Remembering Jim Capaldi

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Posted on 27th Jan 10 by | comments 0

Remembering Jim Capaldi. There is something about the figure of the rock star which makes them seem invincible, a confidence oozes from them which makes them appear impervious to bodily diseases like cancer which makes their losses all the more poignant. Such was the case with rock drummer/ songwriter/all-round nice guy Jim Capaldi who passed [...]
Remembering Jim Capaldi.
There is something about the figure of the rock star which makes them seem invincible, a confidence oozes from them which makes them appear impervious to bodily diseases like cancer which makes their losses all the more poignant. Such was the case with rock drummer/ songwriter/all-round nice guy Jim Capaldi who passed away after a six-month battle with stomach cancer on this day five years ago at 60 years old.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking, the name Jim Capaldi doesn’t exactly scream out with recognisability but this subtlety is precisely where Capaldi’s genius can be found. Just a simple click onto his website where his music is streamed will have even the most reluctant foot tapping and the most forgetful mind remembering. At the time of his death at 60 years of age, he had already enjoyed a music career which had spanned four decades and was tentatively hoping to go back on tour with ‘Traffic’, the band he is most known for co-founding.
Traffic, for me, are the epitome of happy hippy music. They are nostalgia. Their simple melodies provided very palatable music and lyrics for the six year old me humming in the backseat of my dad’s car whilst he tried to think over me because we were invariably lost in the Wicklow mountains somewhere.
Born Nicola James Capaldi in Worcestershire (no I can’t pronounce that either!) into a family which lived and breathed music, he had melodies running through his veins and stars in his eyes from the outset. Capaldi started his first band at fourteen years of age and from that day until his illness took hold he was consistently writing songs and performing. One of his favoured venues to perform with other artists in the early days was a hip Birmingham club called ‘The Elbow Room’. Four musicians; Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Dave Mason, entered the club as parts of various groups and emerged as the hugely successful group ‘Traffic’.
Traffic were a ground-breaking and internationally successful group in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. Their talents were evident from their formation which prompted a small and slightly obscure little London band to change their name from ‘Traffic Jam’ to the much more palatable ‘Status Quo’. It has been said that song-writing duo Capaldi and Winwood acted as the energy and heart of the group respectively, but together their captivating songs would provide the energy which propelled the ‘flower-power’ era, for which Traffic came to the forefront. Songs like “Paper Sun” with its wildly obscure video embody the band’s energy, simple lyrics and simple melodies combine to create something truly unique and, considering that this was the first song Capaldi and Winwood wrote together, it was the beginning of a long and full working partnership.
Their first album ‘Mr Fantasy’ has become, since Capaldi’s death, almost an embodiment of the man himself. The album bubbles over with energy and stands alone in an era of hippie love. Such was the impact of this album in particular, that the supposedly ‘haunted’ cottage in which it was penned became somewhat of a psychedelic legend.
After the amicable dissolution of Traffic, Capaldi enjoyed a hugely successful career as a solo artist, earning a total of eleven multi-platinum albums featuring major hits such as “Love Hurts”, a soulful and heartfelt song with an inescapable beat. “Love Hurts” is a song which reflects Capaldi himself, energetic yet subtle, as you may not realise it immediately but after about three hours you are still walking around humming to yourself (and apologies to the poor unfortunates on the roads today listening to me sing but since we’re remembering Jim today on his anniversary, I felt I should spread the love!). He also enjoyed a very successful career as a song-writer, helping to launch the Eagle’s epic return with the massive “Love will Keep us Alive”, which is a typically Capaldi song with a heartfelt message (feel free to hum that all day too!).
Traffic’s return to the music scene in the early 90’s was completely accidental, with Winwood contacting Capaldi for help in writing songs for his own solo album. Capaldi’s lyrical talents coupled with Winwood’s ability to create the perfect melody for his words was always a winning combination and being in their fifties never affected the group’s energy on their return, they remained as experimental and continued to raise the bar for musicians everywhere.
Thankfully he lived to see Traffic be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Capaldi was tentatively making plans with Winwood for a return tour, when during the summer of 2004 his illness took precedence over these plans. His hope reigned on and up until the moment of his death he still hoped to rejoin Traffic on stage. Capaldi’s status as the ‘energy’ of the band was evident as the band itself passed away alongside him.
On the 21st of January 2007, the elite of the music industry came together to pay tribute to Jim. From Paul Weller to Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens), they all showed their appreciation to the man who made such an impact on the industry and almost created the ‘flower-power’ movement. The event was interestingly entitled “Dear Mr Fantasy” showing that Jim had become for all the embodiment of the Mr Fantasy ideology.
So although Jim Capaldi may not resound as a household name which rolls off the tongue as effortlessly as other rock legends but his legacy is in the subtlety of his genius and his status as a quiet inspiration to artists such as Eric Clapton, Paul Weller and Pete Townshend. So today on the anniversary of his passing we can return to a simpler time in music, when Madonna wasn’t wearing leotards and Lady Gaga wasn’t putting on an art installation. The main concern for laid-back bands like Traffic was love, and Capaldi certainly knew how to share it through his lyrics.

There is something about the figure of the rock star which makes them seem invincible. A confidence oozes from them which makes them appear impervious to bodily diseases like cancer which makes their losses all the more poignant. Such was the case with rock drummer/ songwriter/all-round nice guy Jim Capaldi who passed away after a six-month battle with stomach cancer on this day five years ago at 60 years old.

Jim Capaldi, illustration by Kevin Kinneally

Jim Capaldi, illustration by Kevin Kinneally

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, the name Jim Capaldi doesn’t exactly scream out with recognisability but this subtlety is precisely where Capaldi’s genius can be found. Just a simple click onto his website where his music is streamed will have even the most reluctant foot tapping and the most forgetful mind remembering.

At the time of his death at 60 years of age, he had already enjoyed a music career which had spanned four decades and was tentatively hoping to go back on tour with Traffic, the band he is most known for co-founding.

Traffic, for me, are the epitome of happy hippy music. They are nostalgia. Their simple melodies provided very palatable music and lyrics for the six year old me humming in the backseat of my dad’s car whilst he tried to think over me because we were invariably lost in the Wicklow mountains somewhere.

Born Nicola James Capaldi in Worcestershire (no I can’t pronounce that either!) into a family which lived and breathed music, he had melodies running through his veins and stars in his eyes from the outset. Capaldi started his first band at fourteen years of age and from that day until his illness took hold he was consistently writing songs and performing.

The main concern for laid-back bands like Traffic was love, and Capaldi certainly knew how to share it through his lyrics

One of his favoured venues to perform with other artists in the early days was a hip Birmingham club called The Elbow Room. Four musicians; Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Dave Mason, entered the club as parts of various groups and emerged as the hugely successful group Traffic.

Traffic were a ground-breaking and internationally successful group in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. Their talents were evident from their formation which prompted a small and slightly obscure little London band to change their name from Traffic Jam to the much more palatable Status Quo.

It has been said that song-writing duo Capaldi and Winwood acted as the energy and heart of the group respectively, but together their captivating songs would provide the energy which propelled the ‘flower-power’ era, for which Traffic came to the forefront. Songs like Paper Sun with its wildly obscure video embody the band’s energy, simple lyrics and simple melodies combine to create something truly unique and, considering that this was the first song Capaldi and Winwood wrote together, it was the beginning of a long and full working partnership.

Their first album Mr Fantasy has become, since Capaldi’s death, almost an embodiment of the man himself. The album bubbles over with energy and stands alone in an era of hippie love. Such was the impact of this album in particular, that the supposedly ‘haunted’ cottage in which it was penned became somewhat of a psychedelic legend.

After the amicable dissolution of Traffic, Capaldi enjoyed a hugely successful career as a solo artist, earning a total of eleven multi-platinum albums featuring major hits such as Love Hurts, a soulful and heartfelt song with an inescapable beat. Love Hurts is a song which reflects Capaldi himself, energetic yet subtle, as you may not realise it immediately but after about three hours you are still walking around humming to yourself (and apologies to the poor unfortunates on the roads today listening to me sing but since we’re remembering Jim today on his anniversary, I felt I should spread the love!). He also enjoyed a very successful career as a song-writer, helping to launch The Eagles‘ epic return with the massive Love will Keep us Alive, which is a typically Capaldi song with a heartfelt message (feel free to hum that all day too!).

Traffic’s return to the music scene in the early 90’s was completely accidental, with Winwood contacting Capaldi for help in writing songs for his own solo album. Capaldi’s lyrical talents coupled with Winwood’s ability to create the perfect melody for his words was always a winning combination and being in their fifties never affected the group’s energy on their return, they remained as experimental and continued to raise the bar for musicians everywhere.

Thankfully he lived to see Traffic be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Capaldi was tentatively making plans with Winwood for a return tour, when during the summer of 2004 his illness took precedence over these plans. His hope reigned on and up until the moment of his death he still hoped to rejoin Traffic on stage. Capaldi’s status as the ‘energy’ of the band was evident as the band itself passed away alongside him.

On the 21st of January 2007, the elite of the music industry came together to pay tribute to Jim. From Paul Weller to Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens), they all showed their appreciation to the man who made such an impact on the industry and almost created the ‘flower-power’ movement. The event was interestingly entitled Dear Mr Fantasy showing that Jim had become for all the embodiment of the Mr Fantasy ideology.

So although Jim Capaldi may not resound as a household name which rolls off the tongue as effortlessly as other rock legends but, legacy is in the subtlety of his genius and his status as a quiet inspiration to artists such as Eric Clapton, Paul Weller and Pete Townshend. So today on the anniversary of his passing we can return to a simpler time in music, when Madonna wasn’t wearing leotards and Lady Gaga wasn’t putting on an art installation. The main concern for laid-back bands like Traffic was love, and Capaldi certainly knew how to share it through his lyrics.

Jim Capaldi Official Site

Jim Capaldi Wiki

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