CoronaVinyl Day 161 (Self-Titled Non-Debut): Traffic by Traffic

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Yesterday we looked at self-titled debut albums, and today's CoronaVinyl category is self-titled non-debut album.  Usually when a band or artist releases a self-titled album, it's their debut album.  It's a "since we're new to this whole music scene thing, if you can't remember our band's name, it's also the name of the album, so that way, you won't forget us" kind of thing.  But there are also plenty of examples throughout modern music history when a band or artist releases a self-titled album further on in their careers.  Some of them end up being some of bands' best-known records, like The Beatles' 1968 self-titled double album (aka, "The White Album"), or Metallica's huge 1991 self-titled album (aka, "The Black Album").

English rock band Traffic formed in 1967, after singer/keyboardist/guitarist Steve Winwood (still only 19 at the time) left The Spencer Davis Group.  He jammed with drummer/singer Jim Capaldi and guitarist/singer Dave Mason (both formerly of the Hellions and Deep Feeling) and woodwinds player Chris Wood (formerly of Locomotive), and it apparently went well, as they formed Traffic shortly thereafter.  They released their debut album, Mr. Fantasy, in 1967, and then followed that up with their self-titled sophomore effort.

Traffic (the album) is a solid collection of psychedelic rock, early prog rock, and folk rock.  There was apparently some internal tension in the band, with Winwood and Capaldi wanting to go in more of a psychedelic and blues-rock direction, while Mason wanted to go more in a pop direction.  Mason and Winwood split lead vocals, with Mason handling the duties on the songs he wrote, while Winwood handling vocals on the rest.  Mason also didn't play on a few of the songs that he didn't write.  

The album features some of the band's signature songs, like "Feelin' Alright?" and "Pearly Queen."  It was also the band's only Top 10 album in their native UK, also reaching #17 on the Billboard album chart, despite not having a song that sniffed the Billboard Hot 100.

After this album, the band released Last Exit in May 1969 and then broke up, with Winwood forming supergroup Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Rick Grech.  However, Traffic would reform less than a year later, though without Mason, who was pursuing a solo career.  Winwood brought Grech with him from Blind Faith to play bass, and then, in 1971, added drummer Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos and Ghanaian percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah.  Mason briefly came back into the fold in 1971, but then left quickly.  The group put out four albums between 1970 and 1974 before breaking up for good -- or at least for 20 years.  Winwood and Capaldi reformed the band in 1994 to tour as The Grateful Dead's opening act, and then Traffic -- or, more accurately, Winwood and Capaldi -- made another studio album that year before going their separate ways again.  In 2014, Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Spotify version of the album has five bonus tracks.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Feelin' Alright?"

Joe Cocker's cover of this is probably better known, but I've always liked the original better.  Mason wrote and handled lead vocals on this one.  It's an acoustic rocker that picks up in the choruses.  With Winwood's piano and Wood's sax, it feels like it foreshadows the sound that The Rolling Stones would embrace a year later when they started using saxophonist Bobby Keys.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Forty Thousand Headman"
Penned by Winwood and Capaldi and also called "Roamin' Thro' the Gloamin with 40,000 Headmen," this one is a psychedelic folk rock song, highlighted by Wood's flute, Coke tin, and sleigh bells, which give the song a dream-like quality.  And that makes sense, as apparently it was inspired by a dream Capaldi had while high on hash.