The reason for the inclusion of this item is that when Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in 1967 to form a new band Traffic he, along with his three fellow musicians, lived in a secluded cottage at Aston Tirrold in south Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire) to write and rehearse their new material. The result was this LP, a blend of pyschedelic pop influenced and inspired, amongst other things, by the ageless mystery of the surrounding Berkshire Downs. Jim Capaldi, one of the band members, later recalled the place as exerting a Very Strong Presence.
The cover photo and other sleeve images were taken in and around the cottage.
Over a two year period, other prominent musicians of the day, including Eric Clapton, Steven Stills and Pete Townshend spent time with Winwood at the cottage to drink in the atmosphere.
This recent photo of the cottage is from a Winwood website.
1 comment:
I always wondered about the striking images of Traffic playing on what appears to be a patio against a slightly leafy exterior wall- immediately, I am thinking ... ok, where the hell is this? Oh ... The Cottage. Thanks for the illumination. If I am ever in the neighborhood, I am going to try and see that place.
Pat Cronin
Missoula, Montana
USA
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