[.ca] Traffic

From Amazon.com:
Considering that Traffic couldn't seem to stay intact for more than a few months at a time, the band's work seems even more remarkable. Recorded in the summer of 1968 and released later that fall, Traffic, the band's sophomore release, stands as the outfit's high-water mark and one of the great rock albums of its time. Clearly, Dave Mason and Steve Winwood had completely different visions for the band, both musically and socially. In fact, Mason had already left the band at the year's beginning, only to return a few short months later. Mason liked to work alone and favored rooted folk-tinged material; Winwood saw the band as a communal affair and leaned toward progressive jazz-influenced music. Of course, the synthesis of these two approaches is what makes Traffic such a terrific album. There's not a weak moment across these 10 songs (augmented on this reissue with three mono single mixes). By fusing bits of country and folk, wisps of psychedelia, and elements of jazz and soul, the album managed to both presage and summarize the ambitious developments of rock music during its most creative era. --Marc Greilsamer

You can all join in:
How much fun is this! This CD serves as a great time piece of an era gone by, that's not meant to be bad or good, just an observation. The way the recording production is handled and the mix, it's impossible to find this sound today without going back. I get so much joy from so many recordings between 1967 and 1975 that I am somehow tied to that era and this CD does not disappoint. The craftsmanship and playing is so relaxed and natural, the effortless style and vocal harmonies mixed with Winwoods beautiful organ work creates an infectious summertime cool breeze feeling. The mood is mellow throughout (with a upbeat groove) but not in a pretentious attempt at creating something "cool" it is simply what happens when great musicians create music with joy and skill.

Vintage Classic Rock!:
Absolutely essential. Jim Capaldi, Steve WInwood, and Dave Mason are at their creative peaks. Had I known how exceptional this album was, I would have picked it up sooner. Songs like "You Can All Join In," "Pearly Queen," "Forty Thousand Headmen," and all the other tracks on this album epitomize the special qualities attributed to 1960s classic rock. I especially dig Winwood's vocals with the flute din backdrop...real cool!

Traffic Jam!:
It is unbelievable to me how this classic album of innovative musical gems wasn't included in Rolling Stone's top 500 records of all time.It just floors me...

One of the Best Albums of the '60s:
Traffic had one of the most original (and interesting) sounds in British rock, and not only because of their eclectic musical influences, which embraced psychedelia, folk, jazz, soul, R & B, and even classical. Their unique sound was also the result of their unusual instrumentation. While the group went through a number of personnel changes, its constant core members were Steve Winwood (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Chris Wood (sax, flute, and organ), and Jim Capaldi (drums & percussion). With no regular bass player, Winwood often filled in with the bass pedals on his organ. And, while there is no lack of guitars on most Traffic recordings, the guitar is not emphasized or particularly important to the group's sound. Dave Mason came and went in their early years and, on other recordings, Steve Winwood would switch to guitar, with Chris Wood taking over organ duties. In short, Traffic was anything but your typical guitar-bass-drums rock outfit. And, with "white Ray Charles" prodigy Winwood at the helm, and with their willingness to experiment with virtually any sound or musical style, they cut some of the most distinctive and important records in British rock. Their sophomore album, "Traffic," perfected the band's sound, and stands as one of the best albums in British rock. Psychedelic influences were still evident, but gone was the silly "Sgt. Pepper"-style trippiness of "Mr. Fantasy." Instead, Winwood and Capaldi perfected their jazzy take on psychedelic-soul, while Dave Mason turned in by far his best contributions with the group. Mason's "You Can All Join In" and "Feelin' Alright" (later popularized by Joe Cocker) are folk-rock gems, while Winwood's genius shines through on the whimsical but very funky "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" and the swampy jungle-rock epic "40,000 Headmen." Furthermore, in contrast with the cut-n-paste nature of Traffic's other LPs with Dave Mason, here there is real collaboration, as when a Mason folk-rocker climaxes with Winwood's soulful wailing on the refrain or the bridge ("Don't Be Sad," "Cryin' To Be Heard"). The overall result is a delicious paradox: a recording that is wildly eclectic, yet artistically cohesive. If you haven't heard "Traffic," all I can say is, you don't know what you're missing.

Every Track a Unique Experience:
This album showcases Traffic at their creative peak and shows just how amazing this band could have been had they not been such a combustible mixture of talent. I wouldn't venture to say that every track on this album is a masterpiece ("Don't Be Sad" and "No Time to Live" represent the only two song I ever want to skip), but nearly every song is strong and interesting in its own way. Some of the songs ("Pearly Queen", for example) wonderfully showcase Steve Winwood's incredibly soulful voice. There is simply no male vocalist in rock and roll that can put as much emotion into his voice as Winwood can. Dave Mason, often totally incoherent in Traffic's earlier effort, Mr. Fantasy, is at his most jubilant and endearing here, providing two wonderful sing-along tracks in "You Can All Join In" and "Feelin' Alright." Meanwhile Chris Wood's flute and saxophone play are seamlessly interwoven into the grooves ("Vagabond Virgin" and "40,000 Headmen) and really add to the feel of the tracks, whereas ordinarily, the infusion of woodwind instruments into rock only distracts and detracts from the music. Overall, the band is unbelieveably tight. I would go so far as to compare the cohesiveness of the musicians in this album to The Band in its incredible debut, Music from the Big Pink. Like Big Pink, Traffic's tracks are very distinct from one another despite feeling like they belong together. Even the paranoid and ragged "Feelin' Alright" sounds great next to the cheerful and silly "Vagabond Virgin". When I play this ablum for a friend and ask them to pick their favorite track, they always choose something different from the last person. I strongly recommend this album to any fan of music from the 60s and 70s and anyone else interested in finding a new band to start trying to get into. This album won't dissapoint and serves as an excellent starting point for getting into Traffic's unique sound.

• You Can All Join In
• Pearly Queen
• Don't Be Sad
• Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
• Feelin' Alright
• Vagabond Virgin
• Forty Thousand Headmen
• Cryin' to be Heard
• No Time To Live
• Means To An End
• You Can All Join In - (mono single mix, bonus track)
• Feelin' Alright - (mono single mix, bonus track)
• Withering Tree - (stereo single mix, bonus track)