It's a rather druggy record, Traffic's debut; in fact, decades later, it's still possible to get a decent contact high off of it. From the stuttering, lyrically ponderous "Heaven Is in Your Mind" to the awe-inspiring psychedelic soul of "Dear Mr. Fantasy," this is Traffic's most reverb-saturated and elliptical release. This 2000 reissue is in mono, but it does finally bring the American and British versions of the record together, so that you get "Paper Sun" and other singles from 1967. Dave Mason-era Traffic was nothing if not eclectic. On Mr. Fantasy, they mix and match the art-prog of Caravan and the goofy psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper's with the mellow groove of Procol Harum, the jazz-blues fusion of Graham Bond with the blues-rock of Cream. All that and sitar, too--not to mention Stevie Winwood's riveting vocals. A sheen of silliness covers at least a third of the album; faux-frumpy songs like "House for Everyone" and "Berkshire Poppies" are not-very-witty vaudeville spoofs that are sung in stuffy British accents. Overall, this is an engaging period piece that makes one give thanks for the Program function on the CD player. --Mike McGonigal
