John Barleycorn Must Die Traffic

• 1 Glad 06:59
• 2 Freedom Rider 05:31
• 3 Empty Pages 04:38
• 4 I Just Want You To Know 01:33
• 5 Stranger To Himself 03:57
• 6 John Barleycorn (Must Die) 06:28
• 7 Every Mother's Son 07:10
• 8 Sittin' Here Thinkin' Of My Love 03:25
• Total Runtime 39:41

Info for John Barleycorn Must Die

Originally a project where Steve Winwood planned to play every instrument himself, he began recording in the Autumn of 1969. Then, after taking time out in January 1970 to participate in Ginger Baker’s Airforce, Winwood returned to his solo album in February. The next piece to be committed to tape was ‘Glad‘, a jazz influenced instrumental based upon a piano part that Winwood had been toying with for some time. With the input of Jim Capaldi’s drumming and Chris Wood’s saxophone, the piece took upon a new lease of life. “It was obvious to all of us that we should really give Traffic another go,” said Winwood soon after.

Songs like ‘Glad’ and ‘Freedom Rider’ reflect Winwood’s time with Blind Faith, more improvised, jazzier and more expansive than anything on Traffic’s earlier albums. The real surprise package, however, was the inclusion of the acoustic, seventeenth century traditional folk song ‘John Barleycorn Must Die’.

John Barleycorn Must Die was the album that Traffic had always threatened to make and where they truly fulfilled their promise. It was released in July 1970 and was a Top Five album in America, easily their most successful album there, reaching No. 11 in the UK.

In support of the album, Traffic toured America where their shows at the Fillmore East, New York, on November 18th and 19th were taped. A scheduled Live -November 70 album, mixed down from the Fillmore East, was never released. These much bootlegged recordings are now officially released for the first time on Disc Two of this new deluxe edition along with alternate takes of ‘John Barleycorn Must Die‘, ‘Stranger To Himself’ and ‘Every Mother‘s Son‘.

Traffic began as a collective of Birmingham based musicians in April 1967 who defined the concept of ‘getting it together in the country’ in the way they prepared their debut album, Mr Fantasy (1968), their second album, simply titled Traffic (1969), reflected a band torn between pop and more serious musical ambitions and intentions. When Steve Winwood left Traffic to join Blind Faith in January 1969, the group split up, Island released a third album, Last Exit, which rounded up left over live recordings and studio material.

John Barleycorn Must Die set a template for a rejuvenated Traffic which, with an expanded and fluctuating line up, continued to record and tour successfully, making their final appearance at the Reading Festival in August 1974.

'...on 'Barleycorn', the extended flourishes of instrumental virtuosity are exhilarating - leavened with the folk-poetry of the lyrics and Windood's freest singing, the title song and 'Freedom Rider' reveal dazzling playing that never obscures sheer melody.' (Rolling Stone)

Steve Winwood, vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, electric piano, organ, bass guitar, percussion
Jim Capaldi, vocals, drums, tambourine, percussion

Produced by Steve Winwood, Guy Stevens and Chris Blackwell

Digitally remastered

Traffic
Traffic were formed by Winwood, Wood, Capaldi and Mason in 1967 shortly after Winwood had left the Spencer Davis Group. He had played with Eric Clapton in a short-lived studio band called Powerhouse, which contributed some tracks to the Elektra sampler "What's Shaking". Winwood had also jammed with Wood, Capaldi and Mason in clubs around the Birmingham area prior to leaving the Spencer Davis Group. The four of them resided at a cottage in Aston Tirrold in Berkshire for six months in order to - as the saying went - get it together in the country. They introduced themselves with the single "Paper Sun", which reached No. 5 in Britain. That and its sequel, "Hole In My Shoe", encapsulated the summer of 1967 as accurately as any overt flower-power anthem. The debut album "Mr. Fantasy", was a successful vehicle of the talents of the entire group, and served notice that Traffic would be more than merely a backing band for Winwood. However, Mason's flair for light melody was straightaway at odds with the more jazz-oriented ambitions of the other members, and he departed in December of 1967.

This album contains no booklet.