C/D Traffic S/D

I've been listening to those two albums too.

"Shoot Out" just isn't very good, The title track is the best thing on it and doesn't sound like anything else they ever did - a wall of fuzz guitars with this relentless groove pummelling away behind it. "Roll Right Stones" lasts about two weeks and I can barely remember the rest of the album. Seems like a waste of the Muscle Shoals guys

"When the Eagle Flies" is much better, even though it has a strange listless quality. "Dream Gerrard" is a teensy bit too long and aimless - a common complaint with Traffic - but it and the following two tracks are still pretty great. Then the album just kind of dies, "Memories of a Rock 'n Rolla" is hopeless and the final two tracks sound unfinished and underdeveloped, "Love" sounds like they're making it up as they go along. Jim Capaldi's drumming on this album is great!

What I love about those records is a strange combination of their aristocratic arrogance (in the running times, relaxed tempi, etc.) and guileless earnestness (in the lyrics and Winwood's emotionally transparent voice). They really believe their audience wants to join them in a 15-minute contemplations of standing stones or French surrealist poetry. I love "Roll Right Stones" so much that I sometimes listen to both versions of it (the 13:40 original mix and the "sprightly" 11:46 later mix) in a row. I admit that I have a greater tolerance for listlessness than the average listener.
"Love" was in fact actually improvised and recorded onstage with vocals overdubbed later.

It's all about the second side of Shootout for me, especially "Tragic Magic" and "Uninspired." Coincidentally, both of those tracks make up one side of "On The Road" and I've played that side a ton.

"Love" was in fact actually improvised and recorded onstage with vocals overdubbed later.

Ah well, that makes sense!

"Roll Right Stones" lasts about two weeks

Starts off like Robert Wyatt too! There's nice parts in this song but I hate the clunky chorus so much, unfortunate as it's repeated about a million times.

I've been collecting versions of "Feelin' Alright" over the years. Its a great tune and some fine covers.
Any more to my list: Weller, Maceo Parker, Trinidad Oil Company, Fifth Dimension, Rare Earth.

I am unironically and perhaps unreasonably attached to the version that Joe Cocker and John Belushi did on SNL.

"Glad" is a Fucking JAM.

100%

...and it blows my mind that so much of it is just Winwood (and Chris Wood to a lesser extent) overdubbing. It really feels a big group of seasoned players just *going off*