Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

Both are great... Kind of like the debate of the New York Centerfielders in the 50's
Mantle or Mays.... I learn more towards Mantle and the Castle. What imagery Gordon portays with the line Jump down, jump down!" the captain cries
"We'll save you if we can!"
Then the paint on his funnels is a-fryin'. I can almost feel the heat and the terror of the moment.

Kevin

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

I like them both, but do prefer "Ballad Of The Yarmouth Castle."

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

Listening to this, it's almost has if you are in that ship, experiencing the tragedy. What a voice as Gordon recorded this in Massey Hall, 1969 for the LP "Sunday Concert." It's no wonder he likes to perform in that historic building, the acoustic is incredible... :)

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

Oh, I'm a sucker for sad songs.

I'm in the Yarmouth Castle camp but wouldn't argue the point too strenuously. Both are amazing pieces of work. I like the understated arrangement - just the three guys - on Yarmouth Castle a lot. Red Shea is amazing.

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

Ballad, Go to Wikipedia and read the story of the ship. He really captures the whole event.

I used to have the album that this song was on but it seems to have been lost over the years and I am looking to buy the song. Has anyone seen it??
Thanks
Mikie

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

My 2 cents (or whatever it's worth these days) - I come down just this side for Yarmouth Castle. Wreck gets the music edge but the YC story, of both the ship and the souls aboard her, is incredibly moving.

Both are based on true disasters. Posted with the video:

"Unlike the loss of the "Fitz", whose Captain(Ernest McSorley)and crew were gallant,brave and victims of a storm on the Great Lakes, the Yarmouth Castle's loss was a testament to incompetence and an aging ship.She was beautiful when 1st constructed but the highly flammable varnishes and paint made her a firetrap.

Of all the great Gordon Lightfoot songs, this one haunts me the most.I spent 3 years in the 1960's doing rescue work with the USCG.This was a tragedy that should have never happened. This sad and very eerie tale, combined with GL's wonderful guitar and lyrics, are unforgettable.Its a tale of incompetence by a captain and crew, who left passengers to die in the fiery carnage of a ship at sea.A true horror story not unlike "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". "

For more on the ship and fire, go to Lost Liners: http://www.lostliners.com/Liners/Yar...stle/fire.html

The loss of the Yarmouth Castle led to the creation of SOLAS. As described at the Lost Liners page:

Commonly called SOLAS, Safety Of Life At Sea regulations govern cruise ships that call at US ports. Whenever a new ship comes into service, or enters a US port for its first call, it must undergo a rigorous set of inspections by the US Coast Guard, covering fire safety drills, use of emergency equipment, crew drills, and detailed examinations of conditions and safety of the vessel’s hull and its machinery. After the initial series of inspections, the ships are re inspected quarterly. Unlike the CDC inspectors, the Coast Guard has the power to detain a ship and keep it from sailing if it is deemed unsafe for its passengers.

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

I love Yarmouth Castle..the lyrical personification of the ship and the haunting melody makes the story of it's tragic and needless demise stay with me for a long time after listening...

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

When I was taking my public speaking class we were told to bring in a song and then we had to make an outline of the song. Nobody else in class had ever heard The Ballad of Yarmouth Castle and since I (being older) brought a song in that you could understand (verses the ones that use nothing but profanity over and over again) I was asked to bring it in. Even the youngies were impressed.

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

"Even the youngies were impressed." Not surprising at all brink-... The guy is a genius. :)

Re: "The Ballad" vs. "The Wreck": Which of the two song do you like better and why?
 

Let's not go there again.