Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die

In the telling, Traffic was this great band with two front-men, Steve Winwood and Dave Mason, which fell apart over egos and ambition and then reformed, without Mason, after Winwood's Blind Faith excursion crashed and burned.

In reality, the Winwood-Mason group was really a different band, a fine band, but far less ambitious and innovative than the band that was born on "John Barleycorn Must Die." Losing Dave Mason didn't deplete Traffic; it freed the band from the strictures of its previous incarnation as a generator of hit singles and allowed the fruitful collaboration among Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi to reach its full apogee. "John Barleycorn" doesn't sound anything like the Traffic that did songs like "Feelin' Alright" or "Heaven is in Your Mind."

Nor is this version of Traffic -- which continued through the remainder of its career -- a "jam band" in the sense that those words now signify. The compositions on "John Barleycorn..." as well as on subsequent classics like "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" are highly structured. Built into that structure were opportunities to perform solos. Both were multi-instrumentalists, so for some songs that means Winwood soloing on organ, guitar and piano, and Wood on flute and saxophone. Or some combination thereof. Both were virtuosos whose solos had much more to say, musically, than 95 percent of rock instrumentalists. And you couldn't pin them down. Their muse pulled them in many directions: Rock, folk, jazz, R&B and various subgenres. What Capaldi provides here and would blossom later into a signature quality was an incredible suppleness of rhythm. He could lay down a fat groove or a solid 4/4, or he could swing lightly, or he could click away in an ethereal mist. Whatever the song needed. Rhythmic adventurousness was Traffic's foundation beginning with this album.

The only drawback I find to "John Barleycorn..." is a wish they had gone further. Clearly, this group was awaiting an African drummer -- you can almost hear it on some of the tracks. Of course, that drummer arrived in time for the next Traffic album, "Welcome to the Canteen," and is one of the factors in making the next three Traffic albums the unheralded classics that they are.

As for the individual songs -- I can't think of a better suite than the three songs that made up the original Side 1 of this disk: "Glad, "Freedom Rider" and "Empty Pages." Then you've got the wondrous title song, which was the centerpiece of side 2. "Stranger to Himself" is an R&B style tune, in the mode of the previous incarnation's great final single, "Shanghai Noodle Factory/Medicated Goo." It's just a wonderful slab of music that you'll play a long time before getting tired of it.

The album itself is fantastic. A genuine classic.

The problem is in the totally crappy re-mastering job. There is audible dropout at the beginning of "Glad" on the left channel, which eventually straightens out after a few seconds, but ruins the song. "Empty Pages" is really bad. It has a wow/flutter effect throughout that might have been in the original recording, but I doubt it. It basically sounds like cassette tapes used to sound when they would get old and worn out, creating a fluttering sound quality.

I suspect the master tapes have gone bad here in spots, but it could just be my system. I listen on headphones, which might make me more sensitive to flaws. But, I think anyone thinking of this purchase might want to test a track via download before investing in the entire CD.

This is a truly a masterpiece, and the re-mastered tracks sound great. But one star off for the bonus tracks, especially for the one stuck in the middle. I'm not a big fan of bonus tracks in general; they rarely add to the experience, but at least stick em at the end where they can be properly ignored. The liner notes for the re-issue give a clue to their cluelessness: "Along with Fairport Conventions Liege and Leif, John Barleycorn Must Die stands as a pivotal statement in late 60's/early 70's British folk rock music". Huh? Did the person who wrote that even listen to anything besides the title track???

There are old stand-bys in Metamorpho's world like life perservers when the going gets tough and Metamorpho gets moaning. Not that I am ever known to whine people. (I hear laughs! Search the audience! I want names, dates, places on my desk in the morning!). O.K., where was I? Oh yes, there are just great recordings that I rely on to get my fair share of joy and revelry in this poor, old (and sometimes) pathetic world. This is one of them. A pure pop-rock-jazz influenced gem if there ever was one.

Did I not tell you (it seems like leagues ago) that Clapton and Winwood gave a great show with Blind Faith, but the best was yet to come. Well, I already gave you the Layla Lecture (a noted high point in your beloved Seer's career), but now I give you Winwood's triumph, John Barleycorn.

It is magikal, effervescent (sort of like the bubbles that make their way to the top of Metamorpho's champagne glass), creative exhuberent music. This is music with heart and soul. And you will be totally enthralled by the riffs (sometimes keyboard oriented) and the whirlwind (or Winwood?) expertise contained herein. You doubt my word? How bold.

The fact that this music was accomplished by only 3 extraordinary musicians should peak your interest for sure. The sound is the unmistakeable sound of Traffic (sorry Dave Mason) with the inclusion of woodwind instruments. Well, what would you expect with names like Steve Winwood and Chris Wood? Very appropriate, if you ask me.

The sound is hardy, solid, sometimes mixed with soul and jazz kisses. There is really no other album like it. The genius behind Steve's talent is that he was able to go from album to album and make each one a unique entity. Discovering new grooves along the way. This is one of his highest, finest moments. Of that, I have no doubt. (Then again, Seers rarely doubt their intuitions). ;)

This is a classic. Miss it at your peril. From the beginning instrumental of "Glad", you will get on a ride that will last the whole album. Listen to that piano riff with sax people! Are you going to sit there and tell me this is not great stuff? If you do I will vote you off the island! That sax note (the off center one) that Chris Wood hits in "Freedom Rider" is infectuous and will work itself into your brain that you will wait for it to please on subsequent listenings. Believe me, I know.

The opening organ joy riff and following ride on "Empty Pages" continues along this overindulgence avenue. And then Winwood gives you that wonderful, disjointed piano jouney with "Stranger to Himself" including that wirey guitar addition and fuzzy lead guitar. Everything here is so well done. Me, with all my ultimate wisdom, could not help to create a better blend of instruments.

They then take on an olde English folk tune, "John Barleycorn", and this, my people, was sheer genius. They give you rock-pop-jazz and then tone it down to this. Amazingly effective and brilliant! Supposedly, it was a tune against alcohol but, in the end, John Barleycorn won out. As stated in the liner notes "but there are many other interpretations". So kind of Traffic to leave it up to our imaginations! "Every Mother's Son" gives Steve free range on the keyboards while allowing his vocals to reclaim the soul he had with the Spencer Davis Group. This song is not a rave by any means, but it's meter reveals many colours.

In closing, this is one of my treasured and most liked albums in my archives. It is one of the few that I keep under lock and key. Only dragon fire can break the lock (and, believe me people, he is far away in an unused part of my castle!). Anyway, if you like late 60's-early 70's rock music at all, this one should definitely be in any worthwhile collection. If you have it-you know all my words ring true. If you don't have it - take heart, salvation is yet to come with the purchase!

as always, thinking of my vast public -- your own, Metamorpho ;)

One of the best pieces of music ever recorded. Not a bad song on the whole CD. Unique ---unlike any others. LOVE "Traffic"

Try it you'll like.
It was good when it was released it's great now.

As a fan of every Traffic lineup and release "John Barleycorn Must Die" is their finest moment. Every song is beautifully arranged and performed. Winwood's voice is spectacular and every song is memorable. This is a top ten desert island disc. A masterpiece from beginning to end. The two short bonus tracks are a nice extra for those of us purchasing this album for the third time(vinyl, CD, CD remaster)

This is Traffic's third album, but Dave Mason has left to pursue a solo career, and it is mainly Steve Winwood, with help from Capaldi on drums, and Chris Wood on Sax, Flute, and Organ. A core trio, and in the studio they create a full sound, with just these three key players. It embraces a variety of styles, even for this eclectic group, ranging from the old English folk ballad, "John Barleycorn," to the jazzy R&B of "Glad."

"There were three men came out of the West,
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn must die."

There are many versions of this folk ballad, some going back as far as 1465, and collected by Cecil Sharp from 1900 to 1910. There are between 100 and 140 versions, and in the one used by Traffic & Co., in spite of the solemn efforts of the three men to triumph over John Barleycorn, or distilled liquor, this was the outcome:

"And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
And he's brandy in the glass;
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
Proved the strongest man at last."

Steve Winwood plays guitar on this, and Chris Wood plays flute. There are two vocalists, and I am guessing that it is Capaldi and Winwood. Not much percussion, and hard to sing when you're playing flute. There is a tambourine. Winwood seems to be deeply into this music, and the treatment sounds both ancient and modern.

"Glad" is an instrumental, and there is an extended jam, mostly piano and keyboards. Great drums, and a fat sax riff that is easy to play, but it sounds so cool, and ends on a very cool sounding trill. This is a great instrumental track, and the rest of the record veers between these two extremes. I really like this Traffic album for "Glad" and "John Barleycorn" but the rest ain't bad, either. Since those are my favorite Traffic songs, this is my favorite Traffic album.

"The huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly to blow his horn,
And the tinker he can't mend kettle nor pot,
Without a little Barleycorn."

I was there when my older sisters listened to the vinyl version of Barleycorn on the turntable, back when the LP was only recently released. Even with the scratches and pops, the unique jazzy progressive flow of the music was immaculate. Needless to say, the re-mastering of what is already a true master may be redundant or gratuitious, but go ahead--make my day...stretch the limits of the human capacity to experience bliss. The other Amazon reviewers of this legendary work of art do not lie, are not using hyperbole, and do not exaggerate the point...this one goes to eleven...er, six...er, whatever.

"John Barleycorn" has in common with much of the Beatles' work that -- even if you've listened to it a thousand times -- when you come back it sounds as fresh and new as the very first listening.

The entire album is great--and covers an amazing amount of "musical territory." It would be on my short list of nominees for "greatest album of all time."

Let me also add that I was fortunate enough to see the briefly-reunited Traffic at Columbia, MD's Merriweather Post Pavilion (the year may have been 1994), not too long after the release of their much-underrated "Far From Home" - a fine album in its own right. It was a concert for the ages. Among his many other talents, Winwood is a superb guitarist.

this is one of my favorite rock and roll (plus jazz and folk influenced) albums of all time.
it gets my vote as Traffic's best, but that's a tough call, for sure. what an amazing mix of
songs, styles, influences in a unique blend of music. never get tired of hearing the story
of poor John Barleycorn!

Classic, creative rock by true stars of 1960's progressive music. Excellent blend of rock, folk, ballads, and a hint of improvisation. Some of Steve Winwood's best.

This actually started out as going to be Steve Winwood's first solo album. Traffic had broken up when Steve left to join Blind Faith and Dave Mason left for his solo career. When Blind Faith fell apart Winwood went into the studio to record his first solo album. Both Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi were originally only going to be making guest appearences. However, it worked out so well that Traffic was reborn. Listening to this cd it's easy to see why they decided to give it a go again. This is a great album all the way through and is the strongest overall album that they had put out at that point in time. From the jazzy feel of Glad and Freedom Rider to the british folk of John Barleycorn, this IS one that belongs in everyone's collection.

Okay, maybe this is Traffic's best work. I'm not sure, it's a toss-up between this and the self-titled record. It's amazing regardless. The group's folk influence are in full flower here, as displayed on their cover of the age-old folk standard John Barleycorn, just one of the amazing tracks here. The instrumental suite that opens the album (Glad) is also cool, starting off as an uptempo funk song, before turning into jazz and then a folksy outro. Just as good is the haunting ballad Freedom Rider, an effective showcase for Chris Wood. Not to mention Empty Pages. The only misstep the album makes is Every Mother's Son, a rather pointless jam. But the rest more than makes up for that. For the record, Dave Mason had left the group at this point. Steve Windwood handles the guitars.

In many respects, this is the first "true" Traffic album. It began as a solo Steve Winwood effort; Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi were brought in mid-way to lend support. This was always the Traffic paradigm, Winwood was the genius, the creative center, and all other participants were collaborators. Somebody somewhere started the crazy rumor that Dave Mason, participant on Traffic's first three albums, was working on a peer level with Winwood - which is rather like saying that Ringo was working on a peer level with John Lennon. Barleycorn is the first post-Mason Traffic effort, and as such, shows just how much his cutesy coffee-house folkiness prevented Winwood from taking the group where it was inevitably headed - into jazzy, R&B, blue-eyed English rock & soul.

From the opening bars of Glad, a track that carries you jubilantly for 7:00, it's clear that this is a very different Traffic. Winwood's keyboard playing on Glad is as tasty as anything he's ever done. From there it's on to Freedom Rider, which picks up the pace and intensity, great writing and singing. With Empty pages comes a tough, deliberate funk - excellent drumming and Winwood singing right out of his head. (Unlike the original album, this CD then mysteriously includes a bit of litter called I Just Want You To Know - a dumb mistake.) By the time you hit Stranger To Himself you're down so deep in a funky groove that England is the last thing on your mind, Detroit in summertime would be more like it.

Then comes the anomaly. The title track, now something of an institution, is completely out of place. It's lovely and memorable, but feels like an uninvited guest at a party. The original closer, Every Mother's Son, delivers the trademark anthem quality of many Winwood compositions, haunting singing, yearning, reaching. This CD then provides another bit of litter, Sittin' Here Thinkin' Of My Love, which Winwood had composed for the original album. Cooler heads prevailed back then, and you can choose to pretend it doesn't exist. Chris Wood really shines on this album, on flute and sax, it is surely one of his most lucid performances. Capaldi is perfect on drums and should have left well enough alone, his attempted transformation into rock star singer was embarrassing. But in the final analysis, of course, this is the vehicle where every aspect of Winwood's genius is allowed to dazzle; writing, singing, keyboards, guitar, he does everything well. Were you to own only one Traffic CD it would be a coin toss between this and Low Spark.

With JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE, Traffic put aside their psychedelic style, replacing it with jazz and soul influences, and come up with their most lucid album ever. Their early albums are very good (5 stars apiece except for LAST EXIT, which I've never heard in its entirety), but were a bit druggy-sounding for my tastes being that I don't even drink wine for religious purposes, let alone use drugs or smoke. This album fits my lifestyle much better than some songs on the early albums (the less said about the pro-LSD "Medicated Goo", the better). All of the songs are great, even the two bonus cuts, althought this CD would have been even better if "I Just Want You To Know" had been place at the end, instead of in the middle. This CD's jazz/soul feel is broken up, without sounding jarring or disjointed, by the title song, which is an English folk ballad. The running order of this CD is only a minor quibble, as everything here is first-rate. This and THE LOW SPARK OF HIGH-HEELED BOYS are the first Traffic CDs you should buy.

Just one correction. The official review above mentions the title tune vocal as being one of Winwood's best but Jim Capaldi handles the lead for most of the song with Winwood singing harmony on the choruses. I was privileged to see this tour and the highpoint of the show, for me, was this ancient song performed with acoustic guitar, tambourine and flute to a quiet crowd in the middle of a rock concert.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET THE "IMPORT" VERSION INSTEAD

There have been several different versions of this CD. This latest version has remastered sound and two bonus tracks. You might want to get the "Import" version instead. It has two more tracks that were originally supposed to be on a live album.

The two bonus tracks here are studio leftovers. They are not very good songs and certainly not up to the par with the original album. Worse still, the horrible "I Just Want You To Know" is stuck in the middle of the original material, instead of tacked on to the end.

As a group, Traffic broke up after every album, and then reunited for the next one. John Barleycorn Must Die is different in that it originally started out as a Steve Winwood solo album. He even had two songs recorded, before bringing in Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi.

The sound on this album is very different than any other Traffic album. It is more accoustic sounding. It is very atmospheric, and muted, taking full advantage of Winwood's soulful vocals. (Adding in that bonus track in the middle really upset the atmosphere).

This is their fourth album and much better than the first three. Those have a dated, British sixties, psychodelic sound to them. But, there are still some great tracks on those albums.

The albums that follow, Low Spark and Shoot Out have a sound similar to John Barleycorn, only with a brighter and heavier rock sound.

Chris Wood died in the eighties and Capaldi died last year.

If you like vintage classic rock and roll then you will certainly enjoy this one.

A must have for any 'Traffic' fan's collection! The music arrangement is cleverly put together. A very fresh sound for it's time. Steve Winwood's voice and talent really show on this compilation. Traffic was considered, in the 1970's to be one of the 'Super Groups'. A well deserved title for such a talented group of young musicians.

John Barleycorn is probably Traffic's strongest record. I have a continuing fondness for all things psychedelic, and 1968's "Dear Mr.Fantasy" is one of my favorites from its golden age. But I'm afraid I prefer this funky, jazzy thing more. I think Mason's contributions to Traffic are of far less import than Winwood's, Mason being too mystical and British for my liking-and his departure allowed Winwood to become the near one-man show we all know he is capable of stealing.