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Rating: 1973 is undoubtedly one of the most prolific years in the entire history of music, not only concerning pop and rock. One of those years that, in terms of prolificity, should be cloned; books and books wouldn't suffice to emphasize its importance.
The Traffic, led by the evergreen Steve Winwood, greet the new year with the release of "Shoot Out at The Fantasy Factory", an album undoubtedly of a certain artistic depth, though perhaps it occasionally feels the weight of its two predecessors, which are truly difficult to match. The ensuing world tour sees the band performing almost everywhere, and a couple of evenings in Germany in April '73 are selected for the recording of a live album, the aforementioned "On The Road". The very first characteristic of the record, like almost all live releases of the decade we're discussing, is the astonishing length of the tracks, where pure, raw improvisation reigns supreme—sometimes highly successful, other times objectively a bit less. Upon its release, the album was enthusiastically received by fans but much less so by critics, who considered the lack of conciseness in the tracks the major weakness of the record.
The tracklist consists of only six tracks that nonetheless make up a double LP, with almost all tracks drawn from the 1970-1973 triennium, that is from "John Barleycorn" onwards. We find, in fact, the monumental medley "Glad/Freedom Rider" opening the album, consuming the first side of the record, highlighting the other founder, Jim Capaldi, and the monstrous Chris Wood on sax. The second side pays tribute to the new album of the time, with "Tragic Magic" and the unsurpassable "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" delivering us a Winwood in a state of grace, certainly one of the album's peaks. The second LP is the one that surely drives the fans into a frenzy, at least those present during those evenings of German spring, gifting us with a superb version of the classic "Light Up or Leave Me Alone", greeted enthusiastically within seconds of the intro. The rendering of the track is superb, unlike "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" that, although excellently executed, adds little or nothing to the studio version. The sixth and final massive track of the platter is the long and incredible "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", already very extended in its studio version, beyond ten minutes, here even more so (17:47) with the endless central jam where all band members find fertile ground, shining brightly.
Surely a great live album, albeit not recorded very well, that testifies to the state of grace of Traffic up to that period, and perhaps not beyond. Additionally, certainly for the more nostalgic, including the writer, a testimony of a musically historic, unreachable, and unrepeatable period, of a way of doing and conceiving music that is now practically non-existent, that world dominated by suites and long instrumental jams that, despite suffering from considerable prolixity, definitely warranted the price of admission.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 Freedom Rider (20:49)
Like a hurricane around your heart when earth and sky are torn apartHe comes gathering up the bits while hoping that the puzzle fitsHe leaves you, he leaves you.Freedom riderWith a silver star between his eyes that open up at hidden liesBig man crying with defeat, see people gathering in the streetYou feel him, you feel good.Freedom riderWhen lightning strikes you to the bone, you turn around, you're allaloneBy the time you hear that silent (or siren?) sound, then your soul isin thelost and foundForever, forever.Freedom riderHere it comes
06 Light Up Or Leave Me Alone (10:30)
Sometimes I feel like I'm fading away
You're looking at me, I've got nothing to say
Don't make me angry with the games that you play
Either light up or leave me alone
You walk in my room, you lie in my bed
You open your mouth, shoot someone dead
All of a sudden you're inside my head
Either light up or leave me alone
Spending my bread like it grew on a tree
You're trying to tell me 'bout the birds and the bees
The skirt that you're wearing is way past your knees
Either light up or leave me alone
You're up all night preaching your mind
Come home in the morning with your latest find
I'm gonna have to lay it to you straight on the line
Either light up or leave me alone
07 Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (17:35)
If you see something that looks like a star
And its shooting up out of the ground
And your head is spinning from a loud guitar
And you just cant escape from the sound
Dont worry too much, itll happen to you
We were children once, playing with toys
And the thing that youre hearing is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys
The percentage youre paying is too high priced
While youre living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit hes made on your dreams
But today you just read that the man was shot dead
By a gun that didnt make any noise
But it wasnt the bullet that laid him to rest was
The low spark of high-heeled boys
If you had just a minute to breathe and they granted you one final wish
Would you ask for something like another chance?
Or something similar as this? dont worry too much
Itll happen to you as sure as your sorrows are joys
And the thing that disturbs you is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys
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
And the sound that Im hearing is only the sound of
The low spark of high-heeled boys
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Other reviews
By andisceppard
They are playing - all together - as if they want to tell you something.
It’s not an unforgettable voice. It’s an almost subdued voice. That sings to you softly. Almost as if to give you a pat on the shoulder.
