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Tapes in Circulation: The 70s |
Linked items indicate a review and/or setlist are available
below.
More information can be found in the Complete
Discography or
on Hidden Treasure: the Unreleased Music of Traffic.
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Traffic: "BBC in London"; 1970 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring | No Time To Live | Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | John Barleycorn | Pearly Queen | Empty Pages | Glad/Freedom Rider
Traffic: "In Concert (Westwood One)" London; 1970 Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | John Barleycorn | Pearly Queen | Empty Pages | Glad | Freedom Rider
This is apparently the same show available on an Italian gray market/boot titled "That's
Live" but this one has much better sound quality. "That's Live" includes "No Time To Live"
and "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" but doesn't contain this set's opener "Every
Mother's Son." The band gives a nice reading of it, with Winwood's layered organ, and is in
fine form throughout. Winwood's singing and guitar playing are up to his high standards but
the highlight of this set is "Empty Pages." The hot, soulful opening phrase to Winwood's
solo is so familiar now but sounds so inspired here - one of the classic openings for a
keyboard solo - and the rest of his lead burns through to the last verse. Also notable are
the set closers, "Glad" and "Freedom Rider." Still quite available and reasonable. Highly
recommended.
A Westwood One radio show CD of Traffic material consists of the 5 tracks "Paper Sun",
"Dear Mr. Fantasy", "Feelin' Alright", "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush", and "John
Barleycorn", as well as the usual DJ filler and commercials. "Feelin' Alright" has no
saxophone and a funky organ.
Traffic: Paris Theatre, April 30, 1970 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring? | Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | John Barleycorn | Pearly Queen | Empty Pages | Glad/Freedom Rider
This is a BBC Radio Concert. The band is just the trio of Winwood, Capaldi and Wood, just
at the time they reformed to record John Barleycorn Must Die. The players often doubled on
instruments, such as Chris playing sax and electric piano or using the sax line as bass in
another song. A couple of the songs don't end very well, such as "John Barleycorn", where
Capaldi sings the (correct) next-to-last verse while Winwood sings the last verse, causing
the ending to fall apart. The DJ introduces the instrumentation for the each track. The
quality is very good, and running time is about 50 minutes.
Traffic: Fillmore, June 11, 1970
Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring |
Every Mother's Son |
Medicated Goo |
John Barleycorn Must Die |
Stranger to Himself |
Pearly Queen |
Empty Pages |
40000 Headmen |
Feelin Good |
Dear Mr Fantasy |
Glad/Freedom Rider
Traffic: Cincinnati, Ohio; June 17, 1970 Pearly Queen | Stranger To Himself | John Barleycorn | Dear Mr Fantasy | Gimme Some Lovin'
An incomplete audience tape, 20-30 minutes in length.
Traffic: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago; June 19, 1970 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring? | Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | John Barleycorn | Pearly Queen | Stranger To Himself | Empty Pages | Forty-Thousand Headmen | Glad/Freedom Rider | Evening Blue | Dear Mr Fantasy
Audience recording, chatter of audience members clearly audible, echo-y sound.
Traffic: "Festival Express Train", Toronto; June 28, 1970
Janis Joplin with Full Tilt Boogie, The Band, Grateful Dead, Delaney and
Bonnie and Friends, Ian and Sylvia, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Tom Rush,
Buddy Guy, Eric Andersen, Mountain, Ten Years After, Traffic, Seatrain,
Charlebois, James & the Good Brothers, Cat, Mashmakan and the Modern Rock
Quartet. (From the official Janis Joplin web-site)
Traffic: June 30, 1970
Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring |
Every Mother's Son |
Feelin' Good |
John Barleycorn Must Die |
Pearly Queen |
Stranger to Himself |
Empty Pages |
40000 Headmen |
Can't Find My Way Home |
Blind Man |
Dear Mr Fantasy |
No Time To Live
Traffic - A Group, A Dog, A Ghost, Live @ The Fillmore West 6/30/70,
Colosseum. - Barely passable audience recording. Who Knows What Tomorrow
May Bring, Every Mother's Son, Medicated Goo, Pearly Queen, Dear Mr.
Fantasy, John Barleycorn, Empty Pages, 40,000 Headmen, Glad, Freedom
Rider, Can't Find My Way Home, No Time To Live. Good performance, Empty
Pages seems particularly inspired.
Traffic: Fillmore West, CA; July 1, 1970 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring | Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | Pearly Queen | Dear Mr. Fantasy | John Barleycorn | Empty Pages | 40,000 Headmen | Glad | Freedom Rider | Can't Find My Way Home | No Time To Live | Stranger To Himself
Very cool show at their so called "Home away from home". It's fun to think about who may
have been in the audience that night, as the San Francisco scene was still in full swing
'round then. Sounds like the same lineup as the '70 BBC show. Interesting moment: Steve
sings, "I turned around and 40,000 headmen hit the dirt/firing 20 shotguns each and man, it
really hurt/I ventured off before the dawn had time to change it's mind/but by the time
they'd done that I was heading down the road." Seems like he might have been a little foggy
back then. Another tape of this show exists that includes only 40,000 Headmen, Glad/Freedom Rider, Can't Find My Way Home, No Time To Live, and Stranger To Himself. --BG
Yet another tape has the following track listing:
Classic concert from the 3-piece line-up of SW/Wood/Capaldi that plays and sounds like a
bigger ensemble. I haven't got this one, but another tells me that you would be safe to
spend your money on this one due to its decent sound quality and great musicianship. The
version of Mr Fantasy, I am reliably informed, doesn't sound as if it comes from this set.
One to buy unless you are able to seek out "Soul of the Road" which contains 3 more
tracks.
This was also released as Soul Of The Road on the Aulica label (Italian). The sound
is very good and the track listing is the same as above. The date is listed as July 1,
1972, but this is still just the trio playing songs mostly from John Barleycorn Must
Die and Traffic, so the true date is probably in 1970. Two other titles from the
same period are the Italian bootleg That's Live Traffic and a Westwood One radio
show disc, which is less complete but the sound is far superior. Both consist of a BBC
concert in London in 1970.
Traffic: Bergen; July 16, 1970 "John Barleycorn" taken from TV performance.
Traffic: Vpropiknik; July 16, 1970 "John Barleycorn" taken from Dutch TV.
Traffic: "Woodwind", Anderson Theatre, Nov 23, 1970 Medicated Goo | Pearly Queen | Empty Pages | Heaven is in your mind | Forty Thousand Head Men | John Barleycorn | Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring | Every Mothers Son | Freedom Rider | Shootout at the Fantasy Factory | Low Spark
The first nine songs were recorded @ The Andersen Theater in NYC 11/23/70. Personnel
includes SW, CW, JC, and Rick Grech. This disc is most notable for the inclusion of Rick
Grech to the group near the latter part of their 70 tour. Along with playing bass, he also
lends a hand with lead guitar. The disc finds a group which had been on the road for awhile
bolstered by a new member to add new flavors to their arrangements. For fans of the 70 Tour
this disc offers a rare glimpse of Traffic as a quartet, with the additional freedom
offered by another member. The disc starts with an Intro by none other than Bill Graham.
Medicated Goo is a bit disjointed although Winwood is in fine voice, and plays a lead
somewhat reminiscent of Stranger to Himself from earlier in the tour. A nice version of
Pearly Queen is next, with Grech on hand to lend support to the rhythm section, Chris's
organ fills break loose a bit to add some color. For fans of the LP version of Empty Pages,
this concert version is among the best I've heard. Steve's vocals and keyboard work (sounds
like a Fender Rhodes or RMI electric piano) are top notch and the band seem to catch a good
groove with this tune. An updated version of Heaven replete with a lovely jam with Chris on
sax playing off a vamping Winwood organ to finish off the song, adds new insight to some
older material. A change of pace highlights the next tunes. Forty Thousand Headmen offers
some lovely flute work by Chris, and John Barleycorn is welcome for a version not marred
by lyrical snafus as found in other versions from earlier in the tour. Who Knows finds
Grech trying his hand at lead and rhythm guitar. The addition of guitar adds greatly to the
feel of the tune, fleshing it out, adding more texture and spark. Steve's soloing is
especially tasty and the song offers good ensemble playing. Every Mothers Son is a
highlight. Other versions of this song lacked the lovely guitar riff that accompanies the
opening keyboard parts. Although the addition of guitar to the song is welcome, Grech is
unable to provide the caliber of playing that was on the studio version. One wonders if the
reason the live 11/70 release was shelved because the band wasn't comfortable with Grech's
guitar work. (That was one of the reasons given for the non-release of the material
recorded just days before this gig. See The "Lost" Live Album.)
Nevertheless this is a wonderful version of Every Mothers Son, with great tension built up
by the dual piano, organ combo and not to be missed. The disc end uneventfully, with a
version of "Freedom Rider" without "Glad" preceding. Shootout and Low Spark from On the
Road are added as filler. The sound quality of this disc is excellent. These tapes may have
been from a "Grateful Dead" soundboard of this show. At any rate well beyond typical
bootleg sound!
Winwood and possibly Capaldi joined the Grateful Dead onstage at the Anderson theater in
New York City on November 23, 1970. On one tape of the show, Winwood's performance
apparently begins during the song "Hard To Handle" (Pigpen vocals), where he plays Hammond
organ, followed by "Railroad Blues" (Jerry Garcia vocals), then a medley of "Not Fade Away"
/ "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad" / "Not Fade Away". Steve attempts the lead vocal on the
first "Not Fade Away", but apparently only knows part of the first verse and chorus, which
he mangles in a couple of tries. He seems embarrassed, and sings in an odd, low register.
Finally, he says "OK, fade away, I sang something" and drops out vocally for the rest of
the song. He makes up for it in his playing, which is supportive and fits nicely into the
Dead's sound. Bob Weir handles the lead vocals for the rest of the song, with Steve adding
some backing. In about the last three minutes of the tape, Bill Graham comes on and
introduces Traffic, who kick into "Medicated Goo" just before the tape ends. The Grateful
Dead taped all of their own shows, apparently including supporting acts such as Cream and
Traffic.
Traffic: Kongresshalle, Frankfurt; February 6, 1971 Medicated Goo | Pearly Queen | Empty Pages | Heaven Is In Your Mind | 40,000 Headmen | John Barleycorn | Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring? | Every Mother's Son | Freedom Rider | Means To an End | Dear Mr Fantasy Not the best of starts with sound quality not at its best.
Traffic: Steve Winwood's Traffic (Rockstars in Concert), June 1970 and July 1971 Gimme Some Lovin' (8:40) | Medicated Goo (2:28) | Shootout at the Fantasy Factory (listed as Evening Blue for some reason) (6:40) | Dear Mr Fantasy (10:40) | Empty Page (sic) (6:07) | Glad (7:43) | Freedom Rider (4:38) | John Barleycorn Must Die (4:48) | Pearly Queen (4:30)
The notes say all the songs were recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon in June, 1970,
except tracks 1 and 4, which were recorded at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, and the Oz Benefit
Concert in London, in July 1971. The personnel is listed as SW (keyboards, guitars,
vocals), Dave Mason (guitars, vocals), Rick Grech (bass), Jim Capaldi (drums, percussion,
vocals), Jim Gordon (drums), Reebop Kwaku Baah (percussion), and Chris Wood (sax, flute,
keyboards). The sound quality is pretty good. Pearly Queen is especially appealing.
Traffic: Soul of the Road; 1971 Very good sound quality; includes Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood.
Traffic: Boston Music Hall; October 14, 1971 Medicated Goo | Light Up | Glad/Freedom Rider | Hidden Treasure | John Barleycorn | Rock 'n' Roll Stew | Many a Mile to Freedom | Low Spark | Gimme Some Lovin'
This audience recording captures the original Low Spark lineup just prior to the release of
the LP. Medicated Goo kicks things off, as the band finds a groove with a straight ahead
rendition of this favorite show opener. Light Up features some well crafted guitar by SW.
Glad/Freedom Rider finds CW in good form on electric sax, with the Jim
Gordon/Reebop/Capaldi rhythm section providing lots of energy. A lovely version of Hidden
Treasure, with CW's flute beautifully complimenting SW's acoustic guitar. (Steve introduces
the song as a tune about water!) A very good rendering of JBMD, Then on to Grech/Gordon
Rock N Roll Stew.This version of the band could rock hard with material like this tune, and
seem to really enjoy it. Many a Mile To Freedom is a welcome addition, as this song seems
to have been missing from many shows. (Pity, because it's beautifully played here). Low
Spark offers a version very true to the LP, although somewhat marred by the fact SW is
playing electric piano(fender?) rather than acoustic. However, it still is fascinating to
hear the album lineup play this song just weeks after they recorded it, while it was still
fresh and new to them. Later versions find a jazzier feel, while this version seems to
better capture the mysterious nature of the tune. The show ends with a smoking version of
Gimme Some Lovin', far better than on Welcome to the Canteen, everybody lends a hand
on percussion and it sounds as if a good time was had by all. Sound quality is good for an
audience recording, but fans will want this to hear this short lived lineup on a good
night.
The play list is Medicated Goo, Light Up, Glad/Freedom Rider, Hidden Treasure, John
Barleycorn, Rock n Roll Stew, Many a Mile to Freedom, Low Spark, & Gimme Some Lovin', and
a "studio out-take" of John Barleycorn.
Traffic: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Sessions: 1971 OMS Reel Recordings, Mexico. This is billed as out takes from the Low Spark studio sessions, thought it seems to have other stuff as well. The sound quality is excellent except for the alternate mix "Rock & Roll Stew" extended version which is curiously distorted. 12 tracks pretty much suitable for die hard fans only: 1) Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, alternate take 2/9/71. Not really that different from the real version except that Chris Wood's electric sax is replaced by lethargic noodling. 2) "Rock & Roll Stew" alternate take, 5/19/71. Same words & progression as the actual take but the feel of the song is completely different. Almost a different song entirely. Interesting to see how the song evolved over 3 months time. 3) "Rainmaker" Different mix 5/19/71. Pretty much what it says. 4) "Rock & Roll Stew" different mix 8/25/71. This is (I guess) the full version from the English 45. As mentioned above, it is somewhat distorted (overmodulated) though certainly listenable. The instrumental ending not included on the album version is not particularly memorable. If this is indeed the extended 45 version, you haven't missed much. 5) "Light Up or Leave me Alone" different mix 8/25/71. Mostly, the difference is Capaldi vocalizing a bit during the instrumental sections. 6) Jam #1, take 2. Personnel not really listed but it sounds like Winwood, Gordon & Grech sounding sorta like Blind Faith. Interesting take but just a jammy thing. 7 & 8) Jam #2 & 3 w/Muscle Shoals Horns. Not sure who's playing what beyond the obvious. The rhythm section certainly seems to be the Alabamy boys and I'd bet on Winwood on guitar and maybe organ. Shoot Out meets a horn section. 9 & 10) "It's So Hard" Capaldi & Gordon. Capaldi & (Gordon) playing acoustic guitar, fleshing out the song. For die hard fans only. 11 & 12) "Easter Weekend" Same as above. By: Father Gino
Traffic: Queens College, Flushing Meadows, NY; 1972 Medicated Goo | Light Up or Leave Me Alone | Glad/Freedom Rider | Every Mother's Son | Hidden Treasure | John Barleycorn | Rock 'n' Roll Stew | Low Spark of High Heeled Boys | 40,000 Headmen | Many a Mile to Freedom | Gimme Some Lovin' Reasonable sound quality on this audience recording. I particularly like "Glad" as it features SW on organ and not piano as on the studio recording, which seems to give it more of a 60's jazz sound. Similarly, "Low Spark" is more faithful to the studio version with its electric keyboard solo, in contrast to later live versions which were stretched longer and featured SW on grand piano. "Many a Mile to Freedom" and "Hidden Treasure" are also welcomed inclusions.
Traffic: unknown; 1972 Low Spark of High Heeled Boys | Light Up or Leave Me Alone | John Barleycorn | Rainmaker | 40,000 Headmen | Dear Mr. Fantasy
Not indicated where it's from or when. It's a high quality live tape, probably sound
board.
Traffic: Santa Monica, California; 1973 The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys | Shootout at the Fantasy Factory | Light Up or Leave Me Alone | Glad | Freedom Rider | John Barleycorn | Rainmaker | Dear Mr. Fantasy Very good sound taken from the official video release, about an hour long. The band was Steve, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Reebop Kwaaku Baah, David Hood, and Roger Hawkins.
Traffic: Fort Worth, Texas; January 19, 1973 Shootout At The Fantasy Factory | Rock And Roll Stew | Roll Right Stones | Empty Pages | Evening Blue | 40,000 Headmen | Glad | Freedom Rider | Tragic Magic | (Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired | Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
This is from a second gen. audience tape I got nearing twenty years ago now.
Eventually verified the source
and date via actual taper. He lost the master, so 1st gen is the best
anyone's going to find on this, though there's only four or five true 1st
gens out there.
Traffic: Winterland; January 25 and 26, 1973 Shoot-Out at the Fantasy Factory | Rock 'n' Roll Stew | Roll Right Stones | Empty Pages | Evening Blue | 40,000 Headmen | Glad | Freedom Rider | Tragic Magic | Uninspired | Light Up or Leave Me Alone Despite some dodgy edits, this is one of the best Traffic bootlegs. A soundboard warts 'n' all recording rumored to have once been the property of famous rock promoter Bill Graham. Great playing with the Muscle Shoals augmented line-up as on "On the Road". The major plus about this recording is the inclusion of tracks that never made the aforementioned official live album - Roll Right Stones, Evening Blue, Empty Pages, 40,000 Headmen, and Rock 'n' Roll Stew. The sound quality on this set ranges from very good to excellent, with the bass and drum sound appearing much more dominant than on "On the Road"; the telepathy between the musicians is as good as it gets, thus making this a must for anyone's collection. If there was any justice in the world, this would be available by doctor's prescription!
Also reported as:
This is 25 or 26-Jan-1973, Free & John Martin opened (from BGbase).
"Freedom Rider" has a cut in the middle; from 1st gen analog.
Very end of "Dear Mr Fantasy" is clipped.
Listed as a soundboard, but is definitely an audience recording.
Quality varies a bit on some songs, overall a very decent recording.
Traffic: "Out of the Gridlock"; March 31, 1973 Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory | Rock 'n' Roll Stew | Forty-Thousand Headmen | Roll Right Stones | Empty Pages | No Face No Name & No Number | Glad/Freedom Rider | Tragic Magic | Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired | Light Up or Leave Me Alone | Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
Sound quality is fairly good for a bootleg, percussion mixed
rather high. Two tapes from the CD bootleg "Out of the Gridlock" are available as "Rome", separately. The CD is marked incorrectly. The date of the concert was 3/31/73, not 1974, the city was Bologna, not Rome, and the 6 non-Traffic tracks were Spooky Tooth. These tracks include "I Am The Walrus" and "Moriah". See SP 29-10.
Traffic: London; 1973 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring | No Time To Live | Every Mother's Son | Medicated Goo | John Barleycorn | Shootout At The Fantasy Factory | Low Spark About 43m long, definitely a European crowd rather then American (audience listens to music rather than screaming drunkenly as they do on most US tapes). The quality is good. It sounds like it was taped from vinyl, although very clean vinyl. Anyone have an exact date for this show?
Grade: A to A- Some versions of this also include Pearly Queen, Empty Pages, Glad, and Freedom Rider. (K.S.)
Traffic: Empty Pages, London; 1973 Issued by Oil Well Records, Made in Italy. Not a commercially available recording. The sleeve states "Live in London, UK June 5 1973". But it's not as you will see. Cover pic depicts Steve in "goatie" beard, taken from When the Eagle Flies promotional photographs. Track Listing:
What else can I say about this CD? Well, don't be mislead by the sleeve stating that it's recorded live in London in '73 because clearly it isn't! If you don't already have the BBC recordings in your possession then it's worth getting just for them. Taking 2 tracks that are already commercially available is a bit out of order, but there you go. Other than that the CD is not too bad but don't pay over the odds for it. By: Eddie Gibbs
Traffic: Music Laden; 1973 German TV, includes "Evening Blue".
Traffic: Frankfurt, Germany; March 18, 1974 Disc1: Intro/Tuning (2:14) | Instrumental (9:24) | Instrumental (6:01) | Dear Mr. Fantasy (11:38) | Something New (4:43) | Withering Tree (9:31) | Heaven is in Your Mind (6:52) | 40,000 Headmen (9:42) Disc2: Memories of a Rock n Roller (6:44) | Love (6.04) | When the Eagle Flies (6:27) | Walking in the Wind (7:26) | Dream Gerrard (21:08) | Graveyard People (21:00)
The sound quality is B/B-. Long Dream Gerrard with drum solo.
Traffic: Rainbow Theatre, London; May 17, 1974 Instrumental #1, Heaven Is In Your Mind, Love, John Barleycorn, 40000 Headmen, Instrumental #2, Graveyard People, Empty Pages, Pearly Queen, Instrumental #3 (Vulcan ?), Dear Mr. Fantasy, When The Eagle Flies, Walking In The Wind, Dream Gerrard, Memories of A Rock'N' Rolla, Instrumental #4
Entire concert on 2 tapes. Very good audience recording. Recommended. Includes unreleased instrumentals "Intro" and "Vulcan"; they were recorded live by the band themselves for the rhythm tracks amongst other new material which would ultimately appear on the When the Eagle Flies album. "Vulcan" is of particular importance as it was one of the late Chris Wood's last compositions for Traffic. 135 minutes.
Traffic: location unknown; 1974 Great live recording, marvellous version of "Shoot Out". Very heavy on the bass -- mind your speakers!!
Traffic: Reading Festival; July 24, 1974 Empty Pages | Graveyard People | Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring? | John Barleycorn | 40,000 Headmen | Love | When the Eagle Flies | Walking in the Wind | Dream Gerrard
Was informed this was the last original Traffic show. Good quality for an audience tape.
Excellent 'Graveyard People'. A few of the songs have Steve swapping (or messing up) some
lyrics, adding to the excellent Live presentation.
Traffic: Fort Worth, Texas, October 12, 1974
Jam, Shootout At The Fantasy Factory, Empty Pages,
Graveyard People, Pearly Queen, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring, Walking
In The Wind, John Barleycorn, 40000 Headmen, Love, Something New, When The
Eagle Flies, Heaven Is In Your Mind, Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys. 90 minutes
John Martyn: Guildford; November 18, 1977 Audience recording with Steve as a member of John's band. Fair sound.
Steve Winwood: Rough Hill Festival; 8/19/78 I'm a Man | Midland Maniac | Hold On | Low Spark | Let Me Make Something in Your Life | Nobody knows you.... | And Then He Kissed Me (his wife on vocals) | Two Way Stretch | Vacant Chair | Time is Running Out | Gimme Some Lovin' | Hound Dog (encore) Musicians: John Porter (bass), Terry Stanard (drums), Nicole Winwood (vocals ), Demelza (percussion), Lead guitar (not known)
First-ever solo gig after leaving Traffic. A very good PA tape with all the instruments balanced except the
guitar is a bit low in the mix. The tape lasts just under 90 minutes and is complete
except for a few breaks notably on "Low Spark" and "Nobody Knows You".
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Page created May 29, 1997. Last updated May 14, 2002. Copyright |
