Jim Capaldi
Some Come Running

A review in memory of the second pillar, together with the still active Steve Winwood, of Traffic, one of the most famous and influential rock bands of the late 1960s. Jim Capaldi was born in '44 in Worcestershire, England, to a family of Italian origins; his grandfather left his homeland on the eve of World War I at the end of the great migration era from our country. In '60, he met Dave Mason, but it was only in '67 that together with Winwood, they created the partnership known as Traffic, immediately successful with the debut of "Mr. Fantasy," followed a little more than a year later by the equally worthy self-titled album. However, with success, as often happens, came jealousy and disagreements that led to a substantial "break ranks, every man for himself, but God for us all!" This was accompanied by the production of solo albums by the three talents Winwood, Mason, and Capaldi himself, who in '72 released his first work, with moderate participation from his former or almost former bandmates. "Oh, How We Danced" received excellent critical success but was absolutely unsatisfactory to the public, especially in their homeland. Nevertheless, it didn't discourage the author, who, with Traffic definitively disbanded, continued his musical journey for many years, engaging in numerous high-profile collaborations and contributing to the production of numerous albums and concerts. Notably, among others, the concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 13, 1973, in support of Eric Clapton in his prime, from which an album was recently remastered and expanded with the entire musical evening.

The '70s went by without infamy or praise, producing another six works of progressively declining quality until that "The Sweet Smell of...Success" in 1980, which marked his total compositional crisis and represented the negative peak of his career, now light-years away from the glories of just a decade before. Having hit rock bottom, Jim decided to make a complete switch and moved, already at the end of the seventies, to Brazil, where his inspiration opened to other themes. This is how "Let the Thunder Cry" emerged, where, assisted by numerous Brazilian artists, he finally expressed his love for that great country rich in contradictions, brilliantly summarized in the track "Favela Music." His love extended beyond the artistic aspect and evolved into concrete activism in favor of disadvantaged children and persecuted orphans, which saw him actively participating in numerous charitable associations, starting with "Jubilee Action," founded by his wife Aninha. Thus, two albums, "Fierce Heart" and "One Man Mission," emerged, permeated by this philanthropic spirit, culminating finally in 1988 with the release of "Some Come Running," possibly his greatest commercial success, thanks particularly to the title track and singles: "Something So Strong" and "Dancing on the Highway," but also to the substantial homogeneity and quality of all eight pieces that compose it.

Let it be clear that "Some Come Running" is a product of its time, with the abundant use of synthesized drums and guitars, quite disliked by the audience that once made Traffic great, but almost indispensable at the time to achieve a successful outcome, which, however, did not meet the producer's expectations, despite guest appearances by: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and not surprisingly, Steve Winwood. Listening today to the magnificently remastered digital version of this work, and with the aforementioned production premise, the disappointing result is surprising; evidently, the lyrical quality and musical balance were not enough to lift our hero's fortunes.

In the following years, Capaldi continued his whirlwind of collaborations, culminating in 2001 with his swan song, that: "Living on the Outside," which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge of this great man and artist, enriched by a host of guests including, besides the "usual" Harrison and Winwood, Paul Weller, Gary Moore, and Ian Paice. The last years of his life were characterized by participation in several important concerts, including the 2002 concert in memory of his musical adventure companion, George Harrison, and the fortunate project to reunite his old Traffic colleagues, though it did not materialize with the release of the splendid "Far from Home," to whose creation he contributed four-handedly with Winwood; due to his premature death in early 2005 from an incurable illness.

Concluding the review of "Some Come Running," I also highlight the concluding track "Oh Lord, Why Lord," an epic suite significantly influenced by the participation of Clapton and Harrison. As for the rating, I believe it falls short of four stars only due to the work's trendiness at the time, while qualitatively and overall, it undoubtedly deserves it.