Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

Carl Parziale wrote:

Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

It means approximately the same thing as the lyrics to the Byrds "So
You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star". It means the writer has officially
run out of things to write about other than what he now sees around
him and will only now write enough songs to meet contractual obligations.

See also "Foghat".

But seriously, I always thought the "high heeled boys" were the band
and the "low spark" was the music. Eh?

--
Les Cargill

Carl Parziale wrote:

Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf


I'd be surprised if Winwood himself knew...

"Title for "Low Spark" was suggested by actor Michael J. Pollard"
http://www.stevewinwood.com/releases/traffic.lowspark.full.html

The high heeled are the suburban children of doctors and lawyers.

Low sparked is dressing down, but fashionably.

All together, it's white boys playing their own version of black music.

dtk



"Carl Parziale" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

This was a great song for newly formed cover bands with a short song list.
Took a few minutes to learn the changes, and could be stretched to fill the
better part of a set...

....Paul

--
************************************************** ********
"In the analog realm, it ain't "OVER" 'til it's over."


"Carl Parziale" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

In article glxCb.379501$ao4.1268144@attbi_s51 writes:

The high heeled are the suburban children of doctors and lawyers.
Low sparked is dressing down, but fashionably.
All together, it's white boys playing their own version of black music.

I thought it had something to do with a technique for starting a
Morris Minor when wearing glam-rock boots.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1071320468k@trad...

In article glxCb.379501$ao4.1268144@attbi_s51
writes:

The high heeled are the suburban children of doctors and lawyers.
Low sparked is dressing down, but fashionably.
All together, it's white boys playing their own version of black music.

I thought it had something to do with a technique for starting a
Morris Minor when wearing glam-rock boots.

Probably. I make this stuff up as I go. If you say it with confidence,
people think you know what you're talking about.

dtk

I hear ya, it got me through many long gigs in the old days especially on
those nights when daylight savings time kicked in and the club manager
insited you play one more set. g I always interpreted it as meaning
Steve Winwood disliked the "Glam Rock" movement.

CA

"Paul Bawol" wrote in message
...
This was a great song for newly formed cover bands with a short song list.
Took a few minutes to learn the changes, and could be stretched to fill
the
better part of a set...

...Paul

--
************************************************** ********
"In the analog realm, it ain't "OVER" 'til it's over."


"Carl Parziale" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

I hear ya, it got me through many long gigs in the old days especially on
those nights when daylight savings time kicked in and the club manager
insited you play one more set.


Ugh! Thanks for reminding me of all the insensitive pricks that used to run my
life.

As for Low Spark... I believe it was simply LSD inspired peotry. Traffic at the
time seemed to be an acid band, to the best of my purple barrelled memory....

Speaking of LSD...just when are these 'flashbacks' gonna start? I've been
waiting 25 years now for the fun to start!





searching for peace, love and quality footwear
guido

http://www.guidotoons.com
http://www.theloniousmoog.com
http://www.luckymanclark.com

JWelsh3374" wrote in message
...

Speaking of LSD...just when are these 'flashbacks' gonna start? I've been
waiting 25 years now for the fun to start!


hehe, I've been waiting also. I need some more excitment in my life! I
like that descriptive part..."purple barrelled memory" It seems to me
those memories are not as clear as I would like them to be. Especially the
parts, when I had the reason for existence all figured out.

CA

"JWelsh3374" wrote in message
...
I hear ya, it got me through many long gigs in the old days especially
on
those nights when daylight savings time kicked in and the club manager
insited you play one more set.


Ugh! Thanks for reminding me of all the insensitive pricks that used to
run my
life.

As for Low Spark... I believe it was simply LSD inspired peotry. Traffic
at the
time seemed to be an acid band, to the best of my purple barrelled
memory....

Speaking of LSD...just when are these 'flashbacks' gonna start? I've been
waiting 25 years now for the fun to start!





searching for peace, love and quality footwear
guido

http://www.guidotoons.com
http://www.theloniousmoog.com
http://www.luckymanclark.com

(Carl Parziale) wrote in message . com...
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf

I remember seeing a live video of Traffic from the era of "Low Spark".

They all looked pretty zonked to me.

And the lyrics seem to suggest that Winwood & Co. were subtly
complaining about their record royalties, albeit in a zonked state,
and the "Low spark of high heeled boys" is their music.

But I could be completely off-base.

And that was one long song. Like "Freebird", "Stairway to Heaven",
and either side of "Thick as a Brick", it allowed many radio station
DJ's (when they were actually live on the air) to take that extended
pee and joint break.


RP

"Paul Bawol"


This was a great song for newly formed cover bands with a short song list.
Took a few minutes to learn the changes, and could be stretched to fill
the
better part of a set...

"Feelin' Allright"
"Down By The River"
"Jumping Jack Flash"...



Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Off the Morning Show! & sleepin' In... / Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

"WillStG" wrote in message
...
"Paul Bawol"


This was a great song for newly formed cover bands with a short song
list.
Took a few minutes to learn the changes, and could be stretched to fill
the
better part of a set...

"Feelin' Allright"
"Down By The River"
"Jumping Jack Flash"...

Others for us were
All Right Now - Free
Angry Eyes - Loggins and Messina
and our third set was Whippin' Post and Herbie Hancock's Chameleon. those
two songs were enough to finish the set.

--
Dave Martin
Java Jive Studio
Nashville, TN
www.javajivestudio.com

Feelin' Allright"
"Down By The River"
"Jumping Jack Flash"...


How can you foget Cocaine???
Lol...



searching for peace, love and quality footwear
guido

http://www.guidotoons.com
http://www.theloniousmoog.com
http://www.luckymanclark.com

You can get quite a bit of milage from "I Hear You Knockin.. It extends very
well.


---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

Carl Parziale wrote:
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf


I doubt anyone knows what it means.

I happened to be listening to that song the other day
and noticed that the piano is out of tune.

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is
near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.
--
--
John Noll
Retromedia Sound Studios
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Phone: 732-842-3853 Fax: 732-842-5631

http://www.retromedia.net

"JWelsh3374" wrote in message
...
Feelin' Allright"
"Down By The River"
"Jumping Jack Flash"...


How can you foget Cocaine???
Lol...

That was after my time...

--
Dave Martin
Java Jive Studio
Nashville, TN
www.javajivestudio.com

"John Noll" wrote in message
...
Carl Parziale wrote:
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf


I doubt anyone knows what it means.

I happened to be listening to that song the other day
and noticed that the piano is out of tune.

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is
near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.

I love that last chord.

Glenn D.

In article ,
ojunk (JWelsh3374) wrote:

[snip]


Speaking of LSD...just when are these 'flashbacks' gonna start? I've been
waiting 25 years now for the fun to start!


I guess you just need a newer screen saver.

-Jay
--
x------- Jay Kadis ------- x---- Jay's Attic Studio ------x
x Lecturer, Audio Engineer x Dexter Records x
x CCRMA, Stanford University x http://www.offbeats.com/ x
x-------- http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/~jay/ ----------x

I always got a WWII/Nazi/V2/Nuclear Weapons feel out of the song. I
think the high-heeled boys are the Nazis/Gestapo/SS. At about 5:20 in
, he sings "high heel boys, or is it "Heil, boys"?

As for nukes:

If you see something that looks like a star
And It's shooting up out of the ground

We were children once, playing with toys

The 2nd verse is obviously about the music biz and
materialsim/consumerism in general.

BTW, hearing it this time, I hear lots of tape-pack bleed in the
quieter parts. Love the album, tho.

Mikey
Nova Music Productions


John Noll wrote in message ...
Carl Parziale wrote:
Does anyone know the meaning to the lyrics of Traffic's "Low Spark of
High Heel Boys" ?

In case you need reference:
http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=rrsuaimf


I doubt anyone knows what it means.

I happened to be listening to that song the other day
and noticed that the piano is out of tune.

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is
near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.
--

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is
near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.


It is a minimoog.


searching for peace, love and quality footwear
guido

http://www.guidotoons.com
http://www.theloniousmoog.com
http://www.luckymanclark.com

BTW, hearing it this time, I hear lots of tape-pack bleed in the
quieter parts. Love the album, tho.

I don't think that's tape-pack bleed -- you're talking about the faint ghosts
of Winwood's vocal, right? I think that's bleed from scratch vocals that snuck
into other peoples' microphones while they were laying down the basic
instrumental track, which was done live.

Peace,
Paul

JWelsh3374 wrote:

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is

near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.



It is a minimoog.

Cool! I want one. Still saving up for the new Voyager.

JWelsh3374 wrote:

Also, does anyone know what that fuzzy melodic sound is

near the end? I always thoght it was a sax through a
distortion box but now I'm thinking it's an RMI electric
piano in sustain mode with mega distortion.



It is a minimoog.

Cool! I want one. Still saving up for the new Voyager.


Could have been anything running through a distortion box or (now) a Sansamp.
Don't expect to program that sound on a Voyager !

-R

(P Stamler) wrote in message ...
BTW, hearing it this time, I hear lots of tape-pack bleed in the
quieter parts. Love the album, tho.

I don't think that's tape-pack bleed -- you're talking about the faint ghosts
of Winwood's vocal, right? I think that's bleed from scratch vocals that snuck
into other peoples' microphones while they were laying down the basic
instrumental track, which was done live.

Peace,
Paul

************************************************** *******************8

Thanks to all for responding. What I've learned is this:
(btw..I forgot to mention..I like the song..its quite fulfilling,
however I always feel like I want more....probably because the lyrics
are somewhat impressionistic, in the art-genre sense)

Ok, what I've learned:
Low spark of High heel boys is a social commentary on the irrelevance
of writing lyrically potent music if your an upper middle class white
antique car owner (check the thread there's an antique car reference
in there :-)) with a fetish for glam shoes, but it is a god-send for
bands that want to please the burned-out-post-60s-era-24-hour-party
people (no disrespect intended) with a twist of Traffic complaining
about "the man" screwing him on his record deal. Additionally,
there's a cool minimoog (new to me boogle) sound at the end of the
song probably used to secretly forwarn of an impending global
thermo-nuclear war (want to play a game?).

Other then that I think its quite clear now..thanks :-)

-Carl