Traffic - On the Road

 

This is another one that I randomly pulled outta our vinyl collection while perusing the "T" section. Being a teen in the 70's with plenty of stoner friends, I was always smitten by this era of Traffic, especially the likes of "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", and this whole album is certainly a stoner classic (and still damn good even if you're not high!).

Led by Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar and piano here) and Jim Capaldi (vocals, drums, percussion) with Chris Wood on flute and sax, Rebop Kwaku Baah on congas and percussion, Barry Becket on organ and piano, David Hood on bass and Roger Hawkins on drums, the original LP only consisted of four lengthy songs, although apparently the European release was a double LP and there have been reissues since.

So, I'm now listening on YouTube, which has the extended album, which is sequenced very differently from the American LP. This one opens with a 20 minute medley of "Glad"/Freedom Rider", beginning with one of their more upbeat and memorable instrumental numbers which gives Chris a chance to stretch out on sax while the band cooks behind him, but as it melds into "Freedom Rider", it gets a bit more atmospheric and simply aimlessly jammy although when the lyrics finally come in for the last few minutes, it works a bit better.

"Tragic Magic" is another semi-spacey jam - some interesting changes, but not enough to sustain it for 8+ minutes, then we get to hear Winwood's fine, blue-eyed soulful voice and excellent guitar work on "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired", before we arrive at one of the better numbers on the album, the upbeat "Shootout at the Fantasy Factory", with plenty of crunchy guitar interacting with the rest of the crew for a great song with an interestingly powerful instrumental section.

They do a pretty fast paced'n'rockin' (for them) version of their stoner anthem "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone", another one of their finer selections with Capaldi singing and lots of great playing all around as it turns into a funky jam, before they end on a slower, but equally fine, groove in "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", which is extended here by a couple of extra minutes than the edited American version. I always dug this catchy number and while this one is again extended with plenty of solos, it still retains its groove and its coolness - in my mind, anyway!

Overall, I think the Americans did a service by editing this into one album with the best songs on it, but if you dig the psychey spaciness of Traffic's free-wheelin' 70's era, this is well worthwhile.