It makes an old man happy to see our youth enjoy music from our youth. Nick, I always put Traffic in the prog group. The innovation, composition, and songwriting was outside box for sure. Topped off with Winwood's vocals, just pure heaven. Alexia will certainly enjoy this! It was a delight to see your reaction Nick! Thanks brother!
Great choices "Old Man". I'm an old man too (67) and Traffic are one of my favorites. What do you think about a Uriah Heep Marathon from their first 3 progressive Albums? I think their Music was very influencial too. Greetings from Germany🇩🇪
@@theheepster funny you should say that about Uriah Heep, I was thinking of putting a marathon together from them. I think it's imperative to give Nick and Lex a proper introduction. Greetings from America my German friend. My father was from Stuttgart, still have family there. I'll be 64 next week on the 30th.
Nick asks, "where do you find all this stuff?" for me, it was on the radio, and hanging out in record stores. then there was Creem and Rolling Stone. i reckon it was the same for you. my beard is grey, too.
Thank you, GMM! Traffic was on my list to request. I’ll watch as I can, Nick. Low Spark was a staple back then. Also, Alexia already loves Steve Winwood. From Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, Traffic, and solo work, he was all over our turntables. ✨😊
You beat me to it, Michele. :-) Winwood is one of the lesser known greats to most of the young people today. Most famous for keyboards & especially the Hammond organ, he also played a mean guitar & of course could sing the hell out of it...all this & a great songwriter. He played in his brother's band with his back to the audience so people wouldn't know he was underage (14-15). Wrote & recorded 'Gimme Some Lovin' w/Spencer Davis Group when he was still known as "Little Stevie Winwood"...a song which has been covered constantly for decades. Truly amazing talent.
@@bonovol Reed! I know we discussed this track. It meant so much to me back then but I wasn’t sure if they would appreciate the repeated theme. You were right - So glad Nick liked it. Love it. Thanks ✨😋
Grateful Dad We've got to get them pointed in The Dead direction at some point! I was just listening to that wonderful "Crazy Fingers" from Boston, 6/9/76, and thinking about springing this on folks who have never heard such, like Nick and Lex! I'm not sure they would immediately fall in line, but they would eventually! I think they had a little trouble digesting Casey Jones. There's plenty of time! ruclips.net/video/NDqKFPK0_WE/видео.html
Great selection Mr. Beard. Traffic is one of my favorite bands of the seventies. Low Spark was my sister's record. I played it so much she gave it to me.
Of course, that is my fave line! Isn't it everybody's fave line from a Traffic song? But then, there's: If I gave you everything that I owned and asked for nothing in return would you do the same for me as I would for you? Or take me for a ride, and strip me of everything, including my pride? But Spirit is something that no one destroys!
Traffic has always been a favorite of mine. In 1994 they reunited (after 20 years!) for one last tour. I got a chance to see them and they were fantastic. They spent that year either headlining their own shows or opening for the Grateful Dead (whose semi-prog 20 minute epic Terrapin Station is a must-listen). Meanwhile, back to Traffic, there are so many great songs to choose from. I'd go back earlier - 40,000 Headmen, Pearly Queen, Vagabond Virgin, anything from John Barleycorn. You really can't miss.
Man when I bought this album back in the day and listened to Low Spark for the first time, it blew my mind. I was already a fan if Traffic but this was a game changer! Steve Winwood at his creative apex. And lest we forget he was 22 years old. Low Spark and Shoot Out have always been my absolute Traffic favorites.
Good to see your reactions to this great band, another "rabbit hole" to explore....If you get a chance--try another prize winner----John Barleycorn Must Die ( entire album ) You'll be glad you did!!
Thank you Nick and Greybeard!Great reaction! The singer here is Steve Winwood. His trail runs through The Spencer Davis Group, then Traffic and Blind Faith. A big solo career followed all this. A true Super Star‼️🎶🎶🎶😁
Greybeard I know where you got all this music from my playlist!! I love everything that you suggest did Nick and Lex!! I have been a traffic lover since 1967!! I was seventeen when I fell in love with traffic!! Then came Blind Faith oh my!! You have great taste in music!!! Thank you Nick and Lex for playing my favorite music!!
Thank you and Greybeard. Same choices and order I would have picked. It never dawned on me until today that the ending of "Rainmaker" is the sound of raindrops crashing down, bringing life. I love it even more now. My own song, "Raindrops in 7/8" has the same idea, a zillion years later. I can play "Low Spark" on piano and high heels. Great fun. You will learn it in 2 seconds. Very similar to 3 Dog Night's "Out in the Country", another epic masterpiece. Another epic show.
Awesome! I’ve been looking forward to seeing some more traffic on the channel. Amazing band, The Low Spark and John Barleycorn albums are my personal favourites but most of their albums are very good. I love their seamless mix of rock, folk and jazz in that period especially and I’ve always enjoyed Steve’s vocals although he doesn’t really have what you’d typically call a “great” voice. Traffic also has a special place in my heart as I was exposed to them by an elderly acquaintance who I only had a few chances to meet and unfortunately passed away before I got to know him very well. I feel like we could have had a lot of cool conversations about music but never got the chance. Maybe one day though 🤞 Thanks Greybeard and Nick! 🤘🤘
This is a great representation of what Traffic eventually came to sound like, but if you listen to earlier Traffic you'll find more of a folk and rock sound, less of the jazzy sound. Great either way.
I hear ya! Best song off of Shootout at the Fantasy Factory album.Great lyrics! Its all in the title. Whoo-ya!. Puts u in that state of mind. Where's the Window Pane?
I was lucky enough to discover Traffic in 1969, when I was 14 years old, with his album "Last Exit", from 1968. It amazed me, especially the B-side, in concert, whose two tracks I highly recommend: "Blind Man" and his version of "Feelin' Good," performed at New York's Fillmore East. At the time, the group consisted of a very young and already great Steve Winwood and the very talented and fine Jim Capaldi on drums and Chris Wood on flute and sax, plus the great Dave Mason. Capaldi and Wood sadly passed away a few years ago. I especially recommend their second album ("Traffic"), as well as "John Barleycorn Must Die". Also his two concert albums: "Welcome to the Canteen" and "On the Road" (on the latter comes a wonderful version of "Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired"). PS: I suggest a marathon of The Kinks and another of The Who. Greetings from Mexico City.
One of the first LPs I bought after moving from home. I spent many nights with only the traffic in the city and Traffic on the stereo. Low Spark is my fave! Thanks for the memory.
Fab marathon! Definitely 3 of my favorite songs from this stunning band! Traffic (and Winwood) was truly part of the zeitgeist of the time, and was in frequent rotation on every freak's turntable! Anything Steve participated in turned to incredible jams and beautiful vibes! I really, REALLY enjoyed your story about the trip on the beach and the drum circle! Although I can identify even if I don't know specifically what you tripped on, it would be cool to know what you took, because then I could (probably) identify even more! I will share with you that my most vivid memories associated with the "Low Spark" song in particular (and album in general) are of tripping on "Clear Light" windowpane and sitting around a small campfire. My memory sounds similar to yours, except there was not drum circle! Just 5 of us, and the music from the car stereo! We were next to a field where there were HUGE sunflowers, some as tall as 8 feet. They were cultivated, so there were LOTS of them. I will tell you that they partied with us all night, and when we dissolved in fits of laughter, so did the "crowd of sunflowers"! Thanks for the groovy listen to an old favorite band, and a great reaction to each - and for the bonus of your cool story! ☮
Classic Marathon for Traffic great way to start off kudos to you Greybeard. What a band with a great lineup and some terrific incarnations. I Love the early stuff with Dave Mason and Steve Winwood as well as all the later music as well. Can’t wait to see what else shakes out. Definitely a progressive band they were superb at blending all the topical innovations together. Go Nick.
I wish you could have got Steve Winwood instead of Snarky before the Dan concert ! He is an amazing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist! I only got to see Traffic once on a reunion tour in the early 90’s when they opened up for for The Grateful Dead at Buckeye Lake in Ohio. I saw 4 Dead shows that round but unfortunately Traffic was only at the Buckeye show. They were AMAZING IMO. Glad you finally got to cover them… Great Job to the requester of this Marathon! The vinyl of Low Spark is very interesting as well if you ever get a copy. It is a vital part of my record collection. I have to keep saying I LOVE this marathon format ! This is my favorite reaction channel… cheers to you and Lex
Oh yes! So happy you got some Traffic going on. They have always been a favorite of mine. Steve Winwood's top notch vocal, composition, guitar and keyboard skills. Jim Capaldi's (RIP) percussion and mystical lyricism. .Chris Wood's (RIP) ability to accent by weaving in and out with Saxophone and Flute added so much musically and always gave the songs a mysterious sound. Add in Reebok Kwaku Baah, Jim Gordon (Various bands and such a sad ending to his story) and Mike Kellie (Spooky Tooth) for more percussion and Bassist/Violinist Ric Grech (Family, Blind Faith) and you get quite a heady musical stew. Shoot Out added more members from Muscle Shoals David Hood (bass) Roger Hawkins (RIP,drums) Barry Beckett (RIP, keyboards) Jimmie Johnson (Clarinet on different track Tragic Magic) Live they were quite a jam band supreme. Thanks Nick for doing Traffic. They are deserving of more attention. Now we need a Glad, Freedom Rider and Tragic Magic marathon!
For me, when you say Traffic... Glad/Freedom Rider come to mind from the John Barleycorn album... essential Traffic. I like that Greybeard put Rainmaker in the mix. Great choice.
Traffic is a jewel of the music world. Soul and Jazz mixed. Carlos Santana was obviously very hip to jazz fusion too -- the innovative guitarist provides a generous dose of on the largely instrumental album called 'Caravanserai' - It will blow your mind too. Great guitar work jazz fusion at a new level.
Wow, Low Spark and Shoot Out at the same time, too cool! Traffic are incredible and Steve Winwood is amazing. Whether he's playing with Traffic, Blind Faith, on his own solo or joining Tom Petty and Prince at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, he's always incredible. Other Traffic songs to check out: 40,000 Headmen, Feelin Alright, Glad/Freedom Rider, and the jaw dropping Empty Pages. Such a great great band! Solo Winwood: Talking Back to the Night, Arc of a Diver, Higher Love (with Chaka Kahn), and the superb Roll With It. One of the best, most soulful voices in music, he's a definite superstar. Oh, and I've been listening to Traffic since I was in high school, and I'm 69 now. They've been part of my life for about as long as I can remember. I hope they'll be for you as well.
Steve Winwood wrote this song about the greediness of the record companies, and how they were screwing the Bands, and individual artists, by leveraging them into signing bad contracts, that gave them hardly anything, compared to the big recording studios. The music is so good, that many people don't really listen to what the song is about. I understand it though, because it's so good.
Traffic was in my top 5 groups of the 70s. Thank thosenwho p a y to play these songs. Low Spark is a real long one- but soooo good. Thanks Nick and Alexis( sp)
I'm surprised to not see more recommendations for their 1st album, "Mr. Fantasy" (the U.S. version particularly) that has one of their best known, if not THE best known, songs 'Dear Mr. Fantasy' along with 'Heaven Is In Your Mind', 'Hole In My Shoe', 'Paper Sun', 'Dealer' and 'Coloured Rain'.
They've done "Dear Mr. Fantasy", but I'm with you! "Heaven Is In Your Mind" is a personal favorite! That album didn't get the critical acclaim some did, although I felt they were always underrated!
Well done Greybeard! A lot of commentators (including myself) have been suggesting 'The Low Spark..' for a while now, but you made it happen! Thank you so much. As soon as I saw the notification, I dropped everything to watch and listen, and revel in this glorious music! 'Shoot Out..' always makes me think of Traffic as Birmingham's version of 'Santana'! Incidentally Nick, that's not a synthesiser on 'The Low Spark..' but Chris Wood's heavily treated saxophone. I don't know what they did to get that sound, does anyone know? Yet another great reaction, I knew you would enjoy it Nick.
LOVE Traffic! Nobody can sing like Steve Winwood. Chris Wood (R.I.P.) on flute. So many more songs in their music catalog. Please also do "Dream Gerrard", "Walking in the Wind", "Memories of a Rock N Rolla", and "Empty Pages." Thanks, Nick! btw, were you referring to bongo or conga drums?
So glad you found this. An amazing band with striking music. 'Low Spark' is special. Oh, oh.....I had forgotten about 'Rainmaker'. What memories. Thanks! The drumming on the album 'Low Spark' is insanely funky, jazzy, groovy ear candy. Never owned that album but must go out and find it. Yes, Lex will love this.
I've been listening to Stevie Winwood all my life... from early "Blind Faith " through the " Spencer Davis Group" years followed by "Traffic".... The late 60's and 70's were revoluntary in the field of music. Mind blowing times!!!
This track shows the absolute brilliance of Steve Winwood. He is a musical genius. Incredible song writer,one of the most soulful voices in rock history. Not to mention his great piano and guitar playing . Truly a icon from an early age 😊
Steve Winwood is incredible. On organ, piano & vocals for Low Spark and then on Guitar for Shootout at the Fantasy Factory. For both of these albums the band expanded adding a bass player, conga player and small horn section from their original 3 and 4 piece band.
Hey Nick, I haven't gotten into the video yet just wanted to say check the spelling of GreyBeard. You wrote GeryBeard ! By the way we both love Traffic, for many decades. They are a supremely cool band with core members Winwood, Capaldi and Wood always coming up with interesting sounds. Keep digging into their catalog especially John Barleycorn Must Die.
Making an old hippie smile! I've always love getting stuck in Traffic.If Alexia is up for it,(with the upcoming new chair?), you have to share Traffic's whole album "John Barleycorn Must Die". She will love it! Excellent taste Sir Greybeard! Peace all.
Oh my! How I loved this marathon! Greybeard hit it out of the park! I bought the Low Spark cassette (pretty new technology at the time) for my older brother for Christmas. We had a new console stereo with turntable and cassette player. We all loved John Barleycorn, so I was excited to get it for him. I wrapped it in a big round coffee can so he wouldn't know what it was. It was a huge hit and is still one of my all time favorite albums. I was really glad to listen to Shootout at the FF, which I'd only heard on a greatest hits CD and never wearing headphones (with lyrics to follow along with on an old phone!) Great! Interesting personnel note: the bass player on the Low Spark album is Ric Grech, who was in the band Blind Faith with Winwood. FYI, Rickie Lee Jones does a cool cover of Low Spark on her album It's Like This. 🎵❤️🎵
Traffic was the first group I was obsessed with, as a young boy. I have no idea how I had such good taste at the time. So different from every other group out there. Steve Winwood is/was so talented in so many ways, and the others in the group -- WOW! Amazing Chris Wood!
I was 12 in 1971. I would play Low Spark track over and over and over until my family would scream NOT AGAIN! It would make my bones hum. The piano is incrdible but the sax rips you apart. Then the lyrics are so so cutting like knives. A masterpiece no doubt.
I just ordered the 180 gm blue vinyl LP of this album (Low Spark). It was the way I first heard it back in Germany in 1972. I can't wait to put it on my turntable.
Love Traffic, my hubby was a huge fan and turned me on to them. When the spencer davis group needed a singer, the bass player Muff Winwood suggested his 15 year old brother, he wrote I'm a man, keep on running and others at 16, an amazingly talented individual. Their father had a band and both Muff and Steve were in it, they had to hide Steve at the back as he was only 14 and too young to be in the clubs they were playing in so he could duck behind the keyboards he was playing
Traffic were a force. For me, they were truly one of the premier musical acts of '67-'74. "Mr. Fantasy", "Low Spark..." "John Barleycorn Must Die" and "Last Exit" are especially brilliant. The range of styles they could play in and do it very well, along with the consistently strong songwriting, Winwood's vocals, and their excellent musicianship set them apart from nearly all their contemporaries or most any band since.
I am so with you that was a fast 40 minutes of incredible slow groove musicianship. It's like each member of the band is just doing solos in their own corner of the recording studio, but yet, each one never competes with the other, but instead 100% compliments the others. No one played the killer lead, or the fastest riffs or the most accurate notes, but taken altogether, the sound of this band was amazing and authentic. It was a treat to listen to and a treat to watch and listen to your reactions as a musician yourself. Lex missed a good one!
So glad to see you've branched out into Traffic. Another one you need to do is Procol Harum. You've done A Whiter Shade of Pale, the single that launched them in 1967 and A Salty Dog from 1969. You would really enjoy Conquistador it has to be the live with the Edmonton symphony orchestra version that is the one that got radio play. You have done Robin Trower. Robin Trower was with the band for their first four years after the Whiter Shade of Pale single he joined up through the album called Broken Barricades. The shine on brightly album, the Salty Dog album, and especially Home album are worth a shot, off of Home the song Whaling Stories. It is definitely progressive and sits in the pocket somewhere between Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Jethro Tull. BTW, the cool solo on low spark is a Hammond organ through a fuzz box, it's not a synth.
There is a great recent interview with Frampton on Rick Beato channel. As mentioned Frampton had one of the great careers in rock. Many people discovered him from his FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE, which for many years was the best selling live album of all time.
I was fortunate enough to be a teenage in the 70's when Frampton came alive. 100,000+ of us attended JFK Stadium in June 1976 to see the Frampton Comes Alive Tour with Yes. One of the greatest concerts ever. As Rick Beato demonstrated, Frampton is an incredibly skilled guitarist, which is sometimes overlooked.
Steve Winwood is my favorite artist and Traffic is my favorite of his eras. Glad, Empty Pages, Many A Mile To Freedom, Light Up or Leave Me Alone & Forty-Thousand Headmen
I just saw Dave Mason this year who opened up for The Marshall Tucker Band. Dave played this as he was with Traffic in the beginning. Anyway, I was really impressed with Dave and the twist he put to Spark of Low High Heeled Boys.
I've loved Traffic ever since I first heard the band in 1971, and have always viewed them as progressive rock, but more influenced by jazz and blues, whereas other great progressive bands such as Yes, ELP, Renaissance and Genesis were more influenced by classical music.
Hi Nick, I'm a bit late by a couple of days, still doing some catch up with my u.t 'watch later' list of marathons. I see something new the next day and it's ...Ooo I want to watch this right away. Lol This was such a good marathon with the only Traffic Jam that's a joy to be in. It's a win win situation with this band ... or should I say Winwood ? Byee Jim X
Terrific. Try the entire John Barleycorn album. it was revolutionary at the time. It was jazzy but also had the English troubadour influence of a John Renbourn and Burt Jansch. My favorite Traffic LP.
Nick, I'm so glad you were introduced to Traffic in such a fine fashion. They are definitely worth a deeper dive. From the beginning of their run in '67 until the end of their original journey in 1974, they never really faltered although, as others have noted, their style evolved. Low Spark and John Barleycorn Must Die are both great albums to get the jazzier side of their music, but they also had some great, more straight-ahead, rock, like "Feelin' Alright" and "Rock and Roll Stew."
“Once it twice maybe…..”. Been there too though not a musician. Had a few Traffic LPs as they came out. One thing though, I am not sure what you mean when you say, the amazing guitar for “back then”. It seems to me that that was when guitars were most amazing……late 60s-early 70s.
I consider Low Spark one of the true masterpieces in music. Sublime.
Absolutely, one of my favourite songs ever recorded.
Exactly, there's nothing like it.
Indeed it is a masterwork!
It makes an old man happy to see our youth enjoy music from our youth. Nick, I always put Traffic in the prog group. The innovation, composition, and songwriting was outside box for sure. Topped off with Winwood's vocals, just pure heaven. Alexia will certainly enjoy this! It was a delight to see your reaction Nick! Thanks brother!
Great choices "Old Man". I'm an old man too (67) and Traffic are one of my favorites. What do you think about a Uriah Heep Marathon from their first 3 progressive Albums? I think their Music was very influencial too. Greetings from Germany🇩🇪
@@theheepster funny you should say that about Uriah Heep, I was thinking of putting a marathon together from them. I think it's imperative to give Nick and Lex a proper introduction. Greetings from America my German friend. My father was from Stuttgart, still have family there. I'll be 64 next week on the 30th.
@@greybeard2280 nice to hear that. Heep ist my all time favorite Band.
Nick asks, "where do you find all this stuff?"
for me, it was on the radio, and hanging out in record stores. then there was Creem and Rolling Stone. i reckon it was the same for you.
my beard is grey, too.
(From an old lady, almost 66!) It was a wonderful marathon! Thanks!
Thank you, GMM! Traffic was on my list to request. I’ll watch as I can, Nick. Low Spark was a staple back then. Also, Alexia already loves Steve Winwood. From Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, Traffic, and solo work, he was all over our turntables. ✨😊
Thank you kindly Michele! You can take the reins for another Traffic request, plenty of their music to pull from....lol!
He seemed to handle the extended jam just fine 🙂
You beat me to it, Michele. :-) Winwood is one of the lesser known greats to most of the young people today. Most famous for keyboards & especially the Hammond organ, he also played a mean guitar & of course could sing the hell out of it...all this & a great songwriter. He played in his brother's band with his back to the audience so people wouldn't know he was underage (14-15). Wrote & recorded 'Gimme Some Lovin' w/Spencer Davis Group when he was still known as "Little Stevie Winwood"...a song which has been covered constantly for decades. Truly amazing talent.
@@greybeard2280 You’re killing it, GMM. And yes, there’s plenty more. Thanks ✨😜
@@bonovol Reed! I know we discussed this track. It meant so much to me back then but I wasn’t sure if they would appreciate the repeated theme. You were right - So glad Nick liked it. Love it. Thanks ✨😋
Steve Winwood one of the best voices in rock - also nifty on keyboards and actually a terrific guitarist
". . . it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest, was the low spark of high-heeled boys." Brilliant! Thanks, Nick!
Grateful Dad We've got to get them pointed in The Dead direction at some point! I was just listening to that wonderful "Crazy Fingers" from Boston, 6/9/76, and thinking about springing this on folks who have never heard such, like Nick and Lex! I'm not sure they would immediately fall in line, but they would eventually! I think they had a little trouble digesting Casey Jones. There's plenty of time! ruclips.net/video/NDqKFPK0_WE/видео.html
Anyone who likes Stevie Winwood has good taste!
Greybeard strikes again what a pleasure to be stuck in Traffic 😉
Next up, the albums "John Barleycorn Must Die" and "When the Eagle Flies". Listen to the whole albums as all the tracks are superb.
That last ringing chord in "Spark" is just chilling.
Great selection Mr. Beard. Traffic is one of my favorite bands of the seventies. Low Spark was my sister's record. I played it so much she gave it to me.
"If you had just a minute to breath / and they granted you one final wish / would you ask for something / like another chance?"
Of course, that is my fave line! Isn't it everybody's fave line from a Traffic song?
But then, there's:
If I gave you everything that I owned
and asked for nothing in return
would you do the same for me
as I would for you?
Or take me for a ride,
and strip me of everything,
including my pride?
But Spirit is something that no one destroys!
Such a slow burning Jam. Like a candle flickering and illuminating. Or a hot sunny day, strolling through the City
GREAT imagery!
Traffic has always been a favorite of mine. In 1994 they reunited (after 20 years!) for one last tour. I got a chance to see them and they were fantastic. They spent that year either headlining their own shows or opening for the Grateful Dead (whose semi-prog 20 minute epic Terrapin Station is a must-listen). Meanwhile, back to Traffic, there are so many great songs to choose from. I'd go back earlier - 40,000 Headmen, Pearly Queen, Vagabond Virgin, anything from John Barleycorn. You really can't miss.
Man when I bought this album back in the day and listened to Low Spark for the first time, it blew my mind. I was already a fan if Traffic but this was a game changer! Steve Winwood at his creative apex. And lest we forget he was 22 years old. Low Spark and Shoot Out have always been my absolute Traffic favorites.
Low Spark… is an all time favorite song of mine.
Traffic "On The Road" = double album in '73 ...if memory serves (?) that lays bare their undeniable connections on so many levels .
With the Muscle Shoals guys joining in!
Good to see your reactions to this great band, another "rabbit hole" to explore....If you get a chance--try another prize winner----John Barleycorn Must Die ( entire album ) You'll be glad you did!!
Absolutely, that album is cover to cover....every song is amazing!
Thank you Nick and Greybeard!Great reaction! The singer here is Steve Winwood. His trail runs through The Spencer Davis Group, then Traffic and Blind Faith. A big solo career followed all this. A true Super Star‼️🎶🎶🎶😁
Huge fan of Traffic...
Greybeard I know where you got all this music from my playlist!! I love everything that you suggest did Nick and Lex!! I have been a traffic lover since 1967!! I was seventeen when I fell in love with traffic!! Then came Blind Faith oh my!! You have great taste in music!!! Thank you Nick and Lex for playing my favorite music!!
Thank you and Greybeard. Same choices and order I would have picked. It never dawned on me until today that the ending of "Rainmaker" is the sound of raindrops crashing down, bringing life. I love it even more now. My own song, "Raindrops in 7/8" has the same idea, a zillion years later. I can play "Low Spark" on piano and high heels. Great fun. You will learn it in 2 seconds. Very similar to 3 Dog Night's "Out in the Country", another epic masterpiece. Another epic show.
So "Glad" you were introduced to Traffic and that you appreciate them. Loved watching your reactions. Thank you.
my brother lived with me for awhile and he couldn't go to sleep without this album on
Traffic terrific, tantalising, top of the pile, along with dozens of other groovy, rocking bands of 60s and 70s ☮️✌️🇬🇧🧐
That sad, shout-of-a-chord, by the hammond organ at the end of the track sends chills down my spine every time I hear it!
In the 70s we would hear Low Spark on the radio.
Awesome! I’ve been looking forward to seeing some more traffic on the channel. Amazing band, The Low Spark and John Barleycorn albums are my personal favourites but most of their albums are very good. I love their seamless mix of rock, folk and jazz in that period especially and I’ve always enjoyed Steve’s vocals although he doesn’t really have what you’d typically call a “great” voice.
Traffic also has a special place in my heart as I was exposed to them by an elderly acquaintance who I only had a few chances to meet and unfortunately passed away before I got to know him very well. I feel like we could have had a lot of cool conversations about music but never got the chance. Maybe one day though 🤞
Thanks Greybeard and Nick! 🤘🤘
This is a great representation of what Traffic eventually came to sound like, but if you listen to earlier Traffic you'll find more of a folk and rock sound, less of the jazzy sound. Great either way.
Another EPIC Traffic song is, "Roll Right Stones"...
I hear ya! Best song off of Shootout at the Fantasy Factory album.Great lyrics! Its all in the title. Whoo-ya!. Puts u in that state of mind. Where's the Window Pane?
I was lucky enough to discover Traffic in 1969, when I was 14 years old, with his album "Last Exit", from 1968. It amazed me, especially the B-side, in concert, whose two tracks I highly recommend: "Blind Man" and his version of "Feelin' Good," performed at New York's Fillmore East. At the time, the group consisted of a very young and already great Steve Winwood and the very talented and fine Jim Capaldi on drums and Chris Wood on flute and sax, plus the great Dave Mason. Capaldi and Wood sadly passed away a few years ago. I especially recommend their second album ("Traffic"), as well as "John Barleycorn Must Die". Also his two concert albums: "Welcome to the Canteen" and "On the Road" (on the latter comes a wonderful version of "Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired"). PS: I suggest a marathon of The Kinks and another of The Who. Greetings from Mexico City.
Loved your reply and absolutely love The Kinks. You sir have good taste
@@harlanginsberg7269 Thank you very much.
One of the first LPs I bought after moving from home. I spent many nights with only the traffic in the city and Traffic on the stereo. Low Spark is my fave! Thanks for the memory.
Fab marathon! Definitely 3 of my favorite songs from this stunning band! Traffic (and Winwood) was truly part of the zeitgeist of the time, and was in frequent rotation on every freak's turntable! Anything Steve participated in turned to incredible jams and beautiful vibes!
I really, REALLY enjoyed your story about the trip on the beach and the drum circle! Although I can identify even if I don't know specifically what you tripped on, it would be cool to know what you took, because then I could (probably) identify even more!
I will share with you that my most vivid memories associated with the "Low Spark" song in particular (and album in general) are of tripping on "Clear Light" windowpane and sitting around a small campfire. My memory sounds similar to yours, except there was not drum circle! Just 5 of us, and the music from the car stereo! We were next to a field where there were HUGE sunflowers, some as tall as 8 feet. They were cultivated, so there were LOTS of them. I will tell you that they partied with us all night, and when we dissolved in fits of laughter, so did the "crowd of sunflowers"!
Thanks for the groovy listen to an old favorite band, and a great reaction to each - and for the bonus of your cool story!
☮
All 3 selections are top notch. Empty Pages is very good too.
Classic Marathon for Traffic great way to start off kudos to you Greybeard. What a band with a great lineup and some terrific incarnations. I Love the early stuff with Dave Mason and Steve Winwood as well as all the later music as well. Can’t wait to see what else shakes out. Definitely a progressive band they were superb at blending all the topical innovations together.
Go Nick.
I often wonder what we might have experienced if Mason and Winwood could have coexisted! Endless possibilities!
I wish you could have got Steve Winwood instead of Snarky before the Dan concert ! He is an amazing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist! I only got to see Traffic once on a reunion tour in the early 90’s when they opened up for for The Grateful Dead at Buckeye Lake in Ohio. I saw 4 Dead shows that round but unfortunately Traffic was only at the Buckeye show. They were AMAZING IMO. Glad you finally got to cover them… Great Job to the requester of this Marathon! The vinyl of Low Spark is very interesting as well if you ever get a copy. It is a vital part of my record collection. I have to keep saying I LOVE this marathon format ! This is my favorite reaction channel… cheers to you and Lex
John Barleycorn definitely one of the top albums made in the 70s or any time.
Oh yes! So happy you got some Traffic going on. They have always been a favorite of mine. Steve Winwood's top notch vocal, composition, guitar and keyboard skills. Jim Capaldi's (RIP) percussion and mystical lyricism. .Chris Wood's (RIP) ability to accent by weaving in and out with Saxophone and Flute added so much musically and always gave the songs a mysterious sound. Add in Reebok Kwaku Baah, Jim Gordon (Various bands and such a sad ending to his story) and Mike Kellie (Spooky Tooth) for more percussion and Bassist/Violinist Ric Grech (Family, Blind Faith) and you get quite a heady musical stew. Shoot Out added more members from Muscle Shoals David Hood (bass) Roger Hawkins (RIP,drums) Barry Beckett (RIP, keyboards) Jimmie Johnson (Clarinet on different track Tragic Magic) Live they were quite a jam band supreme. Thanks Nick for doing Traffic. They are deserving of more attention. Now we need a Glad, Freedom Rider and Tragic Magic marathon!
Simply Groovy!
For me, when you say Traffic... Glad/Freedom Rider come to mind from the John Barleycorn album... essential Traffic. I like that Greybeard put Rainmaker in the mix. Great choice.
beautiful trio of tunes for a reaction!
@@MissAstorDancer You said it!
Traffic is a jewel of the music world. Soul and Jazz mixed. Carlos Santana was obviously very hip to jazz fusion too -- the innovative guitarist provides a generous dose of on the largely instrumental album called 'Caravanserai' - It will blow your mind too. Great guitar work jazz fusion at a new level.
Wow, Low Spark and Shoot Out at the same time, too cool! Traffic are incredible and Steve Winwood is amazing. Whether he's playing with Traffic, Blind Faith, on his own solo or joining Tom Petty and Prince at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, he's always incredible. Other Traffic songs to check out: 40,000 Headmen, Feelin Alright, Glad/Freedom Rider, and the jaw dropping Empty Pages. Such a great great band! Solo Winwood: Talking Back to the Night, Arc of a Diver, Higher Love (with Chaka Kahn), and the superb Roll With It. One of the best, most soulful voices in music, he's a definite superstar. Oh, and I've been listening to Traffic since I was in high school, and I'm 69 now. They've been part of my life for about as long as I can remember. I hope they'll be for you as well.
Lord luvs ducks my fav. Traffic song absolutely epic........
Steve Winwood wrote this song about the greediness of the record companies, and how they were screwing the Bands, and individual artists, by leveraging them into signing bad contracts, that gave them hardly anything, compared to the big recording studios. The music is so good, that many people don't really listen to what the song is about. I understand it though, because it's so good.
Jim Capudi wrote the lyrics for this also he played drums on this as well
Traffic was in my top 5 groups of the 70s. Thank thosenwho p a y to play these songs. Low Spark is a real long one- but soooo good. Thanks Nick and Alexis( sp)
Just recently saw a vid of Steve Winwood singing - sounded 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭, STILL. ♡
nice to see Traffic and lil' Stevie get their props........... one of only a few band names that have a sticker on my old bong
The Low Spark of High Heel Boys is one of my favorite songs. Just amazing
I'm surprised to not see more recommendations for their 1st album, "Mr. Fantasy" (the U.S. version particularly) that has one of their best known, if not THE best known, songs 'Dear Mr. Fantasy' along with 'Heaven Is In Your Mind', 'Hole In My Shoe', 'Paper Sun', 'Dealer' and 'Coloured Rain'.
They've done "Dear Mr. Fantasy", but I'm with you! "Heaven Is In Your Mind" is a personal favorite! That album didn't get the critical acclaim some did, although I felt they were always underrated!
Forty-Thousand Headmen too!
Well done Greybeard! A lot of commentators (including myself) have been suggesting 'The Low Spark..' for a while now, but you made it happen! Thank you so much. As soon as I saw the notification, I dropped everything to watch and listen, and revel in this glorious music! 'Shoot Out..' always makes me think of Traffic as Birmingham's version of 'Santana'! Incidentally Nick, that's not a synthesiser on 'The Low Spark..' but Chris Wood's heavily treated saxophone. I don't know what they did to get that sound, does anyone know? Yet another great reaction, I knew you would enjoy it Nick.
Do you mean the sound that I say sounds like an "angry sax"? Especially at the end? That's the organ, run through a fuzz box.
Now we're talking - Traffic and Steve Winwood is second to none. Thanks for the memories!
LOVE Traffic! Nobody can sing like Steve Winwood. Chris Wood (R.I.P.) on flute. So many more songs in their music catalog. Please also do "Dream Gerrard", "Walking in the Wind", "Memories of a Rock N Rolla", and "Empty Pages." Thanks, Nick! btw, were you referring to bongo or conga drums?
So glad you found this. An amazing band with striking music. 'Low Spark' is special. Oh, oh.....I had forgotten about 'Rainmaker'. What memories. Thanks!
The drumming on the album 'Low Spark' is insanely funky, jazzy, groovy ear candy. Never owned that album but must go out and find it. Yes, Lex will love this.
Turn it up!
I've been listening to Stevie Winwood all my life... from early "Blind Faith " through the " Spencer Davis Group" years followed by "Traffic".... The late 60's and 70's were revoluntary in the field of music. Mind blowing times!!!
This track shows the absolute brilliance of Steve Winwood. He is a musical genius. Incredible song writer,one of the most soulful voices in rock history. Not to mention his great piano and guitar playing . Truly a icon from an early age 😊
Steve Winwood is incredible. On organ, piano & vocals for Low Spark and then on Guitar for Shootout at the Fantasy Factory. For both of these albums the band expanded adding a bass player, conga player and small horn section from their original 3 and 4 piece band.
Hey Nick, I haven't gotten into the video yet just wanted to say check the spelling of GreyBeard. You wrote GeryBeard ! By the way we both love Traffic, for many decades. They are a supremely cool band with core members Winwood, Capaldi and Wood always coming up with interesting sounds. Keep digging into their catalog especially John Barleycorn Must Die.
One of my all time favorite bands!!!
Great Marathon Reaction, Nick!!👏👏
Lexi would love all of this and you guys need to listen to the whole catalog!!
I haven't listened to this in 45+ years and I know all the words
Making an old hippie smile! I've always love getting stuck in Traffic.If Alexia is up for it,(with the upcoming new chair?), you have to share Traffic's whole album "John Barleycorn Must Die". She will love it! Excellent taste Sir Greybeard! Peace all.
In my book, there ain't nothin' like smilin' hippies, and heavy traffic!😃🎶☮
@@MissAstorDancer You certainly migrate the Wi-Fi way pretty good Miss.Have a great day. Peace & Smiles
@@jamespaivapaiva4460 Funny thing is, I still use ethernet!🙃
@@MissAstorDancer Ether way you have good taste! From J.P. to Nick & Lex, it's all about Peace, Love & Music! Have a great week.
Oh my! How I loved this marathon! Greybeard hit it out of the park! I bought the Low Spark cassette (pretty new technology at the time) for my older brother for Christmas. We had a new console stereo with turntable and cassette player. We all loved John Barleycorn, so I was excited to get it for him. I wrapped it in a big round coffee can so he wouldn't know what it was. It was a huge hit and is still one of my all time favorite albums.
I was really glad to listen to Shootout at the FF, which I'd only heard on a greatest hits CD and never wearing headphones (with lyrics to follow along with on an old phone!) Great!
Interesting personnel note: the bass player on the Low Spark album is Ric Grech, who was in the band Blind Faith with Winwood.
FYI, Rickie Lee Jones does a cool cover of Low Spark on her album It's Like This.
🎵❤️🎵
This covers my request for Low Spark of High Heeled Boys! Brilliant!
Traffic Magic! Thanks Dude and thanks to your friend who picked these 3 perfect songs for you.. He's money (;
My favorite band!!
I'm excited to see your reaction!
Traffic was the first group I was obsessed with, as a young boy. I have no idea how I had such good taste at the time. So different from every other group out there. Steve Winwood is/was so talented in so many ways, and the others in the group -- WOW! Amazing Chris Wood!
Just sooo good!! 'Pearly Queen' please! Loads more to enjoy.
I was 12 in 1971. I would play Low Spark track over and over and over until my family would scream NOT AGAIN! It would make my bones hum. The piano is incrdible but the sax rips you apart. Then the lyrics are so so cutting like knives. A masterpiece no doubt.
I just ordered the 180 gm blue vinyl LP of this album (Low Spark). It was the way I first heard it back in Germany in 1972. I can't wait to put it on my turntable.
Every thing Steve Winwood touches turns to gold!
If you like this selection I’d recommend Dream Gerard and Walking With the Wind from the Traffic album “When the Eagle Flies”.
I agree and I’d add Graveyard People.
Love Traffic, my hubby was a huge fan and turned me on to them. When the spencer davis group needed a singer, the bass player Muff Winwood suggested his 15 year old brother, he wrote I'm a man, keep on running and others at 16, an amazingly talented individual. Their father had a band and both Muff and Steve were in it, they had to hide Steve at the back as he was only 14 and too young to be in the clubs they were playing in so he could duck behind the keyboards he was playing
Loved this, thank you !
Great marathon once again! I only knew Low Spark, thanks for exposing me to some new tracks!
Low Spark is a singularly unique masterpiece. I've never heard anything that resembles it, prior or since.
Traffic were a force. For me, they were truly one of the premier musical acts of '67-'74. "Mr. Fantasy", "Low Spark..." "John Barleycorn Must Die" and "Last Exit" are especially brilliant. The range of styles they could play in and do it very well, along with the consistently strong songwriting, Winwood's vocals, and their excellent musicianship set them apart from nearly all their contemporaries or most any band since.
One of my favorite bands.👍
Brilliant - now try Marc Almond's the City. By the way, we lived through this music. I have this on original vinyl
Mark-Almond deserved more attention! Hey, Mayall alums, what else can you say?!
I am so with you that was a fast 40 minutes of incredible slow groove musicianship. It's like each member of the band is just doing solos in their own corner of the recording studio, but yet, each one never competes with the other, but instead 100% compliments the others. No one played the killer lead, or the fastest riffs or the most accurate notes, but taken altogether, the sound of this band was amazing and authentic. It was a treat to listen to and a treat to watch and listen to your reactions as a musician yourself. Lex missed a good one!
RAINMAKER - We really need some rain out here in PA
Rip , Chris Wood , in my humble opinion, the signature sound of Traffic, his saxophone and flute!!!....
So glad to see you've branched out into Traffic. Another one you need to do is Procol Harum. You've done A Whiter Shade of Pale, the single that launched them in 1967 and A Salty Dog from 1969. You would really enjoy Conquistador it has to be the live with the Edmonton symphony orchestra version that is the one that got radio play. You have done Robin Trower. Robin Trower was with the band for their first four years after the Whiter Shade of Pale single he joined up through the album called Broken Barricades.
The shine on brightly album, the Salty Dog album, and especially Home album are worth a shot, off of Home the song Whaling Stories. It is definitely progressive and sits in the pocket somewhere between Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Jethro Tull.
BTW, the cool solo on low spark is a Hammond organ through a fuzz box, it's not a synth.
There is a great recent interview with Frampton on Rick Beato channel. As mentioned Frampton had one of the great careers in rock. Many people discovered him from his FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE, which for many years was the best selling live album of all time.
I was fortunate enough to be a teenage in the 70's when Frampton came alive. 100,000+ of us attended JFK Stadium in June 1976 to see the Frampton Comes Alive Tour with Yes. One of the greatest concerts ever. As Rick Beato demonstrated, Frampton is an incredibly skilled guitarist, which is sometimes overlooked.
Steve Winwood is my favorite artist and Traffic is my favorite of his eras. Glad, Empty Pages, Many A Mile To Freedom, Light Up or Leave Me Alone & Forty-Thousand Headmen
Great reaction, you should do a solo Winwood reaction. I would suggest Arc of a Diver, Valerie, and While You See a Chance.
I just saw Dave Mason this year who opened up for The Marshall Tucker Band. Dave played this as he was with Traffic in the beginning. Anyway, I was really impressed with Dave and the twist he put to Spark of Low High Heeled Boys.
I've loved Traffic ever since I first heard the band in 1971, and have always viewed them as progressive rock, but more influenced by jazz and blues, whereas other great progressive bands such as Yes, ELP, Renaissance and Genesis were more influenced by classical music.
Hi Nick, I'm a bit late by a couple of days, still doing some catch up with my u.t 'watch later' list of marathons. I see something new the next day and it's ...Ooo I want to watch this right away. Lol This was such a good marathon with the only Traffic Jam that's a joy to be in. It's a win win situation with this band ... or should I say Winwood ? Byee Jim X
Stevie! Only saw him live once. This tune infused some jazz to a whole different gender. Thanks.
Try this one from Traffic sometime.... Shanghai Noodle Factory or Rock and Roll Stew
Terrific. Try the entire John Barleycorn album. it was revolutionary at the time. It was jazzy but also had the English troubadour influence of a John Renbourn and Burt Jansch. My favorite Traffic LP.
Good to hear The Low SOHHB. Great song.
Great rxn to a fav band of mine Nick, and for sharing a bit of ur life's experiences. I'm the same.
Forgot how many great songs were on this album. And yes ,I bought this album when it first came out !
Nick, I'm so glad you were introduced to Traffic in such a fine fashion. They are definitely worth a deeper dive. From the beginning of their run in '67 until the end of their original journey in 1974, they never really faltered although, as others have noted, their style evolved. Low Spark and John Barleycorn Must Die are both great albums to get the jazzier side of their music, but they also had some great, more straight-ahead, rock, like "Feelin' Alright" and "Rock and Roll Stew."
low spark is high tier music. so good
Traffic moves a lot of people!
"Low Spark"..........Ultra-Classic!!!
Great story! I love the 70's and England.
Very good artist making beautiful music.
If you ever get a chance, listen to some Dave Masin songs also.
My sister did an abseil down from a church tower in her 60s. Age is only a number.
“Once it twice maybe…..”. Been there too though not a musician. Had a few Traffic LPs as they came out. One thing though, I am not sure what you mean when you say, the amazing guitar for “back then”. It seems to me that that was when guitars were most amazing……late 60s-early 70s.