Identifier6259309
Created AtTue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Reference Number0005827532
Status1
Media TypeDVD
Media Count1
Sound RatingA/A
NoteDV21





Traffic
Santa Monica Civic Center - Santa Monica, CA
02/21/1972


Source: Pro-Shot (Unknown Source) > DVD

PC authored with menu.


Tracklist:

1 The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
2 Light Up or Leave Me Alone
3 John Barleycorn
Rainmaker
4 Glad/Rainmaker
5 Forty Thousand Headmen
6 Dear Mr. Fanrtasy


Review by Bruce Eder

Traffic left behind precious few concert videos in any form, so this show, from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, is an intrinsically valuable
document of the band, even though it does feature a later lineup: Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Rebop Kwakubaah, Roger Hawkins, and
David Hood. Chronologically, the show comes roughly a year later than the Welcome to the Canteen album. At 65 minutes running time, they include
"The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," "John Barleycorn," "Rainmaker," "Glad," "Freedom Rider," "Forty Thousand Headmen," and "Dear Mr. Fantasy,"
all of which are worthwhile although also curiously lacking in the urgency that one would hope for in a concert performance. There are some many
wonderful shots of the band members from varied angles and all kinds of different lighting, even within the same song, courtesy of video producer
Taylor Hackford (White Nights, Against All Odds) but, in fact, this wasn't the ideal version of the group to capture on stage: Winwood had suffered
a serious illness the year before, the group was always in a state of flux as far as its line-up was concerned, and they were entering the period
of decline that would coincide with the recording of Shootout at the Fantasy Factory. The musicianship is there, found intact in the thick electric
guitar textures of "Light Up or Leave Me," Winwood's acoustic guitar performance on "John Barleycorn," and Wood's spotlighted flute and sax work
on "Rainmaker." But one also gets the sense that a lot of excitement was disappearing for the players, apart from Rebop Kwaku Baah, in what Winwood
later described as a grind of touring and recording. It's not a bad video, and well worth tracking down as a document of the group; the sound is
very good (especially for the period in which it was recorded), and it would make a good DVD, but one wishes a full-length video of a show from
perhaps a year, or two, or three earlier could have found its way into existence. Originally available through RCA Columbia, but packaged by Pacific
Arts, this long out of print video was apparently owned by Island Records, and may have reverted to them, which means that it is now somewhere in
MCA's vast holdings of the Polygram Records conglomerate (which bought Island); finding a used copy or getting someone to dub off the laser disc
might be easier than waiting for it to be rediscovered by its current owners.



Source InfoPro-Shot (Unknown Source) > DVD
Tech Note???
Trades Allowed
Attendence0
Performance
Traffic 1973-02-21 Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Monica, CA
Set 1Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
John Barleycorn Must Die
Rainmaker
Glad -> Freedom Rider
40,000 Headmen
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Set 2
Set 3
Comment