Search - Traffic :: Mr Fantasy

And Heaven is in your mind, its utterly simple!

Clyde D. Hoops | Back where I started from in Oceanside California | 05/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the bands and albums of late that have been given the re-mastering treatment no band has deserved this more than Traffic regardless of the incarnation that you care for(1st incarnation w/D.Mason constantly acting as the revolving door, or 2nd incarnation wherein Winwood/Capaldi/Wood were the remaining core). Of all of the catalog, either Mr. Fantasy, which is a true masterpiece of the period or the "Traffic" self-titled second album, are highly recommended over the current American label offerings. The Remastering of the first two albums was done with such care as to not sound to bright or harsh as digital processing has a tendency to do. "Heaven is in your mind", "Dear Mr. Fantasy", "We're a fade you missed this", "Smiling phases" and "Coloured rain" all open up aurally as never before heard. The sharpness of the guitar passage in 'Mr. Fantasy' especially are worth the price of the listen. Jim Capaldis' drum kit also sounds more forward in the mix than previous offerings, but the nicest suprise is the general ambience or nuances that were originally recorded into the mix but which were lost to the original vinyl releases not to mention the waste of time straight transfer disc offerings that record companies always seem to offer first. The contributions of four musicians can be clearly heard throughout instead of mush with Steve Winwood clearly crying to be heard over the mix. Buy this and the other import remasters to hear what was really a step ahead in modern music for the times. As an added bonus this particular disc offers both the original English version which was in stereo and the original American version of the album which was in Mono. Rock On."

Classic Traffic!

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 09/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Traffic's first two albums from 1967 and 1968 are both timeless. "Mr Fantasy" was their debut; their second was simply called "Traffic"



Steve Winwood had left Spencer Davis Group in early 1967 to form a new band with Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood. Both Winwood and Mason were extremely talented songwriters, and they each wrote a single hit for the band prior to the release to this album. Both great singles ( "Paper Sun" and "Hole in My Shoe" ) were included on the original US mono-version of the album, which makes up the second half of this CD-release



Traffic succeded in combining Winwood's jazzy/bluesy style and Mason's melodic songwriting style with the new pshychedelic trends of which the band themselves were very much a part of.



The album is perfectly produced by Jimmy Miller, and though these recordings are nearly forty years old, they sound as fresh and crisp as ever.



Most songs were written by Steve Winwood in collaboration with Capaldi and Wood; and their songwriting is incredibly inspired. Songs like the opener "Heaven is in Your Mind", the moving "No Face, No Name, No Number", "Mr Fantasy" ( terrific guitar solo from Steve ) and "Coloured Rain" are classics. They also show a humouristic free and easy attitude on tracks like "Berkshire Poppies" and "Giving to You"; which gives the album the variety that is needed to make it a classic.



Dave Mason wrote 3 songs, all tracks are fine, but his contributions here are not so significant as on the follow-up album, which included his classics "Feeling Alright" and You Can All Join In". They are all more or less in the same vein as "Hole in My Shoe", though none of them not nearly as catchy.



Before the album was released in the US Dave Mason had left the band ( there were some disagreements over the musical direction ), so two of his songs were excluded from that release and exchanged with the 4 songs from their 2 singles. This made the American 12 tracks version an even stronger album. The B-side "Smiling Phases" was another great Winwood/Capaldi/Wood composition that deserved being included in the first place.



There are some interesting differences between the mono and stereo versions. The guitar-solos on the two mixes of "Heaven is on Your Mind" are completely different; funny that they exchanged the great solo on the UK version with an obviously less inspired on for the US release; could be a mistake? Minor differences can be on most tracks.



Interesting that Dave Mason isn't even credited as band member on the US album cover. Mason returned later to record the follow-up album with Traffic."