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- CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE
WEEK
- Traffic "Traffic" 1968 (UK)
- This
week's classic album is a nearly perfect record by a legendary British
classic rock band who were influential on the developing jazzrock,
progrock and Britfolk scenes as well as the psychedelic pop milieu from
which they sprang. Yet Traffic was never particularly successful
outside the UK until the 1970's, by which time their personnel and
sound had changed considerably. But I'm getting ahead of
myself; in 1968, the original quartet released their second album
and it was a refreshing step back from the groovy sitar-laden wafting
insence vibes of their debut.
Indeed, I have often wondered if this record didn't inspire The Band's
similarly self-titled "plain folk in a plain brown wrapper" second album
of the following year. As such, it is a very early example of the
move from sixties technicolor psychedelia toward the mellow rustic
earth tone rock of the 1970's. Also, Traffic were contemporaries
of
Fairport Convention and Incredible String Band and should probably be
considered their equals in the British folk roots revival (albeit
Traffic was perhaps more "American folk influenced", but that's what
happens when you let jazz guys into your group and hang out with
bluesmen like Jimi Hendrix -- two members of Traffic appeared as guests
on Electric Ladyland right after recording this record).
Anyway! The really important thing is that Steve Winwood, Dave
Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood delivered a classic batch of songs the second time out, and
though it did not generate any hits for them, Dave Mason's
"Feelin' Alright" in particular would become a standard -- popular versions were
recorded later by Joe Cocker, Grand Funk Railroad, Three Dog Night,
The 5th Dimension and many others.
- The only contemporaneous clip I could find is this 1968 performance of "40,000 Headmen"
(Dave Mason is absent because he quit the group for the second time
right after this album was released! Though he'd return one more time for a
live album in 1971). While Traffic went on hiatus, Winwood spent
1969 hanging out with guys from Cream and Family in the supergroup Blind Faith.
However, Traffic was reborn in the early 70's with an
expanded lineup and a more "prog-jazz" direction (this is the era when
they finally became popular in the USA). Here's the 1972 version of
the group performing their 1967 oldie "Dear Mr. Fantasy". Finally here's Dave Mason leading an all star jam on his most famous song "Feelin' Alright" from
Traffic's "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" induction ceremony.
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