A bit late but.......... Arc Of A Diver - amazing album, lovely production, great songs. Talking Back To The Night - more commercial version of Arc...... Excellent album, lovely production, really good songs.
OK, some more on the two Capaldi disks. Listening again, to Electric nights: I still like this album quite a bit, and now hearing it and reading the note, its not hard to see why. Jim wrote or co-wrote every song. Steve Winwood plays on every track! Steve and Jim co-produced the record. The album is a bit edgier than some of the previous ones and he moves away from the disco sound. Tonight you're mine is a great song, nice lead guitar from Steve. This is just Jim and Steve with Van Morrison on acoustic guitar. This is also included on the Prince of Darkness compilation. Living on the edge is also pretty solid. This is just Steve and Jim. Steve adds vocals to 4 of the tracks, including Bad breaks, Runaway, That's love and Gifts of unknown origin. Its really great to hear the two singing together. On Bad breaks, they trade singing the title during the chorus. Steve also has a lead solo on this. Runaway is a bit lighter (its not the famous song of the same). Back at my place is a love ballad, weakest track on side A (imo). That's love is also a little light for my taste, but its still pleasant. Nicole Winwood adds backup vocals with Steve. Some very characteristic synthesizer from Steve here too. This is also on the Prince of Darkness comp. I'll always be your fool is also a little light. Don't let them control you is a bit funkier with some brass. Gifts of unknown things is a bit heavier. a good closer to side B. I'll get to One man mission later.
Lots of extra tracks associated with Roll with it. 12” mix of Roll with it. “steve testifies dub” of roll with it. There are actually 2 of these. Extended remix of don’t you know what the night can do along with an instrumental of the same. Dance mix of Holding on and some real crap (sorry) in to mixes of a track call Go Juan Also a remix of Hearts on fire. with an instrumental of the same as well. edit: I just remembered I have this little 3" cd single of holding on. It has the 7" version, intrumental, and stevappella mix with Go Juan. This thing fits into the little indent on cd trays, and probably can't be loaded in cd players like in most cars. I have one other of these a STP single with a version of plush.
I always felt refugees of the heart was underestimated. I like this one a lot and I thought it was better than both of the previous efforts (back in the high life and roll with it). In addition to Always and the intr of in the light of day there are: a cd single with 4 verions of One and only man straight bass; acappella, junior's nyc mix and dub. another has a 12" version of the same. a cd single with 2 additional versions of I will be here radio 7", video, The single with the instr. of in the light of day also has a live version of Don't you know what the night can do.
If we're up to 1990, does it mean we're skipping the 2 87 Mason disks. Some assembly required never did much for me, though I do like two hearts. It was also nice to hear Steve's contributions on this, particularly the backing vocals on the title track. There is also Jim's Some come running which I also liked quite a bit.
While I personally had written off Mason some time ago, I certainly don't mind reading some discussion of his later work. He just seemed to venture into rock-lite and I found other music more compelling. But for a while I listened to him a lot, so I still have fondness for him. And I also want to simply say that while the clean production and synths of 80s Winwood isn't my thing, I always admired his output. I had sort of forgotten how many hits and how popular he was in this period, and how many songs I remember from that time even though I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about them. Roll with it baby !
I'm starting to think that because the Mason iteration of Mac didn't have the magic of Buckingham, somehow it has to be seen as some awful disaster. Mason, McVie and Mick F are old pros, and they probably enjoyed playing together and I can't imagine the shows being all that bad. Obviously, one needs to like Dave Mason in the first place.
I don't know why there's so much negativity of the FM/Dave Mason experiment. I think the album is ok. disclaimer. While I'm a big fan of PG's FM and still like the next iteration (bare trees etc) I was never a big fan of the BN era. Sure there's some good songs, but its pop not rock/blues. Plus I thought FM really went downhill after the 1st two BN albums, and so Dave's presence was sort of refreshing.
Anyone still here? I finally got a chance to listen again to Capaldi's One Man Mission from 1984. Jim wrote or co-wrote all tracks. It starts off with a rocker, the title track. Style makes me think of Bad Company (Simon Kirke plays drums on the next track). The strong beat continues onto the next track -tonight. But no great hook here. Lost inside your love feature Santana on lead guitar with Snowy White (Pete Bonas is on guitar on this too and most tracks). Santana also gets a writing credit on this. This song is a little more musical. I'll keep holding on was featured on a 12" single in an extended form (epidemix) and an istrumental. This song reverts back to some of his previous pop albums. Pleasant, but nothing special (imo). Nobody Loves you now features Snowy White on Lead and Santana on guitar. Another poppy ballad. Side B starts off with Young Savages featuring co-vocals on Steve Marriott A decent track, but has some synthesizers (called fairlight). Another writing credit for Santana on Tales of Power (B-side to the single) Snowy White on lead guitar again. Another decent track with too much fairlight. This track was included on the Prince of Darkness compilation. Warriors of Love and Ancient Highway Nothing really distinguishing about these. If you like Jim's music, you'll probably like these. Ok to listen to. Overall, the disk is ok, but not his best. I find it inferior to the previous Fierce Heart and inferior to the final 3 Some come running 1988 is one I always liked and I think some better sales. the final two (living on the outside - 2001 and Poor Boy Blue - 2004) are surprisingly good. Some of his best.
I'm here too after taking a week off. I've listen through 2003's It's About Time by Winwood but I couldn't get myself to hear anymore Mason or Capaldi. The write-ups seem like I'd like the stuff and I'm glad Capaldi didn't go completely 80s synth heavy but I went through a lot of new stuff and I'm doing a thread on another forum that takes up a bunch of my free time. That's why I always late with reviews during the Traffic posting. I would still like to review the Winwood albums but I've needed a break from him too after hearing the ones from '90, '97 and '03. If @Mainline461 continues the thread I'd post reviews this week. Plus with the new Winwood live album coming out on September 1st, it would be good to sneak those last albums in and then post a brand new one just in time. Anyway hey Mainline, hope you keep the thread going! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to post reviews and hear the stuff I couldn't get to! There's just not too much info on the web with the later Capaldi albums.
I've been following the thread, but I'm also an educator gearing up for the start of the new semester, so I haven't had time to contribute my usual long-winded reviews. About Winwood's Refugees of the Heart album, while I'd like to do a song-by-song review, I'll have to content myself with a brief write-up: When this album came out in 1990, with the "One and Only Man" single, I was not particularly optimistic, as the single sounded not much different from "Freedom Overspill" from Back in the High Life. I was losing hope that he'd go back to something more artistically ambitious than the previous two hit albums. Perhaps due to reduced expectations, I ended up enjoying the album a great deal. While it still retains aspects of the Big '80s production sound, I felt like at least some of the songs showed signs of greater introspection. Some of that is right there in the opening track, "You'll Keep on Searching," with a somewhat moody atmosphere provided by the saxophone accompaniment--a real breath of fresh air after the overtly commercial opening tracks on the previous two albums. The real heart of the album for me, though, is the closing track, "In the Light of Day." This completely blew me away from the first listen, and listening again due to this thread, it stunned me anew. Based on a programmed rhythm over which vocals and instruments slowly develop with a careful, yet inexorable, build-up of intensity, listening to this track is a cathartic experience for me (and I imagine how cathartic performing it must have been for Steve). Not only does he show mastery of a new instrument for him (vibes), but plays a beautifully constructed solo on it. Beyond that, I think his vocals--especially in the latter part of the song--are probably his most searing and passionate since the title track of When the Eagle Flies. The whole thing seems to glow with the incandescent spiritual energy the lyrics describe. For me, the album as whole is very good, but the final track stands out as a career high point. (I'd like to do a review here of Far From Home, as it came next and is really more of a Winwood album than a Traffic one--we'll see if I can find a spare moment soon).
May I interrupt to ask this here?: Traffic (1968) - is the mono mix dedicated or a fold down? If dedicated, is it available digitally? Thanks.
I asked the same question and received this reply: The two Mason songs "Join In" and "Feelin'" have dedicated mixes for the respective singles and were tacked onto the US reissue of the second LP.
Junction Seven Released June 3, 1997 Label: Virgin Producer: Steve Winwood, Narada Michael Walden Junction Seven is Steve Winwood's seventh solo studio album and was released in June 1997. The album did not sell very well, breaking the Top 40 in the UK[1] but not the USA, and Winwood took a six-year break from making solo albums (returning in 2003 with About Time). This album was co-produced with Narada Michael Walden, while Winwood's wife Eugenia co-wrote several songs. Des'ree provided vocals on 'Plenty Lovin'. Junction 7 is the nearest motorway junction to Winwood's childhood home, at Great Barr, Birmingham. Track listing "Spy in the House of Love" (Winwood, Narada Michael Walden, Jim Capaldi) "Angel of Mercy" (Winwood, Walden, Capaldi) "Just Wanna Have Some Fun" (Winwood, Walden) "Let Your Love Come Down" (Winwood, Walden, Eugenia Winwood, Capaldi) "Real Love" (Winwood, Walden, Eugenia Winwood) "Fill Me Up" (Winwood, Eugenia Winwood) "Gotta Get Back to My Baby" (Winwood, Eugenia Winwood) "Someone Like You" (Winwood, Walden, Eugenia Winwood) "Family Affair" (Sylvester Stewart) "Plenty Lovin'" (Winwood, Walden) "Lord of the Street" (Winwood, Walden, Capaldi) Personnel Steve Winwood – vocals, rhythm guitar (1, 2, 10, 11), guitar solos (1), Hammond B-3 organ (3, 11), synth sax solo (3), clavinet (3, 11), lead guitar (4), organ (4), acoustic piano (5, 8, 11), acoustic guitar (6), claves (7), additional keyboards (7), horn arrangement (7), percussion (9) Michael McEvoy – keyboards (1, 2, 5, 6, 8), synth vibes (4), acoustic piano (4), bass guitar (5, 6), dobro (6), drum programming (6, 8), bass programming (8), synth strings (8, 10) Narada Michael Walden – bass guitar (1, 3, 8), drums (1, 9, 11), keyboards (1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), drum programming (1-6, 8, 9, 11), percussion (2, 3, 5, 9, 11), Hammond B-3 bass (2), synthesizer (3, 11), organ (4), cymbals (8), synth bass (9) Frank Martin – keyboards & programming (3, 4, 5, 11), bass (5) Jimi Fischer – wah wah guitar (1), additional drum programming (2), bass guitar (4), guitar (4) Vernon "Ice" Black – guitar (3) Lenny Kravitz – guitar (4) Nile Rodgers – guitar (8) José Neto – acoustic & nylon electric guitars (10) Gary Brown – bass guitar (6) Marc Van Wageningen – bass guitar (7) Myron Dove – bass guitar (8) Greg "Gigi" Gonaway – percussion (1), MIDI drums (11) Walfredo Reyes, Jr. – percussion (3, 4, 7, 11), drums (7) Walfredo Reyes, Sr. – percussion & timbales (7) Daniel Reyes – congas (7) Jerry Hey – string arrangements & conductor (2, 5, 9), trumpet (3, 4), horn arrangement (3, 4) Nathan Rubin – concertmaster (2, 5, 9) Marc Russo – saxophone (3, 4) Wayne Wallace – trombone (3, 4) Rebeca Mauleón-Santana – acoustic piano (7), horn arrangement (7) Melecio Magdaluyo – saxophone (7) Louis Fasman – trumpet (7) Bill Ortiz – trumpet (7) Jeff Cressman – trombone (7) Eugenia Winwood – spoken word (6) Des'ree – vocals (10) Background vocals – Tony Lindsey (1, 2, 3, 7, 9), Nikita Germaine (1-4, 7, 9, 11), Skyler Jett (1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 11), Tina Gibson (1-4, 7, 9, 11), Annie Stocking (1-4, 7, 9, 11), Claytoven Richardson (4, 8), Sandy Griffith (4, 8), Simone Sauphanor (6, 7), Ruby Turner (6, 7) Party people (7) – Tony Lindsey, Nikita Germaine, Skyler Jett, Annie Stocking & Tina Gibson Production Produced & Arranged by Steve Winwood & Narada Michael Walden Production Administrator – Tony DeFranco Production Coordinators – Janice Lee, Cherice Miller, Shiloh Hobel & Kulan Kevin Walden. Recorded & Mixed by David Frazer Second Engineer – Mick Dolan MIDI & Assistant Engineer on tracks 1-4, 7, 11 – Jeff Gray Additional Engineers – Jim Labinski (4), Marc "Elvis" Reyburn (3, 9) & Gary Tole (9). Recorded at Netherturkdonic Studios (Gloucestershire, England) & Tarpan Studios (San Raphael, CA). Studio Assistant at Netherturkdonic Studios – Andy Davies Track 4 recorded at Le Crib (New York, NY). Track 9 recorded at A&M Studios (Los Angeles, CA). Mixed at Netherturkdonic Studios Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY). Creative Director & Project Manager – Eugenia Winwood Photography – Annie Leibovitz Personal Assistant to Steve Winwood – Viv Phillips Management – Mick Newton & Ron Weisner
STEVE WINWOOD-RUFUGEES OF THE NIGHT 1. You’ll Keep On Searching (B-) 2. Every Day (Oh Lord) (C) 3. One and Only Man (B) 4. I Will Be Here (C-) 5. Another Deal Goes Down (C+) 6. Running On (B-) 7. Come Out and Dance (C+) 8. In the Light of Day (B) STEVE WINWOOD-RUFUGEES OF THE NIGHT (C) The most noticeable change for Steve Winwood with this album release was his production became a lot less cluttered. Gone are the many synth overdubs and hard-hitting trap drums/drum machines and outright total commercial aspirations. In its place is a more spacious setup where songs can extend and feel more organic doing so. There’s still 80’s remnants leftover like on the hit written with Jim Capaldi “One and Only Man”. It’s still the strongest song here and the one Steve sounds most invested in vocally. With a little funk in its rhythm and Steve’s sheets of organ, “One and Only Man” stands out. While the album’s production is less synth heavy, the songs are not on the same level as any of his previous albums. “I Will Be Here” is the most formulaic thing Winwood has attempted, especially on the chorus that repeats the title x4 and the uneventful “One Day” is forgettable. At times, he can frustrate like how good the guitar work is when he lets loose on the weak song “Another Deal Goes Down”. If there was some more melody, it would have been a career highlight but it just goes down as a great guitar performance without the actual song retained in the memory. There's a lack of melody and especially hooks missing in general. “Running On” does have melody within its above average quality. “Come Out and Dance” has some swinging funk with sax lines that satisfy. The 10-minute closer “In the Light of Day” continues the saxophone craze of the album with a long solo and a unique atmosphere, but some editing could have been in order. Still, it's a fine closer. And that editing thing is a problem now. Winwood’s insistence of only having 8 tracks means that some songs will inevitable get unnecessary lengthening. While the long songs are fine on great material, when the songs are mediocre like it is here with average lyrics by Will Jennings, the songs begin to drag. I think it was time to loosen the reigns on the 8-song album and for the next albums Winwood did by himself and with Traffic, he finally concedes. By now, Winwood doesn’t feel like he’s growing and evolving but sticking to the same formula. Maybe this is why he took a long hiatus and teamed with Capaldi for Far From Home.
It's been years since I've heard Junction Seven, but my initial impressions were so bad that I sold the CD. It was my least favorite Winwood album by far. I'll try to take another listen if I get a chance. (Luckily, things get much better from here).
STEVE WINWOOD-JUNCTION SEVEN 1. Spy in the House of Love (D+) 2. Angel of Mercy (B+) 3. Just Wanna Have Some Fun (D+) 4. Let Your Love Come Down (D) 5. Real Love (B) 6. Fill Me Up (C-) 7. Gotta Get Back to My Baby (B-) 8. Someone Like You (B-) 9. Family Affair (C-) 10. Plenty Lovin’ (B-) 11. Lord of the Street (C+) STEVE WINWOOD-JUNCTION SEVEN (C-) After the Traffic reunion with Jim Capaldi, Winwood was back solo 3 years later for this effort and he finds that he painted himself in a corner. This is the last album that uses any kind of 80’s production-why is there still 80’s beats and backing vocals on items like “Spy in the House of Love”, “Just Wanna Have Some Fun” and “Let Your Love Come Down, I don’t know, but this 1997 album feels like it’s still 1990 where the big beats were winding down but were still evident. Hip-hop and electronica were very big at this time, and while at times there are touches of both in the rhythm, nothing’s fresh. “Fill Me Up” sounds like it’s got a Prince synth rhythm backing from 1988 and many times drum machines are used without creativity. “Gotta Get Back to My Baby” has some experimentation with samba and it’s one of the better livelier moments here. The heart of the album seems to lie in the softer material like the Winwood-Capaldi track “Angel of Mercy” which keeps a sparse, simple arrangement with a great melody, vocal and guitar solo within a serene wonderful vibe. “Real Love” also stands out for its melodic tender joy. “Someone Like You” is another healing positive number. The Sly Stone cover – Winwood’s first cover “Family Affair” is bland. Des’ree the singer with the big hit “I Know” from 1995 sings with Steve on the funky “Plenty Lovin’” and it’s got a slinky groove and capable melody with a weaker chorus. The synth flourishes here work well though. “Lord of the Street” would be good but Capaldi’s beat keeps slamming down on it and distracting from a pretty good Winwood vocal. In the end, Winwood headed back to a more artificial sound here like he did with the Traffic reunion album but with songs that weren’t as good. The album has a number of issues, from clichéd lyrics, to middle of the road synth productions to bland songs, too many backing vocalists that drown out Winwood, too much glitz on the dated dance numbers. None of that matters to me if the songs are good like they were for Back in the High Life and Roll with It, but here, we have Winwood’s weakest. The weak chart and sales numbers were an indicator that this was the end of the line for Winwood’s mainstream fame. It couldn’t reach the top 40 in the U.S. though it did in the U.K. Winwood went back on hiatus for 6 years but he came back in the new century with a renewed spirit that renewed his 70’s style from Traffic and his solo career. Luckily, I can safely say many here will enjoy the next album About Time, easily the most Traffic sounding of his solo career and for some his critical peak from the 80’s on.
About Time Released June 17 2003 Length 69:45 Label: Windcraft Music Producer: Johnson Somerset, Steve Winwood Disc one "Different Light" (Winwood) - 6:37 "Cigano (For the Gypsies)" (Winwood-Jose Neto) - 6:21 "Take It to the Final Hour" (Winwood-Anthony Crawford) 5:37 "Why Can't We Live Together" (Timmy Thomas) "Domingo Morning" (Winwood-Jose Neto) "Now That You're Alive" (Winwood-Winwood) "Bully"(Winwood-Winwood) "Phoenix Rising" (Winwood-William Topley) "Horizon" (Winwood-Winwood) "Walking On" (Winwood-Anthony Crawford) "Silvia (Who Is She?)" (Winwood-Neto) Disc two "Dear Mr. Fantasy (Live)" "Why Can't We Live Together" "Voodoo Chile" Personnel[edit] Steve Winwood – vocals, Hammond B-3 organ José Pires de Almeida Neto – guitar Walfredo Reyes, Jr. – drums, additional percussion (2, 4) Karl Vanden Bossche – congas (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10) Richard Bailey – timbales (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10) Karl Denson – saxophone (1, 6), flute (8, 10) Production Produced by Steve Winwood Associate Producer – Johnson Somerset Engineered by George Shilling, assisted by James Towler Mixed by James Towler Recorded and Mixed at Wincraft Studios Mastered by Tony Cousins at Metropolis Mastering (London, UK). Bonus Tracks mastered by Bunt Stafford-Clark at Townhouse Studios (London, UK). Artwork by Michael Rios Photography by Gordon Jackson CD Booklet – Andy Dutlinger & Mark Berger/Madison House Design Artist Management – Mick Newton at Atomic (London, UK); Madison House Inc. (Boulder, CO). Business Management – Brighton Jeffrey James (London, UK) and Charles Sussman (Nashville, TN).
