Product Description

Although JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE was originally intended as Steve Winwood's post-Blind Faith solo debut, Winwood and producer/label head Chris Blackwell first drafted Jim Capaldito provide lyrics, and then Chris Wood dropped by to add his familiar reeds, and almost by accident, Traffic was reborn.
This was a different, and better, Traffic than the ill-fated quartet lineup with Dave Mason, which never entirely settled on an artistic direction. The sound of JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE, on the other hand, remained the template for therest of the reunited band's career--long, organically developed songs with a subtle jazz-rock feel, powered by Capaldi's percussion and Winwood's organ. "John Barleycorn", a traditional English folk song about the process of brewing ale (not, as the liner notes mistakenly claim, a call for temperance), here becomes a pastoral reverie carried along by flute and acoustic guitar, and proves to be the record's highlight. However, the quality of the other songs, particularly the instrumental opener, "Glad", and the outstanding ballad "Empty Pages", is nearly as high.

Track Listing

1. Glad
2. Freedom Rider
3. Empty Pages
4. I Just Want To Know
5. Stranger To Himself
6. John Barleycorn (Must Die)
7. Every Mother's Son
8. Sittin' Here Thinkin' Of My Love
9. Backstage And Introduction
10. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
11. Glad

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6826 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Traffic's third studio album is also its third best, ranking below the band's superb second record (1968's Traffic) and its psychedelic debut (1968's Mr. Fantasy). The depth of those albums came from having two superior songwriters, Steve Winwood and Dave Mason; by John Barleycorn, Winwood was leading a trio that included Chris Wood on horns and Jim Capaldi on drums. Winwood now supplied guitar as well as keyboards, and songs like "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" reflected the trio's fondness for instrumental jams. But the 1970 album is remembered most for the title tune, a traditional folk tune blessed with one of the finest vocals of Winwood's long career. --John Milward

Customer Reviews

Excellent
I got into this one as a Winwood fan working backwards from his current material. I cannot add too much to the other reviewers comments but would echo that it's a superb work and, if you've heard other late sixties and seventies acts, you can hear how they were inspired by Traffic.

One very minor gripe with this package is that a bonus track (track 4) is slotted in the middle of the main work without any explanation as to why in the sleve notes - was this track orginally pencilled for that slot on the album? I prefer to listen to such re-issues as the artist originally intended with the bonus material on the end as an option.

What happened to the the 22 year old genius who made this album?
I've often wished I could ask Steve Winwood what happened to switch off the greatness - this album, the two that came before and the one that followed it are unparalled works amoungst those that seemed to taking rock music forward to an era in music to rival any that had preceeded it. Yet as has often happened with 'popular music' it ended just as it seemed it might emphatically break open the world of musical form. Why is it that Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert or Wagner never lost the creative drive but virtually all rock 'composers' have (heard anything profound by Paul McCartney or Bob Dylan recently?)!

Well whatever the reason is, (and none of the greats are very likely to come out and say "well the reason I'm no good anymore is......") John Barleycorn remains one the absolute best albums that anyone could be lucky enough to own. It is not the third best Traffic album as is often said, the first five Traffic albums are all equally creative and satisfying, if one has to be the best this is it!

There are no weaker tracks on John Barleycorn, each is a gem that stands in its own right, and if one of the really telling guages of great art is "how long before it starts to bore you" this passes that test, a rare thing in the genre - and 30+ years on I'm guessing that John Barleycorn Must Die contains a beauty, integity and a unique colouration that mean it never will.

A third successive bullseye
Welcome to the 1970s. After two great albums rooted in the late 1960s culture, Traffic, minus Dave Mason, made one brimming with vital, extended instrumental passages, as was the norm for the average 1970s album-oriented band. Mason had been known as the the more pop-inclined writer in Traffic, and as Winwood now had the field to himself (it was going to be a solo album at first, anyway) the new emphasis wasn't surprising.
Contrary to the widely-held belief that this approach led to all artists of the era drifting off at a tangent, however, most of them, Traffic included, made solidly-structured music. This album doesn't contain any potential hits, but wit, melody and beautifully-weaved textures abound. The instrumental 'Glad' features an arresting opening passage of sax, lively percussion and inspired piano. The trio are on top form collectively and individually. 'Freedom Rider', into which 'Glad' segues maintains the tempo.
The album title alludes to a folk song, but only the interpretation contained here touches on that genre. 'Every Mother's Son' provides a marvellous swirling climax to the original album. The bonus tracks include a live version of the wonderful 'Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring' from their second album. In total, this expanded reissue runs to an hour of high quality. A superb album that grows with age.