TRAFFIC (LP) UK

TRAFFIC - PORT CHESTER 1970

The radio broadcast recording of a classic 1970 Traffic concert that took place at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, available on CD! Performed with the trio line-up of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, the featured songs are 'Medicated Goo', 'John Barleycorn Must Die', 'Pearly Queen', 'Empty Pages', 'Forty Thousand Headmen', 'Freedom Rider' and a cover of Nina Simone's 'Feelin' Good'. Liner notes are included.

TRACKLIST

Side One

1.Every Mother's Son (Capaldi, Winwood)

2.Medicated Goo (Winwood, Miller)

3.John Barleycorn Must Die (trad. arr. Winwood)

4.Pearly Queen (Capaldi, Winwood)

5.Empty Pages (Capaldi, Winwood)

Side Two

1.Forty Thousand Headmen (Capaldi, Winwood)

2.Freedom Rider (Capaldi, Winwood)

3.Feelin' Good (Newley, Bricusse)

Muisicians

Steve Winwood – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass

Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, vocals

Chris Wood – saxophone, flute, piano

Recording details

All tracks recorded live at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York on June 26th 1970 (second show) and broadcast on WNEW-FM

Whilst various versions of Traffic existed between 1967 and 1994 the band never reached the level of commercial success they deserved. Throughout their career they had the sympathetic management and financial support of Chris Blackwell at Island Records and they achieved chart listings for both singles and albums. However their musical restlessness resulted in a continuously changing line-up and a reluctance to confine themselves to a single style of music, both of which made them a hard band to market.

Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood formed Traffic together with guitarist Dave Mason. In late1968 the band split for the first tjme, Winwood going on to form Blind Faith with Eric Clapton. Following the demise of this ill-fated 'supergroup'  Winwood started recording a solo LP to be called Mad Shadows, a title later purloined by producer Guy Stevens and gifted to fellow-Islanders Mott The Hoople. After recording two tracks on his own, Winwood invited Capaldi and Wood to join him, effectively reconstituting Traffic without Mason. The resulting LP John Barleycorn Must Die came out under the Traffic name in July 1970.

From spring 1970 onwards Winwood, Capaldi and Wood were playing songs from the forthcoming LP live. The absence of a dedicated bass player required much juggling of musical instruments between (and sometimes during) songs. Their American tour started in mid-June, so the band were well-rehearsed by the time they arrived in Port Chester to play two nights at the Capitol Theatre on June 26th and June 27th.  On June 26th they played two shows, supported by Silver Metre and Swallow. The late show was broadcast in high quality by New York radio station WNEW-FM: whilst introducing the band DJ Scott Muni told the crowd "second shows are always the greatest".  The Capitol Theatre was built in 1926 for vaudeville and cinema but by 1970 the 2000 capacity venue was a popular live music venue hosting the Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, who wrote Mercedes Benz in a nearby bar.

The audience gives Traffic a warm welcome, applauding the opening bars of the older songs and listening carefully to the new songs such as set-opener Every Mother's Son. One of the solo tracks recorded by Winwood, the song is a showcase for Winwood's vocal prowess and an extended organ solo. Medicated Goo was a stand alone single A-side released in December 1968 and jointly written by Winwood and producer Jimmy Miller. The lyrics do not bear close analysis but the riff is catchy and Winwood gets in a short and snappy guitar solo. The title track from John Barleycorn sees Winwood switching to acoustic guitar, supported by the subtle use of Wood's flute and some evocative vocal harmonies. From Traffic's second album comes Pearly Queen, withmore inventive electric guitar from Winwood that gets a great response. Keyboards dominate Empty Pages, another new song beautifully sung by Winwood. Capaldi claimed the song Forty Thousand Headmen came from a "hash-induced dream', although the lyrics make it sound more like a nightmare and the organ/flute introduction reinforces this mood. The set-closer is another new song, an organ-driven version of Freedom Rider where Chris Wood takes a lengthy solo on flute. The enthusiastic applause brings the band back for a lengthy encore of Feelin' Good. Although originally written for the musical The Roar Of The Greasepaint – The Smell Of The Crowd, this version is clearly based on Nina Simone's 1965 rendition, as featured on her LP I Put A Spell On You. Capaldi keeps the beat whilst Wood and Winwood solo on flute and organ. Traffic never recorded a studio version of this song and only rarely played it in concert. It makes a great end to a fine concert, and a valuable record of this short-lived Traffic line up.