Traffic - Mr. Fantasy

It's a rather druggy record, Traffic's debut; in fact, decades later, it's still possible to get a decent contact high off of it. From the stuttering, lyrically ponderous "Heaven Is in Your Mind" to the awe-inspiring psychedelic soul of "Dear Mr. Fantasy," this is Traffic's most reverb-saturated and elliptical release. This 2000 reissue is in mono, but it does finally bring the American and British versions of the record together, so that you get "Paper Sun" and other singles from 1967. Dave Mason-era Traffic was nothing if not eclectic. On Mr. Fantasy, they mix and match the art-prog of Caravan and the goofy psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper's with the mellow groove of Procol Harum, the jazz-blues fusion of Graham Bond with the blues-rock of Cream. All that and sitar, too--not to mention Stevie Winwood's riveting vocals. A sheen of silliness covers at least a third of the album; faux-frumpy songs like "House for Everyone" and "Berkshire Poppies" are not-very-witty vaudeville spoofs that are sung in stuffy British accents. Overall, this is an engaging period piece that makes one give thanks for the Program function on the CD player. --Mike McGonigal Amazon.com

60s Masterpiece - Traffic Remasters with both versions!

I am spending time filling in the gaps that I missed out on during the 60s and 70s. I grew up with the better known 'John Barleycorn..' and 'Low Spark..', but recently (thanks to the classic 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide)acquired 'Mr Fantasy' and their 2nd album 'Traffic'. Both knock the spots off the later Traffic, and while the critics gave 'Mr Fantasy' only 4 stars I rate it one of the best albums ever. Two songs on this album, namely 'No name, no face, not number' and 'Mr Fantasy' must be amongst the best rock songs ever, ever written (to say nothing of Steve Winwood's ethereal singing!). Regarding the issue about the US versus UK versions, I was fortunate to but a recently re-mastered CD that has both on it! Get that one, then sit back like a happy cat and lick the cream... December 6, 2008

Was good way back when

Most songs on this album are psychedelic curiosities. Many songs lack the melody and tunefulness that Steve and the gang can produce in droves. I liked this album when I was in college and was exploring all sorts of late sixties albums and...lots of other things. Many of those albums from the era did hold up over time. This one doesn't. September 28, 2008

psych gem

great to finally have a cd with all the bonus tracks in order. this disc is still a powerful document of the psychedelic era. it has a tremendous range of material from the guitar workout of dear mr fantasy to the comic hole in my shoe. light the candles and the incense!!! April 9, 2008

Amazon gets a low mark

As Amazon has done before, it fails to disclose that this CD is recorded on MONOphonic sound.

I wish they would be more up-front about this intrinsically inferior sound; perhaps its just part of their business model.

Anyway, I suggest giving them feedback about their failure to disclose such basic facts October 6, 2007

A bridge successfully crossed................

Many mid-60's artists, names too countless to mention here, failed to bridge the gap from the R&R/soul based music of that day to the more experimental stylings which followed. Not so with Mr. Winwood, who jumped from Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic with fellow headliner Dave Mason and relative unknowns Jim Capaldi (dr) and Chris Wood (woodwinds). Actually, Dave Mason often slid by the wayside allowing Winwood's influence to prevail. The US cover of this LP was a rather unimaginative photo of the group members, whereas the UK version (used here) gave us more insight as to what the music inside "looked like." This was, perhaps, evidence of the UK's head start on the dreamier elements of psychedelia. Songs like "Hole in My Shoe" and "Berskhire Poppies" utilized heavy phasing and made us hang on white-knuckled for awhile til we got the idea. Yet we also got the beautiful ballad "No Face No Name No Number" which became an oft-covered standard. A cornucopia of styles at work here, and more songs than appeared on the original releases of this LP. For example, the title tune from "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" which fits here quite well. If you are expecting the long jams of latter era Traffic, think again. A seminal work from a transitional age. May 31, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...