Rolling Ronnie
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Unsung Traffic?
Feb 15, 2010, 14:35
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Recent threads about early Psych took me back to Traffic and their wonderful Mr Fantasy album. I then revisited some old personal favorites including 'The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys' and the stoned-sounding 'On The Road' live album. Truly great stuff!! Are they overlooked or is it just me :-)
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machineryelf
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Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 15, 2010, 14:49
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Rolling Ronnie wrote: the stoned-sounding 'On The Road' live album. Truly great stuff!!
indeed, as is 'Live At The Canteen', ideal summer listening, and a masterclass in tasteful without being bland
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zphage
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Edited Feb 15, 2010, 20:10
Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 15, 2010, 15:10
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They were very successful in their day. But they literally petered out.
Winwood made the transition to solo star very efficiently with very radio ready 80's music. Yet he is a very low profile artist who can command the attention of a Clapton, McCartney, etc...
Essentially two bands: psych/progressive thru Barleycorn, then prog from there out.
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Dog 3000
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Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 15, 2010, 20:53
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"On The Road" is even a little krauty . . . and in fact Rebop Kwaku Bah (sic) later joined Can!
Their second self-titled album is classic too -- makes me think of a British version of The Band's also-self-titled second album (also with a band pic against earthtone brown on the cover.)
Third album is a mixed bag with a few classics and ends the original Dave Mason era. After that I think it's a spottier discog (couple good tunes per album, but plenty of dull filler too -- never liked "John Barleycorn" too much myself.)
"Low Spark" is a tremendously fun song to jam on -- two nifty riffs and an anthemic chorus (plus groovy weird lyrics), it's easy to keep playing that one til your fingers fall off -- no wonder it was always a 10-minute+ song when they played it!
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IanB
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Edited Feb 16, 2010, 09:09
Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 09:04
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Dog 3000 wrote: "On The Road" is even a little krauty . . . and in fact Rebop Kwaku Bah (sic) later joined Can!
I love the synchroniciites on this forum. I am not much of a fan of their early studio records but I was playing the "On The Road" album just yesterday morning.
They were much more focused than your average Jam Band work out. No one solos stupidly or stupidly long and the playing is more in the Hi / Stax / Muscle Shoals thread of things (hence the inclusion of the likes of Hood and Beckett in the band). One of the great album covers too. I remember seeing it in the racks of Virgin and getting that "must have this" feeling. The record that it reminds me of most in some ways is Man's "Be Good To Yourself". Has that great and rare combination of being a very stoned record that plays long but with lots of focus.
Per your other point - Traffic developed a bit of a bad rep because of Winwood being seen to be part of that Collins / Cocker / Palmer, roll your suit jacket sleeves past your elbows, scene in the 80s. And his career long proximity to Eric Clapton. And Jim Capaldi was never really considered cool. And no Punk Rockers put their hands up for them either. So the critics were never going to keep the flame alight.
There are three great bootlegs, all recorded in London, from 70, 73 and 74 that are all worth having and are very decent audio quality. The earlier material is the Winwood, Wood, Capaldi trio with Winwood playing bass pedals and some of it is the Big Band.
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Hunter T Wolfe
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Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 13:55
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A band I've always meant to investigate further but never have. All I know is what I've got of their early psych stuff: the 'Paper Sun' 7" and the 'Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush' soundtrack album!
I was probably not encouraged by first coming across Steve Winwood in the 80s, rather in the manner Ian B mentions, and various other factors: 'the Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys' always seemed like such a smug condescending album title, a dig at Mott the Hoople I believe? As a big Mott fan and of glam rock in general (while approaching all things prog with a long stick at first) that didn't make me warm to them.
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Stevo
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Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 14:32
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the 60s stuff and John Barleycorn Must Die are all really worth investigating. I think I prefer the material with electric guitar but most of it's pretty deeply good.
haven't really explored the 70s material, though I got a full discography torrent from demonoid last year. what i've heard of that was pretty interesting though.
Stevo
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Squid Tempest
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Edited Feb 16, 2010, 14:59
Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 14:58
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All this reminded me that I met Jim Capaldi briefly back in the 70s when he did a gig at our college. I just did a quick net search, but I can't work out what band he was playing with at the time - a "solo" show with other musicians is all I remember. He was really good.
*whilst looking at the Wiki, I notice that his first name was actually Nicola. Bet that went down well at school...
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IanB
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Edited Feb 16, 2010, 15:11
Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 15:09
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Squid Tempest wrote: All this reminded me that I met Jim Capaldi briefly back in the 70s when he did a gig at our college. I just did a quick net search, but I can't work out what band he was playing with at the time - a "solo" show with other musicians is all I remember. He was really good.
*whilst looking at the Wiki, I notice that his first name was actually Nicola. Bet that went down well at school...
Brilliant. He had a bit of a Rock n Roll Rasputin look about him so maybe it was Nikolai?
I bought one of his solo records because I loved On The Road and he had all the members of Traffic AND Koss guesting on it. It was crap though. IIRC it's a sort of Dave Crosby lite record though I haven't heard it in 34 years. Dave Mason was probably much better at that kind of thing.
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Squid Tempest
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Re: Unsung Traffic?
Feb 16, 2010, 15:18
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IanB wrote: Squid Tempest wrote: All this reminded me that I met Jim Capaldi briefly back in the 70s when he did a gig at our college. I just did a quick net search, but I can't work out what band he was playing with at the time - a "solo" show with other musicians is all I remember. He was really good.
*whilst looking at the Wiki, I notice that his first name was actually Nicola. Bet that went down well at school...
Brilliant. He had a bit of a Rock n Roll Rasputin look about him so maybe it was Nikolai?
I bought one of his solo records because I loved On The Road and he had all the members of Traffic AND Koss guesting on it. It was crap though. IIRC it's a sort of Dave Crosby lite record though I haven't heard it in 34 years. Dave Mason was probably much better at that kind of thing.
I wish I could remember more about the gig, but it is lost in the mists of time. I only remember enjoying it, and having a brief "hello, great gig" moment with Mr Capaldi afterwards. I'd like to know who was on stage with him. It would have been about 1977 I guess.
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