Traffic: Holy Ground

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In 1994, Traffic recorded “Far from Home” – their first studio album in twenty years. The band dwindled from its seven member ensemble in the early seventies to just two individuals: Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. Although “Far from Home” charted at 33 in the US, it was the band’s third worst charting album of their career in America.

The two worst charting albums were their first and final LPs: “Mr. Fantasy” peaked at 88 and the 2005 CD “Last Great Traffic Jam,” recorded during their 1994 tour, failed to chart on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart. So by comparison, #33 is a pretty good showing for the band.

Our Spiritual Sunday selection is “Holy Ground” from “Far from Home.” The song deals with our ill treatment of the environment, ourselves, and the children of the world. While not overtly spiritual in nature, this song co-written by Winwood, Capaldi, and Davy Spillane uses religious imagery to convey their message.

Davy Spillane and his pipes.

While Jim Capaldi plays drums and percussion on this cut, Steve Winwood is featured on the lion’s share of instrumentation and the lead vocals. The uilleann pipes were provided by former Moving Hearts’ member Davy Spillane. The pipes add a nice touch to this song.