SONG SUMMARY
“Ship of Dreams” is a heartfelt classic-rock ballad written by Manny Charlton for Nazareth’s 1980 album Malice in Wonderland, originally recorded as a tribute to his mother. The Fluffy Jackets’ version was recorded as a tribute to Charlton and released on his 80th birthday in 2021, bringing together Helge Rognstad and Leif Knashaug of The Halloween Project on duet lead vocals, with Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore) on bass.
Produced by Rognstad, the recording captures the song’s themes of leaving home, migration, family, loss and new beginnings, making it particularly suited to emotional journeys, relocation, life transitions, remembrance and stories about finding a new home.
SYNC LICENSING & RIGHTS
```Sync context and uses:
“Ship of Dreams” is a cover of the Nazareth song written by Manny Charlton and originally released on the 1980 album Malice in Wonderland. While Charlton originally wrote the song as a tribute to his mother, The Fluffy Jackets recorded their version as a tribute to Charlton, released to mark his 80th birthday on 25 July 2021. The recording features Helge Rognstad and Leif Knashaug of The Halloween Project sharing lead vocals, with Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore) on bass.
An emotional classic-rock ballad about leaving home, migration and the courage to build a new life. Its themes of family, separation, personal change, resilience and new beginnings make it well suited to film, television and documentary scenes centred on journeys, relocation, life transitions and the search for a new sense of home.
Master Rights Owner (this performance):
Helge Rognstad
Sync Licensing / One-Stop master clearance?
Helge Rognstad controls and can license the master recording (this specific performance by The Fluffy Jackets). As this is a cover version, the underlying composition is owned by the original songwriter and publisher. Any sync licence will therefore require clearance of both the master recording rights (Helge Rognstad) and the publishing rights (the composition copyright owner).
Contact information / to license the master recording (this performance):
Helge Rognstad – contact link
Genre:
Rock
Subgenre:
Blues rock; classic rock; melodic rock; rock ballad; roots rock
Moods:
Reflective; nostalgic; heartfelt; melancholic; hopeful; warm; emotional; uplifting; contemplative
Themes:
Migration; leaving home; new beginnings; starting over; separation; family; displacement; journey; belonging; change; hope; resilience; memory; homecoming; creating a new life
Similar Artists:
Nazareth; Bad Company; Free; The Rolling Stones; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Faces; Bob Seger; Tom Petty
Keywords:
migration, immigrant story, leaving home, new beginning, starting over, new chapter, journey, family, separation, finding a new home, displacement, moving abroad, life change, resilience, hope, nostalgia, memories, homeland, Scotland, Spain, Europe, emotional rock ballad, blues rock, classic rock, melodic rock, male vocals, duet vocals, Neil Murray, Manny Charlton, Nazareth, The Fluffy Jackets
```TRACK IDENTIFICATION - Ship of Dreams
```| Track Information | |
| Duration | 04:36 |
|---|---|
| ISRC | GB-HLW-21-01642 |
| Written by | Manny Charlton |
| Originally appears on | Single (released in connection with Manny Charlton's 80th birthday) - released 25 July 2021 |
| Artist | The Fluffy Jackets |
| Rights | |
| Copyright owner / Label | BMG Gold Songs on behalf of Union Square Music Publishing Ltd. |
| Copyright | (P) 2021 Helge Rognstad © 2021 BMG Gold Songs on behalf of Union Square Music Publishing Ltd. |
| Production | |
| Produced and mixed by | Helge Rognstad |
| Featured artists | The Halloween Project, Neil Murray |
| Vocal overdubs (Leif Knashaug), engineered by | Kjartan Hesthagen |
| Recording Year | 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Explicit Content | No |
| WAV Available | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos Available | No |
| Releases | |
| Single Release | Ship of Dreams (2021) |
| Album Release | The Rise And Fall Of The Songwriter (2024) |
| Compilation Release | 20 Greatest (2007–2027) (2027) |
PERSONNEL & PRODUCTION
```Personnel
Helge Rognstad – duet vocals, guitar, drum programming
Leif Knashaug – duet vocals
Neil Murray – bass
Recorded at:
The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio, Bergen, Norway, except duet vocals recorded at Studio Studio Nyhagen, Norway. Bass recorded in Selkirk, Scotland.
Instrumentation and recording equipment used:
Male duet lead vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, and drums.
The lead vocals were recorded at two separate locations. Helge Rognstad recorded his duet vocal part at The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio using a Neumann TLM 103 mono condenser microphone through an Avalon VT-737sp mic preamp.
Leif Knashaug recorded his duet lead vocal parts at Studio Studio Nyhagen (Ronni Le Tekrø’s studio in Bøverbru, Norway), with Kjartan Hesthagen engineering his vocal overdub session.
Helge Rognstad plays all guitars on the track, recorded through an SM57 microphone via a Neve 1073SPX mic preamp.
The rhythm guitar was recorded in an unconventional key using a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard plugged into a Marshall hand-wired 18 watt amp with a Hall of Fame reverb and a Boss chorus pedal. The top string was tuned to B, with a capo on the 4th fret.
The guitar solo in the middle features a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Junior, played through a Boss Metal Zone, Boss Distortion and Hall of Fame reverb into the Marshall handwired 18 watt amp, run at high volume.
Manny Charlton’s 1974 Gibson Flying V, now owned by Helge Rognstad, was used for the slide guitar at the end. It was also run through the Marshall 18 watt combo amp with a Hall of Fame reverb and a Boss chorus pedal.
For the rhythm guitars, two guitars were recorded and panned hard left and hard right: one arpeggio and one plucking arpeggio. The low and high frequencies were first cut from the EQ’d guitars, while ensuring that no noticeable top end was removed, with frequencies cut from 5kHz upwards and from 200Hz downwards.
Two copies of the EQ’d guitars were then created and panned hard left and hard right. An LA-2A compressor was applied to both tracks for consistent sound levels. An echo effect and a de-esser were added to the right guitar.
For the plucking arpeggio guitar, a basic electric guitar FX preset from Distressor was used and EQ’d to sit well in the mix. A gentle FX preset from Distressor was then applied for compression.
Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Michael Schenker, Peter Green’s Splinter Group) plays bass on the track, using a California II VM bass from Sandberg Guitar, fitted with a Hipshot Drop D tuner (allowing the user to quickly drop the bottom string down to D and back up again). The bass was recorded as a DI into his Logic setup.
Helge Rognstad programmed the drums on the track using the BFD3 drum plugin. The drums were mixed with a 6-band EQ (F5 Waves).
The song was mixed and produced by Helge Rognstad.
```OFFICIAL ARTWORK AND PRESS RELEASES
```
Music Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgCBr5gGYLc
Press releases:
The Fluffy Jackets announce new album (2024)
The vibey sounds of Norwegian Thunder (single announcement 2021)
```MEDIA AND LISTENING
```Making of "Ship and Dreams" / The Fluffy Jackets' website link:
More information about the equipment used:
- Building The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio — Includes including signal flow, microphones, preamps.
- Guitars, Amps & Pedals at The Fluffy Jackets Sound Studio — overview of guitars & equipment at the studio.
- Five guitars previously owned by Manny Charlton — 5 guitars aquired from the Nazareth guitarist and producer.
- Gibson Flying V — The Story Behind the Guitar — history of the Manny Charlton / John Birch-modified Flying V.
- Gibson Flying V Featurette — video concerning the guitar previously owned by Manny Charlton (Nazareth).
Streaming (external link):
https://open.spotify.com/album/6CVv21FcwhQwrSDucymv6p?si=IS0BZ_lWQmWAattU-iptfg
Available in physical formats:
CD, Vinyl
Official Store:
```DISCLAIMER
The information published on this page is provided in good faith and is intended as a reference for music industry professionals, including music supervisors, licensing agencies, publishers, broadcasters, distributors, journalists, researchers, and other parties seeking information about the recordings featured on The Fluffy Jackets – 20 Greatest (2007–2027).
While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, complete, and up to date at the time of publication, no representation or warranty is made regarding its completeness, accuracy, or suitability for any particular purpose. Metadata, rights information, publishing details, and industry identifiers may change over time or be updated by the relevant rights holders, collecting societies, publishers, or other authorised organisations.
Anyone relying on the information provided on this page should independently verify all rights, ownership, publishing information, identifiers (including ISRC, ISWC and IPI numbers), and licensing details before entering into any commercial agreement, obtaining licences, or making decisions based on the information presented.
The copyright owner, publisher, artist, website owner, and any associated parties accept no liability for any loss, damage, costs, claims, or consequences arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance upon, the information contained on this page, including any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.
If you believe any information is incorrect or requires updating, please contact us so that we can review and, where appropriate, correct the information as quickly as possible.
LICENSING & RIGHTS ENQUIRIES
For sync licensing, master use, publishing clearance, film and television licensing, advertising, documentary, broadcast or other media use, please contact:
```Contact:
Helge Rognstad (The Fluffy Jackets) – contact link
```