15. Marty Willson-Piper, “Forever” (1989)

15. Marty Willson-Piper, “Forever” (1989)

As a former member of The Church, guitarist Marty Willson-Piper has participated the recording of a song which has often been falsely accused of featuring bagpipes—for the record, the sound you hear on “Under The Milky Way” is actually a Synclavier—but he’s also used the real thing during the course of his solo career. In the case of “Forever,” which appears on Willson-Piper’s 1989 album, Rhyme, the bagpipes add further musical depth to a song that’s already rather complex to begin with (it’s just over six minutes long and features three key changes), but the story behind them being in the mix at all is rather remarkable. In an interview with the Australian magazine On the Street, Willson-Piper discussed how Andy Mason, his co-producer on the album, laughed at the idea that he’d be able to find a piper in Stockholm, Sweden, where they were recording Rhyme. “Believe it or not, I walked out of the studio for a break about an hour later, and suddenly I heard bagpipes,” said Willson-Piper. “There was a guy busking, in the middle of January in his kilt. I couldn’t believe it, so I sat and watched him for a while. Eventually I thought, ‘I’ve got to ask him,’ [so] I went up to him and said, ‘Excuse me, I’m making a record…’ It came out great. The guy was really good.” [Will Harris]