Traffic/Steve Winwood (Official Thread)

LG

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TRAFFIC


Traffic on Wikipedia




Let's talk about Traffic first, the English band that suffered the usual complications that seem to be a common theme among any group of musicians numbering One or More.:D

This is very much Steve Winwood's band, his vocals and keyboards are the dominant sound, especially after guitarist Dave Mason left the band.(He did return and contribute on the second album, but then left shortly afterwards.) You had the bluesy/rock of Winwood combined with the more folk/pop flavored style of Mason, the best of both worlds as far as Traffic was concerned.

Their discography is a little jumbled I am starting with their 2nd release, 1968's highly regarded album simply titled Traffic. One irony about the record was the biggest hits were Mason's songs, but he was no longer part of the band at the time the record was released. Gotta love the politics of making music, I think it must help to have a short memory in this business.

Original Line-up:

Steve Winwood - Keyboards, Guitar & Vocals

Dave Mason - Guitar

Jim Capaldi - Drums Percussion & Vocals

Chris Wood - Flute & Other Reed Instruments


Albums:

1967 Mr. Fantasy/ Heaven Is In Your Mind (US pressing)
1968 Traffic
1969 Last Exit
1970 John Barleycorn Must Die
1971 The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
1973 Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory
1974 When the Eagle Flies
1994 Far from Home


Feeling Alright.






 
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Magic

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

I am a huge Winwood fan, not too familiar with Traffic, but I LOVE Winwood's

Arc_of_a_Diver_cover.jpg

Very soothing music.
 

LG

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

I am sure you would like the CD I posted Magic, they are a mellow kind of band. They can cook too and have a lot of blues influence in their music.

I like Arc of a Diver and Back in the High Life Again, both excellent records.
 

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

LG:

I'm sitting here laughing because I was going to post a Traffic thread in the next few days ..
:grinthumb


 
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LG

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

^^Sorry Dear if I had known I would have left them for you. I'm doing Deep Purple next, unless you want to do them...?
 

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

^^Sorry Dear if I had known I would have left them for you. I'm doing Deep Purple next, unless you want to do them...?

No problem ... you saved me some work .. I'll be doing a Tragically Hip thread soon unless someone beats me to it ...

I'll leave the bands with colors in their names to others ....


:)
 

LG

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

:grinthumb

I don't know much about the Hip, so I'll be by for sure.
 

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

From Stevie Winwood's website ~http://stevewinwood.com/

Winwood was just a teenager when he rocketed into the international spotlight as the prodigious singer of the Spencer Davis Group (which also featured his brother **** on bass). The blues and R&B-influenced rock of “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m a Man” stood among the leading hits at the peak of the British Invasion, Winwood’s singing drawing comparisons to that of his idol Ray Charles - despite his tender age. Looking for a wider artistic palette, in 1967 he headed to the countryside with friends Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason, forging the collective spirit into Traffic, producing some of the most inventive and durable works of the psychedelic-tinged late-”60s.

In 1969 he and Clapton, having worked together briefly in the short-lived Powerhouse project, formed Blind Faith with Clapton’s Cream-mate, drummer Ginger Baker, and bass player Rick Grech, though the “supergroup” lasted just one acclaimed album and tour. Intending to mix English folk styles along with jazz and rock, Winwood started work on what was meant as his first solo album, but ultimately enlisted Capaldi and Wood in a reconvened Traffic for the landmark John Barleycorn Must Die album. An expanded Traffic lineup (including African percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah) went on to make two of the most arresting albums of the early ’70s in The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory, expanding on the jazz and world music elements. A scaled-back line-up brought the Traffic era to a close with 1974’s When the Eagle Flies. With 1977’s Steve Winwood, a rich solo run launched, 1980’s Arc of a Diver producing the hit “While You See a Chance” and then 1982’s Talking Back to the Night, 1986’s Back in the High Life and 1988’s Roll With It giving era-defining songs in “Valerie,” “Higher Love,” “Back in the High Life” and “Roll With It.”

Following 1990’s Refugees of the Heart, Winwood and Capaldi reunited as Traffic for the 1994 Far From Home album and tour, the latter documented in the CD/DVD release The Last Great Traffic Jam. In 1997, Winwood teamed with producer Narada Michael Walden for Junction 7, and then About Time saw Winwood returning to the free-flowing spirit of some of his most enduring music. Along the way, Winwood has also collaborated with and accompanied musicians from around the globe, including Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland), Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, James Brown, Muddy Waters, Toots & the Maytals, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, salsa greats Tito Puente and the Fania All Stars, Japanese innovator Stomu Yamashta and African percussionist Remi Kabaka, just to name a handful of dozens.
 

LG

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Re: Traffic/Steve Winwood

I was surprised how Young Steve was when he became successful, I knew a little about the Spencer Davis Band, but not the details.:think:
 

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