Sunday, October 25, 2009

Traffic: Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys



It is just about two years since I posted my first Sunday video (Rock el Casbah by Rachid Taha), so let me be a little self-indulgent.

The video runs for 10 minutes and even then you don't quite get the whole song in. It could be worse: the version on the Traffic On the Road album lasts for over 17 minutes (and its not the longest track either). Who said "noodling"?

This version comes from a concert in Santa Monica in 1972. You can buy the DVD
Traffic - Live at Santa Monica or watch other songs from it I have posted before: Freedom Rider and John Barleycorn Must Die. If you are patient I shall probably post them all eventually.

Playing here are Steve Winwood (piano and vocals), Chris Wood (saxophone - with wah-wah pedal), Jim Capaldi (tambourine), Anthony Kwaku Baah (bongos), David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums).

There has been a lot of debate over the lyrics, but the consensus is that it is about being ripped off by the music business.

1 comment:

wolfi said...

This also is one of my favorite songs! We saw Steve in concert in Germany this summer (with Joe Bonamassa as supporting act, also joining Steve for two songs), it was fantastic...

I really would like to hear, what Steve might say when he looks at this performance now, more than 35 years later...

We're still hoping that he'll come to Europe next year with Eric Clapton...