Welcome to the Canteen [Live]

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 --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Medicated Goo
Sad And Deep As You
40,000 Headmen
Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Gimme Some Lovin'

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

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to the Canteen par excellence.......2007-06-27

I owned this record (and I still do although it's a bit scratched up) back in high school. One of my all time favorite live albums. The CD sounds great. I would rate this as the my all time favorite Traffic album.

Fabulous live album...........2007-06-22

Cookin' good live album from a nice full assemblage of Traffic members. Of course we have Messrs. Winwood, and Capaldi and Wood but also erstwhile member Dave Mason is here, Rick Grech fills in the essential bass role, and Reebop Kwaku Baah pounds the congas. None of the stripped down trio setup that too often prevented them from performing live without assistance from non-members. And they bring in the best of what all the members could contribute, nice Mason tunes and, oh yes, a super reprisal of the pinnacle of Steve's days with Spender Davis (Gimme Some Lovin').

A classic.......2007-01-11

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.

I love this album.......2006-12-04

This is a great release by a band that doesn't get near enough attention. The disc opens in high gear with a Medicated Goo that gets stuck in your head and is almost impoosible not to dance to. Seriously, you'll be humming this all day long. Sad And Deep As You is just as addictive but in a mellow way. Chris Wood's flute on here is beautiful. 40,000 Headmen is magical in A very Traffic way. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave has a great organ and guitar riff. Gimmie Some Lovin' and Dear Mr. Fantasy are the best versions out there. If anything, the only drawback is that the new version doesn't have any bonus songs. Still, what's here is execellent.

Great live recording.......2006-01-29

First off, the eleven-minute Dear Mr. Fantasy is great listening, not at all indulgent like the Allmans, Zep, and Cream could get sometimes. And then there's 40,000 Headman, a dark, unforgettable tune and one of Traffic's Best. Also worthy are Medicated Goo and Gimme Some Lovin'. Though there are a couple uninspired monents (Sad & Deep, Shouldn't Have Took etc.), it's a must-hear for Traffic fans, along with the hits.

Average customer rating:

Welcome to the Canteen
Traffic
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00009WKQF
Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

Medicated Goo
Sad and Deep as You
Forty Thousand Headmen
Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Gimme Some Lovin'

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. Universal. 2006.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase. Limited to 5000 Copies.

Average customer rating:

Welcome to the Canteen par excellence
Fabulous live album....
A classic
I love this album
Great live recording

Welcome to the Canteen
Traffic
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Traffic

ASIN: B000001FT7
Release Date: 1990-06-15

Tracks:

Medicated Goo
Sad And Deep As You
40,000 Headmen
Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Gimme Some Lovin'

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to the Canteen par excellence.......2007-06-27

Fabulous live album...........2007-06-22

A classic.......2007-01-11

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.

I love this album.......2006-12-04

Great live recording.......2006-01-29

Average customer rating:

great intrigue!

Welcome to the Canteen
Traffic
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009R03NI

Product Description

Recorded Live At Fairfield Hall, Croydon And The Oz Benefit Concert, London, July 1971. Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, Chris Wood, Rick Grech, 'Reebop' Kwaku Baah & Jim Gordon

Customer Reviews:

great intrigue!.......2005-07-04

'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.

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