The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

For the song, see The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (song).
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Studio album by Traffic
Released November 1971
Recorded September 1971, Island Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock, jazz fusion
Length 41:05
Label Island
Producer Steve Winwood
Traffic chronology
Welcome to the Canteen
(1971)		 The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
(1971)		 Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory
(1973)

The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is the sixth album by English rock band Traffic, released in 1971. As with other Traffic albums, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys featured different forms and offshoots of rock including jazz rock, progressive rock, as well as classic rock and roll. The title of the album was suggested by the actor Michael J. Pollard. The album features the hit "Rock & Roll Stew (part 1)" and the FM hit, "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys." This is the only original Traffic album to feature two lead vocals by Jim Capaldi ("Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock & Roll Stew"). His only other full lead vocal on a Traffic studio album was "Dealer" from Mr. Fantasy.

"Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" was covered by noted jam band Phish.

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys was remastered and reissued with one bonus track on March 19, 2002.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau (B) [2]

Critical retrospectives on the album varied widely. Allmusic was overwhelmingly positive in their assessment, praising the variety brought by the non-Winwood/Capaldi compositions and the power of the lengthy title track, and claiming the album "marked the commercial and artistic apex of the second coming of Traffic".[1] In contrast, Robert Christgau saw the album's only merit is that it occasionally isn't "devoid of intellectual thrust" and focus.[2] Pop Matters offered yet another viewpoint, calling it "an album that’s easy to listen to over and over, but one that seldom shows up on “best of” lists." They commented that most of the songs are highly understated and require multiple listens to appreciate.[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Hidden Treasure" – 4:16
  2. "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" – 11:35
  3. "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" (Jim Capaldi) – 4:55
  4. "Rock & Roll Stew" (Ric Grech, Jim Gordon) – 4:29
  5. "Many a Mile to Freedom" (Steve Winwood, Anna Capaldi[4]) – 7:26
  6. "Rainmaker" – 7:39

Bonus track (2002 reissue)

  1. "Rock & Roll Stew Parts 1 & 2" (Grech, Gordon) – 6:07

Note: This track contains complete original studio performance with no interruption. The original album version, "Rock & Roll Stew (part 1)", fades out early in the recording. The "part 1" which appears on the "Rock & Roll Stew" single is an edit (with shortened instrumental break) of the album version. Part 2 (side B of the single) fades in at a point past the album version's fadeout. This is also the version of "Rock & Roll Stew" that's featured on the Gold compilation.

Personnel

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1972 Billboard Pop Albums 7[6]

Singles

Year Song Chart Position
1972 "Rock & Roll Stew Part 1" Billboard Pop Singles 93[6]

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold February 7, 1972
Platinum March 3, 1996

References

  1. ^ a b The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys at Allmusic
  2. ^ a b Traffic reviews, Robert Christgau. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Lankford, Ronnie D., Jr. (May 30, 2002.) Album review, Pop Matters.
  4. ^ "BMI Copyright Database.". http://www.winwoodfans.com/legal/manymile.htm. ; also per credits on original LP label. Later releases erroneously, but understandably, credit Jim.
  5. ^ "Steve Winwood website.". http://stevewinwood.com/releases/traffic/traffic_the_low_spark_of_highheeled_boys. 
  6. ^ a b Traffic in the USA Charts, Allmusic. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
Traffic
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Best of Traffic • Heavy Traffic • More Heavy Traffic • Smiling Phases • Traffic Gold
Songs
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