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    The Jock of Rock posted an update 4 years, 11 months ago

    RockChar Rewind with Joe Milliken.
    On this day in 1969, Traffic released their third studio album titled “Last Exit,” a collection of studio leftovers and live cuts culled by Island Records after the band had initially broken up. The studio tracks were recorded at Morgan Studio in London and the live cuts at The Fillmore West in San Francisco.
    The album featured the band’s original lineup with Steve Winwood on keyboards and vocals, Jim Capaldi on drums, Chris Wood on sax and flute, and Dave Mason on guitar and bass, although Mason only appeared on two tracks. The original American release featured a different cover than the European release, and some of the original studio releases (the singles) were recorded in mono.
    “Medicated Goo” and “Shanghai Noodle Factory” were the A and B-sides of a UK Traffic single released in December 1968. The single version of “Medicated Goo” is a shorter 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. “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.
    The two live tracks, “Feelin’ Good” and “Blind Man,” were both well-received by the critics and widely considered to be the highlights of the album. “Last Exit” reached #19 on the Billboard album chart and sold nearly 500,000 copies.

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