Dave Mason & Friends - 1979-06-02 - Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA

Dave Mason and Friends
1979-06-02
Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
FM Broadcast Recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Moving on with Post-Traffic artists, here is Dave Mason. Although Dave Mason was a founding member of Traffic, and contributed on and off to the band through 1970, he never quite fully fit in with the group, not collaborating much, generally just showing up with his songs already formed and the band expected to play them as he wanted. So, although he contributed some great songs, he never seemed fully invested into Traffic, and kept quite busy outside the band even during the times he was ostensibly a part of it. During those years Dave Mason hung out and played with some really big names, including Jimi Hendrix (introduced Jimi to and played on 'All Along the Watchtower'), the Rolling Stones (Beggar's Banquet), and Eric Clapton with Delaney and Bonnie. And Dave was always more in the singer-songwriter vein, with less of the jazz influences as the other Traffic members. After leaving Traffic, he released his first solo album, Alone Together, in 1970, which yielded the hit single 'Only You Know and I Know'. He also released a duo album with Cass Elliot, Dave Mason & Cass Elliot, around that time.  After a dispute with his record company over his next album, Mason left, and the album Headkeeper (1972) was released despite Mason's protests. Mason moved to Columbia Records and released a string of increasingly successful albums, It's Like You Never Left (1973), Dave Mason (1974), Split Coconut (1975), culminating in Let it Flow (1977), which featured his biggest solo hit, 'We Just Disagree', as well other songs that received radio airplay, and reached Platinum sales status. Subsequent albums, Mariposo de Ora (1978) and Old Crest on a New Wave (1980) were less successful and marked the last of his Columbia albums and the slow decline of his solo career. Here today we have a show from Dave in the late '70's, still riding a wave of popularity, and joined by his regular band featuring ace guitarist Jim Krueger, as well as some of his rock star friends, with Stephen Stills sitting in, and Joe Cocker dropping by for a couple songs. A fine show from an FM broadcast, with Dave showcasing his solo songs along with a couple from his Traffic days and some classic rock covers.    

Tracklist:
1. Share Your Love
2. Only You Know and I Know
3. Pearly Queen
4. You Are Every Woman
5. Take It To the Limit
6. Look At You, Look At Me
7. I Fell In Love
8. Watching the River Flow*
9. We Just Disagree
10. Bring Your Love In
11. Let It Flow
12. All Along the Watchtower
13. band intros, encore break
14. Stand By Me
15. second encore break
16. Feelin' Alright*

Dave Mason Band:
Dave Mason - vocals, guitar
Jim Krueger - vocals, guitar
Mike Finnigan - vocals, keyboards
Jimmy Haslip - bass
Rick Jaeger - drums
with special guests
Stephen Stills - guitar
Mark Stein - keyboards
Lisa Robbins - vocals
and * featuring Joe Cocker - vocals

FLAC - Dave Mason_1979-06-02_Berkeley_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Dave Mason_1979-06-02_Berkeley_mp3.rar

Steve Winwood - 1978-08-19 - Rough Hill Festival, Gloucestershire, U.K.

Steve Winwood
1978-08-19
Rough Hill Festival, Gloucestershire, U.K.
Soundboard recording (reportedly, but may be high quality audience), very good quality
Available in Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

OK, I was going to end the Traffic posts with the last one, but then decided to go ahead and follow up with subsequent music from Traffic members. After the sudden dissolution of Traffic in 1974, Steve Winwood retreated into Session work for awhile. In 1976, he joined  Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta and an all-star cast for his Jazz-rock concept album Go (1976) and subsequent tour. In 1977, Winwood released his first solo album, Steve Winwood, followed by his first tour as a solo artist in 1978.  The album was initially met with disappointment among Traffic fans, but it actually is a solid album. Winwood, however, would find commercial success in his next solo album, Arc of a Diver (1980), an entirely home studio-recorded album where Winwood played all the parts and instruments. The album was a big hit, receiving much radio airplay, and featuring his first top ten single, "When You See A Chance". The show featured today, however, is from his earlier 1978 tour, and is considered one of his first performances as a solo act. The setlist features most of the songs from his first album, as well as a few from his Spencer Davis and Traffic days, as well as a couple of old rock standards. The show is significant for featuring some of the only live performances for the songs from his first album, as they were quickly dropped from future setlists after his later albums came out. 

Tracklist:
1. I'm a Man (Winwood-Miller) 5:10
2. Midland Maniac (Winwood) 8:34
3. Hold On (Winwood-Capaldi) 5:12
4. The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (Winwood-Capaldi) 12:42
5. Walking in the Wind (Winwood-Capaldi) 7:19
6. Let Me Make Something in Your Life (Winwood-Capaldi) 5:11
7. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Cox) 4:01
8. And Then He Kissed Me (Spector-Greenwich-Barry) 2:24
9. Two Way Stretch (Winwood) 5:47
10. Vacant Chair (Winwood-Stanshall) 7:37
11. Time is Running Out (Winwood-Capaldi) 8:44
12. Gimme Some Lovin’ (Winwood-Winwood-Davis) 10:33
13. Hound Dog (Leiber-Stoller) 5:07
Total time: 88:25

Steve Winwood: organ, synthesizer, vocals
John Porter: guitar
Terry Stannard: drums
Demelza: percussion
Nicole Tacot (Nicole Winwood): vocals

FLAC - Steve Winwood_1978-08-19_RoughHill_FLAC.rar

MP3 -Steve Winwood_1978-08-19_RoughHill_mp3.rar

Traffic - 1972-02-21 - Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Monica, CA

Traffic
February 21, 1972
Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Monica, CASoundboard recording, excellent quality
Plus Bonus tracks from 1973-04-12 - Rainbow Theatre, London
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more from Traffic. Following Dave Mason's third and last departure from the band in 1970, Traffic, with their expanded lineup (trio of Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood supplemented with Ric Grech on bass, Jim Gordon on drums, and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah) started work on and released what would become their most successful album, The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (1971), which contained probably their best blend of jazz, rock, folk, and blues in a landmark album. However, personnel issues persisted, with Grech and Gordon leaving shortly after the album was released. They were replaced by David Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums) for the subsequent tour, which was a big success. This lineup continued on with the next album, Shootout at the Fantasy Factory (1973), but although the album had some great moments, the slow, sprawling, improvisational style often seemed somewhat lackluster relative to the previous albums. A big world tour followed, which was a major success, and resulted in the double live album On The Road (1973). Unfortunately, more trouble followed, with Hood, Hawkins, and Kwaku Baah all leaving at the end of the tour, Winwood was plagued by recurrent peritonitis issues, and Wood's drug use was becoming worse. Another new album was released in 1974, When The Eagle Flies, but was not up to previous standards, and the band essentially ended when Winwood walked off the stage and left the band in the middle of a show in Chicago in 1974. Both Capaldi and Winwood went on to successful solo careers. Chris Wood died in 1983. The remaining members reunited in 1994 for a one-off tour with the Grateful Dead, but then Winwood and Capaldi continued to work together, releasing a new Traffic album, Far From Home (1994), followed by a tour, which eventually resulted in another live album, The Last Great Traffic Jam (2005). The band and its 4 original members were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Here I have a great show from the 1972 Low Spark Tour, a great soundboard recording from the Santa Monica show, which was filmed and recorded (complete show is available to watch on Youtube. I have supplemented the Santa Monica show with some additional songs from a 1973 London show, which features tracks from the subsequent Shootout at the Fantasy Factory album. So, here is Traffic, once again, and probably at their peak here, but unfortunately they would not last much longer.    

Tracklist:
01. Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
02. Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
03. John Barleycorn
04. Rainmaker
05. Percussion Solo
06. Glad
07. Freedom Rider
08. Forty Thousand Headmen
09. Dear Mr Fantasy
Bonus Tracks (1973-04-12-Rainbow Theatre, London)
10. Shootout at the Fantasy Factory
11. Rock n' Roll Stew
12. Evening Blue
13. Tragic Magic
14. Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired

band members:
Steve Winwood – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass
Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, vocals
Chris Wood – flute, saxophone, keyboards
Rebop Kwaku Baah – percussion
Roger Hawkins – drums
David Hood – bass

FLAC - Traffic_1972-02-21_Santa Monica_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Traffic_1972-02-21_Santa Monica_mp3.rar