When the Eagle Flies [Original recording remastered]

Traffic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1974
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B000096FSZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,097 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a gem - but less accessible and takes time to grow on you, August 16, 2005

By 

N. Chandran "vpcnk" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Eagle Flies (Audio CD)

way back in the early nineties when i first came upon this album, with great expectations fresh from experiencing "the low sparks of ...", this album was a disappointment! gone was full sound of the multi faceted band, the pronounced jazz influences, the guitars, the memorable tunes - instead it seemed that the music was only steve winwood singing and playing his piano/keys, with sparse support from chris wood and jim capaldi. infact in the first few listens i couldnt even hold onto/remember one single track from this album.

but life is full of surprises - after a few years of repeated listening, while low sparks became a bit too familiar and boring, john barlecon seems raw, shootout at the ... seems inconsistent and incomplete, it is this sombre and soulful album which has stood the test of time. this album has flowered in my consciousness in more ways than i could have imagined. it is definitely winwood at the peak of his creative abilities shorn of all the inessential influences - producing deep, subtle and substantial music. there's more music in this album than what appears at first, but it takes time for it to reveal itself. this is one of those rare albums which is complete in itself and is at peace with the world.

dream gerrard, graveyard people, walking in the wind, memories of a ..., love are all classic standout tracks. a desert island album for sure!

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traffic's Lost Masterpiece Is Now Found!, May 29, 2003

By 

Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When the Eagle Flies (Audio CD)

I've always considered Traffic to be the best thing that Steve Winwood has ever done in his long, illustrious career. Traffic's music is a sensational fusion of rock, pop, jazz & folk, with a generous dose of art-rock tossed in for good measure. You never get anything less from Traffic than first-rate singing, songwriting & musicianship. The group's last studio album from the 70's, "When The Eagle Flies," is a brilliant disc from Winwood & the boys. It's also the band's best album. FINALLY available on CD in the U.S. after languishing for so many years in Importland, this is an excellent album to add to your collection, and one that more Traffic fans should definitely seek out. The highlights for me include the astounding "Dream Gerrard," an 11-minute prog-rock masterwork & arguably the band's finest piece. The bizarre lyrics would make Tori Amos proud (Hippos don't wear hats/Lobsters shriek if provoked), but Winwood sings them beautifully, with the whole song driven with GREAT musical force by the band, including some fabulous keyboard work from Winwood, and an absolutely *slamming* performance on the drumkit by Jim Capaldi. "Graveyard People" is another winner, a very spacy, atmospheric track highlighted by Winwood's swirling keyboards. "Walking In The Wind" is a lovely, melodic popper, with a fine bottom groove from bassist Roscoe Gee. "Memories Of A Rock N Rolla" is a great tale co-authored by Winwood & Capaldi about an elderly rock star looking back upon his life, and "Love," the shortest piece from the album, is a little gem of it's own, featuring beautiful flute playing by the late, great Chris Wood.Traffic disbanded in 1974, shortly after the release of "When The Eagle Flies." Winwood & Capaldi would resurrect Traffic 20 years later with their 1994 comeback album, "Far From Home." They put on a terrific concert that year, but I was very disappointed that nothing from "Eagle" was played. Up until now, I bet a lot of U.S. Traffic fans didn't even know that this marvelous album even existed, but I'm SO thrilled now that they can finally get their hands on it at last. "When The Eagle Flies" is a truly special album from one of rock's finest groups, and it deserves to be heard by the masses once again. So do yourself a big favor and pick up this wonderful buried treasure from Traffic.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traffic's somber and poetic closing statement, March 13, 2005

By 

a listener "a listener" (pacific northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Eagle Flies (Audio CD)

This 1974 album was a return to roots for a world-tour-weary group. It's Traffic's most organic-sounding work: a sophisticated and powerful amalgam of their already unique rock - jazz - folk music blend.

the expanded group lineup from preceding "Low Spark" and "Shoot Out" LPs has been stripped down to a basic quartet: Steve Winwood on all guitars and keyboards, Chris Wood on saxes and flute, Jim Capaldi on drums (for the first time since "John Barleycorn") and percussion, and Jamaican-born bassist Rosko Gee. Several tracks here - e.g. 'Love' - include live recordings from a brief U.K. tour which preceded the Netherturkdonic [Steve Winwood's, in Gloucestershire] studio sessions, where they were then overdubbed for inclusion in the album. (this may also explain why Reebop Kwaku Baah is listed on the album's credits: he may have participated on the preceding tour's live tracks, but not the studio sessions.)

this long overdue domestic US 2003 CD re-issue features beautifully remastered audio (far superior to '80s-'90s CD import versions) from the original master tapes and faithful reproduction of the album cover and interior sleeve artwork, along with an insightful essay by critic Bill DeYoung on the making of the album.

The eagle of the album's title track is a metaphorical harbinger of devastation for 'civilized man', and of Mother Nature being restored to Her natural balance. Ominous warnings of "you're gonna be stepping from your Cadillac, and in a micro flash you're gonna feel the lash" - followed by "the rains will come, and wash away the scum so that all the little flowers can grow." Complex melodic figures and verse structure - a la Joni Mitchell's contemporary work - are sung and played effortlessly by Winwood.

the album's cover artwork is well integrated with the lyric themes presented: the eagle swooping over the band members on the front jacket, with same bird hovering in the distance over a shadowy, polluted cityscape on the back jacket.

'Dream Gerrard' features lyrics by Vivian Stanshall, a plea for shamanic vision floating over hypnotic rhythm and keyboard textures.

'Love' is a mellow, two-chord groove overlain with Chris Wood's flute (at the track's outset you can hear him ask, "are you playing in 'E', Steve . . . ?") and a sparse lyric.

'Something New' is a brisk, soulful lament for the end of a relationship.

'Memories of a Rock n' Rolla' is an extension/combination of similar themes previously touched in "Low Spark"'s 'Rock & Roll Stew' and "Shoot Out"'s '(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired'.

'Graveyard People' is a wake-up call to those bunkered in and committed to the treadmill of urban living.

'Walking In The Wind' is an upbeat, funky pop melody (foreshadowing Winwood's late '70s and '80s work) set to melancholy, distressed lyrics of hollowed-out survival, including hints of Watergate: "While the president is crying, crying in the White House . . ."

after the release of "When The Eagle Flies", Winwood spent much time on his farm in Gloucestershire, while satisfying his urge to branch out and collaborate on progressive and world music projects by guesting on albums such as Remi Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao's Third World "Aiye-Keta" (1973), jazz musician Eddie Harris' "E.H. In The U.K." (1974), Jade Warrior's "Waves" (1976), and Stomu Yamash'ta's "Go" (1976), along with appearances on Vivian Stanshall's and Jim Capaldi's albums. when his own solo album "Steve Winwood" at last emerged in 1977 it featured former Traffic members Capaldi and Reebop Kwaku Baah.

"When The Eagle Flies" is a wholistic and spiritually rewarding album listen from the twilight of rock music's golden age - enjoy.