When people think about the musical British Invasion of the late 1960s, they usually think of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or maybe the Kinks. But there were quite a few British artists and bands who crossed over to try their hand in the big-money American music industry, and in so doing, actually followed an innately American practice themselves: Go big or go home.
Traffic was a band formed in Birmingham, England, in 196. The original lineup consisted of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason. They had some ups and downs; the original Traffic broke up in 1969 when Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton co-founded another band, Blind Faith. But Traffic re-formed in 1970 with Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood, relaunching with the 1970 album John Barleycorn Must Die.
They self-described as a “psychedelic rock” band when they started, but their music was, shall we say, eclectic. It was a job to pick out three that I really like best, and again, ask me next week, and my selections might change. But here’s what I have for now, to start your weekend right.
Dear Mr. Fantasy (1967): This was a collaborative effort, with Jim Capaldi writing the lyrics and Steve Winwood and Chris Wood writing the music. It’s a simple story, of a musician who is deeply unhappy and yet makes his audiences happy with his music, as evidenced by some of Capaldi’s lyrics:
Dear Mr. Fantasy, play us a tune.
Something to make us all happy
Do anything take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy
You are the one who can make us all laugh
But doing that you break out in tears
It’s enough to make one wonder how happy Jim Capaldi really was with what he was doing.
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Shanghai Noodle Factory (1968): This is one of my favorite Traffic tunes, and was so before I ever visited Shanghai myself. It paints a picture of an impersonal, heavily industrialized place, a factory – or is it? Again, Jim Capaldi’s lyrics are on the dark side.
In a Shanghai Noodle Factr'y
Place where I once used to be
No where doing nothing
People there were made of steel
Tiny cogs in one big wheel
Turning never learning
The funny thing is, when you listen to this song, it’s a lot more upbeat in sound than in lyrics.
Feelin’ Alright (1968): This one is Dave Mason’s baby. The funny thing is that Traffic’s release of this song didn’t blow up many skirts; it didn’t break into the Top 100 in any American charts, and did even more poorly in the United Kingdom. But the year after Traffic’s release swan-dived, Joe Cocker released his take, which did a lot better.
I actually like Joe Cocker’s take on the song better than the original. Just for fun, here’s Joe Cocker’s version, which is different enough to be fun and worth listening to. That album cover, though, isn't exactly flattering.
Glad (1970): Written and scored by Steve Winwood, this is the first single release from Traffic’s 1970 reunion album, John Barleycorn Must Die. It’s a long instrumental tune, running almost seven minutes, and for that reason never got a lot of radio play; most American radio stations had their programming planned around 2-4 minute tunes. It has a jazzy sound; despite, or maybe because of, it’s length, I like this one a lot.
Fun side note: I saw Steve Winwood play with the Grateful Dead in Denver in 1991.
Light Up Or Leave Me Alone (1971): From the 1971 album The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, this song was recorded with some added talent along for the ride, those being drummer Jim Gordon, bass player Ric Grech, and percussionist Rebop Kwaku. And again, the lyrics aren’t the happiest:
Sometimes I feel like I'm fading away
You're looking at me, I've got nothing to say
Don't make me angry with the games that you play
Either light up or leave me alone
This was a band with a lot of daylight between sound and lyrics.
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Rock & Roll Stew (1971): This may be my favorite Traffic song, as their style seems to present us with something of a rock & roll stew in every song. This is a paen to the traveling life of the professional (or even amateur) musician, and the longing for home that goes along with it:
Sitting in a transit all night long
Playing clubs and rocking right on
The road's much too long since I've been wasting my time
Wish I was home again sipping my wine
Perils of the trade, and having been a traveling man once myself, well, I’m hip.
If you’re about my vintage (and I know a lot of you are) then you’ll probably have some fun memories of the band, as well as some favorite tunes. Let us know – as always, the comments are all yours!
