their swan song...and its great! Love this last effort by this super group of talented musicians. Steve Windwoodnever came close to the output of Traffic. Get this release today!
When The Eagle Flies/ Indeed. I first bought this great music, when LPs were the way to fly. As a matter of fact the LP cover is in a frame, placed on my wall. My fav tracks, When The Eagle Flies and Walking In The Wind, sadly 2 of the members passed on, the drummer being the most recent, I highly suggest this masterpiece to all who respect music.
"Memories Of A Rock N' Rolla" get better with this one! As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.
Traffic's 1974 "When The Eagle Flies" creates different and interesting points of view depending on which type of fan is pontificating.
The record buyer that enjoyed the plethora of incredible radio tunes not only doesn't have this in their collection but may not have even experienced the forty minutes of material.
The collector that has been fascinated with all directions the band has taken them is actually fond of the material.
Then there is the third and final segment. Those that may have gotten the LP as a gift or picked up a CD copy and played it one time but couldn't get past the non-commercial song structure. However, something in the back of their musical brain made them wipe off the dust and give it another listening. They were able to lock in on the seven tracks.
There were critics who misconstrued non-radio friendly for lack of effort or desire. That is unfair to somebody of Steve Winwood's caliber. He has proven repeatedly that if you give his material an honest ear the esoteric as well as the commercial songs have substance, desire, and skill.
The opening track is correctly titled "Something New." It is catchy without being poppy and the piano and voice accompany each other well.
"Dream Gerrard" is a long composition that puts in some jazz flavor. At over eleven minutes it is by far the longest track on the album. Don't be turned off. The music is always tasty and never too out of reach.
"Graveyard People" is at times dark and soft, but there is something hypnotic about it.
"Walking In The Wind" has noticeable bass-lines featured in the mix. Rosco Gee known for his work with the avant-garde, progressive, and improvisational band called "Can" leaves his mark throughout.
"Memories Of A Rock N' Rolla" seems deeply personal, solidified by lyrics about the past. We've gotten older but constantly wonder back to yesteryear.
"Love" Once again the jazz flavor is sprinkled throughout the song. It provides nice background music.
We finish with the title track. A bit sounds like "Freedom Rider" It's a nice end to one of the more underrated releases from the era.
Enjoy the music and be well, Craig Fenton Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"
A nice album but not the place to start Back when this album first came out it was written off by just about everyone. This was the first Traffic album that was almost hard to find in record stores even when it was new. Thankfully, time and a loyal fanbase have been kind to it. As far as the album itself, it is very good although I wouldn't suggest anyone new to the band start here. The songs are good and the album provides a nice laid back listen.
Truly an organic Traffic album....intense and wonderful When the Eagle Flies was Traffic's final album, released in late 1973/early 1974. Back to a four piece band (Roscoe Gee takes on bass duties, augmenting the Traffic core of Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood), the sound is markedly different. In the liner notes, Steve Winwood says how this is an "organic" Traffic album, completely homemade, and it shows. I had never heard this album, only heard about it, for years. As a huge Traffic fan once it was available on CD, I knew I had to check it out. And while it isn't their best album, it's still a hidden gem in their catalog.
It opens up joyously with Something New, and the roughhewn, homemade sound (of the entire album) matches up almost perfectly with the rustic woodcut look of the album cover. It's followed by two brooding and intense numbers, Dream Gerrard (with a hypnotic riff motif throughout) and the funky jazzy Graveyard People. Walking on the Wind is another joyful-sounding song, while Memories of a Rock n Rolla veers between tounge-in-cheek humor and plaintive pleading from Winwood before ending with another joyful outro. The final two songs, Love (a short little piece recorded live) and the title track (a really moody, almost downbeat song that is the roughest sounding of the bunch) round out the album.
All in all a fitting, quiet, yet no less intense or masterful farewell from one of the most original and excellent band from that era. While this certainly would not be the Traffic album to start with if you're just getting into them, once you're immersed in their excellent music, this is well worth seeking out.
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