Cause

The 1990s was a highly creative period for me, and several projects came in and out of being around this time. After the freight train of Legs Bisto hit the wall, I decided to try and produce a batch of saleable songs without necessarily performing them myself. The demo Cause (1997) was the result. The theme song Natural Causes had been kicking around for many years undergoing several major changes towards what I thought of as commerciality. I hope to be doing a brand new version of it later in the year, and at that point I’ll publish some of the previous versions. Either way, Natural Causes is a song that seems to maintain its relevance, as the world lurches from crisis to crisis.

It has to be said though that I am not what has subsequently become known as a ‘climate denier’, or sceptical about human involvement in climate change. The contention in ‘Natural Causes’ is partly ironic since the phrase is often used as a displacement of blame away from people or institutions; it is also a deep acknowledgement that natural powers far outweigh our potential for control, therefore we need to show a lot more respect to the world and our fellow humans—if we care to extend our stay on this beautiful planet. Perhaps it also implies that humans are indeed natural. Sadly, these issues have become subsumed beneath a woeful and toxic ‘debate’ that is accompanied by the lack of meaningful action to curb exploitation and ecological destruction. Hopefully, a new version of the song will make this abundantly clear… when it comes out.

I collaborated with Lucy Berrett for the main vocals for the demo, and I’ve always thought the timeless, folk-like quality of the voice suited the material exceptionally well.

Phil Moody on accordion and percussion together with Nick Williams on violin completed the ensemble, alongside my guitars, cello, bass, mandolin and midi programming. For some reason, ‘Griffiths’ displaced ‘Williams’ on the cover, and I have no idea why.

I think I managed to send the demo to half a dozen publishers and artists in the hope of some sort of a deal. After that, it has remained dormant… until now!

…