During the mid-1960s and early 1970s, British rock group Traffic made some of the most creative and pioneering music of the day. The band was led by ex-Spencer Davis Group singer and guitarist Steve Winwood and featured Jim Capaldi on drums, Chris Wood on woodwinds, and at various times, Dave Mason on guitar and assorted Indian instruments, Rebop Kwaku Baah on percussion, Rosko Gee on bass, and members of the Muscle Shoals studio band, among others. From 1967 to 1974, Traffic navigated through different genres -- including psychedelia ("Coloured Rain," "Hole In My Shoe," "Heaven Is In Your Mind"), blues-rock ("Dear Mr. Fantasy," Pearly Queen," Feelin' Alright?"), folk ("John Barleycorn"), and progressive rock ("The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"). They did it all with ease while establishing an impressive work ethic that at one point involved secluding themselves in a Berkshire home and studio to live, jam, and record. The result of that project was their debut, Mr. Fantasy, one of the six studio recordings that will be collected on Island/UMC's upcoming box set, The Studio Albums: 1967-1974.

Due on May 17, The Studio Albums: 1967-1974 is a limited-edition collection that features new LP pressings of all of Traffic's classic studio albums (that means no Last Exit, Welcome To The Canteen, or On The Road here).  Each album has been remastered from the original tapes and will replicate the original, first-edition Island pressings with appropriate gatefold sleeves, labels, and other packaging details. All the albums will be housed in a luxurious slipcase box alongside six replica promo posters - one for each album.

Altogether, The Studio Albums: 1967-1974 celebrates the enduring legacy of a band that was in constant motion, from their psych-pop beginnings on Mr. Fantasy and the bluesy Traffic, to the jazz and folk-inspired John Barleycorn Must Die and their more progressive later works. You can purchase the box set on wherever fine music is sold on May 17, or use the Amazon links below to place your pre-order. Scroll down for a full track listing!

 

Traffic, The Studio Albums: 1967-1974 (Island/UMC, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Disc 1: Mr. Fantasy (originally Island LP ILP 961, 1967)

Side A:

1. Heaven Is In Your Mind
2. Berkshire Poppies
3. House For Everyone
4. No Face, No Name, No Number
5. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Side B:

1. Dealer
2. Utterly Simple
3. Coloured Rain
4. Hope I Never Find Me There
5. Giving To You

Disc 2: Traffic (originally Island LP ILPS 9081T, 1968)

Side A:

1. You Can All Join In
2. Pearly Queen
3. Don't Be Sad
4. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
5. Feelin' Alright?

Side B:

1. Vagabond Virgin
2. Forty-Thousand Headmen
3. Cryin' To Be Heard
4. No Time To Live
5. Means To An End

Disc 3: John Barleycorn Must Die (originally Island LP ILPS 9116, 1970)

Side A:

1. Glad
2. Freedom Rider
3. Empty Pages

Side B:

1. Stranger To Himself
2. John Barleycorn
3. Every Mother's Son

Disc 4: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (originally Island LP ILPS 9180, 1971)

Side A:

1. Hidden Treasure
2. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
3. Rock 'n' Roll Stew

Side B:

1. Many A Mile To Freedom
2. Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
3. Rainmaker

Disc 5: Shootout At The Fantasy Factory (originally Island LP ILPS 9224, 1973)

Side A:

1. Shootout At The Fantasy Factory
2. Roll Right Stones

Side B:

1. Evening Blue
2. Tragic Magic
3. (Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired

Disc 6: When The Eagle Flies (originally Island LP ILPS 9273, 1974)

Side A:

1. Something New
2. Dream Gerrard
3. Graveyard People

Side B:

1. Walking In The Wind
2. Memories of A Rock n' Rolla
3. Love
4. When The Eagle Flies