Traffic – “Traffic”

The Sleeve:

The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.

Personal Review:
 So, the real question in life is what is better than Steve Winwood? Early Steve Winwood.

 The album opens with “You Can All Join In” and it’s a whole lot of rhyming and great musicianship on this one, it’s something you can nod along to also, it’s a good song to open the album with, and hey, the vocals are pretty good. We go onto “Pearly Queen” and wow, this is some intense rock music, it’s fantastic, early Steve Winwood is better than 80’s Winwood (Sorry ‘Higher Love‘.) – this stuff is intense. The guitar playing on this track alone is enough to die for, it’s so intense. After that we go onto “Don’t Be Sad” and holy hell, this stuff is off the wall, the vocals are great, the musicianship is fantastic and the lyrics are just stunning. I love Steve Winwood. There is just so much music happening on this track, it’s great. “Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring” comes next, this is just a great album, each song has such a build up, and it’s like one big huge jam session here, and it’s just so intense. The A-Side closes with the song “Feelin’ Alright?” and it’s a bit of a slow build up, but the vocals are superb – and oh my god, it is the same song that Joe Cocker did and they used in the beer commercial, why did no one tell me an even better version of that song existed?! I am in love with this album. Why anyone gave this record to the Salvation Army is beyond me. Seriously, this is amazing.

 “Vagabond Virgin” opens the B-Side, and it’s fantastic, like why is this album so amazing? These guys are just beyond talented. The musicianship on this song is just great, like oh my god, why is this album so great?! “Forty Thousand Headmen” comes next, and wow, it’s just off the wall intense, this is like insanely great, these guys are just fantastic, one of the greatest $2 bin finds. “Cryin’ to Be Heard” comes next, and this is just another fantastic song, and the chorus is off the wall, I am in love totally with this. This is what I call real music. “No Time to Live” comes next, and it starts off a bit quietly, but I can feel that this one is going to be a great track. It’s a bit instrumentally, but the vocals come around, and it’s still a bit slow, but I’m expecting a huge build up on this one, it’s great. It never really has a build up or anything, but it’s still fantastic. The album closes with “Means to An End” and it’s another great jam session, these guys are completely insane and off the wall, I love every song on this album.

I do not regret this purchase.

Interesting Facts:
None.

Track Listing:
A1 – You Can All Join In
A2 – Pearly Queen
A3 – Don’t Be Sad
A4 – Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
A5 – Feelin’ Alright?

B1 – Vagabond Virgin
B2 – Forty Thousand Headmen
B3 – Cryin’ to be Heard
B4 – No Time to Live
B5 – Means to an End

Label:
Polydor

Catalog Number:
543.022

Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
None.

Other Albums I Own by Traffic:
“John Barleycorn Must Die”

Released:
1968

Related Vinyls:

The Beatles – “The White Album” The Doors – “The Doors” Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Smash Hits” J.D. Brennan & Gold Fever with the Summer Street Gospel Group – “A Better Way / Driftin’ Away”