Traffic

Traffic dares to beg the question: "What's worse than 70's boomer rock?" It's 60's boomer rock. I could see any one of these tracks being used in a movie that somehow makes it enjoyable. This is old bar music through and through. Another case of "It's not terrible, but not good either" This album started off ok, but it just keeps getting worse further in. I could listen to this if it was playing on a speaker in a building, but probably wouldn't like to be stuck in a car playing it on a road trip This is a strong 2/5 I think I'm becoming more jaded as this goes on...

I have a very important announcement to make: Traffic is the band that Grateful Dead fans think the Grateful Dead is.

I've always liked Traffic quite a bit, but not quite as much as my friend Mike who was in a band with me. Mike played keyboards and tried to sing like Steve Winwood. His favorite song to play was Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. One day Mike met this girl and fell in love. I can't remember her name but she was pretty wild. Mike would have threesomes with her and another girl and tell us all about it when we would get together for jam sessions. One night, Mike's girl showed up and hung out with us during our jam session. When she left to go get us some beer, Mike lashed out at our drummer, claiming he was flirting with Mike's girl and was planning to sleep with her. It put a damper on the whole evening and ultimately broke up the band. Mike got engaged to this girl but the morning of the wedding he called me up to tell me the wedding was canceled because they had gotten into a big fight and broken up. I haven't really talked to Mike much since then, I hope he's doing okay. Anyway, I've always liked Traffic but hadn't really listened to this album much. I honestly thought the song "Feelin' Alright?" was by Buffalo Springfield or CSNY - had no idea it was Traffic. This was good, but I think the following two albums - John Barleycorn Must Die and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - are better. Still, I'm giving it 4 stars.

good old american rock1!! ai olikin englanti. heh.. VITTU PEDOFIILI HÄH?????????? miksi aina pitää olla.. little girl... ei koskaan ole söpöistävä lemmikkinimi aikuiselle naiselle... aina aktuaalinen little girl.... miksi... . I did enjoy "Vagabond Virgin" though; lil bro how. melkein hyvä yritys psykedeelisestä rokista, ei edes kuulostanut vitun hirveältä.. vitsi vaan. Uskomaton albumi.. raskas.... vitsi vaan.. hyi vitty pearly queen

Great, great album. I’m starting to love this band so much! Very good mix of classic rock with a dash of prog and folk. And Steve Winwood is crazy talented. 8,5 out of 10

10/10 all of Traffic’s albums are so creative and good, but done in such a fun, easy-listening kind of way

Had expected to see Mr Fantasy in this list butthen we got JB Must Die, and now their second album appears. All three albums are 5 stars, but Mr Fantasy impressed me the most and hope it is still included in the list.

Ah, UK rock. Surprisingly I liked this album, songs did not sound the same which was a huge plus. But still felt like something that you'd just see in the clearance section. Not sure why it's on here.

It was ok

I have never heard about Traffic more than a few words, and I don't think I listened to more than 1 or 2 songs. Now I'm in love with this album. It started so "standard", sounding like any other rock band from the '60s/70s, but it increased and doubled the bet on a strange (and familiar at the same time) mix of blues, classic rock, and a bit of experimentalism that really catches me. I hope to see more Traffic on the list since I got "John Barleycorn Must Die" some months ago, and it was far from the work I see here at this album.

Uskomaton albumi.. raskas....

This was a very well produced album featuring mostly blues rock. There were tinges of jazz and folk influence as well giving the music a more sophisticated sound. The songs felt balanced, well layered, and had an almost Grateful Dead like feeling of spontaneity though Traffic are a much tighter band (at least in the studio). Overall, the album was very light and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Good album

Couldn't be more MOR if it had yellow lines painted down the middle of it.

It is a pleasure every time I listen to Traffic. I've owned a few of their records going back to the late 80's. I could go to the swap meet with $5 and come home with five albums. The collection grew considerably. Lying on the floor with headphones plugged in, looking at the cover, reading line notes and lyrics. I read a lot of great books back then too. A real bright spot in a low point. But anyway, this album is just exactly perfect. Musically these four guys were magic.

That was a great folk rock album with catchy tunes.

It's called Traffic because every song is a jam. Just super tight playing and writing.

Solid album. It's more like a 4.5 for me, but I bet if I re-listened I would get even more out of it, so I'll round up.

This album was seriously so fun! All of the high-energy, positive, vibes. Definitely adding to my record collection someday.

This is really the sweet spot for me for the band Traffic. The folk and jazz leanings of their later albums are distractions from what they are really great at -- cooking versions of catchy songs. The Dave Mason songs really stand out on this record. they are much more tuneful and straightforward than the Winwood/Capaldi numbers, which can tend to provoke a "huh?" reaction in me. But, in fairness, this album isn't too psychedelic or folk or jazz or other muso-indulgent waffle. Everyone is playing really well. Winwood's singing is the standout, but the tracks where he and Mason trade leads are typically the standout for me. It didn't chart for Traffic at the time, but Feelin' Alright was recognized as an instant classic. if you look at the list of cover versions by A-list artists that were released within two years. I love the live version by the Jackson 5 on their "Going Back to Indiana" TV special in 1971. It's totally worth a look to see the Jacksons at the height of their powers, kickin' it out live (https://youtu.be/6EtxrIpyuQY?si=P4nePLoltq0c8_bZ&t=139) Back to Traffic, this is a great record, would buy.

And the award for the worst band name ever goes to… Traffic! I haven’t heard of them before, but why would you name a band after rage-inducing street congestion? Each to their own, so let’s find out if the music is good. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring, Vagabond Virgin This was really good! It reminded be a fair bit of a lot of southern rock bands like 38 Special, so I was surprised to see they’re from Birmingham. To my ears they sound very American, but that would be me being wrong! The music is enjoyable here. There were no songs at all that I didn’t enjoy, but there were only a few that stood out as fantastic. Overall, a good album. Give it a try.

No. 282/1001 You Can All Join In 3/5 Pearly Queen 4/5 Don't Be Sad 3/5 Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring 3/5 Feelin' Alright 4/5 Vagabond Virgin 3/5 40.000 4/5 Cryin' To Be Heard 3/5 No Time To Live 3/5 Means To An End 4/5 Average: 3,4 Really diverse album. All songs are pretty good. Felt like it had even more potential with better production.

This was a pretty standard 60s psychedelic/prog rock album and it had some good tracks (who knows what tomorrow, medicated goo). Don’t have much else to say but it’s hard to decide between a 3 and 4.

Traffic is a band that I'm aware of and could name one track from the band (not on this album), but I haven't listened to them much. I have seen others refer to Traffic as a band that they have enjoyed exploring, but I haven't been able to catch that spark to ignite my personal interest. I feel like my understanding of the band hasn't found its context in my personal listening experience or my understanding of where their music fits within pop culture. Overall, the album was okay. I listened to the extended version of the album and was fine with that. I think Joe Cocker has ruined "Feelin' Alright?" so that track is a drawback to the album. As long as I don't have to think about the lyrics to "Vagabond Virgin" I can round to 3 stars.

Traffic était déjà venu nous laisser un souvenir des plus périssables et remet le couvert avec ce projet déjà oublié.

Quel plaisir de voir que tout est rentré dans l'ordre, et que Robert nous propose de nouveaux albums insipides. C'est important de revenir aux bonnes vieilles habitudes !

So I’m a fan of Traffic, but have never worked my way through all of their albums – but the bulk of the catalog that I’ve heard, I have enjoyed… They seem to be one of those bands that have a few outstanding tracks per album, so their goodness is spread across the catalog… I get that this was their 2nd album, but the songs seem to be all over the place – and I was partial to the sound on the debut album “Mr. Fantasy”… Looks like it was the clash between Dave Mason’s more pop orientation, and Winwood & Capaldi’s more jazz and blues influence – with mason eventually leaving… Regardless, there are a couple of gems on here – even if it really doesn’t flow like most albums… Liked “Feeling Alright” obviously, but also enjoyed “Roamin’ Thro’ The Gloamin’”, “Withering Tree”, with the best track on the album IMO being “No Time To Live”… Guess I’m a “Mr. Fantasy” & “Low Spark” kinda guy… Solid 2 for sure…

Stevie Winwood

Great 'dad rock' with a bit of funky vibes

Rock. Muy bueno para su tiempo, muy completo, apasionado.

I love Traffic

I actually loved this. I can’t believe, in all my years of guilty-pleasure yacht rock listening, I have never heard of these guys. Multiple songs will be making it into my rotation.

This was great. Each track felt epic in its own way, but it also connected nicely as an album.

Ended up really enjoying this album.

Feel like Traffic is a sixties act that has been quite unfairly forgotten so many decades after. I'm not a huge fan of Steve Winwood's solo career, but his first band had a pretty impressive run of albums during the early sixties / early seventies era, and this second LP is probably my favourite in that group of LPs. Of course, "Feelin' Alright" is a massive hit with an infectious chorus, and its inclusion right in the middle of the tracklist helps propel the whole thing until the end. But each and every other cut is worth the detour here. The songs are varied, lively, heartfelt, the arrangements are either fun or sophisticated, and it's just a pleasure for anyone who is interested in that particular era of rock music. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 444 (including this one( Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 267 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 323

Pearly Queen is really good don't be sad was just ok who knows what tomorrow may bring is cool feelin' alright is a great cover Roamin Thro The Gloamin was pretty cool too Means to an end, good Overall I really enjoyed this album, I've never heard anything from Traffic before besides Mr Fantasy, which was not on this album. I think I'll be revisiting this for sure.

Man, take me back! This is so good! I'm Feelin' Alright!

Good album, long ago

Great, lovely album

My kind of music! Good rock album to do a road trip. I didn't know that Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi came out of this band. No wonder that's so good! I knew Steve from his solo song Higher Love (on the soundtrack of GTA V) and Jim from a cover of a Brazilian song called "Anna Julia" (very popular here) with the participation of George Harrisson. It was a good surprise and i'll leave 5 stars.

Traffic deserves to sit in the pantheon of British rock with The Who and the Beatles.

Stunning album. Love it

Big Album !

just a beautiful record ........

Traffic sound like one of those groups who split up then had seperate bouts of outrageous success. Not the case but this is a very tight album. Bloke got some serious soul in his voice. Trying to place this somewhere in the Country Music time line (I finished the Ken Burns doco btw the way - more on that later) but all I got to was r&b blues country psych rock

Sounds great

This just fucking slaps. It's like Kansas, but turned down to like and 8, rather than an 11. I was really worried the album would fall flat a bit as it went on, but it constantly surprised me and some of the back half was even better (not all of it). This is saved, added to playlists, and I can't wait to listen to it again.

cool

Well, Traffic rock. Loved it.

4.6/5

Rootsy and bluesy compared to the debut. Love the piano and winds playing.

Splendid stuff that.

Amazing blues rock album with the right amount of folk mixed in. Great range of instruments including flutes and organ add a unique sound that I think is quite ahead of it’s time. 9/10 but rounds up.

early pysch rock with some super solid jams.

For some reason never checked out this band, but this album sounded great. Good mix of rock, funk, and folk, and even some progressive rock that reminded me of early Genesis (especially on No Time to Live).

Not sure why this particular Traffic album was chosen - hopefully some of the others will make an appearance later on. Very 1960's but hints of what's to come.

Джо Кокер сделал хороший кавер

I wasn't really familiar with Traffic before the 1001 and this is the second of their albums I've now listened to and really enjoyed. I feel they maybe deserved a bit more success but the late 60s were so packed with good classic rock, clearly some things just got lost in the noise. There are a number of songs I liked enough to add to my playlist and as an album it just continued to deliver satisfying hooks and a decent quantity of swagger.

Fun and funky, sounded a little basic but easy to see how it made the list, feels like a grandfather of an album

I have a much more recent Traffic album, but nothing from their earlier catalog, so I was interested to explore this record. The main thing that stood out to me was Steve Winwood's amazing voice. Dave Mason is a decent singer too, and a pretty good writer, but his voice pales in comparison to Winwood's, though most do if we are being honest. Still, having both of them on this album makes for an interesting contrast. Beyond this, throughout this album, I enjoyed the lead guitar work and the keyboards. And then there's that flute! Ok, seriously, you don’t often hear flute on a lot of songs (unless you are a Jethro Tull fan), so that was unique. A few songs which were highlights: I loved the way guitar bounced back and forth in Pearly Queen, great listen with headphones on. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring almost had a bit of a Motown feel to it, though this really soars because of Winwood's distinctive voice. Feelin' Alright? is a great song. No surprise it is one of their most recongizable, even if it was really made popular via the objectively better Joe Cocker version (speaking of distinctive voices). I thought 40.000 Headman was a great, great song, again carried by Winwood. Medicated Goo gives me an Almann Brothers kind of vibe. Very cool tune. Not everything on this album is great - You Can All Join In is a strange opener - but there's a lot to like. This is an excellent album.

Haven’t listened to this in 30 years. I dig it way more as a 43 year old than as a 13 year old.

Good tunes, good sounds, but some of it leans into jazz a bit much for me.

3.5 - Good

Dear Mr. Fantasy is a song that grabbed me when I heard it in a commercial like 20 years ago as a teenager. That song isn’t featured here, but it gave me an interest in Traffic from an early age. This is a very solid offering from Winwood and team. Its variety is probably its biggest strength, and arguably weakness. It’s not the most cohesive album ever, but it’s a fantastic collection of well performed songs.

I guess I really like Traffic. Not traffic, Traffic

Quelques temps morts mais une sacré découverte sinon.

Classic

Your dad was on drugs, bro. Liked it! Will for sure pick up a copy if I see one.

Traffic is a pleasant surprise. Easy on the ear and I actually knew one of their songs: Feelin' Alright?

333/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Was really diggin' the album and then CRYIN' TO BE HEARD really took it up a notch. Strangely enough, I hadn't listened to the entire album, but absolutely adore 'John Barleycorn Must Die.' Another startlingly groovy song, AM WHAT WAS OR AM I WHAT I AM. Super freaking catchy!!

Absolute chill vibes great campfire music. Was working with this in the background

Partially listened before Fav tracks: Roamin'..., Am I What Was..., Shanghai Noodle Factory

Sounds like all the other American ‘Nam music of the time. And that’s a good thing.

Ég skammast mín næstum því yfir að elska svona tónlist en ekki þekkja bandið. Þetta er mjög góð plata og alveg pottþétt eitthvað sem ég mun setja aftur í spilun. Mér finnst ég hafa misst af svo miklu um ævina.

begon zeer goed... daarna puddinggewijs wat in elkaar gezakt... toch goed voor 4 sterren

This was a decent album. I can tell they were starting to head in a more prog rock direction. It’s still psychedelic, but there’s also a good mix of jazz, blues, and folk rock. Like always, the organ was one of my favorite parts.

4/5

It's too bad that the other Traffic album on this list was one of the early albums that I got, while this one is among the last. I feel like I like this album better than the John Barleycorn album, but it would be better if I could compare them more directly in my head. Regardless, this album is cool overall. It feels like part of that transition from the 60s to the 70s in rock and roll. This album also does a lot to showcase Steve Winwood's songwriting ability 4/5

Decent album. I have a couple of their songs already liked on Spotify, but not from this album. I expected a little more because of them songs. I’d give a 3.5 if I could so I’ll err high.

A nice discovery and the album improved with each track.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this record from a band I am ignorant of. It is possible that I feel this way because of how dang much the faces in that photo are flirting with me.

Enjoyable listen if not a bit long.

Never heard this album or band before. Pretty good. Vagabond virgin is kinda questionable politically

OK, first one put me to sleep, not the best opener. But Pearly Queen kinda slaps with jamming instrumental sections grounded by a simple refrain and don't get me started on the Hammond organ. I kinda dig this energy of pop and unusual sounds. Album progresses very nicely, maybe my fav moment right at the middle with No time to live, some great piano and organ work. I would see myself listening to this album again.

👍🏼

I really enjoyed this! Some really good classic stuff. Well written and fun. Would listen again

Early Steve Winwood and you can already hear that he is a production nerd. This sounds incredibly clean for early 70s rock. It is also apparent that he loves jazz which makes for an interesting rock album. The result is a little bit cold, but overall this is interesting and inoffensive.

I went into Traffic not knowing a single thing about the band, but this one really caught me off guard — in a good way. It’s a solid psychedelic rock album from start to finish. Trippy melodies, some jazzy touches, and that late '60s vibe that never gets old. Nothing felt too overdone, and even the weirder moments worked within the overall sound. Definitely one of those albums that makes you wonder why the band isn’t mentioned more in classic rock convos. Favorite track: Pearly Queen

I really enjoyed this album. It was a feelgood collection of chill songs that felt timeless despite the warm analog softness of the recording. Also never knew Steve Winwood started off here, very interesting.

Groovy 60s Brit rock band. Before listening to this album, only knew their song, “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” Recognized “Feelin’ Alright?” And really enjoyed “Don’t Be Sad”

I find it incredible that this album came out in 1968. Traffic seemed to be a good few years ahead of the 70s rock scene. Already they were taking psychedelic rock and blending it with complex structures, jazz, and a diverse range of instruments. What's impressive is how accessible it all is. How does an album with so many layers manage to include such a good single as "Feeling Alright?" There are hints of Steve Winwood's synth-layered jazz that would come later as well. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've come to enjoy Traffic, though I liked "John Barleycorn Must Die" a bit more.

A very pleasant sound universe.

Traffic is a great band and this is one of their best albums. Perfect balance between their psychedelic rock leanings with the interplay of guitars and reeds and drums around suitably ethereal lyrics and their folk rock compositions which are catchy and fun, Feeling Alright being the best known of the latter. A consistently satisfying listen. 4.5 stars

This is the better album. There’s a certain older English gentleman who reveres traffic and for the relatively short time they were together they did well. John barkeycorn must die is good but not essential. This could go on the list. 3.5

A likeable album. My interest waned towards the second half, but when I was paying attention it seemed top quality yet good fun. Nice flute and organ going on but no real standout tracks.

7/10

I liked it. Is it something I will listen to over and over again, no. Liked the different instrumentation, flute, organ, saxophone, nice variety. Liked the different vocals. Could've been a little shorter but otherwise quite liked this album.

I would say this is a low 4. First time I've listened to a lot of these songs with Shanghai Noodle Factory and Light Up Or Leave Me Alone being my faves.

A good piece of 60s rock. Didn't blow me away but I enjoyed it well enough.