The only thing I derived from Traffic was a great appreciation for Jim Capaldi, a troubled soul who never got his due as a drummer/percussionist. Winwood never did anything for me; he might have been a great writer, but his voice left a lot to be desired.

I saw Capaldi a bunch of times, the last being an appearance with, of all people, Al Stewart (Year of the Cat, Time Passages, etc.) at the Birchmere in DC. It was just a couple years before Capaldi died, but he was great, as always. He played a few numbers of his own, including one or two by Traffic, then backed up Stewart on drums. Stewart’s brand of folk-rock sounded infinitely better with Capaldi hammering away behind him. The passing of that generation of rockers has nicked me a few times, but not too often more than Capaldi’s. I loved that guy.

As far as prog-rock goes, some of it is great, some crap. I was/am a huge fan of Pink Floyd in all it’s iterations. No doubt, Roger Waters was a great writer and bassist, but I hate the bastard for his pomposity and his treatment of his band mates. Frankly, some of the stuff produced by the subsequent Gilmore version was just as good IMHO.

Coldplay has shown a few glimpses of potential, but in between they seem just another lineup of gas-bags. No, I fear the good days are far behind us.