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TRAFFIC
Welcome To The Canteen (Island)
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (Island)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
After the breakup of Blind Faith, Steve Winwood's next project was scheduled to be a solo album, but when he invited a pair of his former bandmates from Traffic, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi, to join the sessions his solo project soon became Traffic's 1970 comeback album, John Barleycorn Must Die. Encouraged by the response, Winwood started to assemble a touring band (the dependence on his multi-instrumentalism in the studio wasn't realistic in a live setting), recruiting drummer Jim Gordon, bassist Rick Grech and percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah. He also managed to patch up the musical and personal differences that had caused Dave Mason to leave Traffic in 1968, and Mason rejoined the band in 1971.
That's the lineup on Welcome To The Canteen, a live effort recorded at a pair of British dates in the summer of '71. While Traffic was in many ways first and foremost a Steve Winwood project (in too many ways for some, including, ultimately, Dave Mason) it would be hard to make the case that they ever benefited from the absence of Dave Mason, whose triple threat skills as a singer, composer and guitarist were essential to the group's original sound and success. Welcome To The Canteen is an important piece of the Traffic discography if only because it represents Mason's final turn as a member. It's also important musically, though, with live versions of Traffic classics like "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "40,000 Headmen" matched with raveups like "Gimme Some Lovin'," a nugget from Winwood's tenure with the Spencer Davis Group.
By the time the band reached the studio to record The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, though, Dave Mason was gone again. The fact that five of the original six tracks were Steve Winwood compositions might be some indication of the problem. Mason had more material than Traffic had room for, and he set of to find venues to perform it. As interesting as it might have been to see the augmented version of the original Traffic lineup together in the studio, though, Low Spark turned out to be a very fine album, with Winwood writing songs to suit the rhythmic complexities possible with Gordon, Capaldi and Baah all present, and the jazz sensibilities of Wood, whose woodwind work is particularly notable throughout the disc. For this CD reissue, the original album is augmented by the single version of "Rock & Roll Stew," with the A and B sides joined to make a version that, at 6:07, is a minute and a half longer than the album track.
The sound on each of these volumes of the Traffic Remasters series is excellent, and these are the best of the latter-day Traffic recordings. They're welcome additions to the classic rock reissue shelves.
Track Lists:
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys: Hidden Treasure * The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys * Light Up Or Leave Me Alone * Rock And Roll Stew * Many A Mile To Freedom * Rainmaker * Rock And Roll Stew Parts 1 & 2 (singles version)
Welcome To The Canteen: Medicated Goo * Sad And Deep As You * 40,000 Headmen * Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave * Dear Mr. Fantasy * Gimme Some Lovin'
© 2002 - Shaun Dale