The four-disc box set Dear Mr. Fantasy digs deep into Jim Capaldi’s legacy, providing a thorough overview of the musician best known as Steve Winwood’s sparring partner in Traffic. Appropriately, there is a hefty chunk of Traffic here along with a good sampling of his solo albums, plus a fair number of rarities ranging from his first group the Hellions to the pre-Traffic bands Revolution and Deep Feeling and a previously unreleased collaboration with George Harrison called “Love’s Got a Hold of Me.” It’s a generous set that will satisfy the devoted while providing several surprises to those who have looked no deeper than Traffic but were always curious about what else Capaldi had to offer.
CD 1
1. Daydreaming of You – The Hellions
2. Hallelujah – Revolution
3. Pretty Colours – Deep Feeling
4. Dealer – Traffic
5. Dear Mr. Fantasy – Traffic
6. Light Up or Leave Me Alone – Traffic
7. Rock and Roll Stew – Traffic
8. 40,000 Headmen*
9. Pearly Queen (Live) – Eric Clapton and Friends
10. Tricky Dicky Rides Again
11. Oh How We Danced
12. Eve
13. Don’t Be A Hero
14. Open Your Heart
15. How Much Can a Man Really Take
16. Low Rider
17. Whale Meat Again
CD 2
1. It’s All Up to You
2. Love Hurts
3. Short Cut Draw Blood
4. Boy with a Problem
5. Seagull
6. You and Me (with Paul Kossoff)
7. Game of Love
8. Elixir of Life
9. Shoe Shine (Disco Mix)
10. Hotel Blues
11. Tabitha
12. Electric Nights
13. Wild Geese
14. Every Man Must March to the Sound of His Own Drum
15. Man With No Country
16. Going Home
CD 3
1. Let the Thunder Cry
2. Favella Music
3. Child in the Storm
4. Warm
5. Old Photographs
6. We Don’t Need
7. Tonight You’re Mine
8. Living on the Edge
9. That’s Love
10. Gifts of Unknown Things
11. Lost Inside Your Love
12. Tales of Power
13. Warriors of Love
14. Something So Strong
15. Oh Lord, Why Lord
16. Love Used to Be a Friend of Mine
17. Some Come Running
18. Living on the Outside
CD 4
1. Standing in My Light
2. Anna Julia
3. Love You ‘til the Day I Die
4. State of Grace*
5. Tallulah*
6. Humanity (Just Another Checkpoint)*
7. Bright Fighter*
8. Strange Bird*
9. How Do I Get to Heaven*
10. Love’s Got a Hold of Me (with George Harrison)*
11. Song for George*
12. The Time of Cholera*
13. Invaders of the Heart*
14. Getting Strong*
15. Love Will Keep Us Alive*
16. Dear Mr. Fantasy* (Live) – Traffic (Recorded at rehearsals for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, New York City 2004)
Disc 1, Track 1 from Piccadilly single 7N 35213, 1964
Disc 1, Track 2 from Piccadilly single 7N 35289, 1966
Disc 1, Track 3 rec. 1966, first issued on Angel Air SJPCD088, 2001
Disc 1, Tracks 4-5 from Mr. Fantasy, Island LP 961, 1967
Disc 1, Tracks 6-7 from The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, Island LP 9180, 1971
Disc 1, Track 8 original version first appeared on Island single WIP 6030, 1968
Disc 1, Track 9 from Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert, RSO 877, 1973
Disc 1, Tracks 10 & 11 from Island single WIP 6165, 1973
Disc 1, Track 12 from Island (U.S.) single 1204, 1972
Disc 1, Tracks 13-15 from Oh How We Danced, Island LP 9187, 1972
Disc 1, Tracks 16-17 from Whale Meat Again, Island LP 9254, 1974
Disc 2, Tracks 1-5 from Short Cut Draw Blood, Island LP 9336, 1975
Disc 2, Track 6 from Koss, DJM LP 2-300, 1977
Disc 2, Tracks 7-8 from The Contender, Polydor LP 2383 490, 1978
Disc 2, Track 9 from RSO 12″ single RPO-1014, 1979
Disc 2, Tracks 10-13 from Electric Nights, RSO LP 3050, 1979
Disc 2, Tracks 14-16 from The Sweet Smell of Success, Carrere 116, 1980
Disc 3, Tracks 1-6 from Favella Music, Carrere LP 123, 1981
Disc 3, Tracks 7-10 from Fierce Heart, Atlantic LP 7 80059-1, 1983
Disc 3, Tracks 11-13 from One Man Mission, Atlantic LP 7 80192-1, 1984
Disc 3, Tracks 14-16 from Some Come Running, Island LP 9921, 1988
Disc 3, Track 17 & Disc 4, Tracks 1-3 from Living on the Outside, SPV CD 72512, 2001 – reissued 2003
Disc 4, Tracks 4-16 previously unreleased
All tracks performed by Jim Capaldi unless otherwise indicated.
* indicates previously unreleased track
