William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: When the Eagle Flies ; Year: 1974; Genre: Progressive Rock After reading an article about Steve Winwood and his music it got me in the mood to listen to some more. When the Eagle Flies was basically the final studio album from Traffic, not counting the one-off 1994 reunion album Far from Home . Walking in the Wind has a great, infectious groove with Winwood's amazing organ and synth playing on top; such a nice track to have going whilst working.    Hear Walking in the Wind on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Megadeth - Killing Time     My song pick 2 years ago today: Chicago - Colour My World   My song pick 3 years ago today: Devo - Shout   My song pick 4 years ago today: Ebony Rhythm Band - Get Yourself Together (Smiling Phases/Sunshine of Your Love Medley)   My song pick 5 years ago today: Genesis - Harold the Barrel   My song pick 6 years ago today: The Kinks - Apeman   My song pick 7 years ago...

From: Mr. Fantasy ; Year: 1967; Genre: Psychedelic Rock I grew up hearing the cover version of this song by Three Dog Night , but eventually came across the original from Traffic. It ended up that I really love both versions, but in different ways due to the different approaches and arrangements of the piece.     Hear Heaven is in Your Mind on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Moody Blues - Gypsy (Of a Strange and Distant Time)   My song pick 2 years ago today: Alice in Chains - Again   My song pick 3 years ago today: Toad the Wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean My song pick 4 years ago today: Soundgarden - 4th of July My song pick 5 years ago today: Carmen - Dancing on a Cold Wind My song pick 6 years ago today: Jane's Addiction - Three Days My song pick 7 years ago today: Grand Funk Railroad - Some Kind of Wonderful My song pick 8 years ago today: The Isley Brothers - The Pride (Parts 1&2) My song pick 9 years ago today...

From: Traffic ; Year: 1968; Genre: Rock I'm kind of surprised that I had not chosen this original version of Feelin' Alright? as of yet, but better late than never I guess. This version is a bit less heavy than the most popular cover by Joe Cocker, but has incredible musicianship throughout.   Hear Feelin' Alright? on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Bad Company - Ready for Love   My song pick 2 years ago today: Tesla - Not Fragile My song pick 3 years ago today: Jigsaw - Ready to Ride My song pick 4 years ago today: Billy Joel - Big Man on Mulberry Street My song pick 5 years ago today: INXS - Suicide Blonde My song pick 6 years ago today: Pleasure - Bouncy Lady My song pick 7 years ago today: Pearl Jam - Once My song pick 8 years ago today: Rush - Lock and Key My song pick 9 years ago today: Porcupine Tree - Time Flies My song pick 10 years ago today: David Bowie - Life on Mars? My song pick 11 years ago today: Lorenzo ...

From: Mr. Fantasy ; Year: 1967; Genre: Psychedelic Rock Heard one of their songs on the radio yesterday, I didn't have any other bands in mind to pick a song from, so I'm going ahead and picking one. Hear Smiling Phases on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Van der Graaf Generator - The Emperor In His War Room My song pick 2 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Feel the Thunder My song pick 3 years ago today: The Temptations - War My song pick 4 years ago today: Eric Stuart Band - Lipstick & Barbed Wire My song pick 5 years ago today: Band of Horses - A Little Biblical My song pick 6 years ago today: Kansas - Portrait (He Knew) My song pick 7 years ago today: Nightwish - Passion and the Opera My song pick 8 years ago today: Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome My song pick 9 years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Let It Ride My song pick 10 years ago today: Queen - Flash My song pick 11 years ago today: Joe Cocker - When The Night...

From: John Barleycorn Must Die ; Year: 1970; Genre: Progressive Rock This is a pretty cool instrumental piece from the pen of Steve Winwood with the band Traffic. It's one you might or might not remember, it does not get a lot of play on classic rock radio, but it's still a great song all in all in my opinion. Hear Glad on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Megadeth - Rattlehead My song pick 2 years ago today: Parliament - Everything Is on the One My song pick 3 years ago today: Symphony X - Iconoclast My song pick 4 years ago today: John Fogerty - The Old Man Down the Road My song pick 5 years ago today: Jefferson Airplane - 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds   My song pick 6 years ago today: Metallica - Orion My song pick 7 years ago today: Jethro Tull - No Lullaby My song pick 8 years ago today: Cyndi Lauper - The Goonies 'R' Good Enough My song pick 9 years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into The Great Wide Open My song...

From: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys ; Year: 1971; Genre: Rock/Hard Rock/Funk Rock Just in the mood for something from Steve Winwood and traffic; you gotta love that amazing funky groove. Hear Rock 'n' Roll Stew Parts 1&2 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Chris Squire - Lucky Seven My song pick two years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - The Chain My song pick three years ago today: The Grateful Dead - Casey Jones My song pick four years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon My song pick five years ago today: Return To Forever - The Magician My song pick six years ago today: The Gipsy Kings - Hotel California My song pick seven years ago today: The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

1479 Three Dog Night - Heaven is in Your Mind From: Three Dog Night (One) , Year: 1968 Genre: Rock/Psychedelia I had this song playing in my head most of the morning this Sunday. I decided that if I could find it on YouTube I would make it my pick for today, and sure enough it was there. As with the majority of Three Dog Night's songs, this is a cover; it was originally written by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood and recorded a year earlier on the Traffic album Mr. Fantasy . This is another one of my favourite "headphone music" tracks; I love how they played with vocals and harmonies to make an interesting sounding song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a television video clip circa '69 on YouTube. Here is the original version performed by Traffic on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Queensrÿche - One & Only My song pick two years ago today: The Spiders - Back My song pick three years ago today: Nena...

1041 Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys It's not a bad song that has been running through my mind most of the morning, and well... early afternoon. Anyway, the light Jazz mixed with Progressive Rock sounds of this track is an excellent song to fit my mood today; a very nice piece of music indeed. Here is part on of the studio version on YouTube. Here is part two of the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Hawkwind - Silver Machine My song pick two years ago today: Savatage - Complaint In The System +

This is quite an odd song if you look at it a certain way. It is a traditional British Folk song concerning the processing of grains to make things such as bread and alcohol. However, it was written as such to make the listener believe that the grain is a person getting tortured to death in a truly horrific manner. I have always loved Traffic's version of the song, they did song a great service. The vocal harmonies are just amazing and tight, they mix excellently with the progressive acoustic sound of the song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

I have always loved Steve Winwood's music and in my opinion he is one of the greatest musicians of our time. It is a really cool grooving blues song with good lyrics, which makes it listenable for the masses as well as for the musician and musical connoisseur; very much an excellent song. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is a live performance by Steve Winwood on YouTube. +