Traffic - When The Eagle Flies (1974)

Traffic were a British rock band active from the late 60s to the early 70s. Their line-up changed numerous times, but the three constant members throughout their career were the core trio of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

Following their 1973 world tour, Traffic underwent some more lineup changes when bassist David Hood and drummer Roger Hawkins went home to America. They found a new bassist in Rosko Gee, but didn't need to find themselves a new drummer as Jim Capaldi at long last moved back into the drum seat (he had been relegated to percussion for the past few albums). With founding members Steve Winwood (vocals/keyboards/guitars) and Chris Wood (sax/flute), and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah, this reduced them to a five-man lineup. This was in turn trimmed down to just four, as Rebop was fired during the making of their next album.

When The Eagle Flies came out in 1974, featuring a relaxed jazz-rock sound. It was notable for Winwood expanding his keyboard sounds through the use of Mellotron and Moog synthesizers. Like both their previous studio albums, it was dominated by one lengthy track which formed the centrepiece - "Dream Gerrard" was indeed the highlight of the album, showcasing all the band's instrumental chops (in particular newcomer Rosko Gee's bass). It also featured lyrics from Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. 

After one final exhausting US tour to support the album, Traffic broke up. Both Winwood and Capaldi went on to see much success with their solo careers. Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah joined the German band Can. Chris Wood sadly died whilst working on a solo album in 1983. Winwood and Capaldi later re-united as Traffic for one album in 1994.

On The Road (1973) <|> Far From Home (1994)
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