Mr. Fantasy

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the first fantasy
There is another version of this disc floating around out there, a ten track replica of the original vinyl release. I suppose the version I have is a 1980's release, since the version you've clicked on here is from 1990, and includes some interesting bonus tracks, which I'm missing. I'll be mentioning those bonus tracks here, but I won't be incorporating them into my review, or taking into account in my rating. 'Traffic' was formed when Steve Winwood decided to exit 'The Spencer Davis Group'. He took along with him Dave Mason, who had earned some recording credits by adding to the din of percussion instruments on Spencer Davis classics such as 'I'm a Man' and 'Gimme Some Lovin'. 'Mr. Fantasy' was the band's debut album, released in December of 1967. The band however had been front-and-center since their May of 1967 release of 'Paper Sun', which didn't crack the Top 40 in the states, but topped out at number 5 on the UK charts. Oddly enough that tune, along with two other Top 10 UK hits for the band, 'Hole In My Shoe' (#2) and 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' (#8) were not included on the original vinyl release. 'No Face No Name No Number', which does appear on the vinyl version, hit number 40 on the UK charts in March of 1968. It's easy to see why Island Records found it appropriate to include these UK single releases on reissues of 'Mr. Fantasy'. The album has not aged well, with it's psychedelic underpinnings, unlike those of The Beatles 'Sgt. Peppers', now sounding superficial and cheesy. This is particularly true of the Dave Mason tracks, 'House For Everyone', 'Utterly Simple', and 'Hope I Never Find Me There'. These songs are devoid of meaningful melody and lyrical message, relying on sound effects and sitar meanderings that come off as stereotypes of psychedelia. It's really a wonder that Winwood would allow inclusion of these tracks rather than filling out the disc with some of their single successes. Luckily, Mason's mimicing of others would give way in the later part of the decade to some of the finest rock composing of the era, but he certainly had a long way to go, and some baggage to dump along the way. Unfortunately, 'Mr. Fantasy' was his first landfill. The compositions by Winwood, percussionist Jim Capaldi, and jack-of-all-trades Chris Wood fare better. 'Heaven Is In Your Mind' (also released as a single in 1968), a song better known to many by the 'Three Dog Night' cover, along with the title track, are classic psychedelia. 'Coloured Rain' and 'Giving To You' are also worthwhile compositions, especially notable for Mason's extraordinary guitar work and Winwood's instantly recognizable organ stylings. 'No Face No Name No Number' is the only love ballad, this one of the unrequited variety. 'Berkshire Poppies' is a miss however, for the same reasons Mason's fare failed, and 'Dealer', the only composition entirely Capaldi's, is an odd mix of Spanish calypso sounds merged with an anti-drug dealer message. Steppenwolf's 'The Pusher' does a much better job of getting the mood right. 'Mr. Fantasy' is the left-hand bookend to two "fantasy" albums that serve as touchstones for Traffic's most productive years. 'Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory', the right-hand bookend, was released in 1973 as the sequel to the band's tour-de-force, 'The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys'. Ironically, these two "fantasy albums" are probably the band's weakest studio efforts, but time has proven that anything by Steve Winwood and Dave Mason will have quality written all over it. The sound of this disc and the liner notes could be poster boys for what many people imagine the psychedelic era was all about, so if you enjoy that musical niche... go for it!

MR FANTASY
British flower power psych at its finest a must for fans of Traffic.A blend of pop,psych,jazz.Also check out the double cd release Smiling phases.Which includes their first two lps plus singles and other rarer tracks.

Solid album, one of Traffic's best.
Although I do acknowledge the clashing moods of some of these tracks, I would contend that it is simply a testimonial to the diversity of the members of this band. It was once hard for me to understand how Steve Winwood metamorphasized into a lame 80's pop artist, but the talents of Wood, Capaldi, and Mason cause it all to make sense.

half-great
Try skipping "Dealer" and "Coloured Rain," and you may find yourself in a bonafide psychedelic rapture. While the two songs i mention are not bad, they don't fit with the rest of the songs as i hear them. "Dealer" is too jaded and "Coloured Rain" is not pulled off with the buoyant spirit that it needs. "Barkshire Poppies" and "No Face No Name and No Number," polar opposites in mood, stand right alongside "Gimme Some Lovin'" as Steve Winwood masterworks. All the Chris Wood songs are picturesque, playful, and compelling, and the opening and closing tracks frame the entire work with an uncanny sense of time and place.

Fresh Sounding Debut
Whereas this recording is not Traffic's best work, it is very unique with the blending of many different flute, sitar, harp, organ, and more. Not to forget the superb Guitar work by David Mason. The song arrangements aren't as developed as on the classic John Barley Corn and Low Spark Recordings but the elements of folk, jazz, and rock make this a very listenable record.