Last Exit (Traffic album)

Last Exit
Studio album and Live album by Traffic
Released	May 1969
Recorded	November 1968, Morgan Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	34:04
Label	Island United Artists
Producer	Jimmy Miller
Traffic chronology
Traffic (1968) Last Exit (1969) John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)

Last Exit, released in May 1969, is the third album by English rock band Traffic. It is a collection of odds and ends collected by Island Records after the initial breakup of the band. The first half of the album consists of studio recordings, while the second half was recorded live at the Fillmore West. The album reached number 19 in the American Billboard 200 chart.^[1]

Cover

As implied by the cover photos, the album features the original lineup of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason, though Mason does not actually appear on most of the songs. The original American LP released by United Artists Records has different cover artwork. The US front features a different picture of the band cut up into the shape of the band's logo with a black background.

Songs

Many of the studio recordings of this album were originally released on mono singles. The versions that appear on the album are re-mixed for stereo.

"Just for You" was previously released in February 1968 as the A-side of a UK Dave Mason solo single. Conveniently for its use on this album, the other members of Traffic backed up Mason on this track. (The B-side was "Little Woman" which did not include other Traffic members.) This was first released after Mason left Traffic the first time, following Mr. Fantasy.

"Medicated Goo" and "Shanghai Noodle Factory" were the A and B-sides, of a UK Traffic single released in December 1968. Mason does not appear on these tracks. The single version of "Medicated Goo" is a different edit with false ending that is not heard on the stereo album. The song would become a staple of the re-formed band's live performances in 1970-71.

"Something's Got a Hold of My Toe" is an instrumental and appears to be an outtake not originally intended for release. It is unclear why producer Jimmy Miller (a lyricist elsewhere on the album) gets a co-writing credit on this. "Withering Tree" was previously released as the B-side to "Feelin' Alright" (September 1968), although the version on the LP is slightly different from the single. Dave Mason does not appear on this although it was probably recorded while he was still in the band. The two live recordings that make up the second half of the album do not feature Mason.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

AllMusic's retrospective review said that Last Exit, though weaker than its two predecessors, "isn't bad as profit-taking products go." They complimented most of the studio tracks as highly appealing works, and praised the cohesive jamming on the live tracks.^[2]

Track listing

1. "Just for You" (Dave Mason) – 2:18
2. "Shanghai Noodle Factory" (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Jimmy Miller, Larry Fallon) – 5:06
3. "Something's Got a Hold of My Toe" (Winwood, Mason, Miller) – 2:14
4. "Withering Tree" (Winwood, Capaldi) – 3:04
5. "Medicated Goo" (Winwood, Miller) – 3:36
6. "Feelin' Good" (live) (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse) – 10:40
7. "Blind Man" (live) (Deadric Malone, Joseph Scott) – 7:06

Personnel

• Steve Winwood – organ, lead vocals (all but 1, 3), piano, bass, guitar (2, 5)
• Dave Mason – guitar (1, 3), lead vocals (1)
• Chris Wood – flute, saxophone, organ
• Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Release history

References

1. ↑ Traffic in the USA Charts, AllMusic. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
2. 1 2 "AllMusic: Last Exit album review". www.AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2009-09-12.