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March 28

~`*`~

November 11

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot 1976

Length: 729 feet

Height: 39 feet

Breadth: 75 feet

Weight empty: 13,632 tons

Hull: 301

Registry number: US 277437

Ship Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works

Engine Manufacturer: Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Christened: June 8, 1958

First voyage: Sept. 24, 1958

Final resting place: Lake Superior, 530ft underwater

Sinking: November 10, 1975 with no survivors

The Edmund Fitzgerald

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the "Gales of November" came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin.
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland.
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'.
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya."
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral."
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee."
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early!"

Above: A piece of the life boat recovered by the 'Anderson'

Facts about the Fitz, Crew and the Lakes:

The Fitzgerald was named after Edmund Fitzgerald, president of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.
The Edmund Fitzgerald foundered only 17 miles from the "safe haven" of Whitefish Point.
The Fitzgerald was headed from Superior, Wisconsin to Zug Island on the Detroit River when it sank on November 10, 1975
The Fitzgerald broke her own records for most cargo carried in one year several times in the short 17 year lifespan of the ship.
Robert Rafferty wasn't even originally scheduled to be on the ship! He was filling in for someone with bleeding ulcers.
The final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald was scheduled as Captain McSorley's final voyage before retirement.
McCarthy and McSorley made a "pact" to sail out their years together before dying together in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Gitche Gumee is Ojibwa for "Big Lake."

August 28

It Will Be a Good Day - Yes (The Ladder)

Anderson/Squire/Howe/White/Sherwood/Khoroshev

Golden forest golden lake
Sanctuary, state of grace
I will find reason a place to begin
It'll be a good day

Beginning is one place I've been before
Watching the sunrise on the silver shores
Setting me free again leading the way
It'll be a good day

Sometimes I forget
How mighty this earth
Astounding winter skies
Truth is in birth
Peace that it brings to me, my naked eyes
Be a good day

Make me believe again
Making me free again
Making me see again

Golden mountains golden seas
A thousand reasons singing to me
Alive to this message
Realising it all
Be a good day

Learning to listen learning to see
Learning is power making me free
Free to believe again in my human side
Giving me good reason
Giving me good reason

(Come tomorrow)
Make me believe again
(Destiny)
(Take the river)
Making me free again
(To the sea)

(Come tomorrow)
Making me see again
(Will be free)

Like a river

Time feels so much closer now
You are with me, so real

We make our own heaven
Clear through the sky
The making of reason for you and I
I sing of each season
Making us feel
This will be a good day

(Come tomorrow)
Make me believe again
(Destiny)

(Take the river)

Making me free again

(To the sea)

(Come tomorrow)

Making me see again

(Destiny)

(Like a river)

(to the sea)

Make me believe again

Making me free again

(Come tomorrow)

Make me believe again

(Destiny)

(Take the river)

Making me free again

(To the sea)

(Come tomorrow)

Making me see again

(Take the river)

(Come tomorrow)

Destiny

Take the river

To the sea

August 22

The Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon)

Vocal track by Clare Torry

I believe this was recorded in Clare's bedroom. I could not locate the words to this song

Btw: Alan Parsons produced 'Dark Side of the Moon'

A session singer who was paid just $58 to perform on Pink Floyd's legendary DARK SIDE OF THE MOON album has won an out of court settlement from the band and its record label.

CLARE TORRY sang on track THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY and was credited on the 1973 LP - but only received the meagre sum, even though the album went on to sell 36 million copies and stayed in the charts for 26 years.

She told London's High Court she deserved half ownership of copyright for helping to compose the track as she had used a special "wailing" vocal technique when the song was recorded.

The court agreed with Torry. Details of the settlement have not been disclosed - but experts guess the sum could be hundreds of thousands of pounds.

13/04/2005

My Opinion : Though from what I have read from websites concerning this settlement as to the disagreement that Clare should be considered one of the writers of this song.... I definatley believe she is the reason the song became popular and without her on the recording the song is DULL! She deserves alot more than what they settled for! Her voice is ORGASMIC on this recording!

It happened to me and my guitar player/recording engineer/producer friend that did the instrumental parts for a country singer's CD. The man basically knew 6 chords and used a kaypo to change keys on his guitar. We made him sound like a superstar. Did we get song writing credit? ... NO! we were payed to play on the cd and thats it. Even though the melodies my friend and I put in the song are our own creations and actually made the country artist's songs sound like music rather than some guy by the campfire strumming on a guitar. We even changed some of the simple triad chords originally played by the artist to give the music a more interesting and warm feel to it. We also added textures to the music using many different techniques. But hey! ... That's the music industry for you. To top it off the Country music business is the shadiest of all the genres...

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