Reviews (page 5 of 6)
Bland 60’s rock with pedestrian lyrics. Good compositions but it was very of the moment. Might be good to throw on as background music.
Rock suave y relajado. Muy de la época. Sin ninguna estridencia. Escuchable, sin más
Nothing special. Easy to listen to, but probably wouldn’t seek out to listen to again. I would give it 2.5 stars if possible.
Favorite Songs: You Can All Join In Pearly Queen (love how the guitar "wanders" around your head) Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush This Album starts and immediately puts you in a great mood. Really calm 60s Rock, a couple of interesting songs but nothing mind-blowing.
Great rock that I was unfamiliar with, except for the Feelin' Alright.
At times Winwood reaches the highs of Hendrix. At other times it almost sounds like kids music for adults; the opening track. It’s really not easy figuring out what Traffic was up to. Overall it’s not bad though - but it’s obvious that the members of the band were in some disagreement over the direction of the group.
# 141 : Fun easy listening piece. Good album, A hit or two, I like it
Competent blues rock
A fitting album for the year '68. Good sounding but not outlandish
Neat stuff classic 70’s jams
Some inspired, surprisingly exciting tunes here, it'd almost be memorable if it had some sort of charisma. To their credit, they're obviously trying very hard, there are some different styles and genres throughout the whole thing, but it just lacks personality.
Traffic
Deras två bästa låtar var tyvärr inte med på den här plattan. Väl godkänt ändå.
Always happy with Steve Winwood, this shit is straight up cool. 3/5
Aika tasapaksua ja yllätyksetöntä. Tykkäsin Shanghai Noodle Factory -biisistä, edes vähän jotain erikoista. Ei mene jatkuvaan kuunteluun, muttei ärsytä vaikka sattuisi joskus kuuntelemaan jotain Trafficin biisejä. En menisi keikalle, eikä oikein sovi lenkkimusiikiksi. Vaikea keskittyä kuunteluun ja jää vähän taustamusiikkitasolle.
Really great sounding album but over all only a couple great songs.
I was under the impression this was a 70’s soft rock album until I saw it was instead a 60’s soft rock album. However it does include the obligatory “weird 60’s song involving minors” which firmly dates it.
An interesting album. Some of the lyrics were truly bizarre. I had never heard any of these songs which must predate the Traffic albums I did listen to quite a bit. It lacks most of what I think of as their signature style, but there is a kernel of the power band they would later become.
Dirty hippie, jam band music with a white soul. Great boomer music that the lazier generations won't be able to appreciate. Truly music from another time. They don't make it like this anymore for a reason.
Why would I want to “join in?” Everyone hates traffic. You’re stuck. You have no control. You’re going to be late. People are honking. Some jerk just drove up the shoulder to try to pass everyone. But we built up a totally car-focused infrastructure and lifestyle, and now we’re stuck with it. In spite of that I was “Feelin’ Alright,” but then the John Barleycorn woodwind solos returned on “Vagabond Virgin” and I got stuck in the gridrock. Most of it was fine though. (Traffic, not the traffic.)
Other than "Feelin' Alright?" this was just fine. There are lots of other 60s rock albums I would pick up before this album.
3.5. Liked this more than I thought I would.
With the #metoo movement bringing sexual exploitation to the forefront, a song like Vagabond Virgin is disturbing. I’m still not sure if i) the narrator was trying to get with the girl or if ii) the narrator is lamenting how the girl just wanted to be his fan and someone else took advantage of her. Regardless the intended message, it points out the stark difference in late 1960s culture where a thirteen year old could follow a band around. There was a popular public campaign that asked parents, “Do you know where your children are?” I don’t think that happens nearly as much today as it did then. These days the helicopter parent is a known fiber of our parenting fabric. Different times. I’ve read the lyrics to the song several times and I tend to think it was option 2.
Eeeuh ptff ché pas quoi dire, c’est cool mais pas tant
Stand out track - Feeling alright
Decent fun.
6/10. Not too shabby
Steve Winwood before the synthesizers. This was just some boomer rock, easily listenable but not that good. 6/10
Steve Winwood opened for a Petty on his last concert in Edmonton and he absolutely crushed it, so I have a soft spot for him. Mits is right though, this is pretty meh. But hey, at least it wasn’t Basement Jaxx!
А че не шоссе? Бля, какой же я даун 6/10
Traffic has some very good songs but there really aren't any on this album. A handful of pretty good songs here but nothing to keep me coming back. Medicated Goo is very underrated
Some interesting bits, but didn’t excite me too much.
Folk rock. bah
Good songs but didn’t feel like a cohesive album
Pretty good, beatles-esque but longer form songs with more soul and blues influence. I liked it fine but nothing jumped out at me.
For some reason I expected more. Couple classic songs. Enjoyed it.
Solid
It's somehow not as bad as I thought it would be. Steve Winwood and a touch of hippie? Yuck. AND YET it's a decent listen. A 2.5 in my book but for beating my expectations I'll award a 3 star.
3.5/5 I'll have to relisten. seems promising
Not to my liking but you can’t deny their talent and musicality.
Some inspired, surprisingly exciting tunes here, it'd almost be memorable if it had some sort of charisma. To their credit, they're obviously trying very hard, there are some different styles and genres throughout the whole thing, but it just lacks personality.
A mix of psychedelic English whimsy and blues added on the side. They all look more smug than they should be. This is definitely nothing ground breaking. Probably great for posing with cream (if you'll pardon the pun) tea and pims on a village green while thinking you're scaring the "norms" - though it's definitely watered down cream. Best Tracks: Pearly Queen; Feelin' Alright; Medicated Goo
First listen to this album. Sounds good if somewhat dated. A bit of early Stones Free Jethro
This album starts fairly strong but loses momentum about halfway through and peters outs.
Good and groovy but starts to wane for me.
This was a good 60s jam
They certainly bounce around quite a bit, style-wise (blues/jazz/psychedelic/proto-prog), probably to accommodate the different songwriters. At times it sounds like different bands and swapping singers doesn’t help. I’m less fond of the bluesy tracks, but the guitar solo (Dave Mason?) in “Pearly Queen” certainly grabs your attention. I like the sequence of songs that starts with Roamin…”, and I must admit that the piano that starts off “No Time to Live” sounds like it may have inspired “Fools Overture” by Supertramp.
The provenance of this group is very distinguished, especially for Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. I respect their noodlings and experimentation from their blues based rock. As an aside, I have to wonder why all these White English bands from the 60s were so influenced by, and tried to incorporate Black American Blues into their sound? But I digress, although this is not my jam I see that these guys are pushing some good ideas out so this is a solid 2.5 rounded up because I can appreciate where they're going.
Rock, muy Beatles
This record made sense in the car, though after almost two listens I cannot remember details (second listen halted by a slightly dirgy song getting voted down in our commie collective). This sort of proto-prog, pre-Layla, earnest rock does have some mileage with me.
Mixing is very strange on You Can All Join In -- vocals are buried and the lead guitar is levitating above all else. Pretty forgettable song IMO. Pearly Queen is, on the other hand, a jam. Dusty sounding song with really nice guitar work and a psych outro in the vein of Hendrix. Good kush. Shanghai Noodle Factory is a jam in the weirdest of ways. I mean... yazz flute, stop-start, organ. What's not to love. This is a solid, but not mind-altering rock record from the 60s. This feels more pure blues rock in the vein of Seger and Clapton than say Hendrix. Some heaters on here (Pearly Queen, Shanghai Noodle Factory) and some solid middle of the road jams (Feelin' Alright, Cryin' to be Heard, most of the rest of the album). This is a 3 leaning 4 for me. Got me jamming, but not too much specific to go back for. Solid music to drink a beer in the garage to and reminisce on them good ole days.
Pretty solid. It was cool hearing MMJ cover Feelin Alright earlier this year live. Joe Cocker's version is loads ahead of this one though still imo. Mostly listened to this one as background music but had to pay attention to Shanghai Noodle Factory and that song was cool.
Easy-going, enjoyable, but The Who's done it better. Highlight: Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush 3,5/5
Meh. Classic Rock, most songs were enjoyable, but as a whole kind of bland.
It's a pretty nice listen, but nothing too exciting. "You Can All Join In", "Pearly Queen", and "Feelin' Alright" were the best tracks. Middle-of-the-road music gets a middle-of-the-scale rating.
Good background music at work
I wanted to like it more because of their reputation, but this was “just” very acceptable rock, nothing really stuck with me. But now I know what Traffic sounds like!
Yeah it was alright, I thought it was quite a slow album throughout and didn’t get really good for quite some time but certainly has some good tracks.3/5
The songs are simply not there - so it’s one generic mush of a part psychedelic part folk and part jazz. I appreciate saxophone though now that I started to play the instrument - but a a record - meehh
Good album just lacked magic for me.
has that that one song and a couple other decent ones
Some really good tunes, some really bad ones.
pretty nice album, with Winwood and co
Leuk bandje!
Niks op aan te merken.
Heu, dit is toch gewoon Eric Clapton? Terwijl volgens Wikipedia de zanger pas na uitkomen van dit album ging samenwerken met Eric.
There’s a nice clash of the blues with jazz on this album, in a battle of the songwriters, as it were.
3.8 - This record strikes a fine balance between summery jams like "Feelin' Alright" and "Means To An End" and proggy explorations like "No Time To Live." Usually this mix would make for a disjointed record but somehow it comes together beautifully. Winwood really slays the guitar solo on "Pearly Queen" and I'd put that performance up against anything by Clapton. I also love that they draw from a broad sound palette of flutes, saxophones, organs and electric pianos.
A very creative album name for this band. This was a lot like typical 70s classic rock sound but I guess since it came out in 68 they were a bit ahead of their time with the sound. It was good but nothing really noteworthy. The songs were unwise and sometimes weird but they lacked a melodic element that a lot of 70s classic rock had that made it popular. It was decent but not amazing. 6.4/10
Traffic by Traffic sounds like music rushing to leave the sixties and heading straight for the seventies. Folk rock sits alongside a heavier prog rock sound. Perhaps this gives the record a sense it is neither one thing nor the other? There are glimpses of Winwood’s talent throughout but it never quite takes off.
Tämmöstä listalle aika tyypillistä rockia taas, ehkä vähän keskimääräistä enemmän omaan makuun. 3/5
Pretty cool, some nice funk, some psych rock, interesting album.
Ágætt stöff.
Pretty average but not bad. This is what I expected from a rock album from the late 60s.
I wasn't sure where this was going at first but when Feelin' Alright? kicked in I was back in familiar territory. I enjoyed some of the crazy turns it took like Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush and Shanghai Noodle Factory.
First couple of tracks made me think this was gonna be pretty uninteresting generic blues-appropriating British rock of the era, but side B got a little more proggy and to my tastes. Fave tracks - "Cryin' to be Heard" and "No Time To Live"
Cool dude music
Another enjoyable album by Traffic
Lots of musical variability, but every song sounded very 1970
Bil 🚗 trafik lol!! Nä men bill
This was a pretty cool album, our second from Traffic but still not a band that I'd say I know. They sound like a lost or forgotten player in the classic rock scene. Some really fun tracks on here; I had the album on while doing some housework and it was perfect for that. Wish I could say there was more that stuck with me but regardless, it was enjoyable front to back. Good listening for sure. Favorite tracks: You Can All Join In, Don't Be Sad, Vagabond Virgin. Album art: Band photo, these guys look funny. Man in the cowboy hat is my favorite, I just know he's got a dark secret. 3.5/5
All sound the same.
I've been looking to explore Traffic again so this was a nice push. The album is a bit scattered in a way I really like. Shows how many influences they had and leads to the direction they would go in. Definitely a front runner in Progressive Rock. 3.5/5
Pretty good old school rock. The production sounds really good still after all this time. Sounds pretty much exactly like what you'd expect from this era. Performances are good though and it sounds like they are having fun rocking out Score: 70 Art: 60
I wasn't familiar with the band, but recognized Feelin' Alright? The music still sounds good, impressive for 1969. Favorite song was Cryin' To Be Heard. 3.5
Beetje bluesy, psychedelische rock. Wel oké
Lots of tasty jammy crossover up front, relative slide into trope on the back side. Traffic make more of an impression on me here, and remain respectably distinct.
If was fine.
Listenable late '60s folky bluesy pop rock. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Feelin' Alright Date listened: 10/06/23
Meh of mehs
Drifting away from their psychedelic debut, Traffic takes on a more jammy blues rock sound. We still do have a bit of the psychedelic with the groovy "40.000 Headman" and "Cryin to be Heard". Several forgettable songs, but most failed to have a very lively sound. Several highlights, including the hit "Feelin Alright" and the Hendrix-esque guitar work of the first 2 tracks.
Interesting to hear where that song Feelin' Alright comes from. Otherwise it was OK, but can't see myself revisiting
There are some great blues songs on here. The 2000 reissue has a track called Medicated Goo which is a banger!
Love Traffic, but I don't think this is them at their best
Blues rock sur fond de Roland Garros, ou peut-être l'inverse ?
Traffic
Some cool songs. Sounds like a mix of The Rolling Stones, Hendrix, and the zombies. The album just get like a collection of songs and didn’t have a good flow to it, which is important for me.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Feeling alright, Crying to be geard
Very typical 60s rock. Enjoyable but nothing very special
Again, a decent listen. Quite enjoyed it.
Some good tunes on here
Very nice mixture of the genres. At first song I thought it would gonna be just another "country" album, but it wasn't. Funk, folk, jazz... Pleasure to the ears.
early white boy rock they sound like a band that people who love zeppelin would like 3.5
I’ve had this one in my vinyl collection for a while, inherited from a girl I knew in high school, but have never drawn much joy from it. It has always fallen flat on my ears despite knowing the acclaim it has garnered. There is a complexity and depth here, but I haven’t been able to unlock it. Mason’s songs are stronger I think, but Joe Cocker took Feelin Alright and made it a song, whereas the Traffic version is just a sketch. Some songs are straight up annoying (Pearly Queen). Will revisit again I’m sure, but just ain’t doin it for me.
Fairly generic 60s rock. I didnt think it was anything amazing.
pretty good
Its all very chilled in a 60s hippy way but I like the thematic consistency of the album. Not that memorable. Simple pleasing stereo production and the odd dodgy lyrics. 3.5
It was perfectly good. Moments of funkiness and progginess that I heartily enjoyed but nothing jumped out for me.
All good fun, but at length (and with multiple outings with the band on this list) there is a tinge of dated nostalgia trip to it, and quite a lot of jammy meandering noodling.
A bit lengthy, but it is a good listen. Lots of musical diversity and influences. Loved the drumming in particular.
Nice
Fairly interchangeable rock album.
Liked
Super close to a 4, and is probably a 4.5 with context. Extremely well produced and easy to listen to. There’s just not quite enough variation and the album is a little too long. Can’t believe it came out in ‘68
Great for a 1968 release but overshadowed by everything else released since then. I didn't find much enjoyment in it but it didn't overly annoy me. I think 2/5 is fair.
2/5. The biggest hit “Feelin’ Alright?” Was solid enough, but the rest of this album really didn’t do much for me. Found the vocals kinda grating at points and musically tons of albums from this era blow it out of the water.
Day 904. I’ve lost track of how many creepy male rock stars have songs about teenage girls. The losing track part is particularly disturbing. This was fine enough otherwise but good grief I am so tired of listening to an album and then suddenly hearing, “…and you’re only 13…”
It’s all been heard before. I know that in 1968 this was cutting-edge, and there are songs on here where I can hear a lot of quality work. But this isn’t essential. It’s a fun deep dive album where you learn that Steve Winwood was apart if this groups before his solo career took off. It’s an album where you go “oh! I know that song” when “Feeling Alright” comes on. Those novelties won’t carry you anywhere significant. “Dont Be Sad” and “No Time To Live” we’re both really enjoyable. Everything else can get tossed. 2/5
Best Track - "Feelin Alright?"
Unfortunately I had my phone in my pocket whilst this album played, it however didn’t make me take it out at any point to get the title of a good or bad track. They were all just ‘meh’ Nothing special, but pleasant enough easy listening. No best or worst tracks for the above reasons and a very average 5/10.
Traffic There was a lot of flute in music during this time. Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Genesis, early Supertramp, to name a few obvious examples. Too much flute in fact. So not a fan of the flute tracks. And there was a lot of 'noodling' too. Playing lots of notes without anything going anyway and with no purpose other than to show everyone how Quentin had reached grade 9 guitar/piano/or bloody flute again before finishing sixth form. So I didn't really like those songs either. Then there's the cringey nurseryrhyme-esque whimsy - Mulberry Bush, You can all Join In - and questionable lyrical themes - Vagabond Virgin - that land with massive discomfort. So there isn't much left after that. Best Track - Pearly Queen Worst - Vagabond Virgin Not for me. 4/10 (just realised I listened to some stuff not on the original album but only on the expanded reissue. Doesn't change anything though. Disappointing, as I'd read a lot about Traffic and was hoping for better things)
Tog sig på sista låten med flöjten. Annars är det rätt hyfsat men inget som utmärker sig.
Meh. By now, because of this project, my algorithm thinks I must really like this dad rock band. It's fine, but nothing to be excited about. 2*
4/10
It's all right I guess. Just kinda meh, boring.
Uninspired classic rock
If you were to tell me, there's a Traffic/Steve Winwood thing coming up on the generator. Predict your score. I'd say, hell I like those things, probably at least a 3 or 4. But man, this was grating. This entire time I thought the superior Joe Cocker version of Feelin' Alright was by Traffic, but I was mistaken.
English guys doing an impression of The Band's already second degree Americana.
The fact that I can barely remember anything of this album the day after doesn't bode well.
I don't know. It kept me company, but I forgot what was yesterday record so quickly. I had to look at the songs names to try and remember something. Boring and not really inspired.
Musically diverse with a few enjoyable moments.
Traffic is a weird band, I've listened to a lot of their music over the years, my local classic rock station LOVED Traffic, I don't think there could be a public radio station in the world that played more Traffic than WDVE-FM Pittsburgh. Despite that, I had never heard anything from the album Traffic until today. The first few tracks on the album had a vaguely "70s Southern Rock" vibe to them, and I was surprised to find out that "Feelin' Alright" was written and originally performed by Traffic. By the back half of the album, the songs were the standard Traffic sound, vaguely jazzy, almost a prog sound in there. Ultimately, this album felt very long, and I just didn't find much to engage with on this record. It turns out, I don't love Traffic.
I’m now just over half way through 1000 LPs but I’m sure it’s the 35th time I’ve had “this” LP. Nothing particularly wrong with it but I really didn’t need to hear it
fun funky elements
It was fine. didn't grip me.
I haven't read up on it but I think they named this record after the band because the content is meaningless but they couldn't leave it unnamed. It's all a bit too random and aimless. There's no real sense of progress through each song, much less the record itself. It doesn't have any highs or lows which in art is a sin. I'm starting to get that it's 1001 albums, not 1001 great albums to listen to.
Oh I bet they are some of you all dads favorite band. Pretty standard classic rock station fodder. I mean you can't just play Zeppelin and the Beatles over and over. So traffic shines as the full in. Seriously though it's not terrible, it's just not memorable. They got Feeling Alright, then.... Not much else.
Interesting enough but I'm a bit sick of the 60s and 70s now, after my last few albums on this list. Maybe I'll return to it later but for now a 2...
Мені альбом не здався чимось цікавишим ніж інші гурти того часу, що грали подібну музику. Feeling Alright досить хітова пісня, але загалом альбом без особливих яскравих моментів.
Гурт, який так і залишиться назавжди у 60х. Непогана музика місцями (No time to live наприклад), але загалом дуже дефолтний психоделік фолк тих часів. Тексти деінде просто жахливі - як наприклад щось майже педофільське у vagabond virgin. 2.5
This is one of those albums that I got through and just didn't feel anything. It exists, Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush is fine but also apparently not even on the album normally I accidentally listened to an extended special 2000 re-release of the album, and there's like nothing else here that I really cared about, but also nothing else that I hated.
1. nnno. no i dont think so 2. this just sucks. feels like the song that plays in a cowboy bar in a movie that sucks. dont care for the instrumentation or the lyrics or the vocals 3. it's just not much of anything 4. the best one so far. i'm still not enthused. why do they repeat their lyrics so damn much 5. i just don't find these songs interesting. they aren't communicating anything to me. i dont even know what to say 6. man this sucks. why am i doing this. WHY IS THIS SONG SO FUCKING LONG IT'S FIVE AND A HALF MINUTES OF THE SAME 11 LINES WHY ARE YOU MAKING 5 AND A HALF MINUTE LONG SONGS IF YOU ONLY WRITE 45 SECONDS WORTH OF LYRICS AND REPEAT THEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN 7. well at least they actually wrote more than one and a half verses for this one. instrumental is also better 8. look. i can enjoy a 5 minute long song. i've enjoyed 15 minute long songs! i just don't think these guys should be making 5 minute long songs. stick to 3 minutes or under 9. see above. the vocals on this one are fine and the instruments are inoffensive. probably the best track 10. yuuup back to disgusting dog ass music that's what i thought
It feels like an Eric Clapton cover band but they aren't allowed to play any songs that Clapton wrote. Just so boring and uninspired. They're good musicians though.
If I have to hear another beatles wannabe 60s groupie band with a bob hairdo I will call this project a sham to everyone I know. I mean come the fuck on, this is album 413 I'm in!
već mi je bio došao jedan album ovog benda i tada sam napisao ovakav osvrt: "uistinu jedan od albuma svih vremena". ovom prilikom mogu nastaviti u istom tonu: stvarno, jedan od albuma svih vremena, pjesme su izvedene, tekst je otpjevan, sve je nasnimljeno i otisnuto na ploču. stvarno ne znam šta drugo da kažem. pjesma »vagabond virgin« donekle je okej, ostalo – nula bodova
It's been more than two years of these albums. I've been stuck on this album for weeks now. Had listened to other albums coming through but was stuck here because I listened to it and forgot what I thought. So I listened again, and I was left asking the same question - did I like that? Idk, I need to review it now and move on, still not even halfway - this thing is a hefty commitment alright!
Heard some songs from them before. Quite nice tbh but I'm not crazy about it 2/5
it's crazy how good this album is good at simulating the feeling of being stuck in traffic for 40 minutes and 24 seconds bored 2
The guitar playing and the drumming on this album is exceptional. However the vocals and the lyrics are not. In 1969 there was such a high bar that all elements had to be elevated. This is just a so-so record unfortunately
Is the second album we've listened to from Traffic? Why? What shite.
2/5 - Boring
The best thing I can really say here is that Feelin' Alright made me decide to just go listen to Joe Cocker and my listening experience improved drastically once I did that.
Outside of the obvious standout, this just fell flat to me.
If John Barleycorn must die, maybe this album needs to as well. Maybe. Never been a huge fan of these guys. Solid players with good musicianship, and yet outside of Feelin’ Alright, I just couldn’t find much more to remember or like.
This was decent with some good jams. I’m rounding down purely on their us of stereo and panning that made this almost unlistenable with headphones. Pearly Queen was just painful. Also, feeling alright was done better…like much better by Joe cocker.
So mild that it finished without me really having any impression whatsoever. It wasn't unpleasant, but it just sounded like something designed to be as inoffensive as possible. Two stars.
Pretty standard fare southern rock. I recognized "Feelin' Alright" because my dads band used to play that one back in the 90's.
This doesn't really appeal to me. The version (original) of "Feeling Alright?" is decent, but Joe Cocker's version is clearly superior.
Feelin' Alright? is a classic but the Joe Cocker version is a million times better. Some nice sax and piano. Overall, no urgency. Speak up buddy I can barely hear you. Bit of a boring stretch of albums I've found myself in.
Not a necessary album. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best songs Feelin' Alright
Unremarkable rock
Besides Feelin' Alright, I don't think I'd recognise a single song if I listened to this again. And even with Feelin' Alright, I wouldn't be sure if I was listening to the Traffic version or any other of the various similar covers of it.
fine music for focusing at work, but I've I had to sit and concentrate on this album only, I'd probably run out into traffic.
It’s fine, but a bit too long. This album could have been 2 or 3 songs shorter and I probably would have rated it higher. 2.25 / 5
★★½
Too 1968-ish for me. I appreciate the jazz and blues parts, non so much the psychedelic and vocals parts.
It was fine. The album was long though. I recognized Feelin’ Alright.
Started off really strong, You Can All Join In was really fun with some nice country vibes. Pearly Queen was some solid fun rock and roll. And then it just sort of petered out. The rest of it was not bad, but nothing like the first two songs. Except for Cryin' To Be Heard, which had a wonderful guitar solo. Best song: You Can All Join In
Not my favorite of the lates 60s rock classics. They were doing such a specific hogwild American blues pastiche à la Rolling Stones that I looked up if they were British and Lo and behold, they are indeed. Good for those chaps. My favorite part of the album was some of the song titles (“Medicated Goo”, “Shanghai Noodle Factory”.)
More pretty standard rock, which I’m sure others would say is really influential but to my ears sounds like so much other stuff from the time.
Ok, feels kinda generic.
Музыка для ситигриля Не дослушал, скучно Не плохо и разнообразно 2.9
booooring. please give me something good i need to get back into committing to this silliness
Like many people, I hate traffic. As a nascent driver, I find heavy traffic to be very stressful, almost to my breaking point. However, I don't hate Traffic(the band). Nor is Traffic(the album) a bad record. It's not a particularly good record either. It's just bog standard 60s dad rock with hints of psychedelia. The weird high-pitched guy is hard to listen to, but the other guy is tolerable. The lyrics aren't anything special(includes a song about having relationships with a teenager, as usual for the period), and it's not very sonically interesting. I struggle to ascertain why I must hear this without fully hating it, which is sadly all too common with the project's records(especially on weekends). There's a saxophone solo on one track and it's the most intriguing thing that happens on the album. So really, it's a random 60s rock album that I find rather forgettable and mediocre.
Fairly generic 60s folk-rock guitar. Presumably innovative at the time because of random additions like pan pipe and organ on most tracks. Didn’t do it for me.
Late 60’s bands are like flutes! Intermittent honking! Borrowed nursery rhymes! The only thing that could make this worse (better?) is more cowbell.
Mediocre at best... Some tracks feel repetitive and empty, the instrumentals and rhythm really don't appeal to me either. Pretty boring.
This started badly but in the end I grew into it a bit…. ‘…40,000 headman’ was good
216/1089 a couple songs in and i was considering this being my first DNF (/finish at another time) not because it’s “bad” per se but i’m not particularly in the mood for this kind of 60s boomer rock it feels like the sort of music that could be utilised really nicely in a film/tv show at some point but that i don’t care for outside of that context Feelin’ Alright? and 40,000 Headsmen were the stand outs for me, the second half of the album was definitely the better part imo 24/100
Fan of Shanghai noodle factory and obviously feeling alright is a classic. Not a fan of the rest
Vanilla dad rock. Didnt leave much of an impression
Dit is een jam band rock achtig album. Ik vind er niet heeeeel veel aan. Word van tevoren beetje lekker gemaakt dat er hier meer Jazz en soul invloeden te vinden zijn, die hoor ik niet helemaal. Wat ik wel wat interessanter vind is het nummer Romain'. Dat heeft namelijk nogal wat niet westerse invloeden en maakt de muziek wat spannender. Maar is dat genoeg spanning om een uur lang leuk te blijven? De vraag stellen is hem eigenlijk ook al beantwoorden. Dit is een typisch album dat mensen die er destijds bij waren absoluut fantastisch vonden, maar als jouw eerste kennismaking met Traffic in het jaar 2026 is, dan is er gewoon niet zo heeeeel veel spannends meer aan. Jup, dit is een jaren 60 band. Behoorlijk psychedelische muziek, gewoon niet heel erg mijn ding. FAVO: Who knows what tomorrow may bring, Feelin Alright?
I listened to the first few tracks, just couldn’t get into it
oh my god im so fucking bored
again not for me
There are some bright spots in this album, but I didn't care for it much as a whole. I feel like I have written dozens of reviews like this by now, but again I just don't connect with this music. Maybe the album is just too long. Favorite track: "Withering Tree"
A long 57 minutes. Sounded like one song....
Forgettable
Underwhelming. Dare I say it, really boring. 60s British Blues isn't very interesting.
First and last time I’ll be listening to that
Most of this sounds like just rote 60s folk rock, si I didn't love it. But I do think it got more interesting in the back half.
An odd one. I've swung wildly between but liking the lovey dovey music to loving the guitar riffs. An odd one to place.
Solid Album. Different pace for me. Enjoyed the different pace though.
1968 was one of the best years in musical history, and still, we have to go through this average Traffic via the challenge. The album vibe is great, but I can barely see any creative songwriting in it.
The mediocre streak continues. Seems so generic 60s rock. Never rising to anything interesting at all. 2.5 rounded down Heard before? No Owned: No: 39/159 (24%) Will I get? No
I listened to this second-rate 60s album while reading a second-rate book that partly takes place in the 60s and while I still very much enjoy the way 60s recordings sound neither of these things is any good
Nothing terrible about it but it’s so 1960s in a way that I probably would have liked 800 albums ago, but don’t now. Probably at the time, a guy would hear Traffic at a formative time and become a Traffic guy. But hearing it now, in this context, it’s just another one of those albums.
I'm learning through this process that I dont really rate Steve Winwood
I like time after time but I didn’t really like anything else
Meh. The album starts okay. Pretty solid retro-style rock tunes, with ‘Feelin’ Alright?’ acting as a standout track. But overall this feels relatively bland to me and I'm not sure I'll remember much of it. It feels harsh because there's not anything massively wrong with it, but it would be a push to say I liked anything about it either.
60s music playlist filler
With Steve winwood nice record
The Steve Winwood stuff is so much better it's not even particularly close. And I don't even dislike Dave Mason. He just sounds bad on a lot of these songs
: ) old but nice
Starts off ok but tails off a bit. Not bad but not amazing
Flutes are cool tbf and it was definitely interesting. But in the end I thought it sounded like a Mighty Boosh parody of the 60s.
Good ingredients put in the pot with poor measurements. The songs just seem weak and uninteresting. 2/ 5
I can't imagine wanting to listen to this album again
Started quite good ("You Can All Join In", "Pearly Queen") but soon lost tension. worst: "Don't Be Sad"
From the period in 1968 when psychedelic music became more rootsy. In Traffic’s hands it was pretty uninspiring as they frequently lapse into blues rock. Some nice keyboard flourishes, but the singer is a liability.
bleh
not my vibe
I kind of like other Traffic albums, but this one did nothing for me.
Traffic. What does it mean? Is it the result, perfectly natural, of so many big metal chassis choking up the finite thoroughfare’s length? Merely the unavoidable consequence of a maximum flow being met; part and parcel of modern locomotion meeting yesterday’s much reduced need for travel corridor capacity? Or is it something deeper than that? Is there more to it than just being a bit temporarily stuck? I dunno. It’s a stupid question. The feeling of being bumper to bumper, the great long serpent of interminable stasis feasting on my frustration – is just that. It is what it is. Try go deeper into it, pointing fingers, apportioning blame if you like. But you won’t get anywhere. There’s a lesson in that. “Somebody’s crying to be heard” sounds a bit like a cover version of Toto’s “Africa” done in the style of My Bloody Valentine I contributed to a lockdown music project; the rest of it … far out. I guess it’s only fitting that Traffic invented the middle of the road.
Wasn’t really feeling this one.
This is tight
Find I guess
I’ve had a series of 60s and 70s albums in recent weeks that I would not usually listen to and haven’t added any songs to my playlists. This hasn’t changed that. It was on in the background and it didn’t capture my attention once.
Personal preference, nothing to do with the greatness of the album
And we're back to the bog-average white dude R&B.
This is pretty cool music, and I guess I'm grateful to have heard it before I die, since I might have missed it otherwise. If I walked into a coffee shop and this was playing, I'd think that coffee shop had a pretty cool vibe. I might put it on when people come over for dinner, and maybe they'll think I'm pretty cool.
Lät väl okej men jag fick inte riktigt känslan.
Light 2,5
I found most of this to be a bore and a chore to get through. But I enjoyed Medicated Goo a lot and was on the verge of giving this three stars as a result. The next track (Shanghai Noodle Factory) knocked it back down to two.
A classic rick group. Good songs
Traffic, Traffic, lookin for my chapstick This is like of you fed AI 1000 hours of white boomer music and made it do an album based on that. Some of the lyrics were so corny it pissed me off Songs for more listenable toward the end I'm never beating the anglophobe allegations
These songs flew by but I can’t say I even really noticed when one song faded to the next. With few exceptions it felt like pretty basic rock of this era. Maybe that’s because they were influential? I’m not sure but this just sounds like basic rock.
Second traffic album on this list another one I don’t plan to return to. Just ok. Had no idea they were the originators of “feelin’ alright?” And that’s the best track on this album.
Good sound
4/10
Kind of a nothing-burger album. It wasn't shitty, so it's not a one-star album, but it was forgettable for me. I'm sure it holds some nostalgic value for some.
I am a fan of Traffic but not this album. This isn’t my kind of music…the twangy, occasionally bluesy, folky, rock sound. Feelin’ Alright is a great song primarily because it has a strong melody that I think the other songs lack.
Pffff
I mean, it's ok. It's not inspiring. It's pretty forgettable. I wouldn't bother seeking it out again. You can tell it is the same era as cream but with none of the excitement. Meh.
Honestly just a completely average run of the mill 60s album, I can't find anything to hate about it, nor can I find anything that even makes it remotely interesting or compelling.
Early rock and too country.
Feelin’ Alright? is a rad song but Feelin’ Alright? does not a great album make.
Just fine
This was decent enough but I did not save any songs so unfortunately, 2/5.
Unfortunately, this album suffers from a complete lack of personality. I kept forgetting it was on, and not in a fun, purposeful ambient way. No Time to Live was pretty good, but other than that entirely forgettable. 2/5
Pearly Queen is a pretty sick song. Jimi Hendrix came to mind when listening. That was the only song I liked. The album is all over the place. It's not terrible but should this be on a list of albums to listen to before you die? No. 2/5.
Jesus, I can't. Some of it sounds like they're imitating the first Genesis, some just sound too much like 60s, lighthearted music, some of it just feels pretentious. This was tough to listen to.
Just another 60s rock band no one ever talks about anymore.
Maybe just because I have a headache but I didn't enjoy this at all
It was fine- I was entertained but it didn't "wow" me by any means. Easy listening though! Probably wouldnt seek it out.
2/5
I didn’t enjoy this album much at all.
Generic late 60's rock, I'll pass. "Melody Maker enthused that the album showed tremendous pace and originality" Nothing original about this album in the context of the era.
Pretty standard for this genre and nothing really stuck out. Skippable
Hasn't dated well for me.
fine
Wasn’t loving it
Just kind of washed over me, nothing special.
My god it's tedious. So, so tedious. I feel like I've heard this album dozens of times already. If there's a template of 60s/70s rock, this follows it perfectly. I wouldn't say it's a *bad* album, but it's not good, and it's exhausting in its sameness. 2.5 stars, but I'm docking it half a star because my mood noticeably improved when I started listening to something else.
nah
Wasn’t really my thing, no standout tracks for me
Not sure about this. It's the kind of thing I should like - it's all well played and kind of groovy, but I don't think it's dated very well. Also, I can't remember any of it.
Many other bands do everything here much much better. Really bizarre mix on some of these tracks.
When I first started this project I read many reviews by people who complained about the amount of middle-of-the-road British rock/pop in this list. I scoffed at their moans. Of course there's a lot of British music here! Britain made loads of good music! Stop complaining about being made to listen to nice things! But that was then, and this is now. I've now trudged through Faces, Yes, Fairport Convention, the Stones, Elvis Costello... And I've had enough. Traffic by Traffic is just more of the same. I can't give this a high score as it is just a set of ditto marks, an endless legacy of a time where, it seemed, anyone with a guitar and a quirky hat could squeeze out a mediocre record and hit the big time.
are they good? Yes. I like a lot of their stuff, this one didn’t do it for me. I think traffic is a great “greatest hits” band, but so many album tracks i just wasn’t into.
Meh
Feelin' Alright?
This album is really up and down like a rollercoaster, one track will be really good. You'll find yourself nodding along absent-mindedly, then the very next song will sound like an awful Blues Brothers cover. It was a coulpe tracks where I had to sit up in my seat and lock in, but not many. "Shanghai Noodle Factory" was definitely one of them. That flute? Are you kidding me?
Erster Gedanke: Niee gehört, Cover noch nie gesehen.
Didn't like 1*
60’er rock, et par ok numre, lidt intetsigende
Honestly, I'm starting to understand why people in the '60s found hippies annoying
emptied my bowels to this
oof. too 70s.
I don't really have any thoughts
Shitty
Fairly standard late 60s rock fare - reminded me in places of the sort of thing Bowie was doing before he got his act together. Nothing really jumped out here, but pleasant enough.
I was left a little disappointed with this. I had high hopes after listening - and buying - John Barleycorn, as recommended by the 1,001 albums list. This sounds as though it can't escape the heavy blues of the late 60's, despite the band clearly wanting to break through with something different.
Very meh
2.5 stars. Some songs were pleasant but overall the album tipped into cheesy territory for me. Feeling’ Alright was nice in a movie montage/end credits sort of way.
I swear I listened to this album once. I swear I did... but it already has been deleted from my memory. Or perhaps all 15 tracks just congealed into one beige smear of sound. I can't believe this band is came out of Birmingham at the same time as Sabbath. I can't understand how these 2 bands can coexist in the same time and place. It feels like faux-American music... like a novelty diner but instead of a 50s setting, it's woodstock themed and there are AI pictures of hendrix on the walls holding cheeseburgers and advertising the daily specials. It's cringey CCR. It's bad CSNY. It's "soul"-ish. It's Jethro Tull... but blander? The only thing that rescued my attention from the flavourless muck of the track list were the hippy dippy cringe-ass "peace and love" lyrics. I won't quote them here. I don't want to. This album made me question the validity of this 1001 album list. How can this be a significant album in the history of humanity? I call bullshit. And you may be wondering, why after that scathing review did I give it 2 stars? The answer is... 1 star albums are bad. This album is not interesting enough to be truly bad. It's boring. It's elevator muzak genetically engineered in a lab to soundtrack a walmart commercial set in the 60s. It's audio wallpaper for fake hippies. It doesn't deserve a 1... in a bad way. Normally I listen to every album at least twice and I couldn't do it this time. I got bored during my second play-through and turned it off so I could do my taxes in peace. Also...how dare they reference Shanghai noodles. In the words of Will Smith: Keep the name of my favourite noodles out of your fucking mouth. Highlights: None that I can think of.
I didn't mind this! It was pretty inoffensive, it just didn't really grab me at any point, except for the song "Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring". Rounding down from 2.5 stars. Listening notes: - reaction upon hearing vocals... "Oh! Okay...." - instruments remind me of early Sheepdogs - More of "Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring" please - long album! Hard to fully pin it down on first listen
the band who invented getting it all together in the country - hippiedom incarnate
Rarely does 40 minute feel so long, no idea what is so essential about bland classic rock.
Didn’t get to where I needed it to
I’m hard pressed to understand why this is here.
Kaipasin enemmän meininkiä, on liian letkeää (ja blues-progehkoa fiilistelyä).
It was kinda like if you asked AI to make a Beatles song
UK rock band, late 60s. Really cookie cutter, but not bad. Blues and jazz influences. Psych rock just does nothing for me.
Okay listen.
eh not rly my vibe but not bad
If I want to hear a big multi-instrument band of white musicians play various genres, I'll listen to Chicago. If I want to hear the whitest vocalist on Earth, I'll listen to Rush (I won't listen to Rush). If I want to hear unmemorable and dated songs that pass serenely through my ears for an hour, I'll give this a spin.
The best thing I can say about this Traffic record is that it put Jimi Hendrix's Crosstown Traffic in my head. The music is dull in the way only an English psychedelic rock in 1968 can be. For some reason I thought the Traffic guy was in Traveling Wilburys. He's not — he's actually in Blind Faith. Traffic is even in the B-tier of supergroups!! Two stars instead of one star because there's nothing to dislike here, on account of there being nothing here period.
First time.
Just fine.
Very very meh. 4/10
Enjoyed it but nothing very special...
Idk, it can be kinda nice at the psych thing but it barely makes an impression on me, especially when it goes more folky or soulful which I don't find as interesting or engaging. So like, meh?
Like a Splitting image the 60‘s.
It’s not bad. Nothing I would write home about. But it wasn’t like I was wishing it was over 1001 album worthy: No - 39/69
I've been listening to a lot of 60s/70s rock lately. This was ok but honestly quite dull.
Favourite tracks: Pearly Queen (guitar licks), Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring (keys are wicked), Feelin' Alright. So variable, some good tracks, some big misses.
Alright. Some good moments, heard a lot similar. Unlikely to listen to again. 2 stars.
It's OK, but what is the essential element I'm missing here?
This is an OK listen. I didn't really feel "wow'd" by much and if anything I felt like a lot of the songs were kind of... milquetoast? Like the big hit here "Feelin' Alright" just slightly crosses over the threshold of being a great song on an album that should be on this list, but then it immediately gives us "Vagabond Virgin", a moderate tempo conversation of a piece between a bass guitar and a wood block. It's a little too bland for "1001 albums to hear in your lifetime". "Traffic" is a pretty funny band name to me. My first thought is actual road traffic, which is an annoyance and not something I would think to name a band after. "Hey guys do you want to go to the "Internet Ads" show tonight?". Made me laugh a little. The album cover is pretty straightforward, but what is that circular thing in the upper left? The thing that the member in the middle is pointing at?