Traffic - Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic

Media:	Audio CD
Record label:	Island
Release date:	08 February, 2000
List price:	~~$17.98~~
Our price:	$14.99 that is 17% off!

Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic

Average rating: Stars

Love the Boys

i bought this CD for one song only - "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"

i gave the CD to my darling Norman, he loves it. i bought it used on Amazon, from a very nice young man, who sells used CDs, i always like to save money. anyway, i bought it for that one song, and gave it to my hubby. he loves the whole thing. i love that song.

the song, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, is sooooo wicked cool! the words, the music, the beat - groovy baby!!! OK, i'm a grandma, and not so cool in my old age, but my son thinks i'm hip when i play this CD and dance around the house as i clean or cook.

you young people will like it. if you like Grateful Dead or John Prine, you may like Traffic. that's all i can say. happy dancing to you. (take it from Grandma Sally - life is too short to worry so much - dance in the living room and don't worry what you look like!)

Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic - Traffic

The Perfect "Traffic" Fan Starter's Kit

After hearing "Dear Mr. Fantasy" on the radio and discovering that this was the same band who sing the hit, "Feelin' Alright", I decided to invest in this succint collection of underrated psychedelic grooves. From begin to end, this album is a great introduction to tunes that should be known to music lovers of all sorts. Beyond the soulful songs mentioned above, personal favorites tracks include "Heaven is on Your Mind", "Forty Thousand Headmen", and the paradigm tripped-out tune, "Paper Sun".

Traffic - Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic

One of Steve Winwood's groups

After Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group, he formed Traffic, a group that recorded several fine albums between 1967 and 1975. There was a brief disbandment, during which period Steve joined Blind Faith. The original Traffic albums generally sound more cohesive than any compilations, but everybody has to begin somewhere. A compilation allows you to identify which of the original albums is likely to appeal most to you.

Traffic had three top ten hits and one minor hit in the UK although they made little impact on the American singles charts. Their music is somewhat different from the Spencer Davis Group, which was a British R+B band. While R+B is one of the ingredients of Traffic's music, there is also some rock, jazz, psychedelia and traditional folk in the mix.

As far as the UK hits are concerned, Paper sun made the top five, Hole in my shoe made number two, Here we go round the mulberry bush (from the similarly-titled movie) made the top ten and their chart history ends with the minor hit, No face no name no number. Of these songs, a cover of Hole in my shoe (recorded for charity) made number two in the eighties, thus matching Traffic's original achievement.

Two of those UK hits (Paper sun, Hole in my shoe) are here, together with some interesting album tracks, among them the title tracks to three of their albums (Dear Mr Fantasy, John Barleycorn must die, Low spark of high-heeled boys).

Buy this to get a feel for what Traffic is all about, but if you really enjoy at least some of the tracks, identify the albums which your favorite tracks originally appeared, then buy them. Their original albums were Mr Fantasy (1967), Traffic (1968), Last exit (1969 - recorded just before their temporary disbandment and it shows), John Barleycorn must die (1970), Welcome to the canteen (1971), Low spark of high-heeled boys (1971), Shoot out at the fantasy factory (1972), On the road (1973) and When the eagle flies (1974).

This compilation serves as a great introduction to Traffic's music but can't do them full justice. Only the original albums (except Last exit) can do that.