![]() ![]() ![]() I went to see Elvis on his comeback tour. An offhand, let's-get-settled question like "When was the last time you were in Las Vegas?" elicits an equally casual answer: "Nineteen years ago, on the Blind Faith tour. Winwood's youthfully innocent good looks, his disarming manner and his refusal to wear his stature on his sleeve can make for surprises. In 1980 his solo career took off for the first time with the platinum Arc of a Diver, a virtuoso studio performance on which Winwood wrote all the music and played every instrument on every track. He separated from Traffic in 1969 to form Blind Faith, with Eric Clapton, bassist Rick Grech and Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Not that he had been such a slouch before.Īfter bursting on the scene with Spencer Davis, Winwood formed Traffic, one of the most adventurous bands of the 60s and 70s, in 1967. At forty, he is more successful than ever, on the strength of the massive sales of Back in the High Life and Roll With It. He said, ' You wrote that?" I said, 'Yeah.' You know, he just really didn't know."Īt this point Winwood, who has a day off in Las Vegas, where he's performing at Caesar's Amphitheater, can afford to take such slights in his stride. "And Tom said, 'You don't mean "I'm a man, yes I am. "We were working for quite some time, and something came up, and we talked about 'I'm a Man'," Winwood says, referring to the Spencer Davis group's other legendary hit, which he also co-wrote and sang. Warming to his subject, Winwood - who is wearing khaki shorts, a Johnny Clegg and Savuka T-shirt, white sneakers and sweat socks - takes a pull from a bottle of Perrier and tells a story about Tom Lord Alge, who coengineered Winwood's 1986 smash Back in the High Life and coproduced his latest album, Roll With It. Perversely, he almost seems to enjoy the lack of recognition They say, 'Why are you covering that Blues Brothers song?' "Ĭharacteristically, Winwood - as obliging a bloke as you'll find - isn't disturbed that people sometimes fail to associate him with the best-known song of his career, a song that has been a dance-floor burner since he co-wrote and sang it as a teenage prodigy with the Spencer Davis Group in 1966. Or often, people have heard 'Gimme Some Lovin' and don't know it's me. "But now you actually have a lot more people who have heard 'Higher Love' than 'Gimme Some Lovin'. " 'Gimme Some Lovin' is obviously the bane of my life in some ways, because I've got to do it all the time," says Steve Winwood, relaxing in an outlandish Las Vegas hotel room. Recommendable but not that great."From Mr Fantasy to Mr Entertainment", Rolling Stone, Dec 1, 1988 It has some charm and power but considered what David Fincher would do in other clips (Madonna's "Vogue" is an artful masterpiece), this one feels like a lesser work. ![]() A memorable pure R&B, jazzy sound that won't leave you quiet. And if this song became a hit, partly of its effect goes to this clip, one of the rarest in Steve career. And "Roll with It" was one of his greatest efforts, right after "Valerie" and "While You See a Chance". Veteran from the British invasion with his Spencer Davis Group, then Traffic and Blind Faith, he's a true musician who survived through it all and redefined himself as a solo artist in the 1980's, with dignity, class and presence. Yes, he mastered the technique used in other clips and films a long time ago. Also worthy of mention is the sex appeal he brings into this, something nice and without vulgarity. It creates a sense of spectacle, a show delivered unto us. The director's attention to detail is truly amazing even back then: close-up on objects, faces, sweat, dance moves, Winwood's performance or the sax player during the solo. Black and white cinematography, couples dancing in this crowded bar and Steve Winwood and band performing the song. Fincher's contribution is nice but the video's success owes more to the sound we hear than to images we see. The team gathered here is amazing: Steve Winwood at the top of his game back in the 1980's with a great hit song Paula Abdul providing the choreography for the video and that video clip master-later-turned-into-outstanding-filmmaker directing it, David Fincher (yes, the same from "Se7en" and "Gone Girl") were all integral part of this promo of Winwood's song "Roll with it". ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |