Steve Winwood: A Video Compendium

(Selected by Christian "DJ AM Gold" Schaeffer)

We’ve been plying you with a week’s worth of Tom Petty videos in advance of his show tonight (but where’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Stevie Nicks?) [Ed. note: We posted that in June when Stevie came to town; someone didn't do their blog homework.] Petty’s a legend all right, but he shares the stage with another rock & roll lifer, Steve Winwood. So, to further put you in the mood for the show, we’ve collected a few of Winwood’s best solo performances.

Admittedly, I’m skipping all of his stuff with the Spencer Davis Group (do you need to hear “Gimme Some Loving” again?) [Ed. note: After four years of playing that in marching band, no.] and his work with Traffic. Likewise, I’ll plead ignorance to anything made after 1988’s Roll With It (incidentally, one of the first compact discs my father bought when he made the switch from vinyl and cassette). Collected below is Winwood’s golden period, and these songs offer enough evidence that, given some husky vocals and a few sharp hooks, the synthesizer could be soulful.

“While You See a Chance” – Arc of a Diver (1980)

“Valerie” – Talking Back to the Night (1982)

“Back in the High Life Again,” Back in the High Life (1986)

“Higher Love” – Back in the High Life (1986) [embedding disabled on all versions of this song]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-C7lxCf-3o

“The Finer Things” – Back in the High Life (1986)

“Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do” – Roll With It (1988)

BONUS VIDEO: Warren Zevon’s cover of “Back in the High Life Again,” recorded when the singer was at death’s door. It’ll break your heart.