In 1967, when still-teenaged keyboardist Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group (for whom he'd sung lead on hits like "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man") to start a new band with guitarist Dave Mason, few observers thought their idea of blending pop, rock, and jazz would work. Immediately, though, Traffic scored giant hits with Winwood's east-meets-west "Paper Sun" and Mason's acid-jazzy "Hole in My Shoe". Between those songs, the smoking-guitar driven title track, the swinging instrumental "Giving to You" and the haunting ballad, "No Face, No Name, No Number", Traffic's debut established both players as elite members of the new guard of late 60s British rock. --Billy Altman