The Journey of the James Caird — Shackleton Part 12

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The Journey of the James Caird — Shackleton Part 12

Hi,

So here we are — track 12 in the Shackleton series.

This one's a big one. It's about the 800-mile James Caird voyage… and I'll be honest, it took a while to wrap my head around what to do here, as it is a bit part of the Shackleton survival story. To be honest, it's one of the most intense pieces I've worked on in the whole Shackleton series.

It's hard to imagine: six men, a lifeboat just over 20 feet long, and an 800-mile voyage across the roughest seas on Earth. No radio. No one knows they are there, and there is no guarantee of survival. But they had no choice. If they didn't go, every one of them would die. So they went — because they had to.

Shackleton Part 12- The 800 mile voyage of the James Caird

Musically Speaking

I knew this track had to feel big, not just in sound but in an emotional storytelling way. I kept circling back to Echoes by Pink Floyd—that slow build, the space, the tension, and the use of the roto drums, which are like those in "Time" by Pink Floyd. I also thought of Band on the Run and how the music shifts in parts. I wanted this to feel like a journey, not just a song.

It begins quietly. In his book South, Shackleton says that he and Worsley stood on a ridge on Elephant Island, looking out at a narrow path through the ice. That was their way out. They had to leave right away before this path froze up and closed in on them. And it did just that, soon after they passed through it.

At this point, the sea was calm, just for a moment, but they knew what was coming. Then out on the open waters, the storm kicks in — wave after wave, non-stop night and day. Sixteen days, I think it was non-stop, huge wave after huge wave. Shackleton described the sea as relentless, and that word stuck with me. So I had to use it somewhere in this track. They were wet the whole time, sleeping on rock ballast in the bottom of the boat. The cold never let up. And still, somehow, Worsley found a way — navigating by stars they could barely see or take a reading of them.

There's a section in the middle where a rogue wave hits at night. Shackleton says he was on watch, and suddenly, he shouted to the men below, "For God's sake, hold on!" I had to get that moment into the song. You'll hear it.

The song finishes with a buildup of waves, wind, and a musical, almost miraculous feeling of achieving the impossible. A David v Goliath moment.

The Miracle & The Cost

They made it to South Georgia — just. On the last night after having arrived at South Georgia, a massive hurricane in the night had sunk a steamer nearby, killing everyone on board. The James Caird was falling apart. And they landed on the wrong side of the island. They couldn't return or get around the other side of South Georgia.

They landed on the wrong side of South Georgia. The Whaling Station is on the other side, with a huge mountain range and glaciers between them.

The next part of the story — crossing the mountains — will come in the next song.

With this track, I held back on some lyrics. There's just so much going on. I let the music carry the weight of it — the fear, the cold, the sheer miracle of survival.

It should be out next week. I hope it takes you there, just for a moment, into that boat, with the wind screaming and the odds stacked high.

A big thanks to Peter Fisher, whose help with co-production once again brought these icy waters to life.

Thanks for listening,

Tony