"The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" is the fifth studio album by English rock band Traffic, released in 1971. It became Traffic's most successful album in the United States, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and achieving platinum certification, signifying sales of over one million copies. Despite its success in the U.S., the album did not chart in the United Kingdom. The album featured the minor hit "Rock & Roll Stew" and the title track, which received significant airplay on FM radio.
The album marked the debut of percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah in Traffic, and it was the only studio album to feature drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Ric Grech. Grech had previously worked with Traffic's Steve Winwood in the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. This album also stands out for having two tracks with lead vocals by drummer Jim Capaldi—"Light Up or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock & Roll Stew." The only other time Capaldi sang lead on a Traffic studio album was on "Dealer" from Mr. Fantasy (1967).
As with many of Traffic's albums, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys blends various musical influences, including jazz, folk, and classical music. The title of the album's iconic track was suggested by actor Michael J. Pollard.
The album’s cover is also notable for a design that features clipped corners on the front cover, giving the illusion of a three-dimensional cube, an effect they would later repeat on their next album, Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory. On original pressings of the UK and some European versions, the album and song titles were listed with a hyphen as 'The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys' on the record labels.
When the album was first released, there was some controversy in the UK surrounding the title and the phrase "high-heeled boys," which at the time was used in British slang to refer to organized-crime hitmen. However, once it became clear that the song was not referencing this but using the phrase in a more abstract sense, the issue quickly faded.
