Smiling Phases

Performer: Traffic
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Traffic: Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Dave Mason (vocals, guitar); Jim Capaldi (vocals, drums); Chris Wood (flute, saxophone); Jim Gordon (drums), Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion), Roger Hawkins (drums). Traffic was one of the most delightful and inventive bands poised between the late '60s and early '70s. The group began as a lightly psychedelic, folk-inflected outfit but, amidst personnel changes, developed into a jam-happy band with a beefed-up percussion section. In that final incarnation, Traffic's ten-minute long musical excursions were never less than interesting. SMILING PHASES traces Traffic's history over two discs, making a strong case for the validity of every point on the band's growth curve. The first disc draws from Traffic's first era--the albums MR. FANTASY, TRAFFIC, and LAST EXIT. "Heaven Is In Your Mind" neatly encapsulates just what makes Traffic so memorable, as easy transitions seem to organically lead into one another. The second disc covers the studio albums between JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE and WHEN THE EAGLE FLIES. Throughout it all, Steve Winwood's rich, evocative, and soulful vocals remain Traffic's easiest point of entry. SMILING PHASES is a great collection devoted to a band that should not be forgotten.

Entertainment Weekly (1/31/92, p.58) - "..for nine fascinating albums, from 1967 to 1974, Traffic kept its vistas wide and its touch light, imaginatively adapting an airy blend of jazz and rock...a brisk, compelling portrait..." - Rating: B+ Q (5/92, p.98) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "..the most convincing flowering of English hippy style.."

Traffic appeared amidst the late-1960s psychedelic scene, and at its height the band was one of the most adventurous outfits around, although Traffic's unstable lineup made it an on-again, off-again affair by the '70s. Teenage wunderkind Stevie Winwood was the main man, but all the members made significant contributions. With a sound that combined influences from folk, rock, jazz, and soul, Traffic created something wonderfully of its time on classic albums such as THE LOW SPARK OF HIGH-HEELED BOYS.

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