Customer Reviews

Welcome to the Canteen

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

'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.

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.

my review is fairly tainted by my initial liking of this record .. this was one of my first records that I had when I was growing up in Calcutta, India ..
I have not had this album for the last 9 years and bought it last month from Amazon.Ca .. must have heard it a hundred times in my previous life and all the memories came rushing back .. didn't forget a chord, not one beat .. had every nuance saved in my brain ..
One of the most creative and enjoyable live sessions .. just wish it was longer than 45 minutes ..
Compared among last exit and on the road .. the other two traffic live albums, my preference would be for this one based on sheer artistic quality ..
enjoy!

I used to have a copy of this on 8-track back in the day ... and I listened to it so much that the cartridge eventually fell apart.

"Welcome to the Canteen" is a document of a place and time, and the last gasp of the original version of Traffic before it jumped off the jazz/rock deep end. Dave Mason joined up with the expanded core group for just a handful of dates, and he delivers two songs that later showed up on his early solo efforts.

The recording is rather poor, particularly on the acoustic-based "40,000 Headmen;" unfortunately, the CD remastering helps only a little. The package is also a bit skimpy, clocking in around 39 minutes ... a bonus track, available on other Traffic remasters, would have helped (maybe they just weren't available).

In all, this is Traffic's best live album. The fiery playing and excellent vocals by Winwood, Mason and Capaldi more than make up for the primitive recording. After all these years, this album is still a personal favorite.

This album was compiled from 3 different live shows in London in July 1971. It features the most together incarnation of the band which includes Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, Dave Mason, Jim Gordon, Jim Capadli, Chris Wood and "Reebop" Kwaku Baah. The two Mason compositions are commercially unavailable anywhere else. The live versions of "Medicated Goo", "Dear Mr Fantasy" and "Gimme Some Lovin" spotlight Traffic as one of the best "jam bands" of the era. (For all you Deadheads: I'll bet Brent Mydland had this one in his collection and played it to death!)

This fine live disc is a reminder of how well Dave Mason fitted into the band and how he added so much to their overall sound.His songs("sad and deep as you" and "shouldn't have took more than you gave")really shine in this context.
As a live band Traffic were able to imbue their tunes with a life that the studio versions often lacked and the interplay between the musicians is fabulous ( especially when we consider the problems that Dave Mason seemed to have with working with the other band members). Steve Winwood,Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood all get a chance to take centre stage and Wood in particular produces some great solos( the tender flute solo in SADAY for example).Ric Grech and Jim Gordon are a faultless rhythm section who never overplay the tunes.When I get around to compiling my list of the top ten live albums of the seventies ,this disc will be on it,need I say more.

This is not the best album of all time or even the best Traffic album. It isn't even an official Traffic album. It was released to complete a contractual obligation. The sound is horrible, which prevents any chance of this being a decent album. Traffic has a much better live album called On The Road.

This concert was poorly recorded and the original LP sounded pretty bad. The first CD release was even worse. This new remastered CD is about what the LP was. There is not much you can do when the original masters are bad.

There is only one very good song on the album, an 11 minute version of Mr. Fantasy and it alone might make this album worth buying. There is also a nice 6 minute version of 40000 Headmen which is an added bonus. Mr. Fantasy shines in spite of the sound problems, but 40,000 Headmen suffers a little.

Medicated Goo is just like the studio version on Last Exit, so it adds nothing new. There are two Dave Mason solo songs that are nice, but there are better versions on Mason's solo albums. There is no reason to own these poorly recorded, substandard versions of these songs, when much better versions already exist.

Gimme Some Lovin' is a noisy, sloppy mess. All you can hear is the theme repeated over and over. The musicians performance and "interplay" is sloppy and seems as if the band members are tripping over each other. However, if this track did have decent sound quality, it might be enjoyable.

This album was released to complete Steve Winwood's contractual obligation to release 5 records for United Artists. At this time, Traffic was already recording Low Spark of High Heeled Boys for Island Records, but were afraid of a lawsuit if they released it before completing the United Artists contract. Traffic was going to do a major tour, but settled on a few dates in UK.

This album was never released as a Traffic album. It was simply known as Welcome to the Canteen, and was done by the seven musicians listed. But, there is a Traffic emblem hidden on the label of a bottle of beer on the cover. And this album includes all the "official" members of Traffic. The CD releases actually now say Traffic. The album sold poorly, partly because it sounded band and partly because Low Spark of High Heeled Boys was released shortly afterwards.

Traffic has had more breakups and reunions than almost any other band. They broke up between every album, and reunited for the next release. Dave Mason was an original member and on the first 2 ablums (in the US release, was not listed as being on the second album, even though he wrote half of the songs). Mason was kicked out of the band 3 times.

No words could describe how great "Sad And Deep As You" is with Chris Wood And Reebop Kwaku Baah (not to mention Dave Mason's amazing vocal).

The rest is also tremendous. A no-brainer. Get it.

I had the album from the early 70's. It was one of my favorites but got too scratched to play. The CD is great-as good as I remember but with out all of the scratchs.