TRAFFIC

Another heterogeneous grab-bag along the lines of John Barleycorn, the appeal of Traffic's The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. Once again apparently unable to choose between folk-rock, proto-prog, psyche and straight ahead rock, and responding to this indecision by dithering around between the various genres they'd flirted with rather than coming up with a really interesting fusion with them. The stylistic gear change between the folky opener Hidden Treasure and the jazzy, mellow title track could give listeners whiplash. On top of that, given that it takes up 12 minutes of the album, the title track could really do with a bit of polishing - as it stands, it's a plodding, repetitive mess, with instrumental breaks which don't quite justify the tedium.

Traffic is the one band I should name if men asked me which progressive (related) band sounded better on a live recording then on their studio records. The main reason is that these guys really knew how to jam. Don't expect Jimi Hendrix alike freak outs, but subtle tunes which were creatively build to enhance the atmosphere and theme to suck you into it. Steve Winwood shows his very disciplined wah-wah guitar skills very often and Chris Wood on the saxes shows he can hold up the high level of discipline. The addition of an Afro American percussionist is another great find to enhance the jams.The keyboard player Barry Backet does not often take the lead, but is an excellent co-worker. There are no long drum or bass solo's, but I think that is fine, because those often become boring if listened for several times. This double live record gets its material from the previous three studio albums (John Barleycorn - Shoot out the Fantasy Factory) and has no overlap with the "Welcome to the Canteen" live recording.

Traffic on the Road starts with the excellent Glad and Freedom Rider to fill the first side. Although I get the idea that the sax theme sounds better on the John Barleycorn record and the vocals on Freedom Rider were also better on studio the overall feel is great and better then ever before. The long jams doesn't bore me for a minute; this is just what the band does best. While I'm not so fond of the "Low sparks of high heeled boys" record I must admit that on this live recording also this starts to live for me.

This record shows Traffic at its best. This is an excellent addition to a rock collection and a good place to start with Traffic's discography.

To understand this album, you have to understand how expensive records were in the UK in the late 1960's. Traffic had disbanded, produced two great albums and a third made up from bits and pieces. It made sense to produce a Best of which made some of their better known and more accessible stuff available to the public. This is a great compilation when viewed through the lens of a late 60's early 70's record buyer. If I was buying a compilation now, I would probably buy Smiling Phases but that is a CD! If you want a real record buy this, it's great.

This is an album that resonated with me as a kid growing up in the 70s. The title track is obviously the focal point of the album here, but there are gems found on the rest of the album as well. At the time I was listening to this album in my youth, I wasn't really aware of "progressive rock" - I only knew this was an album that I loved and couldn't get enough of. In fact when I listen to it now I still have trouble hearing it as a 'prog' album, I just consider it a great ROCK album. Along with John Barleycorn, this is the must-have Traffic record.

— First review of this album —

A fair collection of Yraffic pieces, even though much good work is missing. But with only a 51 minute cd to work with, it's hard to choose all the gems from Traffic's extensive history. "Roll Right Stones" is missing but "Low Spark of Highheel Boys" is here as is is"Paper Sun" and "Dear Mr Fantasy". Where is anything from John Barleycorn? Oh, well. This is meant as a simple intro to the band for a budget price. You get what you pay for. Not the best way to discover this band, too many missing pieces. For first time newbies on a budget only. 2 stars.

This album is comprised of some rock, some jazz, some folk, some soul and some prog all tied up in a bundle. This album is basically "stuff".

It's always driven me nuts every time I've played this work, hoping for a spark, something to perk my ears and take notice. It's never happened. By the time I get to the best track, the full on folk title song, I'm crawling around on the floor battling ennui and holding on to a coffee table like a life preserver lest I pass out. This album has that effect on me.

The musicianship is fine. "Glad" will attest to that. There's nothing exciting, yet these guys can certainly play. "Freedom Rider" even has smidgeons of their earlier style to keep things vaguely entertaining. The next two tracks are soul-sucking whirlpools of banality. They aren't terrible songs boasting poor musicianship and embarrassing lyrics. At least that would be fun. These songs, and, in retrospect, the album as a whole, are huge bowls of pasta with no sauce, dressings or garnish. Plain spaghetti. Prince spaghetti from a box boiled for eleven minutes and dumped into a large white bowl.

The title track is an old folksy song that I actually wouldn't skip on a shuffle whatsoever. It's pretty good, and saves this album from being a complete life-crushing experience. "Every Mothers Son" has a bit more guitar to it, which is fine, but even Bread had to show the world they could "rock out" once in a while. This isn't soft rock at all, but there's no fire either.

I enjoy a lot of Traffic's albums, and Steve has an amazing voice. The fact that this is considered one of their highpoints and a financially successful one at that without even a hit single always baffled me to some extent. It lacks the psychedelic charms of their earlier material, and the cool funk of their following couple of albums. It has a little bit of both sides of their spectrum, but nothing worth grabbing. There's definitely merit in creating a work that is musically difficult to categorize, such as this release, so I'll give it that. It's just that despite being a rather unusual recording, it all sounds relatively tame. It sounds like "stuff".

Along with LOW SPARK OF HIGHHEELED BOYS and SHOOTOUT AT THE FANTASY FACTORY, JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE is one of the essential 3 albums by Traffic. Folk, jazz, rock, and prog can all be found on this disc from 1970. There are no weak songs out of the 6 here. (I have the older non-bonus material compact disc). Classic Traffic tracks such as the title number, "Glad", and "Freedom Rider" are to be found on JOHN BARLEYCORN. I do not listen to this as much as SHOOTOUT or LOW SPARK, but it is still nice to throw it on every once in awhile. Hard to believe this album came out 41 years ago! It's not a perfect 5 star progressive album but it easily deserves 4 stars.

A great rock album as well as a great Prog album (Eclectic? Crossover? Prog Related?) released in 1971 by Traffic. Folk, jazz, blues, funk, rock,...it's all here. Once again Traffic delivers. While everyone knows the wonderful title track (which deserves it's reputation as one of the top rock songs of all time), there are also some other fine songs here, with "Many a Mile to Freedom", "Light up and Leave me Alone", and "Rainmaker" being my personal favorites. The other tracks are also good. While I can't give this a true 5 star rating as a true prog album, it deserves 4 stars at least. (Really 4 1/2). I am still unsure about whether this is Eclectic Prog or not. Maybe Prog Related? Proto-Prog? Whatever, it's a fine album in the history of rock and roll.

The album cover ensures that this would be a mind-bending trip through psychedelia, in which it is, to some extent. It's also soulful and and quite bluesy at times, thanks to variations of influences and divided opinions among members as to what style of music this band should be aiming for. It's an entertaining first listen, as I remember anticipating each following track as Mr. Fantasy possesses an eclectic mix of tunes that bounce between the serious, pretentious and just plain goofy fun.

The album starts off with a strong number in Heaven Is In Your Mind, which perfectly balances its trippy vibe and lyrics with Steve Winwood's impressive R&B-ish delivery at times. Quality stuff, and certainly has some good "space proggy funk" thing goin' on that gives it a unique flavour. Things then get silly for a bit, with filler-like material and Dave Mason's acid drenched happy-pop. Then the seriousness kicks back in and so forth...the album is all over the map in certain ways yet somehow cohesive in that there's actually some sort of flow to these songs; it never gets too "left field", even when you're hit with a barrage of sitar & tabla music (Utterly Simple).

Other great tracks besides Heaven Is In Your Mind include the classic title track with it's superb vocals and kickin' guitar solo, and Dealer, showcasing great acoustic guitar picking and flute soloing over a fast rhythm. I kinda like the jazzy instrumental Giving To You as well, again showing the diversity the band was capable of at this time. There is some filler, but the killer stuff really is killer.

This is a prime and extraordinary rare example of one falling for the second (or this case Third) best rated album from a celebrated prog stalwart but with Traffic's Shootout at the Fantasy Factory, my personal fave is not the delightful The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (you gotta love that title!) nor the legendary John Barleycorn Must Die ! Am I doing this just for the sake of looking like a smart assed reviewer, looking for a new angle? Nope, sorry not today! The proverbial shootout starts with the glorious title track, a sizzling groove laid down right off the start, plowing sensually forward, loads of early Santana percussion cascades urging the body to dance and weave, twirl and breathe in the mellifluous cocktail of sound, the rhythm guitar churning blazing riffs, the bass firmly anchored, the drums propulsive and the suave Steve Winwood vocals smiling at you, and the lead guitar scratching at your high heels, lewdly meowing as if in heat. The wah-wah pedal rules here, an early guitar technique pioneer that is much sadly neglected today. A police siren wails in the back draft, ideal driven ?driving music as you tear down the highway to Prog heaven. Chris Wood tootles some fine laces and the spirit gets intoxicated with all the aural pleasure, a fantastic classic prog track! "Roll Right Stones" is another segue stunner, pastoral in its infancy, quietly evolving into a youthful romp that transcends the country/funky/bluesy influences by infusing a multitude of alterations in a progression of compositional intelligence that is truly remarkable (a hint of space just to add more ingredients to the pot), but when the huge chorus kicks in courtesy of some magic backing vocals, the wellness is elevated to glorious heights. A quirky return to a previous mood is met with stunning acquiescence, perfect timing and construction, an attribute that makes Traffic's legacy so desirable by thousand fans of early 70s rock 'n roll . It's obvious that the Muscle Shoals Studios (which I have visited in Alabama a few years ago) have left its mark on the sessions, the local crew of Hood, Hawkins, Beckett and Johnson providing a strong sense of local groove. Drummer Roger Hawkins in Particular is no slouch. Another tremendous salvo. The brief and fragile "Evening Blue" remains for others a passable interlude before plunging into the next two crackers but I have loved its plaintive cry for so long, a Winwood vocal that will consolidate his reputation, an added plus are the lyrics that are quite poignant! A sweet sax solo warms the tone up even more. "Tragic Magic" is an instrumental that defies description, a blending of the Allman Brothers and Roxy Music (two definite cousins of Traffic in a plethora of ways) , the Wood woodwinds (excuse the lisp!) pretty much and prettily lead the cavalcade , egging on the vaporous keys, the deft percussion and the squeaking guitar building into a massive groove , gilded by brass blast that are simply judicious. This is sexy prog in its "auroticism", lounge music for the sophisticated audiophile, easily the proggiest track here. Certainly one of the all-time great instrumentals (like "Glad" on John Barleycorn) and a monument of rock. This superb album ends with one of the great melancholic songs in history, the stellar "Sometimes I feel So Uninspired", a showcase of Stevie's outstanding voice , handling a lyrical journal of sweet desolation, and delivering a emotionally charged lead guitar solo that will tingle your spine, simply amazing I tell ya! The only reason this album is in a bronze medal category stems from the haunting presence and fame of the other two Traffic jewels and some cannot help comparing because on its own, this is Traffic's masterpiece. I strongly urge curious fans of early 70s music to whip out their pistols and head on down to the Fantasy Factory, There will be a hoedown, some fried chicken and grits and a case of Bourbon .

5 Alabama pylons