Saturday matinee - Traffic

A few weeks ago I posted something about Dave Mason, one of the founders of the great English band, Traffic. So this time I thought I'd post something about the band itself.

Traffic was founded by

• Steve Winwood, who at age 15 (15!) had been a key member of the Spencer Davis Group and had written "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm A Man" (which was a big hit later for the group Chicago)
• Jim Capaldi (drummer)
• Chris Wood (woodwinds)
• Dave Mason (guitars)

This band broke up and reformed more than the blobs in a lava lamp. Mason left and re-joined three times.

But in their various mutations and iterations, they produced two outstanding albums: "John Barleycorn Must Die" in 1970, and "The Low Spark of High-heeled Boys" in 1971.

For a band steeped in psychedelia, "John Barleycorn", with it's heavy folk influence, was a real departure - similar to the Grateful Dead's turn from psychedelic to country and folk with "American Beauty".

"John Barleycorn" featured four really memorable songs: the great instrumental "Glad", "Freedom Rider", "Empty Pages", and the title song (an old folk song about the harvesting of barley). Here's a video of a live version of John Barleycorn:


"The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" turned back more to the psychedelic and jazz-rock roots. It featured the extended jam song "Rock and Roll Stew", and my personal favorite Traffic song - "The Low Spark of High-heeled Boys". Here's a video of a live version:


And here's a bonus track - "40,000 Headmen" (from their second album "Traffic"):