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Volume 141, sent September 30, 1998:
1. How does everyone else feel about OTR
2. More BF stuff.....
3. Sessions - Marianne Faithfull Revisited
4. Re On the Road
5. Sessions - Unreleased Muscle Shoals Album
6. SW leaves Virgin
7. Session Work Updates
8. Traffic in 1970
9. Re: Trafficology
10. SW No Longer a "Virgin"
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Date sent: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 12:16:40 -0400
From: Bob Craig
Subject: How does everyone else feel about OTR
How does everyone else feel about OTR????
Well, it is disappointing on many fronts, **but** (long pause) it is a decent
summary of the Germany shows from that tour. It suffers mostly from poor
recording and mixing. Imagine if each of those instruments "jumped" from
your speakers. I think that period of Traffic recordings all suffered from audio
limitations. I recently received the "Shoot Out.." gold CD and it was a marked
improvement over the LP or early CD. As a fan of live Traffic tapes, I have a
couple of other performances of this band from that time and some of the cooler
selections were not included on OTR as they were recent studio recordings. For
example, "Roll Right Stones" was really good on this tour, but would never see
the light of day on OTR due to the popularity of "Low Spark..", which made the
record. Same with "Evening Blue".
The true shame of this was the original US LP release of this as a single disc. I
understand economics, but as a fan at that time I refused to buy the US, so I
waited 4 months to finally but the UK import, 2 LP set.
I guess it has standed up well over the years considering I play my OTR CD
more than I do some of the others and as a guitar player, I love playing along to
Tragic Magic, Uninspried, and Shoot Out on there. Now to have a live CD of
some of those cool early 1974 Europe shows when the band was cut down to the
basics and were trying "cottage" like things again.... Oh well, dream on!
Bob
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Date sent: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 23:00:32 -0500
From: Bonderud/Parsons
Subject: More BF stuff.....
BF fans, contact me directly if you have any info to contribute to a serious
compilation of BF concert dates in Europe (June 1969) and the USA (July &
August 1969). We gotta get this all straight. Anyone out there on the west
coast have old issues of the Berkeley Barb or LA Free Press (late 1960's
underground newspapers). If so, look up the July '69 issues, and check out any
references to the BF concerts in Oakland, Santa Barbara, San Francisco (The
"elusive" Winterland??), and Los Angeles. Let me know if you score on
anything! Many thanks.........
Greetings! I've got a piece of info that may interest some of you smiling
phasers, regarding the origins of the group Blind Faith. Many of you may
believe that it was EC who casually mentioned to his fellow musicians during
the embryonic group rehearsals, saying something like "We've done nothing,
yet our fans believe that we're gonna be so great, kind of like them all being led
on by blind faith", and that the name stuck then & there. That may by myth,
and could be debated. I'm going to suggest that this is not quite the way the BF
moniker was hatched. Spontaneously, yes, but by another fellow, someone
involved with Baker, Clapton, Grech, & Winwood, someone profoundly
touched by the chaotic scene and gloriously counter-cultured times of the late
1960's. And have you ever wondered what the story was behind the creation of
that exquisitely designed BF album cover (the original, the young bare-skinned
lass holding the spaceship in the meadow)? Rumors that the young lass was
Ginger's own? Not so. Have a look at the website link below, and you'll read
some rather curious historical background, written by someone not many of us
know much about, someone who offers us a glimpse of what he did to
contribute to the Blind Faith image as they took off on their brief journey before
crashing in the late summer months of 1969. And a chance to buy a fine
autographed print of that most famous of album covers!!! Check it out:
http://www.imageexchange.com/posters/album/261.shtml
Enjoy.............
Anyone ever been to the BLIND FAITH CAFE? Chicago digest readers, do
you have any info on this place? Serving up veggie eats and playing BF tunes
in the background?? Do what you like, eat what you want, check it out..........
< http://centerstage.net/chicago/restaurants/blind-faith.html >
Kenny Parsons
Madison, Wi USA
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From: Stephen Smith
Subject: Sessions - Marianne Faithfull Revisited
Date sent: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 14:43:06 -0400
In the last issue of SP, Jeanie asked if Marianne Faithfull's "Sister Morphine" is
the same song as on the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers album. I had mentioned
that MF's version is on the b-side of a "Broken English" 12" single, and Steve
may have played on it.
I checked MF's record today, which shows the writing credit as Jagger
/Richards / Faithfull, so it's probably the same song. Also check out thelyrics at:
http://www.planete.net/~smironne/come.html#morphineone
http://www.planete.net/~smironne/rare.html#sisterlong
Steve
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From: "Tim John Dickinson"
Date sent: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 15:22:26 BST
Subject: Re On the Road
Re Ted G's On the Road opinions....
Well, I remember finally buying it a couple of years ago (Ive only been a Traffic
fan for three years) and I remember not hating it when I first heard it, but
feeling slightly dissapointed. For example when Steve sings the first line in
Freedom Rider on JBMD, he sings it so powerfully and holds on the the last
note for a little while but here, perhaps due to the mixing, he sounds a little
weak after I waited so patiently for 15 minutes to finally hear him....mind you
Chris's great sax solo, helps time go by in what I feel is an overlong Glad. Also
I felt Low Spark lacked the power of the studio and again went on too long, I
also prefered the studio Stoot Out, and was never a fan of Light Up, that left
"Uninspired" and the wonderful "Tragic Magic" as the highlights for me. I
used to call it "up front background music" which basically means I could get
on with my University studies without getting to distracted by the music (I like
to work to music) ....that was then, this is now.... now I listen to it all the time.
Glad/Freedom Rider still is slightly overlong for me, but I like Tragic Magic
even more than I used to. A great song, an interesting instumental and with
amazing percussion at one point. Still one of my top Traffic numbers. Shoot
Out has grown on me more now, that slicing wah wah solo is so good, and Ive
got used to Steve messing up the lyrics now. But I still prefer the studio
version. Light Up...hmmmmmm never liked the lyrics to this song but
everytime is play it in a room full of people, they are always dancing! None of
them are Traffic fans but they always remember that song! Then Low Spark,
most of my enjoyment comes in the second instrumental passage with the more
up tempo bass line, short sharp piano, swooshing organ, and Chris's wonderful
moment of maddness with those crazy shrrreeeekkkkkss on the sax. This
section always reminds me of Miles Davis's electric peroid (1970 - 75) of which
some live albums has been re-released (such as Dark Magus), full of colour and
mood. So all in all I like it much more now. It's the tightest version of Traffic
Ive heard live, and although I prefer Jim Gordon to Roger Hawkins and Rosko
Gee to David Hood, it's still a record I enjoy! Oh.....and Barry Beckett is just
great! Theres just one thing....Im still looking for the meaning of that shouting
at the end of Tragic Magic.
By the way, thank you Eddie for naming "Shanghi Noodle Factory" and "Love"
as one of your top tunes... I too think Love is a great little song. WTEF would
have been my favourte LP ever if Memories of a Rock and Rolla was replaced
by Chris Woods Vulcan!
Cheers, Tim
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From: Stephen Smith
Subject: Sessions - Unreleased Muscle Shoals Album
Date sent: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 17:41:11 -0400
Jan recently pointed out to me Scott Tribble's interview with Steve, which
includes a bit about an unreleased Muscle Shoals album produced by Don Nix.
Steve said he sang and played during those sessions, possibly with other
members of Traffic. The Memphis Music Link site mentions the album in
connection with Nix' role, and says that Steve was involved in two songs. See
the Sessions page for links to the interview and Memphis Music Link.
Steve
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Date sent: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 00:06:51 -0400
From: "stevewinwood.com"
Subject: SW leaves Virgin
NEWSFLASH: After a successful ten years with Virgin Records, Steve is
parting ways with the label. He is currently in England contemplating whether
to start his own label or to go into production.
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From: Stephen Smith
Subject: Session Work Updates
Date sent: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 14:36:00 -0400
I've just completed several revisions to the Sessions pages. Most of the
individual changes are small, but here's a summary for those who are
interested. The revisions include new information in Upcoming Sessions (Chic,
Kathy Troccoli), Known Sessions (Sandy Denny, Jimi Hendrix' Cry Of Love,
VA - Two Rooms), and Wannabe Sessions (Anglos, both Rolling Stones titles).
What's most worth checking out: - Chic (Upcoming Sessions): A DVD of the
1996 concert in Japan has apparently been released there! The page has an
image of the cover and a link to a sound sample! - Anglos (Wannabe Sessions):
Island's 40th Anniversary site describes the history of the Sue and Brit labels,
which both released this single. It's informative but contradicts some of our
other sources! Island's site also describes the early relationship between Chris
Blackwell and the Spencer Davis Group.
Other changes include larger album cover photos for most titles, the addition of
specific release dates where available, and new links for many titles. The
Published Errata section is gone and its contents are now incorporated into
Known Sessions (Jim Capaldi's Daughter Of The Night, Fania All Stars) and
Wannabe Sessions (Vivian Stanshall).
I would like to expand the Unreleased Sessions, so please let me know about
any you have knowledge of!
Steve
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From: Sol.Fischler@nbc.com
Subject: Traffic in 1970
Date sent: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 13:18:31 -0400
Hi everyone, hope the summer was good to all.
My wife was going through some old papers and again came across her old
program from the Fillmore East, from the night she saw Derek & the
Dominoes. I always drool over that month's shows: 2 weeks later was Traffic,
the week after that Leon Russell, and on it goes.
Well, she seems to remember that she was also at one of the Traffic shows:
Nov. 18 & 19 1970.
I wonder if anyone has a copy of that concert on tape -- if so, I'd love to trade
for it & give her a surprise. By the way, the listed line up was Winwood,
Capaldi, Wood, and Grech.
If anyone has any leads, please give me an e-.
Thanks
-- Sol
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From: Stephen Smith
Subject: Re: Trafficology
Date sent: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 21:16:05 -0400
Ted G posted in SP 139 about track differences on the various releases of the
Shootout and Low Spark albums. I got around to checking my copies tonight,
and thought Ted and readers of his Trafficology might be interested in the
results.
OTR: My 2-LP copy has the faded version of "Low Spark...", but the CD is not
faded. The LP is Island ISLD 2, bought new 1980, and the CD is Island 7
90028-2, bought new 1989. And yes, the LP copy has the cool road sign
sleeves!
Shootout: Both my LP and CD copies have the shorter version of "Roll Right
Stones". I timed the LP copy at roughly 11:30, and the CD track time says
11:47. The LP is Island 7 90027-1, bought new 1985, and the CD is Island 7
90027-2, bought new 1989. No surprise there! Anyone know what current non-
US CDs have the full version?
Steve
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Date sent: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 00:12:15 -0500
From: Dawn
Subject: SW No Longer a "Virgin"
Yay! Our lad has finally broken away from Virgin Records!
As of late, it sure hadn't seemed that Virgin had been putting any energy into
promoting Steve, the best-kept secret of their roster. And the J7 album and tour
promotion was nearly non-existent. Ok, we hotly debated J7's merits in SP, and
some of you may be of the opinion that it didn't merit a lot of hoopla from
Virgin anyway. But there was a such a dramatic drop-off in their interest in
promoting him since the "Roll With It" days, and I'm sure it no longer felt like
home for Steve. So, from this "armchair quarterback's" seat, it looks like a
good move.
Now what? On the official webpage, it states that he might look into starting
his own label, or maybe producing others. This brings up some interesting
questions about Steve's strengths and weaknesses, and how they will play into
his future plans.
Musicianship is far and away Steve's greatest strength, both his abilities to play
beautifully, and the willingness to experiment with other styles and influences.
It is as a musician that Steve acheives his greatest success, which is what he
really wanted in the first place.
As a performer/entertainer, Steve has come into his own. Beginning in the
'80's, he obviously and admittedly made a great effort to connect more with
audiences, but sometimes it looked a little forced and unnatural. Nowadays,
Steve looks relaxed and confident, and his obvious enjoyment of performing his
music is communicated to the audience.
Ok, one of his weaknesses seems to be a tendency towards perfectionism, for
lack of a better word. As he has said, (paraphrasing) the temptation to keep
going back and working on a track is great, and one has to realise when the
time has come to stop twiddling and let it stand. This is probably compounded
by his occasional "one-man band" projects, where there is really no one else
around to perhaps say, "Enough already!" Also, he has said that it was
sometimes easier to play all the parts himself, especially when he was having
trouble translating the ideas in his head into words or direction for other
musicians. Perhaps this means he's uncomfortable delegating jobs/parts to
others.
So, if you consider these tendencies towards perfectionism and discomfort in
delegating, and put him in the position of running his own record label, the
possibility that he could become completely mired down in administrative
problems arises. I don't know, I just can't picture Steve in that role. Unless, of
course, by "starting a label", it is meant that he and Euguenia will hire someone
that they completely trust to run the label, and it is more something that Steve
invests in and lends his name to, rather than something that he actually works
at, day to day. That would be much more feasible, IMHO.
The upside of having your own record label would be the obvious absolute
artistic freedom. It would completely eliminate the pressure of having to
write/record an album just because there is an arbitrary deadline
looming.Which, one would hope, would lead to inspired musical output, driven
solely by the need to create. The downside is also, perversely, that the pressure
from the arbitrary deadlines is removed! LOL! The temptation to endlessly
twiddle with compositions would be uninterrupted by pleas from some suit from
the record company for completion! So, with a self-owned (run?) label, would
necessarily come the need for increasing self-discipline.
In a perfect world, Steve should sign with a smaller label: one that would give
him a good deal, put some muscle behind promoting his projects, and yet not
apply intense pressure for album/tour/album/tour. However, I don't think that
such a company exists, so I wish Steve the best of luck with starting up his own
label.
As for producing others, I hope that means *in addition to*
writing/performing/producing his own work, not in place of doing his own
projects. It is difficult to imagine that he would ever give up
performing/recording altogether, and it would be an incredible waste to do so.
I don't feel at all qualified to even comment on Steve's production skills, not
ever having gotten a handle on exactly what a producer DOES! I'm sure that
Steve has a lot that he could pass on to up-and-coming artists, or by
collaborating with established artists. (I hope he does more collaborating with
others, because it seems to rejuvenate and inspire him.)
Steve's muse is complicated and unpredictable. I only hope that he honestly
and realistically evaluates his strengths and weaknesses before deciding on a
direction. WHATEVER he decides to do, I'm confident that it will be more
satisfying to both him and his fans, now that the Virgin behemoth is off his
back. Let them go play with the Spice Girls, until they become the Spice
Mommies and the gravy train ends. Steve, in comparison, is TALENTED, and
will persevere!
Peace,
Dawn
END OF VOLUME 141
