The Definitive Collection

For all their success, Traffic was never a singles band. Most of their songs were between seven and fifteen minutes, and their extended instrumental jams were as important as the songwriting, if not more. However, Traffic is one of the bands by whom you can track the evolution of rock music, from the mid ‘60s to the early ‘70s, and that chronology is captured perfectly on Feelin’ Alright: The Very Best of Traffic. Over the course of these 15 songs you can witness the gang grow from one of London’s trippiest outfits (“Paper Sun,” “Hole In My Shoe”) to a band of rustic groovers (“You Can All Join In,” “Feelin’ Alright”). Then, later, from one of the era’s premier jazz-rock ensembles (“Glad”) to one of the original jam bands (“The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys”). Few bands from the Woodstock era were as musically ambitious as Traffic, and it’s to their credit that some of their most uncompromising songs (“Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “John Barleycorn,” “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys”) remain their most beloved and listenable tracks.