Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory - TRAFFIC***

Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory/Roll Right Stones/Evening Blues/Tragic Magic/(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired

Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory was yet another disappointing album. Traffic started off as an excellent progressive rock band but after the departure of Dave Mason they descended into tedious jazz-rock noodling. (US:6)

“Comparatively weak songwriting, coupled with a seeming lack of effort in performance, yields an album that might have been better using the final cut as its title track. Basically, this is jazz flavoured semi-commercial rock with extended instrumental breaks in abundance, which feature wah-wah guitar, violin and sax, but the near constant use of bongos is an unwelcome addition and detracts from the material overall. This sounds like the end is near for Traffic.”

“Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory is a classic piece of British early seventies prog rock. Particularly the epic Roll Right Stones and the opening title track. The other three tracks are not far behind but the overall feeling is of a band treading water. It's good, but you just know that they were capable of better and that tarnishes it just a little.”

“Not a radio friendly release, but still a fine listen. This was a more jazz sounding Traffic, with lots of fine instrumental passages. Give a listen to Roll Right Stones, an underappreciated jam classic.”

“Sometimes I feel so uninspired when having to review a dull and boring album, especially when these guys have done such good work. Bringing in extra cannon fodder doesn't help either.”

“I think this is one of Traffic's weaker releases. It seems that Steve Winwood (who composed most of the tunes) and Jim Capaldi (who wrote the often preachy and sentimental lyrics) are just running out of ideas.”

“Steve Winwood's immense talents are again wasted on jazz-fusion noodling. Evening Blue is a nice folk-rock number, and the album as a whole has a rock edge to it, but Traffic are still clearly running out of steam. To make matters worse, the album closes with Uninspired, a clichéd anthem with lyrics that read like a hippie's calling card, with a musical accompaniment that takes a back seat to the words. Come to think of it, this song could have provided the title for the entire album.”