Ride Captain Ride
Encyclopedia
"Ride Captain Ride" is a song recorded by the American
rock band
Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist
Mike Pinera
and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open
. Released as a slightly shortened single in the spring of 1970, it shot up the charts, eventually reaching #4, making it Blues Image's first (and only) chart hit. The guitar fills and main solo were performed by Kent Henry. Mike Pinera plays the guitar solo at the end of the song.
It has been purported that the historical context for this song refers to the 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo
by North Korea., but it is not substantiated.
The song was inspired by the number of keys on Pinera's Rhodes piano
. Pinera said, "Okay, I need a first word." And what came into my head was 73. I liked the rhythm, and I went, "73 men sailed in, from the San Francisco Bay." ... The song sort of just wrote itself from there."
The song was eventually remixed as a "psychedelic space version".
and Diggers
.
The rock band Phish has covered the song on a few occasions including on 12/10/1999 in Philadelphia, 10/24/2010 in Amherst, Mass and 06/08/11 in Darien, NY
"Ride Captain Ride" can also be heard in the episode "Namaste (Lost)
" from the TV series LOST
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera is an American guitarist who started professionally in the late 1960s with the group Blues Image, which had a #4 hit in 1970 with their song "Ride Captain Ride". After the breakup of that group, he joined Iron Butterfly, and later formed the group Ramatam...
and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open
Open (Blues Image album)
Open is Blues Image's second album and most acclaimed album, which featured the #4 hit single, "Ride Captain Ride".-Track listing:All songs by Blues Image except where noted.#"Love Is The Answer" - 2:35#"Running the Water" - 2:37#"Clean Love" - 7:49...
. Released as a slightly shortened single in the spring of 1970, it shot up the charts, eventually reaching #4, making it Blues Image's first (and only) chart hit. The guitar fills and main solo were performed by Kent Henry. Mike Pinera plays the guitar solo at the end of the song.
It has been purported that the historical context for this song refers to the 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
by North Korea., but it is not substantiated.
The song was inspired by the number of keys on Pinera's Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
. Pinera said, "Okay, I need a first word." And what came into my head was 73. I liked the rhythm, and I went, "73 men sailed in, from the San Francisco Bay." ... The song sort of just wrote itself from there."
The song was eventually remixed as a "psychedelic space version".
Popular culture
"Ride Captain Ride" can be heard in both of the films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
and Diggers
Diggers (film)
Diggers is a coming-of-age film directed by Katherine Dieckmann. It portrays four working-class friends who grow up in The Hamptons, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, as clam diggers in 1976. Their fathers were clam diggers as well as their grandfathers before them...
.
The rock band Phish has covered the song on a few occasions including on 12/10/1999 in Philadelphia, 10/24/2010 in Amherst, Mass and 06/08/11 in Darien, NY
"Ride Captain Ride" can also be heard in the episode "Namaste (Lost)
Namaste (Lost)
"Namaste" is the ninth television episode of the fifth season of ABC's Lost. The 95th episode of the show overall, "Namaste" aired on March 18, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast on A in Canada. The episode was written by supervising producer Paul Zbyszewski and producer Brian K...
" from the TV series LOST
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.