Heaven Is in Your Mind

by William RuhlmannIn January 1968, United Artists Records released a reconfigured American version of Traffic's debut album Mr. Fantasy under the new title Heaven Is in Your Mind, but after the first pressing reverted to calling it Mr. Fantasy. In 2000, Island reissued two CD versions, one titled Mr. Fantasy containing the British track listing in mono, the other titled Heaven Is in Your Mind with the U.S. track listing in stereo. Both albums contained bonus tracks, making their contents similar (but not quite identical). Actually, the album originally called Heaven Is in Your Mind was the superior version even before this development brought the two editions into stark comparison, since the changes actually improved the record by adding strong singles. But just as important as the substitutions was the sequencing, which banished the British-flavored novelty songs to the middle of Side Two; "Dear Mr. Fantasy," which would turn out to be the best-remembered song on the album, was moved to a climactic position as the penultimate cut on Side Two. The result de-emphasized Traffic's pop-psychedelic style (a hangover from the influence of Sgt. Pepper) and promoted its abilities as a jamming blues-rock outfit, talents that were abetted by Jimmy Miller's production and that helped launch them as an album act in the U.S. The 2000 reissue includes as bonus tracks the two deleted Dave Mason songs and two songs from the Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush soundtrack. Island's decision to reissue both versions could easily confuse consumers; the U.S. stereo version, once again known as Heaven Is in Your Mind, is really the one to own if you're only buying one.