WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Boomer Anthems: Dear Mr. Fantasy
byVanderleunonApril 24, 2021
Winwood in 1970. BTW: I had the exact same pants at the same time. What can I say? We were young.
Surviving Traffic member Steve Winwood at the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007. NB: The solo at 2:12 is not to be passed by without serious attention being paid.
Winwood was a key member of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and Go. He also had a successful solo career with hits including “While You See a Chance”, “Valerie”, “Back in the High Life Again” and two US Billboard Hot 100 number ones, “Higher Love” and “Roll with It” charting 20 years after the start of his recording career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic in 2004… — LaWik
Capaldi recalled the exact moment that spawned “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”
One early morning at the Cottage he was coming down off LSD, sketching in front of a log fire. Bubbling out of his acid-fired subconsciousness and through his pencil came the image of a man hanging on puppet strings and wearing a spiked hat with the words, “Dear Mr. Fantasy, play us a tune, something to make us all happy” scrawled under him.
Wood found Capaldi’s sketch and set a bass line to it. That evening they drove into the city and recorded the song at Olympic Studios. They burned incense in the recording room and turned the lights low to capture the mood the song had been borne from.
During recording, producer Jimmy Miller was so excited by what he heard that he jumped into the room playing maracas, eagerly driving the band on. It’s the only instrumental credit he has on the album. – Songfacts
Dear Mister Fantasy play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar
Make it snappy, yeah
Dear Mister Fantasy play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar
Make it snappy
You are the one who can make us all laugh
But doing that you break out in tears
Please don’t be sad if it was a straight mind you had
We wouldn’t have known you all these years
The making of the album as remembered fifty years later:
I love watching Guitarists doing great solo work, It’s my favorite musical performance. I hate when the videographer switches to the keyboardist doing very basic keyboarding at the height of the guitar solo, yet it seems to happen all the time. Of course the back view is #2 of most hated angles during a guitar solo.
ghostsniperApril 25, 2021, 4:33 AM
Kevin sed: “Of course the back view is #2 of most hated angles during a guitar solo.”
=======
Right.
I have viewed many videos of Steve Vai playing “For the Love of God”, and not once have they shown the most amazing part of that song, the 300+ note trill that sonically seems impossible. I can do maybe 20 notes in a trill but the amount of effort to mentally “float” like Vai does is impossible for me.
float: Is an expression to try to describe where the mind is no longer in control of an activity and the hands seem to be doing what they do of their own accord. The first time I floated was scary cause I didn’t know what had happened and unconsciously bailed, then later it took a lot of effort to achieve that state again. You know the starting point and several key points along the way and all the stuff in between is sort of very fast filler material. In Vai’s case he knows maybe 10 key points and then about 30 notes between each key point, and it goes like a blur. Bite size chunks they say.
brinsterApril 25, 2021, 5:07 AM
Best I remember, Winwood was 18 or 19 when Traffic produced the Mr. Fantasy LP. Odd thing is, Dave Mason contributed more than one song on the album, but wasn’t on the cover. They split up and got back together multiple times.
The amount of timeless, legendary music this dude created before he was 25 is unbelievable.
Reading through his Wikipedia entry, I did not realize before that John Barleycorn was basically a solo album with session work from Capaldi and Wood. Holy smokes — he was 21-22 when he did that!
stephen_barronApril 25, 2021, 8:11 AM
My very first rock concert was Blind Faith at the LA Forum. My mom worked at the Forum at the time, and there had been some rowdy concerts earlier, but after she got to see a bit of the Elvis concert there, she felt like it was safe enough to let her pre-teen venture there with his friends.
HossApril 25, 2021, 8:15 AM
Had the pleasure of seeing Winwood in Eugene back in 2014 at a show headlined by Tom Petty and his great band. A birthday present from my wife. This is in no way a knock on Petty, who was fantastic, but I left wondering why Winwood was not headlining his own tour. A phenomenal evening.
Sorry to bust everyone’s bubble, but nothing Winwood ever did tops the suite “Glad/Freedom Rider” — the most unappreciated piece of music in the history of classic rock
And oi’ll be foighting any man in this bahr what says different
EX-Californian PeteApril 25, 2021, 12:13 PM
Blind Faith.
I remember people calling them “The Original Super Group” when their album debuted.
No one makes music like that any more- kind of an impossible task.
And that was one of the rare instances when every single song on the album was pure excellence, instead of a couple of good songs and some “filler tunes.”
How truly fortunate we are to have been born in the era of such great music, only slightly preceded by some of the world’s OTHER great music- the “Big Bands” and “Swing” music, played by the Greatest Generation.
SkorpionApril 25, 2021, 1:13 PM
Saw Winwood with the reunited “Traffic” — Capaldi on percussion/vocals, Rosko Gee on bass, and various sidemen — in 1994. Absolutely stunning live. He did a solo acoustic encore of “John Barleycorn Must Die” that brought the house down. (Did you know that traditional-British folk tune is one of the *oldest* known songs in the English language?)
TeeRoy JenkinsApril 25, 2021, 2:44 PM
My first concert age 13 (1976) at the Capitol Centre in Maryland. I had the John Barleycorn must die album and the one with cut off corners that had low spark of high heeled boys.
NoriApril 25, 2021, 3:36 PM
The original acoustic version of Can’t Find My Way Home is indeed the best. Ginger Baker’s unusual drumwork gave it a depth and fullness other versions lack,no matter the guitar wizard.
Interesting that so many of these astoundingly talented Brits were born during WWII,or shortly thereafter. Like the stressed-out Mums & Dads passed on something that produced a bumper crop of superbly talented musicians.
Winwood in those Peugeot seat cover pants still looks waaay better than Hillary in her tight striped circus pants of the same era.
Dear Mr Fantasy,thank you for this great,great tune.
JackApril 25, 2021, 4:36 PM
Great vid, vid contributions and comments. You guys made my day. Most excellent!!!
H (science denier)April 25, 2021, 6:37 PM
When “Valerie” came out, I had just gotten over being kicked to the curb by a gal of the same name who, after promising her undying affection, had thrown me over for her version of Mr. Fantasy with a pocket full of cash and a Lincoln and promises of being rich together. What interesting timing, I thought. Then it turned out the pocket full of cash was all credit card debt and the Lincoln was leased and all of a sudden, Mr. Fantasy didn’t look quite as fantastic anymore, so she started coming around again. It also turned out that I wasn’t the same boy I used to be. Sorry, sweetheart, 40,000 Headmen couldn’t make me change my mind about your avarice and greed, so, no sale.
Traffic live, Winwood played the piano, to this day, the conga players what stands out, in my minds eye memory. Was after Nov 71’ “Low Spark OfHigh Heeled Boys”, had just come out, and I was blown away. Bonus points, Who was one of Traffics Roadies??? Dave Mason!.
It’s interesting, I started this day with a dose of Low Spark, thru my Klipsch Cornwalls, series II and III. I’d slipped in a different Tube amp, a Stromberg Carlson, I purchased from a Engineer for Boeing, at the time he managed Boeing’s Stereo club.
upgraded EVERYTHING painstakingly building the Phono stage, and identifying exactly which tubes to Roll, with certain music. 13/14 watts of pure heavenly music. Amazing
Winwoods contribution to rock roll is huge, I still have my original albums,,,,,,Lowspark, Barlycorn, etc etc, epic music.
Village Odiot
EdApril 26, 2021, 5:48 PM
Low Spark is just an amazing album, not a song or note is less than excellent. “Many a Mile to Freedom” and “Rainmaker” are just magic, and Winwood’s singing and guitar on each are breathtaking. What a band at that time, with Rebop and Jim Gordon on percussion, Ric Grech, Chris Wood innovating like crazy, and old keyboarder Winwood proving to be fabulous on guitar. Many years later it remains one of my most-played recordings, I hear something additional with each listening. Winwood has accomplished so much, and you don’t hear bad snark about the man.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
“And I’m wasted and I can’t find my way home”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSn2Y-b6wI
Nice stickwork that every 6 string gunslinger should have in their arsenal.
Roll the tone all the way back and give it to slow hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L82II1lNjo
I love watching Guitarists doing great solo work, It’s my favorite musical performance. I hate when the videographer switches to the keyboardist doing very basic keyboarding at the height of the guitar solo, yet it seems to happen all the time. Of course the back view is #2 of most hated angles during a guitar solo.
Kevin sed: “Of course the back view is #2 of most hated angles during a guitar solo.”
=======
Right.
I have viewed many videos of Steve Vai playing “For the Love of God”, and not once have they shown the most amazing part of that song, the 300+ note trill that sonically seems impossible. I can do maybe 20 notes in a trill but the amount of effort to mentally “float” like Vai does is impossible for me.
float: Is an expression to try to describe where the mind is no longer in control of an activity and the hands seem to be doing what they do of their own accord. The first time I floated was scary cause I didn’t know what had happened and unconsciously bailed, then later it took a lot of effort to achieve that state again. You know the starting point and several key points along the way and all the stuff in between is sort of very fast filler material. In Vai’s case he knows maybe 10 key points and then about 30 notes between each key point, and it goes like a blur. Bite size chunks they say.
Best I remember, Winwood was 18 or 19 when Traffic produced the Mr. Fantasy LP. Odd thing is, Dave Mason contributed more than one song on the album, but wasn’t on the cover. They split up and got back together multiple times.
The amount of timeless, legendary music this dude created before he was 25 is unbelievable.
Reading through his Wikipedia entry, I did not realize before that John Barleycorn was basically a solo album with session work from Capaldi and Wood. Holy smokes — he was 21-22 when he did that!
My very first rock concert was Blind Faith at the LA Forum. My mom worked at the Forum at the time, and there had been some rowdy concerts earlier, but after she got to see a bit of the Elvis concert there, she felt like it was safe enough to let her pre-teen venture there with his friends.
Had the pleasure of seeing Winwood in Eugene back in 2014 at a show headlined by Tom Petty and his great band. A birthday present from my wife. This is in no way a knock on Petty, who was fantastic, but I left wondering why Winwood was not headlining his own tour. A phenomenal evening.
hear it as originally intended-
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I21sDsLYJOI
Sorry to bust everyone’s bubble, but nothing Winwood ever did tops the suite “Glad/Freedom Rider” — the most unappreciated piece of music in the history of classic rock
And oi’ll be foighting any man in this bahr what says different
Blind Faith.
I remember people calling them “The Original Super Group” when their album debuted.
No one makes music like that any more- kind of an impossible task.
And that was one of the rare instances when every single song on the album was pure excellence, instead of a couple of good songs and some “filler tunes.”
How truly fortunate we are to have been born in the era of such great music, only slightly preceded by some of the world’s OTHER great music- the “Big Bands” and “Swing” music, played by the Greatest Generation.
Saw Winwood with the reunited “Traffic” — Capaldi on percussion/vocals, Rosko Gee on bass, and various sidemen — in 1994. Absolutely stunning live. He did a solo acoustic encore of “John Barleycorn Must Die” that brought the house down. (Did you know that traditional-British folk tune is one of the *oldest* known songs in the English language?)
My first concert age 13 (1976) at the Capitol Centre in Maryland. I had the John Barleycorn must die album and the one with cut off corners that had low spark of high heeled boys.
The original acoustic version of Can’t Find My Way Home is indeed the best. Ginger Baker’s unusual drumwork gave it a depth and fullness other versions lack,no matter the guitar wizard.
Interesting that so many of these astoundingly talented Brits were born during WWII,or shortly thereafter. Like the stressed-out Mums & Dads passed on something that produced a bumper crop of superbly talented musicians.
Winwood in those Peugeot seat cover pants still looks waaay better than Hillary in her tight striped circus pants of the same era.
Dear Mr Fantasy,thank you for this great,great tune.
Great vid, vid contributions and comments. You guys made my day. Most excellent!!!
When “Valerie” came out, I had just gotten over being kicked to the curb by a gal of the same name who, after promising her undying affection, had thrown me over for her version of Mr. Fantasy with a pocket full of cash and a Lincoln and promises of being rich together. What interesting timing, I thought. Then it turned out the pocket full of cash was all credit card debt and the Lincoln was leased and all of a sudden, Mr. Fantasy didn’t look quite as fantastic anymore, so she started coming around again. It also turned out that I wasn’t the same boy I used to be. Sorry, sweetheart, 40,000 Headmen couldn’t make me change my mind about your avarice and greed, so, no sale.
1971 Freeborn Hall, UC Davis.
Traffic live, Winwood played the piano, to this day, the conga players what stands out, in my minds eye memory. Was after Nov 71’ “Low Spark OfHigh Heeled Boys”, had just come out, and I was blown away. Bonus points, Who was one of Traffics Roadies??? Dave Mason!.
It’s interesting, I started this day with a dose of Low Spark, thru my Klipsch Cornwalls, series II and III. I’d slipped in a different Tube amp, a Stromberg Carlson, I purchased from a Engineer for Boeing, at the time he managed Boeing’s Stereo club.
upgraded EVERYTHING painstakingly building the Phono stage, and identifying exactly which tubes to Roll, with certain music. 13/14 watts of pure heavenly music. Amazing
Winwoods contribution to rock roll is huge, I still have my original albums,,,,,,Lowspark, Barlycorn, etc etc, epic music.
Village Odiot
Low Spark is just an amazing album, not a song or note is less than excellent. “Many a Mile to Freedom” and “Rainmaker” are just magic, and Winwood’s singing and guitar on each are breathtaking. What a band at that time, with Rebop and Jim Gordon on percussion, Ric Grech, Chris Wood innovating like crazy, and old keyboarder Winwood proving to be fabulous on guitar. Many years later it remains one of my most-played recordings, I hear something additional with each listening. Winwood has accomplished so much, and you don’t hear bad snark about the man.