Despite its failure to chart nationally, it is widely considered to be H. P. Lovecraft's most accomplished piece, and helped establish the group, who were originally from Chicago, in the West Coast music scene.
[2][3] The band finally commenced a tour within the Chicago area and, following the replacement of rhythm guitarist Tom Skidmore with Jerry McGeorge, furthered their development of what would become future tracks recorded in studio sessions.
[3] Dunwich production company executive Bill Traut played a role in the song's recording, contributing the chiming of an 1811 ship's bell heard at the opening of the composition to add a perceived ghost-like experience.
The band's musical version focuses on the wonderment of the journey of the white ship, and ignores the horrific conclusion experienced by the story's character, Basil Elton.
The cut moves off into weird spacey jamming later that includes sounds that seem to convey an Eastern mystic tone, which would be somewhat in keeping with much of Lovecraft's writing..."[5] In November 1967, "The White Ship" was released in the U.S. on the Philips label (catalog number, 40506).
The original pressing was withdrawn, and in February 1968 a second single, featuring the completed version and "I've Been Wrong Before" as the B-side, was released in both the US and UK.