Just seen that there's a new career spanning Best Of released but you could do worse than picking up his "Arc Of A Diver" album. It was his big "comeback album" when it was released in 1980. Remember a load of features on it on the radio at the time.

Although they're in his late 80s/early 90s mode (whose production hasn't worn as well as it could have done) there's some fine guitar work on "Refugees Of The Heart" and "Roll With It" amongst all the synths, big horns huge gated snare drums and stuff... "One And Only Man" from the former and "Hearts On Fire" and "Put On Your Dancing Shoes" from the latter are firm favourites Chez Raggatt.

Oh, and don't forget "Higher Love", his 80s mega hit.

let me recommend the first two albums. Mr. Fantasy is very '67, druggy production, slightly patchy (hi Sgt.Pepper)but great fun. You might prefer the second, which is more rootsy and focussed (hi Nashville Skyline). Also essential is the John Barleycorn album, featuring the great titular folk song. Late expanded Traffic is best represented by Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory. You might need a best of to get the first few pop hits (Paper Sun, Hole in my Shoe, Mulberry Bush).

As indeed you'll need the 4 or 5 pop hits from thr SDG.
The first solo album, from '77, is also pretty good.

Hpoe this helps David.

The Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys is a belter. As is the Steve Winwood album. Actually...pretty much anything he's done is worth listening to.

is a great live outing, once you get into the studio albums. The version of 'Light Up Or Leave me Alone' is superb.

... the LP he did with Stomu Yamashta?

Must agree with Declan that John Barleycorn is a belter and well worth a punt.

Anecdote time: I saw SW at the RAH in the mid 80s, in the early days of the Style Council. Winwood had performed 'Glad' earlier in the evening and when I saw Paul Weller amongst the crowd as I was leaving I suddenly realised at that moment why one of the tracks on Cafe Bleu (the name escapes me. 'Mick's Blessing' maybe?) reminded me so much of 'Glad.'

of Traffic's career:

There's a lot of criticism for things that were made in the 80s *sounding like they were made in the 80s*. If you can get past that, there is much to love about Back In The High Life. It's an exceptional set of songs with all of his influences in place. The production was a benchmark for other records.

That said, Winwood often follows a huge record with a mediocre one. So we go from the masterpiece Arc of a Diver, to the (relatively) uninspired Talking Back To the Night. Back in the High Life was followed by the similar but not-as-good Roll With It. I notice he often takes long breaks to regroup and reorganize.

There are some much maligned albums that I think are underrated, for example the soul record Junction 7, and the Fairlight exercise Refugees of the Heart.

However, for my money, his best records are the most recent two, where he stripped things back to basics. Nine Lives and About Time.

Loved the music and I'll be bidding against you lot for another couple of Traffic albums, but I couldn't help thinking that he's difficult to like as a person. Almost everyone else interviewed seemed charming but the main man still came across as a bit cold. Maybe just private

The two comments above are interesting. I thought he came across really well and I have huge admiration for his talent. Having heard him interviewed several times I thought this documentary was far and away the most revealing and interesting. My guess is that he's one of those highly bright types who is modest and self-effacing. Probably a bit embarrassed by the attention and having to talk about himself. I also think he is not especially articulate (which might come down to the fact that at school he was only interested in music).

The clue could be in the vehicle he used to drive to the cottage in Aston Tirrold: an anonymous ten year old white Ford Escort van. That suggests to me someone who doesn't have a big ego and is actually very easy to like.

For me the big disappointment (especially as it was compiled by him) is that he didn't unearth anything from the album he made with Viv Stanshall. Arc Of A DIver was the only track that survived after Chris Blackwell stopped it, because as I recall he didn't understand it.
If you consider that the stand out track from his first solo album was Vacant Chair and the stand out track from When The Eagle Flies was Dream Gerrard were both co-authored with Viv, (While Arc... was the standout track on that album) it would bode well for the other stuff from this hidden album.

David
You could do worse than track the 2Cd 'Smiling Phases'. An excellent compilation of Traffic songs as follows:-
Disc One
1. Paper Sun
2. Hole In My Shoe
3. Smiling Phases
4. Heaven Is In Your Mind
5. Coloured Rain
6. No Face, No Name, No Number
7. Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
8. Dear Mr. Fantasy
9. You Can All Join In
10. Feelin' Alright?
11. Pearly Queen
12. (Roamin' Thro' The Gloamin' With) 40.000 Headman
13. Vagabond Virgin
14. Shanghai Noodle Factory
15. Withering Tree
16. Medicated Goo
Disc Two
1. Glad
2. Freedom Rider
3. Empty Pages
4. John Barleycorn (Must Die)
5. The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys
6. Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
7. Rock 'N' Roll Stew
8. Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory
9. Walking In The Wind
10. When The Eagle Flies

This will give you a good overall summary of Traffic songs. If you like what you hear then most (if not all) of the Traffic albums are available as remastered Cds and easily obtainable.

especially the part where Steve revisited the famous cottage near Aston Tirrold, Berkshire where Traffic and Blind Faith "got it together in the country".

But it raised a few questions:

Dave Mason appeared very bitter about the whole Traffic experience. I knew he came and went from the band several times, but I had no idea he was treated so badly.

And what's going on with that American accent of Mason's? It's a very long way from his original Worcestershire burr.

Although the date on the credits read 2010, the interview with Clapton seems to have been filmed about ten years ago, judging by his haircut.