Released in the fall of 1974, When the Eagle Flies was Traffic's swan song. Since the band's humble beginnings, Steve Winwood had taken Traffic's music through a half-dozen radical permutations, leading with evolutionary zeal to the spacey and wide-open frontiers of The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory. By '73's On the Road, Traffic had become a seven-member band, ministering R&B, jazz and rock 'n' roll to sold-out audiences around the world.
"Well, the changes were, you know changes. We all went through them. The group now, today . . . well, it's more loose and more . . . evasive. Difficult to put a finger on. The vagueness that we have is often missed, you know. But we all benefited from doing those things. We all played with different people, and we learned. Before, in Traffic, there was almost this jealousy thing if we played with someone else. That doesn't exist anymore, you know, that's just bullshit."
Traffic are a better band than they used to be. And they are going to be even better next time they appear live because Rick Grech will be on bass, giving them more definite rhythm patterns and therefore, more freedom for Steve Winwood and Chris Wood. That's the opinion of drummer Jim Capaldi and he should know. Grech is an obvious extension to Traffic. He was in Blind Faith with Winwood. Capaldi has known him since his Family days, and he, Winwood and Wood were originally involved in Airforce. So, in a way, the album released last week is something of a memorial to the Traffic trio. They won't be appearing for a month or two because of rehearsals so when they next step on stage Traffic will be a quartet.
Eighteen months ago Traffic broke up. Stevie went off to Blind Faith; Chris Wood played with Dr. John and Air Force; and Jim Capaldi worked with ex-Traffic member Dave Mason (whose just released his song "World in Changes" on Harvest records) and, for a short time, with Heavy Jelly, a group composed of some ex-Ansley Dunbar Retaliation musicians.