Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971)

Dan:

After the breakups of the first versions of Traffic and Blind Faith, Steve Winwood and Rick Grech re-formed Traffic. In place of their psychedelic-flavored early sound, the new Traffic adopted a more sophisticated style that emphasized folk and jazz influences. John Barleycorn Must Die was a huge success in 1970 and was followed in 1971 by The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. (Welcome to the Canteen was also issued in 1971 as a somewhat tainted "contractual obligation" album that I don't believe I've ever heard.)

The centerpiece of Low Spark is the title track, which occupies 12:10 minutes of side 1. I first heard this song on Traffic's live album, On the Road (1973). I had picked up the double LP just to see what the fuss was about. I was impressed by the long pieces: for example, "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" comprise a medley that takes the full 20+ minutes of side 1. "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" takes up all of Side 4. Long solos by saxophonist Chris Wood and keyboardist Winwood appeared to be the main feature. There was also not much emphasis on guitar; Winwood is credited as the guitarist, but he also plays organ and piano. Obviously, in the live sets he couldn't overdub anything. Rock bands rarely de-emphasize guitars, but Traffic pulls it off. 

"The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" could never be a hit single due to its length, but it is the most memorable song for me in all of the Traffic I've heard. I've investigated the interpretations offered by anonymous posters on websites, and they're all over the place. The song is about drug abuse, record company exploitation, maturation, etc. Most of these interpretations attempt to match the words in the song to a specific meaning. It's never made clear exactly what the song is referring to. For me, that's the test of a great song - it can have different meanings for different people. 

The other songs on Low Spark should not be overlooked. "Many a Mile to Freedom" and "Rainmaker" are Traffic classics now, making the album fare well in comparisons to the folkier John Barleycorn. 

A newer version of "Low Spark" is on Winwood's Greatest Hits Live album from 2017, which Steve (my son, not Winwood) pushed my way a few years ago. I'm grateful because the newer version is more guitar-oriented, and the other hits are all rendered impeccably when performed live. 

Steve:

I gravitated to this album thanks to hearing the title track on the radio several times. The piano-driven chorus with the choppy eighth notes was quite catchy, and the long, drifting instrumental sections somehow never got tedious. It was my first Traffic purchase, though I was already aware of Winwood via the Blind Faith album and his solo hit "While You See a Chance" that was on the radio a lot.  

More so than any other Traffic album, I always find this album tremendously satisfying each time I put it on. Each track is given plenty of room to breathe and takes advantage of this loose atmosphere to create a truly wonderful mood. Sometimes these tracks surprise me. I remember recently walking into my neighborhood record store, and "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" was playing. The instrumental break seemed to fill the room with so much interesting groove that seemed to last for ages, yet the entire track is just shy of 5 minutes long. Each song on this album has the capacity to stretch out time in a similar way.