- Audio CD (27 Feb 2001)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Import
- Label: Island
- ASIN: B000059T1E
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 257,040 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will be "Glad" to have this classic Traffic album,
By A Customer
This review is from: John Barleycorn Must Die (Audio CD)
The original 1970 disc "John Barleycorn Must Die" is one of those albums that marks the end of Sixties music for me and I have always thought of "Glad" as the song that really allowed Traffic to justify their name and really jam. I truly cannot think of a better instrumental number from this period (the end of "Layla" does not count). Having a live version of this song as a bonus track on this reissue CD really hammers that point home, especially listening to Chris Wood on Electric Sax. The most amazing thing about this album is that while you have the opening track "Glad," perhaps the best example of jazz influence in rock and roll, you also have the mournful folk ballade "John Barleycorn," with the voices of Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi entwined over and around an acoustic guitar. You would swear these songs had to come from different albums. This time around the band takes the time to explore their songs, with four of the songs lasting longer than six minutes; in 1970 this was really considered pushing the envelope. The other thing that strikes me about Traffic is that they really knew how to start a song, especially on "Glad," "Stranger to Himself," and "John Barleycorn." The pair of bonus tracks ("I Just Want You to Know" and "Sittin' Here Thinkin' of My Love") are both live tracks from an unreleased live album recorded at the Filmore East in 1970. They are just gravy, because this was already a five star album which went gold and made it to the Top 1O in the United States.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still impressive after 40 years!,
By Ben Alofs (Bangor, North Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: John Barleycorn Must Die (Audio CD)
Traffic's "John Barleycorn must die" is one of those legendary and pivotal music albums. Made in 1970 - in July this year it will celebrate its 40th birthday! - it is the perfect fusion of rock, jazz and folk music. I still have my old vinyl copy, but recently got a digitally remastered cd version of 2001 with two previously unreleased tracks.
I hadn't heard "John Barleycorn Must Die" for many years and I was amazed at how crisp the music still sounds. This is music of all time. The highlights for me are Glad, Freedom Rider and John Barleycorn. As far as modern renditions of ancient folk songs go John Barleycorn (together with Sandy Denny's Banks of the Nile) is among the very best. Sadly only Steve Winwood still plays on. Chris Wood died tragically young in 1983 at the age of 39 and Jim Capaldi died in 2005, also too young, at the age of 61. We are left with the beautiful result of their joint creative energies.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (53 customer reviews) 66 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Traffic Gem,
By Juan Mobili - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Barleycorn Must Die (Audio CD)
Times had changed by 1970 ... Dave Mason was off to a full solo career, Chris Wood had joined Ginger Baker's Airforce, and Capaldi was not so sure what he wanted to do, but had not yet decided to quit the drums and be a singer.This is how this album begins, with only Stevie Winwood in the studio, having already penned a couple of songs -"Every Mothers Son" and, only included in this remastered version, "Sittin' Here Thinkin' of My Love"- and ready to record a solo album. Anyway, that was the plan but was not what ended up happening. Instead, whatever the real reason was -several stories are told- soon enough Capaldi and Steve's brother, Chris Wood, joined him and this became Traffic third studio album. Although Mason was gone -his contribution to Traffic's original sound and the two gems they recorded together can never be acknowledged enough- Winwood had enough music, feeling and ideas to carry the load and make "Barleycorn ..." a classic in its own right. It can be said that although this is very much a Traffic album, it is more heavily dominated by Winwood's musical vision and playing than its predecessors. There are two strong musical courses, running through Winwood's veins, coming naturally to a crossroads here, the ever-present Jazz/R&B that Winwood had been feeding off since the Spencer Davis Group's days, and his connection to the English Folk tradition. Actually, when you think that it was recorded over thirty years ago, it is even a more astounding example of how "ahead-of -its-times" Traffic was and, even more conclusively, what a tremendous composer Winwood had already become at 22. Traffic, as a whole, and this album in particular are, to this day, one of the beacons of popular music that has ever been recorded, even today. 40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Lost Classic,
By Steven R. Seim "Steve Seim" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Barleycorn Must Die (Audio CD)
Traffic had one of the most original (and interesting) sounds in British rock, and not only because of their eclectic musical influences, which embraced psychedelia, folk, jazz, soul, R&B, and even classical. Their unique sound was also the result of their unusual instrumentation. While the group went through a number of personnel changes, its constant core members were Steve Winwood (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Chris Wood (sax, flute, and organ), and Jim Capaldi (drums & percussion). With no regular bass player, Winwood often filled in with the bass pedals on his organ. And, while there is no lack of guitars on most Traffic recordings, the guitar is not emphasized or particularly important to the group's sound. Dave Mason came and went in their early years and, on other recordings, Steve Winwood would switch to guitar, with Chris Wood taking over organ duties. In short, Traffic was anything but your typical guitar-bass-drums rock outfit. And, with "white Ray Charles" prodigy Winwood at the helm, and with their willingness to experiment with virtually any sound or musical style, they cut some of the most distinctive and important records in British rock."John Barleycorn Must Die" is the only recording by just the Traffic "core" trio, and it is also one of their strongest. With Dave Mason only a memory, and the Blind Faith experiment with Eric Clapton over, Steve Winwood returned to the studio to record his first solo album, originally titled "Mad Shadows." Needing a little musical support, he soon enlisted Capaldi and Wood, and Traffic was reborn with "John Barleycorn." However, the radio-friendly 3-minute song structures were abandoned, as Winwood & Co. stretched out into extended jazz-rock compositions. The instrumental "Glad," in particular, with Winwood's unforgetable piano riff and Wood's fat sax, may be the finest jazz-rock composition ever put to vinyl. In addition, early Traffic's folk-rock was updated by reaching back to medieval England for the title track. With limited, but extremely talented and complementary, personnel, "John Barleycorn" is probably Traffic's most cohesive and focused artistic statement. To summarize: buy this record! 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing what three legends pulled off in one small band,
By Robert S. Reo - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: John Barleycorn Must Die (Audio CD)
Traffic made its debut around 1967 in the U.K. with the album "Heaven is in your Mind" which was later released in the U.S. as "Dear Mr. Fantasy". The band consisted of Steve Winwood (of Spencer Davis Group fame), Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. Their second album titled "Traffic" followed shortly after. "John Barleycorn Must Die" was scheduled, apparently to be a solo album by Steve. Traffic members, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood joined him on John Barleycorn and subsequently went on tour. The title track, John Barleycorn is a traditional English Folk Song richly presented with superb vocal harmonies from Steve and Jim; beautiful acoustic guitar work by Steve, and exquisitely crafted flute accompaniments by Chris Wood. Steve's keyboard work; Chris' sax and flute; and Jim's percussion are tight on Glad; Freedom Rider and Empty Pages. I especially like Steve's electric piano work on Empty Pages. Both "Stranger to Himself" and "Every Mother's Son" strike a deep but meaningful introspective chord in me. I had the good fortune of seeing Steve, Chris and Jim during this tour in the summer of 1970 at the Fillmore East midnight show. It was one of the most memorable concerts I had the good fortune to attend. Whether in the studio or live, these three legendary musicians are totally in sinc with one another and together they produced a rich album with jazz, blues, and folk influences. For me, John Barleycorn Must Die stands out among the several incarnations of Traffic's music.
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