Chris Wood (Traffic Former) - Vulcan

Chris Wood - Vulcan - 2008

Chris Wood was originally an art student when he met Steve Winwood with whom he formed Traffic in 1966 along with Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi. The original lineup of Traffic broke up in 1968, in that time Chris recorded with Jimi Hendrix, Small Faces, John Martyn, and Fat Mattress, as well as toured with Dr. John. The second incarnation of Traffic was an outgrowth of a Winwood solo album in early '70, where Capaldi & Wood were guesting, but eventually got released under the Traffic moniker as John Barleycorn Must Die. Wood stayed with the band until their final break-up in '75. Wood was working on a solo album, tentatively titled Vulcan, when he passed away due to pneumonia in '83.

The title can be traced to the song "Vulcan" (or "Moonchild Vulcan") that was recorded for, but left off When The Eagle Flies - Traffic's last album in 1974. The genesis of Chris's intended solo effort is unclear; in August of 1970 he seemingly had no such intentions, as he said (in Rolling Stone):

 "I'm not a song writer...my instrument is my voice...but it's hard to write songs that way". The first mention of the possibility seems to have been in 1973. Perhaps the outtake status of "Moonchild Vulcan" in early '74 gave him the push (and material) to start the project - it's also possible that Chris was reading 'the writing on the wall' in regard to Traffic's long-term future at that point as well, and felt the need to start to find his own path.. 

01. Moonchild Vulcan
02. See No Man Girl
03. Letter One
04. Indian Monsoon
05. Barbed Wire (Acoustic)
06. Birth in a Day
07. Sullen Moon
08. Barbed Wire (Band Version)
09. Wood's Bolero (Moonchild Vulcan) (Live, L'Olympia, Paris, France, 25th March 1974) *

* performed by Traffic




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