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Jim Capaldi was an English singer-songwriter and musician, best known for being a founding member of Traffic.
Traffic were into their final days when Jim Capaldi recorded his second solo album, taking time out after their exhausting 1973 world tour to head back to the studio. Recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, as its predecessor was, it turned out to be a fine collection of original songs in a variety of rock styles (along with a brief rendition of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again"). Most of the instrumentation came from the Muscle Shoals crew, though Traffic bandmates Steve Winwood and Rebop Kwaku Baah also made guest appearances. Like his debut, Whale Meat Again was well received upon its release, showcasing his talents as a vocalist and songwriter, though it didn't manage to give him any real hits (the single "It's All Right" got no further than #55).
Oh How We Danced (1972) <|> Short Cut Draw Blood (1975)
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Jim Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of Traffic.
Jim Capaldi's musical career began in Worcestershire, England, as the drummer for a band called The Hellions (which also featured guitarist Dave Mason). They were modestly successful, but the few singles they released did not chart. Somewhere along the way Capaldi moved from being drummer to lead singer, and the band was renamed Deep Feeling. Capaldi and Mason met and befriended Steve Winwood and Chris Wood, and before long Deep Feeling had disbanded and Traffic had been formed.
With Traffic, Capaldi originally performed as drummer and percussionist. He also formed a writing partnership with Winwood, writing the lyrics to most of their songs (except the ones written by Mason). Traffic's first release was the Winwood/Capaldi composition "Paper Sun", a psychedelic pop song that got to #5 in 1967. They went on to become a great success, releasing a series of fantastic albums that blended psychedelia, jazz, rock and folk.
By 1972 Traffic had lost Mason, and now consisted of Capaldi (percussion/vocals), Winwood (keyboads/guitar/vocals), Wood (sax/flute), Ric Grech (bass/violin), Jim Gordon (drums) and Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion). Due to the presence of both Gordon and Baah, Capaldi's role as a musician in the band had lessened, though the Winwood/Capaldi songwriting team was still going strong. On 1971's The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys he had also got to sing lead vocals on two tracks, his own "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock & Roll Stew" (written with Gordon). When Traffic was then put on hold due to Winwood falling ill, Capaldi decided the time was right to try his hand at a solo album.
Oh How We Danced saw him return to the role of lead singer, with fantastic results. He recorded it at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama, and was backed for most of it by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (keyboardist Barry Beckett, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, bassist David Hood and drummer Roger Hawkins). Paul Kossoff of Free also played lots of fantastic lead guitar, and Winwood and Mason helped out too. "Open Your Heart" was an outtake from High Heeled Boys, and so featured Traffic in their entirity. The brilliant title track is actually a cover of "The Anniversary Song", i.e. "Waves Of The Danube", written by Romanian Ion Ivanovici in 1880.
The album was well received by the critics, and encouraged Capaldi to continue with his solo career, even when Traffic reformed. When they did, he brought Hood and Hawkins from Muscle Shoals with him to act as their new rhyhtm section.
|> Whale Meat Again (1974)
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