Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory
3 March 2010
5 Comments
4.5
Album Description
Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this classic album from the British Rock band led by Steve Winwood, originally released in 1973. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won’t believe it’s the same CD! Universal. 2008…. More >>
I first heard traffic in 72 with low spark thhis is the follow up record it is a lackluster album.try the new winwood cd.mike
Rating: 2 / 5
“Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory” could have easily been called “Low Spark Volume 2.” Steve Winwood’s immense talents are again wasted on jazz-fusion noodling. “Evening Blue” is a nice folk-rock number, and the album as a whole has more of a rock edge than the easy-listening “Low Spark,” but Traffic is still clearly running out of steam. To make matters worse, the album closes with “Uninspired,” a cliched keep-a-stiff-upper-lip anthem with lyrics that read like a hippie’s Hallmark card, and (very unusual for a Winwood recording) musical accompaniment that takes a back seat to the words. Come to think of it, that song could have provided the title for the entire album.
Rating: 3 / 5
“Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory” could have easily been called “Low Spark Volume 2.” Steve Winwood’s immense talents are again wasted on jazz-fusion noodling. “Evening Blue” is a nice folk-rock number, and the album as a whole has more of a rock edge than the easy-listening “Low Spark,” but Traffic is still clearly running out of steam. To make matters worse, the album closes with “Uninspired,” a cliched keep-a-stiff-upper-lip anthem with lyrics that read like a hippie’s Hallmark card, and (very unusual for a Winwood recording) musical accompaniment that takes a back seat to the words. Come to think of it, that song could have provided the title for the entire album.
Rating: 3 / 5
I think this album has one good song, the title song; Fantasy Factory. I enjoyed it in the 70′s, often when I was smoking weed.
But now the weed is gone and we have Ipod’s instead. So now it’s like buying one joint (never did myself), we can also just buy one song and download it.
There you have….rock on….
Rating: 3 / 5
” Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory” was recorded on the first few days of 1973, in Jamiaca in order to, as the linear notes claimed ” nurture the creative elements of the band”. This recording also brought two new musicians from The United States, Roger Hawkins and David Hood to Traffic. With these new additions, you would expect a fuller sound from Traffic, that would enrich their often creative approach to rock. Instead, the sound of this recording often seems uncomplete and a bit unneccessarey. The melodies, however, offer a lot of potential and things to work with. The title track titled “Shoot out at the fantasy factory” is a mid tempo rocker that offers a freash start quite different from the other tracks, that are often moody and mellow. The lyrics are almost inaudible in this song, which is quite odd and it is a bit, as is often in Traffic songs, a bit repetitive. The second track titled ” Roll Right Stones” allows Steve Winwood to rise to his full potential, because of its gospel/blues feel. Though many believe it is too long, I think it is arranged in a very creative way, with a multileveled melody that has many twists and turns. One suggestion for this tune that would make it better is perhaps a larger contribution from Chris Wood on woodwinds and more improvisation. The third track on this recording is ” Evening Blue”, a crisp balled that may sound stale at first but becomes better ( as many of the tracks do) as you listen closer. Winwood’s gentle vioce and Wood’s mysteriouse flute add some flavor to this piece. The fourth piece on this recording is ” Tragic Magic”, one of the few compositions by Chris Wood. I noticed that Chris Wood is often in the background with his woodwinds. This was his chance to shine and come to the spotlight. The melody was catchy but a bit repetitive and some improvisitation would greaten the effect of its blues/jazz feel. The last tune on this recording is ” Sometimes I Feel so Uninspired”. The melody is wonderful in this piece, and it presents a crisp guitar solo that comes as a welcoming sight to the ears. The piece is powerful, a bit too much on the preachy side ( for me personally)but simultanously inspiring. For one of the fist times in this album Traffic is truely being itself. Sometimes, it seems to me Traffic trys to hard to incorparate jazz, blues and other sounds to their music. I am personally a big fan of jazz and blues, but it often sounds unnatural for Traffic. An example is their song from the previouse album, : Low Sparks of High Heeled Boys. Although it was considered a classic hit, I think it is one of Traffic’s weaker tunes. It also seems sometimes that Steve Winwood ( who composed most of the tunes) and Jim Capaldi ( who wrote the often preachy and sentimental lyrics) are just running out of ideas. However, with the help of Chris Woold’s soft woodwinds, Rebop Kwaku Baah’s inspiring percussions, Steve Winwood’s vioce and guitar ( when he is being himself) and the rest of the band’s contributions ( which are hard to hear at times), this album manages to create a certain atmosphere. Though it can not be called fantastical, the melodies manage to soemhow create an atmosphere. Though this is not a must have album in any way, it has the ability to create, with its moody and often mellow tunes, a certain rhyme that one begans to appreaciate increasingly. It does not live up to its fantastic name or cover but there is something their that is hard to capture. Perhaps that is what keeps us listining.
Rating: 3 / 5