– 1970-05-10 John Peel BBC In Concert – remaster (Traffic) –
Over to the perennials this morning. Traffic were one of the most solid, consistent bands active in the 1960s and early 70s.I never saw them do a bad concert. That Steve Winwood continues the legacy, with others joining in along the way, just proves how enduring it’s all been.
So this weekend it’s a concert from the then-newly reunited (they had a brief breakup in 1969 with Winwood going over to the short-lived Blind Faith) Traffic, in concert hosted by John Peel over BBC Radio 1 on October 5, 1970.
By 1970, Blind Faith had also broken up and Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood reformed Traffic, with John Barleycorn Must Die being the band’s comeback album. It became the band’s biggest success in the United States to that point, reaching number 5. Their next LP, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), went platinum in the US and became popular on FM radio, establishing Traffic as a leading progressive rock band. 1973’s Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory and 1974’s When the Eagle Flies were further top 10 successes for the band in the US, and were both certified gold, though neither sold well in the UK. In 1974, the band broke up again. Steve Winwood went on to a successful solo career, with several hit singles and albums during the 1980s. Jim Capaldi also had some minor solo hits in the 1970s in his native UK but was less successful abroad. Chris Wood did sporadic session work until his death in 1983.
As long as we’re checking out things to do and think about this Labor Day weekend, might as well check out what’s good and timeless at the same time.
It’s all part of the same thing.
Play loud – stay safe – stay sane – be part of the solution.
