An extraordinary video. The song is by itself brilliant and pairing with such a mad vid is simply classic. It exemplifies Ian’s insane creativity. Just a riveting video. Hats off to the guy who put this together. Just extraordinary creativity.
The video is from the 1926 Buster Keaton film "The General." It's the first film made about what came to be known as the great railroad chase during the American Civil War. It was filmed on a logging railroad west of Portland Oregon. I great up in the area and remember some of the bridges and trestles, which are no longer there. It's a good film by modern standards.
The railroad scenes were filmed in Cottage Grove, OR, which is 30 minutes south of Eugene and over 2.25 hours away from Portland. We first get a glimpse of Cottage Grove with the 1923 film Our Hospitality. In that film, the trek in the 1820's era railroad was also filmed in Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove still celebrates the creek where the train bridge collapse is filmed in The General.
Buster was probably the greatest stunt man in motion pictures until today. Some of stunts were absolutely death-defying and wouldn't be considered today, even with modern safety equipment of which he, of course, had none.
I can't even say if it is top 20. Over the decades, so many incredible songs (including this one) where written that I wouldn't even wanna make a top 100 list. From AC/DC to ZZ Top I'm not even sure if I could make a Top 20 band ranking.
Jethro and Keaton were both geniuses... was privileged to see tull at the u of iowa in 1975. tickets were like 8 bucks and you could bring anything in ... even a beer keg
I think the film is from the 1926 silent movie with Buster Keaton called "The General". It was inspired by another movie, The Great Locomotive Chase which was based on a true event that occurried during the American Civil War.
~Beautiful! Hope, you aren't making my favourite songs into art just to seduce us all, are you? You just reached across a hundred years to match the frantic pace here - then as far into the future as relaxed perfection there with a Steve Miller vid. *you are precious~
It is also about fatalism and doom...Old Charlie refers to God. He is behind the wheel in a world full of turmoil and despair, the every average Joe is doomed and will meet his fate in the end.
(158) (no apologies if already said (written) yt srch sux). One of my favorite groups - one of my favorite songs - one of my favorite actors (even more than CC (w respect ofc)... idk re the movie mentioned in top comment, but these scenes are from "The General" - (loosely based on a true story?). (with artistic license ofc). No need to go on I suppose... (TIA to provider)
I'm not sure if Ian Anderson had Buster Keaton in mind when he wrote this song, but I first saw THE GENERAL around the same time as I first heard Locomotive Breath, so it works very well for me.
