Welcome to the Canteen [Live]

Traffic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000001FT7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,956 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Medicated Goo

2. Sad and Deep as You

3. Forty Thousand Headmen

4. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave

5. Dear Mr. Fantasy

6. Gimme Some Lovin'

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To call Traffic "mercurial" might be an understatement. After a promising debut, the band (whose core consisted of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Stevie Winwood, vocalist-percussionist Jim Capaldi, and winds player-keyboardist Chris Wood) variously broke up, saw Winwood's participation in the supergroup Blind Faith, reformed, and struggled with lineup expansions and contractions. Indeed, this 1971 live album recorded in London followed an unreleased Fillmore East effort by John Barleycorn's four-piece edition (the trio plus Blind Faith bassist Rick Grech). Now rhythmically augmented by Jim Gordon, ex-Dizzy Gillespie sideman Reebop Kwaku Baah, and the return of singer-songwriter Dave Mason for his third stint in the band, Traffic turns in a rich, eclectic set that didn't so much recap their career as retool it entirely. With Mason's more prosaic "Sad and Deep as You Are" and "Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave" alternating with the exotic impressionism of "40,000 Headmen," the good-natured R&B of "Medicated Goo," and the early staple "Dear Mr. Fantasy," this sounds like a band with a lot of promise. But typically, Mason's tenure this time 'round lasted just six performances. The feverish, polyrhythmic reworking of Winwood's Spencer Davis hit, "Gimme Some Lovin'," hints at the more fusion-oriented direction the band would take on its next studio album. Unfortunately, modern digital remastering hasn't improved the original recording's somewhat muddled sound. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Japanese limited edition reissue of 1974 album, packaged in a miniature LP sleeve featuring6 tracks. Island. 2003. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back, Dave... and Goodbye... again!, October 1, 2004

By 

Robert H. TAYLOR "robstercraw" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Welcome to the Canteen (Audio CD)

This is just a fun CD, and would nicely compliment your Traffic CD collection. It captures the best of both mutations of Traffic; the days with Dave Mason, and the new expanded line-up featuring a very talented Rebop on congas, and super-drummer Jim Gordon and Blind Faith alum Rick Grech on bass. The cast for this gig was quite impressive, and the playing is very tight and playful.

I have always found Dave Mason's involvement with Traffic to be curious. It reminds me of George Harrison with the Beatles: a talented, yet non-collaborative songwriter. This album is right in line with the two previous Traffic studio albums on which he appears, featuring his token two or three song offerings; songs that are distinctly different from the rest of the tracks. In this case, he features two lovely tunes from his debut solo album. It is a shame he does not appear on more Traffic albums, because his guitar-playing and vocals are a perfect fit with Winwood's music. He obviously had aspirations that were too big for simply being a member of a band, and I am sure he and Steve fought for creative control of the group. That being said, the product here is a nice "goodbye" to the Traffic of old and a big "hello!" to the new and platinum-selling group, right on the brink of releasing their radio-friendly classic, "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys". Again, the group is amazingly tight, playful, and played a catchy jam version of "Gimme Some Lovin" that will make you wish you saw it in concert, and "Medicated Goo" is a brilliant song that will make you turn up the volume in your car.

HOWEVER, this disc does have its flaws. First of all, it made me yearn for more material. I mean, when this concert took place they were only a year or so removed from recording their modern classic, "John Barleycorn Must Die", yet none of these songs were including in this release. Secondly, I am a bit disappointed that in the age of 80-minute CD "bonus track" re-releases that no other tracks were discovered in the vaults for this re-issue. There must have been several more songs recorded that night or sometime on the tour, and why not even one bonus track was added to this disc befuddles me, and nowhere in the liner notes does it explain why. I read somewhere that back in 1970 a totally different live album was to be released but was scrapped by Island Records. Island Records, if you are reading this review, I would encourage you to release a 2 or 3-cd set of a complete Traffic concert (or two) from the this time period, much like the Dead are now doing with the "Dick's Picks" series, or like the Derek and the Domino's "Live at the Fillmore" 2-cd set. Traffic fans deserve it. And one more thing, if Steve Winwood or Jim Capaldi are reading this, please encourage either yourselves or a biographer to write your story. I have yet to see a definitive book on Traffic. I know it would be an interesting story and the time is right to for it to be told. It is a story worth telling. cheers-Robert Taylor, Charlotte, NC

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great intrigue, January 18, 2005

By 

Don Schmittdiel "running_man" (Clinton Twp., MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to the Canteen (Audio CD)

'Welcome To the Canteen' is one of the more intriguing albums to come out of the psychedelic era of rock and roll. The band wasn't quite as loosely assembled as say the 'Super Session' trio of Stephen Stills, Mike Bloomfield, and Al Kooper, but nearly so. In-and-out-again Traffic co-founder Dave Mason is in at this point, but only for a handful of concerts. Frontman Steve Winwood had also augmented the original Traffic line-up with journeyman drummer Jim Gordon, who was making the rounds with Eric Clapton and George Harrison, and percussionist Reebop (wouldn't you love to know if he wears Reebox?). Once Mason flew the coop this band would be primed to record its seminal work, 'The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys', but for this moment in time, the stars aligned in a most illuminating way.

Two of the more intriguing tracks on this disc are the Dave Mason compositions, 'Sad and Deep As You' and 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave'. Both are stellar works fresh from Mason's 1970 solo debut album, 'Alone Together'. It's marvelous to hear Mason perform these songs so near to their inception, and with such a fine line-up of backing musicians. The tempo is slow, but the emotion is high on each. Chris Wood's flute on 'Sad and Deep As You' is beautifully understated, while Mason's guitar work on 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave' is stunning. Reebop and Jim Capaldi's percussion on both songs provide yet another nuanced layer to appreciate.

There are three heavy rock numbers on the disc, each possessing its own unique flavour. The opener, 'Medicated Goo' is rather fun and funky with sharp, driving guitar riffs. The two longest tracks on the disc made up the entire second side of the original vinyl version of this release. 'Dear Mr. Fantasy', one of the band's trippiest numbers, lacks some of the psychedelic twists and turns endowed on the studio version, but possesses the finest guitar solo's on the disc. The closer, 'Gimme Some Lovin', drawn from Winwood's mid-60's stint with 'The Spencer Davis Group', is nearly as percussion heavy as the original single version of the song. Perhaps the presence of three percussionists in the line-up prompted Winwood to feature this nine-minute extravaganza on 'Welcome To the Canteen'.

The remaining performance is a six-minute plus version of the popular, early Traffic composition '40,000 Headmen'. I must confess that I've never understood the appeal this song seems to have for many Traffic fans. A number of versions exist... it turns up on nearly every Traffic compilation and live release there is. I'm sure the problem must be me, since the song receives frequent accolades in reviews. With my personal disclaimer in mind, I will say this is one of the more appealing versions of the song I've heard, possessing a smooth acoustic flow.

The only flaw possessing 'Welcome To the Canteen' is the quality of the recording. Even given it's unique qualities, I'm a bit surprised Winwood and company saw fit to release these tracks. The vocals on 'Sad and Deep As You', while clear, sound as though they are being delivered by Mason from a nearby cave. The vocals to '40,000 Headmen' suffer a similar fate early on. The vocals on the nearly eleven minute 'Dear Mr. Fantasy', and on 'Gimme Some Lovin' are simply overwhelmed in all the instrumentation. These flaws give the recording a near-bootleg feel... but at least you know it's real.

'Welcome To the Canteen' was the sixth release by 'Traffic', following three studio albums, one compilation, and one mixed-bag ('Last Exit'). It's an interesting snapshot of a band in deep transition, clearly mutating from their present into their future, yet firmly grounded in their past accomplishments. The liner notes are rather sparse, and we're not treated to any bonus tracks, though you gotta believe Island Records is sitting on some more gems from the two UK shows these tracks are gleaned from. One wonders why a CD with only forty minutes of music couldn't be supplemented to woo the faithful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 16, 2005

By 

Joe Zawinul "Black Market" (Birdland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to the Canteen (Audio CD)

I first bought this album in a thrift shop in 1973. The sound quality is not great, but this was the strongest line-up of Traffic. It was recorded in London in July 1971, and has the four original band members: Winwood, Mason, Wood and Capaldi; plus Jim Gordon, Rick Grech and Reebop.

I saw Traffic play live in '74 and they were disappointing, borderline awful; they seemed tired and bored. On this set they play with considerable energy and the band is tight.

Winwood was in excellent form, however the presence of Dave Mason seems to make a difference. In my view Traffic were better when Mason was in the band. His guitar playing is excellent and he provides a counterpoint to Winwood's organ. Jim Gordon demonstrates what a great drummer he was. Capaldi and Reebop provide perussion, and Wood some embellishment here and there.

Mason brought with him two very good songs from his solo album Alone Together. Also included are Medicated Goo, 40,000 Headmen, Dear Mr Fantasy and Gimme Some Lovin'. Island must have more songs from this concert in the vault, it would be good to hear them.