Traffic - Gold (2005)

Though it ultimately must be considered an interim vehicle for singer/songwriter/keyboardist/guitarist Steve Winwood, Traffic was a successful group that followed its own individual course through the rock music scene of the late '60s and early '70s. Beginning in the psychedelic year of 1967 and influenced by the Beatles, the band early on turned out eclectic pop singles in its native Great Britain, though by the end of its first year of existence it had developed a pop/rock hybrid tied to its unusual instrumentation: At a time when electric guitars ruled rock, Traffic emphasized Winwood's organ and the reed instruments played by Chris Wood, especially flute. After Dave Mason, who had provided the band with an alternate folk-pop sound, departed for good, Traffic leaned toward extended songs that gave its players room to improvise in a jazz-like manner, even as the rhythms maintained a rock structure. The result was international success that ended only when Winwood finally decided he was ready to strike out on his own.

After spending the majority of his late-teen years being mistaken -- in the realm of audio -- for Ray Charles, the Spencer Davis Group's "little" Stevie Winwood found himself at the helm of one of the most promising and volatile bands of the late '60/early '70s, Traffic. The initial core foursome of Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, and Chris Wood successfully went from psychedelic art rockers to blues-rock "jamathoners" without losing any momentum, cranking out both concise, pop-oriented radio singles ("Paper Sun," "Dear Mr. Fantasy") and rambling epics ("Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys," "John Barleycorn") with equal amounts of elegance and swagger. Despite numerous lineup changes, side projects, and endless clashes between Winwood and Mason, the group lasted well into the '70s, a good chunk of which appears here on the double-disc, liner-note-heavy Gold. While previous Island collections like Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic and 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection dutifully cover the radio essentials, Gold provides both newbies and longtime fans with a fully stocked buffet of fan favorites and album highlights.

Disc 1
01.Paper Sun
02.Dealer
03.Coloured Rain
04.Hole In My Shoe
05.No Face, No Name, No Number
06.Heaven Is In Your Mind
07.Smiling Phases
08.Dear Mr. Fantasy
09.You Can All Join In
10.Pearly Queen
11.Feelin' Alright
12.Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
13.Forty Thousand Headmen
14.Shanghai Noodle Factory
15.Medicated Goo
16.Glad
17.Freedom Rider
18.Empty Pages
19.John Barleycorn

Disc 2
01.Gimme Some Lovin'
02.Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys
03.Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
04.Rock & Roll Stew
05.Rainmaker
06.Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory
07.(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired
08.Something New
09.Dream Gerrard
10.Walking In The Wind
11.When The Eagle Flies

Cheers!