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Smiling Phases | 
| Artist: Traffic
Label: Ume Imports
Category: Music
Buy New: $16.98
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 121194
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 731451055324
EAN: 0731451055324
ASIN: B000001DTW
Release Date: November 19, 1991
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Paper Sun | | • | Hole in My Shoe - Traffic, Mason, Dave [1] | | • | Smiling Phases | | • | Heaven Is in Your Mind | | • | Coloured Rain | | • | No Face, No Name, No Number | | • | Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush | | • | Dear Mr. Fantasy | | • | You Cann All Join In - Traffic, Mason, Dave [1] | | • | Feelin' Alright - Traffic, Mason, Dave [1] | | • | Pearly Queen | | • | (Roamin' Thru the Gloamin' With) 40,000 Headmen - Traffic, Winwood, Steve | | • | Vagabond Virgin | | • | Shanghai Noodle Factory | | • | Withering Tree | | • | Medicated Goo - Traffic, Miller, Jimmy |
Disc 2
| • | Glad - Traffic, Winwood, Steve | | • | Freedom Rider | | • | Empty Pages | | • | John Barleycorn - Traffic, Traditional | | • | Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys | | • | Light Up or Leave Me Alone | | • | Rock and Roll Stew - Traffic, Gordon, Jim [Drums] | | • | Shoot out at the Fantasy Factory | | • | Walking in the Wind | | • | When the Eagle Flies |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Traffic jammed September 17, 2008
Robert S. Estes (Santa Rosa, Ca)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Traffic could be considered the wheel nut of the beginning of the assembly line of rock star bands.
Stevie Winwood was a teenage singer in Spencer Davis Group, a fine and popular mid 60's Brit Invasion band with hits like, "Somebody Help Me" and "Gimme Some Lovin'". The grace of that band was Stevie's gruff vocals and his ability to sound bluesy while hitting the top 40. It was certain that he would branch out.
Chris Wood, Jim Calpadi, and Dave Mason all accomplished musicians with long arms of playing on hits w/o any recognition joined up with Stevie and formed Traffic.
First, a blues based semi-psychedelic band like the popular ones of the day 1968 1969 with sitars and backwards vocals. "Paper Sun" "Heaven is in Your Mind", etc. Mostly played on San Francisco radio and bought by the so-called Hippie culture, Traffic was on its way. Second ablum simply called "Traffic" resembled the Bands' first album in cover art and variety in composition. Traffic continued its musicianship and songwriting, now with Dave Mason exerting his talent with "Feelin' Alright" covered by bunches including the definative version by Joe Cocker.
Traffic recorded a concept LP "John Barleycorn", a folk based contemporary comment on the times. They then continued onto jazz based LPs like "Low Spark of HighHeeled Boys" and "ShootOut at the Fantasy Factory". All were popular and sold well, if in dimissed returns.
This 2CD set has the first straightways, the curves, the hairpin turns, and the last come home sit in the driveway of Traffic at its escape of the cops best.
 Awesome Collection! July 14, 2007
Music Luver (USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
After listening to some music of the band Traffic today, I checked to see if this great "best of" collection was still available, and it is! This superb collection spans the entire career of Steve Winwood, Dave Mason & company. Highly recommended and at a very reasonable price too. Buy and enjoy!
Every Great Traffic Song in One Box May 8, 2005
Robert Carlberg (Seattle)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This 2-hour 3-minute set includes every Traffic song I ever wanted to have, and even more remarkably, NONE of the ones I could do without. The compiler, Kevin Patrick -- whoever HE is -- did a remarkable job.
 a formidable two-disc set February 17, 2005
running_man (Chesterfield Twp., MI)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Unless you're a die-hard Traffic junkie dead set on possessing every track the band ever produced, it's a bit of a challenge figuring out how to put together the best Traffic collection at the most reasonable cost. The existance of this superb compilation makes the task even more challenging. 'Smiling Phases' is perhaps tilted toward the front-end of the band's collective works, but the second disc is a tour-de-force in itself. The compilation does back off from the several fine live albums the band has produced, so ownership of 'Live At the Canteen', 'On the Road', and perhaps even 'Last Exit' may be considered necessary to supplement these discs regardless of the direction your collection takes you.
Traffic may be one of the more difficult band's to put together an anthology around, simply because much of their work was album oriented. In fact, Traffic never garnered even a single Top 40 single in the US, and although they scored 3 Top 10 hits in their UK homeland, all of those songs were released in 1967 ('Paper Sun' at #5, 'Hole In My Shoe' at #2, and 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, a #8 hit). That doesn't mean the band didn't produce some fine and familiar compositions. Disc one is full of excellent tracks such as the title track, 'Heaven Is In Your Mind', 'Dear Mr. Fantasy', the oft-covered Dave Mason composition 'Feelin' Alright', and 'Pearly Queen'. There are some surprises as well, such as the country-flavored 'You Can All Join In', and the catchy 'Vagabond Virgin', another Mason track. Three of the band's early albums are well represented here, with their debut 'Mr. Fantasy' contributing four tracks, their self-titled second album five, and 'Last Exit' the final three tracks.
Disc two opens with the three best songs from the 'John Barleycorn' disc, the bouncy and rambunctious instrumental 'Glad', the anthemic 'Freedom Rider', and 'Empty Pages', which managed to break into the Top 100 on stateside charts. Three outstanding songs from the band's finest album claim center stage on disc two, 'Low Spark of High Heeled Boys', 'Light Up Or Leave Me Alone', and 'Rock and Roll Stew'. The album 'Low Spark...' may be the most diverse in the Traffic catalog, and these compositions, all coming from different pens within the band, illuminates their depth of talent.
If there is to be a criticism of 'Smiling Phases', it would have to be the presence of only one track from the 'Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory' album. Few bands (except The Beatles) are able to follow up a monster success like 'Low Spark...' with another classic production, and 'Shoot Out...' was regarded as a disappointing sequel. But the inclusion of the title track here (one of my favorite Traffic numbers) only whets the appetite for more tracks from this disc. At least one more selection, perhaps 'Roll Right Stones' or even 'Evening Blue', would have sufficed to give the album it's due. Even the band's final effort, 'When the Eagle Flies', probably their weakest effort, is afforded two tracks, and 'Walking In the Wind' was an automatic choice anyway. 'Smiling Phases' comes nicely packaged with two booklets, one detailing the set list, and a second featuring 'The Story' of Traffic by writer Chris Welch.
Since I'm not enamoured with the band's early work, I'm probably going to trade this one in, and keep my copy of Steve Winwood's 'Millenium Collection' (which features some of Traffic's best early work, plus selections from The Spencer Davis Group and Blind Faith), and Traffic's live albums. I'll add to that 'Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory', and that should enable me to indulge my Traffic yearnings. It wouldn't be a bad move to build a collection around this particular compilation, however. Good luck putting together a Traffic portfolio that works for you.
A Great Compilation March 20, 2004
Russell Diederich (Littleton, CO United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
There are very few bands that not only leave their mark upon the music world, but who helped to shape it into what it was today. Traffic was one of those bands, and have since been elected to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame for their contribution. The original brain-child of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. Others wood come and go, but the magic of Winwood and Capaldi continued for most of the iterations of Traffic. The on again off again career of this band last for about eight years producing nine albums, (before Capaldi and Winwood would reunite in the early 90's), which provide the material for the twenty-six tracks of this compilation. Traffic took a variety of styles to create their sound, borrowing from Jazz, Blues, and the psychedelic movement of the late sixties. Each of the members had multi-instrument talent, but their greatest skill was writing the lyrics for their songs. Even if you never have heard of Traffic, you have heard their music. Such great songs appear on this album like, "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Feelin' Alright," "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys," and "Paper Sun." Traffic's very best stuff is on this compilation. "Smiling Phases" is the perfect album to get the greatest hits of Traffic's career. If you are a fan of Winwood's or Capaldi's career, or the sound from the late sixties such as Clapton, The Who and Hendrix, this is a must for your collection. Here you can hear how Traffic shaped the future of music.
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