Search - Traffic :: Traffic

Were it not for the missing songs

Clyde D. Hoops | Back where I started from in Oceanside California | 05/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The most irritating aspect of remasters is when some fledgling archival A&R man (person), in this case Tim Chacksfield, (re-issue project co-ordinator) comes along and tinkers with the actual chronological order of these great musical offerings. Having recently purchased the first three Traffic albums/CD's (Dear Mr. Fantasy/ Traffic/ John Barleycorn ...) in the remastered state, I found that a lot of love and care had been put into the remastering of and repackaging of Traffics best music (minus of course The Low Spark...)but why must music from one project always be included out of context into that of another. Case in point are 'Here we go around the Mulberry Bush' and 'Am I what I was or am I what I am' which did not come from the end of the first phase of this band but from the very beginning of Traffic where S. Winwood was just leaving the 'Spencer Davis Group' and of course sacrifices two realitively great songs one by D. Mason and the other by S. Winwood which are "Just for you" and "Something's got a hold of my toe" respectively which will now end up as the 'great lost' Traffic songs. The aforementioned songs (Here we go...) would have been best served by being included within the context of the first Traffic album where they really came. To have a fraction of "The Last Exit" offered this way is a real disservice to Traffic, but then I guess I really can't see the reissue of 'The Last Exit' as an album in its own right since it was just a collection of B-side singles and snippets left over from a band that had just finished. Still the studio tracks were/are worth hearing. All and all an inspiring task undertaken but not a great undertaking (as compared to the job done on Dear Mr. and John Barleycorn...)still nice to hear a cleaned up version of 'Medicated goo' which was a b-side to 'Feelin alright' which is an all time classic from D. Mason. Fantastic reproduction of the original album covers, one gets a good sense of why the American audience was always confused as to why there were four members to Traffic and not just the three as advertised by UA records here in America. This is truly a missed band."

Traffic: Five Stars Plus!

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 08/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Traffic was one of the greatest band to come out of Britain in the late 1960's.



By the time the band recorded their second album, the original line-up was together again after of short period as a 3-piece band. Guitarist and songwriter Dave Mason had more or less walked in and out of the band. After the success of "Mr Fantasy" and the hit singles "Paper Sun" and "Hole in My Shoe", Mason left the others in early 1968, but he returned in May to join in on the recordings of the follow-up album simply called "Traffic"



Mason contributed several strong songs to the album, and his melodic and catchy songs give a great balance to the more soulful songwriting of Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi.



In fact this album consist of mere strong tracks/recordings.



Mason's opener, the catchy "You Can All Join In" would no doubt have been another hit for the band, had it been released as a single in Britain. In fact it did reach the singles charts in some European countries.



Mason's other songs are equally strong. "Don't Be Sad" is a fine quiet ballad in typical Traffic arrangement.



"Feelin'Alright" has become a classic that has been covered by numerous other artists; paradoxically many of these cover-version are done in soul-arrangements, making it sound almost like a Winwood song.



"Vagabond Virgin" written with Capaldi is another melodic song, in an up-beat. almost acoustice arrangent.



"Crying to be Heard" with its exploding chorus is another highlight on the album.



Most of Steve Winwood's material on the is also first-class.



"Pearly Queen" and "Forty Thousand Headmen" are Traffic at their very best.



The three bonus-tracks that were originally released on on their third album "Last Exit" are all among my favorite Traffic songs.



The last to bonus tracks are taking from the soundtrack for the movie "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" - none of them particularly memorable; but still nice additions.



This CD is highly recommendable. Another 5 star + release!"

Brilliant

Stephen F Mulcahy | United States | 10/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"their greatest work. only bad thing on it is vagabond virgin, for some reason i've always hated that song . everything else on the original album is a first rate, classic track,i think they should just leave it with the 10 tracks as it was originally intended, although shanghai noodle factory , for example, is a fine song.one of the top notch records from its time (though of course there were literally dozens and dozens of classic albums around in 1968). this is a classic."