Favorite Traffic album and song ?

Mine is a tie betwixt these two stunningly beautiful gems as well.

My Fave Traffic Song?

The live version of "40,000 Headmen" on Welcome To The Canteen.

Takes me away every time...

 

How timely - only the other day I bought When the Eagle Flies (2003 rem CD) after a long period of waiting and consideration. I like it, and it might even have 1 or 2 candidates for 'best track' on there. I like the loose, jamming feel of 'Dream Gerrard', for one.

Looking back over their catalogue, ther ar e a few strong possibles:

'Every Mother's Son', the strange, unpredictable melody that works in spite of itself when the resolution comes.

'John Barleycorn', the group's sole adventure into 'folk', and an accomplished one.

'Medicated Goo'. Musical antidepressant.

And yes Bill,

'40,000 Headmen'. Acid fantasy. The stretched -out live version on Welcom e to the Canteen.

 

I still have the orig. When the Eagle Flies pressing. I've pretty much let the other Traffic LP's go into circulation. So I guess that "The Eagle" is my favourite. Also, as a youngster, I listened quite often to the On the Road (yes, even more than the Welcome to the Canteen [great cover!]).

Most impressive individual song was probably "Coloured Rain", or the "Dealer" - they both were really strong ones and made an everlasting impression on me.

And then there was But I'm in jazz...

 

Couldn't even begin to choose a favorite album... my favorite cuts from each of the studio albums are:

Mr. Fantasy - "Dear Mr. Fantasy"
Traffic - "Feelin' Alright"
Last Exit - "Medicated Goo"
John Barleycorn Must Die - "Stranger to Himself"
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys - "Light Up or Leave Me Alone"
Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory - "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory"
When The Eagle Flies - "Graveyard People"

 

Album,John Barleycorn.

 

Haven't decided on favorite album.

My favorite song would either be Low Spark or 40,000 Headmen.

 

Album: John Barleycorn
Song: Pearly Queen --- and I first heard this song on Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert LP; I still like that version too and Winwood is on it, singing lead:


Arnie

 

Nice one. And a good chunk of Traffic was at that show...Winwood, Capalid, Rebop and Ric Grech.

 

Barleycorn, Low Spark and Shootout are all great albums (and songs).

 

Yes, Winwood sings lead on a good percentage of the songs from that concert and album. It really should have been called Eric Clapton's and Steve Winwood's Rainbow Concert. Arnie

 

Good point

 

Except that the whole point was to get EC out of his self-imposed 2 year seclusion, kick the heroin habit and get him back in the music game. All these guys were there to support EC. Also at the time, EC was still not as comfortable with the lead singing role as he became in the ensuing years. While a great talent, Stevie was no where near the name draw at the time that EC was (and really never has been, though not deservedly so, IMO).

As for my favorite LP, I've always loved both Shootout and Fantasy Factory, but also "Welcome to the Canteen" has been a particular favorite. The triumvirate of "40,000 Headmen", "You Shouldn't Have Took More than You Gave" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy" is simply incredible.

 

Like mdekoning I like "crying to be heard" but I favour the self titled album that it comes from the best.

 

John Barleycorn Must Die - Empty Pages

 

Very tough call. I tend to think of their early stuff (the Dave Mason albums) as being almost like a different band, psychedelic but with more concise songwriting. From this period, I lean towards their second album, especially "Pearly Queen" and "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring". It's nice to see some love here for Welcome to the Canteen which is an cookin' live document (albeit too short) featuring definitive versions of "Medicated Goo" and "40,000 Headmen".

After Mason departed for good, they became a bit looser, more jam oriented. John Barleycorn is a masterpiece, particularly the "Glad/Freedom Rider" opener, but I think I prefer Low Spark these days, particularly the epic title track and "Rainmaker". The musicianship and production are outstanding and the whole album just has a great feel. Though the next two albums have their moments, they never were able to match that kind of consistency again, IMO.

 

Both are tough choices. For favorite album, I'd have to go with the mysterious and melodic When the Eagle Flies; for favorite single track, "John Barleycorn" (though "Dream Gerrard" is a close second).

 

Interesting--I see it almost as the complete reverse. For me, the Winwood songs on Low Spark are indeed brilliant, but I find the album their most inconsistent in that the two non-Winwood tracks are (to me) just plain terrible, and in any case very un-Traffic-like. The next two albums, while perhaps not containing quite as many highs, contain absolutely no lows to me, and therefore feel far more consistent.

 

I used to feel that way about tracks like "Rock & Roll Stew" too but while the songwriting may be a little pedestrian, I've come to appreciate the sound, the groove that the expanded line up was achieving there.

 

My favorite is John Barleycorn Must Die, the SHM-SACD sounds utterly fantastic. I was hoping that Universal Japan would get to do more Traffic albums on the format.

I am amazed Traffic hasn't been touched by Audio Fidelity or MSFL in recent years.

 

You know that Mobile Fidelity released the first two albums and Low Spark, don't you?

 

Favorite album - US version of Mr. Fantasy/Heaven Is In You Mind/or whatever it's called
Favorite song - Dear Mr. Fantasy

Perfect album side - Glad/Freedom Rider/Empty Pages

 

It's between John Barleycorn Must Die and Traffic but my fav song is the bizarre 40,000 Headmen

 

Years ago, those CDs have not been in print for many, many years.

 

I guess when it all comes down I would have to choose John Barleycorn as my favorite Traffic album, with When The Eagle Flies running a close second. BTW, I really like all the love that WTEF is getting in this thread.

Currently, my favorite Traffic song has to be "Dream Gerrard". I love the late rainy night and wet pavement vibe of this song. The bizarre lyrics (Viv Stanshall), the atmospheric Mellotron and that bass guitar, yeah...

 

Ditto though I love Barleycorn and really like Shoot Out