Torrey Canyon

Torrey Canyon is about the first major marine oil-spillage disaster, which took place in the year indelibly labelled in the cultural media memory as the 'Summer of Love'. It was written in 1988 and was a standard in the live set under the title 'Profit'.

The first rough version started under the working title of 'Herald of  Free Enterprise' and was similar in lyric-feel to Sympathy For The Devil it quickly evolved, but was still quite broad, taking in a vast array of man-made environmental disasters. Refining it to a single incident gave far more focus and impact.

Rerecorded in September 2011 with mostly Rickenbacker, some Italia and the Dano'63.

The painting was part of the Brooke Bond Tea Cards set 'The Sea Our Other World' issued in 1974, the two photographs are via the BBC.