Recording "Crimson Ship"

In 1969, Paul McCartney was asked to contribute three songs to the soundtrack of “The Magic Christian,” a new film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. Seeing an opportunity for The Iveys, a Welsh-English rock band signed to Apple, Paul offered them one of his own compositions, “Come And Get It,” which they recorded on August 2, 1969 with him as producer.

Paul then had to convince Commonwealth United Films, the company producing “The Magic Christian,” that The Iveys could supply the other two tracks. He played them “Come and Get It,” which the company liked. They agreed to let The Iveys contribute two additional songs, provided Paul supervised the recordings. He then took on the role of producer for “Carry On Till Tomorrow” and “Rock of All Ages.”

The Iveys still had some studio time booked with Paul. They presented him with “Crimson Ship,” a track for which he gave them some advice, even if Tony Visconti was ultimately listed as producer for the track.

The Iveys had now completed their soundtrack obligations to Commonwealth United, but they still had more studio time booked with McCartney. Pete and Tom were riding high. Their enthusiasm inspired them to write a song about Paul. They came up with “Crimson Ship,” a metaphor for McCartney’s whirlwind recording lessons. They proudly played it for him and he liked it. He gave the band extended leeway to arrange the tune. Tom explained, “He took us through the stages to where we were doing a lot ourselves. He gave us the confidence.”

“Crimson Ship” is packed with references to Paul and The Beatles – most of the lyrics are Tom’s – and it’s fun picking them out. The first verse is the most telling, as it illustrates The Iveys fervent appreciation of Paul’s help:

From “Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger” by Dan Matovina, 1997

From The Iveys & Badfinger recording sessions:

September 26, 1969 (Friday)
IBC Studios, London
The Iveys

Crimson Ship
[Ron absent with chicken pox]
2:00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight session.

It is well documented that Paul McCartney was directly involved in the recording of “Come and Get It,” “Carry On Till Tomorrow,” and “Rock of All Ages” for Badfinger’s album “Magic Christian Music.”

In the book “The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present“, Paul includes a handwritten document that suggests he may have had a role in additional tracks from “Magic Christian Music.” The notes feature detailed diagrams of track layouts for “I’m In Love,” “Crimson Ship,” “Beautiful,” and “Blue, Midnight Sun.” He also sketched a rough version of a prominent visual element that would later appear on the album’s front cover.

While these documents indicate a deeper interest or involvement, the precise extent of Paul’s contribution to these additional songs remains unclear.

Session activities

1. Crimson Ship

   Written by Pete Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins

   Recording

Staff

Musicians on "Crimson Ship"

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