Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory

Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory is the sixth studio album by English rock band Traffic released in 1973. It followed their 1971 album The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and contained five songs. Shoot Out, while achieving poorer reviews than its predecessor, did reach number six on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, one space higher than Low Spark had peaked in 1972. Like its predecessor, the original jacket for the Shoot Out LP had its top right and bottom left corners clipped. The album was remastered for CD in 2003.

Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory
Studio album by
Traffic
ReleasedFebruary 1973
Recorded1972
StudioStrawberry Hill Studios, Jamaica
GenreProgressive rock, jazz fusion
Length39:18
LabelIsland
ProducerSteve Winwood
Traffic chronology
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
(1971)		 Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory
(1973)		 On the Road
(1973)

The album was recorded with four members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (bassist David Hood, drummer Roger Hawkins, keyboardist Barry Beckett, and guitarist Jimmy Johnson). Hood and Hawkins appear on all the songs, and are listed as members of Traffic on the album sleeve. Beckett and Johnson only play on "Tragic Magic". Hood, Hawkins & Beckett would go on tour with the band as evidenced by the subsequent On the Road album.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC[2]

Rolling Stone had a subdued reaction, saying that most of the songs are too even-tempered and uniform in structure and tone, but that "Evening Blue" and "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" are high points. They summarized that the album "embodies the inconsistencies that beset the band as well as the high points that have kept Traffic moving."[3]

Retrospective reviews were less forgiving, with AllMusic stating that both the compositions and the performances are uniformly weak, adding up to "a competent, if perfunctory effort in the band's familiar style",[1] while Village Voice critic Robert Christgau's review consisted of a single sentence followed by the note 'Giveaway: "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired."'[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, except where indicated.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory"6:05
2."Roll Right Stones"13:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
3."Evening Blue" 5:19
4."Tragic Magic"Chris Wood6:43
5."(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" 7:31
Total length:39:18

Versions of the album

The original, full-length master of Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory was initially only heard on the U.S. vinyl version. This was at a time when Island Records was manufactured and distributed by Capitol Records. When Island's distribution deal with Capitol ended, Traffic submitted a revised master in which "Roll Right Stones" and "Uninspired" were remixed and faded out early.[4] "Uninspired" was shortened by about 15 seconds and "Roll Right Stones" by a full two minutes. This shortened master was used for all subsequent copies of the album until May 2003. With Island's 2003 remaster of the album, the original full-length versions of these songs finally became available on CD. LPs and CDs with the shortened versions of these songs commonly falsely list the longer times for them.

Personnel

Traffic

Additional personnel

Technical

Charts
Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 35
United States (Billboard 200)[6] 6

Certifications
Organization Level Date
RIAA – USA Gold March 3, 1973

References
  1. "AllMusic Review - Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory". Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Romasco, John. (March 15, 1973). Album review, Rolling Stone.
  4. Interview with UMG catalog chief Bill Levenson in ICE Magazine, referenced in a review at Amazon.com.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 312. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Billboard 200 - Traffic". Retrieved September 20, 2017.
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