The Psych Ward–Mr. Fantasy by Traffic
- Bill Kurzenberger
- February 17, 2023
- 7:57 am
The Psych Ward–Mr. Fantasy by Traffic
Mr. Fantasy was the debut album by Traffic, the eclectic ensemble led by Steve Winwood. Released in December 1967, it was also the group’s only album to include multi-instrumentalist Dave Mason.
As the album starts ominously with diminished piano and flute, the musical tension signifies that all is not sunshine and rainbows. “Heaven Is In Your Mind” features fascinating panning of Winwood/Capaldi/Wood’s harmony vocals. It’s best experienced with headphones as some verses are heard only in the left channel, others only in the right, to swooshing effect on the choruses.
It sounds like the band and the Small Faces are having quite the party while recording “Berkshire Poppies,” inviting all to join in the whimsical merriment and slurry singalong chorus.
Dave Mason’s hallucinatory, kaleidoscopic lyrics in “House for Everyone” could be from a Lewis Carroll book. Following the fanciful verses, Chris Wood’s saxophone subtly modulates the song’s riff down a half-step, leaving the listener on shaky ground as it slowly grinds to a halt.
“No Face, No Name, and No Number” is an elegant elegy with orchestral sounds. Winwood yearns for an anonymous maiden, the listener is free to decide if she actually existed.
There are certain songs that take you “there.” Back to the wanderlust of your twenties or late teens and early dabbling in mind-altering substances; the years that became your own personal 1960s regardless of the decade. “Dear Mr. Fantasy” is one of those songs, standing the acid test of time as one of the most emblematic tributes to psychedelic experimentation.
Depending on your perspective, Mr. Fantasy could be a troubadour, the band’s LSD dealer, Dr. Albert Hofmann who first synthesized lysergic acid, or the substance itself. For me, Mr. Fantasy – both the album and title character – is a time traveler. Opening a portal to the early 90’s, a college dorm lit by black light and lava lamp, early adventures of expanding horizons while the Grateful Dead and Traffic provided the soundtrack. Attending their mutual concert at Buckeye Lake in 1994, mostly missing Traffic while being too fazed by the drum circle under wind-swept trees… but I digress!
Side B of this classic album is admittedly hit or miss. However, it includes worthy musical expeditions in the cosmic cowboy song “Dealer”, the jazz shuffle “Giving to You”, and the atmospheric sitar and tamboura in “Utterly Simple.”
Overall, Mr. Fantasy is an enduring yet unheralded album that is highlighted by its titular title track, Winwood’s crooning, and the contrasts in Mason’s vivid songwriting. Pure 1967 fun!
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