Arizona Amp & Alternator is Howe Gelb’s latest project for one of my favorite labels Thrill Jockey, who’ve apparently just redesigned their site for the first time in eight years. (Three-disc set of rare Tortoise coming out this spring, incidentally.)
Arizona’s self-titled debut features M.Ward, a few Grandaddy guys, Scout Niblett, Jeremy from Arcade Fire, and “Danish chanteuse Marie Frank.” But Gelb is the “head mechanic” as the site says.
Check out AAAA’s Traffic cover.
Arizona Amp & Alternator – “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” (MP3 Link Expired)
And an even better version from RLJ.
Rickie Lee Jones – “Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys” (MP3 Link Expired)
If anyone’s got the original handy, send my way and I’ll throw up on the server so you can see hear what blew people’s mind’s in 1971 … and all the Winwood fans can come out of the closet.
UPDATE: We asked. YouSentIt. (Thanks Scott S.) Go here for Traffic purposes.
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I love the Traffic album Mr. Fantasy, which is sort of their music-hall/psych-pop period of the mid 60s, but the more jam-oriented stuff is a bit of a bummer. Winwood has an awesome and distinctive voice, though, and is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist.
Traffic’s version of “Can’t Find My Way Home” is my all-time favorite.
Here’s the Traffic original:
http://s61.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2CU8KOZR7IP283BVFC4JXA4MXG
Though I like the pre-1969 Traffic — and some of the Clapton/Winwood Blind Faith collaboration (which is where you can find Can’t Find My Way Home) — I really love John Barleycorn Must Die and Low Spark (and the live album of that period, Welcome to the Canteen). It was the height of Winwood’s career, I think — jazzy and melodic but with a bit of a harder edge than the more hippy dippy moments of the early Traffic stuff. (The sax freak out at the end of the original “Low Spark” is one of my favorite moments in rock, with Winwood chasing down the horn with huge galloping clumps of chording.) Those three records hold up very well after 35 or so years.
Couldn’t agree more, Richard. I wore out a couple of vinyl versions of “John Barleycorn” in college and made it a priority to find on CD in the ’80s. Still gets spins on the iPod today…
Eh, I’ll take “Berkshire Poppies” over John Barleycorn anyday. I like succinct wierdness in my pop, instead of drawn-out weirdness, unless we’re talking early Eno here.
My choice traffic pick is “Medicated Goo” from Last Exit. I think it sounds a lot like Blind Faith.
Low Spark has always been my favorite Traffic song. I saw Steve Winwood in concert a few years back and he did a 25 minute version that blew my mind. Soooooo good.