on to me’ which is awfully important in a freefall situation, obviously.
“You and I will fall forever
Hold on hold on to me”
The track ends and I hear a thump as a sheep decides to be a bit literal and launch itself off the back of the sofa.
Sport: Probably not Tandem Skydiving (but it should be)
Programme: Watch this space
What If
Sheep on the right is debating whether to tell her she was fleeced at the hairdressers
My phone pings. It’s another text from the sheep in Yorkshire.
“There’s a pink sheep here! Why’s it pink? Why?” They text excitedly.
Not knowing how to explain the North York Moors’ ‘Lost Sheep in Pink Jerseys’ competition to them, I pretend I’m out of credit and they sulk.
Sigh. Those North York Moors’ tourism peeps must be running another one of their competition thingies
The One, of course, wants to be pink too. “What if I was pink?” he bleats.
“What if you stop trying to write yourself into songs?” I counter.
What If is a subdued and regretful, but terrifically lovely and poignant song tinged with hope. The piano and string-soaked track builds well in this album version, which has been strengthened and lengthened since the single release. Very nice.
I wish they’d re-done that new harmony though.
The lyrics are beautifully-sad; best not to listen when you’re having a bad day.
“What if I can’t make it, what if it’s not meant to be?
What if all the plans I make, come crashing down on me?
What if I believed you, when you said that you were mine?
What if we’re all running, out of time?What if I could go back, to the way it used to be?
What if there’s a moment, for a second chance for me?”
This is my favourite line; it could be about a life-long dream, or a person:
“What if I don’t see you, when we’re standing face to face?
What if I was always second place?What If I’m on the telly?But what if I could write the story?
What if all this ends in glory?
What if the moon and stars and the world is our ours?
If only dreams could live,
and I’d never have to say
What if”
Sport: Tennis
Programme: Written for the BBC’s montage after Andy Murray’s Wimbledon semi-final win on 5 July 2013. Snippets also used in lead-up to final
This is London
“This is London, the time of your life”
The One is baa-ing along annoyingly, so I unplug him in the hope he’ll gambol off. He doesn’t. He wants to listen to the Griffin.
Alistair talked about writing a song for the London Olympics, and clearly this is it. It’s a pretty nice, emotionally-uplifting track, and although it definitely sounds like a montage song, this is the montage album so that’s OK!
Yep, not everywhere is in Yorkshire
“The streets are made of golden dreams, I’ll take you there tonight,
To London”
Is this the song that Alistair seemed to hint might be used on the BBC’s Olympic coverage? It went up on iTunes unannounced, seemingly in readiness for something, just before the BBC showed their ‘Golden Moments’ montage towards the end of the Games, the one which featured Thea Gilmore’s London. It would certainly have fit.
Sport: Written for the 2012 London Olympics
Programme: Not used, maybe it’ll appear elsewhere?
Save This Day
There was a terrific version of this on the last album. It was the best song on it so I can’t really complain about the repetitiveness.
But I don’t know what to make of this new one! I think it may be a practical joke. It’s sort of the ‘disco’ version and there’s a space ship landing in the middle of it. Then there’s little green men running round in circles with whirly tubes freaking out my sheep. I really like it, and I really don’t. I’ve no idea what’s going on with it!
Sport: No idea
Programme: Maybe it’ll de-materialise From Nowhere into somewhere. If you’ve heard it, let me know
If I Should Fall Behind
When Griffin-the-songwriter was out the back of the studio playing cricket with a tennis ball, someone sneaked a Bruce Springsteen cover onto his album. If you like very beautiful, piano-accompanied songs, showing off Alistair’s lovely tone-ful vocal, this is it. It also has my favourite lyric line of the album.
“We said we’d walk together, baby come what may
That come the twilight, should we lose our way
If as we are walking, your hand should slip free
I’ll wait for you. If I should fall behind, wait for me“
An easy spot as a cover, as Alistair accepted a bet* to get a galactic reference into all his songs, and this one doesn’t have one! He’s winning the bet though, as amazingly, every other song on here pays homage to the sun, moon and stars that deeply litter the Griffin lyrical psyche!
*not really
Sport: Unknown
Programme: Haven’t heard this used; leave a comment if you have
That Day Will Come
Lovely lyrics and melody, but I’m not keen on the track which sounds like it was hurriedly demoed on the Casio and Alistair thought, sod it, that’ll do.
Sport: Tennis
Programme: BBC Wimbledon closing credit montage on women’s semi-finals day 3 July 2014
So overall this is a very nice album. Expect variety, as From Nowhere is an eclectic mix of sounds with only the implicit sporting theme providing cohesion, but somehow it works. How to describe the album? It’d be unhelpful to label it with one genre because you can’t box up the craziness of Freefall with the melancholy of What If without it all kicking off. Trying to shoehorn The One and This is London in there too is asking for fisticuffs! I think in the end you’ve just got to stick with ‘a cracking pop record’.
You can listen to From Nowhere on Spotify, but do support this independent artist by shelling out eight quid for it from your favourite download site. Info: Alistair Griffin’s official website.
Released: 7 July 2014
Download on iTunes
Download on Amazon MP3
I heard a ghost 
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