The most likely associations an American will make with the classic rock group Traffic are with its latter-day mega-sellers John Barleycorn Must Die and The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. While both of these albums are worthy of recognition, I maintain that Traffic's best work occurred a few years earlier on the self-titled album released just prior to the group's first break-up.After having released three successful UK singles and the album Mr. Fantasy in 1967, the quartet version of Traffic underwent the first of several personnel changes in December. Dave Mason, who by all accounts was the most socially and artistically aloof member of the group, left the band to concentrate on studio work. The three remaining members, Chris Wood, Jim Capaldi and of course Steve Winwood soldiered on as a trio, but while in New York City in May of the following year, they happened upon Dave and found that not only had he mellowed out, but that he was in possession of five new songs. The other three having also amassed five songs, the only logical conclusion was to re-incorporate Mason into the fold. Thus was born Traffic, released in October of 1968.
There are several contrasts between Traffic and its predecessor Mr. Fantasy, all of which point to newfound maturity. The most striking is the lack of overt psychedelia, with even Mason (whose brand of child-like whimsy had previously put him at odds with his bandmates) embracing a (relatively) down-to-Earth tone. Another development is how seamlessly the songs fit together. It doesn't matter whether the song is a Mason composition or a Winwood/Capaldi one, both camps share an esthetic. The album gets off to a lively, bouncy start with Mason's "You Can All Join In," which proudly waves the flag for the emerging folk-rock genre. Of note are Wood's electric tenor sax punctuations and the soaring vocal harmonies during the verses. Jim Capaldi's drumming is the highlight of the following track, "Pearly Queen." I have a soft spot for his careening fills and generally cymbal-heavy style of propulsion, and they suit the rocking feel of "Pearly Queen" perfectly. Steve Winwood's roots lie in R&B music and he lets these ties shine through on "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring", although his invitation to "float across the ceiling" is a giddy reminder that we are still in 1968. Those only familiar with "Feelin' Alright" from Joe Cocker's hit cover version may be surprised by the laid-back, almost sloppy feel of the original. Indeed, the whole band was in fact tripping during the recording session. In this instance the sadness of the lyric ("not feelin' to good myself") is masked by the trippy musical setting, but later in the album, melancholy all but washes over you in the one-two punch of Mason's "Cryin' to Be Heard" and Capaldi/Winwood's "No Time to Live." Nowhere else on the album do any two songs flow together as seamlessly as these two do. Fortunately the piano-heavy "Means to and End" wraps things up in a properly jovial fashion.
One would hope that the successful melding of the Mason and Capaldi/Winwood/Wood teams on this album would translate into a long, happy marriage but even before Traffic's release, Mason found himself unceremoniously booted from the group. As far as I can tell the others, Winwood in particular, were miffed that once again a Mason composition ("You Can All Join In') had been chosen as the lead-off single.
Links: Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring, Pearly Queen, Feelin' Alright,
