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Traffic — Many A Mile To Freedom
Album: The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1486









Released: 1970
Length: 6:59
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Many a mile to freedom, many a smile to tell
Ask my bluebird to sing you, from the heart of a wishing well
Call all my reindeer to graze here, call all my grain to grow
Then together we flow like the river
Then together we melt like the snow

Many a thought unanswered, many a tale to tell
Ask my bluebird to sing you, from the heart of a wishing well
If you should ask me to give you the reason for life that we know
Then together we flow like the river


And together we melt like the snow

Many a mile to freedom, many a smile to tell
Ask my bluebird to sing you, from the heart of a wishing well
If you should ask me to give you the reason for life that we know
Then together we flow like the river
Then together we melt like the snow

A few more miles to go
Miles to freedom
Comments (174)add comment
 ldaly11 wrote:

Really cool song, I have never heard this.  
I found your radio station today while searching for something new to enjoy during my work day.  I love it already.  




That is why we come here!   Thanx RP!   
 Montreal_Mort wrote:

@westslope - I bet that was CHOM-fm. I was a runner there Love this album, esp Low Sparks. An important song for me and my best friend Tom. Ask me separately about partying w Jim Capaldi in St Andrews Scotland spring 78 …him playing piano at my gf’s house and us drinking the place dry …


Yes!   It was CHOM-fm.  I could pick it up in my parent's living room in Ottawa by antennae.  Simply outstanding.   

I can still hear the CHOM-fm  jingle in my head.   Quebecois pop at the time was so original and full of energy.
Really cool song, I have never heard this.  
I found your radio station today while searching for something new to enjoy during my work day.  I love it already.  
GREAT TUNE!!!
@westslope - I bet that was CHOM-fm. I was a runner there Love this album, esp Low Sparks. An important song for me and my best friend Tom. Ask me separately about partying w Jim Capaldi in St Andrews Scotland spring 78 …him playing piano at my gf’s house and us drinking the place dry …
 bkrans9 wrote:

I bought this album in 1973 and have been loving it ever since. It is one to play end to end. 

after flipping to side B ;-)

I bought this album in 1973 and have been loving it ever since. It is one to play end to end. 
I don't know what happened but I used to listen to prog rock anthems that had a longer play time than this Traffic song. I just can't do 7 minutes songs anymore. Don't stop playing them. If I enjoyed Selling England by the Pound, I can work on my musical stamina.
 tcseeley wrote:

Always thought the vocals were kind of boring, but My God! The guitar work at the end!



Dave Mason is one of the most underrated guitar players of all time, imo. 
Love this album from way back in the day
"Call on my reindeer to graze here"
Such a great Solstice song :)
Bought this album earlier this year.    Love it.  

EDIT:  I was lucky.  I listened to a Montreal FM station back in the day that played lots of Traffic and some of my buddies were Traffic fans.

Funny how I appreciate this even more almost half a century later.  
Always thought the vocals were kind of boring, but My God! The guitar work at the end!
First time i heard this song, GREAT
 kcar wrote:

I'm not a big fan of this tune, but thankfully it doesn't have Supertramp's boohoo whinging vocals.  
 

Much better than 70% of Supertramp songs.
To me the best Traffic album.
 DJ_BellsEye wrote:
Great stuff.  Brings back an entire era. Thanks Bill, you old wonderful hippie, you.
 
Great song from an absolutely great classic album.
 kcar wrote:

I'm not a big fan of this tune, but thankfully it doesn't have Supertramp's boohoo whinging vocals.  
 
Pistols at dawn!
Interesting. Love the band, but don't remember this song at all.
 tcseeley wrote:
Anyone else ever noticed how worthless the band photos are that Wikipedia uses?
 
All the good ones will be copyright protected. As far as I know Wikipedia uses royalty-free images.
 Emwolb wrote:
Saw Traffic on this tour at the NY Academy of Music (great venue which is no longer).  Opening act was JJ Cale who was so cool, but Traffic was outstanding (then again, it was the 70's and it's really tough to put all the pieces together now).
 

What a double bill!
Anyone else ever noticed how worthless the band photos are that Wikipedia uses?
 Ja300Mes wrote:
I love this song completely, but it's that outtro flute solo that gives me spine-shivers!
 
It's the lead guitar work for me. Sort of haunting, just seems like it's coming from the soul.
Track used to run through my head during my cross country days.  Wonder why?
This song always struck me as one that is like a purification against all of the bad tunes, feelings, etc. Clearly, maybe only my interpretation but the slower vibe, flute, etc just transports me...
 Billingsgate wrote:
I got so sick of this song from radio over play years ago when it first came out. And I'm still sick of it. Musical middle of the road mediocrity.
 
If you lived within broadcast range of a station that overplayed this track, you were very lucky indeed. It's not one you'll find on anybody's "most played songs of 1970" list...
Saw Traffic on this tour at the NY Academy of Music (great venue which is no longer).  Opening act was JJ Cale who was so cool, but Traffic was outstanding (then again, it was the 70's and it's really tough to put all the pieces together now).
 ...back then, I was a Teamster and we were 'taught' to never drink Coors...the non union beer  jagdriver wrote:

Yeah... I played it all the time when it was released. It then more or less became the soundtrack to a Colorado summer trip to Colorado when there was no plan except to drink Coors, camp, drink Coors, ride 10-speeds down mountain passes, drink Coors, swim, drink Coors, get high, drink Coors..... 

 


I've come to appreciate Traffic far more as a middle-aged man (borderline senior citizen) than I did as an adolescent.
I love this song completely, but it's that outtro flute solo that gives me spine-shivers!
 Billingsgate wrote:
I got so sick of this song from radio over play years ago when it first came out. And I'm still sick of it. Musical middle of the road mediocrity.

 
I sure wouldn't want to get hit in the middle of the road by the pretentiousness bus while listening to this wonderful classic that was apparently overplayed 47 years ago.
This album was spun so many times I think I wore it out.
it was one of my all time favorites.

Still good but . . . I guess it's the sound quality in streaming is just not the same.
I thought this was the Steely Dan guy when it first came on.
I played this so many times, I loved the whole album. 
I got so sick of this song from radio over play years ago when it first came out. And I'm still sick of it. Musical middle of the road mediocrity.
Great stuff.  Brings back an entire era. Thanks Bill, you old wonderful hippie, you.
A fabulously charming song with superb musicianship, infinite creativity, and fine structural  awareness, especially while listening to it at Tumon Bay in sunny Guam, USA, at 30 C in February! Hafa Adai, and stay cool, y'all!  
 bagpipe wrote:
Will this ever end ?

 
Unfortunately yes.
this is the only Traffic album I've ever owned, a lot of good stuff on it
This & a lot of Traffics music are a superlative for me. They exceed on so many levels- creativity,storytelling,musicianship,progression - perfection whether I'm high or not.
Steve your the man! 
Wishing that one time when I rate a song higher than average I watch the number increase! Just sayin'     {#Think}
Supernice song from a very good band!
Many a mile to ... happiness...   great memories!  {#Cool}
 averybadcat wrote:
Personally i would have preferred the low spark of a little barley corn here...but then I can't do anything without a little of him.
Just curious though, and asking as a newcomer to RP, would you (Bill) play such a long song as john barleycorn? — Not asking if you "are allowed" of course — just whether you ever do.   The obvious dylan jeremiads...  Extra long jams... Is it easier/harder to stretch out your time on the internet vs radio?
Anyway, great set. Thanks for the skillfully woven birds, flutes, etc.

 
While in 'song commentary' mode, if you click on the band name (in this case, 'Traffic'), you will be taken to a page displaying the last 20 songs by that group played on R.P. If, as in this case, the song you are wondering about doesn't appear there, you can do a search of the song name. In this case, John Barleycorn was played back on Jan. 25th...
Saw him and Tom Petty together at Outside Lands....Little Stevie Winwood....
 
Bought this album when first released. Have always loved Traffic! Great song.
ohh yeah gotta mellow down slow with this chill out groove..{#Cheers}
Very, very nice!
Personally i would have preferred the low spark of a little barley corn here...but then I can't do anything without a little of him.
Just curious though, and asking as a newcomer to RP, would you (Bill) play such a long song as john barleycorn? — Not asking if you "are allowed" of course — just whether you ever do.   The obvious dylan jeremiads...  Extra long jams... Is it easier/harder to stretch out your time on the internet vs radio?
Anyway, great set. Thanks for the skillfully woven birds, flutes, etc.
I some ways I am kinda glad these guys were never "BIG".
On the other hand I don't know why they were not "HUGE".
Maybe because they repeated versions of a bunch of tunes on lots of albums.
Kinda, sorta like some of today's artists.
i'm re-discovering this album right now.
 ziakut wrote:
Malaise. Sounds like Supertramp, but without the energy or creativity.

 
I'm not a big fan of this tune, but thankfully it doesn't have Supertramp's boohoo whinging vocals.  
Imagination or is there an Irish sound to this today?
One of the best chillin' albums of all time.  Used to blast this in the car, riding with the top down through the north Georgia mountains.
Will this ever end ?
A beauty.
I MUST dust off this CD and get real comfortable and just m e l l o w  o u t .... zzzzzzz
Love the title track.
This one does meander a bit.
The great and tragic Jim Gordon - Great Album
 ziakut wrote:
Malaise. Sounds like Supertramp, but without the energy or creativity.

 
or the mixing consoles. This is a very muddy track, even by Traffic standards.
Although not to the taste of everyone (as many things are) it's just one of those bands that put together the music, bands, and trends for many more musicians to come after them... 10 highly deserved!
Malaise. Sounds like Supertramp, but without the energy or creativity.
 unclehud wrote:
Flute's a nice touch, and you cannot deny the guitar work.

 
Agreed. Love this song, thanks. 
Flute's a nice touch, and you cannot deny the guitar work.
 justin4kick wrote:
Bill have mercy on us. This is just as bad as that Grateful Dead stuff.

 
Bill, thanks for mercy upon us. Some whippersnappers here just don't get that Steve Winwood cut his musical teeth at 16. Show me Brit rock better at that age and I'll go eat my guitar, hat, girlfriend and my dog.  No..........not my guitar
Bill have mercy on us. This is just as bad as that Grateful Dead stuff.
 kuntin wrote:
inanilmaz bir album akil almaz bir album incredibil diyebilirim 
{#Notworthy} 
 
If you said "This is an incredible album, I play it all the time," then I agree with you!
inanilmaz bir album akil almaz bir album incredibil diyebilirim 
{#Notworthy} 
Beautiful song from a fantastic album!! {#Angel} 

Listen to this solid album of work all the way through when you get a chance.... guaranteed to satisfy!! {#Whistle}
Wow...forgot how much I liked this disk...
 westslope wrote:

Ooooh!

First musical frisson this morning.

 

Yeah, me too, which qualifies the song for at least a 9 rating for me.
 Dav3thedog wrote:
Traffic is always welcome on RP!
 
You bet! I wore this LP (and homemade cassette) out back in the day and had to retire it for several years. Now it's a very welcome old friend.

Earlier Traffic I can listen to anytime and never tire of hearing (Paper Sun, Dealer, et al.) 
 Dav3thedog wrote:
Traffic is always welcome on RP!
 

Agreed!  not so much on my morning commute...
Traffic is always welcome on RP!
My Happy Place.
i forget about this song...because i remember blasting this album when i was in high school (found it for the first time then) and was too wrapped up in low spark, light up or leave me alone, glad & freedom rider... (whoops, those last two aren't on this album, are they?)

this is great.
 jagdriver wrote:

Yeah... I played it all the time when it was released. It then more or less became the soundtrack to a Colorado summer trip to Colorado when there was no plan except to drink Coors, camp, drink Coors, ride 10-speeds down mountain passes, drink Coors, swim, drink Coors, get high, drink Coors..... 
 
Had a similar experience with this album on a trip to Hatteras where we listened to music on the tape deck until the VW battery ran down and we had to push-start it. Music, surf, and whatever beer was on sale at Connor's Market.

Them was the days. 
 salzburg4321 wrote:
Still ethereal
 
Yeah... I played it all the time when it was released. It then more or less became the soundtrack to a Colorado summer trip to Colorado when there was no plan except to drink Coors, camp, drink Coors, ride 10-speeds down mountain passes, drink Coors, swim, drink Coors, get high, drink Coors..... 
 oilydwarf wrote:
hell fire - is that a jazz flute?!
 
Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood (24 June 1944—12 July 1983) was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve WinwoodJim Capaldi, and Dave Mason.

In Traffic, Wood primarily played flute and saxophone, occasionally contributing keyboards and vocals. Wood also co-wrote several of Traffic's songs, particularly during the earlier period of the band's recording career. His most notable contribution is as the co-writer (with Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi), of "Dear Mr. Fantasy".<3>

Wood played with Jimi Hendrix in 1968, appearing on Electric Ladyland. While Winwood temporarily joined supergroup Blind Faith in 1969, Wood, Mason and Capaldi joined Mick Weaver of Wynder K Frog, playing first as Mason, Capaldi, Wood and Frog, but soon as "Wooden Frog".<4> He then went on to tour the United States with Dr. John, where he met singer Jeanette Jacobs (formerly of the 1960s girl group The Cake). Wood and Jacobs married in 1969, when he was 25 and she was 19.

In 1969, Wood also appeared on the eponymous second album of Free and the Small FacesThe Autumn Stone. In 1970, Wood and his wife, along with Steve Winwood, joined Ginger Baker's Air Force, releasing one album before reforming Traffic. Wood remained with Traffic from the time of its 1970 reformation until its 1974 breakup. He played on John Martyn's Inside Out (1973).

Through much of his life, Wood suffered from addiction to drugs and alcohol, which were initially attributed to a fear of flying.<1> His wife Jeanette, from whom he had separated but was still on good terms, had died in 1980, at the age of 30, from the effects of a seizure. Wood was profoundly affected by her death.<1>


hell fire - is that a jazz flute?!
I heard a lot of this growing up—-it always sounds really good to me when i hear it on here. I'm gonna have to get those albums again.
 Cynaera wrote:
This song is perfect for today - we have blue sky, temperature in the mid-fifties, and maple leaves in a thick blanket all around. I love autumn, and Traffic just adds something piquant and wonderful to the mix.

To those who are complaining because of the length of this song, feel free to go elsewhere and listen to "Rockaway Beach" or some other three-minute dazzler. See you when you come back (and I'll probably still be here, listening to this song with a contented grin on my face.) {#Mrgreen}
 
I just did that, actually. Good to hear this fave again!

Still ethereal
Winwood at his best........ {#Music}
Didn't really come across Traffic much at the time, but REALLY loving them now after hearing various tracks on RP - thanks Bill and Rebecca!

This song is perfect for today - we have blue sky, temperature in the mid-fifties, and maple leaves in a thick blanket all around. I love autumn, and Traffic just adds something piquant and wonderful to the mix.

To those who are complaining because of the length of this song, feel free to go elsewhere and listen to "Rockaway Beach" or some other three-minute dazzler. See you when you come back (and I'll probably still be here, listening to this song with a contented grin on my face.) {#Mrgreen}
I love the heart and soul of this kind of music!
This is my favorite kind of music - cya in 4-5 min!
 
hencini wrote:
This is my least favorite kind of music.  See you in four or five minutes. 
 


This is my least favorite kind of music.  See you in four or five minutes. 
This is the kind of TRAFFIC I would like to be caught up in always! {#Bounce}
Ahhh rock'n'roll's most reviled instrument, flute, coupled with some really out of tune singing, mmm lots to love here....
Anyone else hear the similarity?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUwd2Gkb-E
 MojoJojo wrote:
My this does go on quite a bit. 
 
Yup. In the immortal words of Joe Strummer: f*ckin' long, innit? That's me away to make some tea, then.

Ooooh!

First musical frisson this morning.


Outstanding!
 MojoJojo wrote:
My this does go on quite a bit. 
 

Thankfully!
 Stingray wrote:
TRAFFIC GENERALLY IS A 10 - everybody knows that!

...

I am not really fond of this song, though!
Certainly one of the "weaker" ones on the album!

WHY, I WONDER, DO YOU, BILL, do not play other
TRAFFIC albums as often? Or do you?
... ...?
WHAT ABOUT "BARLEYCORN"?
 
yes

A great song from a great album!
I'm not familiar with TRAFFIC but I have to give this particular song a "3" oh-hum rating.

it just feels great to hear this song again, thank you!


 Stingray wrote:
TRAFFIC GENERALLY IS A 10 - everybody knows that!

The title-Track is beyond any rating - that special, that good!

I am not really fond of this song, though!
Certainly one of the "weaker" ones on the album!

WHY, I WONDER, DO YOU, BILL, do not play other
TRAFFIC albums as often? Or do you?

What about "When the eagles flies", what about "Canteen"...?
WHAT ABOUT "BARLEYCORN"?
 

I think it is time for "Walking In The Wind" from When the Eagle Flies. It has been over 8 years since it played here. And had a rating of 7.7!! Better than many songs we enjoy from Bill and Rebecca.
 westslope wrote:
Yes, you could.  Make it a song about the devil within and weight loss.  Kilos to freedom.....
 
{#Lol} ... you're pushing the envelope.

 Porgie_Tirebiter wrote:
Is it just me, or did Becker &/or Fagen steal a few of the riffs from this tune and
use them on a tune whose name escapes me just now?  {#Think}

 
I think Pearl Jam also ripped off the keyboard progression for Don't Call Me Daughter...

I only heard Traffic now and again but via RP I realize i enjoy them. Thank you.

One great album here. Thx Bill.


 keller1 wrote:


The early solo stuff was pretty bland, for sure.

Give his last three albums, Refugees of the Heart, About Time, and especially Nine Lives a listen.

I also recommend his work with Stomu Yamashta and Go, which is getting hard to find but well worth it.
 

Indeed - Indeed!
His work with Yamashta and GO was fantastic!

With Kevin Ayers to...?
 peter_james_bond wrote:
Many a kilometer to freedom...Bark!...that just doesn't work. You cannot convert rock to metric.
 
Yes, you could.  Make it a song about the devil within and weight loss.  Kilos to freedom.....

My this does go on quite a bit. 
 helgigermany wrote:

When it sounds nice!? Why not use the flute!

 

There is always a place for CHRIS WOOD!
In my heart anyway!
Many a kilometer to freedom...Bark!...that just doesn't work. You cannot convert rock to metric.
Seems I like just about everything where Steven Winwood sings.  Especially Blind Faith.  But this is sweet too.

TRAFFIC GENERALLY IS A 10 - everybody knows that!

The title-Track is beyond any rating - that special, that good!

I am not really fond of this song, though!
Certainly one of the "weaker" ones on the album!

WHY, I WONDER, DO YOU, BILL, do not play other
TRAFFIC albums as often? Or do you?

What about "When the eagles flies", what about "Canteen"...?
WHAT ABOUT "BARLEYCORN"?


 jagdriver wrote:

Even though all RP Tull-haters proclaim that there's no place for the flute in rock.  
 
When it sounds nice!? Why not use the flute!

Traffic is great. Love this!!
Maybe the best LP jacket design ever ...
Love this tune. {#Smile}
 kaybee wrote:
The flute in this piece is heavenly.
 
Even though all RP Tull-haters proclaim that there's no place for the flute in rock.  

Sounds like an off centered hole in the vinyl


Is it just me, or did Becker &/or Fagen steal a few of the riffs from this tune and
use them on a tune whose name escapes me just now?  {#Think}

 hippiechick wrote:
This was such a great album. How did Steve Winwood end up sucking so much?
 

The early solo stuff was pretty bland, for sure.

Give his last three albums, Refugees of the Heart, About Time, and especially Nine Lives a listen.

I also recommend his work with Stomu Yamashta and Go, which is getting hard to find but well worth it.
ugh.  had to shut it off.  many a mile to the end of the song.