40,000 Headmen

Last updated
"Roamin' Thru' the Gloamin' with 40,000 Headmen"
Song by Traffic
from the album Traffic
Released1968
Recorded1967/1968
Genre Folk rock
Length3:14
Label Island Records
Songwriter(s) Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi
Producer(s) Jimmy Miller

"Roamin' Thru' the Gloamin' with 40,000 Headmen" (album title: "Forty Thousand Headmen"), written by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, was first recorded by Traffic in 1967 or 1968. It was initially released as B-side to the "No Face, No Name and No Number" single in 1968 and also appears on their second album Traffic . Blood, Sweat & Tears also recorded it on their 1970 album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 .

Contents

The protagonist of the song, a profane demi-god, follows the eponymous headmen across the sea, on foot, to a hidden cave where they have stored up a large treasure. Taking as much as he can carry, he travels to a shrine only to find that the headmen have followed him; they open fire, wounding the protagonist but not killing him, and he decides to flee. The dream-like story seems to start and end with his confrontation with the headmen, as if he's experiencing his life in a closed loop. [1] The lyrics were inspired by what Capaldi refers to as "a hash-fueled dream." [2] He also described them as "a loon". They have been described as being "an evocation of a dream state". [3]

Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi's 1998-99 "40,000 Headmen" reunion tour took its name from this song, despite the fact that Mason had no involvement in the original recording of the song. An album of highlights from this tour has been released..

Jim Capaldi's 2011 box set, Dear Mr Fantasy, includes a reggae version of the song. The song also appears as the third song on the first side of the live album "Welcome to the Canteen" which features Winwood and Capaldi.

The Chicago band "40,000 Headmen", who play the music of Traffic, Blind Faith and Spencer Davis Group, get their name from this song.

The Blood, Sweat and Tears version begins and ends with a music box playing Bela Bartok's Hungarian Folk Song.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic (band)</span> English rock band

Traffic were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. They began as a psychedelic rock group and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards, sitar, and various reed instruments, and by incorporating jazz and improvisational techniques in their music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Winwood</span> English musician and songwriter (born 1948)

Stephen Lawrence Winwood is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist, prominent for his distinctive soulful high tenor voice, Winwood plays other instruments proficiently, including drums, mandolin, bass and saxophone.

<i>Traffic</i> (Traffic album) 1968 studio album by Traffic

Traffic is the second studio album by the English rock band of the same name, released in 1968 on Island Records in the United Kingdom as ILPS 9081T (stereo), and United Artists in the United States, as UAS 6676 (stereo). The album peaked at number 9 in the UK Albums Chart and at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. It was the last album recorded by the group before their initial breakup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Capaldi</span> English musician and songwriter (1944–2005)

Nicola James Capaldi was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co-wrote the majority of the band's material. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of Traffic's original lineup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Mason</span> British singer-songwriter and guitarist

David Thomas Mason is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic, and went on to play and record with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and Cass Elliot.

<i>Mr. Fantasy</i> 1967 studio album by Traffic

Mr. Fantasy is the debut album by English rock band Traffic, released in December 1967. The recording included group members Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason; Mason temporarily left the band shortly after the album was released. The album reached the number 16 position in the UK Albums Chart, and number 88 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the United States.

"Dear Mr. Fantasy" is a rock song by Traffic from their 1967 album, Mr. Fantasy. Jim Capaldi contributed the lyrics, while Steve Winwood and Chris Wood composed the music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wood (rock musician)</span> British rock musician (1944–1983)

Christopher Gordon Blandford Wood was a British rock musician, best known as a founding member of the rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason.

<i>Welcome to the Canteen</i> 1971 live album by Traffic

Welcome to the Canteen is the first live album by English rock band Traffic. It was recorded live at Fairfield Halls, Croydon and the Oz Benefit Concert in the canteen of the Polytechnic of Central London London, on 3 July 1971 and released in September of that year. It was recorded during Dave Mason's third stint with the band, which lasted only six performances.

<i>Blood, Sweat & Tears 3</i> Album by Blood, Sweat & Tears

Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in June 1970.

<i>Gold</i> (Traffic album) 2005 compilation album by Traffic

Traffic Gold is a two-disc 2005 compilation album by the psychedelic rock band Traffic. It contains at least one song from each album except On the Road, Far from Home, and The Last Great Traffic Jam.

<i>Far from Home</i> (Traffic album) 1994 studio album by Traffic

Far from Home is the eighth and final studio album by the rock band Traffic. The project began as a revival of the writing collaboration between Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, but soon blossomed into the first Traffic project since 1974.

<i>Refugees of the Heart</i> 1990 studio album by Steve Winwood

Refugees of the Heart is the sixth solo studio album by Steve Winwood, released in 1990. The album contained the hit single, "One and Only Man", which topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, was #18 at Billboard's Hot 100 and saw the return of former Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi to Winwood's songwriting team. A Traffic reunion followed in 1994, and because of that collaboration, Winwood would not record another solo album until late 1997. "I Will Be Here" and "Another Deal Goes Down" were also released as singles.

<i>The Last Great Traffic Jam</i> 2005 live album by Traffic

The Last Great Traffic Jam is a live album and DVD from the English rock band Traffic. The album was recorded on the 1994 reunion tour supporting Far from Home.

<i>Best of Traffic</i> 1969 compilation album by Traffic

Best of Traffic is a compilation album by the band Traffic, released in 1969.

<i>Oh How We Danced</i> 1972 studio album by Jim Capaldi

Oh How We Danced is the debut studio album by the British musician Jim Capaldi. The album was recorded while Traffic was on hiatus due to Steve Winwood's struggles with peritonitis and was released by Island Records in 1972. Like his contemporary albums with Traffic, it was unsuccessful in his native United Kingdom but did better in the United States, reaching number 82 in the Billboard 200 chart and producing the hit single "Eve", which reached number 91 in the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Short Cut Draw Blood</i> 1975 studio album by Jim Capaldi

Short Cut Draw Blood is the third studio album by the British musician Jim Capaldi, released by Island Records in 1975. It marked a major turning point in Capaldi's career: it was his first album recorded after the breakup of Traffic, and more importantly it was his commercial breakthrough. While Capaldi's first two solo albums had been moderately successful in the United States, Short Cut Draw Blood entered the charts in several other countries for the first time. This was particularly evident in his native United Kingdom; the single "It's All Up to You" at number 27, released a year before the album, became his first top 40 hit there, only to be overshadowed the following year by his cover of "Love Hurts", which went all the way to number 4.

<i>Winwood</i> (album) 1971 compilation album by Steve Winwood

Winwood is the first compilation album of music featuring Steve Winwood. This two-record set was issued in 1971 by United Artists Records and features music which Winwood performed with The Spencer Davis Group, Powerhouse, Traffic and Blind Faith. UA Records issued this album after Winwood's band Traffic left UA when their home label Island Records set up their own American operation. Issued without Winwood's authorization as catalogue number UAS-9950, it was taken off the market after legal action by Winwood and Island Records. It was then reissued with minor changes as catalogue number UAS-9964. Currently out of print, it was issued on CD by Universal Music of Japan for the Japanese market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Love (Jim Capaldi song)</span> 1983 single by Jim Capaldi

"That's Love" is a song by British singer-songwriter Jim Capaldi. It was released as the first single from the 1983 album Fierce Heart. "That's Love" has since been compiled onto both the greatest hits album Prince of Darkness (1995) and the boxed set Dear Mr Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story (2011).

<i>Revolutions – The Very Best of Steve Winwood</i> 2010 compilation album by Steve Winwood

Revolutions – The Very Best of Steve Winwood is the sixth compilation album by Steve Winwood. The album includes music from Winwood's solo career, as well as groups with which he has performed, including the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith. The CD was released as a box set and a single disc. As of October 2014, the box set is out of print, while the single disc is still available. The songs "The Finer Things" and "Roll With It" are exclusive to the single disc version and cannot be found on the box set.

References

  1. "Traffic - 40,000 Headmen" . Retrieved 25 Feb 2020.
  2. (2011) In Dear Mr Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story (pp.32-43) [CD booklet]. London: Freedom Songs Ltd.
  3. Reviewed at allmusic.com https://www.allmusic.com/song/t2519891