Classical Gas

"Classical Gas" is an instrumental piece written by Mason Williams (made from 'about' three songs together). The title of the song was originally "Classical Gasoline" but was changed to "Classical Gas" by the music copyist. On the original recording, Williams plays guitar and is accompanied by an orchestral backing. The orchestral arrangements for this song were written by Mike Post. It was released in February 1968 from the album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record. In August 1968 it reached Number 2 on the American charts and went on to sell over a million copies (the song also topped the Billboard Easy Listening survey). Williams re-recorded the tune as a solo guitar piece on his 1970 album Hand Made. In 1987, he recorded a version with Mannheim Steamroller.

The composer, Mason Williams, was the head writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the time of the piece's release. The song was premiered on the show and Williams performed it several times over several episodes. After the piece had reached the Top Ten, Williams asked an experimental filmmaker named Dan McLaughlin to create a video montage of classical art works edited in time to the music, using a visual effect now known as kinestasis. The pioneering work, "3000 Years of Art", premiered in the summer of 1968 and may have helped push the song high on the charts.The Original Classical Gas Video: "3000 Years of Art"Youtube Video of Mason Williams and full orchestra

There is a common misconception that Classical Gas was composed and performed by Eric Clapton, when in fact Clapton has never even recorded a cover of the song. This misconception may be attributed to the fact that Clapton was musical director of, and played much of the guitar music for the film The Story of Us, whereas the version of Classical Gas on the film's soundtrack is actually from Williams' album Hand Made.http://www.classicalgas.com/gasfaq.html Classical Gas FAQ on Williams' website www.classicalgas.com